In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

"Pervy Sage took on another disciple?" Naruto exclaimed in shock, "If our paths diverge that much, I might have to leave the master's teachings behind."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

Tsunade said while supporting herself with her hands. Naruto's joking had caused her to feel tired, and she nearly forgot what she had intended to discuss.

"Jiraiya sent a message, saying that he is currently tied up and can't get away. His rough location is in the Land of Hot Water, and he asked you to meet up with him there and prepare for an investigation into the Land of Rain."

"The Land of Hot Water? Isn't that a place where hot girls go to soak in hot springs?" Naruto said with a complicated expression, "He's tied up? Could he possibly be..."

He thought to himself, 'That old pervert's behavior is becoming more and more questionable. Could it be he's fallen so low that he's trying that he wanted drag his disciple down with him? No way, I have my principles.'

Tsunade couldn't listen any more, mainly because she felt that Jiraiya might indeed be the type to do something like that. But she also didn't believe that either of the master and apprentice could be a good person, so she said impatiently, "Do you want me to send someone to escort you, or are you going on your own?"

"I don't know the way." Naruto spread his hands and said.

"Fine, I'll send someone to guide you." Tsunade decided, though she added with a frown, "It's okay that Jiraiya is always dishonest, but you'd better behave yourself."

Hearing this, Sakura, who stood behind Tsunade, stifled a giggle and made a playful gesture, licking her lips as she looked at Naruto.

Naruto's lips twitched as he thought, 'Wow, Tsunade really worries too much. My power has already surpassed that of Pervy Sage. It seemed Mount Myoboku and Shikkotsu Forest should both change their masters now.'

'When I see Jiraiya again, I should ask him to call me Naruto Sage.'

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." He responded very sincerely.

"Naruto, I'll be responsible for your escort mission. Just call me Yamato." said a tall, calm-looking man, whose face was partly hidden behind a mask similar to that of Tobirama's.

"Why is it you?" Naruto asked as he looked up and down at the elegant and easy-going Yamato.

The man had short brown hair, wore the same mask as Tobirama, and was dressed in a black combat suit beneath a green Jonin vest. He's the Shinobi who is famous for his Wood Release, Yamato.

"You know me?"

Yamato was confused. He had only recently been given the codename by Tsunade. Not Before that, he had been working in the Anbu under the alias 'Tenzo'.

"Ah, I got the wrong person. You look too much like Kakashi-sensei." Naruto quickly improvised.

"Really? Haha, you're the first to say I look like Kakashi-senpai." Yamato chuckled, seemingly pleased, "We'll be working together a lot from now on."

"Alright." Naruto smiled back.

After a brief preparation, the two set off without much further conversation, heading toward the Land of Hot Water. Yamato was an easy-going companion, though he wasn't much of a talker.

Naruto, who had been hoping for a bodyguard, wasn't surprised by Yamato's presence. In fact, it made the journey much easier for him.

Even when they camped out in the wilderness, Naruto found himself sleeping comfortably in a wooden house that Yamato had constructed. With Yamato around, who would want to sleep in the open?

After meeting Jiraiya, who knows what kind of ditch he will have to sleep in while carrying out missions. Being a practical person, Naruto planned to enjoy his comforts while they lasted.

Although Naruto didn't talk much along the way, whenever an opportunity arose to praise Yamato, he didn't hesitate to offer compliments. It was just a matter of words, and it didn't cost him any money.

That night, a sudden rainstorm hit the forest.

The downpour was accompanied by fierce winds and flashes of lightning, sounding like a hundred ghosts wailing.

Naruto watched as large trees were snapped in half and came crashing down, but Yamato's wooden house stood firm, unmoved like an anchor in the storm. This only deepened Naruto's respect for Yamato's abilities.

The next morning, after a good night's sleep, Naruto woke to find the forest freshly washed by the rain. The vibrant green of the foliage spread out in all directions, and the air was filled with the earthy scent of damp soil.

"Captain Yamato, how far are we from the Land of Hot Water?" Naruto asked.

"Not much farther. If we don't take breaks, we'll reach it in about a day." Yamato thought Naruto was eager to meet up with Jiraiya, so he said after thinking for a moment.

In reality, Naruto just didn't want to leave the comfort of Yamato's wooden shelters.

"No need to rush. Let's take our time. I'm not in a hurry." Naruto said, shaking his head like a rattle, "Captain Yamato, when we get to the Land of Hot Water, why don't we take a dip in the hot springs together before heading off?"

"Once we find Jiraiya-sama, I'll have to return to the village to report back." Yamato said, thinking Naruto was being polite, "There are other missions in the village that cannot be delayed."

Suddenly, Naruto had nothing to say. He couldn't very well ask Yamato to be his permanent bodyguard. Even if Yamato was easy to manipulate, Jiraiya would surely see through his ploy.

After resting for about an hour, the two continued their journey.

"Captain Yamato, do you think you could make a flying machine?" Naruto suddenly asked, throwing out a nonsensical question.

"A flying machine?" Yamato was taken aback, 'Do you think I'm a genie who can grant any wish?'

"Yeah, since your Wood Release can create all kinds of things, it shouldn't be too hard to model a flying machine, right?" Naruto suggested.

"Well... if I knew the structure well enough, I suppose it's not impossible. But the main issue would be the power source…" Although Yamato find Naruto's idea far-fetched, he still gave it some serious thought.

"We should start developing one. I mean, it's the modern age now, yet Shinobi still have to travel on foot." Naruto sighed, "Next time, I hope to travel in the Yamato Airship instead of on foot."

"Alright, I'll give it a try." Yamato, ever the obliging and good-natured guy, replied, feeling somewhat embarrassed but still willing to entertain Naruto's wild idea.

Despite how absurd it sounded, Yamato couldn't help but take Naruto's words to heart. After all, even Tsunade had mentioned something similar before.

Shinobi's equipment needs to be upgraded, and just because they maintained the traditional hardships of a Shinobi's lifestyle didn't mean they had to stay stuck in the past. Even Shinobi deserved a higher quality of life.

For example, to improve the Anbu's individual combat capabilities and long-distance raid capabilities, auxiliary equipment needs to be introduced. The biggest benefit of doing so is to preserve the combat power of weaker Shinobi and avoid meaningless deaths.

In other words, the future era would be one of Ninja Tools. Even if a large-scale Shinobi war broke out again, it would prevent the extreme situation of a single person wiping out thousands.

If an overpowered individual did appear, they could simply be blasted away with superior Ninja Tools technology.

Yamato shook his head, trying to clear all the chaotic thoughts in his mind. He could ponder such matters later. For now, his priority was completing the escort mission.

Two days later, Naruto and Yamato safely arrived in the Land of Hot Water.

Evidently, Yamato didn't see Naruto as just a mere Chunin. He left Naruto to search for Jiraiya on his own, while he himself immediately set off back to the village.

Watching Yamato's retreating figure, Naruto couldn't help but continue thinking about the flying machine.

'It wasn't an impossible idea. With enough persistence, squeezing a flying contraption out of Yamato's Wood Release might be doable.'

'Heck, creating a Wood Release version of an Iron Man suit wasn't out of the question either. After all, scientific research was often just a matter of losing countless hairs in the process.'

Meanwhile, Yamato, who was heading back to the village, had no idea that his thick brown hair had already become a target of Naruto's scheming. He just felt a sudden chill, shivering for no apparent reason.