Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 326 Squad Assembly

"You made it sound so exaggerated, but it turns out the captain is Kakashi-sensei."

The team heading to the capital was quickly finalized. Not only did the Hokage's faction spare no expense, but Danzo also selflessly contributed two people. A typical team usually has four ninjas at most, and their strength is fairly "balanced," with a perfect ratio of strong to weak. However, this elite six-person team was quite extravagant; not only were all members Jonin, but two of them were elite Jonin.

Kakashi, unusually detached from his erotic novel, greeted Naruto with a smile, "Looks like everyone who's joined is an acquaintance. But we still need to have an introduction, since there are still some people here who haven't met each other before. Let's start with you, Naruto."

"Ah, me? Everyone definitely knows me." Naruto's feigned ignorance reached a new level as he tilted his head and said, "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. I'm skilled in sensory perception, various ninjutsu, Flying Thunder God Technique, and so on..."

"Do I need to go into so much detail? My name is Sarutobi Asuma, and I'm a Wind Release ninja." Asuma, having been subtly led astray by Naruto, also mentioned a bit about his abilities.

Shizune blinked, confused, but continued, "My name is Shizune, and I'm a medical ninja."

Although the people at the root are not sociable, they still have to demonstrate their abilities in order to maintain team synergy.

"...Aburame Tokine is skilled in using poison."

"Yama no Kaze, a sensory ninja."

Kakashi nodded in agreement and said, "Hmm, it seems we can all get along well, which puts my mind at ease. As the captain of this mission, I don't need to introduce myself; let's get straight to the mission."

The renowned "Kakashi of the Sharingan" truly needs no introduction. His early fame made him a household name within the Jonin group, known to everyone. No one objected; instead, they listened attentively as Kakashi began to explain the mission.

There's not much to say about the mission itself; it's just that protecting the princess is slightly more stressful than protecting an ordinary person. A typical guard mission wouldn't cause much of a stir, and this was a mission directly assigned by the Daimyo. Even if Danzo was greedy, he knew this mission was crucial to Konoha's reputation and its revenue for the next few years. Such opportunities are rare, and getting two of his chosen ninjas into the team was already the Hokage's biggest concession.

"Although the entire route of this mission is within the Land of Fire, we cannot let our guard down. Fortunately, we have two sensory ninjas in the team, so I'll trouble you two to take turns keeping watch on the surrounding area and eliminate any dangerous factors as soon as possible."

The captain's decision was reasonable, and no one objected. Wedding processions are usually quite long, and special carriages are provided for the ninjas to rest in. Therefore, their pre-arranged schedule was quite considerate of the two sensory-type ninjas, assigning them almost no patrol duties. Although Naruto tried several times to explain that he still had energy, he was always interrupted by Kakashi's words. He understood then that Kakashi was also part of the group urging him to rest, but his workload in Konoha wasn't as extreme as Kakashi's. So why was he being targeted?

“You and Yamanaka Fu from Root are both Jonin. As Jonin, you should do the same amount of work.” Kakashi explained patiently to Naruto while gently rubbing his head.

"...So, teacher, you just want to use people from Root?" Naruto asked, puzzled.

"They screwed me over a lot back in the Anbu days, so what's wrong with asking them to do some work?" Kakashi wasn't referring to Tori and Fuu as "they," but rather their close colleagues. As the one who led Tenzo away from Root, he understood better than anyone what kind of place Root truly was. His main goal wasn't actually "using" them, but rather believing that Naruto possessed a stronger influence than himself. Giving these people more time to interact with Naruto might just lead him to recruit some of Root's elite.

Although Naruto didn't understand Kakashi's purpose, he did things much as he expected. During the time he was waiting in the capital, he was already able to have "normal" conversations with the two Root members who didn't like to talk.

"Brother Feng, what are you doing lying on the roof again? It's almost time to leave, aren't you going to go to town to buy some supplies?"

"...It was prepared long ago."

"Really? You've packed your rations too? I've heard the humidity in the south is very high, and there's miasma and all sorts of insects I've never seen before in the forests. Just thinking about it is terrifying. This is my first time in the capital. Can you recommend some affordable shops?"

The usually calm and collected "Brother Feng," tasked with eavesdropping but repeatedly interrupted, was nearly driven mad with anger. In the end, he could only expressionlessly "betray" Trigen, revealing that the medicine he always carried was prepared by him. Naruto thanked him gladly and vanished in a flash, as if he had never existed. But when Feng looked down, he realized that his eavesdropping subjects and a number of onlookers were craning their necks to look in his direction, clearly having discovered him.

Are all sensory types this annoying? Just thinking about his life in the train car afterward, having to sit in the same compartment as this kid, makes him want to jump off and quit.

Torune wasn't having an easy time either. Before coming, Naruto had been invited to Aburame's house by his uncle, and no matter how much he disliked him, he had to maintain a friendly facade. He couldn't understand why his father had suddenly changed his attitude towards Naruto, and no matter how many terrifying stories he told about the past, his sister Torune remained fond of Naruto. Having two "traitors" in the family made his feelings towards Naruto even more complicated.

He had always admired two people: his father and Lord Danzo. Originally, their ideals had always aligned, guiding Torune forward with unwavering determination. But now, their contradictory evaluations of the same person were causing his resolve to begin to waver.

Was Naruto truly the diligent and responsible outstanding ninja his father spoke of, or the ticking time bomb and mortal threat that Danzo described...? He was starting to lose his bearings. Of course, he believed Danzo's judgments were always farsighted, but his father was one of the people he trusted most, always making the best choices like Danzo had. This time... was his father really wrong?

Perhaps, he must witness it with his own eyes.