The Ninja World Is This Cruel

Hokage World! End of Konoha Year 51!

Three years had passed since the Nine-Tails incident. In other words, Prince Naruto was already three years old. No, that was wrong. With no father serving as Hokage, he could not be considered a prince—just another stray dog by the roadside.

But even a stray dog everyone despised had people who adored him. At least three people in Konoha did: Duke, and Minato and Kushina, who had faked their deaths and been reborn under the aliases Minato and Kushina. The two disguised themselves as Anbu and were responsible for taking care of Naruto.

With his real father and mother looking after him, Naruto lived far more comfortably than in the original story. He never lacked food or drink, was not malnourished like before, and his little face was rosy and adorable.

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Konoha office was Duke’s two-story residence on the outskirts of Konoha. Other than Duke’s relatives and friends, hardly anyone visited the secluded courtyard, making it very quiet.

Kushina was in the kitchen preparing a luxurious dinner for Naruto, while Minato patrolled outside. Duke was alone, teasing Naruto on the sofa. Three-year-olds lacked deep thinking and could only manage everyday conversation, but that did not stop Naruto from exploring the outside world.

Kids this age were curious about everything in the world, and Naruto was no exception. Even while lying on the sofa, he never stopped wanting to explore the world.

The brat fiddled with his little thing on the sofa, muttering to himself from time to time with a thoughtful expression.

Duke’s heart skipped a beat. Afraid the silly kid was having trouble with that piece of flesh, he asked with concern, "Naruto, why do you keep playing with it?"

Naruto looked up, his little face innocent and confused. "I always feel like it has other uses besides peeing."

"Hiss—" Duke sucked in a cold breath. This kid would definitely accomplish great things in the future.

Minato walked in from outside. Seeing the two staring wide-eyed at each other in front of the sofa, he froze for a moment. "Did I miss something?"

Duke looked solemn as he said admiringly, "Minato, this child is a genius!"

Minato was completely baffled. He figured Duke was acting weird again and could only chuckle awkwardly. "The village is quite lively today. Aren’t you going to take a look?"

"What do the people from Kumogakure have to do with me? It’s just a farce. I’m not joining the excitement," Duke said indifferently.

The Nine-Tails Rebellion had severely weakened Konoha. Although its strength had not fallen as drastically as in the original story, it had still suffered a serious blow. The military advantage it had accumulated during the Third Great Ninja War had been weakened, leaving it on par with the other ninja villages. A large number of experienced veteran ninja had died in battle, and news of the Fourth Hokage and his wife’s deaths spread throughout the Shinobi World, causing Konoha’s prestige to plummet. The defeated ninja villages immediately began stalling over reparations.

Kumogakure of the Land of Lightning in particular saw that Konoha had suffered devastating losses among its core forces and lacked the strength to launch another war. They turned hostile almost immediately. They unilaterally tore up the war reparations and territorial concession treaty, behaving as though shamelessness made them invincible.

Hiruzen Sarutobi, who had returned to the position of Hokage as an emergency replacement, was so angry he nearly died. But other than getting angry, there was nothing he could do. Kumogakure had guessed correctly. Konoha truly lacked the strength to start another war. With so many middle-generation and veteran ninja lost, Konoha needed at least ten years to recover.

Having gained an advantage, Kumogakure still acted smug. Perhaps they were unwilling to accept that they had not defeated Konoha on the battlefield. They showed none of a great nation’s dignity and shamelessly prepared to beat Konoha while it was down.

Kumogakure’s pro-war faction loudly called for an assault on Konoha, the capture of Hokage Rock, and the seizure of Tsunade-hime as a sex slave. It was a fine idea, but a problem soon arose. Kumogakure had also been badly weakened after the Third Great Ninja War, and its circumstances were not much better than Konoha’s. They did not have abundant troops.

Who would go to war? How would they go? In what posture would they go?

Because of this, the two factions competing for the position of Fourth Raikage argued the fiercest, strongly recommending that the other side contribute to the village. In plain terms, before winning the Raikage position, the village was the village and I was me. Asking them to send their own troops to the battlefield for the village? No chance.

After half a year of negotiations, both sides finally agreed to send half their forces and station them on the Land of Fire’s front lines to pressure Konoha.

Since ancient times, disunity had been a military taboo. This haphazard mob accomplished nothing on the battlefield, but produced fresh jokes every day without fail. After embarrassing themselves before the Five Great Nations, Kumogakure realized this could not continue. They simply ended the muddled war on their own initiative and sent a leader as an envoy to Konoha, intending to renegotiate the Third Great Ninja War treaty.

When Konoha learned that it would not have to fight, Hiruzen Sarutobi gladly welcomed the development and held a grand reception. Other than the Hyuga Clan, nearly everyone in the village left their homes to line the streets in welcome.

This was what Minato and Duke had been discussing.

"I heard the Hyuga Clan gathered today to celebrate the main family’s eldest daughter’s third birthday and did not answer the Third Hokage’s call. What do you think about that?"

"The Hyuga Clan is getting too full of itself! Their achievements in the Third Great Ninja War have blinded their Byakugan. They can no longer see the situation clearly."

"I think so too. Daring to embarrass that old man Sarutobi means they’ll definitely face retaliation. That old bastard is black-hearted!"

As Duke and Minato chatted, Kushina came out carrying Naruto’s dinner. Seeing the two grown men looking at her eagerly, Kushina curled her lips. "Making Naruto’s soup took a lot of time, so I didn’t make dinner for you two. There are still ingredients in the kitchen. Figure something out yourselves!"

Duke and Minato sighed together. Minato especially had not eaten at the table in a long time since Naruto was born. Kushina’s cooking was only average, but this was not a matter of whether it tasted good. It concerned the dignity of the head of the household. Kushina ignoring him made him lose face in front of Duke.

Without me, where would Naruto have come from? Now that she had a son, she did not care whether his father lived or died. How could he tolerate that!

Minato slapped the table and said to Duke, "Come on, I’m treating tonight."

"Are you two going out drinking?" Kushina asked faintly.

Minato immediately backed down. "No, we’re going to eat ramen."

Duke: "…"

Marriage was truly terrifying. The famous Yellow Flash of the Shinobi World, the Fourth Hokage whose name could stop children in enemy villages from crying, had become this cowardly after marriage. Duke decided that fucking in the future was fine, but marriage was absolutely out of the question. And he definitely could not find a fuck buddy in Konoha—he had to develop one far away.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse. Under the moonlight on Konoha’s outskirts, the two men slowly walked home after eating ramen, taking the chance to digest their food.

"I’m not afraid of my wife. It’s love! Kushina has given so much for me, so of course I have to respect her. Don’t you agree?" Perhaps because he had embarrassed himself too much today, Minato felt it necessary to explain himself to his junior brother.

"I understand. Stop explaining." Duke looked disdainful. He had known Minato had a severe case of henpecked husband syndrome even before transmigrating.

"Uh, you really understand? You’re not married, so you don’t understand married people’s affairs. You may have some misunderstandings…"

"Minato, the more you explain, the darker it gets. You’re only making it more awkward," Duke sighed. It had been three years. Minato had never spoken above sixty decibels in front of Kushina. Even three-year-old Naruto knew he was afraid of his wife. What was there to explain?

Just then, the sound of rapid movement came from ahead. Duke and Minato’s expressions changed at once. They sensed two people approaching—one fleeing, the other pursuing.

Under the full moon, two figures drew near from afar. The ninja in front wore black night clothes and covered his face, making his identity unknown. He held a child in his arms, clearly up to no good.

Duke knew the person behind him, and so did Minato. It was the Hyūga Clan head, Hyuga Hiashi.

"This plot…" A flash of inspiration struck Duke, and he narrowed his eyes as he remembered something.

Without another word, Minato flashed in front of the masked man. Before the man could react, the child in his arms was gone. Looking again, Minato had already flashed dozens of meters away.

"So fast…" The masked man was shocked. He wanted to fight back, only to realize he had been surrounded. Duke, Minato, and Hiashi formed a triangular encirclement, leaving him no chance of escape.

"Clan Head Hyuga, busy even in the middle of the night?" Duke greeted Hiashi from a distance.

"This man harbored ill intentions. He kidnapped my daughter in an attempt to obtain the Hyūga Clan’s Byakugan bloodline limit. Thank you for your help," Hiashi said, visibly relieved upon seeing Duke.

After speaking, Hiashi looked at Minato and said admiringly, "Anbu, what incredible speed."

The masked man remained calm in the face of danger, his eyes moving back and forth among the three as he searched for the weakest target. There was no need to consider Hyuga Hiashi. The man was the Hyūga Clan head, and if he could defeat him, he would not have run. Then there was Minato, whose speed was enough to kill him instantly, so that was not suitable either… Finally, he glanced at Duke.

So beautiful—she had to be a decorative vase. I’ll take you hostage.

The masked man thought it, and then did it. Under Minato and Hiashi’s sympathetic gazes, he charged toward Duke.

"Little girl, don’t blame me for being ruthless. The ninja world is this cruel!" the masked man shouted arrogantly.

Duke smiled brilliantly at the masked man. His silver teeth flashed with a faint chill beneath the moonlight. "You’re right. The ninja world is this cruel…"

Thanks to readers "Windy Times 1," "one-sided fake otaku," "Reader 171215063847327," "Ya.*Scars x Ya," "Little Salted Fish Shouting 666," "Pan Xi," and "Collecting Beautiful Girls Aged 16 to 25" for their rewards!