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

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Naruto decided to seal the Box of Bliss first, take it away, and then deal with it slowly.

……

On the other side, Konoha and Akatsuki made several attempts to seal Satoru, but all failed. They looked to the leader of Kusagakure, but the leader of Kusagakure also expressed his helplessness.

The records of Kusagakure only show how to activate the Box of Bliss, but not how to deactivate it.

Upon hearing this, Jiraiya, Itachi, and the others looked rather grim. Although their raw strength was enough to overwhelm Satoru, their chakra was limited, and they could not suppress Satoru for long.

Just then, a tremor came from deep within the earth. The earth beneath their feet seemed to come alive, stretching out a giant hand that grabbed Wu and pulled him into the earth.

Chapter 180 You Want to Become Hokage?

The appearance of the giant hand startled Jiraiya and the others. Satoru, who had been entangled with them for hours, had been so easily controlled. Just how strong was the ninja who had secretly intervened?

Could they be ninjas from Iwagakure? But even within Iwagakure, there are probably very few people with this level of Earth Release technique.

After a moment's thought, Jiraiya thought of Naruto. Only Naruto possessed this level of chakra, but when did Naruto master Earth Release...?

At that moment, Jiraiya sensed the aura of natural energy from the earth and immediately understood everything.

Thinking of this, Jiraiya came to Tsunade's side and said, "Tsunade, it was Naruto who made the move. Only he could use a ninjutsu of this scale."

"Jiraiya, tell me, how exactly did the Third Hokage train Naruto?"

Tsunade's expression was very strange. She thought that Jiraiya said the village couldn't do anything to Naruto because of Minato, deliberately giving Naruto a chance. But now it seems that Naruto's strength is not comparable to the Sannin, but surpasses that of an ordinary Kage.

Jiraiya was stumped by the question. After pondering for a moment, he slowly said, "Perhaps because Naruto is a perfect Jinchuriki, the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki of Kumogakure is also extremely strong..."

In the end, Jiraiya realized he was talking nonsense, but it was the truth.

……

Near the Crimson Altar.

After dragging Wu to the vicinity of the Box of Bliss, the undead monsters that had been transformed around him began to stir again. Naruto glanced at the undead monsters, and more than a dozen Vajra Chains emerged from behind him, controlling them all.

These undead monsters are weak, but just touching them makes one feel that their chakra has been corrupted.

However, neither Naruto nor Kurama lacked dark chakra, so they were not affected at all. Instead, it was the Sage Chakra that burned these monsters.

After tearing off Satoru's arm, Naruto was curious about the limits of Satoru's regenerative abilities.

However, the ability to regenerate severed limbs did not appear, which disappointed Naruto slightly. He then controlled Wuwei to unleash Fire Release: Great Fire Prison.

As the hand seals were completed, a ball of flame completely enveloped Wu.

At the same time, the Box of Bliss opened a crack, generating a huge suction force, like a black hole, which swallowed Wu and the immortal monster.

At that moment, Naruto looked through the crack and could vaguely see a glowing object inside.

A few breaths later, the Box of Bliss closed again, and everything seemed to have settled down.

Naruto couldn't forget that glowing object—it was a tongue. Perhaps the reason the Box of Elysium was so eerie was because of that tongue.

Whose tongue is that? Is it that of a local sage? Or that of an outsider?

Even if it were Kaguya Otsutsuki, it wouldn't be possible for her to be so strange with just a piece of her body. Could it be that the corpse didn't originate from Otsutsuki, but from a higher-level life form?

Naruto couldn't imagine it, nor did he want to waste any more time on it, so he could only keep this scene to himself.

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Naruto summoned the giant snake, Shinja, and had it swallow the Chest of Elysium to return to Ryuchi Cave. Then, he looked up at the ceiling above and leaped upwards.

After a few quick movements, Naruto appeared on the ground, his gaze fixed on Itachi Uchiha, Kisame, and the others.

Having received the order to retreat long ago, the group did not hesitate at all and chose to flee, heading towards Amegakure.

After the Akatsuki members retreated, only the three parties—Konoha, Kusagakure, and Naruto—remained on the spot.

Upon seeing Naruto hovering in mid-air, the leader of Kusagakure came out with a fawning expression, but his face immediately stiffened when he saw Karin arriving.

His worst fears came true: the leader of Uzushio Village discovered Karin's existence.

As the leader of Kusagakure, he was fully aware of what Kusagakure had done to Karin. At present, Kusagakure not only had to face threats from Iwagakure and Akatsuki, but also retaliation from Uzushio Village.

After a moment's hesitation, the leader of Kusagakure stepped forward and said, "Lady Karin, the village was wrong in what happened before. I will severely punish those ninjas who went too far and exile them to Hozuki Castle..."

Karin did not respond to the leader of Kusagakure. The leader of Kusagakure then looked at Naruto and said, "Leader of Uzumaki, Kusagakure is willing to cooperate with your village and provide the resources your village needs. Please forgive our offenses over the years."

Naruto glanced at the leader of Kusagakure and said indifferently, "No need. You can keep Kusagakure's resources for yourselves."

After saying that, Naruto left the Kusagakure base and, with Karin in tow, disappeared into the forest without looking back.

Having failed to get help, the leader of Kusagakure turned to Jiraiya and Tsunade: "Lord Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, the cooperation between Kusagakure and Konoha..."

"Lord Kusakage, please talk to the Hokage. We cannot make a decision."

When asked for help by the leader of Kusagakure, Jiraiya politely declined. Kusagakure could court disaster and make other ninjas clean up their mess, but there would be a price to pay for it.

After making up a few perfunctory remarks, Jiraiya hurriedly chased after Naruto in the direction he had left.

……

Naruto didn't go far. He sat on a boulder and waited for Jiraiya and Tsunade.

Not long after, Jiraiya and Tsunade found Naruto. Naruto calmly said, "Don't mention sending me back to Konoha anymore. Are you planning to fight or have a chat?"

Hearing this, Tsunade was a little annoyed, but Jiraiya comforted her and she calmed down before saying, "Naruto, why did you leave Konoha? With your talent, becoming Hokage in the future would be easy."

"I have no interest in becoming Hokage, but if Konoha is willing to join Uzushio Village, I can consider it."

Upon hearing this, Tsunade could no longer suppress her anger. She stood up and walked towards Naruto, determined to teach this arrogant brat a lesson.

Naruto stood still, expressionless, and raised his kunai, stabbing it into his own palm.

With a soft "plop!"

Bright red liquid gushed out, and Tsunade was instantly dizzy, barely able to stand, but her eyes remained fixed on Naruto.

When did Naruto find out that she had hemophobia?

Naruto licked his palm and said calmly, "This is just ketchup. But given Tsunade's condition, it's best not to act rashly. It's easy for her to be targeted, and the ninja world could lose an excellent doctor."

"I hate those ninjas who burn others to light their own way, but I still respect people like Tsunade-senpai and don't want to have a conflict with you."

After a pause, Naruto looked at Jiraiya: "Is Jiraiya-senpai still searching for the Child of Prophecy? Or have you already decided to become the Child of Prophecy yourself and find someone to serve as the Fifth Hokage?"

Chapter 181 Naruto's Overt Scheme

Faced with Naruto's guess, a hint of doubt flashed in Jiraiya's eyes. His thoughts had been so easily seen through.

Looking at Jiraiya's furrowed brows, Naruto chuckled softly, "It's actually quite easy to guess what Jiraiya-senpai is thinking. After witnessing the politically sound and united Uzushio Village, he naturally compared it with Konoha and thus came up with the idea of ​​reform."

"If we want to carry out reforms, we must get rid of the stubborn old folks in the village and firmly grasp power in our own hands."

"Jiraiya-senpai went out to find Tsunade-senpai, wasn't it to gain her support and make her the Fifth Hokage?"

Jiraiya fell silent; Naruto had completely seen through him.

After witnessing the atmosphere of Uzushio Village, he could no longer tolerate the village's decadent atmosphere and wanted to make changes to restore Konoha to the state it was in during the time of the First and Second Hokage.

After recovering from her hemophobia, Tsunade folded her hands over her chest and asked, "Naruto, what makes you think that your Uzushio Village is better than Konoha? What are the principles behind your village's founding? And what is the Will of the Whirlpools?"

Naruto stared at Tsunade for a few moments: "While Uzushio Village certainly has many shortcomings, it is at least better than Konoha, which is constantly embroiled in internal strife, and it won't produce a figure like Danzo, causing his generals to leave one by one."

"As for laws and principles, I mostly copied them from Konoha, which is quite comprehensive in this regard."

Tsunade's expression softened slightly, but she still couldn't stand Naruto's defection and founding of the village. She snorted and said, "So, Uzushio Village is just a small Konoha. I thought you had some new ideas."

Faced with Tsunade's attack, Naruto calmly replied, "Tsunade-senpai is right. Uzushio Village and Konoha are not much different. It's just that we don't discriminate or bend the law for personal gain. We treat ninjas and the people like human beings."

After hearing Naruto's sarcastic words, Tsunade's face turned extremely gloomy.

Each of the points mentioned above is a sore spot for Konoha, and it is precisely because of these reasons that she chose to leave, deliberately ignoring these long-standing problems.

But can these problems really be changed? Even she herself harbors prejudices against some ninja clans.

At this moment, Jiraiya, who had been deep in thought for a long time, stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Naruto, how should Konoha Village be reformed so that it can become like Uzushio Village?"

Before she could finish speaking, Tsunade glared at Jiraiya: "Jiraiya..."

Jiraiya, unusually, ignored Tsunade and looked at Naruto with a serious expression; he genuinely wanted to obtain a solution.

Naruto stared at Jiraiya for a long time, then smiled with a playful expression: "First of all, of course, we should seize power in the Hokage Building and suppress all potential opponents. Secondly, while vigorously developing chakra technology, we should deal with the daimyo who controls the purse strings, so that the ninja village can have more initiative and become the ruler of the Land of Fire."

"Is there anything else?" Jiraiya wanted to know more details.

"Not yet, Wochao Village is still exploring this aspect."

When Jiraiya asked him questions, Naruto shared his experience almost without reservation. This was not because he had any intention of aiding the enemy, but because for a power that was terminally ill, reform was undoubtedly a powerful remedy.

Survival would certainly save one's life, but the probability of collapse due to reforms is much higher.

Unlike Uzushio Village, which is a small country with only a few hundred ninjas and a few hundred thousand people, Konoha is the Land of Fire, with tens of thousands of ninjas and a population of over one hundred million.

The reform not only had to balance the interests of many forces, but also had to face the backlash from the daimyo and the old forces.

This is also why he prefers to go out and work independently rather than stay in Konoha; there are simply too many constraints on him.

While staying in Uzushio Village, his will was practically the law. As the daimyo of Uzushio Village and the leader of the ninja village, he didn't need to put too much energy into management.

To suppress the opposition, they also have to take action against the daimyo of the Land of Fire...

Not only Jiraiya, but even Tsunade was a little confused. They had never thought that in addition to the village, they would also need to solve the problem of the daimyo.

In their view, the daimyo can be a figurehead or a puppet, but the system cannot be overthrown.

This is the foundation upon which the village system established by the First Hokage maintained the stability of the ninja world.

After exchanging a glance, Naruto had no intention of continuing the conversation. He rested his head on his hands and walked away, saying as he went:

"Jiraiya-senpai, Tsunade-senpai, I wish you all the best in becoming the Fifth Hokage."

Naruto left gracefully, and Jiraiya and Tsunade did not stop him, nor did they say anything foolish about making Naruto return to Konoha.

They knew that Naruto's departure was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather the result of long-term reflection by Naruto as a war orphan and a Jinchuriki, and that Naruto had found a better ideal than the Will of Fire.

Therefore, in terms of talk-no-jutsu, they are no match for Naruto.

In terms of individual strength, they might have a chance to defeat Naruto if they joined forces, but Konoha and Uzumaki Village did not officially break out into conflict, nor did they want to be drawn into the vortex of war at this crucial moment.

Jiraiya sighed softly: "Naruto still cares about the village. He's even willing to tell us how to change Konoha. It's a pity he's already the leader of Uzushio Village."

Tsunade, on the other hand, was much calmer. After glancing at Jiraiya, she said, "His views are indeed novel, but reform is more difficult than you imagine. The enemy is not just the Hokage and advisors, but all the ninja clans of Konoha."