In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Standing in front of Konoha's gate, Naruto jumped up and playfully patted Jiraiya on the shoulder, smiling in reassurance.

"Pervy Sage, even Fukasaku-sama has said that Senjutsu are not for me."

"You brat…" Jiraiya chuckled, feeling a bit exasperated, "We went all that way, and you're this happy about it? I really don't get you."

"It wasn't for nothing, was it?" Naruto began counting on his fingers, "At least we ate bugs! I'll probably never have to eat them again in this lifetime."

Hearing this, Jiraiya's face twitched and he said, "Even though I've eaten it so many times, the taste is still hard to describe every time I think of it."

"Besides, there's also Great Toad Sage's prophecy." Naruto said, walking alongside Jiraiya as they headed toward the village, "So, does that mean the prophecy will come true?"

"And what if it does?" Jiraiya replied as they approached the village's entrance. He greeted the two Konoha's gatekeepers spinning pens, acknowledging them with a nod.

"Pervy Sage, the prophecy said that you will eventually settle down somewhere lively, right?" Naruto asked.

"Maybe. The Great Toad Sage's prophecies have never been wrong." Jiraiya mused, and then stroked his unshaven chin and said, "But I find it hard to imagine someone like me, the great Jiraiya, ever settling down."

"In my mind, I always thought I'd die while traveling the world."

"That may be true, but wouldn't it be nice to have a stable ending?" Naruto said casually, "Dying on the road just feels too tragic."

"And dying old in a house doesn't sound like a great ending either." Jiraiya said as they walked through Konoha's streets, heading toward the Hokage Tower.

Hearing this, Naruto didn't say anything. He just rolled his eyes, and thought to himself, 'Of course, you're carefree. No one can compare to you. You're the legendary Sage of Mount Myoboku. If the rain gets too heavy, you're bound to stay in the Land of Rain.'

Hokage Tower.

Naruto briefly greeted Tsunade before leaving, while Jiraiya stayed behind for a bit.

"Not going well?" Tsunade asked, leaning back in her chair.

"Yeah." Jiraiya nodded, "Naruto couldn't merge with Natural Energy. We tried several times, but it didn't work, so we could only come back first."

"It's okay if it fails." Tsunade breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly smiled, "Jiraiya, oddly enough, I'm not even disappointed to hear that… If anything, I feel a bit happy."

"Why?"

"Because he's finally not good at something. It shows he has limitations." Tsunade said, "People who are perfect in every way, with immense power, are more likely to lose themselves and go to extremes."

"Are you talking about Uchiha Itachi?" Jiraiya asked.

"Yes." Tsunade admitted, "His personality was always pessimistic, bottling up pressure until it could explode. I'm worried that he will lose himself when he becomes more powerful."

"You have a point." Jiraiya smiled, "Speaking of which, I have something else to discuss."

"What is it?" She asked.

Hearing this, Jiraiya paused, looked up and said, "I want to publicly announce that Naruto is no longer the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, and that the Kyubi has escaped from Konoha."

"This could cause unrest in the village, and the other villages, especially Kumogakure, might make a move." Tsunade said, "Konoha has just established an alliance with Sunagakure. If they hear this news…"

"I understand." Jiraiya said, looking visibly conflicted.

"But I accept." Tsunade stood up, "I've been considering it for a while. Losing the Kyubi is indeed a loss for Konoha, but keeping it in the village is also a danger that will explode sooner or later."

"The future of Konoha lies in the hands of the new generation. We need to trust in their strength."

Naruto, after returning home, yawned, washed up, and fell asleep on his bed, unaware that Tsunade was preparing to announce the Kyubi's escape.

By the time he woke up, it was already evening.

Since he was feeling hungry, Naruto decided to head out.

At the end of July, the streets of Konoha were filled with the sound of insects. In the distance, Naruto spotted a few familiar faces. Someone pointed in his direction, and a group of people turned to look at him.

"When did you get back?" Shikamaru patted his shoulder, "I haven't seen you for more than a month, and now I run into you while out for a stroll."

"I just got back today." Naruto replied, wearing a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, without his forehead protector as usual. He glanced behind Shikamaru, noticing the group with him, "You've got a lot of people with you. Where are you going?"

"Just a get-together." Shikamaru said, "What else? Everyone's here except for Shino, who's on a mission. If you're free, why don't you join us?"

"Yeah, come with us! The more, the merrier." Choji chimed in.

Naruto glanced at Ino and Sakura standing nearby. He then sighed and said, "Alright."

"How did you grow so fast all of a sudden?" Shikamaru asked enviously, "You're almost 180 cm, right?"

"No, just over 170 cm." When Naruto spoke, his eyes swept over Ino and Sakura. He always felt that there was a strange atmosphere between them.

"Why aren't you two saying anything?" He asked directly.

"N-no reason. I just don't know what to say." Ino was a little flustered and turned her head away, "Hinata will be coming to the gathering too."

"Huh?" Naruto was puzzled when he heard this.

"N-nothing." Ino's face turned bright red, feeling extremely regretful, 'Why did I have to bring that up?'

Naruto was a little confused, 'Why did she emphasize Hinata? So what if Hinata's coming?'

His eyes shifted to Sakura, who gave him a sweet smile, sending a chill down his spine.

He suddenly felt a little regretful, 'It must be Dark Sakura! Damn it!'

Naruto, who vaguely sensed something was off, chatted absentmindedly with Shikamaru and Choji, while occasionally glancing at Ino and Sakura out of the corner of his eyes, and found that the two seemed to have a good relationship.

'Weird.'

After thinking about it for a while, Naruto gave up on trying to figure it out and walked ahead. His hands swung loosely by his sides as he strode along.

Ino's face turned red as she averted her gaze, while Sakura leaned in and whispered, "Don't you like him?"

"No." Ino instinctively denied, but then her mood sank, "Hinata likes him… She told me herself."

"When?" Sakura asked.

"Last year." Ino replied.

The two women walked slowly, gradually putting some distance between themselves and the guys, so they didn't need to speak in whisper anymore.

"It happened so long ago, she might've already forgotten by now." Sakura said, "She liked him last year, but who's to say she still does this year?"

"She still does." Ino shook her head.

"How do you know?" Sakura glanced at Ino out of the corner of her eye, looking like a scheming best friend, and continued to bewitch her, "What if she doesn't?"

"There's no 'what if'." Ino insisted, "Hinata has liked him for a long time, longer than I've known him."

"And I don't like him. I don't like anyone." She added.

"Is that so? Then are you okay with just watching him and Hinata hug each other, rolling around together in the same bed?" Sakura asked casually.

"N-no, I'm not." Ino fidgeted awkwardly, "I mean, that shouldn't happen. After all, they're still too young for that."

Hearing this, Sakura's lips curled up slightly, "Oh~."