In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Chapter 413 From Now On, I Belong to You!

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Naruto wasn’t worried about losing track of Orochimaru, nor did he want to say too much. There would be other opportunities in the future. As always, the truth is the sharpest blade.

He wasn’t concerned that Orochimaru wouldn’t be interested, and sooner or later, he would come seeking answers from him.

Carrying Anko on his back, Naruto quickly left, heading in the direction of the Land of Fire. He didn’t plan on bringing Anko along for the mission in the Land of Rain, as her role was already complete.

Thanks to his skillful use of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, his encounter with Orochimaru had gone far more smoothly than expected, which was a pleasant surprise for Naruto.

He also hadn’t anticipated being able to control the Shinigami, but once his consciousness was connected, it felt as natural as moving his own limbs.

On the way, Anko slowly regained consciousness.

"Am I... dead?" She mumbled, still in a daze.

The foolish woman opened her mouth with the same drowsy confusion, her voice sluggish, asking a question like a simpleton.

"Yeah, you’re dead." Naruto replied bluntly, not missing a beat, "I’m carrying your corpse back to the village for burial. I plan to burn it and make a small box for you."

"What?! What happened to the grand funeral I was promised?" Anko was anxious, and suddenly wide awake.

Groggily, she turned her head to glance around, then nuzzled against Naruto’s neck, realizing that she felt warm, ‘So... I’m not dead? Not dead! Thank goodness!’

"When we get back, I’m going to bury you. You old woman, did you leave your brain at home?" Naruto snarked as he kept moving, his words merciless toward her.

Anko didn’t mind. She laughed heartily, clearly relieved. Without warning, she planted a kiss on Naruto’s left cheek and said, "Guess I’m really not dead! That’s great!"

Foolish people always find specific things to be happy about. When joy has a concrete source, it tends to last longer. Such people are easy to please… Even if they cry into their pillows at night, they’ll still smile in the morning if they get a tasty breakfast.

People like that are resilient, they endure hardship and possess a tenacious vitality. Even in the darkest times, after they finish crying, they still search for a way out.

"You…! You stupid woman! Don’t kiss me so casually! Damn it!" Naruto kept complaining, "I’m warning you, don’t think you can just do whatever you want."

"I’ll do what I want! We're not friends anymore anyway!" Anko tightened her arms around Naruto's neck, leaning in closer. Her voice dripped with mischievous intent as she teasingly asked, "Do you want me to give you **** again?"

With a sudden slip, Naruto's foot missed a step, and both he and Anko plummeted toward the forest floor.

At the last second, Naruto whipped out a kunai and drove it hard into a large tree trunk. The descent slowed with a harsh scraping sound until they finally came to a complete stop.

"Cough, I’ve still got a mission to finish." Naruto supported Anko from behind with his backhand and said seriously, "You should head back by yourself. You are injured, and you’re no longer needed for this mission."

"What do you mean?" Anko asked, looking confused, "You want me to go back first?"

"You’re too weak. You’d just get in my way," Naruto said, Naruto replied bluntly. Of course, he wasn’t about to tell her that he wanted to meet an old friend in Tanzaku Town and that her presence would just complicate things.

As for the mission in the Land of Rain, he could handle that alone. And if it turned out he couldn’t, in a place like the Land of Rain, riddled with ancient battlefields, he could easily summon a bunch of Impure World Reincarnation minions with just a snap of his fingers.

In terms of practicality, red beans are far inferior.

"What’s that supposed to mean? I’m a Jonin… am I really that weak?" Anko couldn’t take it, so she gave Naruto a few punches, but seeing he wasn’t changing his tune, she pouted, "Sorry, I guess I’m just too weak. I’m no help to you at all… other than for... you know."

Anko, being the foolish woman she was, only struggled on the surface, and is not truly angry. Naruto said nothing, instead pinning her against the tree and kissing her until she flushed bright red, feeling embarrassed.

When he finally pulled away, Anko’s face was glowing with a deep blush. She fidgeted and stammered, "I guess I’ll just head back then. You be careful, okay? This is as far as you’re taking me, right? I mean… it’s nothing serious, just a tiny little thing, really."

She hesitated, then continued, "Right before I passed out, I thought… if I really died, would you be sad? Would you shed a tear for me?"

"It’s weird how I thought about so much in such a short moment. The human brain is amazing like that. I’ve never really seen you look sad, and I just... I’d really like to know if you’d feel a little sad if I were gone one day."

"Ah, I’m rambling again…"

Naruto stood there quietly, listening to Anko’s frantic explanation, with no expression on his face, and her voice seemed to become increasingly distant.

Sunlight filtered through the trees like golden threads, gently resting on their shoulders.

Watching this foolish woman clumsily express herself, hearing her surprisingly touching words, Naruto felt only the faintest ripple in his heart. He wanted to say something in return, but he was suddenly reminded of how empty life could feel.

His mind flashed back to when he first arrived in this world, bombarded by malice. He was cold and numb, smiling on the outside but stone-faced inside.

To him, the village and the villagers had been nothing but tools for survival. Their life and death were meaningless to him, and their existence had been as insignificant as ants.

But things gradually changed. Little by little, people like Tayuya, Ino, and Hinata brought light into his life, piece by piece, until life began to feel a little less dark.

Whether it was Tsunade, Temari, or Koyuki, in the early days, he just regarded them as useful tools. They’re nothing more than means to an end. Their importance was only in how much they could help him achieve his goals.

As long as he can achieve his goal, it doesn’t matter what other people do.

But eventually, he found himself influenced by them, slowly changing. These changes even made him willingly involve himself in messy situations, doing his best to help solve them.

And now, he was starting to realize what he truly cared about. Stripping away the false emotions, exposing his raw desires, he began to understand what was real.

It was the gentle and pure Hinata, whose love filled half his soul. It was Ino, who held sway over his emotions, her love as dazzling as the stars.

Pure love gradually warmed his heart, making his blood feel like it was on fire. Like a summer wildfire, it blazed uncontrollably.

"… I forgot what I wanted to say. It sounds weird, but..." Anko’s voice gradually became clearer again.

Naruto gradually came back to his senses and looked at Anko with a smile in his eyes.

"But what?"

"But... Oh, did you even hear what I just said?" Anko suddenly changed the topic.

"Yeah, I heard. What about it? You rambled on for quite a while, so..."

"Rambled? I was just nervous, so I didn’t know what to say." Anko defended herself, "Just… don’t remember everything I said."

"Really? Do you want to hear how ridiculous you sounded?" Naruto teased, his usual lazy smile returning as he raised an eyebrow at her, "You’re really a foolish woman."

"I-I was just worried I couldn’t explain it clearly." After thinking for a while, Anko stared at Naruto for a few seconds, then suddenly leaned close to his ear and lowered her voice to a sultry whisper, "From now on, I belong to you!"