Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 123 Peaceful Times

After harvesting and threshing, the next step is drying the grains. The village's busyness finally eases up considerably; once the grains are spread out, the rest is left to the sun.

Although Naruto didn't participate in every harvest of Hui's crops, he could still estimate the yield. He had already seen what kind of rice was planted in the fields before arriving; it wasn't a particularly high-quality variety. To have grown this many crops showed the land and farmers had put in a tremendous amount of effort. Almost the entire population of the Silk Kingdom was involved in the silk industry, so grain production was barely anything. The location of Yuanba was also quite interesting. To the south were gradually rising hills, while to the east lay a plain, situated upstream of the Silk Kingdom's only main river. It could be said that once flood control was successful, this place could become a very important strategic location. Further upstream was the Silk Kingdom's border; if that area were also captured, after a few years of dormancy, a counterattack on the coastal lands would be a piece of cake.

While Naruto was pondering how to conquer a country while looking at a map, his friends were busy with something else.

"Sasuke should remember what day it is tomorrow." During the break when Naruto was on duty, Sakura secretly gathered the entire team, not even sparing Sasuke who had stayed behind.

Sasuke wanted to remain silent, but the six pairs of eyes looking over him held both expectation and questions. Matsuri, oblivious to the atmosphere, thought for two seconds before answering, "It's the anniversary of the hero who defeated the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Sasuke's red eyes suddenly appeared, and black energy seemed to emanate from behind him as he said, word by word, "It's Naruto Uzumaki's birthday."

This attitude makes it seem like they'll chop you up if you say the wrong thing.

Sakura smoothed things over, saying, "Right, right. Actually, Naruto, who bound the Nine-Tails, should also be considered a hero, right? It's fine to celebrate the anniversary and his birthday together."

Shin covered Matsuri's restless mouth and said with a forced smile, "Sorry, Matsuri isn't very good at talking. But, very few people see Naruto-sama this way."

"They're just too stupid. They only believe baseless rumors. Anyone with a brain wouldn't believe that tailed beasts can turn into humans." Sasuke rolled his eyes and finally put his Sharingan away. "There's no way to make a cake here, so let's make him some ramen instead."

"But there's hardly any seasoning here..." Xiaoying was planning to go into the mountains to catch some wild game, and she was too embarrassed to ask if the chickens and ducks in the village could be sold. A nutritious day requires protein, and the eggs laid by these chickens and ducks are the villagers' only source of protein.

Sasuke took out a spatial scroll and waved it, a slight smile playing on his lips. "I brought it." He also brought a gift.

The expressions of the other three immediately became somewhat subtle. After all... what ninja would carry something like this around?! Isn't this just a waste of space scroll space?!

In short, their clandestine birthday party operation was discovered before it even began—not by Naruto, of course, because the incredibly busy man had completely forgotten that his birthday was approaching. It was Yamaaki who discovered them. After asking why they needed to borrow the kitchen, Yamaaki immediately told his father, while Harada, with a wave of his hand, announced to the entire village that a harvest festival was to be held. The villagers had witnessed the ninjas' dutiful protection, and Naruto, skilled in Shadow Clone Jutsu, was always running around in the fields, helping out here and there, doing farm work quickly and well—many villagers liked him very much.

The harvest party was essentially a thank-you feast for the ninjas, a fact everyone was well aware of, and they all actively participated, bringing out all sorts of treasured items, even managing to pull a pig out of the pigpen. A large group of people bustled about noisily, but Naruto, focused solely on whether anyone unusual was around, completely missed it. He was currently in a state where he could disappear at any moment, and wouldn't waste his chakra on unnecessary things.

[The Qifeng Town rescue team reports that the disaster situation here is more severe than expected; the mudslides triggered by the typhoon have flooded half the town! We can't rescue everyone, not even with shadow clones! We need reinforcements!]

The Third Maritime Squadron has discovered a damaged passenger ship. Are there any other convoys in the surrounding waters? Please lend a hand!

[Sea Route Team 3! This is Sea Route Team 5, we're on our way!]

[Report from the Huichuan Village Rescue Team: We have rescued fifty-seven trapped villagers. According to their information, thirteen are still missing. Our teammates cannot find them. Requesting assistance from Lord Hashirama!]

[Qifeng Town team, prepare to receive the support team.]

"...Huichuan Squad, there's a buried house at your three o'clock position, and there's still signs of life in the southwest corner... Once you find it, retreat."

"...Understood. Thank you, Lord Hashirama."

[Report: All five breaches in the Yangtze River have been closed!]

"Well done! The floodwaters will recede soon, everyone hang in there!"

[Ningming Village reports: We have prepared contingency plans in advance. There have been no casualties so far. We request assistance as a rescue team!]

[Wandercity Rescue Team Reports: Flooding has occurred within the city; 38% of the area remains unsearched! Requesting backup!]

[Ningming Village, you are downstream. Please check the river for anyone who has been swept away. Do not lead the villagers to wander around at this time.]

[Second Support Team, prepare to deploy. Brother, go and prepare some boats.]

[Nanhua Reef Report! Dark clouds are gathering at a distance of 1,000 meters, and winds at sea are increasing.]

[tmlgbz! They're not coming back, are they?]

[Watch your wording, there are children in the group!]

[Teams stationed on the reef island, please be careful! If something is swept to the bottom of the sea, it's not easy to retrieve. All units, expedite the rescue operation! Time is of the essence!]

"...I'll go and disperse that cloud; if it happens again, the situation will be even worse."

"Big brother, you're not a wind-type!"

"I am, I'll go."

"That's a typhoon, not ordinary clouds! Such a large-scale ninjutsu will be detected by other countries!"

"It's alright, life comes first. Just say the fleet encountered a typhoon and they used ninjutsu to protect themselves."

"Lord Jinlun! I support you! May I join our fleet?"

"Get lost! My team is the sales champion!"

We've also launched a new air route!

[Fill in "us"! We liberated three ports!]

"Seeing everyone so energetic puts my mind at ease. Please focus your energy on the important matters at hand; many people are still waiting for our rescue. After the rescue is complete, I'll grant you all an extra trip—the kind where you can land anywhere in the world."

Long live Lord Jinlun!

"Are you really going?" The two Flying Thunder God users naturally stayed at the base to direct operations and ensure that personnel deployment would not go wrong.

“Otherwise what?” Naruto, who looked like a golden wheel, stood up and patted Tobirama on the shoulder. “After this technique is used up, my chakra that I’ve stored up for so many years will be almost depleted. I’ll have to trouble you from now on, Uncle Tobirama.”

“…One or two of them are all lunatics.” Tobirama complained, but his hands didn’t stop. He threw the man onto Nanhua Reef, where the situation at sea had been reported.

Taking advantage of the absence of others at sea, Naruto first sent a shadow clone back to relieve him, and then began to gather as much natural chakra as possible. He couldn't use even a trace of Kurama's power in this situation; that would definitely give him away.

Hopefully, he'll still be able to move after he's released.