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

He thought the village would choose a gentler method to dismember the Uchiha, but he didn't expect it to be so cruel and heinous.

Of course, he was more concerned about Naruto's performance. Naruto didn't seem like a nine-year-old child at all, and he felt something was off more than Itachi at thirteen.

Naruto was too precocious, so precocious that he dared not think things through carefully.

After a long silence, Minato Namikaze slowly said, "Naruto, you may not have seen me before. I am not the incarnation of the Nine-Tails, I am..."

Naruto interrupted Minato Namikaze, saying dismissively:

“You are Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha, the father of this body.”

Minato Namikaze was somewhat pleased: "Did the Third Hokage tell you about my identity?"

Naruto shook his head and said, "The Third Hokage would never tell me about my background, but I used to see your picture on the Hokage Rock every day."

"Whether you're the Hokage or my nominal father, I'm not interested in your self-introduction. I care more about how much real benefit you can bring me, not your feigned concern."

Upon hearing this, Minato Namikaze fell silent.

He died in battle the day he became a father. He had no experience in dealing with children, especially troublesome ones like Naruto. He didn't know how to persuade Naruto to get back on the right track, which is why he was unwilling to show his face.

Now that he's being forced to show himself, he doesn't know what identity to present to Naruto.

He is no longer the beloved Hokage he once was; he is merely a father who died many years ago and is utterly incompetent. He has little right to criticize Naruto's indifference.

Chapter 79 A False Smile

Minato was caught in a dilemma, unsure how to get along with Naruto.

Naruto had similar thoughts about Minato. Although his body was connected to Minato by blood, the two had never really spent time together and were more like complete strangers.

This gave Naruto a bit of a headache, as he didn't know how to get along with Minato.

Although he was also an orphan in his previous life, his parents never came looking for him after he grew up, and he never had the experience of interacting with relatives.

Naruto rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit irritated, so he left the sealed space and went to his desk to start reading the old books he had picked up at the market during the day.

Soon, Naruto was immersed in the world depicted in the words and forgot his previous troubles.

This is also his usual way of coping with pressure. Otherwise, with the villagers pointing fingers and gossiping, he would have long since given up on himself and become a monster like Gaara, losing his freedom completely after venting his frustrations.

After finishing reading the old books, Naruto casually placed them on the table, lay down on his bed, and began to think about his future plans.

The first step is to travel to the Land of Whirlpools, meet with the Uchiha clan who have already settled there, and search for the Uzumaki clan's legacy at the ruins of Whirlpool Village.

In reality, he was trying to recruit soldiers and build his own power base in Wochao Village.

Kurama kept saying he wanted freedom and to live freely in the wild, but after seeing the existence of White Zetsu, he honestly proposed the idea of ​​forming a team.

However, Naruto had the same idea.

White Zetsu is a product of the Ten-Tails, while the Nine-Tails is a part of the Ten-Tails. As the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki, he is destined to live in the center of the vortex and cannot escape the targeting from Nagato, Obito, and even Black Zetsu.

Although he is exceptionally strong, he is still in his growth stage. He has a long way to go before he can surpass the Five Kage and reach the level of the Otsutsuki. All of this requires time for planning and preparation.

This is also one of the main reasons why he chose to leave Konoha.

After all, if he had grown up in the usual way, he would most likely have become a useless middle-aged man in Boruto, powerless against the attack of the Otsutsuki, and completely become a background character.

Therefore, he must possess strength comparable to that of Kaguya Otsutsuki and the Sage of Six Paths.

After Naruto fell asleep, Kurama, inside the sealed space, opened its eyes, looked at Minato with a 'senile old man's phone' expression, and said in a low voice:

"Minato, are you disappointed? Do you feel that Naruto was very rude to you? And even refused to acknowledge you as his father?"

"But Naruto suffered more malice in Konoha than you can imagine, far exceeding the discrimination against Kushina for her hair. After all, the villagers of Konoha all know that Naruto is the demon fox who ravaged the village."

"If Naruto hadn't known his origins and had been kept in the dark, that would have been fine. But he always knew the truth and even gave the Third Hokage three years before he was completely disappointed and left."

Seeing Minato's increasingly grim expression, Kurama revealed a playful smile and continued:

"Actually, from the moment the rumor that Naruto was the Demon Fox spread, I knew what Konoha was thinking and what Konoha's true purpose was."

"You want to create a Jinchūriki with a tragic fate and evoke sympathy for the Tailed Beast, and then create the perfect Jinchūriki."

"But children who are discriminated against as wild beasts from childhood will grow up with personalities that resemble wild beasts, and will never be able to integrate into the community or become a useful weapon of war for the ninja village. You miscalculated this time."

After a long silence, Minato seemed to have thought of something, and looked up at Kurama with a smile: "Kurumi, I'm actually relieved to hear you say that. You used to argue with Kushina every day, but now you've started to protect Naruto..."

Minato's smile made Kurama frown. It hated that self-righteous smile and the hypocritical ninja village.

Kurama's silence made the atmosphere within the sealed space delicate, as if a battle could break out at any moment. However, out of consideration for Naruto's feelings, Kurama ultimately gave up the idea of ​​taking action.

The next morning.

After Naruto got up from the soft bed, his spirit entered the sealed space.

The chakra-clad Minato was confronting Kurama, each occupying a corner of the sealed space. Upon seeing Naruto, they both turned their gazes towards him.

After asking him a few questions, Naruto was both amused and exasperated.

Minato Namikaze and Kurama were discussing their future. Minato felt that Naruto should return to the village, because no matter how unreasonable the villagers were, Konoha was still Naruto's home.

I really can't stand the way the villagers and the Third Hokage are doing. I can become a Jonin in the future and slowly change the village.

This was also the approach Minato chose back then. He fought his way from a penniless orphan to the Fourth Hokage, gaining countless comrades and the ability to change everything.

However, just before the reform plan was about to be implemented, Minato, who was the Hokage, happened to encounter the invasion of the masked man.

Kurama's idea was much simpler. It believed that Naruto was right to leave the village. Jinchuriki are not the village's caretakers and have no need to protect blind villagers. They are not worth protecting.

Naruto found the argument between the Hokage and the Tailed Beasts somewhat amusing and then left the sealed space.

After leaving the inn, Naruto went to a carriage shop and inquired about the price to the border of the Land of Fire. Having lost interest in the Anbu, he prepared to take a carriage to the Land of Whirlpools.

"I'm sorry, there are no more seats available in the convoy..."

The team owner shook his head regretfully.

Just as Naruto was about to leave, the caravan owner seemed to remember something and quickly asked:

"Judging from your attire, you must be a ninja."

Naruto nodded, then looked suspiciously at the elderly caravan owner, who quickly said:

"Sir Ninja, it is like this: the caravan is currently only guarded by samurai. Without your presence, sir Ninja, if you are willing to serve as a guard, in addition to waiving the travel expenses, we are also willing to offer you a generous reward."

Naruto stroked his chin, and for the sake of money, he finally agreed to the car team owner's request.

Since we're going to the Land of Fire's coastline anyway, why pay extra for the journey if we can get some free money? Besides, the trip offers more than just scenery; it also allows us to meet all sorts of people.

Upon arriving at the caravan, Naruto met the remaining caravan guards.

These guards are less like down-on-their-luck samurai and more like ronin.

After ninja villages were established one after another in the ninja world, forming a system of one village per country, these warriors who specialized in taijutsu were gradually eliminated by the ninja world because they could not adapt to the new warrior situation.

The reason is very simple: in the ninja world, samurai are not a class, but simply warriors.

Ninjas are not scouts, but a combination of mages, warriors, assassins, and summoners. It is also quite logical that samurai were eliminated to the point that only the Iron Country remained.

Upon learning that Naruto was a ninja, the other passengers in the convoy also showed respectful expressions.

Ninjas are at the bottom of the social hierarchy in ninja villages, but they are definitely among the elite in other parts of the Land of Fire. Ordinary people may look down on ninjas, but they cannot look down on their strength.

After checking the passengers' tickets, the convoy officially set off towards the coast of the Land of Fire.

Before long, the convoy was blocked by a group of people who came over wielding sticks.

Chapter 80 What can ninjas protect?

Upon encountering the bandits blocking their path, the down-on-his-luck samurai was the first to rush out, shouting out his name.

However, the bandit leader ignored the samurai and shot out a kunai. After being stabbed by the kunai, the down-on-their-luck samurai frowned and retreated back to the vicinity of the caravan, their faces full of vigilance.

Naruto glanced at the bandits in the distance, then at the down-on-his-luck samurai who was making faces at him, and a smile crept onto his lips.

During his two-week trip away from home, he encountered many bandits. He had thought that the security in the Land of Fire was just at the stage of simple and honest folk customs, but he did not expect that it had already formed an industry chain.

The caravan guards and the bandits behind them were clearly in cahoots, which is why this road was plagued by bandits.

Those who can reach ninja villages and towns that can afford the mission rewards can naturally hire ninjas to suppress bandits. Those who cannot afford the rewards can only silently endure the ravages of bandits and are unable to mount an effective resistance.

The down-on-his-luck samurai and bandits' operation failed because the arrival of outside ninjas disrupted the local rules.

After thinking it through, Naruto casually picked up a stone from the ground, and with a flick of his wrist, he conjured a wind jutsu that knocked the bandit leader unconscious, thus intimidating the bandits who were about to attack.

After searching through the bandit's head, Naruto indeed found a ninja headband.

After the rest of the caravan tied up the bandits, Naruto said to the caravan owner, "They're not dead. Take them to the nearest town's police station. They should know what to do."

After witnessing Naruto's incredible prowess, the caravan owner became even more respectful; he had never seen such a powerful ninja before.

Naruto had no interest in the caravan owner's flattery, but he accepted the owner's kindness and enjoyed the treatment of riding in a single carriage, walking at the front of the caravan.

"Fourth Hokage, it seems the Land of Fire is quite safe. There's no need for ninjas to guard the small towns."

Minato Namikaze said with a somewhat embarrassed expression, "Ninjas are mercenaries. These people can't afford to hire ninjas, so naturally the ninjas won't protect them. However, there are still many ninjas who will stand up for justice."

Upon hearing this, Naruto smiled but didn't say anything more.

Ninjas are indeed mercenaries. They won't serve the people of the Land of Fire if they don't have money. At most, they'll help those in need, but they can't solve any real problems.

Furthermore, because ninja villages are all mercenary groups, defecting ninjas can become a menace to the local area.

After all, in terms of ninja strength, even the most basic genin can become a mountain king and wreak havoc on nearby communities.

What's most bizarre is that these mercenary groups contracted out military forces in various countries, and even the daimyo couldn't interfere too much.

After traveling for about half a day, the caravan stopped again, this time not because of bandits and wandering ninjas, but because of a passing nobleman from the Land of Fire.

According to the rules, when nobles from the Land of Fire pass by, commoners must not only give way but also bow their heads in respect.

Soon, as the nobleman from the Land of Fire drew back the curtain, the passengers and the caravan owner all bowed their heads in respect, and even the down-on-their-luck samurai did the same, their posture being more standard than that of the ordinary passengers.

As nobles of the Land of Fire, they could naturally afford to hire ninjas to act as guards and protect their safety.

Naruto, sitting in the carriage, did not lower his head, and the ninjas did not notice him either, passing by him.

Watching the nobles of the Land of Fire depart, Naruto smiled and said, "Fourth Hokage, it seems there are still people in the Land of Fire who can afford to hire ninjas. It seems we ninjas still have to protect these important figures."

Minato Namikaze frowned, gradually beginning to agree with Kurama's words.

Naruto's eccentric personality wasn't inherited from him or Kushina, but it was exactly like Kurama's. Correcting Naruto's thinking was far more difficult than he had imagined.