Naruto: The new beginning

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Sasuke first turned his head and glanced at Naruto, allowing Naruto to experience the situation for himself.

Naruto understood that this was Sasuke's way of showing admiration, and he even thought he could use his Sharingan in this situation.

Unaware of Naruto's amusing thoughts, Sasuke approached Temujin, activated his Sharingan, and looked at him. "Answer the question."

As the hypnotic power of the Sharingan took effect, Temujin's eyes turned dull, and he slowly began to recount how he had been brainwashed by Haido.

Haido, driven by his grand ambition for Utopia, had used Temujin to help him locate the Gelel Stone vein.

After arriving in the Land of Wind, they encountered a ferret that could sense the Gelel Stone by chance, which led them to the ruins under the ferret's guidance.

Since there was no clear method recorded for opening the mine, Haido decided to experiment using Temujin's royal blood.

Unexpectedly, when Temujin's blood was sprinkled on the magic circle, it triggered a spell left by the ancestors to destroy the ore vein.

As a result, the vein was ruined, and Haido went mad when it disappeared.

As for the children, the energy required by the mobile fortress was supposed to come from the Gelel Stone.

However, due to the ore shortage, Haido resorted to capturing children to extract their life energy until he could find more of the ore.

In other words, the children were being used to power the mobile fortress, and when needed, they would be transformed into armoured soldiers through special means.

Everyone fell silent. Naruto felt that Haido had died too easily for the suffering he had caused.

The Village would handle the resettlement of the children. Fortunately, the energy that had leaked from the veins had provided them with some vitality, allowing them to live normal lives.

Naruto broke the silence: "Temujin must be connected to the caravan that hired us to find the ferret, but he's now a prisoner of the Sand Village…"

Gaara, understanding the situation, replied: "No, he's a prisoner because he interfered with your mission."

Naruto asked, "Does it matter?"

Gaara replied: "We have the information we need, and there are the bodies of the others outside."

"Thanks." Initially, it was only a C-rank mission, but the difficulty escalated due to involvement in a war between nations. It wasn't the client's fault, so technically, the mission rank couldn't be upgraded.

Still, Naruto thought: You hired us to find a ferret, and we also found a prince for you. Shouldn't there be a bonus for that?

In the end, both sides completed their tasks. The Land of Wind also gained an unexpected oasis, and everyone was pleased.

"Wait for me a bit," Naruto called out to his teammates, then pulled Gaara aside. "Gaara, I need a private word."

Gaara, puzzled, asked, "What is it?"

Naruto inquired, "Have you been getting along with Shukaku recently?"

Gaara replied, "I've met him a few times, but communicating with him isn't easy."

Naruto patted Gaara on the shoulder. "Shukaku's personality is awkward, the old fix was also like that but if you sincerely want to reconcile with him, he'll feel it "

"Hey, brat what are you talking about!!!!"

Kurama raised his voice against the allegations.

But Naruto ignored him.

"I'll do my best." Gaara knew Naruto had managed to coexist with the Nine-Tails, and he didn't want to remain in constant conflict with Shukaku.

"Oh, one more thing," Naruto added, slightly embarrassed. "I promised Shukaku that I'd ask if you could occasionally let him take his avatar outside to play."

Gaara showed no resistance and nodded. "I understand, as long as he doesn't cause any harm."

"You can negotiate the details with him, like how many times a week and for how long."

…

Afterwards, they handed over the ferret and Temujin to the village as per the client's instructions. Without the Gelel Stone, Temujin was just an ordinary boy, and they no longer had to worry about him.

Kakashi relieved that the troublesome mission was finally over, sounded almost cheerful. "Alright, the mission of finding the lost ferret is complete."

Naruto, exasperated, quipped: "We were supposed to find a lost ferret, not a lost ship girl. Why are you so happy?"

Kakashi asked, "Ship girl? What's that?"

Naruto, realizing Kakashi was focusing on the odd part, explained: "A ship girl is a girl born from sailors' fond expectations of their ships. They're beautiful, kind, and powerful."

Seeing Kakashi's intrigued expression, Naruto quickly added: "But they can see through perverts like you instantly, so don't expect to meet one in your lifetime."

"Are you making this up just to insult me?" Kakashi asked, looking helpless, but then his eyes lit up. "If we tell this idea to Jiraiya-sama… it might inspire him to write a masterpiece!"

Naruto was stunned by Kakashi's reasoning. "Wait, what? You're too quick to connect the dots. But hey, if he uses the idea, don't forget to get me my copyright fees!"

Sakura groaned. "Kakashi-sensei, please take your students seriously!"

…

After Gaara, Naruto, and the others left, a small snake slithered into the ruins. It spat out a letter, swallowed a few pieces of the Gelel Stone, and disappeared underground.

Deep within the Land of Birds, Guren brought the small snake to a laboratory. "Orochimaru-sama, I've retrieved some fragments, though I couldn't get a complete sample."

Orochimaru, standing before the test bench, turned and took the fragments. His hoarse voice echoed in the room. "Life energy, hmm? Now that's an interesting subject."

He handed Guren a slip of paper. "Contact this person and discuss a deal."

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama," Guren said, taking the paper. "Should I approach them in your name?"

"Of course not. I prefer not to make an appearance for now."

"But…" Guren hesitated, frustrated by how the world now perceived Orochimaru. Many in the ninja world disrespected him, and Guren wished she could reduce them to dust.

"It's nothing to worry about. The whole ninja world thinks I'm dead, and they've already raised a foot-high grass over my grave."

Orochimaru smiled cryptically, unsure whether he was relieved that Jiraiya had set up a grave for him or bitter that no one visited it.

"Understood." Although Guren was displeased, Orochimaru's orders were absolute.

Orochimaru turned back to his experiment. Being "dead" had its perks; the troublesome organizations hunting him had stopped their pursuit.

Yet, for some reason, Konoha's investigation of him had not ceased. Were they trying to uproot all of his old strongholds?

Or did Konoha suspect he had left behind something crucial?

Perhaps it was time to provide them with a "death certificate" and cause a bit of trouble for that organization as well.

Orochimaru licked his lips. "The gods, huh? They truly have keen eyes."

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