Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 377 Passing By and Giving a Knock

[Report to Hokushin: The Sunagakure intelligence division has intercepted important intelligence.]

[The Sand Village, dissatisfied with the current Kazekage, has acquired the sacred artifact used to seal Shukaku, the Bunpuku Chagama. This could very well be detrimental to the Kazekage during the exams.]

In the early hours of the day the Chunin Exams began, Naruto was awakened from his dream by a telepathic communication device, something he hadn't done in a long time. Nowadays, only the most urgent information was relayed through this device, and this particular message wasn't being reported directly to him; rather, it happened to wake him up midway through its transmission to Hokushin.

"No matter where you are, there will always be people who like to go against the grain." Kurama rolled his eyes. He had also been woken up by the noise, and he knew as soon as he heard the sound that Naruto was up to no good again.

"Sorry, Kurama, I woke you up too." Naruto's first reaction was to apologize, and his second was to try to figure out what the "Bunpuku Chagama" was. He remembered that Shukaku had once escaped the Otsutsuki's pursuit in a rather comical way. Was he the size of a chagama at that time?

[Izuna-kun, what is Bunfuku Chagama?]

"...A 'divine artifact' that circulated in that region even before the Sand Village was established, once used to imprison Shukaku." Izuna's voice was weak and listless, revealing a heavy weariness. The intelligence department had indeed been very busy lately because of Akatsuki's sudden actions, and intelligence personnel around the world responsible for monitoring Akatsuki had to work overtime, which was extremely troublesome.

Therefore, the opposition is targeting Shukaku, which is tantamount to wanting Gaara dead.

"Yes, that should be the case. Should we secure it ahead of schedule?"

"Didn't the Wind Shadow faction notice anything at all?"

"Most likely. Do you think everyone's intelligence personnel are as capable as ours?"

It seems Gaara's position isn't entirely secure yet. This Chunin Exams is going to be quite a show! However, he definitely won't be able to be on the front lines watching the drama unfold.

[Try to subtly remind the Kazekage's faction, and don't do anything else. This is an internal matter of Sunagakure; Gaara has to deal with it himself.]

"Oh? You think highly of that kid?"

Is it really that obvious?

"Isn't it obvious? Our Lord Jinlun, you're practically ready to introduce him directly into 'Hui.' But we must admit, for a Kage of a ninja village to dare to imitate some of our systems is indeed quite bold. If he doesn't become corrupted by power in the future, letting him join isn't out of the question."

"You clearly thought highly of it too, so you must have known what Sunagakure was trying all along, right? Why didn't you report it before?"

"Is this some kind of interrogation? Heh, Lord Kinrin is so busy, I doubt you've read all the intelligence department's reports carefully. I don't think the internal reforms in Sunagakure are a big deal, so I put the information in a less important section. Don't blame me if you didn't see it."

"…Izuna-kun, be normal for once."

Naruto silently cut off the communication. He knew Izuna's personality was just like that; his protectiveness was taken to the extreme. From its inception, Sunagakure had dared to negotiate with Konoha using Shukaku as leverage, and they hadn't been idle during the two subsequent Shinobi World Wars, acting as the aggressor on numerous occasions. Currently, almost all of the five great nations have old grudges against Konoha; it's just a matter of degree.

Gaara attempted to copy "Hui's" benevolent policies, but his copying was rather superficial, merely resembling the form without capturing the essence. He didn't even bother to properly learn from the origin, which displeased Izuna. He wasn't interested in helping the enemy take the long way around, but he knew Naruto would intervene if he knew. Therefore, he deliberately placed the intelligence report quite late in the report, taking advantage of Naruto's busy schedule and inability to read everything.

Well, it's good that they've hit a wall; it'll prevent the arrogant ninjas from truly settling down and learning from ordinary people.

Still feeling uneasy, Naruto sent a clone to Sunagakure, while his main body remained in Konoha, observing the Chunin Exams from afar.

Many of his friends had already been promoted to Chunin, but registration required a three-person team, so they had to discuss forming teams to ensure everyone could register. Thus, Team 8, the intelligence squad, split up and joined other teams that were short-handed. Hinata joined Team Guy, taking Neji's place, while Kiba joined Team 10, taking Shikamaru's place. Fortunately, they had grown up together, knowing each other's strengths well, so they adapted quickly and successfully passed the first test, which required excellent teamwork.

Then, their second test was coming soon. They had to travel from Konoha to Sunagakure within three days. This was indeed a challenging test for Chunin, and it was also a speed test, with the last thirty people being eliminated.

So here's the problem: the shortest route from Konoha to Sunagakure requires crossing the Land of Rivers, and it happens to pass through both the northern and southern parts of the land. This test not only assesses speed but also the candidate's adaptability. Whether to bypass the Land of Rivers' defenses or enter honestly depends entirely on the candidate's own judgment; after all, both countries have already given the Land of Rivers prior notice.

"Don't you think there are more buildings here than there?"

"Why worry about so much? Let's hurry up and get going. Do you want to be left behind?"

"It's just a feeling."

"It really looks different here; there are more people on the streets."

"Right? It feels much more real and lived-in. Aren't we all part of the same country?"

When test takers think they've "secretly" passed through towns and successfully used the bypass, the border defenses in southern Sichuan will teach them a harsh lesson.

"Excuse me, candidates over there, could you please come over and register?"

"...Was he just calling us?"

"...It seems so."

"Didn't you say the disguise was flawless?!"

"Didn't we cross the border on the other side just like this? How come we were discovered here?"

"This is the second notice. Please come and register. The third time, we will have to take enforcement measures."

"Never mind him, we outnumber him, surely we can break through!"

"That's right, it's just a small country."

"Charge!"

The border was unusually lively that day, with a particularly intense fusion of water and fire, and a free sauna for the skeptical test-takers.

"At such a young age, instead of learning good things, you're resorting to petty theft. You need to respect the borders of all countries, you know? Otherwise, you won't even know when you've gotten yourself into trouble."

The test-takers were beaten black and blue before they even arrived at their destination, but the other side seemed to have a "kill and bury" attitude... oh, more like "beat and heal," managing to make them even more energetic than before the fight. They even managed to collect some local specialties to quench their thirst during their desert journey. And let me tell you, those unfamiliar local specialties tasted really good!

That's...that's quite thoughtful?

Strangely enough, this group of passing examinees became part of the external propaganda efforts in southern Sichuan.