In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

She saw Neji staring at her forehead with a slightly serious expression without saying anything. This made her feel nervous, wondering if her forehead had become even uglier.

'Ah! If I become ugly in front of Neji-sama, I might as well die.'

As she began to spiral into anxiety, Naruto's annoying voice drifted over, with a lazy tone, slightly teasing, and full of contempt.

"Sorry, it failed. You've grown horns on your head."

"Uwaaah!" The girl from the branch family couldn't take the psychological pressure anymore and burst into tears, looking rather foolish.

Neji finally snapped out of it and reassured her with a smile, "He's just messing with you… he succeeded."

"He succeeded?" The girl from the branch family instantly stopped crying and touched her forehead, but she didn't feel anything unusual.

"Is there a mirror?"

"Uh…" Neji looked a bit embarrassed, realizing he hadn't prepared one.

"Here." Naruto suddenly handed over a mirror, surprising both Neji and the girl.

In the reflection, the girl's forehead was smooth and clean. She stared at the mirror in disbelief for several moments, her expression blank with shock.

She touched her forehead again and looked back at the mirror, murmuring to herself, "It's really gone."

Her emotions surged, and she began to cry tears of joy. But then, as realization struck her, she became overwhelmed with fear. She trembled as she turned to Neji in panic, "Neji-sama, I… I don't have the Caged Bird anymore. If they find out, will..."

"Don't worry." Neji's expression didn't change and he turned to look at Naruto.

"In the future, there will be more people like you. More birds will break free from their cages. You have nothing to fear."

Naruto stood on the side and said nothing, just watching quietly. Konoha hadn't fallen to the point where it couldn't protect its own Hyuga Clan's members. The Caged Bird had its advantages and disadvantages for the weaker branch family.

But that was then, and this is now. Times had changed. In this feudal clan system ruled by a patriarchal clan, not all branch family's members were weak anymore.

It was no longer wartime, and branch members didn't have to go to the battlefield. Yet, the shackles had always remained, and matter how it was justified, it was time to remove them.

Otherwise, the Hyuga Clan's legacy would merely be that of the main family. They could accept branch family's members being born with impure blood, but no one would accept being born a slave.

For the branch family girl, removing the Caged Bird wasn't just about transforming from a slave to a free person… It also gave her the right to say no.

After the girl cautiously rewrapped the bandage around her forehead, Neji gave her a few more instructions and then allowed her to leave.

"Have you thought it through?" Naruto asked with a smile as he looked at Neji standing there.

"No." Neji turned to look at him with complicated gaze, "I don't fully understand my own thoughts, but I know what we're doing now is right."

"Whatever you say." Naruto shrugged and turned to leave, waving his hand.

"My mission is accomplished. Remember to find a few more people next time."

Neji: "..."

Naruto's words made Neji feel like a brothel madam.

'Even though he had said before that he only needed to find someone to get things started, now he was pushing it for more...' Neji stood there hesitantly, and as he reaclled the frightened look in that girl's eyes, his brow furrowed slightly.

'Now that I was already involved... it seemed there was no turning back.'

…

In Konoha's Intelligence Department, Ino saw Naruto waiting downstairs and smiled.

She walked down the steps quickly, with her hands behind her back, then handed Naruto something.

"For you!"

"What is it?" Naruto was a little confused. When he opened his palm, he saw it was a communication device.

It was entirely black in color, about the size of a small phone, and cool to the touch.

"This is the most special product of the Intelligence Department. I made it myself." Ino said, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she smiled.

"There's only one?" Naruto looked at it over and over again, and he also found it a little novel. "How do I use it? Do I press a button and input Chakra?"

Lately, Naruto had been busy with various matters and often went to the Hyuga Clan's compound, but he has hardly run into Hinata. After asking Neji, he found out that his father-in-law was practically guarding her like a treasure.

Things weren't going well with Sakura either. Naruto knew that rushing things had backfired, and knowing that Dark Sakura was only temporarily dormant had finally put him at ease.

Anko had gone to teach at the Academy, but her dream of a laid-back, nine-to-five life hadn't come true. Instead, her lack of experience left her frazzled from the very first day.

All these changes had given Naruto a bit of free time. So, he'd been visiting Ino often, although most of the time, they only had a few moments together during her short breaks.

They barely had time to talk before Ino would get busy again. Naruto didn't mind, though, as he enjoyed their time together.

"It's not just one, hmph. It's a pair." Ino pulled out another communication device from her pocket and waved it in front of him.

"This is a special custom version, a reward for you running around so much lately."

"No need to press buttons… just input your Chakra, but once you do, it can't be changed. And… this communication device can only connect to me."

'A custom-made device?' Naruto felt that this reward was... a little unnecessary.

"Well, that's fine. I only need to contact you anyway." Naruto said with a smile, "Hey, Ino, can this be customized again?"

"What? Who else do you want to give it to?" Ino pouted and asked vigilantly.

"You misunderstood. I'm thinking of getting a customized pair for Choji. I think he'd love it. Given how close he and his wife are, he could really use this."

Hearing this, Ino's eyes softened into crescent moons again as she smiled, "You've got a point."

…

"Yes, sister-in-law, this is how you use it. Input your Chakra… that's right."

Choji stared blankly as Naruto enthusiastically taught his wife how to use her customized communication device. His expression was dazed, 'This bastard... he really does everything except what he's supposed to do.'

"Oh, so that's how it works?"

Choji glanced at Ino, who was now leaning in next to his wife, and seized the moment to pull Naruto aside. He lowered his voice and gritted his teeth as he asked, "Are you sick, Uzumaki Naruto?"