Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 302 Landing on the Island

Sasuke had experienced life at sea before, but that was the sea between the Land of Iron and the Land of Hot Water—calm and gentle, with only a few ripples. The sea near the Land of Frost, however, was entirely different. Waves were commonplace, and reefs frequently peeked out from behind them. He often saw large ships passing directly through narrow passages between whirlpools, a sight that thrilled even this seasoned ninja who had faced life and death. Perhaps because this sea was always shrouded in clouds, when he finally saw the blue sky again, he felt a surge of joy at the sight of the sun breaking through the clouds.

Is this what real life at sea is like? Naruto is right, you really can't underestimate ordinary people. He can indeed copy the actions of the crew and captain, and learn how to sail a ship at lightning speed, but he has no clue where the ship should go, and can only feel sincere admiration.

He was a ninja. Even the worst ninja has learned the skill of walking on water, and has a trump card to save their life if they fall into the water. But this ordinary person relied purely on his courage to overcome nature. How can one not admire that?

However, the mission still needs to be accomplished, and no matter how admirable the plan is, the escape plan will proceed according to procedure.

Hozuki Castle was built on a very high sea cliff. While its architectural style didn't quite resemble a prison, it was certainly unlike anything Sasuke had ever seen. Moreover, their deliveries only went down to the foot of the cliff, where a... well, it looked like a manually operated freight elevator was constantly going up and down. Once they arrived, the work of moving the goods was no longer solely their responsibility; many prison staff joined in, as the cargo ship couldn't stay overnight there, presumably to prevent prisoner escapes?

No, this prison uses "sky prisons" to restrict prisoners' movement, so there shouldn't be any fear of escape. Even if someone escaped, the only outcome would be death. So... is this used to prevent people with ulterior motives like him?

ridiculous.

Jumping into the turbulent waters would be foolish; Sasuke wouldn't attempt to reach the island by diving. He discovered the weather here was truly terrible, with frequent, random thunderclaps that ironically served as light sources in the darkness. He used the Sharingan's copying ability to its fullest extent, memorizing a long stretch of sea surface in a short time. Moving slowly and deliberately, he successfully made his way to the island in the night. But this didn't mean he could relax, as the massive barrier above the island was clearly not just for show. He had meticulously observed the process of people entering and leaving, as well as the chakra flow on most of the staff, during the day, finally pinpointing a token used for entry and exit.

Tokens made with special chakra are too difficult to counterfeit and too risky to steal, so it's better to just circle around and look for loopholes in the barrier. This is actually a matter of experience, because even a ninja village like Konoha has quite a few loopholes in its barriers. He had been taught a few very subtle loopholes when he and Naruto were training around the village chief.

Ordinary barriers cannot penetrate deep into water. If the barrier's foundation is not underwater, it will stop covering the surface after approximately two meters. Barriers are also highly vulnerable to complex terrain; if a hole is dug beneath the barrier's foundation, it's easy for someone to infiltrate without triggering an alarm. Therefore, Konoha employs composite barriers, combining several different barriers to achieve a qualitative leap through quantitative change. Even so, if someone really wants to dig, they can still find loopholes.

Naruto could find loopholes using his senses, while Sasuke could only rely on his eyes. Although eyes weren't as efficient as senses, as long as he was heading in the right direction, he could still sneak into the city before dark. Sasuke naturally set his sights on the extremely steep 90-degree cliff face and successfully found a small hole before dawn. But just as he was about to enter, a light suddenly appeared on the sea.

The Sharingan lacks the Byakugan's far-sightedness, and even with his eyes squinted, he couldn't see clearly what was happening over there. He only caught a whiff of an unusual chakra scent in the sea breeze. It was violent and raw, a power completely unlike anything a human could possess.

He silently recalled the scene of facing Yugito, the overwhelming pressure he felt, like nature itself roaring. But this power didn't seem like Yugito's... Could it be another Jinchūriki?

"The forces of several countries surrounding the Frost Kingdom have been fully mobilized. Unexpectedly, quite a few people have joined us in the search for their relatives."

"Isn't that because the government is incompetent? So they have no choice but to find reliable people to do the work."

"However, the response was truly beyond our expectations; the Land of Fields actually put together a parade."

"procession?"

"Yes, just like during a celebration. Except our people are holding up... portraits of family members, their names, and the locations where they went missing..."

"...It seems that the closer the neighbors are, the more likely they are to suffer."

"Lord Jinlun, can't you just lift the ban? I think that even if we take over the Frost Kingdom now, it would be what everyone wants!"

"What we're gathering are civilians, not an army. If we were to pull out an army right now on the border of the Land of Fire, we'd really be preparing to take on the whole world single-handedly. Even if you're not afraid to die, you should think about the ordinary people in other bases."

"......Too."

"Is there anything else today besides the report on the human trafficking case? If not, the meeting is adjourned."

"Reporting to Lord Jinlun, there is indeed something."

"Didn't we establish a special observation system for Jinchuriki? Recently, besides the most active Naruto Uzumaki, another Jinchuriki has left the village."

"Who?"

"Fu from Takigakure. She has never left Takigakure since we started observing her. That village is too small to easily infiltrate intelligence agents, so our people have been observing from a distance. Just yesterday, we discovered that Fu had actually left the village and headed towards Hokkaido Port. If she really is going to board a ship and go to sea, she is probably already at sea by now."

Naruto, who hadn't frowned at all the way, started to furrow his brow. The situation at North Sea Port was far too sensitive at this critical juncture, and he almost immediately thought of Hozuki Castle. However, he couldn't confirm it until the person arrived, so he hurriedly logged off and relayed the information to his main body, asking it to verify.