Compared to escorting Orochimaru to some hotel, Naruto firmly believed that making friends at the village entrance held far greater importance.
Yes, the older sister in the cherry blossom kimono standing before him was undeniably beautiful. But he would never sacrifice the greater goal for such a small distraction. Making friends was the priority. Everything else came second.
Just as Naruto was preparing to politely but firmly refuse the escort request, Sasuke appeared in a flash of displaced air, materializing directly in front of them.
The moment Sasuke arrived, he took in the scene with sharp eyes. Naruto's expression showed clear discomfort and awkwardness. Meanwhile, the young woman standing nearby looked pitiful and helpless, as if Naruto had done something terribly wrong to her.
In reality, Sasuke had sensed Orochimaru's chakra signature on his way here through the Flying Thunder God mark. The instant he'd gotten close enough, recognition had struck like lightning.
That woman in the cherry blossom kimono is Orochimaru! Sasuke's mind raced. Orochimaru and Naruto? What happened before I arrived? Also, why is Orochimaru disguised as a woman? What's his angle here?
However, now definitely wasn't the time to expose Orochimaru's deception. Because truthfully? Sasuke really, really wanted to watch Naruto suffer some small embarrassment at Orochimaru's hands. Just thinking about Naruto's potential discomfort made Sasuke want to smile.
It would be so satisfying. Like drinking ice-cold water on a hot summer morning. Refreshing and invigorating straight through to the bones.
"Sasuke, your timing is perfect!" Naruto immediately grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him aside for a private conference. In quick, hushed tones, Naruto explained what had just happened. He concluded with, "She's a foreigner visiting our village. Regardless of who bumped into whom, it wouldn't be right to just abandon her here. But if you expect me to escort her back to her hotel, there's simply no time. I still need to get to the village entrance to make friends with all those visiting ninja."
Hearing Naruto's explanation, Sasuke immediately understood what was being asked of him. "You mean you want ME to take her back to the hotel?"
Naruto nodded earnestly. "I'm really going to need your help with this one, Sasuke-kun."
Sasuke's original intention had been to watch Naruto squirm under Orochimaru's manipulations. How could he possibly interfere now, right when Naruto was about to hand him the perfect opportunity to suffer? Thinking this through, Sasuke shook his head decisively. "Naruto, YOU were the one who bumped into that person. So YOU should be the one to escort her. That's what sincerity looks like. Having me do it instead would be completely inappropriate and insincere."
"Sasuke." Naruto's voice dropped to a flat, expressionless tone. "Look at my chest."
When Sasuke heard those words, his eyes automatically dropped to Naruto's pectoral muscles. They were twitching. Individual muscle fibers rippling beneath the skin in a way that promised imminent violence.
Sasuke's survival instincts kicked in immediately. He spoke rapidly, hands raised in surrender. "I'll do it! I'll take her! Of course I will! Please, calm down. The world is so beautiful, but you're being so aggressive right now. That's not good. Not good at all..."
Seeing that Sasuke had agreed willingly (under threat), Naruto's expression immediately brightened. He pulled Sasuke over to where Orochimaru waited and addressed the disguised Sannin with genuine apology.
"Miss, I truly have urgent business that prevents me from escorting you personally. I feel terrible about this, and I sincerely apologize."
Naruto gestured toward his friend. "However, to express my regret, this is my friend, Uchiha Sasuke. He's an extremely trustworthy person. You can ask anyone in Konoha. The Uchiha clan has always been known for honor and reliability. He'll escort you safely to your hotel."
Orochimaru looked at Sasuke, and his expression shifted to one of poorly concealed disappointment. His original target had been Naruto exclusively. If Naruto had followed him back to the hotel, Orochimaru would have found ways to maneuver the boy into a compromising position, then obtained the genetic samples he desperately needed.
But Sasuke? What use was Sasuke to him?
The boy didn't possess any longevity methods. Getting his genetic material would be utterly pointless for Orochimaru's current goals.
However, observing Naruto's determined expression, it became abundantly clear that changing the boy's mind would be nearly impossible. Naruto had set his course, and that course led away from hotels and toward the village entrance.
Thinking this through, Orochimaru chose not to show discouragement. The future held countless opportunities. One setback meant nothing.
After dedicating most of his life to immortality research, overcoming obstacles far greater than this, Orochimaru knew better than to expect instant results. Obtaining Naruto's longevity secrets in one encounter? That only happened in dreams.
So Orochimaru nodded gracefully and said, "That's fine, but I don't believe I caught your name yet."
Seeing Orochimaru accept the arrangement, Naruto released a breath of relief. His name was easy enough to provide. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I'll visit you once I've finished my business at the village entrance, I promise."
Orochimaru nodded. Of course he already knew Naruto's name. But this response served the performance, the careful dance of social interaction. He needed to reciprocate by providing his own name. An alias, naturally. "My name is Tsukisha Hime."
"Let's go, Tsukisha-san. I'll escort you to your hotel." Without further ceremony, Sasuke took Orochimaru's hand and began leading him away with businesslike efficiency.
Watching Sasuke escort the mysterious Miss Tsukisha away, Naruto noted that while Sasuke's manner wasn't particularly gentlemanly or warm, at least he was getting the job done. The woman would reach her destination safely, and Naruto could focus on what really mattered.
With that concern resolved, Naruto turned and walked purposefully toward the village entrance.
It was still quite early in the morning. According to normal protocol, Konoha would provide breakfast hospitality to all the teachers and students from other hidden villages who had come for the Chunin Exams. The visiting ninja would depart for their respective homes only after this final meal.
So at this moment, they were probably still eating breakfast in one of the village's dining halls.
But Naruto didn't mind arriving early to wait for them. It demonstrated how much he valued these potential friendships. Punctuality showed respect.
The moment he reached the village entrance, an orange blur suddenly launched itself from a nearby haystack. The small fox bounded through the air and landed perfectly in Naruto's arms.
It was the Kurama, of course.
Naruto caught him easily, gently stroking the soft fur on top of Nine-Tails' head. "Thank you for your hard work, standing guard all night Kurama."
"It wasn't hard at all." The Nine-Tails shook his head, his tails swishing behind him with satisfaction. He clearly took pride in completing his assigned duty.
"By the way, Kurama, was anyone in a hurry to leave last night?" Naruto asked, his tone casual but curious.
The Nine-Tails nodded vigorously. "Actually, yes! There were three people who tried to sneak out of the village last night. But I knocked them unconscious. They're right over there."
After speaking, the Nine-Tails hopped down from Naruto's arms and led him to a specific spot near the guard station.
Following the fox's guidance, Naruto looked down and felt profound relief wash through him. Thank goodness he'd had the foresight to station the Nine-Tails here overnight. Otherwise, he might have lost three potential friends!
Three ninja lay sprawled unconscious on the ground, one female and two males. Each one sported a massive flesh-colored lump on their head, swollen and tender-looking. Clearly the Nine-Tails had used his preferred weapon—a brick—to put them to sleep.
These three ninja were quite familiar to Naruto. They comprised the Sound Village trio: Zaku, Dosu, and Kin. Back in the Forest of Death during the second exam, Naruto had actually proposed making friends with all three of them. But they'd refused his offer.
Therefore, Naruto had been forced to simply take their scrolls instead. Yet despite losing those crucial items, this group had somehow still managed to pass the second stage of testing. Their performance undeniably demonstrated real skill and determination.
However, whether they possessed strength or not wasn't what concerned Naruto. He only cared about one thing: it seemed increasingly clear that the Sound trio genuinely didn't want to become his friends.
First, they'd rejected him outright in the Forest of Death. Then last night, they'd chosen to flee Konoha Village under cover of darkness rather than face him this morning. These actions sufficiently demonstrated that the trio actively resisted the idea of befriending Naruto.
This puzzled Naruto deeply. Was he not good enough? Obviously not. His excellence was self-evident.
Therefore, the only possible explanation was that the trio had been somehow blinded to his positive qualities. They simply couldn't perceive his excellence clearly enough.
So what Naruto needed to do was help them see. Help them recognize his outstanding nature so they'd willingly choose friendship.
This was actually quite simple. It required friendly sparring. A vigorous exchange of martial spirit.
Normal people could discover Naruto's excellence after just one friendly discussion. The process typically led them to enthusiastically embrace friendship afterward.
But clearly, the Sound ninja trio wouldn't be satisfied with just one session. They'd need at least two rounds of friendly discussion. Possibly three. Only then would they truly appreciate Naruto's exceptional qualities.
Yes, that made perfect sense!
Naruto looked down at the three unconscious ninja with renewed determination. When they woke up, their education would begin in earnest.