As Kurotsuchi looked at the blond bastard's inhuman and playful expression, she immediately understood that this person wasn't just bluffing.
"What do you mean by 'I'? I can only say this much. Anything more would be rude." Naruto spread his hands and said shamelessly, "As for how to choose, it's up to you."
"Don't worry, I'm a very principled person and I won't interfere with your choice. Just follow your heart and don't worry about me."
When Naruto said this, Kurotsuchi didn't even bother hiding her disgust for him.
"What the hell do you want from me?" She could no longer bear it and finally stopped pretending. She glared at Naruto and asked angrily.
"Huh? Wasn't what I just said already clear enough?" Naruto looked genuinely puzzled, "Just become a follower of the Jashin, and I won't interfere with anything else."
"Really?" A flicker of doubt crossed Kurotsuchi's face.
"Of course. I swear on my teacher's name." Naruto said it like it was nothing, "You may not believe in my character, but you have heard of Jiraiya, one of the Sannin, right?"
"Sannin?" She hesitated a little, "Not only have I heard of it, they're legendary."
She thought about it for a while and felt that no one their own teacher's reputation as collateral to do bad things. So after hesitating for a moment, she nodded, "Fine. It's a deal."
"Great. I, Uchiha… Oops, sorry, force of habit." Naruto was a little embarrassed, 'I'm now using my main account, not my secondary account.'
"Ahem. Let me rephrase… I, Uzumaki Naruto, will never go back on my word."
Hearing this, Kurotsuchi relaxed slightly. She had never thought about whether to try to fight, as it was obvious that she stood no chance. Since she just believed in an insignificant Jashin, she might as well believe in it.
As for the so-called Jashinism, according to her understanding, most of the believers didn't gain any special powers.
She thought that nothing would change anyway, and she would still be herself, so she just agreed to it directly as she's still under her control.
She can just deal with the rest after getting out of here.
That was her plan, so she didn't resist the pull of the Jashin's followers. Everything went very smoothly, unnaturally smooth, in fact.
Everything was thanks to Kurotsuchi's cooperation.
With a ding, a panel about Kurotsuchi popped up.
When Naruto heard the sound, he immediately glanced at it.
[Kurotsuchi]
[Iwagakure - Jonin - Female - 18 years old]
[Jashin's Follower - Controllable (Options Hidden)]
[Talent: Lava Release]
[Evaluation: Leg Kage.]
Naruto skimmed through the panel, and his eyes lingered on the last line for a moment, thinking that this system evaluation was really pertinent.
Not only was it refined, but it was also becoming more and more accurate.
Kurotsuchi's overall strength is not exceptional, but her Kekkei Genkai was outstanding. Not all Kekkei Genkai had to be as broken as Dust Release to be considered impressive, as just being able to use them flexibly is already outstanding.
After all, monsters and geniuses weren't exactly common, and simply having a Kekkei Genkai put her miles ahead of ordinary Shinobi.
Moreover, Kurotsuchi has the blessing of resources from being Tsuchikage's granddaughter and possesses three Chakra Attributes: Earth, Water, and Fire.
From another perspective, she's genius girl with three Chakra Attributes, a Kekkei Genkai, and no obvious weaknesses.
To some extent, she's already a leader among the younger generation.
But Naruto valued Kurotsuchi's identity more than her ability. The granddaughter of Onoki, the future Tsuchikage, a woman who could sway the Land of Earth.
Those three factors combined made her invaluable. It can only be said that Naruto had hit the jackpot this time, as he only exchanged one position of Jashin's follower for the entire Iwagakure.
Not only that, it also advanced the progress of the taskline.
As long as the contract with the Jashin's followers is signed, it means that Kurotsuchi will never be able to get rid of Naruto. Not only can she not leak any information about him, but she'd also have to obey his commands.
Although she'd still have her freedom most of the time, as long as Naruto's interests are involved, everything will be carried out according to his wishes.
As the ritual completed, Kurotsuchi looked down at herself and touched her face again, and found that nothing seemed to have happened, so she felt relieved.
But the next second, Naruto shattered her peace with a single sentence.
"This is a semi-slavery contract. You can't refuse any reasonable demand I make."
"What?!" She turned her head suddenly and glared at Naruto, "Didn't you just say that you wouldn't interfere in my affairs? You're going back on your word?!"
"No, I didn't intend to interfere with you. I'm just explaining the contract." Naruto smiled, "Don't worry, I never break my promises."
"Outside of the contract, I will never interfere with your freedom. If I need something, I'll just use the contract to enforce my rights."
"You shameless bastard!" She cursed angrily.
"Well, I won't waste my time talking to you anymore. Goodbye." Naruto ran away decisively. His consciousness immediately exited the sealed space.
After looking around and found no danger, he opened the Gate of the Underworld again and set the coordinates not far from Iwagakure.
With a space jump, he emerged behind a boulder.
The next second, Kurotsuchi was released from the sealed space.
"There's no point in saying more. Just go back and think about it slowly." Naruto's tone was now a little impatient, showing a completely different expression from before, which the perfect epitome of hit it and quit it.
Kurotsuchi left without a word. She could feel Naruto's presence now, lingering in the back of her mind no matter how far she ran.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly ran towards the Iwagakure.
…
Land of Rice Fields.
In one of Orochimaru's abandoned hideouts, a half-human, half-serpent shadow slithered across the damp stone walls. A rustling sound echoed in the cave, like the sound of some kind of scales scraping against the ground.
"Heh... Hehehe…!! I did it! I did it!"
A crazy voice sounded, and the shadow of the man and snake twisted wildly. The robes were removed to reveal a pale face half-covered in serpentine scales. This figure's pupils turned vertical.
"I did it!"