Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 122 High-Stakes Gamble

"This old car is really slow."

Naruto lay listlessly on the donkey cart, while Sasuke kept glancing back, remaining vigilant.

"Sasuke, there's no need to be so nervous. Don't you believe in my abilities?" Naruto tugged at Sasuke's sleeve in annoyance.

Nearly three months of separation did not diminish their tacit understanding, but it did cause some changes. For example, Sasuke's aura was noticeably more restrained, and his skillful way of quickly observing his surroundings was almost heartbreaking.

And what about Naruto?

After the departure of those from the past, Sasuke's departure was even harder for him to accept. So, disregarding the impact on his physical condition, he tested his sensory limits again, then fixed his sensory range at just the distance where he could "see" Sasuke. Only the feeling of Sasuke's stable chakra and emotions being far away could gradually calm him down. He even stopped using his real body to go out much, instead sending shadow clones to various parts of the world to continue Hui's work.

He began to travel with a planned and purposeful mindset, no longer observing the world through superhuman perception. He had vowed to liberate the people, so he needed to go among them, experience their lives firsthand, and listen to their aspirations. No matter how long it took, he would find the answer to world peace within the human realm.

This is the lesson he learned from that dream.

"Perception cannot detect things that do not have chakra."

Sasuke's merciless retort pulled him back from his rambling thoughts. He saw the little boy pursing his lips slightly, looking down at him with disdain, and he bore a striking resemblance to the grown-up young man. Naruto was stunned, and then the other boy immediately noticed the clue.

Sasuke frowned slightly and said, "I wanted to ask as soon as we met, has someone from Konoha been causing you trouble? You seem to be in a bad mood."

Huh? Is it that obvious? Even Iruka-sensei didn't notice.

"The trouble has already been dealt with." Naruto subconsciously looked away, but couldn't help wanting to glance at Sasuke again. He couldn't possibly reveal his inner turmoil, but if he didn't gloss over it, it would never end. He didn't want to start a fight since they had finally met. So, he came up with a brilliant excuse.

"I just miss you so much." Perhaps that wasn't the real reason, Naruto realized helplessly. No matter which Sasuke it was, he...missed him terribly. That indescribable longing seemed impossible to erase even by simply seeing him.

Sasuke probably didn't expect this answer, and now his eyes darted left and right. "Idiot, I'm right here, aren't I?"

An urge to cry welled up from the bottom of his heart. Naruto quickly got up from the car, gave Sasuke a bear hug, and struggled to suppress the turmoil in his voice.

"I'm not going to call me an idiot, Sasuke. I'm not the kind of guy who only sent one letter in three months!"

"You think everyone's as free as you?!" Sasuke complained, but his grip tightened, making Sasuke's breathing slightly unsteady. Hmph, the Uchiha's hypocrisy, it really started from childhood!

Interrupting the two young ninjas' reminiscing were soldiers rushing towards them on horseback. Naruto instantly unleashed thirteen shadow clones, transforming them into the fifteen ninjas, while Naruto and Sasuke became the captain and his henchman of the ninja squad, respectively.

"By the way, I suddenly remembered, what if you can't complete your task?"

"...Can you stop thinking about other things at a time like this? We're about to have an encounter battle, and even if the enemy is weak, we can't let our guard down!"

"Who's underestimating them? We have an overwhelming numerical advantage!"

"But we can't destroy any of the shadow clones. Do you even want to help Harada?"

"……snort."

Although the two told each other to be careful, when they actually encountered the situation, they were all very relaxed. One second they were arguing, and the next they kicked over the donkey cart and quickly attacked the menacing squad. Naruto even cut the donkey cart's ropes to set the old donkey free.

Defeating a squad of soldiers was effortless for Sasuke and Naruto; they quickly rendered them unconscious and paid no attention to the overturned truck. Naruto then created two clones, taking their current forms, and with a wave of his hand, the clones scattered, each heading in a different direction away from the Land of Silk. Sasuke and Naruto, however, returned hand in hand to the village. Apart from those in the know, no one saw them leave for those few hours; people only saw the departing caravan.

"They caught up so quickly!" This was the place where fifteen wandering ninjas were being held. Sakura had been guarding this place with great tension, but seeing them return, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Although the people were tied up, she wasn't as strong as her other two teammates. If they hadn't returned soon, she would have had to use anesthesia to knock them all out again.

Naruto said, "Riding a horse is definitely faster than a donkey. Shin and Matsuri are still guarding the village entrance."

“Ji came back, saying that his brother was afraid that these people would run back again, after all, it’s not easy to hide fifteen living people.” Sakura explained to her new teammate.

"What about the old man?"

"I can't stay awake any longer, I'm going to sleep."

Sasuke snorted coldly, having no good impression of the old man who had schemed against them. "He can sleep soundly, though."

"He's getting on in years, after all." Naruto knew Sasuke was upset, so he patted him on the shoulder as a consolation.

Harada did indeed scheme against them. To be precise, he schemed against the Konoha ninjas. And he took a huge gamble, not only betting his own life but also those few ninjas who would be hired.

A conspiracy doesn't come without warning.

This year's autumn harvest is the first bumper harvest since the completion of the Yuan Canal, making it of great significance. Before the harvest even began, several merchant caravans passed through Yuanba, inquiring about purchasing grain, but Harada rejected them all. Before this year, merchants had appeared only a handful of times; the arrival of so many was highly unusual, and among them were both genuine and imposters. Harada realized the danger, which is why he raised funds for a C-rank mission, sending his son to Konoha to hire ninjas, emphasizing repeatedly that he only needed to hire any available ninjas and not be picky.

He was gambling—gambling that the people from Konoha were powerful enough, gambling that the forces targeting him wouldn't go to such lengths. If he won, he could do everything in his power to persuade the kind-hearted people of Konoha to use the Land of Fire's documents to avert a calamity. Even if he lost, it didn't matter; as long as some Konoha people were attacked or even killed here, Yuanba Village wouldn't simply disappear without a trace. Konoha would uncover the truth for him.

When Harada first saw that four children had arrived, he felt a pang of guilt, thinking it was a hopeless situation. He didn't care about his own death, but the thought of implicating so many children was unbearable. Unexpectedly, he won his gamble.

This high-stakes gamble, where lives were at stake, has come to an end.