Chapter 324: The Ninja Act
Hokage's Office.
As Naruto was discussing matters with Shikamaru, he frowned upon hearing an explosion outside. "What was that?"
"Hokage-sama, there was an explosion at the Konoha Bank," an Anbu ninja appeared and reported respectfully. "We're still investigating the details."
Naruto and Shikamaru exchanged a look, then opened the window and left—one after the other.
Konoha Bank.
"It's the Hokage—Hokage-sama is here..."
The crowd looked at Naruto as he arrived.
Naruto landed from the rooftop and saw a red Susanoo.
"Shuyu?" Naruto looked toward the ruins of the Konoha Bank where Shuyu, Boruto, and Sarada stood within the protective shell of the Susanoo. "What happened here?"
"Lord Seventh..."
Sarada looked at Naruto, her expression conflicted with guilt and hesitation.
"It was me..." Boruto, standing to the side, spoke up on his own. "Because I acted without permission, the explosion happened, and it resulted in the deaths of the hostages..."
"Boruto..."
Naruto stared at his son with a complex expression. Just then, Sakura arrived with personnel from the Konoha Hospital.
"Naruto!"
"Sakura, you're here."
"Yeah." Sakura nodded, then turned to Sarada. "Sarada, why are you here too?"
"Mom, I..."
"Sakura, tend to the wounded first," Naruto interrupted.
"Understood."
Sakura nodded again.
"Shikamaru, I'm leaving this to you," Naruto said, then turned to Boruto, Shuyu, and Sarada. "You three—come with me to the Hokage Building."
Several days passed since the explosion at Konoha Bank.
Because it involved the son of the Seventh Hokage, public discussions gradually died down—not out of forgiveness, but more like the eerie calm before a storm. Everyone was simply waiting for an official response from the village authorities.
"Naruto, the sun's still not out today."
Though the bad weather had stopped, dark clouds still loomed over Konoha.
"Yeah."
Naruto gave a short reply. He had been in a low mood for days. On one side, real lives had been lost; on the other, the perpetrator was his own son. Naruto had no idea how to deal with it.
"Naruto..."
Shikamaru was about to speak when the office door suddenly burst open. Konohamaru rushed in.
"Hokage-sama, Boruto... Boruto has left the village...!"
"What?!"
Naruto shot up from his chair and instantly entered Sage Mode, trying to locate Boruto's chakra.
"Naruto, calm down," Shikamaru placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Boruto likely just didn't want to put you in a difficult position. What we need to do now is label him a rogue ninja to reassure the villagers—and in the meantime, send someone trustworthy to bring him back secretly."
"Leave bringing him back to me," Konohamaru said, thumping his chest. "Hokage—no, Naruto-nii, I swear I'll bring your son back safely."
"We're going too." Sarada suddenly appeared at the door, Shuyu standing beside her. "We won't let Boruto bear the consequences alone!"
Naruto hesitated, then nodded. "I suppose it can't be helped."
Right now, the atmosphere in the village was incredibly hostile toward Shuyu, Sarada, and Boruto. Shuyu might not care, but Boruto and Sarada couldn't handle it.
Though no villagers said anything aloud, the way they looked at them was far more painful. It would've been easier to bear if people had just shouted at them instead.
Allowing Sarada and Shuyu to leave the village to find Boruto wasn't just about the search—it was also a way to get them out of the public eye for now.
Land of Fire.
Feudal Lord's Residence.
The feudal lord of the Land of Fire stood respectfully off to the side. Clone No. 4 of Gray Wolf looked toward the blackened version of Shunhi seated in the main seat and said, "Looks like your plan failed. Who would've thought Konoha would react this quickly."
"No matter. I've got plenty of plans. We can take our time," the corrupted Shunhi said indifferently. Then he turned his gaze to the controlled Feudal Lord of the Land of Fire. "It's time to publicly announce the Ninja Act."
Konoha Village.
Recently, news of the Ninja Act began spreading throughout the village. The act proposed that all information about Konoha's ninjas be submitted to the feudal lord of the Land of Fire. Additionally, officials appointed by the feudal lord would oversee mission assignments. Naturally, if any civilian deaths occurred due to mistakes during a mission, the feudal lord would also offer additional financial compensation as part of a penalty for inadequate oversight.
When it came to the Ninja Act, villagers and ninjas had drastically different opinions. Most villagers supported it, while the majority of ninjas opposed it.
Though ninjas only made up 30% of Konoha's population, their presence was the reason Konoha was known as a ninja village rather than just another town. In that sense, the opinions of ninjas sometimes mattered more.
"I heard the Hokage is going to approve the Ninja Act..."
"No way I'd ever agree to that! Handing over ninja intel to the feudal lord... If that information leaks, it could cost us our lives!"
"Yeah, I feel the same. But in the end, it'll all depend on what the Hokage decides."
"Why don't we ask Lord Uchiha Sasuke for help?"
As Konoha faced crisis after crisis from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Ability Beasts, Sasuke had repeatedly helped Naruto save the village. Word of his deeds gradually spread.
The man most trusted by the Seventh Hokage—equal in strength to Naruto himself. A man who quietly protected the village in repentance.
Uchiha Household.
It was Sasuke's day off. As Sakura hung laundry while worrying about Sarada, she heard the doorbell ring.
When she opened the door, she saw two unfamiliar ninjas.
"Is Lord Uchiha Sasuke home?"
"Sasuke-sama?" Though confused by their use of "Lord," Sakura didn't dwell on it since the two seemed respectful. "No, Sasuke's been really busy lately. Is there something you need?"
The two glanced at each other, then one of them said, "It's about the Ninja Act."
"I've heard about the Ninja Act too..." As a ninja herself, Sakura naturally cared about the issue. "All I can say is—I hope everyone trusts Naruto's judgment. If there's one person who would never harm the village, it's him."
"Of course we trust the Hokage," one of them began, "it's just..."
But the other reached out and stopped him from saying more.