Uzumaki Naruto, for once, pulled an all-nighter.
After fully understanding the principle of the Mutually Multiplying Explosive Tags, he turned his attention to another, even more forbidden jutsu on the scroll—the Edo Tensei.
The deeper he delved into his research, the stronger his admiration for Second Hokage Senju Tobirama grew; he was truly a genius.
Normally, the logic behind summoning jutsu is to summon living creatures with whom the caster has a contract, such as the toads of Mount Myōboku or the monkeys of the Enma clan.
However, Senju Tobirama had found a completely different approach, extending the concept of "summoning" to connecting with the Pure Land and summoning the souls of the deceased! This imagination and ability to transcend the boundaries of life and death made Uzumaki Naruto secretly gasp in awe.
With this level of ingenuity and execution, not giving the Second Hokage a substitute or a Devil Fruit was truly a waste of talent.
Although for now, Uzumaki Naruto wasn't sure what he could specifically use the Edo Tensei for—summoning deceased ancestors or parents for a chat?
But with such a powerful and unique jutsu before him, adhering to the principle of "the more skills, the better," he decided to commit as much of its theoretical essence to memory as possible. Perhaps this knowledge would prove crucial in the future.
The next morning, at Team 7's usual meeting spot.
Due to his all-night study of the scroll, Uzumaki Naruto inevitably had two faint dark circles under his eyes, and his spirit carried a subtle, almost imperceptible fatigue.
However, to his slight surprise, he noticed that Satsuki also had faint shadows under her eyes, clearly indicating a similar lack of sleep.
But in stark contrast to her slightly tired appearance was her mental state—her dark eyes were exceptionally bright, even faintly shimmering with an indescribable, satisfied, and joyful glow, and the corners of her mouth were subtly curved upwards, as if she had encountered something extremely delightful, exuding a light, airy aura.
— — — — — —
As the date for the Chunin Exams approached, Team 7 had recently been assigned simple missions that didn't require leaving the Village. Uzumaki Naruto indeed noticed that Konoha's streets were much livelier than usual, with many unfamiliar faces wearing headbands from other Ninja Villages, and a subtle tension hung in the air, hinting at an impending storm.
Facing the upcoming exams, Sakura Haruno appeared exceptionally nervous and anxious. She mumbled theoretical knowledge to herself, her eyes occasionally revealing self-doubt, unsure if she truly possessed the strength to pass the assessment.
In stark contrast to her was Uchiha Satsuki. Her expression was as calm as ever, even carrying a certain self-assured certainty.
In her view, with her and Uzumaki Naruto's strength, passing the Chunin Exams was an unquestionable outcome.
As for Uzumaki Naruto himself, his thoughts had long since drifted beyond the Chunin Exams. At this moment, he was repeatedly weighing the various variables concerning Orochimaru and his "Konoha Crush Plan."
Chunin Exams? For Uzumaki Naruto, participating in such an exam with his current strength was simply an act of dimensional reduction. Let alone the Genin, even the strongest of his peers, Gaara, was no different from a stray cat strolling by the roadside in front of Uzumaki Naruto.
Even if the Ichibi Shukaku inside him lost control and went berserk, it would at most be a troublesome inconvenience that would require a bit more effort.
Orochimaru? He would ensure he never returned!
However, Uzumaki Naruto thought deeply, would the events unfold as they did in the original story this time? The butterfly effect's impact should not be underestimated.
The most crucial variable lay in the [Ember] Organization that Uzumaki Naruto himself had created. The organization's philosophy had already spread throughout the Ninja World—to forcibly stop wars between nations through absolute military deterrence.
Simply put, it was "whoever dares to start a war, I will eliminate them." And the Great Spiraling Ring that Menma had once demonstrated, capable of instantly destroying an entire Village, further added a heavy bargaining chip to this deterrence.
In such a context, would Sunagakure truly form an alliance with Orochimaru so easily, as in the original, and risk attacking Konoha? Wouldn't they worry about the [Ember] Organization's intervention and retaliation?
But when Uzumaki Naruto thought of Rasa being the current Kazekage, his newly arisen doubts wavered again.
If Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi seemed indecisive in certain decisions, which wasn't necessarily bad, but a bit foolish.
Then Fourth Kazekage Rasa was simply both foolish and wicked.
The way Rasa treated his son, Gaara, made the cold stares and isolation Uzumaki Naruto suffered in Konoha, being called a "demon fox," seem like living in paradise by comparison.
This guy practically pushed his own son step by step into the abyss with his own hands.
Gaara was originally an ordinary child. He was forcibly sealed with the Ichibi Shukaku at birth, becoming the Village's "ultimate weapon." Even with the violent "tanuki" inside him constantly whispering and threatening in his mind, trying to erode his will, young Gaara initially maintained his kind nature, striving to get close to his older sister Temari and older brother Kankuro, yearning for his family's acceptance and warmth.
For such a young child, enduring prolonged mental pollution from a Tailed Beast, coupled with the torment of sleep deprivation, to hold on until later before losing control and going berserk, his willpower was already ridiculously strong.
However, when Gaara first lost control due to Shukaku's influence and was subsequently suppressed, teetering on the brink of his most vulnerable, exhausted, and broken mental state, what did Rasa, his father, do?
Not only did he fail to offer his son any comfort, guidance, or substantial help, but he instead took extreme, ruthless measures, actively evacuating villagers away from Gaara, completely isolating him, and even more outrageously, he repeatedly sent Ninja to assassinate his own son!
Under the guise of "testing if Gaara could still control Shukaku and assessing his value as a weapon."
This logic, its absurdity, could almost be compared to a certain blue and white character with "astonishing wisdom."
It's like a doctor facing a patient with a severe cold, not only refusing to provide medicine but instead throwing the patient directly into an ice cave, under the pretext of "testing the patient's cold resistance and survival potential."
The result was predictable. Rasa's series of ruthless actions successfully drove his son, who originally still held warmth in his heart, into a closed-off, bloodthirsty monster who believed only in killing.
And in the end, this culprit who single-handedly created the tragedy concluded—that Gaara, this "weapon," was inherently unstable and lacked value?
Later, when Orochimaru assassinated Rasa, it could be seen as doing a good deed from a certain perspective.
Thinking of this, Uzumaki Naruto had already made a decision in his heart.
Never mind, if this guy fortunately doesn't die at Orochimaru's hands during this Chunin Exams... after the exams, he'll find a way to bring Gaara into the [Ember] Organization.
At least there, he could feel what true companionship was, what pure warmth and value were, without needing to prove it through killing.
After defeating Gaara in the Chunin Exams, he would try to persuade him. Uzumaki Naruto had a bit of a headache; he was clearly the worst at lecturing.
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