Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 190 "Negotiation"

The architecture throughout Savile Row is distinctly characteristic of the Land of the Winds, given the difficulty of finding sturdier rocks for construction in the desert. The tranquil eatery is located in a side alley, not on the main street, but this doesn't hinder its business. With good food, as long as it tastes good and uses quality ingredients, there's no shortage of customers. Once someone steps into the shop, tries it, and feels they've found a treasure, they'll spread the word, and their friends and family will become potential customers.

An Ding Restaurant is this type of establishment, and it even boosted the business of a whole street of small shops. They were able to get reservations because Bai Shan, with his foresight, booked the tables in advance.

Kakashi was a little annoyed by this, which meant what? It meant that the entire escort mission had been part of the enemy's calculations, even their arrival time and possible actions had been anticipated. He now strongly suspected that the enemy had known all along where the Sand Village ninja were staying, but was pretending not to know, waiting for the Konoha people to act as the first contact. However, Naruto didn't react much, remaining in a rather excited state. He not only volunteered to deliver the message, but was also very enthusiastic about sending a shadow clone back to argue with the advisory group. This reaction was really strange; even a kind-hearted person shouldn't be so unconcerned about being schemed against, but Naruto seemed to be enjoying it, as if... he had expected everything all along.

It seems we need to recalculate the possibility of Naruto joining Hikaru. However, there have been no anomalies in any of Naruto's mission reports so far, though the possibility of his teammates covering for him cannot be ruled out...

As he was secretly observing Naruto, Naruto, who had been intently watching the food on the table, suddenly sat up straight and peered out.

"Here I am!" This rather exaggerated greeting skipped the process of going downstairs to pick someone up. Fortunately, Naruto didn't shout out the names of anyone downstairs in public.

Almost the instant the three entered the room, the soundproof barrier was set up. After completing the hand seals, the extremely skilled guy warmly invited everyone to sit down, as if they were just old friends meeting up for a meal.

"Gaara, you look much better. Shukaku isn't causing trouble anymore?" After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Naruto got into the swing of things and approached Gaara.

The Gaara of today is not the mature Kazekage he will become more than ten years later. His emotions are written all over his face. His friendliness towards Naruto is obvious to the naked eye. He is relaxed. "Since your seal was completed, he can't bother me as long as I don't go. Instead, he has become much quieter. Although he still talks a lot every time I go to see him."

"Hmph, let me tell you, tailed beasts all love to talk tough. He has no one to talk to, he's probably about to burst with pent-up frustration." Naruto whispered, but since everyone present was a ninja and they were so close, whispering wouldn't make a difference.

"Temari-neechan, it's been so long!" Sakura sincerely took the first step.

"Ah, indeed. You've changed a lot. Didn't you used to love long hair?" Temari had a good impression of Sakura. Compared to her two teammates, who were both incredibly eccentric, Sakura seemed harmless.

"It was a little painful to cut it off, but it's actually much more convenient now, saving me a lot of time," Sakura said with a smile, touching the ends of her hair.

Temari knew very well that the real reason wasn't that. If she had two exceptionally good teammates, she would be willing to give up her hair, or even just eat soldier pills every day to save training time.

"It looks good this way too. I can recommend some good hair ties to you... well, I just don't know if they sell them in Konoha."

Compared to the enthusiastic young people, the atmosphere among the adults was much cooler. It was even Maki who first raised his glass and said, "Shall we talk about something too?"

"I thought Sunagakure also had a rule against drinking during working hours," Kakashi said, but he still picked up his glass and clinked it against his own.

Maki sighed and said, "Young people grow up, and they have a lot of ideas."

"Oh? Has anyone questioned the mission?"

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

Kakashi spread his hands, looking completely innocent, and said, "We didn't know anything about your mission. Naruto just found you nearby and thought we could have a get-together."

Maki narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the ninja who also only showed one eye. The guy's smile was fake and exaggerated, completely unconvincing. However, the golden-haired child opposite him smiled genuinely; it was clear he was truly happy to see Gaara. Was this really just a simple exchange of pleasantries? But the invitation had directly exposed two of the team's weak-willed members, causing the mission to be postponed. He had to admit that a fully-fledged Gaara had completely surpassed him; the Jinchuriki ability and Magnet Release made Gaara invincible, with only Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha listed as his losers. He couldn't complete the mission with the remaining three after losing his strongest support, especially since Kashiwagi and Tsubasa, who frequently appeared near him, were also ninjas.

What exactly is Konoha planning? Let's hold back for now and observe further.

What is Konoha planning? Even the Konoha leadership hasn't figured it out yet.

This was Naruto's first appearance at a high-level meeting, though not a formal one; he simply called a few important figures into the Hokage's office for a casual chat.

"This is utter nonsense!" The old woman was quite sturdy, and her leap from the sofa was fluid and swift, befitting an old ninja. However, her words lacked the energy of her body, and even her insults were utterly unoriginal.

"The balance among the five great powers is unshakeable, and each country tacitly agrees to exert influence only on its neighbors! How far is the Kingdom of Owls from us? Moreover, it's sandwiched between different regions! If we suddenly go there and act as a third party for them, wouldn't that be a provocation!"

Tsunade, the Hokage, frowned, silently exuding her aura. In just over a year, she had utilized a large number of her former staff from the Fourth Hokage's era, rapidly expanding her influence. Furthermore, since Naruto's abduction by Root, she had been intentionally or unintentionally weakening Root's power, but hadn't yet touched the advisory group. This was to minimize unnecessary personnel losses and also to make an example of them, sending a signal that she was not to be trifled with. If she dared to deal with even the most troublesome hedgehog, wouldn't dealing with a few sheep be even easier?

When Xiaochun turned to the dormitory and was stared at by that gaze, her arrogance indeed diminished considerably, and she even lowered her head a little.

Naruto spoke up at that moment, "That's true in the short term, but we can't just focus on the present."