After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 207

Chapter 207: The Straightforwardness Characteristic of Pirate World Powerhouses

In the end, Naruto's iron fist didn't strike Yugito's face. Not only because Killer Bee came rushing over in a panic to mediate, but more crucially, Yugito harbored no real malice. She'd originally just intended to investigate the situation. Under these circumstances, Naruto naturally couldn't rashly kill anyone.

On the road to the Land of Earth—

"Ah, so it was just a misunderstanding! I thought it was an enemy ambush. Sorry, sorry—"

With the misunderstanding cleared, Naruto wore a casually apologetic expression. This straightforward apology left Yugito with nowhere to direct her anger.

To be honest, this was her first time seeing someone as powerful as Naruto apologize to others without any reservations. In the Hidden Cloud Village, might made right. Even Killer Bee, who'd received Raikage A's favor since childhood, still faced exclusion from other villagers—let alone Yugito, a helpless Jinchūriki.

"Hey, Yugito, yeah! Told you he's the real deal! Naruto's cool as ice, easy and chill, bakayarō, konoyarō!"

Killer Bee beside them was still gesticulating wildly, displaying his dance moves. Without warning, Yugito drove an elbow strike into his abdomen, making the rap artist curl up in pain.

After years of training together in a mentor-student friendship, such playful fighting meant nothing. Naruto glanced back and smiled without speaking.

"Alright, I understand, Bee."

Yugito withdrew her arm, completely ignoring the downed Killer Bee, and silently fell in behind Naruto and the others. Her dark eyes revealed no emotion whatsoever.

She'd received only one order from the Raikage: "Stay beside Naruto Uzumaki; ensure your own safety." Nothing else.

Killer Bee flailed around on the ground for a while. When no one paid him any attention, he reluctantly rose, dusted himself off, then cheerfully caught up with the group.

The Land of Earth bordered the Land of Rain with no buffer nation between them. Or rather, the Land of Rain was originally a buffer zone among the three major nations—Earth, Wind, and Fire.

Everyone present was a ninja who naturally moved quickly. Combined with Jiraiya using his ability to create ink carriages for transport, traveling day and night significantly shortened their journey. From leaving the Hidden Rain Village to stepping onto the Land of Earth's distinctive terrain took surprisingly little time.

The Land of Earth had many mountains with rugged terrain—the ink carriages couldn't proceed easily. Moreover, Iwagakure was situated among towering mountains with natural defensive advantages.

None of this posed any problem for Karin's Garuda form! Though visiting Iwagakure would likely spark conflict, this was fundamentally different from raiding the Akatsuki base. They needn't worry about terrifying the villagers. Iwagakure was prosperous and established—its citizens wouldn't flee en masse over such matters.

Naruto only worried whether carrying so many people would hurt Karin's pride. But Karin didn't overthink it. Garuda's body was covered in feathers anyway—getting dirty wasn't a concern.

As for psychological burden, this girl's mental resilience far exceeded Naruto's expectations. She didn't develop PTSD despite being treated as a tool by the Land of Grass ninja. On the contrary, in Karin's view, helping Naruto gave her purpose and affirmed her self-worth.

On this point, she'd probably have much in common with a certain Shikotsumyaku ninja.

High in the sky, Killer Bee and Yugito, witnessing this transformation ability for the first time, fell into shock. Even their two tailed beasts felt extremely curious.

This differed from their beast transformation—the entire transformation process released no chakra signature. In their perception, after completing transformation, even Karin's organ structures had changed. Completely unlike jinchūriki who donned tailed beast cloaks but remained fundamentally human.

Unheard of.

"Hmph~"

Matatabi and Gyūki heard a barely perceptible proud hum from their old companion Kurama. This fox seemed to be mocking them as "inexperienced fools."

Unfortunately, such taunting might only work on One-Tail Shukaku. Two-Tails Matatabi, like her jinchūriki, was an elegant and gentle "big sister." And Eight-Tails Gyūki, though originally violent, had mellowed considerably after so many years with that eccentric Killer Bee.

Both tailed beasts' attitudes made Kurama somewhat annoyed.

I anticipated old companions proactively asking me! Hmph, never mind then—

Garuda was incredibly fast, not just due to its size but also its ability to manipulate wind currents. No matter which direction the wind blew, it became a tailwind. In less than a day, the group had already reached Iwagakure's outskirts.

The golden-winged giant bird made no effort to hide, so they were naturally spotted by Iwagakure ninja.

"You all, return to the village and notify the Third Tsuchikage."

A middle-aged ninja with a full beard and steady demeanor stood watch, wearing his Iwagakure headband. His name was Kitsuchi.

You might not recognize that name immediately. But if I mention he's the son of Ōnoki the Fence-Sitter and father of Kurotsuchi the future Tsuchikage, the name should ring a bell.

Effectively serving as the bridge between the Third and Fourth Tsuchikage, this unassuming ninja possessed considerable strength. Not knowing whether visitors were friend or foe, Kitsuchi didn't rashly attack. But his Earth Release hand seals were already formed and ready to activate at a moment's notice.

Thankfully, that large bird seemed harmless. After circling above Iwagakure, apparently spotting Kitsuchi's figure, it descended. Upon reaching low altitude, Karin transformed back to human form under Kitsuchi's dumbfounded gaze, while those on her back all landed steadily.

"Who are you people?!"

As a battle-hardened ninja, Kitsuchi quickly recovered from his amazement, assuming a combat stance while cautiously asking.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Is the Tsuchikage available? I have business with him."

Naruto's tone was as casual as visiting a neighbor's house, completely disregarding the ninja world's diplomatic protocols.

Karin and Sasuke wore unsurprised expressions—this was typical Naruto. Jiraiya covered his face somewhat exasperatedly. Yugito, witnessing someone even more direct (or reckless) than her own Raikage for the first time, looked utterly incredulous.

Was this Naruto Uzumaki always like this?

Killer Bee remained oblivious, his mind wandering—probably composing new songs. The Garuda flight had apparently given him plenty of inspiration.

"Naruto Uzumaki! What business do you have with the Tsuchikage?"

Kitsuchi suddenly remembered—they'd received information about this person earlier. Supposedly Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, who'd escaped Konoha's control.

When his gaze caught the daydreaming Killer Bee, his pupils contracted sharply. Unlike Naruto, who was known by reputation but not by sight, Killer Bee was truly famous. During the Third Shinobi World War, as the prime example of a Perfect Jinchūriki, Killer Bee was listed as a key observation target by all major villages.

That's exactly why Raikage A kept Killer Bee secured in the Valley of Clouds and Lightning like a treasure. His reputation was too high.

Kitsuchi suppressed his surprise, trying to delay Naruto's group as much as possible. He didn't know Naruto's strength, but Killer Bee was no pushover.

"Oh, I'm here to take your Jinchūriki. Are they in the village? Why don't you just call them out?"

Hearing this, Kitsuchi's expression changed drastically, his mind racing through countless possibilities.

What does this mean? Have the Hidden Cloud and Konoha formed an alliance? Is this a declaration of war? Or an attempt at a surprise attack? But for surprise attacks, why be so ostentatious?

Naruto watched this middle-aged ninja freeze up, waving his hand before his face.

"Hey? Hello?"

"Oi! Still conscious?"

Startled by Naruto's actions, Kitsuchi instinctively jumped back, rock armor appearing on his arms.

"Earth Release: Rock Fist Technique."

"You came to seize our tailed beasts?!"

Though knowing he likely wasn't their match, Kitsuchi didn't intend to retreat. Just delay until Father arrives. He had absolute confidence in Ōnoki the Fence-Sitter's abilities.

"See—told you we'd have to fight first."

Seeing Kitsuchi's reaction, Naruto smiled broadly, rolling up his sleeves. In his experience, before discussing cooperation, you had to fight first to establish mutual respect. Otherwise, how could you determine who had the upper hand in subsequent negotiations?

"Naruto..."

Jiraiya covered his face, knowing this would end badly. This kid—though as reliable as Minato in battle, why does he seem so... unreliable at other times?