Land of Fire, near Wood Leaf Village.
At this time, after more than half a month of repair and reconstruction, Wood Leaf Village has gradually returned to its former bustling appearance.
The eaves overlapped, and the layers were adjacent to each other. Although it was a little less lively than before, it still had a brand-new style.
At this moment, in a forest near the village.
The sun hung high in the sky, and the lush forest showed a green luster under the sun, looking full of vitality.
And in a corner of the forest.
Several young and inexperienced figures were gathered under the shade of a tree here. They looked at each other, and their young and tender faces revealed a maturity and seriousness that did not match their age.
"So … Naruto, have you made up your mind to do this?"
At this moment, a slightly mature voice gently broke the silence under the shade of the tree.
The one who spoke was a young man with hair standing on the back of his head. He was thin, but his eyes revealed a serious inquiry.
Hearing his words, Naruto stood in front of him.
With his back leaning against the trunk, Naruto's blond hair was dazzling under the sun. He slightly raised his head, looked at him with his blue eyes, and nodded seriously.
"Yes, Shikamaru …"
"Although Sasuke left the village, as a companion, I can't just give up on him … I know … he left the village for his own reasons!"
However, hearing Naruto's words, Ino, who was next to Shikamaru with yellow bangs, stared at Naruto angrily.
"Are you kidding me, Naruto!!"
"Do you know that if you weren't found by the ninja in the village at that time, you would have died in the heavy rain!"
"Do you still think that Sasuke's behavior at that time was just to leave the village!?"
"He's now a traitor … Wuuu …"
Before Ino finished her words, Choji next to her covered her mouth and stopped her. Although she stared at Choji with dissatisfaction, Choji looked at Shikamaru, avoiding Ino's angry gaze.
Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, who lowered his head and was silent at this time, and his eyes flashed slightly, then he whispered.
"In that case, as friends and partners, we promise you, Naruto."
Hearing his words, Naruto gently raised his head and looked at him with some astonishment.
Shikamaru smiled at him, then put his hands behind his head, squinted his eyes slightly in the sun, and pointed to Hinata, Kiba, and the others, who were also looking at him with some worry, and chuckled.
"Don't just look at me. I think Hinata and Shino should think the same. After all … Sasuke is not only your partner …"
"Finding him who has gone astray is also the duty of us fellows!"
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Naruto was slightly startled, then turned his head to look at the others around him.
At this moment, whether it was the shy Hinata or the silent Shino, even the arrogant Akamaru and Hinata were looking at him with worry and encouragement.
The support conveyed in everyone's eyes gave Naruto great faith and made him feel very moved at this time.
"Wu … Wu wu … Alright, let me go!
Now I feel like I'm a bad guy! "
At this time, Ino also broke free from Choji's hand, glanced at Shikamaru angrily, then muttered.
After that, she turned her head to look at Naruto, her purple eyes full of seriousness, then raised a white finger, and said in a deep voice.
"In my opinion, since Sasuke has chosen this path, he should also bear the consequences of walking on this path … Even we can't choose for him …"
When she said this, her eyes stared at Naruto, and she said seriously.
"Although I don't know why you insist on finding Sasuke, but …"
Hearing Ino's words, the rest of the people held their breaths, nervously waiting to know Ino's next answer.
Seeing her looking at Naruto so seriously, Naruto swallowed nervously. After a while, she frowned slightly, spread her white hands slightly, and said helplessly.
"Since you insist so much, I naturally won't refuse your invitation, Naruto …"
The moment Ino's voice fell, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, and the tense atmosphere suddenly disappeared without a trace!
On the side, Shikamaru's shoulders relaxed slightly, and he sighed softly.
Naruto bowed very excitedly, thanking Ino.
"I thank you on behalf of Sasuke, Ino!"
Facing this, Ino quickly waved her hand, jumped aside, and said helplessly.
"What are you doing, Naruto? Do I look like a bad person? Everyone else agreed. I won't deliberately go against everyone!"
Hearing this, Naruto whispered to her.
"This is also Sakura's gratitude to you. You know, after Sasuke left, Sakura has been under a lot of pressure …"
Hearing Naruto's words, everyone present was silent for a moment.
However, the silence only lasted for a moment, and Shikamaru stood up to break the depressing atmosphere, and said to Naruto with a serious face.
"Naruto, how much do you know about the place where Sasuke went? Do you have any specific plans and ideas!?"
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Naruto's eyes slightly trembled. Everyone also put away their previous relaxed expressions, and looked at Naruto seriously, only to hear him whisper slowly.
"Before this, I have learned about what happened to the Uchiha Clan from my mother …"
Hearing this, some of the people present who had heard the conversation of their elders were stunned.
Naruto glanced at them, and his voice was slightly lowered.
"I think you should have guessed it … According to Sasuke's usual words and deeds, I'm afraid that the reason why he wants to gain power is to deal with his brother …"
"… The Uchiha who almost slaughtered the entire Uchiha Clan … Uchiha … Itachi!"
Hearing Naruto's words, some people who didn't know about this couldn't help but turn pale.
Hinata's small face became a little pale at this time, and her small white hands couldn't help but intertwine together, whispering.
"Are … are we going to deal with such a guy …?"
Ino murmured with a pale face.
"Naruto … You … you mean … Sasuke's brother personally slaughtered his own clan!?"
Hearing her words, Naruto nodded gently. At this moment, everyone, including Naruto, couldn't help but fall into silence, thinking about what kind of childhood Sasuke experienced.
After a long while, Naruto recovered, then glanced at Hinata apologetically, and whispered softly.
"It's not like this, Hinata, we're not going to deal with Uchiha Itachi …"
He glanced at everyone present and said seriously.
"The reason why I said this … is because … according to the information I know, Uchiha Itachi has also joined an organization called Akatsuki …"
Hearing this, Shikamaru's pupils shrank slightly, as if he thought of something, and couldn't help but look at Naruto in surprise.
In this regard, Naruto's voice was very calm and slow.
"Before that, this Akatsuki sent people to seize Kyuubi from me …"