Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 296 "Keep Him"

"Sasuke, I saw you talking to that person alone for a long time. Did you find out anything? What did he come here for?" The captain called Sasuke into his office immediately after Naruto left.

Sasuke had never seen someone change their expression so quickly before, and he picked up the phone again, having already lowered his guard a little. However, he disdained lying and didn't think there was any need to hide Naruto's mission, so he said directly, "He received a mission from the king to assist in the investigation of the missing persons case."

"I see..." The captain breathed a huge sigh of relief. He knew it; the ninjas sent to audit the accounts before were all middle-aged elites, very shrewd, and it always took a lot of effort to fool them. He heard that Konoha suffered a disaster recently and lost many people, but even if they were short-handed, they shouldn't have sent an innocent child to audit the accounts.

So they're on a mission, investigating a missing persons case. They're probably here with their instructor. They're likely assigned this job because of their outstanding record in maritime disasters. But that's not what he wants; he'd much rather his brothers returned safely each time.

"You've had a hard day. If he comes again next time, try to get on his good side. I think he likes you quite a bit and would definitely like to be your friend. It's rare to see a ninja so friendly to ordinary people. Our fleet is counting on you."

Sasuke felt a surge of irritation at the mere mention of "making friends." He'd accumulated quite a bit of experience over the years, and while he disdained worldly affairs, he understood the nuances of social dynamics. This fleet definitely had some shady dealings they couldn't let the Five Great Nations' ninja discover. It seemed he was still too inexperienced, having overlooked certain details. But it didn't matter; he could investigate further later.

"Understood." Sasuke said this and left, almost immediately starting to plan his route to sneak into the captain's cabin at night, determined to dig out the secrets this guy was trying to hide!

Without weapons, ninjas are an absolute force to be reckoned with against ordinary people; only extreme exceptions can prevail through sheer physical strength and secret techniques unrelated to chakra. Sasuke's infiltration was incredibly easy, and he managed to remain undetected for several days.

However, while he remained undetected, he also failed to uncover the captain's hidden secret. The place was sparsely populated with written books and proper documents; most of the space consisted of tables filled with numbers. Sasuke searched left and right without finding anything amiss, finally focusing on the only locked cabinet in the room. But the captain had never opened this cabinet, and Sasuke couldn't find the key. So, taking advantage of the opportunity he had secured to escort Miss Rina, he slipped out for a couple of walks, and sure enough, ran into Naruto, who had come after hearing the commotion.

"So, you've gone out all this time just to have me unlock your door?"

Sasuke fell silent; he himself found it all rather absurd. Normally, he wouldn't have had the patience to look for the key; he would have already hacked at it with his sword. Is this what it feels like to be an undercover agent? It's so frustrating! He'll never take on such a troublesome mission again!

Naruto managed to suppress a laugh with all his might and said, "Alright, alright, I promise you, see you tonight. By the way, have you forgotten that if you want to see me, all you have to do is input your chakra into the mark?"

"...I was afraid that your flying over would make too much noise and ruin my undercover mission." Sasuke had actually forgotten about this, but he tried his best to be stubborn.

"Okay, okay, I got it. When I come over, I promise I'll sneak up behind you." Naruto had a humble and receptive expression on his face, and even patted his shoulder out of the way.

...Stay calm, stay calm. The street is right next door; you absolutely cannot let your hands itch...

Sasuke suppressed his restless hand, snorted coldly, and left with the words, "Absolutely no lateness."

Naruto watched his friends leave, then suddenly took a few steps back, leaning against the wall, trying to ease his headache by pressing his temples. Should he be thankful? This was a dark alley, almost completely dark, and his superb acting skills made him appear perfectly normal, which was why Sasuke hadn't noticed him. However, the act wouldn't last long; he wouldn't be able to coax Sasuke away soon enough.

"While those guys are indeed utterly despicable and should be eliminated as soon as possible, but..."

“‘You shouldn’t overwork yourself.’ I know that the Nine Lamas have heard this so many times these past few days.”

"Did you listen? Did you listen! You're in such a hurry to go to the Pure Land, aren't you?"

Naruto was in so much pain that he felt nauseous, but he still answered earnestly, "I had no choice. This is the fastest way. I can't just stand by and watch those people suffer. I have family waiting for them."

"And what about you? Do you think family is just a blood tie, and only Minato and Kushina in the Pure Land are your family?"

Naruto in his mental world suddenly turned around, his tone filled with an unprecedented unease, "Kurama is of course my family too! I know my limits very well, and I've been using my abilities with great restraint. I won't die for at least a year and a half. By then, Tobirama might have found a way."

Kurama would never admit to feeling even a hint of satisfaction at Naruto's panic, but the kid was just too reckless, causing even more trouble than the Six Paths of Hell had done. Back then, in order to divide the Ten-Tails' chakra, even the old man's once robust body had been worn down to its frail state. Yet, he still calmly and methodically taught the newly born tailed beasts survival skills, then personally selected one place after another for them to release back into the wild.

He was the last tailed beast to leave, and after wandering around, he still chose the place closest to the Ninja Clan. The old man laughed at him for never growing up, but he thought it was good not to grow up; how happy it was to be a child forever. However, not long after he was separated from the Ninja Clan, the old man passed away, and the Ninja Clan split into two factions, fighting fiercely.

He couldn't understand why brothers, bound by blood, had turned against each other. Why did humans fight each other? How could hatred be eliminated and the pointless fighting stopped? But he could no longer find the person who could answer his questions, so he could only spend his long life searching for answers.

He only vaguely understood the answers to the first two questions, which could be roughly categorized under the word "desire," but he couldn't find a direction for the answer to the last question. He had been troubled by human conflict for far too long, so long that even when he deliberately tried to avoid the world, he was still dragged back to the battlefield by humans.

He had given up hope, but then Naruto appeared.

Old man, the person who will reconnect the Tailed Beasts and the world is right in front of me, but what can I do to keep him here?