Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 281

He shook his head in frustration, as if that would shake off all those "unnecessary" thoughts.

Marriage? Dating?

Such things are too far removed from his life.

It's good like this now.

If we really want to consider these things... we'll have to wait until my perfect older brother, Uchiha Itachi, wins over Izumi and they get married smoothly!

Just thinking about Itachi and Izumi, that bizarre combination of an iceberg and a volcano, one a repressed pervert and the other an openly infatuated lover.

Sasuke thought... well, maybe being single is pretty good, at least it's peaceful.

Just as Sasuke was trying to bring his wandering thoughts back on track, the night shift handover team arrived on time.

He nimbly jumped down from the tree, briefly handed over the duties to the opposing captain, and then led his team back to Konoha Village in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Meanwhile, in the Land of Wind, in Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village).

Inside the Kazekage's office, Gaara stood by the window, looking down at the village that was gradually being enveloped by night.

His expression remained calm, but a barely perceptible worry lurked deep within his emerald eyes.

Temari and Kankuro stood behind him, their expressions equally solemn.

"Has the news been confirmed?" Gaara's voice was deep and steady.

"It's basically confirmed."

Temari stepped forward, holding an intelligence scroll in her hand: "According to reports from our informants in the Land of Rice Fields, Orochimaru and his subordinate Sound Village have been unusually active recently."

"A large number of their people are gathering in the desert area on the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, for reasons unknown."

“That area…is sparsely populated, with only some ancient ruins.”

Kankuro added, his tone filled with disgust: "That treacherous Orochimaru would never gather people for no reason."

"He's definitely plotting something that's detrimental to Sunagakure or the entire ninja world! We must be on high alert!"

Gaara remained silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the boundless desert outside the window.

Orochimaru... this name is always associated with taboo, danger, and chaos.

He was a member of the Akatsuki organization, conducting inhumane human experiments, and had an unusual interest in tailed beasts and jinchūriki.

Any unusual move he makes is enough to attract the attention of the five great powers.

"Increase the number of investigators and expand the surveillance area."

"Pay close attention to the border ruins area, and report any abnormalities immediately."

Gaara gave the order, his voice leaving no room for doubt: "At the same time, synchronize the intelligence with Konoha. Orochimaru was a rogue ninja of Konoha, so they may have more information about him."

"Yes!" Temari and Kankuro replied in unison, and immediately turned around to make the arrangements.

Silence returned to the office. Gaara stood alone by the window, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the windowsill.

Night falls quickly in the desert, the stars hang low, but they cannot dispel the growing unease in his heart.

Orochimaru... what kind of storm are you planning to stir up this time?

On the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rivers, there lies a desolate desert ruin.

The ancient ruins under the moonlight appeared particularly eerie and sinister.

The broken walls and ruins, like the skeleton of a giant beast, lie prostrate in the cold sea of ​​sand, telling the story of a forgotten history.

Orochimaru's figure appeared like a ghost in front of a huge stone altar half-buried in the sand.

His golden snake eyes gleamed with excitement and greed in the darkness, and his long tongue unconsciously licked his lips.

At his feet lay a ninja dressed in the uniform of the Sand Village Anbu, his neck twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly dead.

This is a rogue ninja from Sunagakure; he seems to be looking for something here.

Unfortunately, he was unlucky and ran straight into Orochimaru's hands.

"Tsk tsk... Sunagakure's vigilance has increased."

Orochimaru chuckled and casually kicked the corpse aside, as if he were just sweeping away a stray rock.

His entire attention was focused on the altar covered with ancient runes before him.

At the center of the altar was a bottomless pit, faintly emanating a twisted, enormous energy fluctuation that pulsed like a heartbeat.

"Hehehe...Found it..."

Orochimaru's voice was filled with barely suppressed elation: "The core of the Dragon Vein array... it really is here! Minato Namikaze... the sealing technique you set up back then was indeed exquisite, managing to forcibly suppress such a massive amount of energy..."

He stretched out his pale fingers and gently stroked the complex and mysterious sealing runes on the edge of the altar, his eyes filled with a desire to study and destroy them.

"But... after so many years, the power of the seal has also been waning."

"Moreover, for someone like me who has studied your sealing techniques for three years..."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a cold, confident smile: "Solving it is only a matter of time."

"Hehe...hehehe...The power of the Dragon Vein surpasses the immense chakra source of the Tailed Beasts, and can even interfere with spacetime..."

"This is truly power that comes close to 'god'! With it, my 'perfect world'... can be realized even faster!"

A low, eerie laugh echoed through the empty ruins, mingling with the howling night wind, like the hiss of a venomous snake, foreshadowing the coming storm.

Chapter 301 Rebuilding Class 7, the addition of new teammates

The door to the Hokage's office was pushed open weakly, creaking as if it could sense the heavy mood of the person who entered.

Naruto sported messy blond hair and clearly visible dark circles under his eyes.

He slumped in, his shoulders drooping, as if all his bones had been removed, uttering muffled, dreamlike wails.

"Grandma...I'm here...to submit the report..."

His voice was hoarse, filled with exhaustion and despair.

It was as if they had just experienced a fierce battle comparable to that against the Akatsuki.

In fact, in his heart, last night's battle was far more brutal than that—

They fought the demon known as "Mission Report" all night long, but were ultimately defeated and fell on half of the battlefield.

I returned to the village yesterday, and before I could even breathe a sigh of relief at having successfully completed the mission, I was back in the village.

Kakashi's "kind and approachable" teachings haunted his mind like a nightmare.

To meet the deadline, he worked late into the night, racking his brains and trying to write down every punch and dodge in vivid detail.

As I was writing, I suddenly collapsed onto the table, drooling all over my face.

Waking up to the bright sunlight in the morning and realizing that the report was only half finished was a bitter experience, even worse than finding a fly in the middle of eating ramen.

Before he could even pick up his pen again for the second round of "fighting," the order from the Hokage's direct ANBU arrived.

The thought of facing Tsunade's probing questions about the report made Naruto feel like his life was turning bleak.

A familiar male voice, tinged with aloofness and mockery, rang out from the side: "Hey, idiot, what's wrong with you? You look like the sky has fallen. Did you fail the mission?"

Naruto didn't even notice who was speaking; his mind was completely occupied by the word "report."

He instinctively replied with a mournful face, "Don't even mention it... It's worse than mission failure... My report... I didn't finish it... I'm doomed..."

"Grandma Tsunade will definitely kill me... She might even send me to clean all the toilets in the village..."

Another gentle, concerned female voice asked in confusion, "Huh? Naruto, aren't mission reports supposed to be submitted by the next day?"

"According to the procedure, you should have at least a week to write it. Lady Tsunade won't blame you for this."

"ah????!!!"

Naruto looked up as if struck by lightning, his eyes wide with shock, instantly snapping him back to reality: "Really?! A week?!"

"Kakashi-sensei never told me!!! That bastard!!! He made me stay up all night writing until I was about to vomit blood!!!"

The shock of the huge information gap instantly transformed his grief and indignation into rage against Kakashi.

He turned excitedly to the person who had spoken, exclaiming, "Thank you! Thank you so much! You really saved my life!"

"I'm going to settle the score with Kakashi-sensei later! He has to treat me to super-sized bowls of chashu ramen for a week! Plus double Naruto rolls! No! Triple!!"

However, when he saw the person in front of him clearly, his shouting stopped abruptly.

Sasuke was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against the window, looking at him with a very faint smile, as if he were an idiot.

Sakura stood in front of the desk, dressed in a clean medical ninja uniform, her long pink hair tied back, with a helpless yet amused expression on her face.

"Sasuke?! Sakura?! It's you guys!"

Naruto instantly forgot all about the report and Kakashi, and shouted with delight.

The gloom on his face vanished instantly, replaced by boundless energy: "Long time no see! What are you all doing here?!"

Since Class 7 disbanded, the three of them have each taken on new responsibilities and paths.

Although they lived in the same village, they had far fewer opportunities to meet. Naruto was busy leading Konohamaru's team through various missions and dealing with reports;

Sasuke joined the Konoha Police Force, spending his days patrolling, handling disputes, and maintaining Konoha's security.

Sakura, on the other hand, settled down in the hospital, learning advanced medical ninjutsu from Tsunade to save lives.

It's been almost a month since we last got together like this.

"Long time no see, Naruto."

Sakura greeted him with a smile, and seeing Naruto's familiar smiling face made her feel much better.

"Hmph, you're still the same as ever, all loud and boisterous." Sasuke snorted lightly, but his eyes were a little softer than usual.

Seeing this clown again... isn't so bad.

Just as the three were catching up briefly, the door to the Hokage's office was pushed open again.

Tsunade strode in, followed closely by Shizune carrying documents and the little pig Tonton.

"Everyone is here?"

Tsunade glanced at the three people in the office, walked behind her desk and sat down, exuding an imposing aura.