Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 184 Peace?

Afei wasn't foolish enough to walk right in; instead, he waited until nightfall. The entire royal residence wasn't undefended; the barrier was functioning properly, but it was only a basic security barrier, unable to truly stop anyone. Using his ability to become invisible, Afei silently infiltrated the residence and, following the map he'd seen during the day, aimed at the head of the household's office. The lights were on, but he couldn't be sure someone was inside, so he climbed onto the roof opposite the office and peered inside under the cover of the raised roof.

The Sharingan doesn't have X-ray vision, but fortunately, the room's windows were glass, allowing him to clearly see a person hunched over an ordinary desk, scratching their head and scribbling away, seemingly reviewing official documents. Afei didn't believe anyone would work tirelessly without rest; during his time controlling the mist, he had a deep aversion to official documents, considering unimportant matters to be reviewed haphazardly. But this person seemed unusually focused, taking quite a while to read a single document, and displaying a wide range of expressions when replying—sometimes serious, sometimes grinning foolishly, sometimes sighing. In short, from what he could see, the person was working very diligently.

After dodging five or six patrols, Afei glanced at the sky and saw that the crescent moon had moved from the east to overhead. However, the guy in the opposite room didn't do anything except review official documents; he hadn't even drunk any water! He finally realized something was wrong, but his Sharingan confirmed that what he was seeing wasn't a genjutsu. Was that person really planning to review documents all night? Wouldn't he get tired?

Forget it, his mission is to gather intelligence, not necessarily by looking at the documents on that guy's desk. Let's go take a look at the archives instead.

Having made his decision, Afei immediately descended onto the roof, made a quick deduction, and headed towards the information department. The archives were indeed nearby, and their collection seemed even richer than he had imagined, though neatly categorized and not difficult to find. He wandered around for a while, holding a dim oil lamp, and found the place where old newspapers were stored, so he looked forward according to the storage dates. There were too many daily newspapers, and the records were quite varied, not necessarily all important content, so he flipped through the monthly reports, specifically picking out the one he remembered—the month when Deidara and Sasori went on a desert mission together.

The newspaper's front page did indeed report that the eastern city wall had collapsed due to an explosion, but they only stated that there had been an invasion, without specifying who the invaders were. According to the newspaper's description, Deidara and Sasori were driven back before even entering the city, yet they did return with the king's head... Considering the other party's ability to detect him, this was very likely a transaction, and Deidara and Sasori didn't believe that the situation of a small country could affect Akatsuki's ultimate goal, thus choosing to conceal it. This regime must have taken control of the Land of Owls a year before that, but to this day, no one seems to care.

A small border country really wouldn't affect the plan. He just came to take a look on a whim, and there's no need to criticize those guys who are already difficult to manage for something like this.

Afei wasn't planning on pursuing any accountability; as long as he got the money, that was enough. He absentmindedly continued flipping through the pages. The content at the back of the page wasn't the type to pique his interest: monthly economic reports, progress reports on water conservancy projects, estimated carrying capacity of newly opened grasslands... This was indeed the kind of content a country's monthly report would include. However, having read countless reports, Afei felt that something was amiss.

As he was putting the newspapers back, the headline of another newspaper caught his attention: the month following the invasion. He was unusually sensitive to the word "peace" and unconsciously picked up the newspaper to read it carefully.

"A Century-Long Reconciliation! Peace Talks Achieve Complete Success! Tribes Shake Hands and Make Peace!"

Savile successfully held peace talks on August 15.

This meeting marked the first time that representatives from all tribes throughout the Kingdom of Owls had gathered. Under the mediation of neutral Fang Hui, the representatives engaged in friendly and cordial exchanges, ultimately reaching a reconciliation. The Kingdom of Owls will end its 94-year civil war and usher in true unity. All tribal representatives jointly issued a statement…”

This is just a small country. Tribes see each other all the time. At the very least, they are all from the same country. What deep-seated hatred could there be?

Ah Fei put down the newspaper, no longer in the mood to read the next one. Part of him was dismissive, but another part kept replaying what he had just read. Hatred is the easiest thing to breed in this world. How could they just let go of a war that had lasted for almost a hundred years? The newspaper said it was a meeting, but who knows if it was a defeat agreement? It's just nice words.

But what if it's true? What if there really is a way to resolve hatred without fighting?

No, he had to go and see for himself whether those so-called reconciled tribes could truly live in peace.

[Calling Beichen. Savile branch reports: Afei has disappeared from my perception.]

[Beichen received. It's alright. Lord Jinlun said not to pay attention to him, and to focus your energy on the Wind Kingdom's recent attack.]

[The branch has received the report. The task is guaranteed to be completed.]

By this time, the Konoha ninja escort team had reached the edge of the Savile Oasis. Due to the rudimentary conditions, the entire team had to squeeze into a large tent for the night. Naruto, in the corner, slightly opened his eyes, trying to turn over but finding himself trapped in his sleeping bag. Desert nights are incredibly cold; it's truly remarkable how long that guy has been staking out this spot. Judging from the situation, Obito seems to have left Savile, but not the Land of Owls. Is there an oasis in that direction? Why is he constantly teleporting? What's wrong with him?

Naruto didn't understand this move, but he did want to study his opponent's abilities. He expanded the range of his super senses to cover the entire Land of Owls, so that he would be able to detect any spatial fluctuations from that guy immediately, unlike ordinary senses which required waiting for chakra to "drift" over.

After all these years, he's become quite adept at using this ability, and he won't nearly crash himself like he did the first time. His goal is to capture the fluctuations of Obito's own alternate dimension. Once he masters that special ripple, he can directly enter the alternate dimension through imitation or even more violent means, rendering "Hollowfication" useless.

Therefore, he adjusted his super-sensory perception to target spatial fluctuations, refraining from recording any other information. Naruto quickly discovered that Obito's appearances occurred at regular intervals. He had previously wondered if Kamui allowed for arbitrary teleportation without marking, but now it seemed necessary. Upon arriving at a new location, he needed to perform consecutive short-distance teleportations, each requiring him to completely exit the alternate dimension, return, and then teleport again. However, the teleportation distance fluctuated; on flat ground, he seemed to be able to travel further, reaching a maximum of five kilometers and a minimum of less than one kilometer.

Could this be related to his field of vision? It truly lives up to its reputation as a pupil technique comparable to divine arts.