A war without gunfire has begun.
[Izumi Uchiha immediately declared her dominance upon arrival.]
[Yet they hold an absolute advantage.]
The women's expressions darkened slightly.
Then she began to recount her story with Naruto.
The emphasis is on the timing of the encounter.
However, Hinata clearly didn't care too much.
The one who laughs last laughs best.
She is very confident in herself.
Of course, if she doesn't even have that much confidence.
She couldn't even stand herself anymore.
This is the culmination of the entire Hyuga clan's efforts.
[He also sought Naruto's personal tutoring countless times... and even Hiashi Hyuga personally asked him to...]
Nobody noticed.
[In front of the barbecue grill...]
"Naruto-nii, I left the cumin here~"
"Yeah, thank you," Naruto replied with a light laugh.
Naruto shook his head and smiled, looking at Karin who was still standing there shyly.
He reached out and ruffled her hair.
"Why don't you go and join the others?"
"No... Naruto-nii works too hard. I want... I want to learn to cook from Naruto-nii so I can help him in the future~"
[The words had barely left his mouth when Naruto, before he could even speak,...]
Xianglin lowered her head shyly, her pretty face flushed red.
"I...I'll bring the barbecue up first."
"Aunt Kushina and Uncle Minato are still in the kitchen... I'll go see if there's anything I can help with!"
After saying that, Xianglin turned and ran.
The sound wasn't loud, but it was loud enough for everyone present to hear.
[For a time.]
[It quieted down.]
[He's a pro!]
No, that's not it.
Xiang Lin just arrived, and her background...
In an instant, everyone crossed out Xiang Lin's name again.
Uchiha Izumi looked at the girls with amusement.
These little girls are very interesting.
She also enjoyed playing games with them, competing to see who could have the biggest advantage.
Of course, Izumi was equally confident.
She's already able to help Naruto.
[Still the queen behind the scenes in the Land of Waves.]
Most importantly, she can sleep with Naruto openly tonight.
[Hmm... Mangekyou Sharingan, New Ninjutsu, New Yin Seal, etc., any excuse will do.]
Or perhaps, they've already gotten used to it, etc.
Just thinking about it made Quan's lips involuntarily curl upwards.
Little girls, how do you plan to compete with your older sister?
Upstairs.
Tsunade and Shizune looked at the girls below.
[They simply fell silent.]
Afterwards, the five women understood each other without saying a word.
[These little girls are just little girls. Do you expect them to call you "older sister"?]
[Impossible! Absolutely impossible!]
However, they also understood.
[Unable to see the "opponent" clearly.]
[Among the girls.]
Hinata and Izumi pose the greatest threat.
This must be handled with extreme caution.
Heitu: "What a strange development."
Mei Terumi: "That's normal."
Mei Terumi: "But we're all good girls, and we all know how to keep things within limits."
Azabu Yi: "Xiang Lin..."
Mabu-i: "Maybe I'm overthinking it."
Yugito Nii: "As I said before, there will definitely be different lineups in the future."
Mabu-i: "It's alright, we have Kushina-neechan here, and besides... we also have Tsunade-sama and Naruto-kun with black frames."
In the Pure Land world.
Quan's pretty face turned bright red.
Kushina laughed heartily.
Mikoto Uchiha shook her head helplessly.
Kushina couldn't suppress the corners of her mouth.
As for the girls' thoughts and struggles.
She wasn't surprised.
However... as someone who's been there.
She knew that this kind of struggle might never happen again.
To become big?
sure.
One person does it for one day.
The eldest daughter-in-law naturally had more time alone with Naruto in black frames than others.
At that time...
Kushina gave a mischievous laugh.
She wanted to see who would dare to compete for the position.
Tsunade has already activated the Yin Seal...
I still almost couldn't walk.
Besides, Naruto with black frames is only thirteen.
Torture!
On the other side, inside the moon, within the primordial space.
Kaguya Otsutsuki waved her hand gently.
The image that had been converging in front of me vanished completely.
However, before disappearing, she couldn't help but take one last look.
Indeed, it was the Konoha Succubus Photobook that the big fox had given to Konan in the form of an intelligence scroll.
Kaguya only glanced at it a few times, but she memorized it all...
Of course, the clearest and most accurate representation is Naruto's cosplay of a character who is extremely similar to a member of the Otsutsuki clan.
"First wife?"
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki murmured.
Then he closed his eyes again.
My chakra... should obey my commands the most.
...
The large screen with its black border continues to display the image:
[Whoosh—]
[In an abandoned underground laboratory in Konoha.]
A whooshing sound rang out.
"Lord Orochimaru, he's here."
Orochimaru did not reply, and the person who relayed the message did not dare to make a sound either.
After a moment, Orochimaru finally raised his head.
[End the experiment at hand.]
She glanced back at Qin, who was kneeling behind her.
"You should know the cost of failure."
"Yes..." Qin's voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Alright, there's one more task you can complete."
"This is the last chance."
"Go," Orochimaru waved his hand.
"Yes!" Qin saw hope again.
He quickly lowered his head and gave a low shout.
"Hmm, don't disappoint me again." Orochimaru's gaze lingered on her face and figure for a moment.
He nodded with some satisfaction before walking out of the laboratory.
[Not long after.]
Orochimaru arrived outside the underground laboratory.
[Please wait a moment.]
[Whoosh—]
A whooshing sound came from afar.
"Lord Orochimaru is certainly in high spirits."
"Did I disturb your moon-viewing?"
The newcomer was dressed in black and wore an animal mask.
"Take it off." Orochimaru said with a smile.
The person nodded and removed the animal mask from their face.
[This is Kabuto Yakushi, who is disguised as an examinee but is afraid of losing control of his power and being exposed.]
"Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto Yakushi adjusted his glasses.
[Then, he took out a scroll from his pocket.]
["oh?"]
"It seems the matter is resolved."
Orochimaru chuckled and accepted the scroll handed to him by Kabuto Yakushi.
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
"Based on the pace of the Daimyo and other powerful figures... it's estimated that the third round of the Chunin Exams won't officially begin for about a month."
Kabuto Yakushi lowered his head slightly, obscuring his face.
Orochimaru casually flicked the scroll aside and glanced at it.
Kabuto Yakushi continued, "This is the guard deployment plan provided by Danzo for the competition."
Orochimaru nodded without saying a word.
A moment later, Orochimaru suddenly laughed.
[His smile, however, carried a hint of mockery and coldness.]
"That Danzo guy... he really can't wait."
"That's true. He's under house arrest at the Root organization's base, and is being monitored by ANBU ninjas 24/7."
"It seems Danzo has already used one of his trump cards by sending out this scroll."
Kabuto remained silent, the moonlight reflecting off his glasses.
"Have you investigated the other matters thoroughly?" Orochimaru asked again.
Kabuto nodded slightly.
"There aren't many traces of what happened in the Land of Waves, but there is definitely a possibility of a frame-up. But Konoha..."
At Orochimaru's prompting, Kabuto Yakushi honestly replied, "But the Third Hokage and Danzo's starting point was precisely these things, so the facts are basically the same as the information we gathered earlier."
"Also, regarding Uchiha Sasuke..."
Orochimaru waved his hand.
"My mistake."
"The investigation target has changed."
"Oh? Aren't you going to continue investigating and monitoring Uchiha Sasuke?" Kabuto Yakushi asked, somewhat puzzled and curious.
Orochimaru, somewhat uncontrollably, stuck out his long tongue and licked his red lips.
"Of course, shift the target."
"Who will win Lord Orochimaru's favor?"
Orochimaru's eyes, like crescent moons, couldn't suppress his smile.
["swirl."]
["swirl?"]
["Naruto Uzumaki!"]