Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 312 Epilogue

The human body is incredibly fragile, unlike his, who can be pieced back together even when shattered into many pieces. The fragments are completely connected to the consciousness and senses of the original body. He was simultaneously holding pointless debriefing meetings in Amegakure and observing this year's Sacred Bliss Ceremony. He had always known that the new ruler of the Frost Kingdom was an ambitious troublemaker who only pretended to be benevolent and harmless, thus deceiving several factions into betting on him.

He didn't care about human deceit and treachery; he only cared about whether what he needed could be delivered on time. Humans are truly an incomprehensible race. Some are willing to sacrifice themselves, prioritizing the lives of others, while others treat their own kind as commodities, willing to dismember and tear apart flesh for money without hesitation. Therefore, he never placed humans on an equal footing with himself. Except for the descendant of that traitor, everyone in this world was merely a pawn in his hands, to be manipulated and discarded at will. With a single thought, he could replace them in the position he needed.

The king made a fuss about missing persons cases every year, so he was used to it. Even though the people he invited this year were more dangerous, he didn't plan to stop the ceremony. He refused to believe that three ninjas could reach Rumble City in less than a week. He didn't let White Zetsu participate in any of the procedures; it was all the humans' own choice.

However, he had indeed underestimated this generation's Asura reincarnation; the guy actually managed to sneak into the city and ruin his plans.

Creating White Zetsu from nothing requires an enormous amount of chakra. The plan to capture the Tailed Beasts hasn't even begun, and this land has already had too much natural energy drained, making it unable to meet the production needs of White Zetsu. Akatsuki's intelligence network heavily relies on White Zetsu scattered throughout the world. In recent years, with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki becoming increasingly active globally, that kid's sensory abilities have dealt a huge blow to the intelligence network. To fill the gap, he's almost pulled out his most treasured reserves. He's always been cautious and would never allow himself to be without any trump cards. Since the Gedo Mazo left the moon, this chain for replenishing White Zetsu has slowly taken shape.

He didn't actually want much; it was just that human greed created more demand.

"Those people said they were bewitched by a monster, which is why they did such heinous things." Ye Ming, who had been arresting and interrogating people overnight, slammed a thick stack of confessions on the table, looking quite angry.

"Isn't the monster in Lamble? What, does it think it can incite the people of Lanlin City to rebel while their forces are weak?" Sakura scoffed. This mission had certainly been an eye-opener for her. First, there were officials protecting kidnappers; then, family members fighting each other for profit; and finally, these guys actually dared to rebel while the guards were mostly out on campaign. The final result, of course, was that they were punished by Sakura's iron fist.

Even if a ninja looks young, he is still a ninja. Moreover, Sakura is a ninja with the ability to fight groups. If she doesn't care about her own life, she can easily take care of the grunts of a small country.

"We can't help with this problem. All you can do now is gather the most complete chain of evidence. The rest is up to the king to decide. Doesn't he have the final say in the law of the Land of Frost?" It's hard to imagine that, when everyone is complaining, Naruto can actually give Yoru some serious advice, and he even points out information that Yoru, a local, hasn't noticed.

Jiraiya had been hesitant to speak, wanting to ask Naruto how the mission report would be written, since what they found was related to Wood Release, and Konoha would likely not ignore it. However, after personally descending into the deep underground cave, his investigation revealed the same thing Naruto had described. There was an almost completely collapsed passage underground, resembling the traces of a once-existing massive root system.

This... is unlikely to be a mark that a ninja could create, right? Even the First Hokage back then... couldn't have done it, could he?

The issues he was worried about were clearly also within Naruto's concerns. After the team received the final payment for the special reward from the lord, Naruto called everyone together for a meeting.

"Regarding the Land of Frost, I personally believe that the root part should not be included in the report. This matter can only be explained orally to Granny Tsunade." Naruto stated his opinion directly.

Jiraiya immediately understood, "You don't want the advisors to know? But can such a big thing really be kept secret?"

"It may sound harsh, but the Frost Kingdom is just an insignificant little country. The only country that the five great powers are paying attention to is Lanlin City. I don't think that king will allow the matter of Lamble to be publicized. You can tell just by looking at how strict his blockade of Lamble is."

Jiraiya was taken aback, then could only manage a wry smile. Are kids these days a bit too clever? They can even notice something like this?

“There were many witnesses that night, and even with a cordon, it might not be possible to completely contain them,” Sakura suggested a reasonable possibility.

"Hmm..." Naruto paused for a moment, then said with a smile, "If the person telling you what happened that day wasn't me, but a roadside tea stall, would you believe that tree roots can eat people?"

Sakura was speechless. With just a little thought, she knew she would only take it as a story.

"There are so many legends about the First Hokage, yet some people still refuse to believe that one person could possess the strength to shake the ninja world. So I think there's no need to worry about this."

"The Frost Kingdom probably doesn't want people from the five great nations to enter Rumble, as that place is still a mess."

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Sunny days are rare in Hozuki Castle, but Sasuke was lucky enough to encounter one. To intercept as many enemies as possible, he pushed his Lightning Release to its limit, causing his entire body to ache when he stopped. But he didn't care; the exhilarating battle allowed him to temporarily forget the noise filling his mind, freeing him from being trapped in the vortex of memories.

Prolonged hatred can cloud a person's thoughts and memories. He suddenly awoke from his hatred and, on that night he least wanted to remember, saw that man's fleeting other side. The moon was bright that night, allowing him to see the man's back as he turned to leave. Before he lost consciousness, the man turned his head once, half of his face seemingly covered in tears.

If... if everything he did had a reason, and that reason was the Uchiha's "attempted coup," then should he continue to hate?

"Dad, your hands are really big."

A boy who resembled him suddenly entered Sasuke's mind. He already knew the boy's story from the lord's younger brother.

A boy with extraordinary talent was chosen by the elders of Kusagakure. They placed high hopes on Wugou's chakra, hoping he could open the Box of Bliss. At that time, Wugou was filled with thoughts of the village's glory and offered his child without hesitation. As a result, the opening of the box failed, and Wugou was devoured by the Box of Bliss, becoming yet another sacrifice.

After that, Wuwei harbored resentment towards Caoyin and quietly plotted for nearly ten years before finally rescuing his child from the Box of Bliss.

Was Wuwei a good father? He was a father who could admit his mistakes and correct them, which was slightly better than some people who didn't even deserve the word "father".

So, should Wugou forgive him?

This was Wu Gou's decision, and only he had the right to make the choice. In the end, Wu Gou chose to take his father with him.