Konoha: Starting with a sign-in for Hashirama cells

"It's so cold! I can't feel my hands!" Naruto frowned, unable to maintain his Rasengan, which then dissipated.

"I'm sorry," Bai said softly.

By increasing the force, Naruto's right side was frozen, but the force was carefully controlled to avoid damaging his internal organs.

He casually severed the chakra threads binding Zabuza and prepared to retreat with him.

"I'm the one who should apologize," Naruto said. "I couldn't let you leave."

Bai Zheng.

boom!

A terrifying crimson chakra erupted from Naruto's body.

A thick chakra cloak covered his entire body.

The ice is melting at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Behind it, a tail made entirely of chakra extended out.

The tail moved according to Naruto's will, transforming into a giant chakra hand that tightly gripped Haku and Zabuza, who were close by and caught off guard.

Her face turned pale, and she tried to struggle.

It can freeze this chakra hand, but if someone exerts even a little force, the ice will collapse in an instant.

The reason why Jinchuriki are regarded as the ultimate weapon of a village is precisely because of this.

Only Kage-level shinobi or Jonin with special abilities can suppress Jinchuriki; anyone else would feel powerless against a Jinchuriki.

"Naruto! Are you alright?" Kakashi arrived right after.

"It's nothing, what could possibly happen?" Naruto said, using the Nine-Tails' chakra hand to continuously release electricity at Haku and Zabuza.

Only after the two were paralyzed and completely incapacitated did he withdraw the Nine-Tails' chakra and look at Kakashi as if nothing had happened.

"..." Kakashi.

It seemed that nothing was wrong, so he secretly put away the scroll used for sealing and felt relieved.

"Could these two be the strongest people that guy named Gato hired?" Naruto asked.

"I don't know. What do you want?" Kakashi asked.

“To prevent Gato from spending more money to hire others and adding an element of instability and danger, why don’t we just go and attack them directly?” Naruto suggested.

"This way, we can nip the danger in the bud and save a lot of trouble. Anyway, we are enemies, so there's no need to be polite to him."

“That makes sense, but just in case, I’ll go check it out by myself tonight. Once I’m sure there’s nothing wrong, we can go together tomorrow,” Kakashi said.

Chapter 47 A Hole Wiped Out

The Tazner family.

Naruto wolfed down his dinner, then clapped his hands and said, "I'm full. I'm going to take a stroll around the neighborhood. You guys take your time eating."

Sasuke, who was the second to finish eating, nodded in acknowledgment and also walked out the door.

Seeing this, Sakura, who was eating her rice ball in small bites, blinked. Based on her understanding of the two of them, she was certain they were going to train.

After dinner, with the idea of ​​taking a walk and maybe visiting Naruto, Sakura wandered around the neighborhood.

They found Naruto and Sasuke training in the woods not far from their home.

Sasuke was sitting on the ground, head down, seemingly doing nothing, surrounded by a pile of tattered leaves.

Naruto was hitting a tree.

Use your fists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and feet to hit the tree with all your might.

The blows shook the trees, and left the attacker wounded and bleeding profusely.

Amazingly, these injuries heal themselves very quickly.

Naruto was like an emotionless machine, mechanically repeating the same actions, attacking and attacking again and again.

In the past, Sakura would have gone to stop Naruto from hurting her.

Now, she remains silent.

Naruto's actions reveal his obsession and determination to become stronger.

Naruto's strength demonstrates the remarkable results of his training.

Kakashi approached silently and patted Sakura on the shoulder.

Sakura looked at Naruto one last time, puzzled, before turning to follow Kakashi.

"Shocked? Naruto's strength," Kakashi casually remarked. "He's been silent ever since the battle ended, not saying a word... you..."

"I just don't understand why he works so hard," Sakura said.

“He’s already so strong. If it were me, I would definitely relax a bit. But he not only didn’t slack off, he continued to train relentlessly as always.”

"As for the reason, I do know a little bit," Kakashi said.

"What is it?" Sakura asked curiously.

"The Hokage, Naruto, his dream is to become the Hokage," Kakashi said.

"Oh! Really? I thought he was just saying it casually, after all..." Sakura was surprised.

“After all, his popularity is already at its worst,” Kakashi added.

"The Hokage not only needs to have both strength and wisdom, but also needs to be supported and recognized by everyone. From this point of view, Naruto's hope is very slim."

"But this is indeed his dream, the goal he has been striving to achieve day after day through arduous practice."

"Why?" Sakura was even more puzzled; she still didn't understand why Naruto wanted to become Hokage.

“As Naruto’s friend, you should know best what kind of life he has been living all this time,” Kakashi said.

“Ignore, be indifferent, and don’t go shopping in your true form; you have to change your appearance.”

"If you haven't experienced it, you might not be able to fully understand. It's a treatment that's even more terrifying than being beaten or scolded; it's as if you're invisible."

"His childhood pranks were just a way to attract attention, so it's not hard to understand why he wanted to become Hokage."

"In order to gain everyone's recognition, in order to no longer be ignored by everyone, and in order to bring more warmth."

"..." Sakura.

"Why are you suddenly telling me all this?" Sakura asked.

"I feel like you lack goals and ambition," Kakashi said with a smile.

"Perhaps, Naruto can indirectly influence you. Of course, the main thing is that you are confused and seem absent-minded."

"As a teacher, I feel obligated to guide you as someone who has been through it all."

"For ninjas, strength is an indispensable basic element. Even if there is no specific goal, it is best to put some effort into improving one's strength."

"If you can define your goals, that's even better. With a visible benchmark, your progress will be more noticeable."

"That's all I have to say. Think it over carefully. I'm going to investigate Kado's side and will be back soon. Goodbye."

Sakura remained silent for a long time, then muttered to herself, "The Hokage?"

~~~

"A massacre? What do you mean?" Exhausted and tired, Naruto, who had just returned to Tazuna's house, taken a shower, and was thinking of eating something before going to sleep, looked at Pakkun in astonishment.

That is, the summoning beast that Kakashi keeps, the talking dog among the Eight Ninja Dogs.

“What do you mean? It means wipe them all out,” Parker said.

"Didn't we agree to just scout tonight and make our move tomorrow?" Naruto asked, bewildered.

"Oh dear, we don't even have a single Jonin. To avoid any unforeseen complications, we'd better deal with it as soon as possible," Pak said, mimicking Kakashi's tone.

"It's precisely because there are no Jonin that it's more suitable for us to come. Why is he in such a hurry?" Naruto wondered.

They called Sasuke and Sakura over, and the three of them discussed it.

Having no interest in Gato, who had already been dealt with, and with his mind entirely focused on Sasuke, who had undergone nature transformation, he voluntarily stayed behind to protect Tazuna's family and prevent any accidents from happening.

When Naruto, Sakura, and a dog arrived at Gato's company, it was completely under Kakashi's control.

The ronin samurai and thugs, tied up in a long string with ropes, squatted silently on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen.

In Gato's office, the two met Kakashi and Gato, who was bound hand and foot and unconscious.

"The mission can be declared over. We'll head back to the village tomorrow," Kakashi said.

"Where's the money in the safe?" Naruto asked.

“Kado is the biggest culprit in hindering the bridge construction. Without him, we wouldn’t need to be involved in the subsequent bridge construction,” Kakashi said.

"How much money does Kado have in his account? Did you get his password?" Naruto asked.

"This mission was undoubtedly rated A, just below S, and it was completed exceptionally well. It's definitely a plus on your resume," Kakashi said.

“Everyone who sees it should have a share; it’s shameful to keep it all to yourself,” Naruto said.

"..." Kakashi.

"What money? Where is the money? I haven't seen any money." Kakashi was bewildered: "You mean this safe? It was like this when I came in. It was empty, there was nothing inside."

“Then I’ll ask Gato,” Naruto said.

“Kado is a prisoner. According to the rules, even I cannot dispose of him on my own. He must be taken back to the village and punished according to the village's laws,” Kakashi said.

Is this a blatant demand to hand over everything?

Naruto was speechless.

With Hinata supporting him financially, he naturally doesn't care about the amount of money. But no one would complain about having too much money that he can easily obtain.

"Ahem." Ignoring Naruto's resentful gaze, Kakashi spoke to himself.

"We'll leave those people outside to the Land of Waves to deal with. We just need to take Gato, Zabuza, and that ice-style boy with us."

"This mission was completed faster than I expected. Although it didn't serve as a training exercise, it broadened my horizons and fulfilled one of the requirements for participating in the Chunin Exams."

"That's really great."