Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 250 "The Hotel"

If Naruto hadn't remembered the personalities of the three people opposite him to some extent, he probably would have been fooled.

Uchiha Tan, Senju Yoshikichi, and Senju Kazuhiro. These three were known for their competence, taciturnity, and emotional stability. He had initially worried that these three wouldn't know how to talk to people and wouldn't be able to get along with everyone, but he forgot that excellent ninjas all possess powerful acting skills.

Look at their perfect teamwork and fluent responses; they've managed to portray two straightforward, righteous, and impulsive young men and a reliable captain.

He was genuinely stunned, but he was marveling at how superb the three actors' performances were.

After spending some time finding the ship, Naruto was surprised to discover that the large ship was indeed aground, albeit only slightly. He had forgotten that the Sharingan could read lips; if they were close enough, Kakashi would know what he and the patrol had been talking about. He had even prepared his lines, but now it was truly time for a rescue.

"Please hold on tight, everyone on the ship. Don't worry, there will only be a little rocking." Tian Dan followed Naruto onto the ship alone. He simply explained his identity and the possible commotion that might occur during the rescue, and then watched his two teammates work down below with everyone on the ship.

The Senju clan's chakra nature is mostly earth and water, and these two were no exception. One of them lowered the shoal by a portion, while the other created a gentle wave that softly propelled the boat out of the shoal's boundaries. The people on board didn't even feel the turbulence.

“We’ll guide you from here on out. This port has been abandoned for a long time and isn’t suitable for large ships. You must have had a local guide to get here. But he hasn’t been back for far too long.” Tian Dan said this casually, but it only made the already uneasy San Taifu even more nervous. His gaze kept drifting towards the shore, trying to pierce through the pine forest to see the caves where the rebels were hiding. Of course, this was impossible.

Everyone was distracted and had their own agendas, but at the crucial moment, it was the director who stepped forward.

The director, acutely aware of visual nuances, couldn't ignore the gold five-pointed stars hanging on the left chests of the three new ninjas; the country they had recently departed from also favored this decoration. He hadn't attended the ninjas' private meetings—participating in their whispers was too dangerous—so he was unaware of the three men's true origins. However, the moment he saw something familiar reappear, he couldn't control his tongue.

"You're ninjas, right? Why aren't you wearing headbands?" The director stared at the gray-haired youth who looked the most approachable.

"We do not have a requirement to wear headbands."

"How do you distinguish friend from foe when a fight breaks out? By the decorations on your chests?"

The gray-haired ninja glanced down, then looked at the director with some surprise, and asked, "Have you seen this before?"

“I’ve only seen similar patterns before. We came from the Land of Waves, where this style is quite common.”

For some reason, the director noticed that the gray-haired ninja was now truly interested, and asked with a smile, "Really? You went to the Spring Festival? I wonder if you saw a young man with white hair?"

The director glanced in Kakashi's direction first, then immediately rejected the choice. There was only one white-haired person who left the deepest impression on him.

"Do you know Mr. Jinlun?"

"He's my boss."

The director's pupils dilated in shock. He had suspected from the start that Jinlun was no ordinary person, and the "Hui" he mentioned was most likely the organization he created to realize his ideals. He had initially thought that an organization he had never heard of was nothing special, but now they had conquered a country? What was even more outrageous was that their leader was attending a festival in the Land of Waves just over ten days ago! They probably hadn't even come here yet!

"Welcome to the Land of Snow."

The group disembarked as if in a daze, greeted by a remarkably efficient unloading team. Heavy equipment, backdrops, luggage, and other items were categorized and loaded onto trolleys. Some worried this was a form of confiscation, but the director felt a strange sense of familiarity with the scene.

Doesn't the port of the Land of Waves offer this service?

“Don’t worry, once your customs clearance is complete, you’ll see these items at the designated hotel. I’m sorry, the conditions here are limited, and there aren’t many other hotels to choose from, so I had to specify one directly.” Tian Dan explained the current situation in a timely manner. “My friend Jiaji has already gone to escort these items; he’s the gray-haired young man you were just talking to.”

The director nodded repeatedly to indicate that he understood. This place was freezing cold; without a place to stay, one could easily freeze to death. Apparently, it was relatively warm now, at least the harbor hadn't frozen over yet.

However, he may have misunderstood some things, such as the dilapidated little hotel he imagined turning out to be a rather impressive manor!

"This is... the residence of the close advisor Feng Hua Nu Tao!" San Tai Fu couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Ten years had passed, and the place had naturally become more magnificent and larger, but its location and main buildings remained unchanged. San Tai Fu stared for a while before daring to confirm where he was. His first reaction was to find a way to escape, but Tian Dan's next words stunned him.

"Oh, so you're the guide. Don't worry, that corrupt official is in jail right now. His trial is in progress, and he won't be able to walk out alive." Tian Dan commented matter-of-factly, "This courtyard has too many redundant facilities. It looks nice, but it's a huge waste of energy, so some areas are not open to the public and don't have heating. Please be careful not to wander around."

San Taifu looked like he was about to faint, and Yukie was also in a daze. She didn't know that she had already avenged her great enemy.

However, Tian Dan didn't care about their feelings. He simply said in a businesslike manner, "It's late, you should rest first. The publicity department will come to discuss the specifics of filming the movie with you tomorrow, so please prepare in advance."

Have a pleasant journey.