In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Chapter 439 Does Hugging Count?

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When he got home, Naruto saw Kurama sprawled lazily on the couch, looking listless. He paid him no mind and went into the kitchen to get some water for himself.

The one-month alcohol ban meant that Naruto wasn’t providing any alcohol for Kurama, but he hadn’t restricted him from finding him own means to drink.

However, no matter what, the amount of alcohol he managed to get wasn’t enough to satisfy his cravings.

…

The next day.

When Naruto woke up and washed up, he passed through the living room and saw Kurama squirming uneasily, occasionally glancing in his direction. When he realized he had been caught, he immediately shrank back.

“Are you in heat, you bastard?!" Naruto cursed.

"You're the one in heat!" Kurama dropped all pretenses, pointing his paw at Naruto, "I have a suggestion, regarding this month-long alcohol ban. Would you be interested in hearing it?"

"Not interested." Naruto raised an eyebrow, running a hand through his still-damp hair, "Do I look like someone without principles? There’s nothing to discuss."

"I was going to propose that you meet that dumb owner of yours, I have a way to..." Kurama was stunned for a moment, "Fine, if that's the case, then forget it."

"Wait, I think principles can be flexible. Rules are something that should be applied strictly to oneself and lenient to others." Naruto coughed lightly.

At noon, the sun was already high in the sky.

"So, do you understand now?" Naruto was explaining the pros and cons of the Jashin’s Altar to Yakumo, without hiding anything from her.

Yakumo nodded slightly, acknowledging him with a soft ‘mm’.

This was her own choice after all, and she didn't take Naruto's words about having to endure a little bit of physical pain to heart. No matter what, she was determined to become a Shinobi.

It was her reason for living, and the greatest driving force keeping her going.

"Since you’re clear on everything, there’s no need for more words." Naruto grabbed his teacup and downed it in one go, making Yakumo's eyelids twitch at his intensity.

Naruto is ruthless in everything he does, and Yakumo is still afraid of him.

"Let's begin." After saying that, he directly pulled Yakumo into the seal space and threw her into the Jashin’s Altar.

The number of Jashin’s Followers have increased from one to two. The progress of Task Line III was one-fifth complete, and with a little more effort, Naruto felt it could be sped up.

If there weren’t any specific options to operate, he could have simply used a bunch of irrelevant characters to fill the quota. But once he discovered that certain options were manipulable, the reward for Task Line III suddenly seemed much more appealing.

He could definitely use the Jashin’s scary guise to create a group of Uzumaki’s Ten Goddess, which would just do the Task Line II for him. The Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist? They were nothing.

Once he found the time, he’d make sure to take all their Ninja Swords for himself.

Of course, it was just a thought for fun, as he hadn’t really thought about forming the Uzumaki’s Ten Goddess. It was just a random idea that popped into his head since the first three members happened to be female.

If he didn’t have time later, he’d still consider taking anyone suitable as an assistant. That way, he wouldn’t have to run around anymore and could just sit back like Nagato, sending his subordinates out to do the work.

As long as he could eventually sit back, relax, and not be involved in saving the world, and avoid trouble himself, that would be enough. At that time, he can take it easy and leisurely enjoy life.

As Naruto was lost in thought, he suddenly froze, ‘Shit, since I didn’t come in…’

‘Could it be that Yakumo already mentally broken by the beating?’

In a rush, Naruto let his consciousness sank into the seal space. He ignored the caged Yugito and headed straight to the Jashin’s Altar, which is shrouded in gray mist.

"Ah! Stop hitting me!"

"What’s wrong with you?"

Instead of the expected scene of Yakumo being beaten, Naruto found Ajisai and Ido locked in an even battle, with tears welling up in their eyes.

Even though they were pleading for mercy, their bodies instinctively continued to fight.

Yakumo stood on the side, looking slightly dazed as he watched the current scene. She seemed to be at a loss as to what to do.

Naruto sighed, casually took out some of Haku’s remains, and directly resurrected him through the Impure World Reincarnation.

‘Alright, now it’s 2v2… time to fight.’

As for whether Yakumo will fight against Ido or Haku, that was something for him to figure out later. Anyway, since no one would die in the Jashin’s Altar, they could all just fight freely.

The more Naruto thought about it, the more he felt like this was akin to raising Gu. Fortunately, the strength those revived through the Impure World Reincarnation was fixed. In other words, they are just grinding stones for Yakumo and Ajisai.

After withdrawing his consciousness from the seal space, Naruto quietly snuck away from the eerily silent Satomi Hill’s manor.

That afternoon, he had an appointment for tea with Choji. It was mainly Choji who invited Naruto, and the chubby Shinobi seemed quite nervous, radiating a palpable sense of anxiety.

"Choji, if you need to go to the bathroom, just go. If it’s really urgent, even a bottle will do." Naruto said, setting down his teacup, "We’re all men here, it’s understandable if you’ve got frequent urges."

Choji, ever the honest guy, stammered in his defense, "That’s not it."

"Naruto, Shikamaru’s getting married soon."

"Yeah, I know." He responded, "So what?"

"Do you still remember? Back when Shikamaru..."

"Choji, stop beating around the bush. If you don’t get to the point, I’m leaving." Naruto muttered, "I’ve got a lot on my plate, and I’m meeting Hinata tonight."

Even though their friends probably had a sense of the complicated relationship between Naruto, Ino, and Hinata, there were things Naruto could discuss with Choji that he couldn’t talk about with Shikamaru.

Maybe because Choji more tight-lipped, and their relationship was closer. Choji is a kind-hearted fat guy, he didn’t want to see Ino get hurt, nor did he want to mess up things with his best friend.

"Naruto, isn’t what you’re doing a bit wrong? If Ino finds out..."

"Well, just don’t say anything. Heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know." Naruto said, waving it off, "Come on, tell me what you wanted to say. Hurry up, stop dragging it out."

"Well... you know how Shikamaru and I are in similar situations, both about to get married," Choji said, a bit bashfully, "So…"

"Oh, getting married, that’s great," Naruto replied absentmindedly, clearly not paying much attention.

"So, are you facing some kind of problem?" Naruto asked, trying to gauge the situation.

"Kind of... I guess. To be honest, I’m a bit anxious." Choji said, "I'm getting married all of a sudden, but my relationship with her is still at the stage of being in the middle of it."

Naruto’s eyelids twitched, and he stared at Choji, starting to get a sense of what he was implying, ‘It seemed like this guy was hesitating, caught between wanting to move forward and being cautious.’

"Holding hands?" Naruto asked.

"No, it’s not that. We’ve already held hands." Choji shook his head.

"Physical contact?"

"Does hugging count?"

"Oh~" Naruto suddenly understood.