In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Mabui very professionally pulled out a document, glanced at it, and began reading aloud.

"The intelligence states that you share a deep brotherly bond with Uchiha Sasuke. When he defected, you were so devastated that you risked your life to chase after him alone."

"Uh… I guess that's kinda true." Naruto held his forehead with his hand, 'It seemed Kumogakure's intelligence was already outdated by at least two versions. They even threw in the whole 'deep brotherly bond' bit.'

Naruto didn't dwell on it too much and went on to explain his plan to Mabui in detail, outlining every step right in front of her. Finally, he concluded, "So, do you get it now? All you need to do is speak for Yugito at the critical moment. Start by strongly opposing her, then gradually switch to supporting her."

"I need you to remain neutral, but make it look like you're reluctantly believing in Yugito for the sake of the village. That way, the Raikage will trust you even more."

Mabui felt like her head was about to explode, as her brain was flooded with all kinds of bizarre information.

"Wait! Let me process this."

She stopped Naruto, raised her head and looked at him with an incredible look. She pointed at herself, then pointed elsewhere and asked, "You're saying that both Yugito and Samui are traitors?"

"Hey, how can you talk like that?" Naruto leaned back in 'his' chair, "What do you mean by 'traitors'? They're simply returning to the embrace of Jashin."

He casually picked up a document, skimmed through it, then tossed it back onto the table with a grin.

"Although I don't know what the Jashin is, I just know that it is very useful. In any case, this isn't betrayal, it's merely getting back on the right path."

Mabui knew that she was not as good as him in talking, so she simply rolled her eyes.

"It's hard to believe. I thought I was the first traitor to Kumogakure. But after hearing what you said just now, I suddenly feel much better."

"So you agreed, right?" Naruto asked.

"Do I even have a choice? Since I can't resist, I might as well enjoy it." Mabui shrugged nonchalantly.

Their conversation continued in a lighthearted manner, and in the end, Mabui even reminded him to be careful of running into Anbu on his way out… just like a devoted yet unfaithful wife warning her secret lover to avoid getting caught.

The moment Naruto stepped into the office door, the smile on Mabui's face instantly vanished. Outside the door, Naruto's expression also darkened. The two of them simultaneously clicked their tongues.

Naruto (Mabui): "Fake as hell!"

Life is a stage, and it's all about the acting.

Fortunately, his objective was achieved, so Naruto didn't dwell on it any further. He hurriedly left the Raikage Building and headed to his next stop. He still needed to talk to Samui.

Initially, he only planned to give her a heads-up, with content similar to what he had told Mabui. However, for some reason, or perhaps just bad timing, he ran into an unexpected situation.

At that moment, Naruto stepped into Samui's house as if he owned the place. Naturally, their meeting wouldn't be complete without some verbal sparring, exchanging friendly insults about each other's families.

"Say whatever you want. Anyway, I have nothing to lose, but you're different." Naruto casually spread his hands and looked straight at Samui.

"Damn it! You really..." Samui was just about to hurl some trash talk at him. She seemed to have completely abandoned the idea that 'cold indifference is a Shinobi's virtue'.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

Samui was startled and saw Naruto staring at her warily. She was so frustrated that she nearly lost her composure, almost spitting out blood in anger.

She quickly stepped forward and spoke in a low voice, "If I could have backstabbed you, I would've done it long ago!"

"I didn't say anything. Why are you so nervous?" Naruto smirked, looking completely shameless.

"You…!!"

She instinctively raised her hand and gritted her teeth in frustration, but after a moment's thought, she remembered she couldn't beat him and let it drop.

Frowning, she cautiously leaned against the doorframe and peeked outside… only to freeze in place.

"Darui? What are you doing here?"

Standing outside was none other than Darui, one of the Yondaime Raikage's right-hand men. His expression was as lazy as ever, and a black 'Thunder' tattoo was etched onto his arm.

Hearing her question, Darui looked embarrassed for a moment, which was rare for him, but he quickly regained his usual demeanor and scratched his head.

"There are a few rats that have sneaked into the village. Since you live alone, I'm worried that something might happen to you. I just happened to be passing by and came to check on you."

"Rats?" Samui leaned against the door and turned to look at Naruto, giving him a questioning look, asking if she should open the door.

Naruto ignored her, which only made her more annoyed. After thinking for a moment, she decided to crack the door open slightly and said, "I see. You must be very busy, then?"

"There are people from the Anbu handling the sweep, so I'm not very busy." Darui said as he scratched his head. He didn't seem to have any intention of leaving immediately.

"…I see." Samui was actually a little confused and somewhat puzzled by Darui's sudden show of goodwill.

'This guy was usually way too laid-back, so why would he go out of his way to check in on me like this?'

Samui was smart and could sense that something was off.

But she was not sure whether Darui had noticed her abnormal behavior during this period, or was simply trying to show his goodwill and develop their relationship further.

Whether it was the former or the latter, she found it troublesome.

With a cautious attitude, Samui decided to test the waters. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly felt a pair of hands on her waist, and her entire body stiffened.

"Ah…!"

"What's wrong?" Darui noticed her tense expression and asked with concern.

"N-nothing." Samui struggled to maintain a calm exterior, but inside, she was seething in anger.

She wanted nothing more than to chop off the shameless hands that were gripping her waist.

She knew exactly what he was doing, believing that Naruto was deliberately messing with her, trying to make her flustered. After all, if Darui caught on, her betrayal of Kumogakure would be completely exposed.

'Damn it. He really was the type to get even for the smallest slight.'

"Can I come in and take a look?" Darui frowned, subconsciously feeling that there must be someone behind Samui. However, looking at her expression, he was not sure whether that person was the rat who sneaked in.

'What if it was Samui's …? If I barged in recklessly, wouldn't the situation be very awkward?'

Naruto was practically pressed against Samui at this point, nearly pinning her against the door. His hands were roaming recklessly, and even when Samui slapped them away, he showed no sign of stopping.

And not only did he not stop, he even went even further.

Right now, just beyond this door stood Darui, whose intentions were unclear. Meanwhile, behind Samui, someone was pressed tightly against her.

The door itself became a fragile barrier hiding all the secrets within… like a thin veil of dignity.

But just like a cough that couldn't be suppressed, Samui's expression and her slightly panicked tone made it painfully obvious that she was lying.

The door could no longer serve as a barrier, and Darui was stunned.

He couldn't quite describe what he was feeling. He had only stopped by out of casual concern, perhaps with a small hint of admiration for her. But now?

All those thoughts were gone… completely drowned out by the absurdity unfolding in front of him.

However, Darui also ruled out the possibility that the rats that had infiltrated the village are hiding in Samui's apartment.