Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 212 Multiple Lives

Shikamaru felt that Naruto was acting a little strange today.

Early in the morning, Shikamaru was dragged out of his warm bed by his father, who threw him out the door without even letting him eat breakfast. While throwing him out, the father didn't forget to scold him for being unambitious and not learning from his peers. Shikamaru was speechless, because among his peers, only Naruto was a real troublemaker. Wasn't this a blatant invitation for him to go work for Naruto? The Hokage must have given Naruto another headache, then had a change of heart and felt bad about making him work overtime alone, so he turned to this shrew.

It was still quite early, and with the holiday, there were hardly any people on the streets. Shikamaru wandered around for a while before finally finding an open breakfast shop. He paid a little more than usual for a breakfast for two before heading to Naruto's house. However, before he could even knock, the door opened.

"Happy New Year, Shikamaru. What brings you here so early in the morning?" Naruto looked ready to go, not at all like someone who had just woken up.

Shikamaru was a little taken aback by Naruto's sharp rebuke. He knew Naruto was a sensory-type, but he usually waited for them to knock before opening the door. However, it wasn't a big deal; judging by the table already set up across the entryway, Naruto was probably already up and working overtime.

"Happy New Year. Dad insisted on making me come out to learn from you, it's such a hassle." Shikamaru waved the takeout box in his hand. "Have you had breakfast? I brought some."

“I’ve eaten, come in. Uncle Shikaku is a busybody, but it’s good that you’re getting into this stuff sooner.” Naruto stepped aside and thoughtfully cleared a corner of the table for you. “You eat first, I’ll put mine in the fridge. You can come back to the ingredients after you’ve finished eating, there’s only one stack.”

Shikamaru stepped inside and felt a slight warmth in the room, but it wasn't very warm; just warm enough to barely open his coat. He looked up at Naruto's thin shirt, then down at his own padded jacket, and inexplicably felt that the two of them might be in different seasons. He knew, of course, that chakra also helped maintain a constant body temperature, but the greater the temperature difference between the inside and outside, the more chakra was consumed to maintain it. Even ordinary ninjas couldn't just wander around in thin clothing for extended periods in winter.

Is this the Jinchuriki who possesses a massive amount of chakra?

Despite his inner grumbling, Shikamaru quickly finished his meal, even though it was completely cold... Wait a minute, didn't he give Naruto's portion away? Why did Naruto seem oblivious, not even offering to heat it up for him? Was he really too busy to even remember? Shikamaru looked up and saw Naruto engrossed in scrolls and documents, deciding to forgive him for now.

“These are all mission reports with problematic ratings.” Shikamaru picked up the first document given to him and examined it carefully. The biggest problem he found was that the mission had been upgraded during its execution.

"Hmm, take a close look at the submitted evaluation reasons, and compare them with the information provided by Konoha's intelligence department. See if there is any direct evidence to prove that the 'evaluation was wrong'." This was the first time I'd seen Naruto and Shikamaru in such a businesslike state, even their tone of voice was cold and businesslike.

"Is this going to involve holding someone accountable?"

"Nonsense. The ranking system was implemented to protect ninjas back then. We can't let our guard down just because no serious incidents have occurred."

Shikamaru understood this principle, of course. What he didn't understand were other questions: "But why deliberately lower the rating? They clearly knew that this could be a matter of life and death."

Naruto finally looked up at him, his gaze maintaining a delicate balance between sharpness and calmness.

"The commission cap for each tier of missions differs by several times. Why would you deliberately lower the rating?"

“It can't be just to save the client money…” Shikamaru suddenly froze. He finally understood Naruto's unspoken meaning, and was shocked by this unbelievable possibility. Could there really be someone in Konoha who would betray their comrades for money?

Naruto's lips curled into a slight smile before he lowered his head again, immersing himself in his work.

"It seems you understand now, so get to work."

Naruto, far away in Hokushin, was still asleep when one of his clones returned. According to the normal handover procedure, the clone should find a secluded spot to leave a mark, then dissolve on the spot. After the original body receives the clone's memories, it will create a new clone and send it directly to the marked point. This saves chakra and is both convenient and quick. However, Naruto's daily plans were disrupted by his elders' whims. He sensed that he probably wouldn't wake up when the first clone dissolved, so he informed the clone in advance to reserve chakra for flying back to Hokushin.

Naruto's guess was absolutely right. The sun was high in the sky, yet he was still fast asleep, and no one seemed inclined to wake him. Indeed, even telepathic communication was silent at this moment, only to be activated in emergencies.

"What kind of look is this?" Hashirama was carefully examining his clone, which was the appearance he would maintain for the next seven days, so he had to look at it closely.

“A widow with a child.” Naruto said calmly, his face bearing the marks of a weathered woman. “Her name is Chunxia. When I found her in the mountains, she was barely alive and there was no way to save her. Her child survived, but was terrified. It took me a long time to get her to have the courage to go out.”

This answer was beyond Hashirama's imagination, and he couldn't help but think of the other images he had seen. Could it be that behind those images were countless living beings?! Of course, no matter how rich one's imagination is, it's impossible to create so many completely dissimilar images.

"...That's only part of the story, don't overthink it." Just by looking at Hashirama's expression, Naruto could guess what he was thinking, and quickly explained, "There are many places where you can get an identity card as long as you have money; that's how most identities are obtained. Taking care of a child takes a lot of energy, so I change the clones I keep with the girl very frequently; they only last four or five days at most. Right now, Haruka is at her workplace. To bury her deceased husband, the landlord took our land, and now we can only work as day laborers for him. The landlord's wife looks down on us because we're widows, but she can't bear to lose cheap, efficient labor, so she doesn't want us living at her house..."

Hashirama initially had a somewhat teasing attitude; after all, hearing Naruto put himself in the shoes of a widow was rather jarring. But gradually, his expression hardened, a hint of pity appearing in his eyes. Her husband had died young, and her in-laws despised her and her daughter, trying every means to drive them out. Her own family believed that a married daughter was like water spilled from a bowl, and the landlord seized the opportunity to demand debts, taking away their land. A woman with a child had to work day and night for her daughter, constantly fearing for her safety, so she had to work long hours with her. They encountered wolves at night; the mother desperately lured them away for her child, ultimately sacrificing her life. If Naruto hadn't passed by, the child wouldn't have survived that night either.

"Uncle Hashirama, remember, you're a widow, not the God of Shinobi." Naruto even managed to pat him on the shoulder with a smile, despite looking extremely tired.

"Are you really going to raise that child like this?"

"Of course not. I'm teaching my child slowly and saving up for the trip. I'll take her to the nearest base to settle down, and by then she'll be all grown up."