"Are you crazy?" Naruto looked at him, and he had already taken out the invisible Flying Thunder God Kunai. At such a close distance, he could kill Nobi with his bare hands.
"You'll make it back." Nobi spoke with a certainty, saying more now than he had during their entire time together, "I was the one who helped you find that classified information."
"Huh?" Now, it was Naruto's turn to be surprised. He recalled Nao's relaxed expression when she handed him the documents.
"She came to me for help. I happened to know where those documents were kept, so I got the clearance." He said calmly, "I'm already a dead man, so I'm not afraid of any punishment."
"But she's different. I don't quite understand how, but in just a few days, you managed to get Nohara Nao to do something so extreme for you. This will all come to light eventually… maybe tomorrow, or maybe in a month or two."
"Do you realize what this means for her?"
Naruto didn't say anything. What else could it mean? While having a safe job in the Medical Department, she took a huge risk to steal classified information. What other outcome would there be except death?
Nobi stared at Naruto, waiting for him to speak. He expected Naruto to show regret or at least ask why Nobi had helped Nao.
Nobi had even thought of fabricating a lie to disgust Naruto, but the idea was abandoned after he thought about it. He was different from this person, he felt that his love for Nao was real.
The scumbag in front of him was just after her body, manipulating her into doing foolish things. He didn't care about her future or well-being, using any means necessary to achieve his goals.
But Nobi still held onto a sliver of hope in his heart. He thought that, at the very least, Naruto might have a shred of conscience after hearing all of this.
Naruto slowly raised his head and, as if fulfilling Nobi's wish, spoke, "How can you be sure that I will go back? I already have the documents."
Boom!
Nobita's head filled with hot blood, his teeth clenched as he almost lunged forward to kill the bastard, 'How could someone be such a scumbag?'
But before Nobi could make a move, Naruto had already silently placed the kunai against his neck. The sharp and cold touch immediately calmed Nobita down, and he heard a soft, threatening voice, "Don't move, or I'll ruin the plan right now."
Nobi's teeth were almost grinding to dust. He had considered everything, even guessing Naruto's identity and strength. Even if Naruto was beyond the level of a Chunin, Nobi thought he could persuade him.
But he had underestimated Naruto's moral bottom line, and his rationality was instantly shattered by one sentence.
"You're an absolute beast!"
Nobi gritted his teeth and growled in a low voice with his face red. A thin line of blood already formed on his neck, and he was trying his best to suppress his urge to attack.
Naruto stared at him for a few seconds, looked into his bloodshot eyes, and actually smiled, "Thanks for the compliment."
Nobi was on the verge of collapse, his hands trembling as he glared at Naruto. But he was worried that Naruto would really do something to ruin the plan, so he could only glance Shita and Noma, and continue to stall for time.
"Scum."
"Yeah." Naruto responded indifferently, "Whether I go back or not has nothing to do with you. Whether she lives or dies, it has nothing to do with me."
Just as Nobi was about to say something else, an explosion suddenly erupted ahead.
The operation begins!
All the teams charged out from different directions, attacking the rear of the Sunagakure's forces. Nobi felt the pressure on his neck suddenly loosen, and Naruto also rushed out.
He hesitated for a moment before following, as the mission was the top priority.
Endless explosions roared like thunder in his ears. The ground trembled, and flames shot up over Sunagakure's camp. War was brutal, like a meat grinder.
Halfway through, Naruto disappeared, leaving a confused Kitahiko in his place.
He remembered that he was still in a daze in a vast white space in the previous second, but at the next moment, he suddenly arrived on the battlefield, holding a kunai in his hand and looking at the Sunagakure's Shinobi charging towards him.
Naruto had already returned to the forest and changed his appearance. To be on the safe side, he covered his face with a mask like Kakashi's and donned Menma's mask.
His blonde hair instantly turned black, and his blue eyes faded, glowing a dull, golden hue.
"Nohara Nao."
"If I had known, I would have found a way to handle it myself. It's really hard to accept the kindness of a beautiful woman… I have to go back, all thanks to her favor... What a mess."
He muttered to himself and sighed softly.
If Nobi were here to hear these words, he'd probably die from anger. This guy truly was a scumbag, always knowing how to hit someone where it hurt.
Although Naruto was planning to leave, he wasn't completely without a conscience. At the very least, he wouldn't just watch Nao suffer because of him, even if it meant jumping into the muddy waters again.
But that didn't stop him from disgustingly mocking Nobi. He couldn't stand Nobi's self-righteous attitude. No matter how genuine his feelings were, it didn't change the fact that he was a love rival.
The battle soon ended, and the outskirts of the camp were littered with corpses. Nobi was likely among them, as was Kitahiko. Team C17 didn't have any survivors this time.
Naruto waited patiently, and finally saw the fleeing Minato. Behind him, several fast-moving Sunagakure's Jonins chased after him, keeping a close eye on his whereabouts.
Seeing this, Naruto smiled quietly.
'Hahaha. You can always trust the Root! Danzo is truly the god of betrayal. He is such a professional at stabbing his own people in the back.'
Minato seemed to be injured and had no intention of continue fighting with Sunagakure's main force. He casually tossed a kunai with an Explosive Tag attached, which blew up a tree after it exploded.
Dust and debris filled the air, temporarily obscuring everyone's vision. Minato took this opportunity to catch his breath for a while. Just as he was about to break out in one direction, a group of enemies suddenly closed in, attacking from all sides.
Their speed was too fast, that there was no time to escape. Minato threw another kunai, bracing himself for what was likely to be a tough battle.
But suddenly, a mysterious figure wearing a mask appeared, cutting down the enemies with a single sword. In the next instant, the figure vanished, only to reappear in a strange spot, swiftly slashing the throat of a Sunagakure's Jonin.
"Go!" Naruto shouted over his shoulder, urging Minato to flee.
Somewhere in the Land of Rivers, Naruto watched from a distance as Minato wrapping gauze around his waist, biting one end with his teeth before tying a knot and cutting it with a kunai.
Naruto had mixed feelings and wondered, 'What the hell was going on?'
His original plan had been a clean getaway, well, if only he were truly a heartless scumbag. But unfortunately, he was merely a jerk, and now he had to rely on his 'cheap father' to return to Konoha.
After tending to his wound, Minato didn't immediately approach Naruto, but instead kept a respectful distance, offering a warm smile as bright as the sun.
"Are you a Shinobi from Konoha?"
"No, the Land of Rivers is my home." Naruto lied casually, "But now... I don't have a home anymore."
Minato smiled. He actually felt a sense of familiarity listening to the man's clumsy lies.
'What a weird feeling.'