In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Naruto didn't really care about Suigetsu's apology. He smiled and walked away, but that didn't mean he had forgiven him.

'There would be consequences for saying the wrong thing, just not right now. After all, Sasuke still needed his Team Taka.'

In Konoha, no one dared call him the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, but outside the village, it was a different story. Naruto was of course annoyed, but at the same time he knew that there was no way to completely stop these labels.

Ever since he crossed over to this world, he had been tied to the identity of the Kyubi's Jinchuriki. Even though Kurama was no longer inside him, that fact only held weight within the boundaries of Konoha.

The Shinobi World was vast, and too many people knew about the Kyubi's Jinchūriki. Few would believe that the Kyubi had left its host since there was no precedent for a Biju escaping its Jinchuriki without killing them.

What was he supposed to do? Like the Sage of the Six Paths, open up his stomach to prove his innocence?

Even so, there was no way to silence everyone, was there?

Actually, there was!

Just as one lie can cover up another, creating new chaos can distract from the existing disorder.

Naruto never intended to shoulder everything alone, and he planned to drag everyone else into it. Whether it was Kumogakure, Iwagakure, or Kirigakure, they all needed a bit of trouble.

Or rather, it was time to collect some debts from them.

As the day of Tsunade's departure from the village drew closer, Naruto gradually calmed down. Tsunade's departure could not be stopped, and he also had his own tasks to focus on.

Once his thoughts cleared, he began to take it easy again.

To be more precise, he had to wait for Sasuke to make a move on Danzo, waited for Tsunade to leave the village. He also had to wait for Ino to leave the village with her project. Then, he could finally leave too.

At this point, the only highlight of his life was mooching meals off Choji to pass the time. Of course, these were meals where he didn't pay, and Choji didn't mind.

Naruto used to be flush with cash, but now all the money was gone, leaving him with nothing but the company of a good friend.

"I haven't seen Shikamaru around much lately. I wonder what he's been busy with?" Choji said, tossing a piece of meat into his mouth and chewing it.

"Probably work. Didn't Shikaku-sama get a job transfer recently?" Naruto replied, eating as he spoke, "The Rokudaime is about to take office, and Shikamaru's father has also been promoted."

"I bet Shikamaru's caught up in all the politics. Men of the Nara Clan can't escape their fate."

"That's true." Choji muttered, not too concerned, "Shikamaru always hated troublesome things, but now, he's neck-deep in them."

"He can't just sit by and watch his clan fall into decline. Shikamaru has his own reasons." Naruto said, trying to be understanding, "Plus, Ino's also been really busy lately. And I'll be leaving the village soon too."

"Huh? Does that mean I'll be the only one doing nothing?" Choji still had some self-awareness, "But why are you in such a hurry to leave the village?"

"Got some things to take care of. Besides, staying in the village is pretty boring." Naruto answered vaguely, avoiding any mention of his real plans.

Seeing that he had almost finished eating, Naruto stared directly at Choji, "You know."

Choji's face twitched in annoyance and he reluctantly dragged his bloated body to his feet, paid the bill and then slowly walked back.

"Next time, can you not say you're treating me to a meal? Just invite me out to eat straight up!"

"Wouldn't that be too embarrassing?"

Choji: "…"

Days passed, and Naruto still hadn't heard any news about Sasuke making a move on Danzo. Instead, he received a visit from Sakura. The moment he opened the door, he was a little surprised.

"Have you made up your mind?" He asked.

"Yeah." Sakura lowered her head.

Hearing this, Naruto's expression became a bit complicated. After thinking for a moment, he stepped aside and said, "Come in. Let's talk inside."

The two returned to the living room, where Naruto went into the kitchen to pour some water. His heart beat slightly faster. Last time, he had clearly explained the stakes, leaving Sakura to make her own decision.

But deep down, Naruto knew that Sakura didn't really have a choice. One way or another, she would come back, seek him out, and ultimately compromise.

Unless Pink Sakura wanted to start over, but this also means that she will be throwing away these six years and be disconnected from everyone. Naruto instinctively felt she wouldn't give up on Sasuke, so she was bound to agree.

In the living room, Naruto and Sakura sat facing each other. Naruto casually sipped from his cup, his legs crossed as he occasionally glanced at Sakura.

Sakura sat with her head slightly lowered, gripping her cup, her body perched on the edge of the couch. Her face showed nervousness, and after a long silence, she finally looked up and spoke, "I've thought about what you said last time for a long time. I'm willing to talk with her. Sharing the same body is fine, but I have one condition, and I hope you'll agree."

"What's the condition?" Naruto asked, watching her closely. If she requested something like not touching her body, he would immediately refuse.

There could only be one condition, and if it had nothing to do with Sasuke, he would reject it outright. After all, she was bound to ask for something related to Sasuke, how could he agree to everything?

Naruto was very principled, so he simply emptied his mind and searched to see if Sakura mentioned Sasuke's name in her words.

"I want to see Sasuke, if possible." She said cautiously.

"Sure!" Naruto agreed without hesitation.

'If there was a chance, it was all down to luck anyway. Anyway, there is no harm in agreeing. She wanted to see Sasuke, but Sasuke might not want to see her.'

Hearing Naruto agree so easily, Sakura finally let out a small sigh of relief. But soon after, she seemed to remember something, and her nervousness returned.

"So what should we do?" Sakura asked.

"Well... it might take some kind of stimulus. As for the specifics, we'll have to test different methods one by one." Naruto replied, not wanting to make any definitive claims.

"I'm not really sure, Naruto. I'll follow your lead."

Naruto's eyelids twitched slightly, and he thought to himself, 'I did know a way to stimulate you, but saying it outright would make me look bad. Forget it, let's just try them one by one.'

"Let's try scaring you first and see if it works." Naruto suggested, but he felt bored in his heart because he knew it wouldn't work.

But he had to go through the motions, otherwise, it would seem like he had ulterior motives.

Some time later, Sakura sat on the couch, looking dejected. Every method they tried had failed. Awakening her second personality seemed much harder than she had anticipated.

Naruto, on the other hand, remained calm, as he had expected this outcome. At this moment, he lay on the couch in silence, staring at the ceiling, letting the quietness grow.

"Naruto, why don't we try that method?" Sakura suddenly asked.

"Huh?"