Naruto: The Ridiculously Talented Uzumaki
Chapter 327: Even Heroes Have a Weakness for Beauties
"What is... driving you?"
"What drives someone like you—who possesses world-destroying power at such a young age and could have lived a life of leisure—to instead take the massive risk of making the whole world your enemy just to plot and launch this seemingly 'impossible' Unification War?"
Obito spoke each word deliberately, throwing out several seemingly mundane yet core motivations:
"Is it for 'fame'? So that future history books will record you as the 'Sixth Hokage who unified the Ninja World and ushered in a golden age'?"
"Or is it for 'power'? To enjoy the thrill of having everything under your control?"
"Or perhaps," Obito's gaze sharpened, as if he had grasped a certain possibility,
"is it for a 'beauty'?"
As he uttered the word "beauty," Obito's gaze locked onto Naruto's face intensely and without concealment, specifically watching his eyes and micro-expressions. He seemed to want to verify a suspicion from Naruto's reaction.
And Naruto, upon hearing the option of "beauty," saw the muscles in his face twitch ever so slightly.
Though the change was fleeting, fast enough to be almost uncatchable, Obito, who had been staring intently, still keenly captured that momentary anomaly!
"As I thought..."
Obito's heart stirred as if he had found a Breakthrough, and a slightly mocking, knowing smile curled at the corner of his mouth. He immediately pursued this line of thought, his voice carrying the certainty of someone who had seen through to the "truth":
"It's for... that Uchiha girl, isn't it?"
"Her wish is for the Ninja World to be unified, to completely end the chaos of war and create a peaceful world, right?"
"So you're willing to pay any price, even starting a war, just to realize her ideal? To win a beauty's smile? To prove your feelings for her?"
As an Uchiha who appeared to be only in her teens, it was only natural for Uchiha Hikari to have experienced loss and thus yearn for peace and unity.
As for how she experienced that loss, don't ask Obito.
After all, he had a hand in the night of the clan massacre.
To Obito, it seemed entirely possible, even "romantic," for Naruto to strive so hard for the wish of his beloved, even to the point of making the world his enemy.
However, facing Obito's seemingly reasonable guess, Naruto shook his head, a somewhat comical and self-deprecating expression appearing on his face.
"No."
He answered very bluntly.
"Then what is it?"
Obito frowned, and Nagato also cast a questioning look.
Naruto sighed, appearing a bit embarrassed to speak.
But in the end, he used a tone that was half-serious and half-joking to give an answer that instantly turned both Obito and Nagato to stone:
"Actually... my main goal is..."
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, before speaking in a casual tone as if discussing what to have for dinner:
"...to marry several wives."
"?"
Masaka, is this a genjutsu? Since when?!
The certainty and mockery on Obito's face froze instantly, turning into a picture of utter confusion and shock.
He even wondered if he was hallucinating, or if he had fallen under a genjutsu.
"?"
Nagato's Rinnegan lost its focus at this moment, as if he had heard some otherworldly sound that transcended the realm of understanding.
Naruto seemed to have long expected this reaction from the two. He spread his hands and continued in that "you wouldn't understand" tone:
"Look, according to the current general rules and moral concepts of the Ninja World, a man—especially one with some status—would be seen as greedy for beauty and lacking in Private Virtue if he openly wanted to marry multiple wives. And the girls I like might be hurt by rumors."
"But..." He changed the subject, a light of "wisdom" flashing in his eyes, "as long as my Public Merit is high enough, people will naturally stand on my side and speak for me."
"People will only sing praises of my great achievements and view me as the hero who saved the world."
"As for having a few more female companions? That's just a romantic anecdote of a hero's passion, perhaps even passed down as a charming tale."
"History is always exceptionally lenient toward the victors, isn't it?"
"So, unifying the Ninja World and establishing a new order isn't just for some 'noble' ideals. I have my own selfish motives too."
Naruto rubbed his chin, looking at the two completely stunned men with a gaze that said 'you get it now, right?'
"Using the brilliance of 'Public Merit' to cover up that tiny bit of deficiency in 'Private Virtue'?"
Obito: "..."
Nagato: "..."
Is this guy really human?
The same question surfaced in both their minds simultaneously.
Naruto's way of thinking, his logic, and even the goals he pursued all carried a sense of "otherness" that was hard to fathom with common sense.
His unimaginably powerful strength, his familiarity with ancient secrets as if they were his own, the grand and detailed blueprint he drew for the future...
All of this had originally constructed an image akin to a "myth" or a "Devil King."
But now, one of the core drivers of this image was suddenly revealed by himself to be something like "wanting to marry a few more wives"...
The kind of statement full of low-level desires and vulgar fantasies that only a drunkard in a roadside tavern would boast about!
You guy, your words are so sharp and your methods so ruthless, yet when asked about your dream, it's a total red-light district speech!
This bizarre combination of the extreme "noble" and the extreme "vulgar" caused a strong cognitive dissonance in Obito and Nagato.
It was as absurd as seeing a majestic statue of a god suddenly open its mouth and say its greatest wish was to eat three meals of braised pork every day.
Forget about after the unification; Obito felt that even if Naruto went to Hiashi right now and said he wanted both his daughters, Hiashi would likely not refuse.
At most, Hiashi might mention that Hanabi is still young and ask if it could be delayed by two years.
Because Naruto's strength was powerful enough to suppress everything.
And the Ninja World's worship of the strong and of'style' was very high.
Uchiha Madara wasn't recognized purely because an even stronger Senju Hashirama existed.
And he didn't have much to talk about.
Hashirama had a wife, so people could gossip about Hashirama's private affairs and such.
But Madara was an old bachelor with no scandals involving women. His wanted poster was his family photo; what was there to talk about?
After Hashirama died, Madara was taken more seriously by later generations, but the people living in that era focused more on Hashirama, the strongest of the time.
Only those who treated Madara as an enemy would understand his power.
Similarly, the current Obito and Nagato were on the verge of despair facing Naruto.
Damn it, give it everything. Conventional methods can't defeat him, so Seal him away.
Thinking this, Nagato raised his right hand, a pitch-black gravitational core condensing in his palm.
"Chibaku Tensei!"
The black gravitational core in Nagato's palm, like a Ferocious beast breaking free from its shackles, suddenly shot toward Naruto's position.
The speed wasn't particularly fast, but the terrifying gravitational field it emitted instantly enveloped a large area with it at the center!
Centered on that black gravitational core, an irresistible, terrifying suction—as if coming from the depths of the earth—erupted.
Broken stones and dust floating in the surrounding space, wood chips left from the previous battle, and even the fallen rhino and centipede...
Everything, under the influence of this overwhelming gravity, was snatched as if by an invisible giant hand, frantically flying and adhering toward the black core. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
The "floor" and "walls" of the Kamui Dimension, composed of countless cubic stone monuments, also began to crack and decompose under this force.
Huge stone blocks were forcefully torn and stripped from their bases, turning into larger "meteors" that accelerated toward the gravitational core!
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