Naruto: Reborn with the Template System

What Guts said left Naruto and Haruno Sakura speechless.

Even Kiba, Neji, and the others stood frozen, lost in sudden doubt.

Yeah... If Sasuke left willingly, why are we chasing him?

What's the point of bringing him back if he'll just leave again?

Do we keep dragging him home every time he decides to run away?

But Naruto, the reincarnation of Asura and champion of Talk no Jutsu, clenched his fists and shouted with conviction,

"No! Sasuke's just been deceived! I'll talk to him—I'll bring him back, no matter what!"

Your Talk no Jutsu might work on a lot of people, Guts thought silently, but Sasuke, the reincarnation of Indra? That won't be so easy.

He simply patted Naruto on the shoulder and gave him a look that said, "Good luck with that."

His stance was clear: he wasn't going.

Shikamaru sighed. "Naruto, enough. If we waste more time, Sasuke will get too far ahead."

Naruto nodded, then turned back to Sakura and gave her a thumbs-up.

"Don't worry, Sakura! I'll bring Sasuke back. That's my promise to you—no matter what!"

Sakura smiled weakly, trying her best to believe him.

As she watched her classmates—along with a girl five years younger than her—march off into danger, her expression faltered.

"You're not going?"

Guts' voice caught her by surprise as he passed by.

Sakura hesitated, flustered. "I... I... It's just that—"

She couldn't say it aloud:

"I'm too weak. I'd only hold them back."

Guts didn't press the issue. Without another word, he walked on, leaving her standing alone at the gate.

When he got home, it wasn't quite the scene he expected.

No Kurenai waiting at the door. Then he remembered—Kurenai and Anko had left on a mission that morning.

Inside, he found Tsunade alone, drinking and poring over scrolls—notes left behind by her grandfather, Hashirama Senju.

As long as Konoha wasn't in crisis, Tsunade had no interest in politics.

Guts plucked the sake bottle from her hand. "Studying while drinking? Not exactly best practice."

Tsunade shot him a lazy glare. "Konoha's gotten boring lately. I'm thinking of going on a trip."

He raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess—you've been banned from every gambling house in the Land of Fire, so now you want to try your luck somewhere else?"

Only someone who'd known her for twenty years could read her so effortlessly.

Tsunade flushed but refused to admit it. She slammed the desk with mock anger,

"Tch! What if I do want to get out of this village? I'm going stir-crazy!"

Guts chuckled and pulled her into his arms, squeezing her backside. "Pretty sure this isn't how most people deal with boredom."

No one else was home.

Emboldened, Tsunade smirked, straddled him, and started grinding against him without hesitation.

----

About half an hour later, Tsunade collapsed beside him, spent but still smiling.

"I really am going," she said, catching her breath. "I've been cooped up too long. I want to see the world again."

Her real reason, of course, was that her name had been blacklisted by almost every gambling house in the Land of Fire.

"Then I'll go with you," Guts replied, stretching. "Let's bring Hinata and Hanabi, too. It'll be good training."

There were only two years left before the Fourth Great Ninja War—the last real window of peace.

This was the best time to help those girls grow stronger.

Because against someone like Kaguya with her dimension-jumping powers...even Guts couldn't be sure he could protect everyone.

More strength was always a good idea.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow. "Taking a bunch of women with you on a long journey—no other motives, hmm?"

Her tone grew darker. "Don't tell me Hinata and Hanabi are still just eight?"

Smack!

Guts gave her ass a firm slap.

"Get your head out of the gutter. I'm talking about Akatsuki."

At the mention of the name, Tsunade's playful expression turned grim.

"You mean the group Jiraiya mentioned? The one made up of S-class criminals, trying to control the world?"

Last time, during Sarutobi Hiruzen's funeral, when Jiraiya returned from his journey, he privately informed Minato and Tsunade about the Akatsuki organization and the intelligence he'd gathered.

However, compared to what Itachi had told Guts, Jiraiya's information barely scratched the surface.

"Itachi said they'll make their official move in two years," Guts explained to Tsunade. "Before that, you need to grow stronger. I'll protect you when the time comes but a little extra insurance never hurts."

Tsunade nodded solemnly.

Then without warning Guts pushed her down again.

"Once more. Get up," he said with a grin.

Tsunade gave him a glare, annoyed yet flustered.

"You only remembered to say that after doing all that to me?"

Two days later, the group that had gone after Sasuke finally returned to the village.

Guts, who normally didn't bother with such affairs, actually showed up to meet them this time...his interest piqued.

When he arrived, Naruto shot him a look filled with quiet resentment… the kind you'd expect from a jilted lover.

Heh. So that's how it went, Guts thought.

According to Hanabi, she and Hinata had joined forces to fight off Kimimaro in the final phase. Just as the situation turned dire, Gaara appeared, having been tipped off about Kimimaro's presence.

Neither of the girls expected Gaara's personality to have changed so drastically in just two months. Even more surprising...he asked them how Kushina was doing.

Huh?

This kid used to act like he wanted to kill everything that breathed. And now he's checking on Kushina like some lovesick puppy?

Guts felt a chill down his spine.

Does Gaara's obsession with Naruto from the original timeline just… shift to his mother now?

That was more unsettling than exciting.

With Kimimaro defeated, the three regrouped and managed to rescue Naruto, who had been beaten by Sasuke and left behind.

Seeing his son shaken, Minato made a decision.

"Naruto," he said, "from now on, you'll train with me. It's time we focused not just on power but your spirit."

After hearing everything, Guts informed Minato and Hiashi Hyuga that he planned to leave the village for about two years.

Minato hesitated at first… but eventually agreed.

Hiashi thought it over quietly and gave his blessing.

As for Kurenai, she had practically transitioned into the role of a devoted wife. She no longer thought of herself as a ninja first...just as someone who would support Guts wherever he went.

She would never refuse him. Not for anything.

Anko, on the other hand, couldn't wait to leave. She was built for chaos, and the idea of traveling and training in dangerous places excited her more than anything.

When Guts mentioned the trip, she literally jumped with joy more eager than anyone else.

Unlike the anime, Naruto didn't leave Konoha for training.

Instead, he stayed behind...guided by his father, Namikaze Minato.

The ones who left were Hinata and Hanabi, along with Guts and the older kunoichi.

As Guts walked toward the edge of Konoha, his group just behind him, something suddenly hit him.

Wait a second…

If Tsunade's coming with me… then who's going to look after Haruno Sakura?

There was a pause. A brief moment of hesitation.

Then he smirked and kept walking.

Eh. Who cares?

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