Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 218 It's lunchtime

The Cangbei Pavilion, designed by a renowned artist, perfectly blends mountains, water, and courtyard, making it an obvious ideal summer retreat. However, the three "passersby" emerged from the garden with mixed feelings; they hadn't gone to admire the scenery, but rather to witness a fascinating spectacle. No one had expected that a simple stroll through the garden would lead to a clash between old and new ideas. The top leaders, of course, didn't just treat this spectacle as entertainment; instead, they found a quiet spot to debrief the discussion.

"I guarantee that the next generation of children will not be so unable to distinguish right from wrong." As the Minister of Education, Mikoto was naturally the first to speak out after such an incident. Regardless of whether the person was stupid or malicious, the heavy responsibility of educating the next generation rested on her shoulders.

"This kind of situation is unavoidable, don't take it too seriously." Naruto replied to Aunt Mikoto, but his eyes glanced at Uncle Hashirama. His senses didn't lie; he knew that not long after that person left, a wood clone followed behind. He felt it was unnecessary; Hui couldn't possibly silence all dissenting voices, but justice resided in the hearts of the people, and even the loudest voices couldn't outweigh the silent majority.

Hashirama saw the hint, but his attitude remained firm. "We should be glad that the ruler of the River Country is someone who doesn't care about anything. As long as there are taxes to be collected, he'll do whatever he wants. But we still need to be careful. If someone reports this to the ruler, he won't be able to keep playing dead."

Naruto sighed and dropped the subject, instead suggesting, "I'm a little hungry. Any recommendations?"

"There's a really good sushi restaurant in the south of the city. The seafood there just arrived today. Let's go try it!" Mikoto, who had done the best research, immediately decided on the target and dragged the person away.

"It seems we've indeed been discovered, Itachi-san." After following them for so long, Kisame finally realized something was wrong.

"That person was always standing between me and the target, preventing me from even seeing the target. You discovered it too late, Kisame." Itachi's voice was very calm. Having come from the Land of Earth, the vast differences had long since dulled his bloodlust. He was never a bloodthirsty person to begin with; it was all just Akatsuki's mission.

Kisame wasn't surprised; instead, he became somewhat excited. "What do you think of his strength?"

"Don't forget that our mission comes with conditions; your skill range is too broad."

"But the other side is obstructing us in every way, which has seriously slowed down the mission. We should do something, right? Seriously, why aren't there any bandits or mercenaries around here? I wish we could experience the situation in the Land of Rain again."

"No one can stay vigilant all the time, so be patient."

Kisame, who hadn't gotten into a fight, took a sip of tea in a sullen mood, and then suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Dr. Ryusa actually ran into them too. Is Itachi afraid of hurting him?"

"...That's not true." Itachi didn't even stop eating the dumplings, seemingly not caring at all. "There's one person in the team who absolutely cannot be moved. 'The mission can fail, but that person cannot die.' Those are the employer's exact words."

"Hmph, I really don't understand these rich people."

Within their sight, a rather bulky group of six was striding confidently out of the government office gate.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Liusha, for leading the way and helping us out." Feng Cheng thanked him repeatedly, genuinely surprised by how easy-going the local officials were.

From the moment they entered, they sensed an atmosphere completely different from that of the Land of Earth, an atmosphere mirroring their initial entry into southern Sichuan and the subsequent immigration process. The officials were remarkably friendly in demeanor and tone, efficient in their work, and remarkably, a significant proportion of them were women. For instance, after they expressed their request, the woman at the counter didn't perceive it as unreasonable; instead, she meticulously collected their identification information, repeatedly verified it, and immediately consulted her superiors. This was no small matter; the officials receiving the request were initially bewildered, but they politely inquired about the reasons for their desire to meet and assured them of a definite response within three days.

They entered around 10 a.m. and didn't leave until lunchtime. Their efficiency was so high that even the government of the Land of Earth couldn't match them.

"It's nothing, I'm practically a member of the Wande clan, so I'm just glad I could help." Shisui felt he was going to go bald sooner or later. The person sitting at the counter was an ordinary person, but the person on duty was a Senju. That person recognized "Golden Wheel" in the crowd at a glance, and only noticed him on the second look. However, Naruto didn't give him instructions directly, but insisted that he pass the buck, giving the impression that he was very familiar with the Senju, which was why he was able to get in line so easily.

“Are you familiar with Wand? Would it be convenient for you to be our guide? We’ll be staying here for a few more days, and we’re completely unfamiliar with this place. We’d like to hear the opinions of the locals.” Taki, who hadn’t said much in the group, spoke up, which was exactly what Shisui wanted to do. He was just wondering how to find a reason to sneak into the group.

"Hmm... I was planning to take a break anyway, it doesn't seem very interesting to play alone."

"That's perfect. Since Dr. Liusha is coming, we'll cover your meals and accommodation for the day, and we'll even give you an extra consultation fee," said the wealthy and powerful Qianqiu. How could a young man who knew how to use himself as leverage to threaten his family be clueless? From their brief exchange alone, he had discovered that Liusha must have some connections with the local government. As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Having a local with some connections as a guide was much better than groping in the dark. He thought this money was well spent, just like keeping Mr. Kawana around back then.

However, Shisui smiled and refused the money, but said he was willing to be their guide, and the only reward would be a meal.

“Nanyang Sushi House.” Itachi read the lips in the distance. “That’s their next target.”

"It's not far, only two streets away. It looks like we won't have a chance on the road, should we go and stake it out beforehand?" Kisame pulled out the map at just the right time.

"Let's go take a look."

Nanyang, as the name suggests, is the name of the sea. Wande City is very close to the sea and is also a port city. Fishing boats that set sail from the coastline and returned fully loaded often dock directly at Wande Port to unload their cargo. Due to the limitations of transportation technology, it was difficult to eat decent seafood in the mainland, so whenever they saw it, they couldn't help but want to try it.

So, three groups of people arrived at the unassuming little shop one after another and were forced to sit in a row. That's right, the shop's decor was designed so that customers could watch the entire process of seafood turning into sushi, and they all had to sit in a circle around the chef. The eleven people who arrived in succession filled the shop.