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After resting for a while, the two hit the road once more. Another day passed before they finally reached the gates of Konoha. They exchanged quick greetings with the Chunin guarding the gate before heading in.

Yugao suggested freshening up first, but Naruto directly refused.

"I rushed back like this for a reason.” He said, “I want those noble envoys to see the state I’m in. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be this wrecked."

Hearing the cold edge in Naruto’s voice, Yugao was speechless. She stood aside with her hands folded and reminded him, "You are now representing the image of Konoha. Try to be a bit nicer, or those nobles will think we Shinobi are all bandits, ruthless and uncivilized."

"Got it. Nuclear niceness." Naruto curled his lips and strode to the door of the conference room.

Bang!

He shoved the doors open with a loud slam.

There were three people sitting in the simple conference room… they are the envoys of three great noble families. At this moment, they saw the door was pushed open and they all flinched when a young man brimming with hostility strode in.

"I heard you were looking for me?" Naruto pulled out a chair without hesitation and sat on the other side of the long table with a stern look on his face. His entire face was looked very gloomy.

“W-What?" The envoy from the Fukama family had just lifted his glass to drink when his hand trembled and the water splashed onto his collar. "Who the hell are you?! You scared me to death."

"Uzumaki Naruto."

"You’re that Uzumaki Naruto? Hmph."

He had intended to be more polite, as his master advised, but Naruto’s arrogant aura made him hesitate. In the end, he decided to remain silent and put on a façade of superiority.

"And you are…?" The Terahara family’s envoy stood up, attitude markedly respectful, "You must be Uzumaki Naruto-sama, the Terahara family offers you our sincerest regards."

Naruto blinked in surprise, and so was the middle-aged fat man from the Fukama family. He turned his head stiffly and looked at the envoy from the Terahara family with an incredulous look.

His mouth opened and closed as he observed the other party’s humble posture… one might have thought that he was serving the Daimyo of the Land of Fire. It was impossible to reconcile this with the bold arrogance he’d displayed moments earlier.

‘Ridiculous!’ At this time, Fukama family’s envoy seemed to hear the voice of Terahara family’s envoy echoing in his head, "Will you compromise? I won't compromise! Who among the nobles would bow to a Shinobi? Bah, pathetic!”

‘Then why the hell are you bending over less than 90 degrees? What the hell is this nonsense?’

"Naruto-sama, the head of the Egawa family sends his regards as well." The young man from the Egawa family also stood up and said, "We’ve also prepared a small token of appreciation."

As he said that, the envoy from Egawa family clapped his hands and several attendants pushed in trolleys piled high with lavish gift boxes.

Upon opening them, the table was soon adorned with dazzling treasures… jade pendants, gold ornaments, and intricately crafted accessories made from rare materials, each more eye-catching than the last.

"It's just a small token of our appreciation. We hope you’ll accept it."

"Uh…" Naruto glanced at the mountain of gifts and didn't know what to say for a moment, "Well… alright, I’ll accept them. Send my regards to your family head."

"Egawa family, right?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama." The young man replied with a gentle smile, "Our Egawa family has always maintained close relations with the Hyuga Clan. In fact, I’ll be visiting Hiashi-sama’s residence soon."

"The Hyuga Clan huh? So, you’re family, in a sense." When Naruto heard this young man mentioning Hyuga Clan, he immediately understood why he was being so respectful.

"Exactly, we are indeed kin." The young man’s smile didn’t waver. The Hyuga Clan had undergone significant changes recently, and the situation is unclear.

In this case, the Egawa family, who had found out the relationship, would naturally want to make friends with Naruto. First, one would not hit a smiling person, and second, they would be considered as one of Naruto’s own.

They don't ask for much benefit, just don't target them.

The several nobles in the capital have been fighting until now, and those still standing had already secured their positions.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged fat man from the Fukama family couldn't help but wipe the sweat off his forehead. He thought to himself, ‘This isn’t how it was supposed to go! Weren’t they here to question him harshly? Compromise was one thing, but bringing gifts? Where’s the noble dignity in that?’

The fat man roared in his heart. He didn't bring any gifts. After all, who would’ve thought that coming to hear someone justify their alleged crimes required presents?

‘Wasn’t offering goodwill enough? At this rate, Konoha might even expect them to send gifts to keep things peaceful.’

‘This world has gone crazy!’

He was about to speak when the envoy from the Terahara family suddenly spoke first.

"Naruto-sama, the Terahara family also prepared a modest gift from the Fire Temple. We hope Naruto-sama will accept it as a gesture of goodwill."

After that, a group of people came in from outside, carrying ornate, antique-looking boxes. They lined up on both sides and opened them.

Once opened, the box was filled with wooden treasures such as prayer beads, along with a few gemstones… gifts steeped in spiritual significance and high status.

"The Fire Temple? What’s your connection with them?" Naruto asked while leaning back in his chair.

"Our Terahara family has a deep connection with the Fire Temple, and the head of our family has been a longtime friend of Chiriku-sama. This batch of gifts was also chosen based on Chiriku-sama’s advice."

"Oh, Chiriku? So he was the one who chose it… no wonder they’re so ugly." Naruto said casually.

When the envoy from the Terahara family heard this, his heart skipped a beat, ‘This person also had a close relationship with Chiriku-sama’s?’

Then, his expression became even more respectful.

"Alright, I’ll accept them." Naruto stood and casually waved his hand, putting the pile of gifts into the sealed space. After all, they’re perfect to be given out to others next time.

After doing all this, he glanced casually and happened to see the middle-aged fat man with an awkward expression across the long table. At this moment, he was sweating profusely and cursing wildly in his heart.

"And you are?" Naruto asked.

"I-I’m from the Fukama family. Our family head also sends his regards to you." The fat man swallowed his saliva and said, "Our family head...he..."

"Our Fukama family share close ties with the Sarutobi Clan. Our family head once worked with Sandaime Hokage…"

"Oh, Sandaime, huh?" Naruto's eyelids twitched and he looked behind him with a puzzled look, "So, did you bring a gift too?"

“Gulp.”

The fat man swallowed awkwardly, ‘Gift? What gift? No one had told me that attending a meeting to discuss criminal accusations required gifts!’

Fukama family’s head didn't prepare anything either. He sent the envoy here in a hurry and just told him to get there before the other two families. He was also told to be polite and don’t cause trouble.

He came in such a hurry that Naruto was still in the capital. The other two families arrived late, also empty-handed but looking arrogant… But who knew it was a lie!