Naruto flew out, piercing through Konoha's barrier. The squad leader was still stunned, while the clone had already teleported Jiraiya to the approximate landing spot.
And at this moment, Naruto was just beginning his descent.
After all, teleportation is the fastest way between two points. If only the distance was sufficient, Naruto could even use teleportation to surpass the speed of light and greet himself.
At the Hokage Building, Sakura was reporting to Tsunade when she suddenly looked out the window: "This is..."
"What is it?" Tsunade turned, just in time to see the figure in the sky and the Rasengan in his hand.
Reaching out and prying off a large brick, Tsunade tested its feel: "Sakura, open the window for me!"
"Yes." Sakura hastily opened the window, and then a piercing sound whizzed past her ear.
"Hm? Did he sense it?" The brick had just left her hand when Tsunade saw Naruto make a dodging motion. After calculating that it wouldn't hit, she said, "You go, tell him to get over here."
"Yes, ma'am!" Realizing Tsunade was still looking for something else to throw, Sakura quickly jumped out the window and ran. She was genuinely afraid Tsunade might just casually throw her instead.
That would be too embarrassing.
Having dodged the old hag's brick, Naruto pulled out a few more of his own and threw them at several buildings that looked sturdy. Unlike Tsunade, these were guaranteed to hit because he had a crosshair.
Thud...
Naruto landed, his nearly one-ton weight creating a large, web-like crater in the street. At the same time, he dispelled his transformation jutsu.
"You ungrateful disciple, look at the mess you've made!"
"See those bricks?" Naruto didn't answer him, but pointed at the brick landing spots, infusing Wind Release into his Rasengan: "If this were used instead, how many people do you think would die in Konoha?"
Konoha's barrier had a problem: it could only sense, not defend against any attack, nor could it stop people. Naruto had told Jiraiya this before, but no one paid attention.
I'm not asking you to make it like the one in the Fourth Great Ninja War, which needed two Jinchūriki to break with Tailed Beast Bombs. But can't you at least stop a single person?
Pain aside, if he wanted to come, nothing could stop him. But not being able to stop those Sky Ninjas with mechanical wings from flying in was a bit much.
Naruto wasn't afraid of them. Never mind their throwing explosive tags and bombs; he wouldn't even be afraid if they dropped aerial bombs. But he would eventually leave, and what if he came home one day to find his wives had been blown up?
"This... I'll go discuss it with Tsunade," With the evidence right before him, Jiraiya had to consider this problem.
"Naruto!" Sakura ran over. "Welcome back to the village."
"Thanks."
"Um... my master is looking for you. She seems to be in a bad mood, so be careful."
"Don't worry, she can't beat me."
"Uh..." Sakura felt like she and he were on completely different wavelengths.
"She's the Hokage. If you dare fight her, believe it or not, I'll beat you first," Jiraiya interjected.
Naruto immediately changed his tune: "Oh, then she can't hit me."
As an agility hero with all stats maxed, it would be a miracle if a strength-type like her could hit me.
The three talked as they walked. Naruto dispelled his Sage Mode, and Jiraiya waved away the ninjas who had rushed to check the situation.
"By the way, why did you transform into that appearance? You really startled me at first; I thought Akatsuki had invaded."
Jiraiya leaned in, also wanting to know.
"The Perverted Hermit said Akatsuki might be related to the Land of Rain, so I transformed into someone from the Land of Rain," Naruto once again shifted the blame squarely onto Jiraiya.
In the Hokage's office, Tsunade offered no welcoming words. After a few brief pleasantries, she immediately presented a list of expenses: "You'll fill in the craters you made later, and there's a brick."
"Why should I pay for the brick?" Naruto was immediately displeased. I admit to making the craters, but you used this brick to hit me, and you want me to pay for it too?
"Forget it, forget it, I'll pay for the brick," Jiraiya interjected. He just got back; no need to argue over a brick. He glanced at the barrier, then looked back at Tsunade and said, "I'll talk to you about something later."
"Then talk now, I'm quite busy," Tsunade pointed at the door. "You two can go back first. And Naruto, no lingering above Konoha in the future."
With Naruto's giant summons, never mind above the barrier, if he even went more than 20 meters off the ground, a lot of people in Konoha would be trembling.
"Oh." Naruto also didn't like staying in the sky. It was windy and had no scenery. He'd rather sit on the Hokage Rock.
As he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the original plot and turned back to ask, "That's it? No tests or anything?"
"Do you think there's still a need for a test?" Tsunade gave him a disgusted look. Yes, normally, ninjas returning from village training undergo a test, but you've already overturned Cloud Village, so what's there to test?
Naruto nodded emphatically: "It's very necessary, and I feel the examiner should be Kakashi-sensei..."
Kakashi pushed the door open: "What did I ever do to you that makes you want to hit me so badly? And do you really think you can beat me?"
So much time had passed, and Kakashi had tested it: he had overcome that fear. Without Fear Perception, he didn't believe Naruto could beat him.
Jiraiya leaned back, enjoying the show. Tsunade covered her mouth and mouthed a message to Kakashi: "He learned Sage Art."
"This... makes things a bit difficult," Kakashi scratched his head awkwardly. As the Fourth's student, he knew about Sage Art, but not extensively. He only knew it was a technique with a world of difference between using it and not.
"What do you think, Hokage-sama?" Kakashi threw the question back to Tsunade.
"He's in your squad; you handle it yourself," Tsunade's single sentence turned the return-to-village test into an internal squad matter.
"Then forget it," The slacker was as slacker as ever.
"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, you're not serious, are you? Being so timid isn't like the Kakashi I know," Naruto used a provocation tactic.
"Coincidentally, this is actually my true personality," Kakashi spread his hands. Finally, seeing Naruto look a little disappointed, he said, "Alright, just kidding. Tomorrow at 11 AM, meet at the usual spot."
Plan B, success!
Naruto left happily.
He genuinely wanted to fight Kakashi again to see how much he had improved.
Although Kakashi had the "Equality for All" buff, Naruto wanted to see if he, with two power-modifying software—Natural Energy and Nine-Tails Chakra—could unilaterally tear up the equal treaty.
If he could, as the saying goes, "a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even after ten years." Before he met Kushina, he should probably collect some interest.
"Naruto, do you have anything to do next? My house just finished renovating, and you're back, so I'd like to invite everyone to gather and celebrate."
Naruto tightened Shunfeng's rope and asked in surprise, "Finished renovating?"
"Mm, just aired it out. My mom said a new house needs friends to gather, so it'll have good energy later," Sakura's tone was a bit airy.
I see, you want to invite Sasuke, don't you?
From her eyes, Naruto could guess roughly. He said, "Okay, I have something to do later. How about tomorrow morning? I'll go get Sasuke."
"Ah? Oh, thank you!" Sakura immediately thanked him. What a great teammate, he guessed so accurately.
"No problem. Oh, by the way, Sakura-chan, can you formulate a colorless, odorless male... um, a drug that stimulates human instincts?"
Naruto's topic changed too quickly, and his question was too tricky, causing Sakura to forget about the honorific. She said, blushing, "I can..."
Because of Naruto's earlier demonstration of how to "open Hanare" before he left, it had given Sakura inspiration. She went back and specifically researched this kind of thing. As for who it was for, it was self-evident.
Sakura was also surprised internally. He could guess this too? Am I that obvious?
Sakura's expression dumbfounded Naruto. No, Sakura-chan, we're buddies, why are you blushing like a girl? This isn't like you.
"Then go back and make some for me. The effect needs to be delayed for a few hours before it triggers. The important thing is that it's effective on Kakashi-sensei."
Sakura was startled: "Kakashi-sensei? Okay."
Internally, she breathed a sigh of relief. Good, he didn't find out about my plan.
"Thanks, I'm home. I'm heading off now."
Bidding farewell to Sakura, Naruto walked up the stairs to his house, found a random empty room and locked Shunfeng and the others inside, then pulled out a pile of furniture from his storage for them to dismantle. Naruto walked to his front door, took two deep breaths, and pushed the door open.
"I'm home."
Inside, warm sunlight shone on the spotless floor. Hinata placed a dish on the table, wiped her hands on her apron, and smiled exceptionally sweetly: "Welcome home."
🚨 Note: Consider supporting this story on Patreon.com/Flokixy to access 400+ advance chapters and 2 new chapters daily! (Full story bundles also available without a subscription).