In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

Upon hearing Naruto's question, Tsunade paused for a moment before speaking, "An S-Rank mission in the Land of Rice Fields. Orochimaru has been active there, and Jiraiya went there to investigate."

"Oh, Orochimaru, huh." Naruto felt relieved. After all, Jiraiya's good friend, Orochimaru, was only thinking about immortality and didn't have time to settle things in a life-or-death battle with Jiraiyaa.

"Then it's all good." Naruto said.

"Why are you so concerned about Jiraiya's whereabouts? It's almost like you're worried about him." Tsunade tapped her desk and looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Shouldn't you be worrying about yourself?"

Naruto chuckled, sat there with his arms and legs stretched out, leaned his head back on the chair, and said very proudly, "The wicked live a thousand years."

Tsunade laughed as well, her expression bright, her chest heaving with amusement.

"You've got a dirty mind for sure. Now I can be more at ease. But you haven't really explained the Kyubi's incident to me clearly, have you?"

"Uh…" Naruto had no way to explain.

Seeing this, Tsunade didn't press him further. She rubbed her forehead and asked, "Forget it, knowing would just give me a headache. How about that thing with the Princess from Sunagakure? Does it have anything to do with you?"

"I have no idea." Naruto looked genuinely confused, and for once, he was telling the truth, "I just heard about it when I got back. It's really got nothing to do with me. I didn't do anything."

"You didn't do anything? That little Princess from Sunagakure seems to have a special connection with you." Tsunade glanced at him, "Why else would she support you?"

"I don't know about that. After all, I was on a mission at that time." Naruto defended himself, "Besides, let's just take a step back and say that the other party might have seen my potential."

"It's not your potential, it's you as a person." Tsunade said, "She probably wants to poach you, knowing you're no longer the Kyubi's Jinchuriki."

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm forever loyal to Tsunade-sama." Naruto quickly stood up, his survival instincts kicking in, "As long as you stay, I'm not leaving."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, completely unconvinced by his flattering words. But she didn't want to delve into it, then she sat up straight and took a sip from her sake cup.

"In addition to the Princess of Sunagakure, there is also the Princess of the Land of Bird, Toki, and this time, the Princess of the Land of Snow, Kazahana Koyuki." She frowned and looked at Naruto with a scrutinizing look, "Do you have some sort of princess complex?"

"No! Absolutely not!" Naruto vehemently denied and said in a low voice, "Ino isn't a princess, but I really like her."

"She's the Princess of the Yamanaka Clan, so to speak. The Ino-Shika-Cho Clan of Konoha is also well-known in the Shinobi World. Don't underestimate the Yamanaka clan, you know."

"And Hinata?" Tsunade asked with a teasing grin, "Don't you like the Hyuga Clan's Princess?"

"Well…" Naruto turned his head and looked out the window, "The weather sure is nice today."

"Oh, really?" Tsunade smiled at him knowingly, "I don't mind if you're a little flirtatious, and I'm not expecting you to stay in Konoha forever. But there's one thing…"

"I'm staying in Konoha." Naruto quickly responded with a nervous laugh.

Tsunade sat there, raising her eyebrows as if to say, 'Do you think I believe you?'

"Who can compare to you, Uzumaki Naruto? You don't even learn Senjutsu, and even the position of Hokage can't keep you here. Even if I offered you all the fame and fortune in the world, you'd still leave if you wanted to."

"That's not true. I couldn't bear to see you heartbroken, Tsunade-sama. I wouldn't just run off like that." Naruto said with a smile.

"You've got a slick tongue, but when you're hiding something from me, you don't say much." Tsunade's golden eyes glanced at him calmly, "Isn't that right?"

'Oh no, there was no avoiding that topic.'

"Tsunade-sama, don't you think Konoha's technology is a little behind?" Naruto asked, quickly changing the subject.

"After all, the Shinobi World has been in turmoil recently, and most of the village's resources are focused on defense and Shinobi training." Tsunade's attention was indeed diverted, and she said with a frown.

"In the future, the Shinobi World could experience great upheaval, and Konoha will be the first to bear the brunt."

"Is this... Tsunade-sama's prediction?" Naruto asked in surprise.

"No, it's a prophecy Jiraiya brought back from Mount Myoboku." Tsunade said, openly sharing the information with him, "Even Jiraiya's mission to the Land of Rice Fields this time is also related to that prophecy."

"The Great Toad Sage's prophecy?"

"Yeah."

"What's it about?" Naruto was a little confused. He had been to Mount Myoboku to pay homage to the Great Toad Sage himself. Logically speaking, if there was any prophecy, Great Toad Sage should have told them at that time.

"The Child of Prophecy," Tsunade said.

'Another one? Where's this Child of Prophecy coming from now?' Naruto was slightly taken aback, "Tsunade-sama, is this information reliable?"

"There's no way to guarantee it." Tsunade crossed her arms, her smooth skin lightly shifting with the movement. "Jiraiya said he wanted to go over and take a look, but we don't know much for now."

"In that case, let's get back to the topic of technology in the Shinobi World. Even communication devices are very common in the Land of Snow." Naruto said seriously, "Isn't it time for Konoha to start developing its own technology, Tsunade-sama?"

"The current situation…" Tsunade frowned.

"It won't break out into war." Naruto said confidently, "At least not in a few years."

"How do you know that?" Tsunade asked, "Kumogakure has always had its eyes on Konoha. Now that Konoha's Biju is gone, it would be strange if Kumogakure didn't take any action at all."

Of course, Naruto knew why. Kumogakure had taken a major hit, though the news hadn't spread yet.

After Tsunade finished speaking, Naruto shifted uncomfortably in his chair, looking at her with a bit of hesitation before asking, "What about the investigation mission in Amegakure? Are we really prioritizing the Five Kage Summit?"

"What else?" Tsunade calmly took a sip of her drink, "Since they've initiated it, Konoha must respond. You don't want to accompany me?"

"It's not that." Naruto gave his signature fake smile, "I'm just worried about the mission in the Land of Rain."

"It should take about a month, and by then, Jiraiya's mission will be about done as well." Tsunade replied, "You will have plenty of time to complete the mission in the Land of Rain."

…

Several more days passed, and the date for the Five Kage Summit drew nearer.

However, not every Kage from the Great Shinobi Villages was free. Each had their own matters to attend to. From the moment the summit invitation was sent out to the time the villages responded and coordinated their schedules, at least half a month had passed.

Especially with Konoha's situation, Tsunade would be leaving for a while, and Jiraiya was still on a mission, which meant no one was around to keep Danzo in check.

Thus, Tsunade had been incredibly busy during this period. Except for staying up late, she practically stayed in her office all day handling village affairs. Meanwhile, Naruto found himself with a lot of free time, taking a break for several days in a row.

During this time, Hinata had stood him up. They were supposed to go pick out a gift together, but Team 8 received a last-minute mission, so she had to cancel. Hinata bowed to him several times with a flushed face, making even Naruto, thick-skinned as he was, feel a bit embarrassed.

It was not until Team 10 completed their mission and returned to the village that Naruto's days of boredom found some relief.