Konoha: Naruto's abnormal life choices

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Option 3. Reward (Big Ball Rasengan) has been issued.][Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing Option 1. Reward (Devil's Contract x1) has been issued.]

With both rewards successfully received, Naruto felt new knowledge about the Big Ball Rasengan flood into his mind. As someone who relied on Chatara to enhance his abilities, this chakra-intensive jutsu would be incredibly useful.

The Big Ball Rasengan wasn't just a larger version of the regular Rasengan. Its destructive power rivaled that of a small falling meteorite. However, compared to the Rasenshuriken—which incorporated Wind Style chakra transformations—it still fell a little short.

But Naruto wasn't disappointed. To him, this was just a bonus.

The reward he truly cared about was the Devil's Contract. With it, he now had a shot at forming a pact with Sasuke Uchiha—the prodigy who would one day reach the peak of the ninja world. If Naruto could bind Sasuke early, he'd be able to control that power when the time came.

He was thrilled.

Of course, earning this reward came at a cost—namely, the absolute devastation of Asuma Sarutobi's reputation. Naruto had no idea how badly Asuma would hold a grudge after this.

But the more Naruto thought about it, the more resolved he became.

If you're already hated, you might as well go all the way with it!

Still… he did feel just a tiny bit bad for Sasuke and Kurenai.

Naruto turned and glanced at Yuhi Kurenai, who was walking silently beside him.

The late morning wind carried a faint scent of earth as it gently rustled her long, dark hair. Her expression was blank, her gaze fixed straight ahead.

But silence often hides the deepest storms.

Elegant, poised, and beautiful—Kurenai now walked wrapped in quiet sorrow.

Naruto looked around, spotted a bright red wildflower growing by the road, and picked it. He held it out to her.

"Teacher Kurenai, this is for you."

"Huh?" Kurenai looked down at him, startled.

Naruto gave her a big grin. "If you take this flower, you're not allowed to be sad anymore."

Sometimes, it's when you're hurting most that kindness feels strongest. Kurenai gazed down at Naruto's boyish face—cheerful, but surprisingly sincere—and felt something stir in her heart.

And she thought of Asuma again.

Honestly, if Asuma had just slept with another woman, she might not have felt so awful. After all, she had never outright accepted his feelings. It would have been painful, but understandable.

But Sasuke?

That had shaken her to her core.

If Asuma had those kinds of preferences… then was everything he said to her a lie? Was she just a front to cover up his real desires?

They say women are hard to understand… but maybe it's men who are even more confusing.

Kurenai's eyes shimmered, and she sniffed softly. Don't cry in front of him. Stay strong.

"...Naruto."

She gently ruffled his hair, her voice slightly hoarse. "When you grow up, don't hurt girls the way some men do."

Naruto hated having his hair ruffled, even by beautiful women. He pulled her hand down, clasped it in his, and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't worry, Miss Kurenai. I never lie when it comes to love."

The noon sun glared overhead, its light making Naruto's golden hair shimmer like he was wrapped in sunlight. Kurenai squinted, a compliment on her lips.

But then—

Naruto added cheerfully, "Before I start anything with a girl, I always tell her straight up: I plan to marry multiple wives. I don't lie."

"…?"

Kurenai blinked. Her sadness temporarily forgotten, she looked at him in disbelief.

"Wait, Naruto… do you understand what you just said?"

She had such a good impression of this boy. Was this the same person who had just offered her a wildflower with such sincerity?

But Naruto wasn't bluffing. Like he said—when it came to emotions, he didn't believe in lies.

Relationships built on deceit were destined to collapse. So instead, Naruto made it clear from the start: he was going to be a scumbag—with honesty.

"If a girl likes me, she deserves to know the truth. I'm not just going to love one person," he said with a shameless smile.

"…"

Kurenai's mental image of Naruto as an innocent, sweet boy shattered instantly.

This kid needed some serious moral correction.

She frowned, placed one hand on her hip, poked Naruto's forehead with the other, and scolded, "Naruto! That's not okay. Your teacher doesn't like little playboys!"

"..."

After walking her home, Naruto dashed back to his apartment and locked himself in the bathroom. He had one more mission to carry out—something that would shake the Sarutobi clan to its core.

Rolling up his left sleeve, he activated a seal etched into his arm—the "One" seal, the same he used to control Haku.

Aside from remote detonation, the seal also allowed one-way voice communication across vast distances. It couldn't transmit thoughts, but speech worked fine.

He touched the seal with his right hand.

A moment later, Haku's clear, icy voice echoed in his mind.

"Lord Naruto, are you calling for me?"

"Yeah. Listen carefully," Naruto said in a hushed voice. "I want you to spend some money printing newspapers. Then hire people to distribute them across the entire ninja world."

"What kind of newspapers?" Haku asked, focused.

Naruto glanced at the door, then continued, "The headline should be something like: 'The Son of the Hokage, Asuma Sarutobi, Caught in Bed With Uchiha Sasuke, the Orphan of the Uchiha Clan.' Just write it like that."

There was a pause, then Haku replied calmly, "Understood. I'll begin right away."

Just as she was about to sever the connection, Naruto suddenly said, "Wait."

"Is there something else?"

Standing up, Naruto flushed the toilet and added quietly, "Make sure your identity isn't exposed. I don't care if it takes longer or costs more—this has to stay hidden. We can't afford to leave a trace."

"No problem," Haku replied, noting every word with care.

Naruto's voice softened slightly. "And… be safe."

"Okay. I understand," she answered, her voice carrying a faint smile. She appreciated his concern.

After ending the communication, Haku slipped on her mask and prepared for the mission. This was the first major task Naruto had given her since the defeat of Gato, and she was determined not to disappoint.

As she reviewed Naruto's instructions in her mind, one particular detail made her frown.

Wasn't Sasuke supposed to be Naruto's teammate? They seemed close… Why would he do something like this?

Tsk. Just goes to show—you really can't judge a book by its cover.