Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 231 Unexpected Situations

"Thank you, Mr. Taoli! I'm sorry I couldn't stop them in time." Yamanaka Kaze poked his head out from the rooftop. He had been trying to control the leader of the horse team, but unfortunately, the riders in motion were too difficult to catch, and he hadn't succeeded.

As a support-type ninja, it was a bit too difficult for him to quickly subdue so many people. He didn't want his mistake to tarnish the image of his teammates or even the Konoha ninjas; he had seen too many employers who made unreasonable demands.

However, Tao Li was clearly not that kind of person. He was also a ninja and knew the difficulties of being a ninja. He just nodded to Feng with a dark face.

The elevated land was slowly sinking. At that moment, Zai Buzhan dismounted, and his clone, which he had placed in the crowd, emerged carrying a woman. He then tossed those who could still stand to the ground and disappeared.

While observing Zabuza, Feng was also observing someone approaching him. In fact, he had been secretly observing him for a while now, for no other reason than that this person's chakra was shining like a beacon, almost comparable to the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki next door. At first, he thought it was some dangerous person, so he had been secretly following behind. But it turned out that the person who came to greet him was Tori, and the two seemed to be having a pleasant conversation.

Having received elite training, Feng was also highly sensitive to intelligence gathering; he could glean a great deal from the expressions and gestures of the two during their conversation. Despite being the head of the Land of Waves, Tori showed considerable respect for this foreigner who had emerged from the pass, even displaying a subservient attitude.

Intelligence from a small country is indeed not worth paying attention to. No matter how many tricks they pull, the inherent gap in resources is insurmountable. The Land of Fire doesn't care how much the Land of Waves benefits from the bridge and port, because the Land of Waves relies on the Land of Fire for essential supplies like food and energy. As long as this lifeline is firmly in the Land of Fire's hands, they don't need to fear how much power a small country can possess.

However, if there are other forces behind the Land of Waves, and these forces contain a terrifying being with chakra comparable to that of a tailed beast, then the nature of the matter is completely different.

“Riding horses is strictly prohibited in the downtown area. Please come with me to the police station.” Zabuza coldly gripped the woman who was trying to escape, almost revealing the murderous aura of a “demon.” “The damage you caused will be calculated and compensated by us later, and you will be punished in accordance with our country’s laws. You can raise any objections when we get there.”

“I’m so sorry, we just want to get back Miss Xue… We’ll compensate you for the loss. Could you meet us somewhere outside the police station?” The man with gray hair and old-fashioned round-framed glasses pleaded. “Also, could you please release Miss Xue?”

“No, she just tried to run away.” Zabuza refused without hesitation.

The woman, dressed in a princess outfit, couldn't break free no matter how hard she twisted her wrists. Frustrated and angry, she exclaimed, "I won't run away anymore! Let me go! You're too strong!"

"Then I'll have no choice but to tie you up."

“It might not be fair to treat a lady like this. Let’s be a little more reasonable.” Jinlun finally joined the conversation, but he wasn’t there to smooth things over. Instead, he was even more sarcastic. “Madam, although this road is well-maintained, galloping around in a place with so many people is a threat to their lives. Fortunately, you only knocked over a few vendors’ carts along the way. None of them had boiling water or oil fryers on the stove, and they all moved quickly enough to avoid your horse’s hooves.”

"And you, knowingly riding horses on such a large scale despite the ban. This area is patrolled and secure; if someone goes missing, you could ask them for help patrolling. Why choose the most dangerous method to catch them?"

“You should take responsibility for what you’ve done. Sending you to the police station first is already a very peaceful approach. What else do you want?”

He heard these words as the wind blew down, and nodded in deep agreement, unconsciously straightening his back and adjusting the headband on his forehead.

“If you do not want to cooperate, I will notify the captain and take coercive measures.”

The group eventually left obediently with the help of a patrol that arrived after hearing the news. Even the most impulsive woman calmed down and stopped trying to escape.

"I'm sorry, Lord Kinlun, I'll have to stay with you for a while. I'll have Haku come over to keep you company later." Zabuza was extremely annoyed by this unexpected situation; he didn't want Kinlun to see him in his most disheveled state every time.

"No need, I'll go with you. They're not ordinary people, and dealing with them might be a bit tricky."

Zabuza looked back several times, but he couldn't recall any information about the other person's identity. He simply instinctively identified the most suspicious one.

"Is that woman special?"

“Yes, she’s an actress, and quite famous.” Jinlun suddenly looked at Feng, who was eavesdropping, and said, “I suggest you go and find your captain. This matter might not be easy to handle.”

"Oh, okay." Feng immediately created a shadow clone, but his original body remained in the same place.

How could he waste such a good opportunity? He needed to gather more detailed information before he could report back to Lord Danzo.

The gathering of various groups at the police station only exacerbated the already immense pressure, leaving the station almost overflowing with people. Zabuza had no choice but to deal with the samurai who had been ordered to pursue the suspects. They were each fined several hundred ryo as punishment and temporarily released. However, Sandayu, who was in charge, and Yukie, who had taken the initiative to ride off, were not so fortunate.

Feng had just retracted his shadow clone when Captain Naruto landed right next to him. As a safety precaution, everyone had taken the Flying Thunder God Mark, so there was no reason for Feng to leave it in the apartment.

"Are you alright? The clone didn't report this."

Feng had just mentally raised his guard to the highest level, because this was the first time he had experienced the unpredictable nature of the Flying Thunder God Technique and was quite startled. However, Naruto's first words after landing left him speechless. In Root, missions always come first. Only those who completed missions well were eligible for treatment; otherwise, they were left to lick their wounds in a corner.

Naruto looked at him with concern after realizing he had messed up.

Feng lowered his head awkwardly and, for the first time, revealed the truly important information to the captain, albeit in a very veiled manner.

"No. If it weren't for Mr. Jinlun's intervention, we probably wouldn't have been able to subdue everyone so quickly."

"It's good that you're alright. Fighting isn't your forte anyway, so don't worry about it too much. Go back to the scene and help out. Explain what happened to everyone properly and don't let them panic."

"Yes."

Feng answered without hesitation, as if he hadn't been the one just planning to gather intelligence. Just as he was about to leave, he heard Naruto's voice again.

"You must be Mr. Jinlun. Thank you for your help in keeping my friends safe and sound."

"You're too kind, it's what I should do."

What kind of fool is Naruto Uzumaki to consider someone like him, who is always scheming and calculating, as a friend?