Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 371 Strange Movement

"Why is your name on the Chunin Exams registration form, Fu?!"

A girl with light green hair looked around guiltily and said in a weak voice, "Staying in the village every day is so boring."

"Have you forgotten the painful lesson you learned last time you left the village? You were just lucky that time..."

"Yes, yes, I know! I've been studying hard and practicing diligently since I came back, trying to become stronger. I was careless last time and fell for their dirty trick, but I definitely won't do it again this time!"

The young village chief sighed helplessly. His lively little sister had never experienced hardship and was unaware of the dangers of the world. Elsewhere, her status as a Jinchūriki alone would attract a lot of hostility; he dared not let her run wild. Unfortunately, Fu's personality meant she wouldn't give up easily. Even if he gave her a strict order to stop, she would definitely find a chance to slip away. After all, the Seven-Tails also loved excitement and always joined in Fu's antics.

After much pleading and cajoling, Fu finally got her request approved, and even included the names of the two Jonin who usually protected her in the application form.

This... is pretty normal, isn't it? Every family's Jinchuriki are protected like treasures, and only the strong with both strength and reputation have the right to run away from home. Fu is clearly not at that level yet, so of course she gladly accepted her good teammates and set off impatiently.

Her eagerness to go out wasn't just about making friends; it was also about seeing the friends she'd finally met outside the village. The atmosphere in Konoha was wonderful, and Naruto and his friends, who showed her around, were especially kind! Upon hearing that registration for the Chunin Exams had reopened and that half the exam venues were in Konoha, she handed in her registration form without hesitation.

Just wait! Her old friends and the new friends she's about to make! Fumi from Takigakure Village will be here soon!

While the ninja villages within the spheres of influence of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind were all taking action for the Chunin Exams, a behemoth that had been lurking in the shadows for a long time quietly emerged from the water.

"It's confirmed that the Jinchuriki of Takigakure will be participating in this Chunin Exams. She will only have two Jonin guards, and she will be passing through our territory on her way back from Sunagakure." White Zetsu hadn't reported in such an enthusiastic tone in a long time.

For a long time, Akatsuki's intelligence was not up to par, and their income dwindled significantly. To ensure they could raise start-up capital in time, in addition to exorbitant hiring fees, they would actively seek out individuals wanted by the black market and various countries. These people weren't necessarily all rogue ninja; many were notorious regional heroes who had offended many people, and their heads could fetch a considerable price on the black market, thus becoming Akatsuki's targets.

Akatsuki's groups have a lot of freedom. Some groups prefer to take on various mercenary missions, some like to hunt down rogue ninjas whose identities are as awkward as their own, and some are after high bounties, killing whoever has the most valuable head.

However, raising funds had to take a backseat to capturing the Jinchuriki. Once they had the definite information, Akatsuki couldn't let go of this golden opportunity.

"Although the order is a bit off, Jinchuriki don't die that easily. Just catch them and lock them up half-dead." Black Zetsu is best at this kind of thing. He has studied the weaknesses of the Tailed Beasts a lot in order to ensure the smooth implementation of the plan.

"The Seven-Tails is Kakuzu's prey. Notify them in advance to be in position. We've waited too long; it's time to take action." The man wearing the swirling mask pronounced Fu's fate in an extremely cold voice.

“There have been fewer and fewer local wars in recent years, and the preparation of war supplies has become a bit troublesome. Shall we start now?” The purple-haired woman in charge of logistics tentatively tried to persuade her friend, but was rejected by her old friend who had already fallen into some kind of obsession.

"The five great powers haven't noticed us yet, making this the perfect time to strike. Besides... this false peace won't last long. Once the world forgets the pain, the war will continue." A pair of purple eyes shone in the darkness, gazing indifferently, unmoved by the impending death of a life.

Those are the eyes of an "immortal," and they will surely create a completely new world.

At this time, the center of all the commotion was completely unaware of the various conspiracies, and all their energy was focused on how to successfully conduct this special Chunin Exam.

This is the first joint exam since the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind reaffirmed their alliance. Konoha and Sunagakure will each set the exam questions and exam venues, and then the third round of individual competition will be held in Sunagakure.

"Naruto really knows how to pick his time to go out; now all the pressure is on me," a proctor with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle complained listlessly.

"Wasn't I helping out too?" A young man who was particularly careful about his eyes had developed dark circles under his eyes, looking like he had really been staying up a lot.

Only after they actually took on these trivial tasks did they realize how difficult Naruto's daily life was, while this guy looked exceptionally relaxed, as if he wasn't carrying any burden.

"What a hassle. How did Naruto manage to argue with those guys? Does having enough strength mean you can do whatever you want?" Even the astute Shikamaru sighed, genuinely finding writing proposals much easier than dealing with people. So, all that seemingly useless social interaction was actually used for this kind of thing?

I've learned my lesson; I'll never dare to be careless again.

Neji raised his hand to pat his cold eyes, glanced at the time, and immediately stood up. "Aren't the Sunagakure envoys arriving soon?!"

"I almost forgot!"

The two disregarded their appearance and climbed out of the window, running straight from the roof to the gates of Konoha. Luckily, they arrived at the gates before their opponents did.

Seeing the several clever guys who were already in place, Shikamaru was furious. "Why didn't you call us before you left?"

"Team leader, I thought you'd be here much earlier for something this important..." a poor soldier uttered, sounding frustrated. The truth is, they'd spent too much time with Naruto. That guy knew the Flying Thunder God Technique, and it was common for him to be so busy he was practically invisible. They'd always appear where Naruto needed them, so everyone was used to him being there on his own for important matters.

Fortunately, it was precisely this habit that meant that Shikamaru, as the person in charge, only needed to stand in his position once he arrived; the other tasks, such as posing as a greeter, had already been taken care of by everyone else.

Shikamaru had barely breathed a sigh of relief when he looked up and saw a blonde woman dressed in black, carrying large ninja tools, emerge from the forest and land gracefully in front of the Konoha gates. The ninjas following behind her, a beat behind, were panting heavily as they landed, clearly having exerted all their strength to catch up with their captain.

"Oh, so you're in charge this time." The Sand Village princess was as dashing and beautiful as ever, her aggressive hostility gone, and her smile was exceptionally charming. The female ninja cut to the chase, stepping over to Shikamaru and extending her hand.

"Hello, I am Temari, the leader of the Sunagakure delegation."

"...Hello, I am the chief examiner of the Konoha Examination Hall, Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru felt his heart beating a little faster for some reason, probably because the last time he saw this woman, they were still enemies fighting back and forth in the examination hall.

This guy is as dazzling as ever.