In Konoha, This Naruto Has Decided To Take It Easy

What Anko was referring to is the underground temple in the Land of Whirlpool they had explored. There were probably more strange secrets hidden in the crack behind that underground temple. However, for the sake of safety, the two did not choose to continue the adventure at that time.

Naruto took a sip of his red juice and replied, "Nope."

"That's a shame. It'll be hard to return there." Anko sighed, with a faint smell of alcohol lingering around her. She put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and leaned in close to whisper, "Look, I know you'll go back eventually, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone. But as your former team leader, I have to remind you, don't take unnecessary risks if you're not sure."

Naruto was taken aback for a moment. He hadn't expected Anko to say something like that.

"Okay, I understand."

"Good, as long as you understand." Anko patted him on the shoulder before downing another drink, "So? How was it? Didn't I seem like a real Jonin just now?"

Hearing this, Naruto's mouth twitched, 'This old hag…'

"Sorry, not at all. Still just a second-rate Jonin." He teased, grabbing a piece of grilled meat while casually glancing toward the center of the crowd.

Asuma and Kurenai were sitting together, while Shikamaru and the other two from Team 10 were egging them on. Kiba were trading jabs with them. Tenten was trying to mediate, Neji watched calmly, and Rock Lee wore a confused but enthusiastic expression.

Another half-hour passed, and Asuma and Kurenai were encouraged to share a drink together in front of everyone. Both looked a little embarrassed, with Asuma blushing slightly, but clearly enjoying the attention.

After all, both of their students had gathered to push them together. He felt that it was just a shame that Kakashi wasn't there, and Guy had a mission, as those two friends usually appeared together.

"How about it? Pretty fun, right?" Anko nudged Naruto gently.

"Huh?"

"Love! I never realized before how close Asuma and Kurenai had gotten." Anko said, clearly tipsy. The table in front of her was littered with seven or eight empty bottles.

Everyone's attention in the room was focused on Asuma and Kurenai. No one was paying attention to the banter in the corner between the odd duo, one was a drunkard and the other was a sharp-tongued freak.

"What do you know about love?" Naruto shot back bluntly.

Anko was stunned, her face turning red and pale in turns, like she was about to say something but couldn't find the words. She opened her mouth and pointed at Naruto with a trembling finger.

"How can you say something so mean?"

"Isn't that the truth?" Naruto glanced at her indifferently.

"Even if it is, saying it out loud is too hurtful!" Anko grumbled like a child, drunk and sulking, "You're really rude."

Konoha generally valued the relationships between seniors and juniors, but geniuses were an exception. During their rebellious period, people like Neji, Shikamaru, and Sasuke all called their Jonin Instructor by name.

"All you ever do is eat dango and got drunk. How could anyone like an old, immature woman like you?" Naruto added mercilessly, "And your reactions are way too slow."

"What's slow about me?" Anko automatically ignored most of what Naruto said, focusing only on the last bit.

"Asuma and Kurenai's relationship," Naruto said in a low voice, "They've probably already ****, and soon they might need some time alone."

"Huh?" Anko was stunned, her eyes widening as she absorbed this bizarre piece of information. She was immediately wide awake, gasping as she processed what Naruto had just implied.

"Wait, ****? What does that mean?" Anko asked, utterly confused.

Naruto had been subtle and refrained from using any crude language to express the unspeakable things. As a result, Anko, still tipsy, couldn't quite grasp what he meant right away.

Naruto glanced around the room to make sure no one was looking in their direction. With nothing better to do, he decided to mess with Anko for fun. Leaning in, he whispered in her ear, "That means…"

Naruto explained carefully word by word.

As Anko listened, her drowsy eyes slowly widened in shock, and she took a breath of cold air. She sobered up instantly, and her mouth opened and closed again.

She looked at Naruto, then glanced at Asuma and Kurenai. She looked like in a daze and couldn't utter a word.

"Damn it, you, how do you know so much?!" Anko asked in a low voice, her face flushed. It wasn't clear whether it was from embarrassment or drunkenness.

"I read it in a book." Naruto directly put the blame on Jiraiya and said with a smile, "I read the work of a certain unscrupulous writer and learned it by myself."

As he glanced at Anko, Naruto remembered that Orochimaru had erased part of her memories with a forbidden technique. He wasn't sure if she had recalled any of those lost memories yet.

"Your teacher is Orochimaru, right?" Naruto asked suddenly without any hesitation.

Anko knew about Naruto's secret concerning the Land of Whirlpools. While Sakura would definitely keep it a secret, Naruto wasn't as sure about Anko's discretion. In this situation, he felt it was better to strike a mutual understanding with her.

Even though Anko had a quirky and simple nature, she also carried a hidden past. Although that perverted snake monster, Orochimaru, had long since disappeared, he had left his mark on Anko.

In his early years, Orochimaru, despite his cold demeanor, treated Anko quite gently, more like a parent figure. He took her on missions, often letting her tag along in a somewhat casual manner.

When she made mistakes, he didn't reprimand her, and when she succeeded, he wasn't stingy with praise. His unique charm had already surfaced by then.

If it hadn't been for his later experiments being exposed, Anko might still hold Orochimaru in high regard to this day. Now, though, the mere mention of Orochimaru was a painful trigger for her.

"What are you trying to say?" Anko asked, her tone calm as if she had sobered up completely.

"I've learned some things about you from other sources, including parts of your memory that were sealed." Naruto said, "I can help you."

"Help me? How can you help me? Don't joke around." Anko scoffed, "Even the interrogation department couldn't do anything. What can you possibly do?"

"I have my ways. Don't forget my teacher is Jiraiya, one of the legendary Sannin." Naruto replied, dropping a heavy hint.

"But why are you helping me?"

"As a thank you for keeping my secret. In return, I'll help you recover that lost memory." Naruto explained, "I may not have time for now, but I'll contact you when the time is right."

Anko narrowed her eyes suspiciously, "Although I don't understand why you're doing this, but fine, I'll wait for you."

The two continued their quiet conversation for quite a while, completely unaware that some people in the room had been sneaking glances in their direction.

Ino eventually withdrew her gaze and glanced at Hinata again, her brows furrowed in mild dissatisfaction and she muttered softly to herself, "That guy… Why is he so familiar with everyone?'