Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 178 Ordinary

Although the mission was touted as S-rank, its actual completion was rather unremarkable.

Hui would never betray his teammates' information, even if he needed Ayihan as bait, he would keep her whereabouts completely hidden. What they needed was for Ayihan to return home safely, and also to bring back a team of Konoha ninjas, not to create difficulties for her and force her to return home amidst a series of assassinations.

The Land of Rivers and the Land of Wind were quite lenient in their screening of Konoha envoys, making it quite safe for Ayihan to blend in with them. They were simply given a glance at the Konoha ninja's headband and the captain's name before being let through. In a sense, having a prestigious title certainly provided considerable advantages. The team traversed the Land of Rivers in just two days, spending the remaining eight days traveling along the border of the Land of Wind.

On the fifth day of their journey, they arrived at Naren, a border trading city of the Wind Kingdom. The seven fine horses attracted considerable attention as soon as they entered the streets. Here, not only were there wealthy locals from the Wind Kingdom, but also middlemen traveling between the lands. The two hostile nations indeed disliked direct trade, but as long as a middleman was involved, they could feign blindness and purchase the necessities.

After so many days of travel, everyone really deserved a good rest. Besides, further inland they would be in the desert, so they would have to switch from horses to camels. Therefore, they decided to stay in the city. Considering safety, Ayihan's request to go shopping was rejected. The uncle, who had been dejectedly hiding in his room the day before, was now fast asleep and impossible to wake. Naruto, who was originally responsible for protecting him, had to arrange transportation, and the task of close protection was given to the team's only Jonin; they had to maintain respect for an S-rank ninja.

As for the others… Shikamaru said he wanted to broaden his horizons, so he went to the market with Naruto. Ino, as the second sensory user in the team, had to stay at the inn to keep watch, but luckily she brought her notebook and reviewed how to use Healing Palm. Choji was dazzled by the dazzling array of food yesterday and was determined to feast today. Sakura, reluctantly entrusted by her best friend to go out and explore on her behalf, actually headed straight for the pharmacy and bookstore, trying to find some medical knowledge from other countries.

In short, everyone was very focused, except for Kakashi, who had to stay behind and also be on high alert.

The room was quite spacious, with a partition separating the sleeping area from the living area. Ninjas habitually conceal their presence, and Ayihan, being a middle-aged man, was genuinely exhausted these past few days; his physical condition was naturally inferior to that of a ninja, and he slept soundly. The room was filled with rhythmic snoring, while outside the window, the bustling streets and alleys stretched out. A silver-haired ninja, caught between the two sounds, absentmindedly flipped through the book in his hands.

Three pairs of eyes kept glancing this way from time to time. The famous Copy Ninja was passing through a country, and even though this country had an alliance treaty with the Land of Fire, it was impossible for them to be completely at ease. Kakashi didn't care about these wary gazes; his interest in something else even surpassed that of "Icha Icha Paradise."

Naruto's acting was clumsy; he's a straightforward person, and acting wasn't his forte. Even though Naruto tried his best to guide the team naturally, it was still too deliberate against Kakashi's exceptional insight. Naruto could skillfully predict the weather, choose the correct route without hesitation, casually mention methods for locating water sources in the desert, and effortlessly recount local folk tales. His understanding of the desert region was in no way inferior to Ayihan's—no, it should be said that he surpassed Ayihan in every way.

Ayihan's level of understanding was typical of a farmer who had never left the country in his life, while Naruto's impression of him could be summed up in four words: unfathomable. Since taking on the task of educating the two children, Kakashi had never imagined he would use that word to describe his student. His initial impression of Naruto was his bright and gentle smile, like a little sun, illuminating even someone as barren as himself. He had forgotten when he had rediscovered hope for the future; it was in the casual moments of daily life that Naruto's warmth saved him, and would continue to save many others. He had always spoiled Naruto as an occasionally willful but obedient child, until this guy defeated Orochimaru in the Forest of Death.

It's no exaggeration to say that it was a crisis of trust, stemming from the higher-ups' distrust of them. Kakashi could guarantee that during all the years he spent with the children, the Nine-Tails within Naruto had remained completely still; he sometimes even forgot that Naruto was a Jinchūriki who needed attention. Yet, this kid's first attempt at manipulating the Tailed Beast was so earth-shattering; according to the description, even the One-Tail had emerged. According to Konoha's research records on the Nine-Tails, Jinchūriki before the Three-Tails retained self-awareness, but once they surpassed the Three-Tails, not only did their Tailed Beast appearance change, but their self-awareness was also replaced by savage instincts—that's the Nine-Tails' domineering nature.

The higher-ups were quite shaken at the time, but with the Third Hokage still alive, he could naturally suppress the dissenting voices, and Naruto weathered that crisis relatively unscathed. But what happened afterward? Naruto seemed to be intentionally pushing the limits of the higher-ups' limits: leaving the village without permission to chase people, damaging the ANBU's chakra-sealing device on the spot, releasing a Tailed Beast Ball on the outskirts of Konoha... basically none of these things a normal Jinchuriki would do! Unfortunately, he wasn't by Naruto's side when these troubles occurred, unable to help in any way. Normally, according to the higher-ups' usual practice, even with two of the Legendary Sannin supporting him, they would have tried every means to take some strong measures. However, Naruto somehow managed to weather the crisis smoothly, the only price being a few months spent in Konoha.

Kakashi had already vaguely sensed something at that time. He looked at Naruto's still confident and sunny smile, but felt that he was not actually standing in the sunlight. What he saw was not the whole picture of the light, but the sparse spots of light penetrating the tree canopy.

This was Team 7's first mission after Naruto became a Chunin, and he finally confirmed that his prediction was correct. Words are indeed captivating, but ultimately, they are separated by a veil of imagination. Unless one has actually traversed the desert and experienced both the joy and hardship along the way, it's impossible for anyone to truly understand this place solely through words.

Kakashi was certain that Naruto had never participated in a desert mission; his travel records only included the Land of Silk and the Land of Iron. No wonder someone who loved reading travelogues never showed any desire to travel abroad; it seemed he had secretly gone overseas and never been discovered! Was this the advantage of the Flying Thunder God Technique?

How did he manage to fool everyone? It could only be a shadow clone. So, was it a shadow clone or his real body that went abroad? And who's with the group now? Having the Flying Thunder God Technique means he can do whatever he wants, huh!