Naruto: Journey to Reach You-Chapter 40

At one o'clock, the time of the meeting...

Everyone was waiting for Naruto, and surprisingly, they all stood when he arrived. He looked at them in surprise, then walked to the central chair and placed his hand on the table.

Naruto: "Sit down."

Everyone obeyed and sat. Hiashi whispered to the Aburame clan leader:

Hiashi: "Isn't he a bit young to be handling things like this?"

Aburame: "I think so too... But he's the Hokage, and he's always saving us. I say we trust him."

Naruto overheard the murmurs and said, "Alright... since everyone's here, let's begin."

He looked at Inoichi, leader of the Yamanaka clan: "Yamanaka, what information have you gathered?"

Inoichi: "We've gotten a lot. Most importantly, they're building a large army and supplying each other with weapons... They're also trying to steal many of our techniques."

Naruto turned to the Inuzuka leader: "Inuzuka... Have you located this army?"

Inuzuka: "Of course, Hokage-sama. We've also found their weapons caches."

He looked to another: "Hyuga... How strong is their army?"

Hiashi: "I believe our army is stronger, but they're continuously building theirs. Don't forget—it's an alliance between three of the Five Great Nations."

Naruto: "So the Sand is with us?"

Tsunade, sitting in the first seat to his right, with Sakura standing behind her: "Yes. Our relationship with the Sand is good. As for the others... I don't know what happened."

Sasuke: "Are we going to ask for support from them?"

Naruto: "No... There won't be a war. I'll do anything to prevent it."

Sasuke: "Then how do you plan to stop them?"

Naruto: "It's simple... We'll prepare a top-level army—but only as a deterrent. That way, I can negotiate and try to resolve it peacefully. If all my attempts fail... then we'll be ready for any attack."

Hiashi: "I say we strike first. No need to wait for them to take all their precautions..."

Shikaku (Shikamaru's father): "I think the Hokage's plan is better. Our village hasn't fully recovered from the Fourth War, and another war now would bring countless losses. We should avoid conflict if we can."

Hiashi: "But they don't want to avoid conflict—they'll attack the village and everything we rebuilt will be destroyed in an instant..."

Sasuke: "On the contrary..."

Everyone looked at him as he continued: "Naruto has his own way of persuading people. I doubt war will break out after he talks to them. But what I do fear is him going alone to negotiate. They might think he's coming to destroy their village, not to talk. Don't forget, he fought them before when they broke the alliance. Sure, he won—but this time, they won't be reckless. They'll be ready... Maybe they want war just to get revenge."

Shikaku raised his hand: "May I speak, Hokage-sama?"

Naruto: "Go ahead."

Shikaku: "I agree with the Uchiha... I think you should take a small team with you, in case of any surprise attacks."

Inoichi: "I think that's a good idea, Hokage-sama."

Naruto lowered his head for a moment, then looked up and said:

Naruto: "Alright, fine... Even though I don't like the idea of someone guarding me, it seems everyone agrees. I'll take ten men... Each clan has the right to choose one suitable member for the task."

Sakura kept watching him as he discussed with the others, utterly amazed. Is this really the same Naruto—the one everyone used to mock for dreaming an "impossible" dream? she thought. Then, with a soft smile on her face as she looked at him, she whispered, "You really look like a great leader, Naruto."

The meeting went on for a long time until Naruto finally said,

"Well... I now have all the information I need for negotiations. I want each of you to send a report with everything you know about the situation. Uchiha, Nara... meet me at the Hokage office tomorrow so we can make a proper plan.

This meeting is over. You're all dismissed."

After everyone left the room, Tsunade smiled and said,

"A great leader despite your young age... just like your father."

Sakura added happily,

"That was amazing, Naruto... I never expected you to be so firm and commanding."

Sasuke walked toward Naruto with a mocking tone,

"So... it's true you've become strong, despite still being a loser."

Naruto held back his irritation and replied,

"This loser almost killed you once, remember?"

Sasuke coldly:

"Kill me? ... You couldn't even touch me."

Naruto stepped closer until their faces were inches apart and said excitedly:

"Sasuke... meet me outside."

Sasuke replied with the same tone,

"If you insist."

Tsunade sighed in defeat and muttered,

"Idiots... Are these really the two strongest men in our village?"

The two of them headed toward the door, and Tsunade called out,

"I honestly don't understand why you two are always competing. The result is always the same—draw."

Each pointed at the other and yelled at the same time,

"I have to beat this idiot!"

Naruto shouted,

"Then let's start now. First one to the training ground wins!"

Then he vanished.

Sasuke sighed,

"Wait, Naruto! You sneaky bastard..."

And quickly followed him.

Tsunade looked at Sakura and said,

"I really feel sorry for you, Sakura... You've got the two biggest idiots in the world on your team."

Sakura laughed and looked in the direction they had gone, smiling fondly,

"They're idiots... but I love them."

Later that evening...

Sasuke went to the Hokage's office to deliver some reports. He knocked and entered without waiting, only to find Naruto at the desk.

Sasuke's eyes widened,

"Naruto?! What are you doing here?"

Naruto sighed,

"Tsunade's been taking advantage of me being around so she can slack off... So annoying."

Sasuke laughed,

"You look kinda weird sitting in that chair... like some old lady."

From outside, a furious voice erupted—loud enough for the whole village to hear:

"Who's the old lady, Uchiha Sasuke?!"

Sasuke froze in place, eyes wide with dread.

"I can't believe she heard that... I take it back! No old lady can hear from that far away..."

Naruto burst out laughing.

"So... what brings you here?"

Sasuke placed a stack of documents on the desk,

"Sign these."

Naruto groaned,

"What?! Isn't this pile in front of me enough already?!"

Sasuke, coolly:

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"This is your job."

Naruto gritted his teeth and started signing. When he was finally done, he sighed in relief,

"There... the last one. I'm finally done."

Sasuke smacked the desk, revealing a paper beneath his hand,

"Here's your reward."

Naruto looked confused, so Sasuke explained,

"The info you provided was correct. I verified it."

Naruto's confused look turned into a serious smile,

"Great work, Sasuke."

He took the paper from him, and Sasuke stared at him a while before asking,

"Why are you chasing after him so much, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up, seriousness returning to his face,

"That rat... something wasn't right last time. He had a perfect chance to take what he wanted, get his revenge—and I was distracted protecting three girls—yet he backed off. He could've caused serious damage... but he didn't. That's not like him. He never lets an opportunity slip.

It felt more like a warning than anything else..."

Sasuke:

"Kushina... is she still defending him?"

Naruto sighed in frustration,

"Don't remind me. That's the only reason he keeps escaping. If it weren't for that, I would've killed him long ago..."

He stood up,

"Tell Tsunade I've left."

Sasuke:

"To where?"

Naruto, raising the paper in his hand:

"To where this paper leads."

More than 8 extra Chapters are available at [patreon.com/AbyssEye]