Naruto: Off the Rails from Tsunade’s Lap Pillow!

"What exactly is the Sage of Six Paths' holy relic? What does it do?"

After his excitement faded, Naruto Uzumaki felt a surge of curiosity and asked, "Is it super powerful?"

"It should be pretty impressive."

Natsume recalled what he knew from his past life and replied, "It's called the Box of Supreme Bliss. It can grant one wish to whoever opens it."

"Any kind of wish at all?"

Sasuke Uchiha suddenly interrupted.

"You're interested too, Sasuke?"

Naruto Uzumaki asked in surprise.

Sasuke didn't answer but kept looking expectantly at Natsume.

At that moment, Sasuke was thinking about the Mangekyo Sharingan.

If I wished to awaken it, would that work?

"Any kind of wish," Natsume smiled slightly and nodded.

"Whoa!"

Naruto Uzumaki's eyes widened. Drool dripped from the corner of his mouth as he said, "Then I'll have endless Ichiraku Ramen forever!"

A faint smile tugged at Sasuke's lips.

Of all things, you wished for *that*?

What a ridiculous waste.

You should've just given that wish to me.

I'll cover the ramen costs then.

After all, he had more than enough cash anyway.

"Teacher, may I open it?"

Sasuke ignored Naruto's wish and asked directly.

"Sure."

Natsume casually waved his hand.

Inside, he thought, sure enough, he finally fell for it.

Hinata Hyuga showed no reaction upon hearing this.

She didn't have any real wish.

Even if she did, it was already practically fulfilled.

But Naruto had been cut off from his chance and looked somewhat disappointed.

Still, since it was Sasuke, giving up the opportunity wasn't a big deal.

He quickly bounced back to his usual energetic self.

"Teacher, what's the mission content?"

Hinata Hyuga spoke up and asked.

Her two teammates clearly didn't care much about the details.

Only she still thought like a traditional ninja.

"The place you're going to is called Hozuki Castle. It's a solitary island fortress perched on a cliff, completely surrounded by sea."

Natsume casually picked up an intelligence report and said, "The Box of Supreme Bliss lies within Hozuki Castle, but its exact location is known only to one man—the castle's lord, Mui, a Jonin from Kusagakure Village."

"Will he tell us?"

Sasuke frowned slightly as he asked.

"Naturally not."

Natsume shook his head.

The reason Mui became Hozuki Castle's ruler was precisely because it gave him convenient access.

He specifically used the chakra of imprisoned ninja to fuel the Box of Supreme Bliss, hoping it would open and resurrect his son, Mukaku.

In the original story, he finally succeeded after absorbing the Nine-Tails' power from Naruto Uzumaki.

Unfortunately, the revived Mukaku was possessed by a monster.

In truth, the Box of Supreme Bliss's supposed wish-granting power was nothing but a deception.

No matter what wish was made, it would ultimately release a monster named Satori.

Satori possessed two abilities:

First, immortality—unable to be killed or destroyed.

Second, emotional perception.

Much like the Mind-Reading Jutsu, it could easily detect an enemy's emotions and use them to anticipate their next move.

This meant that in battle, one had to suppress stray thoughts entirely.

Otherwise, one wouldn't be able to land a hit.

These two abilities clearly originate from Yin Release.

Natsume wanted Sasuke Uchiha to open the Box of Supreme Bliss for this exact reason.

If he absorbs its power, he might unlock the Mangekyo Sharingan.

But whether he can endure its effects remains unknown.

In addition, Natsume was also curious to confirm whether this object was truly a relic from the Sage of Six Paths.

"Should we just go capture Mui directly?"

Sasuke asked again.

"No."

Natsume made up an excuse and replied, "Hozuki Castle has maintained peaceful relations with our Konoha Village. We can't just target Mui recklessly; it would damage our reputation."

Actually, that wasn't entirely a lie.

Hozuki Castle was constructed by multiple nations as a shared prison—it served as an international detention facility.

And Mui himself did indeed maintain decent relations with Konoha Village.

"Then let's have a chat with this uncle."

Naruto Uzumaki beamed. "Now that Teacher Natsume is so powerful, he must be willing to give us some face."

Natsume glanced at him sideways.

That kind of optimism likely came from lessons taught by Minato Namikaze or Kushina Uzumaki.

Unfortunately, it wouldn't work.

Mui would never hand over the Box of Supreme Bliss—it involved his son's life and death.

Had it not concerned Mukaku, he might have yielded under pressure from Natsume and Konoha.

"You really think the teacher's name carries that much weight?"

Natsume retorted. "Besides, this is your mission. You guys can't expect to do absolutely nothing, right?"

"Hmm, guess that's true."

Naruto scratched his head and replied.

"Alright then."

Natsume clapped his hands together and began arranging the plan, "Only criminals are allowed into Hozuki Castle, so you two will need to infiltrate by disguising yourselves as prisoners."

"No problem."

Naruto raised his fist enthusiastically. "So when do we leave?"

"There's no need to 'leave.'"

A smirk tugged at Natsume's lips as he said, "We'll just tie you two up and deliver you straight to Hozuki Castle."

"Eh?!"

Naruto exclaimed in shock.

That's how missions were done?

Sasuke, on the other hand, remained relatively calm.

He had somewhat expected it already, so he wasn't surprised.

After all, if they were criminals, they'd naturally be escorted by Konoha to Hozuki Castle.

But why wasn't Hinata Hyuga included?

Oh...!

Sasuke gave a slight sneer.

He felt like he had figured out Natsume's nature.

He seemed to show favoritism toward girls.

But he didn't say anything.

Ever since Natsume had helped rescue Mikoto Uchiha and the others, Sasuke had held deep gratitude toward him.

"I… what should I do?"

Hinata hesitantly lifted her head.

Since she hadn't been mentioned, she thought she had been excluded.

"Don't worry, your task is important too."

Seeing the hesitation in her eyes, Natsume explained, "With your Byakugan, locating the Box of Supreme Bliss depends on you."

"O-Okay."

Hinata sighed in relief and a soft smile formed on her lips.

"Sasuke, Naruto—your mission carries great weight."

"Once you're inside the prison, your goal is to break out and scout Hozuki Castle to locate where the Box of Supreme Bliss might be," Natsume warned.

"Natsume-sensei, don't worry!"

Naruto Uzumaki patted his chest proudly. "Leave it to me — this mission's in the bag."

Sasuke Uchiha didn't say a word, but his expression said it all — just as confident.

To them, a Jonin from Kusagakure was hardly worth worrying about. Especially since they were already just as strong as any Jonin.

"You two go get ready. Someone'll come for you in two days."

Natsume didn't mention Mui, though. How should he say it? Maybe taking them down a notch wouldn't hurt.

As an important figure in the movie version, Mui's strength wasn't weak by any means. Especially his Fire Release techniques resembling Sealing Techniques — that was definitely going to cause Sasuke and Naruto some serious trouble.

He wondered if they'd make it out of the prison alive. If absolutely necessary, Natsume would step in himself.

Still, both had the Flying Thunder God Mark — they couldn't die, no matter what.

"Brother Natsume."

Hinata Hyuga didn't leave, quietly tugging at her sleeve as she looked at him and asked, "Do I need to go with them to Hozuki Castle?"

"No need."

Natsume glanced at her, then stood up and walked beside her, ruffling her hair gently. "You'll just follow me."

"Okay!"

Hinata's eyes brightened slightly, her voice tinged with excitement.

The mission, the castle — none of it mattered. Not as long as she was with Natsume.

"Brother Natsume, I heard from Mother that you're going to adopt Hanabi as your younger sister?"

Hinata turned her head away, avoiding his gaze to hide her feelings.

"You're not happy about it?" Natsume asked half-smilingly, reaching out to gently pinch her soft cheek.

"No!"

Her cheeks flushed red as she waved her hands weakly — her denial unconvincing.

"Hanabi is your sister, so naturally, she becomes my sister too." Natsume lifted his hand, gently twirling a lock of her bangs. "Don't worry, this won't change anything between us."

Hinata summoned her courage to look at him but quickly lowered her head again. Finally, she murmured softly, "Mm."

Actually, she wasn't jealous of Hanabi. She was just a little confused.

If Natsume became Hanabi's brother, wouldn't he technically become her own brother as well?

Then… could they still get married?

When this thought occurred to Hinata, her anxious mood finally improved.

Being noticed by him, though, was unbearably embarrassing.

Her face burned red as she bowed her head low, almost pressing her forehead against her chest, as if steam were rising from the top of her head.

"Hinata," Natsume stared at her for a while before speaking, "has anyone ever told you just how adorable you are?"

Upon hearing this, Hinata's mind went completely blank. Instinctively, she started to faint.

Luckily, Natsume caught her waist just in time.

However, feeling the warmth in his arms, she fainted dead away.

"..."

Natsume hesitated before speaking.

He hadn't meant to do that — really.

Even after all this time together, she still fainted at the slightest touch.

Well, her training still isn't sufficient. I need to keep going.

Natsume lifted her small frame and returned her to the Hyuga clan.

He then headed toward the Daimyo's Mansion in the Land of Waves.

"Natsume."

Ena Uzumaki dropped what she was doing, rushing over when she saw him. "What's wrong?"

"Can't I just drop by without a reason?" Natsume teased gently.

"Of course you can." Ena looked at him with an expression slightly tinged with disappointment.

That wasn't what she had meant at all.

Natsume couldn't help leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Let me apologize."

Ena immediately smiled brightly.

"You're so cute." He reached out, gently pinching her delicate face before saying, "I'm planning a trip to Kusagakure Village."

Ena paused for a moment.

Kusagakure had become such a distant name to her.

Ever since Natsume rescued her, she hadn't heard it once.

But still, the memories of her time there remained vivid.

Even now, those memories haunted her dreams.

If not for Natsume, she probably would have already died.

"Why are you going there?"

She took half a step forward and leaned into his chest.

Only this way could she feel fearless.

Natsume patted her back gently, looking at her warmly. "For revenge."

Ena lifted her head and saw his affectionate expression, her face involuntarily reddening.

"You're already strong enough that practically no ninja in Kusagakure could pose a threat to you."

This short chapter isn't finished yet—more excitement coming up!

Natsume pressed his forehead against hers. "You could wipe them all out."

Ena instinctively widened her eyes.

Wipe them all out?

Truthfully, she'd once considered it too.

But lacking the strength, she buried that desire deep inside.

Later, her whole heart centered on Natsume, and thoughts of revenge gradually faded.

Now suddenly brought up again, Ena felt her resolve stirring.

"Just the ninjas who mistreated me."

She was somewhat similar to Naruto Uzumaki—inherently kind-hearted and unwilling to harm innocents.

Though in Natsume's eyes, however, few ninjas truly deserved the label of "innocent."

Most had taken lives before.

"All right."

Natsume smiled slightly. "Whatever you want to do is fine."

"Thank you."

Instinctively, Ena held him tighter.

"What are you thanking me for?" He ruffled her hair affectionately. "It's actually my fault—it's been so many years already. I should've let you get revenge sooner. I owe you an apology."

"No, don't say that."

Slightly embarrassed, Ena replied, "After leaving Kusagakure, I've lived very happily. Revenge doesn't matter that much to me anymore."

"You're blushing."

Natsume held her chin, tilting her face left and right as he admired her.

Ena instinctively wanted to lower her head, but found herself unable to, so she met his gaze instead.

Her delicate face flushed even deeper, glowing faintly like a ripe apple.

Natsume gave a satisfied nod.

Ena Uzumaki had always occupied a special place in his heart.

Perhaps it was because she was so easy to control.

After all, men do have their own sense of pride.

And Ena's tenderness and responsiveness let Natsume feel that dignity anytime, anywhere.

Although now there was also Mikoto Uchiha added into the mix, these two relationships were not the same.

One was active; the other, passive.

Natsume lowered his head and gently nibbled on the soft red jewel before him.

Instantly, it felt as if sweet nectar had moistened his taste buds.

Ena's eyes turned hazy as she gazed at him, filled with boundless affection and longing.

To her, Natsume was her entire world.

Even her daughter Karin ranked about equally.

The night churned on endlessly.

Birds outside the window were startled and scattered by wave after wave of sound.

A brand-new day dawned.

Natsume opened his eyes and saw Ena already awake beside him.

"Hmm… Good morning… I just feel really energized…"

"Good morning. You're looking pretty energetic too."

Natsume rested his hands behind his head, smiling at her, otherwise motionless.

An hour later, Ena began to show signs of exhaustion and murmured apologetically, "Sorry."

"Rest well."

Natsume wiped the sweat from her forehead.

"Mm."

Ena closed her eyes, her breathing soon evening out as she drifted into dreamland.

Natsume dressed himself, stretched, then pulled open the door.

"Pervert! Die already!"

Tayuya suddenly appeared behind him.

Natsume turned around, instantly catching her punch while noticing her flushed face, saying, "Spying on adults isn't what good kids do."

"I wasn't spying at all!"

Tayuya glared at him and said, "I came here just to call Auntie Ena for breakfast!"

"She already ate—no need for seconds."

Natsume released her fist, saying calmly.

"Ate already?"

Tayuya faltered for a moment, failing to grasp his meaning.

"That's not important right now."

Natsume suddenly scooped her up into his arms, raising his hand, saying, "Time for today's punishment."

[CRACK]!

Tayuya's face flared crimson.

He actually… spanked her?!

"You bastard! Dirty pervert! I'll kill you!"

She lashed out in fury.

But Natsume remained unmoved, like iron. Eventually, the pain brought tears to Tayuya's eyes.

Four thousand characters.

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