The sun set over the horizon.

The capital of the Land of Fire, the Konoha's Intelligence Department's camp.

As Naruto and Ino entered the office, Yamafuji and Matsuri, who had been reduced to mere human surveillance cameras, felt as if they had been pardoned, and quickly slipped away to the small cafeteria to find something to eat.

As they scooped their meals and sat down, Yamafuji couldn't help but sigh in amazement.

"Unbelievable. That noble is just… gone?"

"Who asked them to manipulate Shinobi rebellions? That's a serious crime." Matsuri looked relatively calm, though her face was still flushed. Her heart pounded in her chest from the lingering tension.

It was surreal… completely surreal.

At first, it had seemed absurd enough that those nobles were using such laughable excuses to target the Intelligence Department. But considering their status as nobles, even ridiculous methods suddenly became not so ridiculous.

Even if they broke the law and acted above the rules, there wasn't much the Intelligence Division could do about it. It was because they were nobles and had the privilege of being lawless.

But she didn't expect that Naruto's arbitrary yet somehow effective brand of procedural justice had actually worked. It was absurd, yet, upon reflection, made perfect sense.

After all, Naruto is a high-ranking official of Konoha, and his connections led directly to either the Hokage or the most influential Shinobi Clans in the village. While Shinobi Clans might not hold much political power as the nobles in the capital, they had military strength.

Perhaps in the eyes of those nobles, it was impossible for the Shinobi to really punish them with those outdated legal system. After all, their status was not equal. They were great nobles, and most of the wealth of the Land of Fire belonged to them.

They had money. They had influence. Konoha was nothing more than the Daimyo's dog, and with the restriction that Shiobi must not harm civilians, they had been able to act without restraint.

After all, their logic is simple. If the Shinobi don't obey, they can just put pressure on Konoha to take care of it. Use a stronger dog to tame the weaker one, forcing them to remain subservient forever.

Matsuri was actually afraid of the nobles, dreading their potential retaliation. Whether it was bribing Konoha's high-ranking officials to hold them accountable or secretly hiring Shinobi for revenge, they had countless ways to strike back.

From the moment she had entered that courtyard, her legs had been weak with fear. She had been so terrified that she had remained silent the entire time and had no expression on her face.

"It's common for nobles to hire Shinobi to commit crimes. But I've never heard of someone just straight-up beating a noble, let alone erasing them." Yamafuji was still frightened.

"I was thinking, if it's low-ranking Shinobi like us, we'd probably just have to suck it up even if we get hurt. Even if the other party really breaks the rules, no one will care if we protested."

"But Naruto-sama is different from us, and those nobles probably have no way to deal with him." Matsuri put down her chopsticks and pursed her lips.

"Besides, wasn't Ino-sama present the whole time? Since she didn't say anything to stop Naruto-sama, it proves that the nobles aren't as untouchable as they seem."

"But didn't those nobles manage to stall our project for several days just by running their mouths? Even when Ino-sama came to visit them, they didn't show her any respect." Yamafuji retorted.

"That's because there hasn't been a war for too long. Those nobles have forgotten what Konoha really is… we're a military force!"

"That being said…" Yamafuji sighed.

"Just eat and shut up." Matsuri interrupted him unhappily.

…

On the other side, inside Ino's office.

"Are we going to cause trouble for Konoha by doing this?" Ino asked, holding a teacup in one hand and leaning against the desk, her brows furrowed.

"Kakashi will definitely have a headache over it for a while, but it shouldn't be a big problem." Naruto replied, lounging in his chair with a relaxed demeanor.

"Everything we did followed proper procedure. It was Enwa and those nobles who broke the rules. They were also the ones who refused to repent. In the end, they got what was coming to them, didn't they?"

"Yeah." Ino nodded, "I hope so. Before the news reaches Konoha, I need to write a report and send it back to Konoha. Otherwise, we might be caught on the defensive."

"Alright." Naruto stood up and made way for Ino.

Ino sat at her desk, picked up a pen and pondered for a long time before she started writing. She wrote clearly and concisely, detailing the situation before sealing the letter.

…

At the same time, elsewhere in the capital, the other three great noble families were just as stunned by the news of Enwa's sudden demise. After learning the full story, they found it even more unbelievable.

"What? Konoha's Shinobi? What the hell are they thinking!?"

"That charge is absurd. Manipulating Shinobi to rebel? What kind of ridiculous accusation is that? Those Shinobi are out of control! Completely insane!"

"Have they forgotten who funds them? Biting the hand that feeds them, they're nothing but mad dogs!"

"We must kill that ringleader, who is he? Inform Konoha immediately and demand they execute that lunatic! I want his corpse hung at the city gates!"

"What! You don't know?"

"Throw money at it! Find someone to ask! I've got plenty of money, just find the person for me! No matter who it is, since they dared to attack a noble, I'll have them killed."

"What? The Kyubi's Jinchuriki? Even if it's the Kyubi's... Wait, are you talking about that Kyubi's Jinchuriki? Forget it, let's just observe for now."

"Is there any news from Konoha yet? Hurry up and press them!"

"That Enwa is really ridiculous, and he still calls himself a newly risen noble. As expected, upstarts just don't have the same refinement as us old noble families. He can't even distinguish right from wrong. Of all the Shinobi to offend, why choose that walking disaster?"

"Exactly, the Kyubi's Jinchuriki, why would he provoke him? Is there anything that cannot be resolved by sitting down and compromising? Now look what's happened. He can't blame us for swallowing up his forces now."

"These days, staying informed is everything. He didn't even bother gathering intelligence on the Kyubi's Jinchuriki before stubbornly pushing forward. Too impatient."

"What explanation? Oh Oh, right, Konoha still needs to give us some kind of statement, otherwise, what should we do if this person bullies us in the future? Of course, we should keep our tone respectful, after all, we are not the ones in trouble."

A small envelope traveled from the capital of the Land of Fire back to Konoha, and through intelligence operatives, it spread even farther. Given the distance, the information would naturally have a few delays and revisions along the way.

At this moment, inside the Hokage's Office…

Kakashi sat at his desk, looking at the letters that were coming in like snowflakes, and he immediately felt a headache. There were thick dark circles under his eyes, as if he had just been reincarnated with Impure World Reincarnation.

"Naruto, that guy… really knows how to make my life difficult."

"Forget it. I'll just call him back first and ask him what happened. He killed a noble, huh? This is really..."

After a while, a white-robed Shinobi wearing an Anbu's mask walked in. She had long purple hair, long legs, and a rather inconspicuous gray short sword strapped to her back.

"Hokage-sama." Yugao removed her mask and greeted Kakashi respectfully.

"Ah, take a look at this first." Kakashi handed over the report to his trusted aide, Yugao, rubbed his brows and said, "Then head out and bring him back first."

"He killed a noble from the capital?" Yugao glanced at the document, and her eyes changed instantly. She couldn't help but feel a little surprised, "Is he out of his mind?"

"He's not. That noble set his sights on the Intelligence Department's communication device project and was giving Ino a hard time. Naruto just happened to run into them." Kakashi explained.

"And what he did was completely in line with procedural norms. There was nothing wrong with it. It was just that the reason was a little far-fetched."

Hearing this, Yugao's expression turned odd.

"Well, those nobles had it coming, didn't they? Of all people to mess with, they just had to go up against him. Since he followed protocol, then they basically dug their own graves. Can't blame anyone else for that."

"I know, but it's best to bring him back for questioning. We need to at least provide those nobles with some sort of explanation." Kakashi said with a sigh.

"That's fine, but what if he refuses to come back?" Yugao flexed her fingers and said awkwardly, "I can't beat him. So if he doesn't want to come, I can't do anything about it."

"Don't look at me. I'm his teacher. Am I supposed to go after him myself?" Kakashi coughed, "Even I couldn't bring him back. You can just go find Ino."

'Ino?' Yugao suddenly remembered that there were only a handful of people in the world who could handle that troublemaker.

"I understand." After saying that, Yugao left.

…

"Go back to Konoha? Why? I'm not going!" Naruto lay on the bed, looking at Ino beside him, "I've only been here for a few days."

"Kakashi-sensei is definitely under a lot of pressure. You have to go back, at least for a bit." Ino said.

"Ah? Did Kakashi send you a letter?" Naruto asked.

"No, Konoha's official letters haven't arrived yet, but I figure they will soon." Ino shifted her position, lying on her side and resting her head on one hand as she looked at him.

"I know what you did was completely justified, but you've already spent two days with me, that's enough. The village is under a lot of pressure too. If you don't go back, Kakashi-sensei will probably have to pull all-nighters again to deal with those nobles."

Naruto sighed as he looked at Ino's cascading blonde hair.

"Fine."

Looking at Naruto's expression, as if he had tasted something addictive, Ino bit her lower lip. After hesitating for a few seconds, she leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "I've gone a few times already... I can't keep putting it off. Next time, for sure."

Hearing those familiar words, Naruto couldn't help but look at Ino with a complicated expression, 'What do you mean by 'next time for sure'? Usually, when someone says that, it means never.'

But after thinking about Kakashi's predicament, Naruto reluctantly let his conscience win out and nodded in agreement.

…

The next day.

The Land of Fire's forest.

Yugao encountered Naruto midway through her journey. The moment they saw each other from a distance, they both stopped. Naruto reached for his sword, and Yugao also drew her short blade.

After squinting at each other for a moment and recognizing a familiar face, they both put their weapons away.

"What are you doing here? Are you here to drag me back?" Naruto asked nonchalantly.

"Kakashi is overwhelmed. He needs you back to explain the situation." Yugao said in a businesslike manner, "Just clarify everything, and it'll be fine. Kakashi has suppressed the news, so only the higher-ups know about it."

"Didn't Ino submit a mission report? Do I really have to go back? What a hassle." He followed Yugao's lead, leaping through the trees toward Konoha.

"That report was for Kakashi to see. You need to go back to personally explain things to the people sent by the nobles. Just be a little more restrained in your attitude and don't be too aggressive."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Naruto grumbled, clearly annoyed.

…

Inside Konoha.

The representatives sent by the three great noble families sat in the conference room, silently recalling their masters' repeated warnings: Be polite. Don't offend Konoha.

To be precise, don't offend the Kyubi's Jinchuriki.

Technically speaking, it seemed like that person was no longer the Kyubi's Jinchuriki. But that wasn't relevant to them. As far as they were concerned, he was still the Kyubi's Jinchuriki.

'Being polite isn't hard… but I heard the Kyubi's Jinchuriki can swallow a person whole in one bite. If we actually meet him…" One of the envoys felt his stomach turn.