Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 244 Three Enemies

The dynastic change movement in the Land of Snow was in full swing, and the group of dispatched personnel who were unaware of this were still working diligently.

On the eighth day of their voyage, three relatively weak chakra reactions entered Naruto's normal sensory range. When Naruto wasn't concentrating, he could sense any chakra reaction within a radius of 700 kilometers—the distance from Konoha to Otogakure.

Naruto glanced in that direction and saw a ship with an absurdly powerful engine, towing an iceberg. Although the speed was incredibly slow, inching along meter by meter, the intense visual impact was unforgettable. He was so distracted after that first glance that he couldn't help but look again, still focusing on the ship's propulsion system. While he couldn't understand the complex mechanical design, he could figure out the type of fuel it was burning.

That dark, sticky liquid, isn't that petroleum?

Forgive the Seventh Generation for not being able to distinguish between crude oil, gasoline, and diesel; he genuinely looked down on the speed of future cars.

"Three chakra reactions were detected at sea. They weren't strong, maybe the level of one Jonin and two Chunin." After much deliberation, Naruto reported the situation the day after he discovered them, because he didn't want Konoha to know that his sensory range was that wide.

"Only three? What direction are they in, and how far apart are they?" Kakashi never thought this mission would end uneventfully. His impression of the Land of Snow was not pleasant, so he was not surprised at this moment.

"Due south, 500 kilometers away."

"That means it's right on our flight path... Wait, how many kilometers?" Kakashi was genuinely surprised now.

“Five hundred,” Naruto said matter-of-factly.

Kakashi wiped away non-existent cold sweat and said, "Your sensory range has improved again, hasn't it? Luckily, you're my teammate."

Naruto smiled broadly, Sakura's eyes were full of amazement, and Sasuke closed his eyes and hummed softly, not sounding like he was unhappy.

"That's not a big deal. The important thing is how we should deal with the enemy, right?"

"They're just three little bugs, what's there to worry about?" Sasuke felt this wasn't a problem; no matter how you looked at it, they were guaranteed to win.

"That seems to be the case, but we can't underestimate them. What if they have a trump card?" Naruto said disapprovingly.

"Even the best support can't make up for a lack of skill."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Kakashi quickly changed the subject, "Now that we know the number and strength of the enemy, let's discuss tactics first."

In short, the Konoha team hastily divided up the enemies they might encounter. Based on their strength, Naruto was originally supposed to deal with the Jonin, but Sasuke volunteered, so how could Naruto refuse?

They didn't intend to leave the fleet to deal with the enemy first. This was at sea, and even if ninjas could move on water, it would still consume chakra. Even if they were overconfident, they couldn't voluntarily venture into enemy territory and engage in combat at sea; staying with the fleet was the safest option. Besides, the enemy was still a hundred kilometers away; wouldn't running there take a toll on their stamina?

After the meeting, the crew was surprised to find that the young ninjas, who had been half-dead, suddenly began to train diligently. Even the only female ninja was training hard. Only the white-haired adult ninja continued to wander around with his orange book, looking much more relaxed.

What they expected to be an encounter battle began in a bizarre way.

Early in the morning, the captain woke up the director and the ninjas, saying there was an iceberg blocking their path. The director got up and, upon seeing it, immediately got excited and wanted to shake the crew up to film—it was a perfect outdoor location! However, the blond ninja blew a cold wind at lightning speed and said there were three malevolent chakra reactions on the iceberg, most likely intending to ambush them.

The director, a man of many experience, was initially puzzled by Santa's insistence on going to Konoha to retrieve ninjas, especially since the mission was A-rank. Using such a force to protect an actress seemed excessive. However, now that three ambush ninjas had appeared, he immediately sensed something was amiss and glanced back to see the tension and unease on Santa's face.

The ninjas Konoha has dispatched this time include the famous Kakashi with the Sharingan and the Yellow Flash reappearing. Moreover, our side has four people, while the enemy only has three, so safety should not be a problem.

There's a story, there's material, we have to film it!

"Isn't this perfect?" the director exclaimed, slamming his fist on the table. "We'll turn the tables on them, pretend we've fallen into a trap while filming ashore, and then you can circle around and wipe them all out in one fell swoop. That way, we won't have to worry about encountering them again later!"

The director's unwavering determination stunned Kakashi. They simply couldn't understand the pursuit of perfection by artists; getting him to abandon this filming location was harder than killing him.

"Then let's play along." Naruto thought it was fine; he had already located the three people.

"If you're not worried about safety, we have no objection," Kakashi reluctantly agreed.

"Then I'll have to trouble you all. Please make sure the fight is intense... no, I mean, be careful!" The director rushed off, his excitement revealing his true intentions, leaving the ninjas speechless.

Sakura complained, "He just wanted to film how we fight, didn't he?"

"He's working hard to make the best final product. Just be careful when he fights. Anyway, Kakashi-sensei is watching." Naruto turned around easily and pointed to three directions on the deck. "See those three places? They're hiding in the snow."

Sasuke glanced at his Sharingan, but it was too far away to see clearly. However, it didn't matter; he only cared about one thing.

"Are we really going to go around to the back?"

"...The enemy doesn't know we know their location. The best course of action is to catch them off guard and strike them deadly," Kakashi said helplessly.

Sakura clenched her fists, surprisingly showing a hint of eagerness. "I understand the logic, but... movies definitely need more impactful visuals, right?"

"Sakura, you too?" Kakashi was taken aback.

"Haha, you're right, let's find the most suitable time to 'appear on camera'!"

The three boys left full of fighting spirit, leaving the teacher standing there in the cold wind.