Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 375 Raging Tide

The inauguration ceremonies for Kage were almost identical, with the same reading of the Daimyo's decree, the same speeches, and the same cheers and applause celebrating the birth of a new Kage. But how come he hadn't noticed Gaara's eloquence before? He only remembered how sharp-tongued this guy was at debating with everyone.

Naruto stood in the crowd offering his blessings to the new Kazekage, while simultaneously feeling a growing sense of urgency. He wouldn't forget the first mission he received three years after leaving home: the Kazekage recapture operation. It was the battle where Akatsuki declared its ambitions to the ninja world, and also the first Jinchuriki to be openly recognized as a victim. Since that mission, everything had happened too quickly; everyone had been pushed forward, forced to grow into adults.

Gaara is actually quite stubborn; even in dangerous situations, he doesn't like to trouble others. Even if he's given a mark, he probably won't use it in a life-or-death situation, so Sunagakure still needs to keep a close eye on him. So far, none of the Jinchuriki from any country have met with misfortune, but it's uncertain when Akatsuki will make their move. History has been altered too much; even he can't be sure what the future holds.

Moreover, with his current physique, he can probably only fight two or three more Kage-level battles at most, since the Akatsuki members are all troublesome.

"Are we leaving already?" Gaara, who had only spent a day sightseeing, was still somewhat reluctant to leave. Naruto's suggestions were all very useful, and each one was worth staying up all night to rewrite the plan. He used to think Shukaku was noisy, but now he deliberately provoked him to make a racket, just to wake up his drowsy brain.

"There's no other way. Just like you have to take up your post before the Chunin Exams, I also have to rush back before the exams. I gave them a strict order." As a Kage-level fighter, even if he's not participating in the patrol team, he must be back in the village to oversee things during the exams. Naruto really can't stay any longer.

Gaara's disappointment lasted only a moment. He quickly put on a faint smile with his face, which had been stiff for so long, and extended his hand. "Sunagakure will always welcome you, Naruto."

"See you next time. You must come to greet me then."

"of course."

"If you have any questions, you can send a letter directly. There's no need to wait around. Dongfeng Mail is very fast!"

"Well, I will."

The leader, who is dedicated to recruiting every potential talent, is now seriously advertising for his own people.

"So why don't we just fly back to Konoha?" The squad leader, who had fallen a few miles away from Konoha, asked in a puzzled tone.

"We need to check each other's statements," Naruto said half-jokingly.

Matsuri was the first to raise her hand and say, "I know. We've been on our way back to the village these past two days. We didn't stay in Sunagakure or attend any inauguration ceremonies."

"You've just confessed without being asked." Ding felt that Xin's assessment was very accurate; Ji really was lacking in the art of language.

"There's a Konoha envoy team in Sunagakure, so there's absolutely no need to ask them for their statements, right?"

"Just kidding, I'm doing reconnaissance. There are a lot of ninjas from other villages coming this time, and a lot of chakra I don't recognize..." Naruto was already in work mode before even entering Konoha.

"...Wouldn't it be clearer to perceive things if I went inside?"

"No, that'll scare people. The barrier team has complained to me several times already." Forgive Naruto for not being able to hide his chakra when his senses are fully activated; sometimes, when he's half-asleep at night, he unconsciously leaks chakra, causing quite a disturbance for the barrier team working in shifts. Some higher-ups even suspected there was a problem with his seal and demanded he undergo an inspection by the sealing team. He, however, remained completely open and honest, stating that he and Kurama were like brothers, and that the seal had long since been broken.

He vividly remembered the incredibly interesting expressions on the faces of those three old men after he said those words, and their cowardly retreat. He couldn't be happier watching them.

However, this also handed the situation over to those three old fogies, who liked to bring it up every now and then, strongly demanding that the seal on the Nine-Tails be strengthened. But they only talked about it; they didn't actually do anything, only using their voices to annoy people.

Naruto's main target in this roundabout inspection was actually the White Zetsu. Akatsuki's ambition was to conquer the entire world, which meant they couldn't bypass the divide between the Hokage and Konoha. Every time he went on a long mission, Konoha would send in a few White Zetsu. These were things he had to personally handle to accurately retrieve from the crowd, which was quite troublesome.

But what can we do? Everything is for Konoha.

This time, Naruto wasn't the team leader, so theoretically he didn't need to submit the report personally and could have simply dismissed the team for a rest. But Naruto still voluntarily went into the Hokage's office, and unsurprisingly received a huge stack of documents as a "warm welcome." Granny Tsunade really needs to change her procrastination habit; who's really the Hokage anyway?!

"Oh, you're back." Kakashi-sensei, who hadn't been seen for a while, passed by holding a small orange book.

"Teacher, you seem to have a lot of free time," Naruto said with a bright smile, trying to find a freelance job.

"No way! I'm busy right now."

"The Limited Edition of 'Make-Out'..."

"Where?!"

"Approve half of it for me."

"...This is a test the Hokage has given you, Naruto."

Where are you looking?

"what?"

I know the protagonist will eventually...

"Stop talking!"

Kakashi, refusing to give away any spoilers, dashed out the window like a gust of wind. However, Naruto's elusive nature was well-deserved; no matter where he went, Naruto would reappear beside him in a flash. After running all over the street, Kakashi obediently returned to the Hokage Building.

"Spoilers are shameful."

"Half of the official documents are there."

"It's even more shameful to spoil the plot with Flying Thunder God."

"Then the teacher should just throw away the marker."

"...you throw it away and then pick it up again."

Kakashi-sensei, who could no longer offer much help in training, is finally starting to shine in his area of ​​expertise—that's truly wonderful!

As the Akatsuki members became increasingly active, Naruto had to endure the entire journey of the "immortal duo" through the Land of Fire with his eyes wide open. Fortunately, the two were fast enough that Naruto didn't reach the point of exhaustion. Their final destination was indeed the Akatsuki headquarters, but the fact that they had only assembled such a small team was still puzzling.

If you don't understand, then keep a close watch. At this moment, Naruto was unaware that a bloody battlefield had already begun.