Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 152 Night Talk

The ramen stall wasn't large; an adult and a teenager basically filled the space. They ordered two bowls of noodles and a pot of sake. After the noodles were ready, Kuancheng paid extra, and the owner, understanding the gesture, moved a chair and sat down at another stall a few meters away, chatting with the owner there. Luocheng's nightlife was thriving; while other cities were asleep, this place was brightly lit, with countless stalls that wouldn't close until dawn.

"What do you think of this place?" Seeing that Naruto's attention was drawn to the night market, Kanzumi started a conversation.

However, he was facing Naruto, who never played by the rules. "This question shouldn't be asked of me, but rather of the boss you dismissed."

Kuan Cheng paused for a moment, then said, "A city's first impression can reflect a lot of issues."

"That can't be denied, but it's quite one-sided, because you're wearing this outfit." Naruto said, taking a sip of the soup. Although it didn't taste as good as Ichiraku Ramen, it was indeed a high-quality bone broth, and it was quite delicious.

Kuan Cheng said with a hint of grievance, "Of course I don't always wear my official robes when I enter the city."

"Do you know what clothes farmers wear?" Naruto didn't even look up, just rolled up the dough and blew on it.

“I know that, cotton or linen, or coarse linen cloth,” Kuan Cheng replied instantly.

"How does it feel to wear it?"

Faced with this question, Kanzumi remained silent for an exceptionally long time, long enough for Naruto to successfully slurp up a mouthful of noodles.

"It's strange, like bugs are crawling all over my body. It takes a long time to get used to it. Maybe ninjas are just more sensitive?" Naruto answered the question himself. "This kind of fabric is okay to wear in the summer, but it's unbearable when it gets cold. It's drafty and doesn't keep you warm at all, so you can only sew things inside. If you're well-off, you can use cotton; if you're less well-off, you can sew willow catkins, reeds, or even thatch. If it's not cleaned properly, it will get infested with bugs..."

"Alright, alright, I understand what you mean." Kuan Cheng downed a glass of wine in one gulp and said, "I haven't experienced how ordinary people live, but there are only a few things that affect people's livelihoods. As long as we keep a close eye on them, they will eventually live a good life."

Naruto silently ate his second bite of noodles, abandoning any further conversation, and asked directly, "What exactly do you want to talk to me about?"

“I don’t intend to pursue the robbers anymore. I just wanted to let you know.” Kuan Cheng took a bite of noodles and didn’t touch them again. “Regardless of what you really think or what those robbers’ purpose was, the lord’s goal of cracking down on smuggling has been achieved. I will speak to the magistrate and give you the opportunity to go to the magistrate’s prefecture.”

"No need, I prefer staying in the ninja village." Naruto refused without the slightest hesitation. Although it was important to plant a spy among the daimyo, this spy could not be him, absolutely not.

Kuan Cheng fell silent again. This time, Naruto ate three mouthfuls of noodles, leaving only a few scattered white strands in the bowl.

"This is a great honor. Don't you want to become Hokage? If you can gain the master's favor, it will be much easier."

"Perhaps, but I'm a very unruly person. Getting too close might offend the daimyo. It's better to keep your distance."

This meal wasn't much more relaxing than the banquet. Kuan Cheng left satisfied, his noodles were all soggy and mushy, practically nothing he ate, he only drank some wine. Naruto, on the other hand, finished his noodles and soup together, and remained seated after Kuan Cheng left. The stall owner trotted back with his stool, saw the soggy noodles and the clean empty bowl, smiled kindly at Naruto, and brought the unfinished noodles to himself.

The shop owner was eating noodles, while Naruto was looking at the night view. His gaze pierced through the lights and crowds, "seeing" the people huddled in the dark alley corners.

"Uncle, what do you think of this city?" Naruto suddenly asked.

The boss didn't expect the other party to ask him, "Huh? What do you mean, how is it? Just leave it like this."

"Okay, thank you." Naruto smiled, quietly slipped the money for his noodles into the bottom of the bowl, and got up to disappear into the night.

The plan wasn't made out of thin air; investigating the personnel and location involved in each mission was fundamental. The information about Kobayashi Hirozumi was provided directly by Konoha, stating that he was upright, self-disciplined, and hated evil, never letting any potential crime go unpunished. Naruto undoubtedly exploited this, even making the robbers believe they were just brave souls who wanted to report crimes but had nowhere else to turn, leaving them with no choice but to take the risk.

It seems that even the most philanthropic people find it difficult to communicate without shared values. The publicity department needs to come up with some new methods.

Judging evil wasn't a ninja's job. They arrived far ahead of schedule, and as they neared Konoha, everyone was discussing how to spend their free time. Naruto didn't join the discussion; as he watched the gate draw closer, he felt a longing, like a wanderer returning home. This trip hadn't been long—just a trip to the desert, investigating a case, and disciplining some of the brats. Yet, he seemed to have witnessed many lives and heard countless wishes.

Moreover, the aftermath of this long trip is far from over. They still have so many children to settle, they need to find time to visit the mother and son in the vortex, and the project approval documents from the Ministry of Supervision still need to be finalized... Compared to all of this, writing a report on this mission is incredibly easy.

"You're back? How are things going? Are you getting along well with Kobayashi?" There were no outsiders in the office, and Tsunade asked directly while flipping through the report.

Naruto said, "It's alright, he treated me to a late-night snack."

Tsunade looked at him with great curiosity. "Although I also think young people should get along well, I've never heard of him treating someone to a meal before."

“…Maybe he just likes me?” Naruto smiled.

"That's really something else. You consider your mission complete even though you didn't catch the robbers? That's not like him at all." Tsunade was already used to Naruto's miracles. "Did he say anything else to you?"

"He wanted to speak to the daimyo and ask me to go to the daimyo's residence, but I refused."

Tsunade snorted coldly, disdainful of the so-called honor. "Refusing is the right thing to do. Even if you agreed, the Daimyo wouldn't dare let you in." After all, that's the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Aside from the missions he chose himself, almost all the tasks assigned to Naruto involved the high-ranking officials of the Land of Fire. He knew that his seniors were paving the way for him, slowly but effectively. Before long, the Daimyo would have an image in his mind of a sunny, cheerful, polite, and exceptionally powerful Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, "Uzumaki Naruto." Successfully handling these rather tricky missions further solidified the village's impression of him as a reliable person.

This was the first step he took slowly toward becoming Hokage.