Chapter 316 Stay safe

There was a hint of surprise and expectation in Kong's eyes. He opened his mouth but didn't know how to ask.

Naruto took a few steps forward, patted Sora's shoulder, and said, "I can feel the changes in your chakra. The subtle fluctuations won't lie. Moreover, I have had similar experiences as you, and I understand the pain of being bound by power."

Sora's lips trembled slightly. "Can you really help me? It won't be dangerous?"

Naruto nodded vigorously: "I swear on my ninja way. However, this requires your own determination. Once you start, there is no turning back."

Sakura looked at Sora worriedly, "This is not a trivial matter. You need to consider it carefully."

Sasuke crossed his arms and frowned slightly, "Hmph, stop fussing and make your choice.

Sora took a deep breath, a flame of hope in his eyes: "I'm willing to try, Naruto, I believe in you."

Naruto smiled brightly: "Okay, let's go now."

One day later, Naruto, Sora, Sakura, Sasuke, and Kimimaro stood in front of the gate of Konoha.

Naruto looked at the familiar gate, his thoughts drifting away. The last time he came back was during the Sand Village Chunin Exam. At that time, he had to return under someone else's identity.

Now, I can finally stand here openly. I feel so excited that my heart is beating like a deer.

At this moment, Kamijutsuki Izumo and Gang Zitetsu, who were in charge of guarding the gate, suddenly fixed their eyes on Naruto. A hint of surprise flashed in their eyes, followed by an uncontrollable surprise.

Izumo asked excitedly with a little stutter: "You...you are Naruto? Are you really Naruto?" His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his hands clenched unconsciously.

Naruto grinned, revealing his iconic fangs, and responded loudly: "It's me, Izumo-sama, Gangzi-tei-sama!"

Gang Zitie slapped his thigh excitedly: "Haha, it's really you, you little brat, you're finally back! We've all heard about your deeds outside, you really brought honor to Konoha!"

Izumo nodded repeatedly: "Yes, you are now a great hero of Konoha. This is..." He looked at Kong with questioning eyes.

Naruto quickly introduced: "This is Sora, the monk from the Fire Temple. He will be with us in Konoha from now on."

At this point, Sakura bounced up and down and said, "Let's go in, I can't wait to see how everyone sees you now."

Although Sasuke didn't say anything, there was a hint of expectation in his eyes.

Naruto led everyone towards the village. Along the way, many villagers showed surprise when they saw Naruto, and some even greeted him enthusiastically. That warm atmosphere made Kong feel the unique charm of Konoha.

And Naruto, like a child returning home, happily introduced every part of Konoha to Sora.

In the Hokage's office, Asuma had a serious look on his face as he was reporting in detail to Tsunade about the mission they were carrying out.

"All signs indicate that this was not done by Akatsuki." Tsunade frowned, her eyes full of confusion.

Asuma's face was gloomy, and he said slowly: "That's right, Hokage-sama. The situation this time is extremely bad and it is very likely to develop into a serious situation. When we arrived there, it was simply a living hell, horrible to see. In just one night, an entire village was almost completely slaughtered, without any life. And what's worse is that after that, several villages along the border were attacked one after another. These villages, without exception, belonged to the Land of Fire. The evidence left at the scene shows."

When Tsunade heard this, she immediately raised her hand to interrupt Asuma: "Asuma, don't jump to conclusions without solid evidence. This matter is of great importance."

Asuma nodded, "I understand, Hokage-sama. The attackers deliberately left the Rain Ninja symbol at the scene. I really can't stand this despicable method of framing others."

Tsunade's eyes were deep, as if she was thinking about something: "Do you think someone wants to use this to start a war?"

Asuma frowned and analyzed, "There is such a possibility, but we cannot completely rule out that it was done by the Rain Ninja. By the way, Hokage, do we have any information about the movements of the Rain Ninja during this period?"

Tsunade shook her head: "There is no relevant information at the moment."

Asuma looked worried: "But what we need to worry about most right now is probably the situation in the Fire Nation."

Tsunade frowned slightly: "Are you referring to that daimyo?"

"Yes, sir." Asuma said solemnly, "Perhaps there will be some people with ulterior motives who, blinded by passion, will incite the daimyo. Just like the incident of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, this kind of vicious incident can easily be used by some people to make a fuss and provoke war. After all, the daimyo is not an ordinary person, and his decision will affect the direction of the entire Fire Country."

Tsunade pondered for a moment, then turned to Shizune and said, "Send some ANBU members and the village's jonin to secretly go to the border area to gather intelligence. The current situation is still unclear, so tell them to keep it confidential and never reveal Konoha's identity. In addition, I will write a letter to the daimyo to explain the situation to him."

After making all these arrangements, Tsunade looked at Asuma again and said, "The class you lead will stay where they are. Wait until there are new developments before taking action. Before that, stay alert and be prepared."

"I understand. I'll take my leave now then," Asuma said as he walked towards the door.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Asma looked in the direction of the voice, and when he saw the person clearly, he was stunned as if he was under a spell.

Tsunade and Shizune also stopped what they were doing and stared at Naruto at the door, their eyes full of surprise.

For a moment, time and space seemed to stand still, and a subtle atmosphere filled the air.

Seeing this, Naruto scratched his face awkwardly, revealing a somewhat innocent smile, breaking the brief silence:

"Teacher Asuma, how are you?" His voice echoed in the quiet office, carrying a hint of cordiality of a long-awaited reunion.

Asuma was the first to come back to his senses, and a gleam of surprise flashed in his eyes.

His eyes were fixed on Naruto and Sasuke behind him, and he spoke loudly and excitedly:

"Naruto, Sasuke, you two brats, it's really you, you are finally back!"

His voice trembled slightly with excitement, and his face was filled with joy from the bottom of his heart, which was the relief of seeing his long-lost students return safely.

Asuma then looked at Tsunade and said, "You guys report your work first, we'll talk later."

After saying that, he waved to Naruto, Sasuke and the others, turned around and walked out of the room quickly.