In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Chapter 417 The New Chunin of Amegakure

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Konoha and the Land of Rain have a feud. So typically, anyone with some sense wouldn’t delegate a mission to Konoha. In fact, all Five Great Shinobi Countries have tensions with the Land of Rain.

"So... what’s wrong with you people?"

"The commission is real. We just didn’t expect it would be you. We thought Kakashi would come." Nagato said in a hoarse voice while sitting on the iron throne.

"Kakashi? The future Rokudaime Hokage won't leave the village unless it's necessary. I’m handling things now." Naruto responded without hesitation, even though the truth was not what he said.

There was no way he would take over Kakashi’s workload. Working nonstop throughout the year wasn’t for him, and he’d much rather be lounging at home. But for now, he threw Kakashi’s name around, bluffing to fool these two.

"So, what’s the deal with this mission?" Naruto looked at Konan and Nagato.

They say villains lose their edge when they’re ‘redeemed’. Though Konan and Nagato hadn’t fully undergone that transformation, Nagato had already been swayed by Jiraiya before he could go all-out against Konoha. He never got a chance to be the looming threat over the village.

The most they could be accused of was illegally forming a Missing-nin organization, and Naruto had no say over what sins they had committed in the past. He wasn’t a champion of justice, so how Nagato and Konan were dealt with was entirely up to Jiraiya.

"We had no other choice. Nagato’s body can no longer sustain the Rinnegan." Konan explained, "But recently, too many Shinobi have been invading our village, with various factions continuously harassing us."

"So? You wanted Kakashi to come and mediate?" Naruto’s expression grew strange, ‘As expected, villains become weaker once they’ve been redeemed. After being redeemed, a character who once turned evil and could destroy the world has become so… ordinary?’

"Yes, to mediate." Konan nodded, " We could use unconventional means, but that would inevitably drag the Land of Rain into the vortex of war."

"We agree with Jiraiya-sensei's philosophy. We don’t want to sacrifice our village, nor do we want to let the enemy behind all this have their way. Their goal is to weaken Nagato’s body and seize the Rinnegan."

"Did they come here specifically to target the Rinnegan?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah." Konan confirmed with a nod.

Naruto didn’t say anything for a moment and looked at Konan and Nagato carefully. Nagato looked very frail, but his health seemed to be improving slowly.

Naruto preferred people who told the truth, as it made things simpler.

Sakura, on the other hand, had a habit of hiding things from him. After he had lost his temper and scolded her once, she started to keep fewer secrets. This could be considered a kind of training, but it was necessary.

Hiding things once or twice might be excusable, but making it a habit was a problem. He couldn’t stand indecisive people, and sometimes, a firm reprimand was needed.

"As long as those eyes are still in his possession, the attempts to infiltrate won’t stop." Naruto continued, pausing for a moment, "Besides I’m not really qualified to mediate."

"Didn’t you say you were taking over for Kakashi?" Konan was stunned for a moment.

"Yeah, I wanted to, but it didn’t happen."

Konan: “????”

The Kakashi bait had failed, and they got a knock-off version of Kakashi instead. Now what? Without the ability to mediate, the most Naruto could do was investigate or help fend off intruders.

"Isn’t the reward for this mission quite hefty? I heard it’s an A-rank mission?" Naruto pondered for a moment, "I'm still just a Chunin, so I won’t get much of a cut."

Konan: “…”

Nagato: “…”

Suddenly, both of them finally understood the subtle tone Jiraiya had used when he mentioned Naruto in casual conversation. He had said he had a disciple with a rather... unique personality.

"Then forget it. We’ll have to figure out something else." Konan had no expression on her face, and looked at Naruto, "I’ll handle driving out the invaders myself. I’ll give you proof of completion, and you can head back to report."

"No way. Since I’m here, I have to complete my mission before I leave." Naruto refused without hesitation. "Mediating isn’t impossible, but the problem is that they won’t listen to me."

"What's the difference, then?" Konan asked.

At the top of the highest building in the Land of Rain, on the uppermost floor.

Nagato sat silently on the iron throne in silence, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path behind him had been put away. Konan stood by his side, a white paper rose tucked in her hair.

The rain had stopped, and golden sunlight filtered through the windows, illuminating half of the palace.

"Even though I am a small figure with little influence, the forces of the other great countries won’t necessarily heed my words me. But I still have to complete the mission. While I can’t mediate, I can intimidate."

"Intimidate?" Konan looked at Naruto up and down, seeming to be thinking about the feasibility of his suggestion.

"No, no, not me." Naruto quickly corrected her, realizing she had misunderstood. He wasn’t some invincible protagonist like in those Gary-Stu stories. And if he tried to act that way, it would only bring bad luck.

The last time he’d been in Amegakure for a mission, he hadn’t done much fighting himself. He let Jiraiya take the spotlight, going around telling everyone how Jiraiya was still in his prime, single-handedly defeating Pain.

And this is indeed the case. Naruto had played a minor role, mostly offering ‘insignificant’ intel support and staying on the sidelines.

The motivation for keeping such a low profile is definitely not just about not wanting to be famous, though that was also part of it. After all, people are afraid of becoming famous just like pigs are afraid of getting fat.

But the deeper reason was… to avoid exposing his alternate persona, Uchiha Sasuke.

After doing so many questionable things as Uchiha Sasuke, there were moments when Naruto felt a chill down his spine. Fortunately, he’d remind himself that karma wouldn’t come after him for those deeds, and he’d feel better again.

It is precisely because of the consideration that one must sever the cause and effect, so as to avoid being involved in any major karma, which would create a butterfly effect and destroy his plans for a pure and simple love life.

"What I mean is… we just need to heal Nagato." Naruto said.

This time, Konan and Nagato remained silent, both turning to stare at Naruto for a few seconds. Their eyes showed a hint of surprise, as if they found his words a bit absurd.

In the Land of Rain, it rains almost all year round. Out of 365 days, over 300 days see rainfall. The days when the sky is clear are rare. For example, the rain had stopped for less than half a day just now, but it started pouring again.

In this land of steel, the towering structures held absolute authority.

Nightfall.

The invading enemies looked up at the rain-blurred, dilapidated buildings, easily spotting the towering steel structure far in the distance, glowing faintly through the rain.

There is a dilapidated street somewhere in the village. Few people walk here even during the day, but this is one of the only paths to enter Amegakure.

At this moment, the doors and windows on the street were shut tight, and the street was empty. The only sound was that of the rain, with not a soul in sight.

A solemn and murderous atmosphere enveloped the entire area, and the invaders, upon stepping into it, immediately felt their hair stand on end. Almost instinctively, they stopped in their tracks.

Hidden eyes peered out from the darkness of the night and rain. In a flash of lightning, a dozen Shinobi revealed themselves. Among them, a white figure appeared in the rain, with large wings on its back.

Among a group of Amegakure’s Chunin, Naruto, wearing the village’s forehead protector, stood inconspicuously. His entire body was covered in a raincoat, and his face was entirely hidden by the shadows of the night.

Since he was already a Chunin, there was no need to pretend at all. The temperament of a Chunin came naturally to him.

Konan’s face remained emotionless as she refused to even glance at Naruto, her eyelid twitching. She thought to herself, ‘Jiraiya-sensei is right… It seems the saying is true… no one knows their disciple better than the master.’

‘This guy really has no shame… He put on the Amegakure’s forehead protector without hesitation and blended in with the other Chunin, hiding and waiting to ambush the enemy.’

The other party was sure that there were only a dozen people on the opposite side, and looking at Konan who was hovering in the air, he quickly formulated a plan within seconds.

Accompanied by the sound of more than a dozen tactical boots stepping on water, the ten invaders drew their swords and kunai one after another.

"Those using long swords are probably from the Land of Grass. They’ve always been untrustworthy. Someone must have paid them handsomely for this job, and these people have all taken the money to risk their lives."

Konan said, her voice directed at the Chunin, though it felt as if she was speaking to a particular individual in the group. She raised her hand slightly, pointing towards the group of invaders.

"During that period, invaders tried to enter Amegakure from all directions almost daily. This is the nature of the great nations. They only care about their selfish desires and never wish for peace in the Land of Rain."

The ones she pointed to felt a strong sense of alarm. Their wariness of Konan, who is floating ominously in the rain, deepened. This wariness even made them want to take action sooner rather than later to break the standoff.

They are indeed Shinobi from the Land of Grass. The Land of Grass has never had principles and they only do things for money.

No one responded to Konan, but she didn’t mind.

"Kill them. There will be another wave in a few days. It's endless. They have plenty of people. Even if some are unremarkable, they’ll still send them."

"But the manpower of the Land of Rain is limited, and we need people to guard the borders. So even to deal with these pests, we have to personally step in."

"Pests? We are not pests, we are just Shinobi who have been hired to risk our lives." The leader of the invaders shouted, "Kill them, take their forehead protectors, and we’ll get another reward!"

"See? They’re insatiable. Even calling them pests is too kind for them." Konan said with a self-deprecating smile and her body slowly dissolved into paper.

"The pests from the Land of Grass are really courting death."

Naruto, who was mixed in with Amegakure’s Chunin, sighed softly and silently drew a plain katana from his seal space. With a hum, the blade resonated, shaking off the raindrops that fell on the sword.

In that instant, the killing intent in the air reached its peak. Countless paper sheets scattered through the storm, piercing through the wind and rain towards Kusagakure’s Shinobi. Naruto’s katana buzzed as the blade flashed like lightning.

An even stronger murderous aura erupted the moment the invader's long sword came into contact with that of a leading Amegakure’s Chunin. The rest of the invaders seemed to sense something and instinctively began to retreat.

But at such a close distance, even a god would find it hard to evade.

The sound of a blade cutting through flesh shattered the eerie stillness of the street, startling the Amegakure’s Chunin who rushed over one step behind. They watched as the sword of an unfamiliar Amegakure’s Chunin danced like a dragon, weaving through the seven or eight invaders with deadly precision.

The rain was entirely warded off by the flashing blade. As it slashed down heads, the rain continued to fall without hesitation. Large raindrops were struck off the blade, mixing with the splattered blood.

With a click, they saw the Chunin in the raincoat savagely slam the last enemy in the chest with the flat of the blade, the impact akin to that of a heavy hammer.