Naruto: Different Path

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What disappointed Naruto the most was that after searching through the entire ruins, he couldn't find a single soul. Not even a single corpse remained. 

This was undoubtedly strange. If the Craftsmen Village had been attacked, it would have been difficult to take so many comrades' bodies with them during a retreat. 

Normally, enemies would rarely clean up their opponent's corpses, especially not during a pursuit.

Naruto carefully examined his surroundings. While all the houses were destroyed, there weren't many obvious signs of battle. 

Relying on his ninja instincts, Naruto deduced that the people of the Craftsmen Village were likely not killed. 

It was more probable that, due to the unrest in the ninja world, they felt unsafe and staged this as a diversion before fleeing to another location.

Naruto smiled faintly. As long as there were survivors, that was enough for him. 

Although searching for people wasn't Naruto's speciality, their recent departure gave him an idea. 

Gathering a huge amount of chakra, Naruto unleashed a massive number of Shadow Clones, creating over a thousand. 

The clones spread out rapidly in all directions, expanding the search range and conducting a thorough sweep. 

Occasionally, Naruto would switch to Sage Mode to enhance his sensory perception and improve the efficiency of the search.

Naruto's method proved effective within such a vast range. After carefully searching, he finally found a lead—a small convoy of about thirty people with five carts. 

Even without Sage Mode, Naruto's clones could already tell something was off. 

These people were pushing the heavy carts with surprising ease, yet the deep tracks in the ground suggested the carts were extremely heavy. 

It was clear that the people pushing them were far from ordinary. Naruto's original body used the Flying Thunder God Technique to rush over immediately. 

With Sage Mode, he could sense the chakra of these individuals. Standing atop a high point, Naruto waited as the Craftsmen Village convoy passed beneath him. 

Then his voice rang out, "For the most skilled ninja tool Craftsmen, you all are doing a poor job of disguising yourselves. What are you so afraid of?"

Naruto's sudden appearance startled the Craftsmen. 

A man leading the convoy suddenly pulled out a long spear and shouted, "People of the Land of Water! I'll fight you to the death!" 

He then charged at Naruto with the spear. Unfortunately for him, someone of his level was no match for Naruto. 

Naruto effortlessly stopped the spear with one hand and kicked it away, calmly saying, "I'm not from the Land of Water." 

"But it seems you've been targeted by them. Still, with your current strength, you won't stand a chance against a ninja from a great nation."

Despite Naruto's clarification, the man continued his attack. "Even if you're not from the Land of Water, what difference does it make?" 

"Everyone who seeks out the Craftsmen Village only wants our ninja tools!" 

Naruto, still easily blocking the attacks, replied with a smile, "You're not wrong about that. Most people do come here for ninja tools. However, I'm here to offer you a fair trade."

The young man was unconvinced, shouting as he attacked, "Trade? When have ninjas from the great nations ever made a fair trade? You're nothing more than thieves!" 

Naruto sighed in exasperation. "Not all ninjas are the same. And frankly, if I wanted to take something by force, even if you had ten times the people, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Although the man realized that none of his attacks were landing, Naruto's words only angered him further. 

"Big talk! You might be slightly stronger than me, but do you think you can defeat all of us? And we haven't even brought out our most powerful ninja tools yet!"

At that moment, an elderly man with white hair stepped forward from the back of the convoy. He raised a hand, signalling the young man to stand down. 

The young man obeyed immediately and retreated without another word. 

This elder held considerable authority. He turned to the others and said, "No, what he says is no exaggeration." 

"He's the one known as the Hero of Konoha, the White Flash. It wouldn't matter how many of us there were."

While the group might not have the most up-to-date information, the name "White Flash" was too legendary to ignore. 

Anyone with any contact in the ninja world would have at least heard of it. At the elder's words, everyone froze in shock. 

The young man who had been attacking Naruto was particularly stunned, realizing he had just fought the legendary White Flash—and survived. 

That would certainly make for a great story to boast about.

The elder turned to Naruto and said, "Forgive me, Lord Naruto, but what business do you have with us?" 

"If I'm not mistaken, the strongest of the Five Great Nations, Konoha, has its skilled tool craftsmen. Their capabilities can't be any less than ours."

Naruto stepped forward a few paces, smiling. "It seems the older generation is indeed more knowledgeable. You recognized me right away." 

The other villagers tensed as Naruto approached, preparing to attack, but the elder raised his hand again, signalling them to stand down.

Naruto leaned closer to the elder and whispered, "Konoha does have excellent Craftsmen, but I don't—at least, not yet." 

"If you're willing to help me, I can promise the safety of everyone from your village. Not only that, but I'll provide you with ample funding for your future tool development."

The elder's eyes widened at Naruto's words, clearly astonished. He now realized that Naruto far exceeded the tales of his legend. 

Naruto wasn't merely Konoha's hero or an exceptional ninja—he was something much greater. The elder began to weigh the offer carefully. 

Naruto's conditions were incredibly tempting. For years, the Craftsmen Village had struggled to secure funding for both survival and tool development. 

The elder did not doubt that Naruto could fulfil his promises.

However, he also understood that such a generous offer would come with a price. 

Whatever Naruto wanted them to do likely wouldn't be simple, and it was possible the entire village would have to operate under his command, effectively losing their independence.

After a long moment of deliberation, the elder gritted his teeth and said, "I am Seifu, the current leader of the Craftsmen Village. Lord Naruto, may I ask what your conditions are?"

Naruto, confident that they wouldn't refuse, smiled and replied, "I have two conditions." 

"First, I need you to assign an experienced craftsman to forge a batch of ninja tools for me. Second, I want you to train a group of new craftsmen for me."

Seifu seemed almost as though he had misheard. "Lord Naruto, you're not demanding that we submit to you?" 

"You're offering to protect us and provide resources, yet you don't require us to follow your orders forever?"

Naruto shook his head, thinking to himself, So that's why the elder hesitated for so long. He thought I wanted to control them. 

Naruto didn't want disloyal subordinates anyway. He replied calmly, "So, do we have a deal?"

Seifu nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course! We accept your terms, Lord Naruto. Thank you so much." 

With that, he bowed deeply to Naruto, an expression of profound gratitude on his face.

The two sides reached an agreement, and the people of the Craftsmen Village gradually lowered their guard around Naruto. 

Although some were still wary, they ultimately had to follow Seifu's decision. Noticing their concerns, Seifu reassured them: "There's no need to worry." 

"If Lord Naruto intended to harm us, he wouldn't need to go through so much trouble. He could eliminate us all in an instant." 

Seifu's words eased their fears, though lingering doubt remained.

Naruto handed Seifu a marked kunai with a seed embedded in it and said, "Now, decide whom you'll send to help me with this task." 

"If you encounter danger, simply channel chakra into this seed, and I'll arrive immediately." 

"Move quickly to the Land of Vegetables, where I can guarantee your safety." Seifu accepted the kunai and passed it to a middle-aged man. 

He then turned back to Naruto and said, "Lord Naruto, I will go personally to assist you with crafting the tools. In the entire Craftsmen Village, my skills are the best."

The middle-aged man holding the kunai hurriedly interjected, "Village Chief, let me go instead. This is far too dangerous."

Seifu smiled and replied, "No, it's safest for me to go with Lord Naruto. As for you, you must ensure everyone else reaches the Land of Vegetables safely." 

"If you encounter danger, do as Lord Naruto instructed."

With that, Naruto whisked Seifu away using the Flying Raijin Jutsu, leaving the middle-aged man staring at the kunai, a flicker of doubt still in his eyes.

Naruto and Seifu arrived at the Manor instantly. Seeing the grandeur of the manor, Seifu was utterly shocked. 

Such an estate was beyond what even many daimyos could possess. 

Having spent years in the Craftsmen Village, Seifu knew how much strength and resources it took to build something of this scale. 

By comparison, despite its long history, the Craftsmen Village couldn't even establish a proper stronghold.

Naruto had notified Ryusen in advance, and once they entered the manor, Ryusen took Seifu on a tour of the facility. 

Naruto, meanwhile, went to oversee the training of the children. At this point, the oldest, Tenba, had already developed considerable strength. 

His natural talent, coupled with his hard work and the rich training resources provided by Naruto, had made him formidable. 

Naruto had even entrusted the task of teaching younger, less talented children to Tenba. 

Whenever Naruto returned, he focused on personally guiding the most gifted children and designing their training regimens.

After touring part of the manor, Ryusen brought Seifu back to meet Naruto. 

Seifu's attitude toward Naruto had grown increasingly respectful, a reflection of his genuine admiration for Naruto's power.

Naruto asked, "Did Ryusen arrange accommodations for you? Are you satisfied?"

Seifu bowed and replied, "Lord Naruto, I am very pleased with the conditions here. I will do my utmost to assist you."

"However, I need to know what kind of ninja tools you require."

From Seifu's demeanour, Naruto could tell that he had already begun to genuinely trust him, which reassured Naruto. 

"I want you to craft ninja tools capable of absorbing chakra," Naruto explained. 

"Ideally, tools that can absorb an enemy's chakra and transfer it to the user."

Hearing this, Seifu furrowed his brow and remained silent for a long moment. 

Seeing his hesitation, Naruto said, "Don't hesitate to speak your mind." 

"Don't worry—no matter the outcome, I'll fulfil my promise to you as long as you put in your best effort."

Seifu shook his head and replied, "I trust in your word, Lord Naruto, but crafting such tools is an extraordinarily difficult task." 

"In the history of the Craftsmen Village, tools of this kind are exceedingly rare. Even fewer have been successfully used in real combat." 

"From what you've described, you're looking for something that can be mass-produced. But aside from the materials, the labour alone is an immense hurdle."

Naruto had expected this task to be difficult, but he hadn't realized the scale of the challenge. 

The air grew momentarily awkward as Naruto forced a smile. "Then what examples of such tools currently exist?" he asked.

After some thought, Seifu said, "There are indeed a few examples. The most famous is the Samehada, wielded by the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." 

"That sword is said to not only absorb vast amounts of chakra but also transfer it to its wielder. It's a unique weapon in the ninja world." 

"However, the origins of the Samehada remain a mystery, and we don't understand the principles behind its chakra absorption." 

"Other similar tools exist, but they were crafted by the Craftsmen Village and are far less effective."

Hearing this, Naruto said, "Let's not worry about manpower for now. I'll focus on gathering the materials you need." 

"Whether or not we can mass-produce them doesn't matter yet. The first step is to create a tool that can store and release chakra." 

"As for absorbing an enemy's chakra, we can address that later."

Seifu considered Naruto's proposal and replied, "Storing and releasing chakra is relatively easier, but merely storing it isn't very significant." 

"The amount of chakra that can be stored is also a major challenge. Right now, large-scale storage is very difficult to achieve."

Naruto nodded, acknowledging the difficulty. "I understand. Just focus on trying to make it work. I'll provide you with the best resources available."

Seifu suddenly added, "Speaking of resources, if we could get our hands on the Samehada for research, it would significantly reduce the difficulty of this task."

Naruto looked at him with curiosity. "What do you mean? Is there something special about the Samehada?"

Seifu explained, "Our greatest challenge lies in figuring out how to absorb an enemy's chakra—especially in large amounts—and store it effectively." 

"If we had the Samehada, we could study it and potentially solve these issues." 

"The sages of the Craftsmen Village have long desired to acquire the Samehada, but we've never had the opportunity."

Naruto dismissed Seifu to begin preparations for crafting the tools, while he contemplated the Samehada. 

Just as he was deep in thought, Naruto sensed a distress signal from the Craftsmen Village members. 

He hadn't expected them to run into trouble so quickly.

Using the Flying Raijin Jutsu, Naruto teleported to their location and found that they were surrounded by Hidden Mist ninja. 

The difference in power was vast, and the Craftsmen Village members were on the brink of annihilation.

Dressed in his white cloak, Naruto suddenly appeared in the centre of the group and said to the Mist ninja, "It seems your tracking abilities are quite impressive. I wonder how good your defences are."

The sudden appearance of Naruto startled the Hidden Mist shinobi. 

One of them looked at him carefully, his face going pale as he shouted, "Run! It's the legendary White Flash! Run for your lives!"

The other Mist ninjas were shocked. "What?! It's him!"

Panic spread through their ranks, and they scattered in all directions. Naruto shook his head and said, "You realized it too late. You've already lost your chance to escape."

Moments later, Naruto swiftly defeated them all. 

The Craftsmen Village members, stunned by Naruto's overwhelming strength, began to admire Seifu's decision to trust him.

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