The scene shifted once more—the familiar face of the Hokage Monument appeared before Naruto's eyes.
Just like before, he landed atop the Third Hokage's head.
But this time, a new addition had begun:
The construction of the Fifth Hokage—Tsunade's—stone statue was underway.
A team of Earth Style specialists were using Doton techniques to carve out the massive face.
Naruto's sudden appearance startled them.
"Hey! Kid! You're not allowed to walk on the Hokage Monument—move it!"
A gruff middle-aged man shouted at him.
But a younger man beside him quickly tugged his sleeve and whispered nervously:
"Uncle! Don't! That's Uzumaki Naruto!"
"Uzumaki Naruto?"
The older man blinked—then finally remembered the name and immediately shut his mouth.
—
Just as Naruto returned, the system's voice echoed in his mind.
"Ding! New Collection Quest issued.
For each massive energy source collected, you will receive a Six Paths-level lottery draw."
Six Paths-level?
Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Massive energy source…"
Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was Tailed Beasts.
The Nine-Tails was already one of them.
But after all these years, Kurama had become a friend.
So the closest viable target—
Was One-Tail, sealed inside Gaara.
Without another word, and under the confused gazes of the Doton carving team, Naruto vanished with Flying Thunder God.
—
Hokage Office.
Tsunade sat at her desk, staring in frustration at a mountain of documents over a meter tall.
She rubbed her chest (for clarity, to relieve stress), took a deep breath, and was just about to get started when—
Naruto's figure flickered into the office.
His unmistakable blond hair gave her an instant excuse to slack off.
"You little punk… You marked my office too?
I'm a woman, you know—ever heard of respecting privacy?"
"All you do here is paperwork, right?
What else would you be doing—something naughty?"
Naruto teased.
"Tch… o-of course not!" Tsunade looked away.
"Gaara. He's back in the Sand Village, right?"
Naruto got straight to the point.
"Gaara? That panda-eyed One-Tail Jinchūriki from Sunagakure?
Yeah, he left long ago. Why?"
Tsunade narrowed her eyes—clearly curious why Naruto was looking for a Tailed Beast.
"No reason."
Naruto turned to leave, but—
"Wait! There's something you should know."
He paused. "What is it?"
A faint smile flickered across Tsunade's lips, but she quickly hid it.
"Hyūga Hinata. You're close to her, aren't you?"
Naruto's brow furrowed.
"And?"
"She was taken during a mission—abducted by Kumogakure ninja."
"They've always coveted the Hyūga's Byakugan.
With Konoha weakened recently, they seized the opportunity..."
As she spoke, a terrifying pressure flooded the room.
Even Tsunade—an elite Kage-level shinobi—felt an oppressive force, laced with killing intent.
"When was this?"
Naruto's voice dropped to a glacial tone.
Tsunade, startled—realized:
She'd initially been pleased, thinking Naruto might go to war with Kumo for Hinata…
But now…
This pressure… wasn't just anger.
It was the aura of a reaper.
"Half a month ago," she admitted.
Seeing his anger grow, she quickly added:
"We've already dispatched a rescue team.
Jiraiya is personally leading it.
But Konoha's forces have been stretched thin lately..."
Naruto glanced at her.
This decision alone made her far more capable than Hiruzen.
If it had been the Third—he might've sacrificed Hinata.
"Kumogakure, huh…"
Naruto whispered.
With a flash of gold light—he vanished.
But to Tsunade, that whisper sounded like death had already arrived at Kumo's doorstep.
"Whew…"
Tsunade exhaled slowly.
"I didn't think… a mere teenager could be this terrifying."
She looked toward the direction he'd gone, eyes narrowing.
"Let's see how smug you are now, Kumogakure."
—
Leaving the office, Naruto flew straight toward the Hidden Cloud Village.
"If that's how it is…
Let's start by taking Matatabi and Gyūki."
Konoha wasn't far from Kumo—just a sea apart.
But Naruto didn't need to rely on sea creatures to travel anymore.
Between Shinra Tensei's repulsion force and telekinetic movement, he could easily fly.
And far faster than Ōnoki ever could.
Ōnoki's flight relied on lowering his own weight like a floating balloon.
Naruto's method was more like a fighter jet—pure propulsion and control.
—
Meanwhile, in Kumogakure.
The village's most heavily guarded prison—
Team 8 had been locked away:
Yūhi Kurenai, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino.
Even Akamaru was restrained—his limbs chained as he lay helpless on the ground.
All of them had their hands bound, unable to form hand signs.
Elite Jonin guarded both the cell door and exit.
They had been imprisoned for over ten days.
Kiba paced furiously.
"Damn those Kumo bastards!
When I get out, I'll tear through them all!"
Kurenai sat in guilt-ridden silence, eyes focused especially on Hinata.
She was worried about what fate awaited the girl.
"This is my fault," she thought. "I was too weak… and gave Kumo the opening."
Shino blended into the shadows, barely visible.
Yet ironically, it was Hinata, in the most danger,
whose expression was the calmest.
"Don't worry," Kurenai tried to reassure them.
"Konoha will find a way to rescue us."
Hinata's eyes shimmered—
But rather than trusting Konoha…
She believed in Naruto.
—
For the past two weeks, Kumogakure's higher-ups had been fiercely debating what to do with Hinata.
One side—supporters of the Fourth Raikage—insisted on extracting her Byakugan and implanting it into the Raikage.
With his Lightning Chakra Mode and her visual prowess, they could create the ultimate one-man army.
This was, after all, the reason Kumo had long coveted the Hyūga clan.
But the other side—led by Samui, secretary and voice of reason—opposed the idea.
She argued they should keep Hinata intact, to preserve the purity of the bloodline.
In a few years, when Hinata reached childbearing age, they could create a Kumo-native Hyūga lineage.
Dozens of Byakugan users.
After ten days of arguments and voting, Samui's plan won out—for now.
—
In the Raikage building, just after the vote—
An elderly Kumo official stopped the others.
"If we're going with that plan…
Why wait years? I saw Hinata the other day—
With her current body development, she's more than capable of bearing children."
His words made Samui visibly discontent.
But among the more radical council members—eyes began to burn with anticipation.
"Raikage-sama! Hinata is still too young—
Give it another couple of years," Samui urged, clearly disgusted.
The Fourth Raikage's brows furrowed.