Chapter 57
Shikamaru crouched down and traced his finger along several deep footprints pressed into the mud.
"These aren't ours."
He pointed at the marks on the ground: "The size, the depth—adult feet."
Shikamaru's voice sounded especially bleak in the empty forest.
But beneath that calm analysis lay a deep, suppressed unease.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Akamaru—still sniffing around on the ground—had all his fur standing on end, as though he had caught a scent that terrified him.
"Akamaru says… the smell is mixed. Yuta's scent is there, plus several strangers."
Kiba, who could communicate with his ninken, looked equally grim: "The other side has definitely killed a lot of people before."
The atmosphere instantly dropped to freezing.
Ino's bamboo basket slipped from her hand and fell to the ground: "…Who did this? Ninjas from another village?"
"No… if we're being honest, Yuta is the outsider here…"
Only now did everyone remember—Yuta wasn't originally a child from the village.
His identity had always been that of a wanderer drifting around Konoha's outskirts.
Shikamaru stood up and brushed the dirt from his hands.
He looked up at the tattered cloth strip hanging from the treehouse that read "Weather for Sale" and sighed.
"There are no other traces. Before he could even trigger a weather change, Yuta was subdued and taken away directly."
Shikamaru turned to face his grim-faced companions and spoke the heavy truth: "The ones who did this are most likely the Third Hokage's direct force—Anbu."
After all, his father Nara Shikaku was one of Konoha's top military advisors. Shikamaru knew far more miscellaneous non-classified information than the other children.
"Anbu?!"
Ino and Sakura gasped in shock.
To academy students, Anbu were an existence most people never came into contact with.
They represented the most mysterious and ruthless power among ninja—those who carried out the most secret and dangerous missions.
"But… why? Yuta didn't do anything wrong!"
Chōji was sweating profusely: "All he did was make the weather a little weird—he didn't hurt anyone!"
"Because 'unknown factors' are threats in themselves."
Shikamaru rubbed his throbbing temple: "Especially lately—the village has been checking outsiders extremely strictly. Someone like Yuta, with no identification and constantly lingering near the village, is suspicious."
"Under normal circumstances, we actually shouldn't have made contact with Yuta on our own either."
"In the eyes of Anbu, Yuta is a potential spy who could threaten Konoha."
"He's probably been taken for interrogation… maybe even tortured…"
"I should have thought of this possibility earlier, but I didn't think to warn Yuta to stay away from the village…"
Shikamaru's words carried a trace of self-reproach.
The others hadn't realized how dangerous being taken by Anbu was.
But after hearing Shikamaru explain, a feeling called "fear" spread among the children.
The Yuta who had been taken might never come back.
Facing the violent institutions of the village, they—children still attending the academy—felt far too small.
Shikamaru took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down and analyze:
"Anbu's duty is to eliminate anything that might harm the village's interests. Talking reason with Anbu is useless."
"Because we can't prove Yuta poses no threat to the village. After all, we're just a bunch of kids—our words carry no weight."
Everyone fell into a heavy silence.
Naruto—who had been quiet until now—slowly walked to the base of the treehouse and placed a hand on the trunk.
He closed his eyes. Years of heart cultivation had taught him to first steady his breath when facing major matters.
"Haa…"
Naruto regulated his breathing until his state returned to calm.
"Everyone."
After composing himself, Naruto turned around. His voice was steady and firm:
"We're going to rescue Yuta."
"Huh?"
Everyone froze.
"But Naruto—that's Anbu!" Sakura said in a panic: "They're the Hokage-sama's subordinates. If we go… won't we get captured too?"
Naruto shook his head: "Yuta is very timid. He's probably already terrified right now."
"If his ability gets triggered and he hurts an Anbu member, Yuta's situation could become even worse."
"We need to get him out as soon as possible."
These words tightened everyone's hearts again.
"And besides…"
Naruto raised his head and looked toward Konoha village. His tone was light, yet carried unshakable determination:
"The purpose of getting stronger—isn't it so we can do something in times like this?"
"And if we have to wait for adults to 'approve' before we can save a captured friend… then are we even Yuta's comrades?"
Naruto clenched his fist. A faint but extremely firm aura emanated from him.
The clearing fell into brief silence.
Looking at the unwavering resolve in Naruto's eyes, the originally panicked group gradually steadied themselves.
A few seconds later,
Shikamaru scratched his messy pineapple head and sighed.
"I'll definitely get yelled to death by Mom later… but if I just go home now and pretend nothing happened, I probably wouldn't forgive myself for the rest of my life."
He walked over to Naruto's side.
"We're going too!" "Woof!"
Kiba scooped Akamaru up from the ground and flashed his signature tiger fangs: "I brought jerky for Yuta—he hasn't tried it yet!"
"Count me in. We have to save Yuta." Chōji's expression turned serious—he had always been a kind child.
Ino and Sakura exchanged a glance. Though still frightened,
seeing the boys step forward gave the two girls courage. They nodded.
Finally, Hinata.
"Yuta is my friend too…"
Hinata walked to Naruto's side with a flushed face, showing she could be useful: "I'll help too… my Byakugan… can help find Yuta."
Several children who hadn't even graduated yet,
under this empty treehouse,
for the sake of a wanderer they had known for only a few days,
after an internal struggle, made a decision that went against the village.
…
"Fox Sage? You're not going to stop me?"
Naruto asked.
Facing the upcoming action—which could even be called defying the village—
Naruto showed none of the panic a child should have.
But his voice still wanted to know Xuanming's opinion.
"We're going to snatch someone from Anbu."
"Mm, I heard."
Xuanming replied calmly.
He neither scolded Naruto for recklessness like a strict master, nor praised his loyalty like an indulgent one.
His tone was as flat as if Naruto had just said:
[Don't cook tonight—let's just eat instant noodles for dinner.]
"Huh… you're really not going to stop me?"
Naruto was a little surprised.
"Why would I stop you?"
Xuanming's pupils reflected the boy's resolute face: "Cultivating the Dao is cultivating the heart. Following one's heart is the Way."
"If you feel it's right, then go save him."
"If even something like this makes you hesitate over right and wrong, how will you ever become a free immortal in the future?"
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