Naruto: Just Want To Be A Death God

The Land of Lightning is located on the easternmost edge of the continent.

To get there from the Land of Fire, one must pass through the Land of Hot Water, then cross the Land of Frost.

A week later—

At the border of the Land of Lightning—

A blond-haired boy with two fiery red foxes clinging tightly to his left shoulder, and a red-haired girl, appeared.

The girl wore a troubled expression.

"Naruto, is this jutsu really going to work?" she sighed while holding a scroll.

Since leaving the Land of Fire, she had been training in this modified summoning technique, something that even Orochimaru had shown interest in—but she had made no progress.

The blond boy didn't reply.

The darker-furred Yin Kurama mockingly spoke up, "You're both from the Uzumaki clan, yet the difference in talent is ridiculous."

"Shut up!" Karin gritted her teeth, glaring, "You haven't learned it either!"

Yang Kurama flicked his tail, "I'm a tailed beast born with overwhelming power. I don't need to study such tedious knowledge to grow stronger like you humans do."

Karin ground her teeth even more.

When it was just one little Kurama, despite its bad temper, it was still kind of cute.

But when there were two—

It just wasn't cute anymore.

The two foxes egged each other on, and she only had one mouth—she couldn't out-argue their two.

She was sure now: humans didn't clash with Kurama just because they feared its power and size—this mouth had to be part of the problem too.

"Don't rush," Naruto finally said with a calm smile. "This jutsu is indeed difficult for you."

"But if you master it, you'll catch a glimpse of another fascinating realm."

Karin muttered, "The power of the Shinigami, yeah, I know."

"If you ask me, Naruto, why don't you just stab me already?"

"My body isn't as good as yours, but my healing ability is still strong. I probably won't die."

Her eyes were firm, unflinching.

Naruto shook his head. "No need to rush. That's the last resort."

"We still haven't found the Pure Land. As for the Sage of Six Paths… I haven't figured out how to deal with that yet."

If they failed—

It could cost Karin her life.

Even though, to him, the line between the dead and the living wasn't so distinct anymore, he still couldn't bring himself to trample on the life of an innocent person—especially someone close to him.

Only cold-blooded people like Orochimaru or Mayuri Kurotsuchi could do such things without guilt.

"I'm not afraid," Karin pouted. "Worst case, I just hang out in the Pure Land for a few years. I might get to see my mom."

"And maybe spend time with the Fourth Hokage and his wife."

"Didn't the First Hokage say the Pure Land wasn't a bad place?"

"Besides… Naruto, you're bound to show up eventually anyway."

Naruto chuckled.

Yang Kurama could feel the sincerity in her words, but still couldn't resist a jab: "If you're that resolved, maybe try channeling that determination into studying the jutsu instead."

"If you'd been this serious from the start, you'd have learned it already."

Karin gave a cold, expressionless laugh.

Foxes who didn't need to study sure knew how to run their mouths.

She stopped arguing and painfully picked up the scroll again.

Kumogakure, Land of Lightning — Raikage's Office

An ANBU was reporting intelligence to the Fourth Raikage, A.

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki entered the Land of Lightning?" A raised his brows in surprise. "Is this intel accurate?"

The ANBU nodded. "Very accurate."

"The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki and a red-haired Uzumaki woman did not conceal their tracks. They left the Land of Frost yesterday afternoon and entered the Land of Lightning."

A nodded thoughtfully. "Any idea what their goal is?"

The ANBU shook his head. "We've mapped out their travel route from yesterday and today."

"But the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has powerful sensory abilities. Anyone getting too close—within his line of sight—is warned off."

"Three of my subordinates have already been injured by him."

"So we can only rely on ordinary people without chakra to gather intelligence."

"But that means the info we've received is limited. We haven't been able to determine their exact objective."

"However, based on intel from the Land of Fire…"

"We suspect they may be after the shrine."

The word "shrine" made A pause, a spark of emotion flashing in his eyes.

It reminded him of two names from his childhood—"Kinkaku" and "Ginkaku."

That pair of brothers had once been the most glorious heroes of the Cloud, but also its most terrifying and evil rogue ninjas.

They were said to be descendants of the Sage of Six Paths and once wielded several of his legendary tools.

But those relics had been lost during their rebellion.

Could the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki be after those lost ninja tools?

"Any signs of other ninja activity around them?" A asked after some thought.

The ANBU shook his head. "None."

"Just the two of them?" A's eyes sparkled with anticipation. "I'm considering attempting to capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"What do you think?"

He looked to the two others in his office.

A blond, handsome man spoke up, "I support Raikage-sama's plan."

"So do I," nodded the older, thin, one-eyed man beside him.

A slapped his desk and laughed loudly. "Since none of you object, then it's decided!"

"That guy is on the same level as the Sannin, and can fully utilize the Nine-Tails' power—he's no pushover."

"Call Bee and Yugito over."

"We're formulating a plan!"

They couldn't help but be tempted.

Capturing a Jinchuriki was already a huge deal—but capturing this Jinchuriki came with even more appeal.

After Orochimaru's "Destruction of Konoha" plan, Kumogakure had already considered starting a war.

But the strength Naruto showed made them hesitate.

If they weren't sure of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's allegiance, they couldn't risk it.

Even now, even if they were certain there was a rift between him and Konoha…

What if he was the type to say, "I can criticize Konoha, but none of you can lay a hand on it?"

But if they captured him, Kumogakure wouldn't need to worry anymore.

Konoha would lose both the Nine-Tails and a Sannin-level protector.

Kumogakure could then safely ally with Iwagakure to launch war against Konoha, dividing up the Land of Fire's fertile territory and premium resources.

At the very least, they wanted to get their hands on some Byakugan.

They'd coveted that bloodline limit for a long time.

Unlike Konoha—

While Raikage did have assistants, their roles were purely advisory.

Their suggestions were only considered if Raikage wanted to hear them.

The final decision rested solely with the Raikage—no one could interfere.

In just one day—

They reached a final plan.

Though some were unsure, the Raikage had made up his mind.

The mission would be led by Jonin "C" and "Darui"—the two advisors by his side.

They mobilized the Two-Tails Jinchuriki "Yugito" and the Eight-Tails Jinchuriki "Killer Bee."

Ten more elite Jonin and ten Chunin squads were deployed.

They were practically mobilizing enough force to start a war—intent on capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

"Raikage-sama, isn't this a bit… excessive?" Once the orders were issued and the meeting room cleared, the blond man "C" finally voiced his doubts. "It's just one person."

As for Karin—

They didn't even consider her a factor.

According to intel from the Land of Grass, that red-haired Uzumaki woman was an average talent.

Nearly two years had passed.

But someone of average talent—at most—might've gone from Genin to Chunin, maybe even Jonin.

But a common Jonin posed no threat to a great ninja village like Kumogakure.

The Fourth Raikage laughed heartily. "C, you're still young."

"You haven't seen what a true powerhouse is like."

"If it's someone like Orochimaru—and he has full control of the Nine-Tails—that's no ordinary opponent."

"I might even struggle in a one-on-one fight."

C was stunned.

Raikage-sama thought even he would struggle?

In his eyes, the Fourth Raikage was the strongest ninja in the world.

"And don't forget—it's the Nine-Tails," the Raikage continued.

"The most powerful of all the tailed beasts."

"If it weren't for village obligations, I'd go myself, just to be sure."

C nodded gravely.

Darui chimed in, "No need to be so tense. In the end, it's still just one man."

"We're deploying so many elite ninja, and we're on our home turf—we have the advantage. Nothing should go wrong."

The Fourth Raikage looked into the distance.

"I'll stay prepared in the village. If anything unexpected happens, I'll reinforce them immediately."

"Let's fight together for the brighter future of our village."

"Kumogakure will rise again in our hands."

C and Darui responded with excited affirmations. Once preparations were complete, they set off.

Naruto and Karin, meanwhile, were searching for the "True Waterfall."

Since it was a waterfall, it had to be near mountains.

That much made sense—yet reality hit hard.

The Land of Lightning had no shortage of mountains.

After climbing one, standing atop it and looking out, they could see over a dozen more stretching beyond.

There were plenty of waterfalls too—stunning natural wonders—but none of them reflected the inner self or revealed truth.

After scaling yet another mountain—

Naruto looked up and calmly said,

"Someone's coming. Forty-four people."

"Two of them are Jinchuriki."

"They're fifty kilometers away."

(End of Chapter)