Power Struggles

Naruto lounged there, his legs propped up defiantly, his gaze daring the trio of Ibis to challenge him.

Ibis couldn't contain the rage building within him, his temples pulsing with frustration. Nevertheless, he managed to rein in his anger, slamming his hand on the table with a resounding "bang."

"Don't think you can swagger around here, Naruto," he bellowed, his voice reverberating through the room.

In response, Naruto sprang to his feet, launching himself forward with a powerful kick aimed at the table.

"Boom."

The sturdy iron table hurtled through the air, narrowly missing Ibis and his companions before crashing into the steel fence, shattering it into pieces.

Ibis felt a surge of apprehension. Naruto's movements had been so swift that he hadn't even seen them coming. Had that blow been directed at him, it could have been fatal.

Standing with hands on hips, Naruto sneered, his demeanor oozing arrogance. "If you've got something to say, spit it out. Or if you want a fight, let's settle it once and for all."

Ibis found himself face to face with an unprecedented level of arrogance and dominance. But dealing with Naruto was proving to be an uphill battle.

Naruto, relying solely on his brute strength, disregarded anyone who dared to challenge him. As he had earlier remarked, when one's power defied logic and even the laws of the land failed to rein them in, conventional methods of control became futile.

The power dynamic between them was clear from the outset— they were not equals.

Ibis found himself at a loss. His mission was to retrieve the contract scroll from Mount Myōboku, not to engage in a futile power struggle.

However, Ibis was not one to back down easily. As captain of the torture department, he gritted his teeth and pressed on, determined to apply pressure.

"You dare forget your roots, Naruto? Konoha Village nurtured you. Despite the occasional missteps of its villagers, they never harmed you. But what about you? You slew Lord Danzo, along with a team of Anbu and members of the Root organization. How do you justify your actions?"

"Why bother explaining?" Naruto questioned. "You're not that naive, are you? We're ninjas. Ninjas do shady things in other countries. Do we really need explanations? Danzo himself ventured into Rain during the Third Ninja World War. The chaos caused by shinobi villages meddling in each other's affairs is nothing new. Rain Village once had a promising young ninja who met an untimely end. Even if you don't know the specifics, it's common knowledge that Danzo has his fingers in many pies."

"If we're going to talk, let's be honest. Everyone's got skeletons in their closet. Yakushi Kabuto was dispatched as a spy to other ninja villages."

"I'm a shinobi of Rain Village now. It's just tit for tat," Naruto nearly broke Ibizi's defenses.

In his mind, he was no longer the Naruto of Konoha, but rather a shinobi of Rain Village.

Viewed through this lens, it was only natural for him to stir up trouble in an adversarial village.

To put it bluntly, even Hatake Kakashi's father, the White Fang of Konoha, took the life of the son of Chidai's mother-in-law during the Second Ninja War—the mother of Sasori—yet he could still freely come and go from Sunagakure.

The web of ninja relationships was intricate indeed.

"Don't be so naive, Ibizi. I'm no longer part of Konoha; I'm a Rain Village shinobi now. And I can return to Konoha without resorting to tricks or delusions. Konoha's laws may label me a Rain Village shinobi, but let's face it, I've shed blood in Konoha. Do you honestly think I could just stroll back?" Naruto's voice remained level.

He had sealed off his own path back with his own hands. Returning to Konoha was no longer an option.

"How do you plan to face your own parents?" Ibizi finally broached the subject, considering he had brought up Naruto's parents earlier.

Even Naruto paused for a moment before speaking with casual resolve, "Don't misunderstand. Those were my parents, not yours, here in Konoha Village. They sacrificed everything for the village, fulfilling the role of the Fourth Hokage. Do you think I'd stick around to be harmed by you? That's not happening.

It's not that I bear ill will towards Konoha Village. I'll sort things out with them myself in due time. If they can't forgive me, so be it.

After all, our familial ties are merely nominal. We never had the chance to establish a real connection."

"But you took it upon yourself to relay a message to the Third Hokage, claiming that Naruto pledged not to pose a threat to Konoha Village. That's the strongest assurance I can offer," Naruto continued, not waiting for Ibiki's response as he strode out, leaving the broken table in his wake.

"Captain Ibiki?"

The two Anbu glanced at Ibiki.

"Later. We can't."

Unable to probe any further into Naruto's affairs, Ibiki sighed, shaking his head. "Let's call it quits."

He realized he couldn't extract anything from Naruto, let alone incriminate him. Despite his youth, Naruto was cunning, impervious to manipulation, and utterly dismissive of authority.

Even if Ibiki desired to keep him detained, it was futile.

Short of neutralizing Naruto's abilities, which would spark a catastrophic conflict and devastate Konoha Village, the effort wasn't worth it.

So Ibiki made the call to release Naruto, opting not to impede him any further.

As for the casualties among the Root organization's members?

So be it. The Third Hokage hadn't issued a directive to target Naruto, but since the Anbu were provided with that pretext, Ibiki went along with the flow.

When tasks hit a dead end, it's best to cut your losses and move on.

As for Ibiki's report to the Third Hokage project?

That's another matter entirely.

As Naruto exited the interrogation facility, he was surprised to find no one barring his path or guiding him.

Just as he began pondering the necessity of abolishing the Anbu altogether, a familiar figure emerged on the street ahead.

"Well, well, look who's out," Jiraiya greeted with a grin, his demeanor markedly less hostile than before, almost nostalgic.

Naruto approached with a stern expression. He didn't recognize this man.

"Hey, old perv, did you bring what you promised?" Naruto asked bluntly.

Jiraiya's expression froze. Old perv? He wasn't... well, maybe sometimes, but he was here for research, not... how did this kid know?

Nonetheless, Jiraiya produced a massive scroll from behind him, nearly a meter tall, the very scroll for signing a contract with Mount Myoboku.

....

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