A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soothing sound.
Beneath a tree stood Sasuke and a figure in black cloak.
"Repay your debts with yourself, huh..."
The black-robed figure seemed to ponder this.
"On the condition that you're a woman." Sasuke added.
"What if I'm a man?"
The black-robed figure's tone carried a hint of intrigue.
Sasuke pondered and said, "If you were a man, I'd still be willing to work for you to repay the favor. But repaying with myself… I'm afraid I can't do that."
"Hahaha!"
The black-robed figure laughed and said, "No need to be so tense. I'll be honest with you… I'm a woman, and a young one at that. You won't be at a loss."
Hearing this, Sasuke let out a long sigh of relief.
As always, he didn't believe the black-robed figure had any reason to deceive him. Even if the figure turned out to be a man and had any ill intentions, Sasuke knew he lacked the strength to resist.
Finding out the figure was a young woman was an unexpected bit of good news for Sasuke.
After a brief silence, the black-robed figure spoke, "Remember what you said today. Once your revenge is complete, you'll spend the rest of your life with me. If you break your word, I won't let you off easily!"
Sasuke nodded, "Rest assured, I won't go back on my word. I'll do as I said!"
"Good. Let's keep moving."
The black-robed figure turned and headed toward the Land of Rain.
Sasuke clenched his fists, suppressing the excitement within him.
Yes, he had succeeded again.
For the sake of revenge, he had abandoned all scruples.
'So what if I had to spend the rest of my life to compensate this person? As long as I could succeed in revenge, everything would be worth it.'
Now that the black-cloaked figure had agreed to help, Sasuke was confident that any trouble he encountered in the future would be resolved, whether because of their agreement or his status as her future husband.
Taking a step forward, Sasuke caught up with the black-robed figure. Gazing at her back, he felt a bit of the burden on his shoulders lighten.
With this mysterious expert, who was even stronger than Orochimaru, by his side, failure in his quest for revenge was no longer an option.
…
Meanwhile, Naruto was still in the process of merging with the divinity, with his soul was ascending to a divine state.
"Damn it!"
Naruto cursed inwardly.
Two hours had passed since he learned of Danzo's death, yet he remained powerless, unable to do anything about it.
At this moment, he couldn't move. Even the shadow clones he had left in the Shinobi World had been dispelled because of his journey to the One Piece World.
As Naruto reflected on the remaining 99 days of waiting, his frustration grew.
He was well aware that it is impossible for Sasuke to be able to infiltrate Konoha and assassinated Danzo under the watchful eyes of Sandaime's sensory abilities without help.
Undoubtedly, the unknown system owner had assisted Sasuke.
According to the original work, Sasuke wouldn't have known about Danzo's heinous acts without Itachi's death. Therefore, it was certain that the unknown system owner had directed Sasuke to kill Danzo.
This realization led Naruto to suspect that the unknown system owner was also a transmigrator.
From Naruto's perspective, guiding Sasuke to progress the original plot and kill Danzo undoubtedly aimed to enhance Sasuke's protagonist destiny. If this were true, the unknown system owner could potentially seize a greater share of the world's fortune than Naruto himself.
Should that happen, the Naruto World would favor the unknown system owner more, indirectly weakening Naruto.
Despite having spent less than a day on the divine fusion, the unknown system owner had already taken the initiative. Naruto couldn't imagine how much worse things would become after 100 days if the unknown system owner kept manipulating events.
"System-sama, is there no other way for me to act in advance?" Naruto asked.
[Friendly Reminder: The divine fusion is a transformation of the soul. Any carelessness could result in total obliteration. For safety reasons, the process cannot be shortened. Please be patient.]
"Sigh…"
Naruto couldn't blame the system.
Without the system, advancing to divine soul status would be fraught with danger. The fact that the system ensured safety was already a significant contribution.
For now, Naruto could only endure his growing anxiety.
…
Three days passed in a flash.
Naruto felt fortunate. Using the surveillance device, he learned that Konoha hadn't yet identified the culprit behind Danzo's assassination.
After some deliberation, Sandaime concluded that Danzo's death was likely the work of Shinobi from another village attempting to steal Konoha's secrets.
This suspicion wasn't unfounded. After all, Sunagakure had almost allied with Orochimaru to destroy Konoha in the past. Other Shinobi Villages might harbor similar ambitions.
For this reason, Sandaime specially contacted every Shinobi Village, warning them of a mysterious and powerful intruder and urging heightened vigilance.
This action served a dual purpose: to caution the offending village and to encourage the uninvolved villages to ally with Konoha. After all, no one wanted their village to be the next target.
Naruto agreed with Sandaime's approach. Given the uncertainty, it was the best course of action. Moreover, if the mysterious attacker targeted another village's leaders, they would likely share the information, fostering mutual assistance and a unified front.
More importantly, Naruto, being the only one aware of the truth, knew that Sasuke was the one who killed Danzo.
The unknown system owner's next move would undoubtedly be to have Sasuke join the Akatsuki and target Killer B, the Hachibi's Jinchuriki.
As long as no news emerged from Kumogakure, it would mean Sasuke hadn't acted yet, and the unknown system owner hadn't initiated further disruptions.
With this intelligence, Naruto could only hope for calm until he endured the 100-day period.
Then, he could lie in wait in Kumogakure to capture the unknown system owner supporting Sasuke.
…
Two more days passed.
At this time, a Shinobi dressed in Anbu uniforms entered the Hokage's Office in a hurry.
Naruto's brows furrowed, knowing that something big has happened. He prayed that it was not news about Kumogakure.
Sandaime asked, "What has you so flustered?"
The Anbu reported, "The Hyuga Clan is fighting amongst themselves."
'Hyuga Clan?'
'Did something happen to Hinata?'
Naruto's heart tightened. Unable to act, he could only rely on the surveillance to monitor the situation in the Hokage's Office. Right now, he desperately wished to see what was happening within the Hyūga clan.
As if reading Naruto's thoughts, Sandaime complied with his unspoken wish.
"Give me the details."
As he said that, Sandaime activated the crystal ball.
The Hyuga Clan's mansion gradually appeared on the crystal ball. The courtyard was surrounded by Hyuga Clan's members. In the middle of the open space, two people were standing. One was Hiashi and the other was Neji.
The Anbu explained, "According to my investigation, Hyuga Neji is leading the branch family in a challenge against the main family. As their representative, Hyuga Neji seeks to force Hyuga Hiashi to step down through a duel."
'The branch family, who has suppressed for so many years, has finally reached its breaking point...'
Sandaime thought for a moment and said, "Deploy Anbu to the outskirts of the Hyuga Clan's compound. No one is to approach without my orders. Unless it escalates into a full-scale clan conflict, do not intervene."
"Understood!"
The Anbu acknowledged the order and swiftly disappeared.