Naruto: Start By Punching Trees And Shocking Kurama!

"Good, good, good!"

"I knew you just scammed me out of my money!!"

As soon as Asuma heard this, his face darkened instantly.

'So the reason they agreed so quickly earlier was because they were making money off me?!'

'I knew there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world!'

Shikamaru: "???"

Shikamaru, who was standing next to him, looked at Asuma in disbelief.

'Damn it!!'

'Was that really the main point here?!'

'Didn't you hear that the Cult Leader had become the Godaime Kazekage?!'

'Smoke, smoke, smoke!'

'All you care about is picking fights for no reason, huh?'

"Huh??"

"How does this even relate to our Konoha?"

Choji, who had been searching for snacks, thought for a moment and blurted out.

Meanwhile, Ino rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought, as if trying to grasp something.

Shikamaru slapped his forehead and sighed in frustration.

'I'm so tired...'

'As the intellectual leader of the team, being with these idiot teammates is really painful.'

"Have you all forgotten...?"

"Their Cult Leader is Uzumaki Naruto!!"

"That kid went to Sunagakure and became the Kazekage!!"

The moment these words were spoken, Ino and Choji's minds felt like they'd been struck by a sledgehammer, leaving them dazed.

Even Asuma, who had been puffing on his new e-cigarette, froze, was staring at Shikamaru in shock.

The three people's expressions were dull and their pupils were constantly trembling.

'Wait…!'

'What did Shikamaru just say!?'

'Naruto... the Kazekage???'

Individually, they understood those words just fine...

But why did it make no sense when put together?!

Ino opened her mouth and spoke with difficulty, "N-no way... right?"

"How could Naruto, a Konoha's Shinobi, become the Kazekage?"

Choji clutched his head, feeling like it was itching, as if he was going to grow a brain.

"Have the people of Sunagakure lost their minds!?"

"What the hell are they thinking!?"

Asuma was slow to react and it took him a while before he screamed in disbelief.

But his voice attracted the attention of the muscular men around him.

The mechanical eyes of this group of people lit up at the same time, as if they were waiting for just one more disrespectful word about their Cult Leader before rushing over to teach these outsiders a lesson.

Shikamaru was so scared that he quickly covered Asuma's mouth and repeatedly apologized to everyone.

Once the crowd dispersed, Shikamaru pulled Asuma aside and said with a serious expression, "Even though we don't know what's happening in Sunagakure..."

"But I think it's best if you don't mention Naruto's name from now on."

"Otherwise..."

"I'm really worried that we won't be able to leave Sunagakure alive."

Asuma's face twisted in disbelief.

For a moment, he thought he must still be dreaming.

'How could that yellow-haired delinquent, who was hated by everyone in Konoha, suddenly become the Kazekage in Sunagakure?'

He had no words to describe the sheer absurdity of the situation.

'But...'

'If Naruto really became the Kazekage of Sunagakure, it will be a huge problem!!'

'There is no way the Daimyo of the Land of Wind would agree to this.'

'If things weren't handled properly...'

'There is a high probability that the war will be reignited in the Shinobi World.'

'Damn it!!'

'Things have gotten very serious!!'

Shikamaru lowered his head, frowning.

He had already considered what Asuma was thinking.

If this were just a matter between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, it might still be manageable, but they're more worried about the other Shinobi Villages that are eyeing them covetously.

They have been coveting Konoha for a long time.

With Konoha's newly appointed Hokage, financial deficits, and the loss of the Uchiha clan, the village couldn't withstand a simultaneous attack from multiple Shinobi Villages if war broke out.

'Damn it!!'

'What the hell was Naruto thinking?!'

Shikamaru thought about it for a while and felt like his brain was about to explode. Finally, he smacked his head and said speechlessly, "This is so troublesome!!"

"We have to find a way to bring Naruto back..."

"Otherwise, the Shinobi World will be destroyed by this guy."

Asuma took a deep drag of his e-cigarette, exhaled two puffs of smoke, and nodded in agreement with Shikamaru's conclusion.

'Hmm…'

'I have to admit that this little thing made by Sunagakure packed quite a punch.'

"Hey!"

"Guests from Konoha."

The stall owner's eyes flashed with a strange glint as he pulled out a stack of papers from behind him and waved them at the group.

"You should take a look at this..."

"If you join the cult today, I'll waive your fees."

Before Shikamaru and Asuma could say anything to stop her, Ino had already taken the papers from the man and started reading.

"Mechanicus Cult Membership Application Form..."

"Welcome to the Mechanicus Family..."

Ino read softly as she skimmed through the papers, but within just two minutes, her face turned pale.

Finally, she let out a startled cry and threw away these so-called 'membership forms' to join the cult, as if she had seen something horrifying.

Shikamaru looked at Ino in confusion, bent down to pick it up, and after a quick glance, his expression also darkened.

[Flesh and blood are weak, but the machine is eternal...]

[Embrace the glory of evolution!]

[The new prosthetic transformation technology allows you to easily surpass the God of Shinobi, Senju Hashirama.]

The entire pamphlet preached about abandoning one's original body and replacing it with mechanical prosthetics...

'Damn it!!'

'This is indeed a cult!!'

Beside them, Asuma's face also twisted in horror.

'Holy Sh*t!'

Originally, they were worried that Naruto becoming the Kazekage would become the fuse for the Shinobi World War.

But now it seemed...

This kid was trying to destroy the world itself!

"How about it!?"

"Why not throw yourself into the arms of our Mechanicus?!"

"It just so happens that our leader is from your Konoha Village."

The stall owner stood up, ignored the horrified expressions of these people, and began enthusiastically preaching the cult's doctrines.

Asuma immediately waved his hands in refusal, and quickly pulled Shikamaru and Ino away from the stall.

"Wait!?"

"Where's Choji!?"

Shikamaru suddenly discovered that the least brain-equipped member of their team had vanished at some point.

This only added another layer of gloom to his already terrible mood.

'This is so exhausting…'

'Why do I always have to go looking for lost teammates?!'

"AAHHHH!!"

But at this moment, Choji's scream echoed from nearby.

The three of them immediately rushed toward the sound, and then saw Choji being surrounded by four muscular men.

They loomed over him with sinister grins, poking and prodding at him.

"Ohhh~ Brother ~"

"Let's join the Adeptus Mechanicus..."

"You'll experience pleasures beyond your wildest dreams~"

Compared with this group of muscular men, Choji's 200-pound body looked tiny and helpless.

His body was shaking even more violently than a sieve.

"No... don't come over here..."

"I... I won't join the Adeptus Mechanicus."

Choji crossed his arms, fear written all over his eyes.

He regrets it very much now.

If he had known the situation would be like this, he should not have left the team in search of snacks.

"Choji!"

"Over here!"

Following Shikamaru's call, some spirit finally returned to Choji's eyes. With a burst of courage, he pushed the muscular men aside and immediately run away.

When the four muscular men saw the fat boy's companions coming, they preached their doctrines as they walked.

Team 10 was so scared that they turned around and ran away directly.

After circling around a few times and finally shaking off the muscular men, they stopped to catch their breath.

The four of them held their knees and gasped for breath, their faces pale.

It's not that they were exhausted, but they're really terrified.

"A-Asuma-sensei..."

"Let's just go back to the village... This place is way too scary!"

When Choji thought about what happened just now, he suddenly shuddered. He didn't even want to imagine what might have occurred if Shikamaru hadn't shown up...

"No."

Shikamaru and Asuma spoke at the same time.

"Wait!"

"I remember Naruto's teacher is also in Sunagakure, right?!"

"He should be able to stop that guy, right?"

Asuma thought for a moment before blurting out the idea.

But this caused Shikamaru to roll his eyes on the spot.

'Tch...'

'If Jiraiya-sama could stop Naruto, he would have stopped this troublesome matter long ago!'

'Given how things had turned out...'

'It is unknown where this guy has gone to.'