Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 301 Infiltrating Behind Enemy Lines

"The Nine-Tails is on the coast not far from us. Are we just going to watch this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip away?"

"He came at the invitation of the Frost Kingdom, and the current king is not the same one as before."

"No one can resist the lure of profit. Isn't he just trying to squeeze into our circle? Give him a chance, and make him trade his nine tails for it!"

"You seem to have misunderstood something. The current Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is said to have reached the Kage level. Even if he hasn't, the Flying Thunder God Technique alone is something we can't handle. Don't forget, the last user of the Flying Thunder God Technique was the youngest Hokage in history."

"Instead of worrying about these things, we should investigate Takigakure more thoroughly. Since Kakuzu's defection, that village hasn't produced any powerful ninjas, and they're only a stretch of sea away from us..."

How do you know I didn't send anyone there?

"......What?"

“Unlike you people who only talk the talk, I knew more than a year ago, when the Nine-Tails first showed its power, that guy was not an easy kid to handle. My people have already found the Seven-Tails' trail. The Jinchuriki of that village has indeed changed. She is about the same age as the Nine-Tails, but her self-control is far inferior. Catching her will definitely be easier than catching the Nine-Tails.”

"The Box of Elysium will turn our enemies into slaves and use them for our own purposes. The stronger the Nine-Tails becomes, the better news it is for us!"

"Wuwei, what are you waiting for? To limit the power of the Tailed Beasts, the Heavenly Prison is indispensable."

"Understood. I will select an outstanding member of the clan to assist."

"This is our only chance to take over the world. We can only succeed; failure is not an option!"

Transporting goods is a tedious and boring task, especially when the goods being transported are yellow goods. It's even more tedious, with no way to relieve boredom along the way. Since there's only one item, there are only two men responsible for delivering it. The donkey's load capacity is average; it's already a struggle to drag a person and a haystack for hiding them. So, one of them has to lead the donkey while the other pushes the cart, sweating profusely under the scorching sun.

"Couldn't they have made the donkey cart bigger? We have to walk to transport goods, but the 'goods' can lie down." The man pushing the cart kept seeing a piece of floral fabric peeking out from the haystack and couldn't help but start grumbling.

"You can sell your goods for a high price, can you? Stop talking nonsense."

Feeling bored, the man pushing the cart quietly lifted the haystack a little more, revealing a fair-skinned girl lying inside, quietly with her eyes closed. The man's face was full of blatant lust, and he said, "This 'goods' has been under surveillance for a long time. If it weren't for those clueless bastards following us every day, it wouldn't have dragged on until now. Look at her face, she's gotten so thin."

"But being thin has its advantages, and I like being thin."

"Get lost! This is smuggled goods. If it gets damaged, it won't fetch a good price." The man leading the donkey finally turned around and cursed, "Hurry up and cover it up. We need to get through customs."

In the Frost Kingdom, the harvested wheat stalks are all marketable; they aren't burned to ashes to fuel the next season's harvest. Therefore, it's common to see people hauling straw in donkey carts, and the gatekeepers don't check everyone. Moreover, their disguise isn't to fool the authorities, but to deceive the common people. The city they're heading to is located at the border of the Frost Kingdom, the Field Kingdom, and the Fire Kingdom; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it exists solely for selling "goods," and from officials to commoners, practically no one is honest.

However, to reach this city, one must pass through several relatively underdeveloped villages and towns, so appropriate concealment is necessary.

The two passed through the final checkpoint without any trouble, and even quite familiarly offered the gatekeeper some tobacco. Things had been tense lately; for some reason, their land-based "supplies" had run into problems and were being watched by the local government, making it impossible for them to do business for the time being. But their place wasn't a place they could just stop at anywhere. If there were any issues with the offerings, and the Buddha Mother didn't protect them, that would be far more terrifying than death itself.

The donkey cart finally pulled into a fairly normal inn, but the landlady, with practiced ease, led several maids to greet it, immediately pulling up a curtain to surround the cart. After fiddling around inside for a while, the landlady came out beaming, saying, "It is indeed top-quality yellow goods, but it's a bit thin from hunger, so we'll have to haggle a bit."

"Heh, it's been so hard to get supplies lately, it's already quite an achievement to get this. Boss lady, that's not fair of you."

The proprietress, fanning herself, smiled with exceptional grace, "If you want 'goods,' there's always a way. You probably don't even know you've come all this way, do you?"

"What?"

“We’ve known each other for a long time, so I would never lie to you. Your master’s family is in trouble. I advise you to take this money and run away as soon as possible.”

After traveling deep in the mountains for several days, they found themselves on the verge of a dynastic change. The two men no longer hesitated over the money; they took it and immediately returned. This was actually expected, because they were both pitiful creatures whose families were controlled by those in power. If they had anything they couldn't let go of, they would inevitably become puppets on someone else's strings. Even knowing it was a bottomless abyss, they would jump in without hesitation.

"Sigh, I guess we won't see her again." The proprietress sighed, then turned and pinched the woman who was still lying down. "Teenagers are so tender, the Buddha Mother will definitely like you. Girls, give her a good wash and change her out of these tattered clothes."

If an Uchiha were present at this moment, he would witness a farcical performance without any props. Actually, it's not entirely Naruto's fault; who would actually follow someone into a trap and then have to pretend to be asleep the whole time? That's too much of a hassle. Even a clone wouldn't work! So this freely moving clone was actually following him at a distance, using genjutsu to create the illusion of a lying person.

This human trafficking group is truly skilled and audacious. What if the person doesn't obey? They're simply made to remain unconscious throughout the journey, not to wake up until they reach their destination. They might be able to hold on for two or three days, but if the journey takes longer, they're likely to die. And did they even build the city for selling the stolen goods in a pre-planned location? Two days is just the right amount of time to get there.

Seeing a group of women seemingly carrying thin air into the house, he knew he couldn't wait any longer. His illusion magic wasn't yet advanced enough to simulate even physical contact; in the end, he'd have to use real people. Fortunately, the women only gave him a bath, changed his clothes, put him on the bed, and left, presumably waiting for the "drug's" effects to wear off and for him to wake up on his own.

Naruto simply couldn't understand these overly complicated and restrictive outfits. He even disliked traditional yukatas, finding the hem too long and cumbersome. That's probably a common trait among ninjas. But something he clearly didn't know how to wear himself, he probably couldn't take off...

Seriously, why can't his clones use super perception to speak?!