Hinata left. Naruto couldn't stay in the house any longer either. The rain had long stopped.
By both reason and emotion, he needed to find a way to solve the current situation. This wasn't just some trivial matter; it was a major life event. Perhaps not just one, but at most two.
Although he was shameless and lacked principles, he held his bottom line very firmly.
"Why did you think of me?" Choji asked, somewhat puzzled, sitting across the table from Naruto at the restaurant, "Let's get this straight first… I'm not helping you this time."
"Huh? If you don't help me, who will?" Naruto said leisurely, "Let's not talk about that for now. Since we're here, let's eat first."
"Why are you so generous today?" Choji muttered.
"Am I not generous every day?"
"Who knows..."
Although Choji complained, he never let it interfere with eating. As food and drink were brought to the table, the two stopped talking, focusing on their meal. Only after eating their fill did they start chatting idly.
"You're not scheming against me, are you?"
"How could I? We're good brothers."
"You said the same thing last time you skipped out on the bill, found an excuse, and left."
"This one's definitely on me. Eat freely, I've already settled the bill."
Naruto's tone was casual, but it turned firm on the words 'settled the bill'.
Choji was both surprised and curious. He turned sharply to stare at Naruto.
"It can't be that bad, can it? Has it gotten that serious?"
Choji was shocked, 'This guy never offered to pay once, even before framing Danzo. Now he's pretending to be generous? Is marriage really that troublesome?'
"Can't you just go and marry her?" The chubby guy mumbled, "Forget all the complications. Uncle Inoichi will have to agree anyway. It's not like he can stop it."
"Of course he won't stop it, but he won't just agree in a muddled way either." Naruto said, drinking a cup of sake by himself, "My troubles don't end there. You should know that."
"Hinata?" Choji's face showed hesitation as he weighed his words, "I won't lecture you. But have you figured out how to handle it? Marriage is a big deal, after all."
"Nope."
"Oh, nope... Nope?!" Choji glared at him, "And you're still so relaxed? Shouldn't you be thinking of a solution? Can't you find Jiraiya-sama and have him come back to handle it?"
"Choji."
"Yeah?"
"You're not a White Zetsu in disguise, are you? I never knew you were this clever. You even know to suggest I find that Pervy Sage. But it won't work."
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Choji retorted, not forgetting to pick up more food. He mumbled, "Jiraiya-sama is one of the Legendary Sannin. Why wouldn't it work?"
"It's not enough. Still not enough."
Choji knew what Naruto meant by 'not enough'. He had no parents. Having Jiraiya act as the elder would be sufficient in status. Although... Jiraiya himself had never married, but in terms of standing, it should be enough.
The chubby guy couldn't help but roll his eyes, 'This guy Naruto is getting picky now. He usually didn't show much respect to the older higher-ups. Probably no one was willing to step up and help him now.'
"Did you know Kiba is also getting married? He wants to do it before the New Year's festival."
"What's he jumping on the bandwagon for?" Naruto was somewhat surprised, 'Just how idle is Choji usually? He knows all the big and small matters among his friends.'
But on second thought, he felt it made sense. This guy didn't have much real power, and the clan's affairs were managed by Choza. Although Choji was married, he wasn't much different from his teenage self.
"Same reason as you." Choji said, nearly causing Naruto, who was drinking, to choke.
"No way?" Naruto asked a pointless question.
Choji didn't answer, steering the conversation back, "Kiba has his own ways. At worst, he'll get beaten behind closed doors. On the surface, it's still a joyous occasion for the Inuzuka Clan."
"I don't have a clan backing me."
Choji suddenly understood. He turned to look at Naruto, asking in astonishment, "You don't want to wrong Ino? You want a grand ceremony, but you also don't want to upset Hinata?"
After saying it, Choji found it increasingly absurd. He'd never heard anything so ridiculous in his life.
'This guy... what is he thinking? How is that even possible?'
"You're planning all this... does Uncle Inoichi know?"
"No. If he knew, he'd probably beat me to death." Naruto shook his head and drank another cup of sake. Frowning, he said, "But... there's going to be a war."
"What?" Choji hadn't expected Naruto to suddenly bring this up, "War... I heard things are chaotic in Kumogakure. It shouldn't have anything to do with Konoha, right?"
"Heh. If a real war breaks out, how could Konoha stay out of it? We'll get involved sooner or later." Naruto smiled, though his words were reserved. In fact, a Shinobi World War was coming soon.
They would face enemies of unprecedented power: White Zetsu clones, the Impure World Reincarnation's army, plus the Otsutsuki. War wasn't like going on a mission, people would really die.
Others might not understand the danger, but he knew very well how long this war would last and how perilous it would be. He didn't want Ino and Hinata too deeply involved. It was best for them to stay in the rear.
Having a child provided a legitimate reason. One couldn't just ignore a child for the sake of the village, and Konoha wasn't so short on personnel that it had come to that.
With this in mind, Naruto began to form a plan in his mind.
The Shinobi World was about to be turned upside down, and he couldn't stop it. Even if he dealt with one Otsutsuki Kaguya, there were other Otsutsuki. And he needed Otsutsuki Kaguya as a resource to solve his problems.
In other words, nothing would change, and what was supposed to happen would still happen. The only thing that had changed was that Obito was dead, and Kaguya hadn't even been revived yet but was already on Naruto's radar.
The Otsutsuki were no longer in the position of predators, and they could also become the prey.
Kabuto was a madman, and Sasuke wasn't normal either. One was a lunatic raised by Danzo, the other a revenge machine deliberately crafted by Itachi.
Those people were dead, but the trouble they left behind hadn't ended. Madara wouldn't be able to swallow that anger either.
"War... I've never experienced it. Wouldn't it be very dangerous?" Choji frowned, still pondering the impact of the war, "But I could also earn merits, right? Gain fame."
"Don't think about that too much. People will die." Naruto reminded him, "Just focus on your own duties first. When that day really comes... it will actually be very soon. Just be careful."
He didn't know how else to warn Choji. Many things couldn't be said in advance, so he could only tell him to be careful.
"I know that." The fat on Choji's face trembled. Solemnly, he picked up another bite of food, "I've heard some things about Kumogakure too. It feels a bit fishy."
"Stop talking."
"Why?"
"I'm not used to you using your brain. It's like Shikamaru possessed you. It's creepy." Naruto waved his hand dismissively.