Naruto: Different Path

(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)

(T/N: Enjoy!!)

<><><><><><>

Naruto returned to the Manor. Aside from guiding his subordinates in their training, he spent his time discussing the crafting of ninja tools with Seifu. 

Initially, Naruto had planned to let Kisame live a little longer, but now it seemed imperative to seize Samehada first. 

What concerned Naruto the most wasn't Kisame himself, but Uchiha Itachi, Nagato—the leader of the Akatsuki—and Tobi, who was masquerading as Uchiha Madara.

For now, Naruto didn't even know where Kisame was located. 

Additionally, due to the strained relationship between the Land of Rain and Konoha, entering the Land of Rain was no simple task. 

Naruto had yet to formulate a solid plan. At Manor, Naruto had absolute authority, and the others showed him the utmost respect. 

From time to time, he enjoyed the comforts of the manor, but he knew that such a life was the result of countless dangerous adventures. 

Realizing this, Naruto finally made up his mind to travel to the Land of Rain. However, his initial focus was on its outskirts.

The Land of Rain shares borders with the Land of Fire, the Land of Wind, and the Land of Earth. 

Since the Land of Wind is allied with Konoha, Naruto found it more convenient to operate there. 

The ninja world was currently unstable, with both overt and covert conflicts flaring up everywhere. 

The Akatsuki's activities had become increasingly frequent. Yet, due to their small numbers, they didn't attract much attention from the great nations. 

This turmoil across the ninja world played in their favor. 

To avoid attracting Akatsuki's attention, Naruto focused his efforts on the border regions shared with the Land of Wind. 

The Akatsuki, being a mysterious organization with relatively few members, remained somewhat obscure to the general populace. 

Naruto spent several days gathering information in secret but found no useful clues. 

According to his analysis, the Akatsuki would need a steady stream of funds to sustain their operations. 

If Naruto hadn't already obtained a treasure to finance his endeavors, he too would be struggling with money issues. 

Even large ninja villages like Konoha were constantly completing missions to sustain their economy.

Following this lead, Naruto began investigating the Akatsuki's potential sources of income. 

With the chaos across the ninja world, even powerful nations like Konoha were struggling to maintain order, let alone the smaller countries. 

This period resembled the days of the great wars, where darkness began to resurface. Naruto arrived at a tavern near the border of the Land of Wind. 

Rumor had it that the tavern had long been a hub for shady dealings, though they were previously conducted in secret. 

Now, with the Land of Wind focused on defending itself against other ninja villages, there was no energy left to regulate such activities. 

Many illegal transactions were openly conducted, including contraband trading, human trafficking, and even the hiring of assassins. 

As long as one had enough money, there was little that couldn't be bought. During this time, ordinary civilians faced even harsher lives.

Disguised as a wealthy man, Naruto walked into the tavern. 

The first thing he noticed was the chaotic scene: the sounds of drinking, gambling, and arguing all blended. 

His arrival didn't attract anyone's attention. After ordering two bottles of sake, he quietly sat in a corner, blending into the crowd.

Despite the chaos, it was clear that the tavern owner had powerful connections. 

Even when patrons destroyed property, they were always forced to compensate for the damages. 

However, there were always fools who didn't know better. 

Sure enough, two men began arguing over a gambling dispute, which quickly escalated into a brawl. 

Though they were ordinary people, the wooden tables and chairs of the tavern couldn't withstand their fight. 

The two soon reduced the tavern to a mess.

Once the two men had exhausted themselves and sat panting on the ground, a small tavern attendant approached them.

"You've damaged a lot of property," the attendant said, handing them a bill.

"According to the rules here, you must compensate us accordingly." The two men were both large and brawny, with tempers to match. 

One of them glanced at the bill and shouted angrily, "What? I only broke a couple of things, and you're charging me this much?" 

"I'm not paying! What are you going to do about it?" He waved his fists menacingly, and the other man stood up to back him up. 

Moments ago, they were enemies, but now they found themselves on the same side.

The tavern attendant didn't seem the least bit intimidated. Instead, there was a hint of disdain in his eyes. 

Just as the two men continued their threats, a boot suddenly appeared behind the attendant. 

In two swift kicks, the two brutes were sent sprawling to the ground. 

A man, holding a blade, pointed it at their throats and said coldly, "Idiots. This isn't a place for you to cause trouble." 

"If you won't pay, you can leave your lives here." The cold steel of the blade drained the fight from the two men. 

Trembling, they begged, "We're sorry! We'll pay! We'll pay double the amount!"

The attendant seemed unsurprised by this outcome and led them away to settle their debt. 

Naruto, meanwhile, noted that the man who had intervened was trained in ninjutsu. 

Though his strength was formidable compared to ordinary people, he was no more than Chūnin level by ninja standards. 

Quietly, Naruto flicked a small seed that landed on the man without him noticing.

As the man prepared to leave, a servant-like figure entered the tavern and handed him a photograph. 

"Our lord says this person must die within three days," the servant ordered.

The ninja looked at the photo and hesitated. "This target won't be easy." 

"Even his bodyguards aren't pushovers, and his identity is… well, it could cause trouble."

The servant, maintaining an arrogant demeanor, interrupted, "What's this? I thought you people claimed you could kill anyone as long as you were paid. Are you afraid now?"

The ninja chuckled. "I can do it, but the price…"

A large bag of gold fell into his hands. "This is the deposit," the servant said. "You'll get the rest after the job is done."

The ninja weighed the gold in his hand, his eyes gleaming. "It's a deal, then. Three days from now, you'll hear the good news."

The servant snorted and left the tavern. Shortly after, the ninja also hurried out, leaving Naruto to quietly process what he had just witnessed.

After the ninja left the tavern, he began moving quickly, while Naruto tracked his position through the seed. 

Initially, Naruto didn't place much hope in this, but soon, he sensed that the ninja was heading toward the Land of Rain. 

Under normal circumstances, heading to the Land of Rain wouldn't seem suspicious. 

The issue was that he had just accepted a difficult assassination mission and was now rushing to the Land of Rain—this likely meant he was seeking backup from someone powerful. In the Land of Rain, ever since Hanzo was taken down, only the Akatsuki possessed such formidable strength.

Sensing the ninja's movements, Naruto followed him quietly but kept a significant distance to avoid detection by the Akatsuki. 

As the ninja crossed the border, he slowed down, as though he was searching for something, rather than heading directly toward Amegakure. 

This made Naruto suspicious. Perhaps the ninja wasn't looking for the Akatsuki after all. 

At that moment, the ninja opened a hidden entrance and went underground. 

Naruto, hiding at a high vantage point, used his binoculars to observe from afar.

Before long, the ninja emerged from underground, wiping sweat from his forehead as if something below had put him under significant mental pressure. 

Naruto shifted his focus to the underground hideout—there must be formidable ninjas inside; otherwise, the ninja wouldn't have felt such strain. 

After a while, Naruto spotted two figures emerging from the hideout. 

They were both tall, clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds, and wearing straw hats with dangling wind chimes.

What drew Naruto's attention most was the strange, cloth-wrapped weapon carried on one of their backs. 

Naruto quickly suppressed his presence—he realized he had gotten lucky. He had stumbled upon Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. 

Kisame was manageable, but Naruto had no intention of fighting Itachi. 

Itachi wasn't just incredibly powerful; he was also an impeccable person. Strictly speaking, Naruto knew Itachi was on the same side as him.

The moment Itachi stepped out, he seemed to sense something and glanced toward Naruto's concealed position. 

Kisame asked, "Did you notice anything?" Itachi paused before continuing to walk. 

"No, it's nothing. I was just overthinking," he said. Kisame followed behind him, walking at a calm pace.

Using Earth Release and Wood Release, Naruto maintained his distance while trailing them. 

Several times, Itachi glanced back as if he had detected Naruto's presence, though he took no action. 

They continued walking for a while until Itachi, for unknown reasons, was left alone, leaving Kisame to rest at the original spot. 

Naruto waited patiently for this moment—for Itachi and Kisame to separate. 

Though unsure why Itachi had left, Naruto decided to take action immediately.

Wearing a mask and dressed in black, Naruto threw a barrage of kunai toward Kisame's position. 

Kisame sensed Naruto's attack the moment it happened and swung his massive blade, Samehada, to block the kunai, sending them scattering to the ground. 

Naruto appeared in front of Kisame with his Lightning Sword crackling with lightning energy. 

Seeing the iconic attire, Kisame grinned with his shark-like teeth and said, "So, it's Konoha's 'Black Flash.' You're here looking for Itachi, aren't you?"

Naruto shook his head. "No, I'm not here for Itachi. I came for you—or more specifically, for Samehada in your hands." 

At these words, Kisame burst out laughing. "Samehada has long been my weapon." 

"Plenty of people have set their sights on it, but they've all ended up dead!" Kisame charged at Naruto with his massive blade. 

Despite its size, Kisame wielded Samehada effortlessly, delivering devastating blows.

Aware of Samehada's ability to absorb chakra, Naruto avoided direct clashes and focused on dodging. 

Kisame continued pressing forward, taunting, "Didn't you want to take Samehada?" 

"At this rate, forget taking the blade—your life will end here soon enough."

Suddenly, Naruto seized an opportunity. 

As Kisame swung the blade downward toward Naruto's head, leaving himself open, Naruto appeared behind him in a flash. 

The Lightning Sword pierced through Kisame's body, sending paralyzing lightning through him. 

Despite this, Naruto could feel Samehada still absorbing his chakra even in Kisame's immobilized state. 

Taking advantage of the moment, Naruto kicked Samehada out of Kisame's hands.

At that moment, Naruto noticed Itachi appearing nearby out of the corner of his eye. Itachi's kunai was already flying toward Naruto. 

Even with Naruto's current abilities, he was startled and thought, As expected of Itachi. He likely left earlier as a ruse to lure me out. 

He must have sensed me. Knowing Itachi's genjutsu was incredibly dangerous, Naruto immediately used the Flying Thunder God Technique to teleport away. 

He reappeared at the spot where Samehada had landed, grabbed the blade, and vanished again without hesitation. 

Kisame, who had expected to see Naruto injured, was left stunned as Naruto disappeared with Samehada in hand. 

He couldn't believe his eyes. Even more shocking to Kisame was that he could no longer sense Samehada's location.

Staring at the spot where Naruto had vanished, Kisame growled, "We have to find him and get my weapon back!"

Itachi, his Sharingan activated, said calmly, "Give it up, Kisame. The technique he used wasn't an ordinary Body Flicker." 

"Even if we fought him together, we might not win." 

Understanding Itachi's strength, Kisame asked, "I may have lost, but are you saying you wouldn't win either?"

Itachi replied, "Haven't you heard the recent rumors? His strength may even exceed what's been reported." 

"Wasting time here is pointless—we should focus on completing our mission."

Accustomed to Itachi's methods and trusting his judgment, Kisame reluctantly followed him, though he was frustrated.

Meanwhile, Naruto reappeared in a hidden chamber within Chunlai Manor.

Before Samehada could injure his hand, Naruto immediately threw the blade to the ground. 

Staring at it, he gathered a massive amount of Sage Chakra and channeled it into Samehada. 

The blade devoured the Sage Chakra eagerly, growing larger in size.

Naruto looked down at Samehada and said, "Your former master, Kisame, may have decent chakra reserves, but in the grand scheme of the ninja world, he's nothing." 

"Staying with him is a disgrace to your existence. My chakra already surpasses Kisame's, and it will only grow stronger in the future. I am the master you should choose."

Having devoured Naruto's Sage Chakra, Samehada seemed to take a liking to such powerful energy. 

It immediately changed its attitude, swimming toward Naruto obediently and appearing docile. 

Naruto picked up Samehada, successfully becoming its new master.

If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 20 advanced Chapters for you guys.

patr**n.com/saitamablast > N:DP NOVEL TIER