Master of Persuasion…
But Naruto truly lived up to his reputation. Aoi was still far too inexperienced if he thought he could out‑talk him.
"No matter what happens, I will never stand by and watch Sasuke die," Naruto declared firmly.
"He is my lifelong friend — and that is something I will never change."
"Is this guy out of his mind?" Omoi stood frozen.
Even after hearing everything, Naruto remained just as stubborn as before.
That Sasuke character clearly doesn't treat you as a friend at all — he only brings you pain and trouble!
Yet Naruto simply fell silent and said nothing more.
"So it's still like this, isn't it?" Aoi sighed and shook his head.
In the original story, Sai asked almost exactly the same question.
Back then, Naruto hadn't been able to give a clear answer either — but afterward, he had proven through his actions: Once Uzumaki Naruto sets his heart on something, his ninja way will never waver.
"Bonds."
Was this concept really that powerful?
Aoi shook his head, still not fully understanding.
In all the time he had been in this world, he had never truly witnessed this so‑called "ultimate power of bonds."
Tsunade was driven by love, Might Guy by family ties, and even the Hyūga clan never seemed to share such an unbreakable connection.
At the very least, Aoi knew he himself could never act with such blind devotion.
What exactly are bonds, anyway?
Without warning, a figure laughing heartily appeared in his mind. A towering red silhouette slowly turned around — Senju Hashirama…
That old man? How could it be him?
In any case, Aoi refused to accept that someone who had died after barely exchanging a few words with him could ever be called a lifelong friend.
But why did such an interesting character have to die so early? Aoi gritted his teeth inwardly.
If you're going to die, do it cleanly — don't force your hopes and dreams onto me, without even asking if I want them or not…
Really, how infuriating!
Aoi unconsciously lifted his face, and found the corners of his eyes growing damp.
"Little Ketsugen — what's wrong?" Omoi quickly picked him up, flustered.
"You silly child… why are you crying all of a sudden?"
"Uh…"
Aoi froze, and suddenly realized something: Just now… did I actually get persuaded and moved by Naruto's words? And I didn't even notice it happening?!
He truly deserves the title of King of Persuasion!
Humans are not stones or trees — we all have feelings. In a lifetime, there will always be one or two friends we just click with, for reasons we can't fully explain.
Naruto had used his own sincerity to touch theirs, and his words to break through their defenses.
This was persuasion at its highest level — so effective that even Aoi had fallen victim to it. No wonder Nagato ended up changing his mind before dying…
That said, the shinobi of Kumogakure seemed naturally immune to such tactics. Samui gave Naruto no special treatment at all and stated plainly:
"While the Raikage is away on official business, he will not meet with any outsiders."
The title of "Hero of Konoha" carried absolutely no weight among these tough, straightforward warriors.
Just as in the original story, the group from the Cloud realized they would get more information by searching Konoha's archives than by listening to anything Naruto had to say.
Once the Cloud shinobi had left, Naruto remained true to himself.
Not only did he refuse to give up, he even managed to convince those who were usually calm and rational to follow his impulsive, passionate lead.
"I'm going to find the Raikage!" Naruto said earnestly. "I will persuade him personally to call off the manhunt for Sasuke!"
Typical hot‑blooded fool…
But what surprised everyone most was that Kakashi actually nodded in agreement. Worse still, using his senior authority, he dragged Yamato along with him as well.
Kakashi — you're usually so level‑headed! What has gotten into you now?
No wonder people joked that three men in the ninja world were deeply devoted to Sasuke:
First, his brother‑obsessed Itachi; second, Naruto himself; and third — not Sakura Haruno — but Kakashi.
Who knows why exactly Sasuke ended up being the object of such intense devotion from three different men…
__________________
For more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.
"Schedule"
Monday - Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day
Saturday - Sunday - Off