"Shinra Tensei!"
The black, concentrated chakra sphere seemed to envelop Kitahara Hitoshi. But in the next second, he raised his hand—and the kunai Mizuki-sensei had thrown, along with Mizuki's charging body, was instantly repelled and sent flying.
To Mizuki, Naruto was just a Nine-Tails Jinchūriki with no real combat power. And Kitahara Hitoshi? Just a Genin. Mizuki, a regular Chūnin who had passed the exams, didn't see any threat here.
So… there shouldn't have been a problem.
"Aaah!"
Mizuki rushed in with his kunai, but when he was flung back, he couldn't even hold on to his weapon. The kunai slipped from his grip in a flash. Both the weapon and his body were hurled toward Hokage Rock in the distance, as if launched by an invisible force.
The speed was astonishing—too fast for anyone to react.
Thud. Thud.
Mizuki's body crashed into the rock, embedding itself. He couldn't move.
Kitahara Hitoshi stood calmly by the window. Those around him followed his line of sight and spotted Mizuki's limp form pinned into the cliff.
"This technique is incredible. Shinra Tensei—so cool!" someone exclaimed.
"Is that… the Rinnegan?"
"It must be. Kitahara Hitoshi's eyes turned purple just now," Tobirama observed.
"Rinnegan, huh…" Minato murmured.
Tobirama added, "Still, that rabbit that bit Kitahara Hitoshi earlier looked shocked. Was it surprised to see the Rinnegan?"
Everyone turned their attention to the rabbit. It was still seated on the table, its posture oddly human. Its left paw supported its cheek, and its pure white eyes looked utterly confused.
"So strong!" Naruto's eyes sparkled. "Kitahara-kun, can you teach me? I want to get stronger too!"
"You can," Kitahara Hitoshi replied. "As long as you follow the correct path and build a proper bond with Sasuke."
Rinnegan formation required the chakra of both Mangekyō Sharingan and Ashura. Sasuke and Naruto matched those qualities. Together, they could form the Rinnegan.
"What? I don't want anything to do with that guy." Naruto shook his head furiously.
At this point, Naruto still disliked Sasuke. His expression was full of indignation.
"But he's one of the few people who doesn't care about your identity, isn't he?" Kitahara asked calmly.
"...True," Naruto admitted. "He's annoying, but he really is different from the others. He never rejected me."
In the group chat:
Minato: Ah… this Naruto really has it rough.
Hashirama: What did he do to deserve this? Why does the village hate him?
Tobirama: Didn't Sarutobi set this up? If he's willing to use the Scroll of Seals as bait, he must be very interested in Naruto.
...
"So Naruto, are you sure?" Kitahara Hitoshi asked. "You've really decided to defect?"
"Becoming a missing-nin isn't as simple as you think. Once you leave this village, everyone here will see you as an enemy. Your name will be listed in the black market, and all sorts of people will come after you. If you defect to a village like Amegakure, it could be even worse. They specifically target Jinchūriki."
"Ehh..." Naruto's voice stretched uncertainly. "So… defecting is really dangerous? I might even die?"
He clearly hadn't considered the consequences at all.
Kitahara Hitoshi stared at him silently. He had thought Naruto had finally awakened. What Hitoshi wanted was peace, but on principle, he supported Naruto leaving.
But Naruto didn't even grasp what defection truly meant.
Plus, Naruto carried Ashura's chakra. And what was Ashura? The embodiment of benevolence and forgiveness.
So of course, Naruto couldn't abandon his idealism.
"Have you forgotten your motto?" Kitahara asked him.
"Of course not!" Naruto replied immediately. "I never go back on my word! That's my ninja way!"
"I'm going to become Hokage—greater than any before me. And then all the people who looked down on me will have to acknowledge me!"
His words were full of passion.
Minato: Naruto is a good kid.
Hashirama: Yes, from what he's saying, it's clear the village mistreated him.
Hashirama: And still, he's choosing to rise above it all. That heart...
Tobirama: That's probably the Will of Fire I told Sarutobi to pass on. Seems he actually did it.
"Then go and return the Scroll of Seals to the Third Hokage," Kitahara said. "Mizuki manipulated everything. Once you're done, come back. Just now, I noticed a problem with your chakra system. I corrected it."
That was why he had used Shinra Tensei on Mizuki in such a hurry—he'd sensed something wrong with Naruto's chakra with his 360-degree Rinnegan vision.
"I can use ninjutsu normally now?" Naruto's eyes lit up.
He had failed the exam over and over because he couldn't perform basic jutsu, no matter how hard he trained.
"Almost," Kitahara replied.
"Got it!" Naruto beamed and jumped out the window, Scroll of Seals strapped to his back.
Kitahara watched him go and sighed, muttering to himself.
"As expected of Naruto... still too naïve. Truly frustrating."
He pulled out a notebook and scribbled one word:
Hopeless.
In the group chat again:
Hashirama: Eh? Why does Kitahara think Naruto is hopeless?
Hashirama: Didn't he do great?
Hashirama: Even though he was mistreated, he kept a strong heart. Isn't that admirable?
Tobirama: Big Brother, in a way, you're very similar to Naruto.
Hashirama: Huh?
Tobirama: I get the same vibe. Maybe that's why Kitahara finds him frustrating.
Tobirama: Naruto, like you, insists on loving others even if they reject or scorn him. That kind of behavior is... foolish.
Hashirama: Eh...
Tobirama: If it were me, I'd just walk away. Why should I bother with people who look down on me? I'd leave and never look back.
Hashirama: Eh?! Really?!
Minato: Honestly, Naruto's will is admirable. But if someone like the Second Hokage told him to leave, I think it would be the right choice.
Minato: If the people of the village truly mistreat him, why should he stay?
Minato: I feel sympathy for what he's endured. If he chooses to defect, I would support that decision.
Kakashi: ...
Kakashi: ...
Minato: Ah, Kakashi, you're here.
Kakashi: ...
Kakashi, in his soul form, silently wiped sweat from his brow. His teacher, Namikaze Minato, had just encouraged his son to defect from Konoha—live, online.