## Raikage's Office ##
"Raikage-sama, there's a man named Naruto Uzumaki waiting outside. He says you asked him to come," said the secretary.
A nodded. "Let him in."
The secretary left to fetch Naruto.
Samui asked curiously,
"Raikage-sama, why is Naruto here to see you?"
"Last night, Naruto was attacked at the inn by one of our ninja. To prevent an international incident, he came straight to me instead of handling it himself. I ordered his execution, and Naruto asked to carry out the execution himself."
Karui stared at Naruto, shocked. "You actually carried out the execution yourself?"
Naruto shrugged casually.
A was curious what kind of method a little boy would think of.
"So, exactly how did you want to do it?"
Naruto walked up close and whispered into A's ear.
After hearing it, A stepped back in disbelief.
"What kind of kid thinks of something like that?"
Naruto shrugged again.
"I need to conceal my identity. I don't want the people from your village hating me because I executed one of their ninja."
******
(Two hours later)
Samui and Karui were helping Naruto change into his new outfit.
Samui secretly grinned after accidentally catching a glimpse of the blond's 'little Kunkun.'
Dressed in a long gray sleeveless hoodie that covered all the features of his face, Naruto grinned brightly and turned toward A:
"Now then, where's the target? The Nine-Tails is growing restless."
******
## Ten Minutes After the Execution ##
Naruto hurriedly made his way back to the inn when suddenly he noticed Samui and Karui following him.
"What are you two doing here?"
They both looked down and stepped closer.
"Um, when are you leaving Kumogakure?"
"I don't know. My captain didn't say how long I'm staying."
Karui stepped forward.
"Hey, if you're free in the village, why don't you come find us? We could hang out together."
Naruto blinked in surprise, then grinned brilliantly.
"Of course. You know where I live, right?"
The two girls nodded.
"That's great! Does that mean we'll be seeing you often from now on?"
Karui waved goodbye and walked away from the alley.
But Samui remained. Waiting until Karui was far enough away, she turned back to Naruto, took a deep breath, appearing unusually nervous—an uncharacteristic look for her.
She stepped forward and kissed him on the cheek.
"I hope to see you soon, Naruto-kun."
Stunned, Naruto watched her disappear down the alley.
Naruto hurried back to the inn, washed the bloodstains from his body, and changed back into his previous clothes.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
He grabbed his sword and strode to the door, only to find the Two-Tails jinchuriki standing there, smiling gently.
This surprised Naruto. Since arriving in the village, he'd barely interacted with her beyond their brief first meeting.
"Hey, Yugito. What's up?"
Yugito nodded, and Naruto waved her inside.
Yugito sat on the bed and patted the space beside her on the bed, signaling Naruto to sit down next to her.
Naruto was caught off guard by her pleasant, easygoing demeanor.
He didn't sense any hostility from her, so clearly she wasn't here to fight.
And there were already two girls from the village crushing on him—now another one? Especially an older woman this hot.
Naruto looked up at her,
"Yugito, what's up?"
Yugito smiled once more,
"I just wanted to get to know you a bit better, Naruto-kun."
Naruto swallowed nervously,
"Okay, I'll try to answer whatever you want to know. But why would you be interested in me?"
Yugito shook her head,
"You don't even know how interesting you are. You're an incredibly strong ninja—even among Chunin and Jonin—and you're only thirteen years old."
Naruto eyed her suspiciously,
"Wait, you're not into some weird stuff, are you?"
She shook her head again,
"Don't be ridiculous. Now tell me, what kinds of things interest you, Naruto?"
******
## One Week Later ##
After bidding farewell to their companions from Kumogakure, Naruto and his team set off for home.
## Hokage Office ##
Naruto reported everything that had happened to Tsunade.
Then he continued,
"Oh, and someone else tried to kill me."
"What?" Tsunade nearly shouted. "Who? Did Kumogakure order it—"
Naruto patted her on the shoulder,
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, Granny Tsunade. It's okay. He wanted to kill me, but he was captured by the Raikage's elite guards. The next day, I personally executed him."
Tsunade raised an eyebrow,
"And how did you carry out this execution exactly?"
Leaning back in his chair, Naruto replied,
"Hanging, disembowelment, limb-by-limb dismemberment. I handled it myself."
This method of execution hadn't been used since the Second Great Ninja War.
Tsunade's eyes widened.
Naruto stood up and stretched lazily,
"So where is Ero-Sennin anyway?"
"He went out to gather intelligence on Akatsuki. He won't be back for a few months."
Muttering under his breath, Naruto walked over to the window,
"Guess I'll take off then."
Tsunade glanced back,
"Brat, are you pretending that door is just for show?"
******
Naruto opened the door to his dorm and flopped onto the bed.
Suddenly, he heard the entrance creak open again. A figure stepped into the room before Naruto's voice cut through the silence:
"If you know what's good for you, stop right there."
"Woah, bastard, nice to see you too."
Naruto lifted his head and rolled over, spotting Tayuya.
"Tayuya? What are you doing in my place?"
Tayuya rolled her eyes,
"I heard your door open. What, aren't you happy to see me?"
Naruto shook his head in confusion,
"No, I mean… what are you doing here?"
She grinned,
"I live in this dorm building. Actually, I'm your next-door neighbor, bastard. Surprise!"
Naruto's jaw dropped, "So they let you go?" She nodded. "They allowed you to stay here?" Another nod. "You really chose to live here?"
Tayuya sighed,
"Listen, I used to be an Oto ninja…"
"Almost everyone is biased against me, but you're the only one who's ever been kind to me. So I want to stay by your side until things improve."
Naruto sat up straight:
"I can help you set some defensive traps at your place, just in case."
Tayuya laughed aloud.
"Here," Naruto tossed something to her.
Tayuya caught it mid-air, her eyes widening:
"My flute! I thought I'd lost it in the fight!"
Naruto chuckled:
"You actually thought I took it from you back then? You really believed I'd throw it away?"
Tayuya looked back and forth between the flute and Naruto, who simply grinned at her.
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