Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 380 The Beginning of Fate

While Akatsuki was completely baffled, Konoha was equally oblivious, enjoying a peaceful and serene atmosphere. The suspect they suspected was currently celebrating his promotion to Chunin with his rarely gathered comrades.

Apart from Sasuke, who was "kidnapped," all of their childhood friends have been promoted to Chunin. Such a big event naturally attracted the attention of the Jonin instructors, who contributed their own money to cover the cost of the dinner!

"Naruto, when is Sasuke coming back?" While everyone was having a great time eating, drinking and having fun, no one paid attention to Naruto, who was going to the Jonin table as usual, so he was caught by Kakashi-sensei.

"How would I know? We'll have to wait until he resolves his inner conflict." Naruto genuinely didn't know the specific reasons why Sasuke left Konoha. He had tried his best to wear down Sasuke's desire for revenge, but the final result seemed to be the opposite.

Sasuke became even more determined to become stronger, and this urgency gradually settled with age, manifesting as an even more selfless dedication to training. Even the intelligence agents stationed near Otogakure were remarking that his relentless, day-and-night training had boosted the entire village's mission success rate. Because if they didn't run away quickly, they really would be caught and used as sparring partners!

Although I won't die, getting electrocuted all the time and being slaughtered by younger ninjas is really eroding my confidence...

Sasuke wanting to become stronger is a good thing. Naruto can only advise him not to overtrain and injure his body; he really doesn't dare say anything else. Who understands? Teenagers' rebellious phase is really difficult to manage! He had casually mentioned where Itachi and Kisame were seen, and Sasuke hadn't "spoken" to him for a whole month! And in his letter, he clearly praised everyone of their generation equally, and also mentioned Gaara's recent activities, but Sasuke's reply focused on...

[You went out alone with that ninja who played in the sand for a day?]

What should we do? If Sasuke knew that he had an uncountable number of clones who went out to investigate and often communicated with different people alone, wouldn't he just provoke them back to fight him?

Kakashi, unusually, wasn't holding the erotic book. Instead, he quickly pulled down his mask and took a sip of wine. "His inner conflict isn't so easy to resolve."

Yes, the key to resolving the issue is a rogue ninja of the S rank, and the most likely way to resolve it is to defeat him. However, Naruto knows that Itachi's body isn't as weak as it used to be. Aside from the unavoidable damage to his eyes, he's unlikely to just die in the middle of a fight...

We definitely need to find a way to intercept it; we can't let those two brothers fight again.

"By the way, when are Kurenai and Asuma-sensei's wedding? I've been looking forward to it for so long." Naruto quickly changed the subject, realizing that unpleasant things weren't suitable to discuss during a meal.

Her cheeks flushed a vibrant red, as radiant as her name suggested. Even Asma scratched his head in embarrassment; he'd been smoking less lately, especially avoiding smoking in front of her. Their love story was remarkably natural and uneventful. There were no grand vows or dramatic breakups; they seemed destined to be together, only showing slight awkwardness when teased by their colleagues.

"It'll be soon. We've decided that we must get married before the end of this year. The wedding probably won't be too extravagant; having you all as witnesses will be enough." Asma was the last to answer them, holding Hong's hand generously with a happy smile on his face.

"really?"

Will we be invited as well?

"Make way, I want to see too!"

The boys, who had been quiet just moments before, were now all huddled on the partition separating the two tables, their bright eyes filled with anticipation.

The blush on her cheeks hadn't faded, but she still smiled and replied, "Of course, you are also our proud students."

As everyone offered their blessings to the newlyweds, the person who started the conversation seemed lost in thought. Logically, marrying the girl of one's dreams should be one of the happiest moments in life, unforgettable. But... why did he only remember the laughter of his companions and wife, completely devoid of his own feelings?

He must have been too busy lately.

Meanwhile, in another busy corner, a race against time to save lives is underway.

Are you still conscious?

...An unfamiliar voice...was she still captured? Did they escape?

"Normal response to light, clear airway, weak pulse, plasma collection."

...Something shook her? It felt so warm, and her strength seemed to be returning?

"Fortunately, she's a Jinchūriki, so her self-repairing ability is still intact. To treat a young girl so cruelly is truly depraved."

"Stop nagging and hurry up and save them. Lord Jinlun really knows how to cause us trouble."

Who? Who exactly saved her? Jinlun...who is that?

Unfortunately, her exhausted body didn't give her time to think. She only relaxed her nerves slightly before falling into a deep sleep.

"As it turns out, Akatsuki has already begun its operation." Tobirama glanced at the somewhat guilty Naruto and said, "Have you thought of a reason to coax the child, Lord Kinrin?"

"How can you call it deception? It's just about finding a way to keep people here..." Naruto, dressed in his golden wheel form, unusually started scratching his head in public; he hadn't felt this uncomfortable in a long time.

"Heh." Tobirama sneered and ignored him. This kid had provoked him too many times lately.

Izuna chimed in, "You should know very well how important Jinchuriki are to a ninja village. Apart from you, which Jinchuriki doesn't have a strong sense of belonging to the village..."

"Um... it seems like Lao Zi doesn't really want to go back, does he?"

"He's just war-weary, not that he has no feelings for Iwagakure!" Izuna glared at Naruto and continued, "Your use of the Flying Thunder God Technique to save someone will inevitably leave a huge opening. There are only one or two people in the entire ninja world who can save someone without anyone noticing. Do you think Akatsuki will let this go so easily?"

"I was mentally prepared for this long ago, as long as I don't leave the Land of Fire..."

"Is this something you can decide?!"

"Alright, alright, now that we've all noticed Akatsuki's actions, we can't pretend we didn't see them. Naruto's intervention to save them is the best option; at least it prevents Akatsuki from shifting their attention to Hikaru." Hashirama stood in the middle, acting as a peacemaker. To be honest, he had been keeping a close eye on the situation. If Naruto hadn't intervened, he would have had to, and the traces he left behind would have been even more troublesome.

"Sigh, I really can't understand you guys who can show endless sympathy for enemy countries. Takigakure even sent people to attack you, First Hokage, right?" Izuna's tone was already leaning towards surrender, but he still wasn't willing to let Hashirama off the hook verbally.

"Well, it didn't work out, did it? Besides, Takigakure has been very well-behaved ever since." Hashirama's smile was incredibly bright and sunny.

Ultimately, the decision to make the final decision rested with Naruto.

"In short, I will talk to her personally when she wakes up. It would be best if we could keep her here. If she insists on going back, that's fine too. She will soon understand that 'Xiao' will not give up."