Carried in the arms of an ANBU operative as they raced across Konoha’s rooftops...
Naruto listened to the howling winter wind rushing past his ears.
Although it was already January...
The winter sun still shone brightly.
Below him...
Konoha basked in the warm sunlight, looking peaceful and full of life.
But in Naruto’s eyes...
The village radiated nothing but darkness and decay.
Inside the seal...
Minato Namikaze’s voice echoed softly.
"Naruto..."
"Are you really going to the battlefield?"
Naruto replied calmly,
"Why wouldn’t I?"
Minato spoke again.
"Forget it."
"This Konoha isn’t worth staying in anymore."
"Leave."
"Take Izumi with you."
"The two of you... just go."
Naruto fell silent.
What do you mean... my Izumi?
After a moment, he answered,
"How can I just leave?"
Minato frowned.
"What reason do you have to stay?"
He truly couldn’t understand.
Naruto already possessed extraordinary strength.
He no longer depended on Konoha’s protection.
Even if the entire ninja world hunted him...
As long as he disappeared for a few years...
With Naruto’s talent...
Every nation would eventually have to ask itself whether chasing him was worth the cost.
The world was vast.
Surely there would always be a place for him.
Naruto smiled faintly.
"I have plenty of reasons."
Without giving Konoha one spectacular fireworks display...
Without making them truly understand pain...
How could I possibly leave?
Wouldn’t that be disrespectful to all the "kindness" they’ve shown me?
Running away...
Spending the rest of his life hiding from his pursuers...
That wasn’t who he was.
If he left...
He would walk away openly.
With no one daring to stop him.
And no one daring to chase him.
Minato nodded.
"Good."
"Whatever you decide..."
"I’ll support you."
Inside the seal...
His gaze drifted toward another section of the Eight Trigrams Seal.
Kushina...
Stay asleep a little longer.
More than once...
He had considered releasing the remaining fragment of Kushina’s chakra sealed within Naruto.
Letting their family reunite.
But...
He never dared.
Naruto’s childhood had been too miserable.
Too heartbreaking.
Minato couldn’t bear the thought of Kushina witnessing it all.
He couldn’t bear to watch her cry over their son day after day.
Outside...
The ANBU soon arrived at Konoha’s main gate.
"Uzumaki Naruto has been delivered."
"We’re moving out."
"Yes!"
Five ANBU operatives had already been waiting there.
At the command...
They vanished simultaneously.
Heading north at incredible speed.
As they traveled...
Naruto glanced around.
The ANBU carrying him remained at the center of the formation.
Another ANBU was positioned beside him.
In that operative’s arms...
Was another child about Naruto’s age.
The child appeared to be asleep.
Naruto couldn’t see the child’s face clearly.
He asked,
"Who is that?"
"The Hyūga Clan’s heiress."
The ANBU answered without hesitation.
Naruto blinked.
"The Hyūga princess is going to the battlefield too?"
His own deployment...
At least made a certain twisted kind of sense.
He was a Jinchūriki.
But Hinata?
What special trump card did she possess?
Why send her as well?
The ANBU remained silent.
Unlike ordinary ANBU...
He served directly under the Hokage.
He had personally witnessed every discussion among Konoha’s leadership.
Naturally...
He knew exactly why Hinata had been included.
But military strategy was classified.
Naruto didn’t press the issue.
He understood.
If Hinata had asked why Naruto was being sent...
The ANBU wouldn’t have answered either.
Because she wasn’t supposed to know Naruto was the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki.
Naruto continued thinking aloud.
"I heard the Hidden Cloud demanded another member of the Hyūga Main Family."
"...You’re not planning to hand her over, are you?"
The ANBU looked down at Naruto in surprise.
The Jinchūriki is smarter than I expected...
He had guessed far more than expected.
Seeing the ANBU’s reaction...
Naruto knew he’d been right.
The pieces quickly fell into place.
If he failed to turn the tide of the war...
Konoha could simply hand Hinata over as a gesture of goodwill.
Then reopen peace negotiations.
Even before it came to that...
They could still use Hinata as leverage.
Station her inside the command headquarters.
Or near the military supply depot.
Every Hyūga shinobi would naturally guard the area day and night.
Layer upon layer of protection.
Their Byakugan watching in every direction.
There would be no need to fear another surprise attack from Kumogakure.
Konoha really is ruthless.
Even children are nothing more than tools.
Which old fox came up with that plan?
Naruto shook his head.
Then quietly closed his eyes.
Late that night...
Naruto, who had been sleeping inside the seal, suddenly felt someone gently shaking him.
When he opened his eyes...
He found himself lying inside a cave.
A campfire flickered nearby.
Clearly...
They hadn’t reached the battlefield yet.
Naruto looked at the ANBU who had woken him with a questioning expression.
At the same time...
Soft sobbing echoed through the cave.
Following the ANBU’s gesture...
Naruto spotted Hinata sitting in a corner.
Rubbing her eyes.
Quietly crying to herself.
The ANBU pointed toward her.
"Go."
"Comfort the Hyūga princess."
"...?"
Naruto stared at him blankly.
You woke me up...
Just to ask me to comfort Hinata?
What if I start crying too?
The ANBU sighed.
"Go."
"We only have four hours to rest."
"This is wartime."
"Even inside the Land of Fire, nowhere is truly safe."
"If she keeps crying..."
"It’ll become a problem."
"If you can’t calm her down..."
"We’ll have no choice but to knock her unconscious."
Seeing that Naruto still hadn’t moved...
The ANBU continued explaining.
They had been traveling nonstop for more than ten hours.
Their stamina and chakra were nearly exhausted.
The squads were rotating guard duty.
Two hours of rest.
Two hours on watch.
Every minute mattered.
Hinata wasn’t crying loudly...
But inside the cave...
Even her quiet sobs echoed clearly.
Unless absolutely necessary...
None of them wanted to strike a child.
What if they accidentally hurt her?
She was the Hyūga Clan’s princess.
How would they explain that to Hiashi Hyūga?
Besides...
She was the future head of the Hyūga Clan.
What if she held a grudge against them later?
Of course...
That was only because they’d already confirmed the surrounding area was safe.
Otherwise...
They would’ve knocked her unconscious without a second thought.
After all...
When they’d first brought her here...
She had struggled the entire way.
In the end...
They simply knocked her out and carried her off.
Naruto really wanted to tell them,
Just knock her out again.
But...
He couldn’t.
After all...
She was his future wife.