[As that group of silent Ninjas departed, the news of Kusagakure being wiped out in a single night spread like a blooming flower.]
[At the same time, the Uzumaki patterns dyed red with the blood of Kusagakure were also spread abroad.]
[The Uzumaki Clan... has returned to the Ninja World for revenge!]
[At first, the Ninjas only treated it as the nonsense of a group of madmen.]
[Until... more and more Ninja squads went to Kusagakure seeking revenge.]
[The abnormality of Kusagakure... the paralyzed'security system'... the missing intelligence-brokering Ninjas of Kusagakure.]
[And... those innocent civilians of Kusagakure who had escaped with their lives and survived the disaster finally dared to show their faces.]
[But even so, no one still knew exactly what happened that night.]
[Most of these innocent villagers of Kusagakure... had encountered and received the same treatment as the mother and daughter, Uzumaki Mina and Uzumaki Karin.]
[That was why they weren't caught in the crossfire.]
[Information about Uzumaki Mina and Uzumaki Karin was also exposed.]
[Many people identified them as survivors of the Uzumaki Clan from back then.]
[They just hadn't expected that they had actually ended up in Kusagakure.]
[And were treated in such a manner.]
[No wonder the Uzumaki Clan came seeking revenge.]
[Of course, there were also those 'civilians' of Kusagakure who escaped; although their plight wasn't as tragic as Uzumaki Mina and Uzumaki Karin's, they were still treated like slaves...]
[What everyone found regrettable was that, besides knowing the situation of Uzumaki Mina and Uzumaki Karin, they didn't know much about the events of that night.]
[But... it still made countless Ninjas turn pale with fear.]
[That night, the surviving 'civilians' of Kusagakure looked back during their escape and saw a blood-red, massive rectangular Barrier that seemed to be burning...]
[The Four Red Yang Formation!]
[In other words, among those who acted that night, there were as many as four Kage-level Ninjas!]
[They were even used to activate the Four Red Yang Formation Barrier...]
[Then... how strong was the Uzumaki Clan that night?!]
[Back then, it took the gathering of most of the top powers to make the Land of Whirlpools fall in a single night... Now that the Uzumaki Clan is fighting back, seeing the Uzumaki Clan crests all over the ground, everyone knows the Uzumaki Clan is back for revenge.]
[Panic!]
[The mere mention of the Four Red Yang Formation in these fragments was enough for the Five Great Ninja Villages to take it seriously.]
[What's more for those small countries and villages?]
[This news, as if it had grown wings, quickly spread throughout the Ninja World.]
[Unease and fear quietly crept into the hearts of many Ninjas.]
[Of course, many Ninjas also laughed and cursed, saying that rumors stop with the wise.]
[For no other reason than the fact that these things being spread were simply too inconceivable.]
[However, when the scouting Ninjas from various factions returned and brought back definite intelligence about Kusagakure, the Ninjas all fell silent.]
[Only... soon, the gazes of the higher-ups uncontrollably shifted toward the Land of Grass.]
[The danger was seen.]
[The profit was also seen!]
[Afterward, a large number of Ninjas poured into the Land of Grass, which no longer had Kusagakure.]
[Competing for interests... naturally, small-scale wars were unavoidable.]
[Their sense of smell was sharp, their movements fast, and they were very bold... but the risk was equally high; if targeted by the Uzumaki Clan, they could very well be the next Kusagakure.]
[Of course, the profits were also so great that these Ninjas ignored the risks.]
[A pity.]
[No matter how fast they were or how much they invested, it was useless.]
[...]
Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: "Now... the Chunin Joint Examination... no, the Konoha Crush Plan prepared by Little Snake, will probably have its attention diverted."
Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: "Then... does Black-framed Naruto-kun count as a savior in another way?"
Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju: "After all, Sunagakure might use this to start a Great Ninja War... and then Black-framed Naruto-kun starts a Great Ninja War later... do the merits and faults cancel each other out?"
Orochimaru: "I disagree. Where is the fault?"
[In the blink of an eye.]
[The deadline for the second stage of the Chunin Joint Examination reached its final day.]
[The Rookie 9 arrived at the house early.]
[Naruto glanced out the window.]
[Because of the Kusagakure incident.]
[The date of Wife Izumi's return had to be delayed quite a bit.]
[Naruto wasn't in a hurry either.]
[In fact, if he wanted to, Naruto could directly go find Wife Izumi most of the time.]
[However, he was refused by Wife Izumi every time.]
[She was afraid... afraid that if she saw Naruto, she wouldn't want to leave again.]
[Furthermore, if Wife Izumi could handle everything regarding the Kusagakure incident using the assets from the Land of Waves without seeking his help...]
[Then, in the future, Naruto could feel at ease giving her even more responsibility.]
[This was also Wife Izumi's own request.]
[After all... she knew quite a lot.]
[She could also imagine how the future would be.]
[So, planning ahead, she would definitely have to fight for the position of the primary wife in the future.]
["Karin... is she okay?" Hinata asked softly.]
[Naruto rubbed her small head, "She's fine."]
["She's just too tired, and the shock she received was quite large... Of course, everything is moving in a good direction."]
["Karin will wake up on her own after a while."]
["By then, most of her depleted Life Essence will have recovered."]
["Mhm~" Hinata nodded cutely, her pretty face flushed red.]
["Alright, it's about time. Otherwise, we'll be late."]
["Okay."]
[The two left the bedroom and then headed toward the Central Tower of the Forest of Death along with The Rookie 9.]
[Before long.]
[Inside the Central Tower of the Forest of Death.]
[The Konoha Twelve Small Strongs all arrived.]
[Then they entered the dojo of the Central Tower.]
[Naruto specifically slowed his pace.]
[As expected.]
[He saw that petite figure.]
[Hydrangea was also taken aback when she saw Naruto.]
[Naruto gave her a gentle smile.]
[Hydrangea's footsteps paused, she was dazed for a moment, and then a blush appeared on her small face.]
[Hydrangea herself didn't know why.]
[Having not seen him for a few days, she felt the blonde big brother in front of her seemed to have become even more handsome.]
[His smile was as reassuring as ever.]
["Congratulations to you all for passing the second stage of the examination."]
[Just then.]
[The proctor guarding the dojo entrance appeared before everyone.]
["The second stage of the examination is over."]
["Those who didn't pass the assessment, come along as well."]
["After the subsequent matters are concluded, you will leave with everyone else."]
[After saying that, the proctor stole a glance at Naruto, a flash of fanatical light appearing in his eyes.]
[Then he turned around and led the group into the dojo.]
[Naruto: "..."]
["Great Fox, explain. What kind of thoughts did you instill in them?"]
["What kind of thoughts? The Will of Fire, of course~" The Great Fox replied with a bit of a guilty conscience.]
[Naruto: "..."]
[The nefarious Will of Fire.]
[He shook his head helplessly. Since things had reached this point, there was nothing he could do.]
[Besides, it wasn't anything very serious.]
[As long as the Great Fox found it fun, it was fine.]