I, Naruto Uzumaki, don't need your approval.

What frightened them even more was that Naruto mastered the Shadow Clone Technique in a very short time; his progress was too rapid.

While eating the bento Naruto had brought, Choji said to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, does this mean we're no longer qualified to be Naruto's opponents?"

Shikamaru fell silent. He and Choji were indeed no match for Naruto. Perhaps they would have a chance to defeat him if they could join forces with the successor of the Yamanaka clan in the future.

However, this also proves that his judgment was correct: Naruto is only suitable to be a friend, not an enemy.

While feeling sentimental, Shikamaru was curious about Naruto's true identity. Could he be a descendant of some important figure in the village? After all, a phoenix can't fly out of a chicken coop.

However, given that even his father was quite wary of this, it was best not to inquire too much.

Lost in thought, Naruto approached Shikamaru and Choji, chatting and laughing with them about the village's various interesting events before quickly shifting the topic to the visiting ninjas.

Upon hearing this, Naruto said, "From what you're saying, a lot of outside ninjas have recently come to the village?"

Shikamaru glanced at Naruto and explained, "Those are members of the Cloud Village delegation. The fighting on the front lines is over, and they've come to sign a peace treaty with us."

Choji chimed in, "I heard that both we and Kumogakure suffered heavy losses in this conflict. In order to prevent other ninja villages from benefiting, both sides made this decision."

At this point, Shikamaru added, "But this is also a good thing for us. In the last Shinobi World War, even students from the Shinobi Academy had to participate in the war. We have avoided such a tragedy, since we will all become ninjas in the future."

"You should have received your admission notice by now."

"That's right, Grandpa Hokage brought me my college admission notice last time."

Naruto nodded slightly, but his furrowed brows showed no sign of relaxing. It wasn't because of the peace agreement signed between Konoha and Kumogakure, but because the Kumogakure delegation had awakened a memory in him.

As far as I remember, the Cloud Village delegation came here not only to sign a peace agreement, but also with the mission of seizing the Byakugan.

This indirectly led to the tragic death of Hyuga Neji's father, and the conflict between the Hyuga main family and the branch family became increasingly acute.

At this moment, Choji stopped eating and walked over to say, "By the way, Shikamaru and I have something we want you to tell us."

Naruto looked puzzled: "What is it?"

Choji scratched his head and said, "After today, Shikamaru and I probably won't have time to play with you anymore. The clan requires me to train with Shikamaru and other members of the Yamanaka clan, and the training must take place within the clan compound."

Is this the next generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio?

Naruto glanced at Shikamaru and Choji, then nodded and said, "Alright, you two go ahead and do your thing. I also have other ninjutsu to practice. Let's meet again at the Ninja Academy."

Upon hearing this, Shikamaru hesitated, but Naruto noticed and responded with a faint smile.

After confirming that they would be temporarily separated, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Choji had a great time playing together for an afternoon and said their goodbyes properly. Although they had approached him with ulterior motives, their happiness was genuine.

This was also the idea of ​​the three generations of old men, to create artificial constraints for themselves.

……

After watching Shikamaru and Choji leave, Naruto walked alone down the street. After learning that the Cloud Village delegation had come to visit, he felt that the village seemed much more lively than before.

Many more Yun Ninja figures with bronze skin appeared on the street, haggling with shop owners.

When passersby saw Naruto, they all showed expressions of disgust, but the next moment, when they looked at the Cloud Ninja, they showed fawning expressions, as if they had seen a savior.

Naruto chuckled and ignored their stares as he continued on his way.

For these villagers, the fox spirit would bring bad luck, but the Cloud Village delegation came with peace in mind, so they showed an attitude of welcoming peace.

But they seem to have forgotten that it was the Hidden Cloud Village that started the war.

After wandering around for a while, Naruto came to a relatively secluded park, intending to enjoy some peace and quiet by himself.

Upon entering the park, they discovered a small figure on a bench—it was Hinata herself.

Holding a gift box, she cautiously looked around, seemingly waiting for someone to appear. Upon seeing Naruto, she quickly stood up and said:

"Naruto-kun... please accept my gift."

Naruto naturally wouldn't refuse Hinata's feelings, but he quickly noticed a blind spot: "Hinata, how did you find me? You've been waiting here for days?"

Hinata exclaimed in surprise, then stammered, "The first day... I didn't expect to run into Naruto-kun."

After asking him carefully, Naruto was also a little surprised. Hinata had secretly run away to give him a gift because she didn't know where he lived, so she was waiting in this park.

But as if by some strange twist of fate, Hinata actually waited for him and delivered the gift to him.

Naruto sighed, then looked at Hinata and said, "I accept your gift, but don't sneak out to look for me again, especially now that it's so late. What if you get lost again?"

Hearing this, Hinata lowered her head and explained, "I've been practicing Gentle Fist very hard, no... I won't be bullied, it's just... I want to see Naruto-kun."

Hearing this, Naruto felt an indescribable joy.

Then, Naruto suddenly looked around and breathed a sigh of relief after sensing a chakra similar to Hinata's.

The Hyuga clan has finally learned their lesson. After being bullied several times, they've finally decided to provide Hinata with bodyguards. You'd think Hinata was an adopted child.

Thinking of Hinata's kidnapping experience, Naruto leaned closer to Hinata and whispered, "Hinata, go to sleep early. Be careful when walking at night, and make sure an adult is with you. I'm worried that something might happen to you again."

"what……"

Feeling Naruto's breath, Hinata blushed like a hot water kettle, almost burying her head in his shoulder. After a few seconds, she nodded and said, "I'll listen to Naruto-kun."

Chapter 16 Cloud Hidden Envoy Delegation

Back home, Naruto eagerly opened the gift. Inside was a pair of warm gloves, similar to the ones he had previously obtained through the system. In addition, there was a note filled with blessings.

Unfortunately, it's spring now, and gloves are no longer needed for warmth, so they're not useful for the time being.

However, this is the first time I've received a gift from someone my own age.

Just then, Nine-Tails' voice rang out at the most inopportune moment, still with its familiar foul mouth: "Kid, what are you grinning about? Have you fallen for that little girl with the white eyes?"

Naruto put the gloves in his pocket and retorted without hesitation, "Big fox, have you ever been in a relationship? Have any members of the opposite sex ever given you gifts? Stop being so jealous."

Nine-Tails paused for a moment, then adopted a knowing air:

"I am a tailed beast, so I have no gender and no place to talk about love. However, I have lived for over a thousand years and have seen all kinds of love, hate and grudges. My experience is much richer than yours."

"If you ask me, I will reluctantly become your mentor and guide you."

Naruto immediately showed a distrustful look, and Kurama, not to be outdone, immediately offered a few dating tips, such as embracing a beauty under the moonlight and killing a girl while holding her in your arms.

Naruto was stunned, and his expression towards Kurama showed even more surprise.

This guy has a lot of ideas.

However, as far as he knew, love mentors were often magicians, and someone like Nine-Tailed Fox should be close to becoming a Grand Magus, so the experience they imparted was completely unreliable.

Kurama sensed the malice emanating from Naruto, and its speech slowed down.

Being able to sense malice is bad. Although Naruto seemed to be listening attentively to me on the surface, he seemed to be looking down on me in his heart, and he was exuding a faint malice.

But how could Nine-Tails easily give up such a rare moment to show off? So he had no choice but to continue talking.

Half an hour passed, and Naruto was clearly getting impatient. Kurama finally stopped its long-winded explanation of its experiences and continued to lie in the sealed space, waiting for Naruto to send over the chakra for the night.

After dinner, Naruto neither took a shower nor read a book. Instead, he stood by the window, gazing at Konoha shrouded in night, at the location of the Hyuga clan's territory.

"It's normal for young people to receive gifts. Don't overthink it, don't get too excited, and go to bed early."

Nine-Tails' voice rang out again, sounding just like someone who had been through it all.

Naruto shook his head: "It's not because of that. I have a feeling something will happen in the village tonight, so I deliberately took a good spot to watch the excitement as soon as possible."

"Watching the show?" Nine-Tails scoffed. Could it be that the masked man will appear again tonight?

Naruto explained, "A delegation from Kumogakure recently came to the village. I feel that besides signing a peace treaty as Shikamaru mentioned, they have other plans. In short, they will definitely not stay put."

"The Cloud Ninja? They are indeed a bunch of madmen. Two of their leaders, known as the Golden Horn and Silver Horn, once tried to take advantage of me, but they were destined to fail in the face of my strength."

When the Cloud Ninja were mentioned, Kurama (the Nine-Tails) showed a disdainful attitude.

Naruto grinned mischievously and deliberately exposed the weakness of the fox spirit, asking, "How was the great fox sealed away by Konoha Village when it was so strong?"

The Nine-Tails is no longer the same Nine-Tails it once was. It sneered, "I was sealed by the First Hokage. Back then, the First Hokage was invincible and could easily suppress the ninja world. The likes of Kumogakure didn't dare to utter a single word."

"Now, your Konoha is even hesitant to deal with a mere Kumo ninja."

Just as Naruto was about to retaliate, he noticed several figures leaping on the distant city wall, saying to Kurama, "Stop hurting each other, big fox, the show I told you about is about to start."

The Nine-Tails also extended its senses over the area, and then asked in confusion:

"With so many ninjas deployed, it looks like there's going to be some excitement tonight. But since you already guessed that the Cloud Ninja would make a move tonight, why didn't you tell your Third Hokage?"

"Would the three generations of old men believe me? What I say won't change anything, and it will only arouse their suspicion. I might as well just watch the show quietly to avoid getting into trouble."

After saying that, Naruto took out the potato chips he got from Choji and started eating them.

Kurama received the potato chips Naruto fed it, and while sensing the distance, it looked at Naruto thoughtfully.

Naruto said he wouldn't remind anyone, but he still reminded Hinata. That kid is always saying one thing and meaning another; I wonder who he inherited that from.

Is it more Kushina, or that annoying Minato Namikaze?

……

While Naruto and Kurama were watching the commotion with peace of mind, the Anbu responsible for protecting Naruto couldn't sit still. After discovering the commotion at the Hyuga clan's territory, they hesitated about whether to go and provide support.

But their mission is to protect Naruto, who is the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

After a brief moment of thought, Hayate Gekko made his decision and said to Yugao Uzuki, "Yugao, continue with the mission. The Hokage and the other colleagues will handle this."

After speaking, Moonlight Gale coughed a few times, his face beneath the animal mask devoid of color.

Uzuki Yugao nodded, looking at Gekko Hayate with a worried expression, and said, "Hayate, your lung disease has gotten much worse. Why don't we leave the Anbu together?"

Hayate Gekko shook his head: "If we stay for another two or three years, we can become Jonin. It's too difficult to become Jonin in other places. Only by becoming Jonin can the Gekko family bring glory to the family."

Uzuki Yugao sighed, and was about to say something when she noticed several furtive figures not far away.

Hayate Gekko also noticed the figures and frowned, saying, "Aren't those members of the delegation? Why are they near the Jinchūriki? Are they planning to attack him?"

Uzuki Yugao guessed, "It's hard to say, but we have to keep a close eye on them and make sure nothing goes wrong."

While coughing, Hayate Gekko said, "You continue to keep watch. I'll try to notify Captain Kakashi. At a time like this, Captain Kakashi can't slack off."

While Uzuki Yugao and Gekko Hayate were monitoring the Cloud Ninja, the Cloud Ninja were also monitoring them.

One of the Cloud Ninja said to the squad leader, "Captain, are we really going to attack the Jinchuriki? We never expected that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki would be treated like a demon fox by the villagers of Konoha and be ostracized at every turn."

The squad leader gave his young subordinate a deep look. He wanted to say that it was the same in Kumogakure. Killer Bee was treated like a demon, and Jinchuriki were discriminated against no matter where they were.

But the important matter at hand is more pressing. He quickly explained, "Tackling a Jinchuriki means starting a war. The village has no intention of continuing the war. Our mission is to tie down a portion of the Konoha Anbu and create an opportunity for our leader to obtain the Byakugan."

"What a pity. If we could have kidnapped the Jinchuriki, the village would have become stronger."