Naruto: Different Path

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Naruto planned to stay in the village for two more days before leaving. While he enjoyed the occasional peaceful life, he still had other tasks to complete. 

However, one day, he noticed that Shota's parents (Yamaki and Keiko's son) seemed off. 

Though they remained polite to Naruto, there was an air of worry around them. 

Naruto and Shota were home that evening while Shota's parents quietly slipped out, avoiding Naruto. 

Sensing something was wrong, Naruto created a shadow clone to stay with Shota and discreetly followed the parents.

As Naruto followed them, he noticed more and more villagers gathering, all heading toward the center of the village. 

Hidden by Earth Style, Naruto watched from a distance and saw that nearly all the adults in the village had assembled. 

From their expressions, it was clear that something serious was about to happen. 

An elderly man, the village chief, stood up and said, "Fellow villagers, the bandits from the mountain stronghold downstream sent a challenge to my house yesterday." 

"They're demanding a thousand bushels of grain and a hundred livestock as a protection fee, or they'll attack us."

An older man stood up and asked, "Can't we report this to the authorities? If we do, they'll surely deal with these bandits."

The chief sighed and said, "We've already reported it, but with the daimyo being killed, the government is too busy to deal with such matters." 

"These bandits know that, and they're taking advantage of the situation." 

A woman stood up and said, "If the authorities won't help, what can we do? If the bandits come, we're doomed."

We should give them what they want.

The chief sighed again. "This year's harvest was good, but they're asking for too much." 

"Even if we give in this time, they'll return repeatedly. If this keeps up, we'll all starve to death." 

A young man stood up and said, "If that's the case, we should fight them. We'll die anyway so that we might take a few down." 

The young man continued, "They've come for us. Whether we fight or not, we're dead if we don't resist."

For a moment, everyone fell silent. They would likely lose if they fought, but they were waiting to die if they didn't. 

The village chief, realizing the gravity of the situation, clenched his fist and shouted, "We must defend our home, even if it means fighting to the death!" 

His words stirred the crowd, and they shouted in unison, "Defend our home! Fight to the death!" 

The air was filled with determined voices, though everyone knew the odds were against them. Fighting was a desperate last resort.

Naruto remained hidden throughout the meeting, and after the villagers discussed their strategy against the bandits, they dispersed. 

Naruto quickly returned to Shota's house. After a while, Shota's parents returned home and noticed Naruto was still awake. 

Shota's father, Yamaki, approached Naruto and said, "Mr. Kenji, we're sorry, but we plan to visit Shota's grandmother tomorrow morning." 

"It won't be convenient to host you anymore. If you like this place, you can return another time."

Naruto understood that Yamaki was trying to protect him from the impending trouble with the bandits but chose not to confront him. 

Instead, he pretended to go along, saying, "Oh, in that case, I won't trouble you any longer. I'll take my boat back home tomorrow." 

"I'll come back next time when I'm free."

That night, Naruto knew the entire village was restless. 

He reflected on the situation—while the bandits weren't his fault, the events had somewhat unfolded because of him. 

He had grown fond of the village, so there was no way he could stand by and watch. 

Early the following day, Naruto pretended to leave, saying his goodbyes, but he stayed on his boat, watching the village from a distance.

Around 3 p.m., Naruto noticed many boats docking, and over a hundred bandits armed with large blades began to disembark. 

Leading them was a man with a scar across his face. Naruto quietly followed the group as they made their way toward the village. 

When they reached the village entrance, Naruto saw that the villagers had constructed basic defensive fortifications in just half a day. 

Armed with farming tools like hoes and sticks, the villagers hid behind the barriers.

The scarred man took in the sight and shouted, "Looks like you've chosen to oppose me." 

"In the past, the authorities would stick their noses in our business, but now they are too busy to help you." 

I suggest you comply with my demands, or my blade won't spare anyone!" 

Naruto noticed that the village's young men stood in front, holding makeshift weapons, while the women and children, including Shota, hid behind them. 

The children, unfamiliar with such danger, were visibly terrified, clinging to their parents.

The village chief, unfazed by the bandit leader's threats, shouted back, 

"We're going to die either way, so we might as well fight! If you have the guts, come and get us. Not a single person here is afraid of you!" 

The scarred man hadn't expected such a bold response. He had chosen this village because the people seemed kind and passive. 

For a moment, he felt uneasy, but when he saw the villagers' simple weapons, he burst out laughing. 

"Do you think you can stand against me with those? I'll show you how wrong you are!" He ordered his men to attack.

The villagers' fortifications were no match for the bandits' assault and were quickly breached. 

Naruto saw that the women and children had started to flee. Shota, in particular, looked conflicted as he ran. 

Just then, Naruto made his move. "Earth Style: Earth Flow Wall!" 

A large wall of earth rose to block the bandits' path. Naruto stood on the wall and said, "Leave now, or you'll all die here."

Seeing Naruto perform a jutsu, the scarred man realized Naruto was a ninja. 

He frowned but believed that with his numbers, they could overwhelm Naruto, even at the cost of some casualties. 

Meanwhile, on the verge of defeat, the villagers saw Naruto as a savior and pinned their hopes on him. 

Shota recognized Naruto too—it was his "Uncle Kenji."

The scarred man barked, "Brothers, it's just one man! Who cares if he's a ninja? Let's take him down together!" 

The bandits charged at Naruto. Unfazed, Naruto began forming hand signs. 

"Earth Style: Earth Flow River!" 

"Earth Style: Earth Spear!" 

These wide-range jutsu wiped out the charging bandits in an instant. The bandits were ordinary men who stood no chance against a trained ninja. 

Seeing his men fall so easily, the scarred man tried to flee, but Naruto took him down with a single punch.

The villagers witnessed the entire scene and were awestruck. Naruto had become their hero. 

That evening, they held a grand feast in his honor, offering him all the hospitality they could. 

Naruto found it amusing, thinking, 'I'm the most wanted man in the Land of Earth.' Naruto's strength left a deep impression on Shota. 

Initially, Shota thought Naruto was just a fisherman, but after hearing the adults talk, he learned that Naruto was a powerful ninja. 

This sparked a new idea in Shota's young mind. 

After the banquet, Shota tugged on Naruto's hand and said, "Uncle Kenji, I want to learn ninjutsu from you." 

Naruto knew that the recent events had influenced the child. 

Naruto patted Shota's head and asked, "Can you tell me why you want to learn ninjutsu, Shota?"

Shota determinedly replied, "If I learn ninjutsu, I can protect everyone from being bullied." 

Hearing this, the adults around them laughed, and the village chief said, 

"Kids speak their minds—he's already thinking about protecting everyone at a young age." 

Naruto smiled and said, "Learning ninjutsu isn't easy. It involves much hard work. Are you afraid of that, Shota?" 

Shota hesitantly responded, "Uncle Kenji, if it means I can protect everyone, I'm not afraid of hardship."

Naruto nodded silently. Shota could still become a decent ninja if willing to work hard, even if his talent wasn't exceptional. 

Even an average ninja would be enough to protect the villagers from bandits. 

This gave Naruto an idea—perhaps he could extend this concept to a larger scale.

Shota's parents, who believed Naruto was a ninja from the Land of Earth and saw him as a hero for saving them, treated him with great respect. 

They didn't see Naruto as a villain at all. 

Though Shota was just a child, Naruto had promised to teach him, and he would take that responsibility seriously. 

However, Naruto couldn't stay in the village for too long. First, Naruto took Shota to a quiet place and began teaching him to refine his chakra. 

Normally, students at a ninja academy would learn many other things first, but Naruto didn't have that kind of time. 

It took Shota three days to refine his chakra, which showed that his talent was average at best. 

Once Shota managed to refine his chakra, Naruto tested its nature. 

To his surprise, Shota had a lightning chakra nature, which was relatively rare in the Land of Earth.

Meanwhile, Iwagakure had been searching for Naruto for nearly a week. 

Representatives from the daimyo's side frequently appeared in the Tsuchikage's office. 

From the Tsuchikage's perspective, the assassination of the daimyo would largely be blamed on Iwagakure, especially since Ōnoki himself had been present at the time. 

This deeply humiliated Iwagakure and could weaken its standing in the Land of Earth. 

Ōnoki was troubled by these issues, and his back pain was constantly flaring up, leaving him with a sour expression.

Iwagakure had been conducting a thorough search for nearly a week, with even Ōnoki personally joining the efforts several times. 

Yet, they had found nothing; by now, it was almost certain that the assassin had escaped.

However, under continuous pressure from the daimyo's sons, Ōnoki couldn't simply give up the search and had to keep looking. 

Given his experience and age, he could easily predict the potential turmoil that might arise in the Land of Earth. 

He deeply regretted not eliminating the assassin on the spot when he had the chance.

Meanwhile, Naruto spent several more days teaching Shota basic training methods. 

After seven days, Naruto handed Shota a scroll and, while patting his head, said, "Shota, Uncle Kenji has to leave now. 

"This scroll contains the training methods for your future practice. If you stick to it, in three years, you should be able to become a capable ninja." 

"Uncle Kenji has more important matters to attend to, so I can't stay to continue teaching you."

Being a child, Shota was very reluctant to see Naruto go and clung to him, unwilling to let him leave. 

Naruto smiled and said, "Shota, you're a man now and become an independent ninja." 

"Ninjas shouldn't only think of themselves. Uncle Kenji has more critical things to do, understand?"

These words were exactly what a child-like Shota needed to hear. He immediately let go of Naruto, though his eyes still filled with tears. 

Seeing this, Naruto found it amusing but maintained a serious expression and said, "While Uncle Kenji isn't here, make sure to practice a lot, okay?" 

With a "poof," Naruto disappeared, not paying attention to Shota's calls. Naruto had to move on to his next destination. 

If he stayed in the Land of Earth any longer, it would be troublesome if they found him.

There was still some time left before the three-month deadline given by Danzō, so Naruto decided to head to the nearby Land of Rivers. 

The Land of Rivers, though small, was relatively large compared to other minor nations. 

It was situated between the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. 

Though there weren't many wars between the two countries, and the two had recently established an alliance, the Land of Rivers remained a buffer zone between them and maintained relative peace.

Naruto first traveled to the Land of Grass, using a mark he had previously left there. 

He found that the Grass ninja were still pursuing the treasure map, clearly unwilling to give up on such a valuable item. 

However, Iwagakure had too many problems to deal with the Grass Ninja's actions.

Originally, Naruto's shortest route to the Land of Rivers was through the Land of Rain. 

However, considering certain factors, he decided to detour through the Land of Fire instead. 

With Naruto's speed, this wasn't a problem, and soon he arrived in the so-called "free" Land of Rivers.

Upon arrival, Naruto observed that, due to the relative lack of warfare in the area, the presence of ninjas was relatively thin. 

The daimyo of the Land of Rivers also implemented a more open political system, so foreign ninjas faced fewer restrictions when entering the country. 

In a time of constant conflict, few countries, even small ones, had such policies.

Naruto briefly toured the cities, but his main focus was on other areas of the country. It was said that several ninja groups had set up bases here. 

Naruto also considered this, as hiding indefinitely in the Land of Fire wasn't a viable long-term solution. Naruto spent several days observing the region. 

From its geography to its resources and political structure, the Land of Rivers was ideal for establishing a secret base. 

However, this also made it a hotspot for power struggles, with conflicts between factions often spilling over and affecting the common people. 

Bandit groups were rampant as well, meaning that life for the civilians wasn't particularly peaceful.

Despite this, these troubles were insignificant compared to the Great Ninja Wars. 

Naruto adopted a lifestyle of traveling and training in the Land of Rivers, using this time to strengthen himself. 

However, his primary objective was to find something essential—people. Naruto knew that he couldn't accomplish his goals alone. 

What he needed were loyal subordinates. Thus, his search for the right talents began in earnest.

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