The next day.
"Stop following me, I really don't want to change." Naruto looked at Konan behind him helplessly, "I'm serious, I swear to God."
"Yeah, I know." Konan replied.
"If you know, then why are you still following me?" Naruto was exasperated and turned to look at Konan.
He wanted to go out yesterday, but when he thought of Konan in the village, he lost the desire to go out. He ended up eating instant noodles at home all day. Yet, the next day, she still managed to corner him.
"The power of the Rinnegan is too great. Only you can control it." Konan still looked the same, and then added, "This is also Nagato's wish. He wanted you to inherit this power."
"I can't handle it. Can't you give it to someone else?" Naruto said earnestly.
He really hadn'texpected Nagato to leave him such a 'legacy'. While the Rinnegan is indeed a good thing, it is also a hot potato.
'It's that old bastard Uchiha Madara's eyes, and once Nagato died, every faction would be after them. Damn it… Whoever took them would never have peace. Not to mention, it wasn't like plugging in a USB plug-and-play device.'
If it were just for a trial run, Naruto wouldn't mind.
"No. Nagato said..." Konan shook her head, and said with a firm look, "It can only be you, Uzumaki Naruto."
'Damn it!'
"I really don't get what you guys are thinking. I don't want it, is that okay?" Naruto was getting impatient, "Who in their right mind would want to swap their eyes? Just drop it already."
"But…"
Naruto didn't have the patience to listen anymore, so he waved his hand and walked away. There was no room for negotiation. It didn't matter who ended up with those eyes, as long as it wasn't him.
He didn't need that little powerup, not to mention that Obito must be looking for this pair of eyes all over the world.
Accepting them now, no matter the reason, would be like taking chestnuts from the fire.
The best course of action was to stay out of it. Eventually, those eyes would return to their original owner. Moreover, if Obito didn't get the Rinnegan, Naruto wouldn't even know how to get back at him.
Konan silently watched Naruto's angry retreating figure. She stood still for a while before letting out a soft sigh, 'Fine. If that's how it is, then so be it.'
That afternoon, Konan left Konoha.
By evening, Yugao had arrived at Naruto's living room to relay the news. Hearing it, Naruto didn't react much and just shrugged.
"You don't seem the least bit concerned about the Rinnegan's whereabouts?" This time, Yugao didn't leave immediately. Instead, she took a seat on the couch.
"Well, the greater the power, the more trouble follows." Naruto lay down on the couch beside her and looked up at the white ceiling, "I don't lack strength. One more power won't make a difference, and losing one won't either."
"Sometimes, when you say things like that, it sounds like you're showing off." Yugao's expression was a little complicated.
"Huh?" Naruto yawned, "That's not what I meant. You know me, I don't like trouble. It's just that I have no choice, and I always end up tangled in it."
"So, I instinctively avoid trouble to keep from sinking deeper into the quagmire. Like right now, while Rinnegan is very strong, it also makes you a target."
"There are too many people who want those eyes. It's not the thieves you fear, but the ones constantly scheming. I can't spend my whole life living in fear, becoming the village's 'Rinnegan's Jinchuriki', can I?"
"Rinnegan's Jinchuriki? That's an interesting way to put it." She chuckled.
"Kyubi is also very powerful. But have you ever seen me covet it?" Naruto rolled his eyes. "If possible, I wish I'd never had anything to do with the Kyubi in the first place."
"That's true. Most of the trouble you've faced has been tied to the Kyubi." Yugao nodded and said, "In fact, the moment I learned about the Rinnegan, I wanted those eyes for myself."
"Revenge?" He glanced at Yugao.
"Not really… it's just an obsession in my heart." She looked up and said with emotion, "Time really dulls so many things. I can barely remember his face now."
"Hayate probably never imagined that after his death, Sunagakure and Konoha would form an alliance. In fact, hardly anyone remembers him and no one thinks his death was unjust."
"Others can forget, but I can't. There aren't many left who remember him. If I stay silent, then there was no point in fighting for anything in the first place, let alone sit in this position."
"Back then, I couldn't even say what I was fighting for. I just drowned myself in work to numb the pain. But looking back now, while the hatred is gone, the obsession remains."
"Have you known each other since childhood?" Naruto suddenly asked.
"Yeah." She nodded.
"So you two are childhood sweethearts?"
"I guess so. We've basically never been apart since we were little." Yugao reminisced, "We knew each other too well. Letting go... was never an option."
"The village couldn't give him justice, but I won't blame the village. This is our own choice. This is what a Shinobi should do. Even if we die nameless, we must keep walking on our Ninja Way."
"But?" he prompted.
"But I want to give Hayate justice. In my own way." Yugao said.
"You can't." Naruto said quietly, looking at the ceiling.
"I can!"
"You can't." He sounded impatient now.
"I can!" Yuugao insisted stubbornly, though a flicker of conflict flashed in her eyes, "I just want an answer. He didn't deserve to die for nothing."
"Isn't that the village's fault, then?" Naruto sat up abruptly, "You refuse to blame the village, yet you want to kill Baki. Isn't that contradictory?"
"I could go kill him alone!" Yugao said calmly.
"Huh?" Naruto asked, spreading his hands and looking at her in astonishment, "Are you kidding me? Sneak into the Sunagakure, a village you don't even know, and assassinate the Kazekage's teacher without alerting the Kazekage himself?"
"Then what do you think I should do?" Yugao turned her head to look at him, her lips pressed tight, her face a little pale, "What else can I do?"
Hearing this, Naruto frowned. He thought for a moment, and then said seriously, "If I were you, I would put the blame everything on the Sandaime Hokage. It's a pity that Sandaime has died for the village. So, I'd bide my time, get stronger, and wait for the right moment to strike."
"And finish it in one move."
"The right moment?" Yugao looked at Naruto with a smile on her face but bitterness in her eyes, "Are you trying to comfort me?"
"No." Naruto shook his head. He stared into the eyes of Yugao, who was sitting on the sofa opposite, and asked in a deep voice, "Haven't you realized it yet?"
"What?" She was slightly stunned.
"The calm before the storm. When has something like the Rinnegan ever been passed around like a cheap commodity?" Naruto grinned.
"With the Rinnegan, the entire Shinobi World can be overturned. The danger it possessed is no less than any Shinobi World War. What makes you think peace will last forever?"
"Th-That's..." Yugao's pupils dilated slightly as the realization hit her.
'When a weapon of mass destruction appears, chaos follows.'
'History always repeats itself. Since the Shinobi World can fight over the Biju, why wouldn't they go to war over eyes capable of reshaping the world?'
'The chaotic times will not be too far away, and Baki, the Elite Jonin of Sunagakure, wouldn't stay holed up in his village forever.'
After taking this all in, Yugao couldn't help but take a deep breath. Then, she looked at Naruto, stood up and bowed solemnly, "Thank you, Naruto."
"Yeah." He nodded and accepted it without hesitation.
Before long, Yugao left. Naruto flopped back onto the couch, watching the darkening sky through the window, and couldn't help but grinned.
He was also waiting, waiting for the wind to come.
Kurama peeked in from the balcony, and didn't notice Naruto at first. But when he looked up and saw Naruto grinning eerily, he instinctively shrank back.