46Don't leave tonight.AI Model: kimi-k2-instruct-0905Chapter 46 – Don't Leave Tonight
The moment those words left his mouth, every woman in the room turned awkward.
Naruto wasn't exactly wrong.
Female Ninja were usually more meticulous and, on average, possessed finer Chakra control than their male counterparts.
Because of that, they were better suited to become Medical Ninja.
The most outstanding example was none other than the so-called "Princess of Konoha," one of the Legendary Sannin—Lady Tsunade.
But… there were male Medical Ninja too!
Kurenai quietly took a swig of beer.
She thought of her father.
Although the Yūhi clan was famed for genjutsu, her father had always wanted her to become a Medical Ninja.
Marry early, have children, and live a calm, stable life.
Perhaps that was the common hope parents who had lived through war held for their daughters.
But later, her father passed away.
Only then did Kurenai abandon the path of a Medical Ninja and, following her heart, became the battle-type Jonin she was today.
Thinking of this, she looked at Naruto and asked curiously:
"In that case, what kind of Ninja do you want to become?"
Naruto shook his head.
"Why do I have to be a Ninja at all?"
Kurenai: "…?"
Not a Ninja?
Then what—open a ramen stand?
Then why the heck are you taking the Chunin Exams?!
"Classic manual-labor mindset."
Kurenai's face darkened. Before she could retort, Naruto continued:
"This world has tens of millions of people crammed into a tiny patch of land, yet it's split into four great countries and countless little ones."
"Each country practices a separation of powers: military authority rests with the Kage, financial authority with the daimyo."
"Such a malformed structure makes war the main theme of this world."
"Ninja, in essence, are nothing more than violent tools dependent on a daimyo's wealth."
"Missions, Ranks, titles—they're all shackles designed to help rulers manage these living weapons."
The table fell deathly silent.
Chopsticks hung mid-air; cups paused at lips.
What gibberish had this guy just spouted?
Kurenai was silent for a few seconds, then slowly asked, "So… what do you want to be?"
Naruto lifted his head, expression calm.
"King."
"King of this world—unite every divided land and end every war."
"If someone stirs up conflict, erase them with absolute power."
The words dropped like weights.
The air seemed to freeze.
Hadn't this brat spent his childhood yelling about becoming Hokage?
Had he lost his mind?
Glancing around the table, aside from Hinata, who gazed at him in admiration, everyone else stared as if at an idiot.
Naruto sighed.
Sigh… they clearly don't get it.
No wonder they're stuck being Medical Ninja… After dinner,
Hinata washed dishes in the kitchen.
Tenten and Kurenai half-watched TV, chatting idly.
Sakura and Ino, under the excuse of helping tidy up, rummaged everywhere for the book of contractand videotapes.
Naruto stood alone on the balcony, looking at the moon and thinking about what was coming.
"Tomorrow, Jiraiya should make his entrance."
The importance of the Rasengan went without saying.
As for the rest—like the Summoning Techniquecontract with Mount Myōboku—he wasn't particularly interested.
A month later would be Orochimaru's KonohaCrush plan.
He could fatten his gains in the chaos.
Once the Chunin Exams ended and the dust settled, there'd be no need to stay in Konoha.
When his strength reached Kage level, further Breakthrough wouldn't come from learning a few new Ninjutsu.
Bloodline Limit, Bloodline Expansion, Bloodline Encompassing… Yin and Yang Release, Six Paths power, ultimate dōjutsu—no matter what, he had to grasp power beyond the Kage.
Otherwise, even if he seized the chance now to smash Madara and Black Zetsu's schemes before they realized,
when the Ōtsutsuki Clan descended, he'd still be meat on the chopping block with no chance to resist.
Thinking of this, Naruto sighed again.
Another goal was to collect as many evil points as possible and unlock System LV3.
He now roughly understood the rules for gaining evil points.
In the short term, the same target could only be harvested once.
The severity of the act and the target's strength affected the exact points gained.
"Indiscriminate slaughter" was actually the least efficient, one-time-only option.
He currently had 400 evil points left, with nearly 1 000 gained in total.
If the next System upgrade threshold really sat above a cumulative 4 000, the road ahead was still long… In the living room,
the program had switched to a late-night slot.
Tenten checked the time, stretched, and stood first.
"Whew… it's late, I should head back."
Sakura and Ino exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
Neither the book of contract nor any videotape had shown so much as a shadow.
"Let's go."
The three left the apartment. Hinata set the last plate in place, wiped her hands, and softly said:
"Th-then I should go home too."
The moment the words left her, Naruto's voice drifted from the balcony:
"Don't go back."
The two remaining women snapped their heads toward him.
Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Hinata: "…Ehh? N-Naruto-kun… th-this isn't proper…"
Naruto wore an expression that said "this is totally normal."
"What's improper about it?"
"First, your injury isn't fully healed; shuttling back and forth will destabilize your Chakra. Staying here lets me treat you better."
"Second, living in the Hyuga Clan compound long-term gives you psychological issues, and you never get enough food at home—it'll stunt your growth."
"Third…"
Naruto paused. "I like Hinata's cooking. Stay and make meals for me every day, okay?"
Hinata stood twisting the hem of her shirt, her face so red it looked ready to steam.
Reason told her this was inappropriate, yet her feelings were crumbling bit by bit.
"If… if Naruto-kun wishes it…"
The words had just left her mouth—
"I absolutely forbid it!"
Kurenai vetoed without hesitation.
Was this a joke?
That was her student, the main-house heiress of the Hyuga; a lone man and woman sharing a room deep into the night?
Naruto glanced at her.
"Hiashi didn't object—who are you to interfere? Oh, right."
He clapped his hands. "Almost forgot: didn't someone lose a bet and say they'd be my ox and horse for the next month?"
Kurenai: "…?"
Naruto smiled and delivered the finishing blow:
"In that case, you're not leaving either."
"Find some corner on the floor and make do for the night; you've got no missions for the next month anyway."
"Perfect…"
He looked at Hinata as if it were only natural: "You'll coach her training—Chakra control, taijutsu basics, combat awareness."
Veins throbbed on Kurenai's forehead.
"You bastard—treating me like free labor?!"
"Weren't you the one who said you'd be my ox and horse?"
Naruto shot back. "I'm already considerate; I'm not making you sleep on the balcony. But remember to pay for food and rent in advance."
Kurenai: "…"