Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 199 Successful Talks

The undercurrents between major powers never cease, but this meeting went remarkably smoothly. With the two major powers openly providing support, and with Hui and Akatsuki secretly clearing obstacles, it would have been difficult for it to go wrong. Akatsuki's quiet assistance was indeed unexpected, saving Hui a lot of trouble he would have otherwise caused in the Land of Earth. Yes, they had originally planned to use the same tactic again, giving the Land of Earth's daimyo something to do so that he wouldn't have time to attend to matters abroad. He might even have to thank the Akatsuki member who gave him the hint that made him stop paying attention to the meeting.

And you know what? The Land of Earth truly is fertile ground for revolution. The vast class divide makes life incredibly difficult for the lower classes. Land here can be bought and sold, and the land grabbing by nobles is rampant. Many farmers who originally owned land are left with nothing to cultivate after a natural disaster. Then the nobles, in their "mercy," rent out the land, allowing them to collect a layer of rent on top of taxes. And if they want something, finding an excuse to reclaim the land is quite easy. The Land of Earth hasn't collapsed yet thanks to divine intervention; the harvests are decent, and even after layers of deductions, there's still some left over, so people aren't starving. But if a major natural disaster strikes, those who are starving won't care whether you're a noble or not.

In short, the talks went smoothly. None of the three parties sent their own leaders. The Land of Fire sent the Hokage's think tank, led by Kakashi; the Land of Owls was led by a young man named Tsubasa; and the Land of Wind's captain was Gaara, who was finally starting to shift from taking orders to making his own decisions.

Naruto, of course, was also dragged in to make up the numbers, serving as a crucial bridge between the two sides in the negotiations. Kakashi had expected Naruto, who slept through every day at school, to be slumped over, and for the sake of Konoha's image, he was prepared to wake him up at any moment. But the kid listened with great interest, nodding frequently as the two sides exchanged views on the treaty's contents, even hesitating to speak a few times. Kakashi wondered if he was the one who was still asleep. Was Naruto sleeping before because he wasn't interested in what the teachers were saying? Would his true abilities be discovered from the nearly overflowing library?

"Naruto, do you think the treaty is fair?"

Naruto paused in his work, sorting through the documents, and said, "It's fair enough, I guess."

“But the Land of Owls exempted the Land of Wind from tariffs and also required them to give up 50% of the profits from sales to the Land of Earth. The Land of Wind only promised not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Land of Owls, which is what they were supposed to do.” Kakashi deliberately pointed out the most unreasonable part, wanting to hear Naruto’s answer.

“In a world where the strong prey on the weak, fairness is a luxury. They didn’t even have a chance to negotiate.” Naruto’s answer was somewhat unexpected. This child had lost his innocence at some point. But then he added, “However, we can try to make this world the way we want it to be.”

Naruto laughed heartily, "Kakashi-sensei, you can't bow to reality for the sake of your ideals!"

So it seems he hasn't changed at all; he's still just as naive...

"Isn't your dream to become Hokage?"

"That's the first step. What I want to achieve is the ultimate dream of the Will of Fire: world peace!"

On the day the cooperation agreement was signed, the Fifth Hokage's token was also delivered to Naruto. Based on Naruto's strength and the completion of his mission, the higher-ups decided to grant him the title of Jonin exceptionally. He became a Jonin on his fourteenth birthday and received two congratulatory gifts.

October 10th is Heroes' Day every year, and people spontaneously go to the cemetery to pay their respects without any organization. On that day, his good friends and teachers threw him a grand birthday party, and foreign representatives who hadn't left yet also came to participate. They had a lively time until midnight, smearing cake all over Naruto's face.

Everyone was smiling and offering their blessings, but when Naruto got home, he opened the door and saw his cold, empty house, yet he still felt lonely. No, he shouldn't have such desires. Every path he had walked so far had been extremely dangerous, and he couldn't spare any more time or energy to build a small family.

If Sasuke were still here, at least he wouldn't kick him out of bed on his birthday. They could read some mythological story from who-knows-where to help them fall asleep, but it would only get more and more exciting until Sasuke couldn't take it anymore and tied him up like a dumpling to force him to sleep...

Naruto is an absolute man of action. He suddenly stopped caring whether Orochimaru would discover the sudden arrival of the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. He just wanted to see Sasuke, so he did it.

The mark on Sasuke's palm was carved on the day they parted at the Valley of the End. He maliciously carved it on his left palm, Sasuke's dominant hand, which would one day be marked with a moon by the Sage of Six Paths. Then he realized this wasn't his world, and his past selfishness had become a weapon against him. But he still hoped Sasuke here could be happy. He couldn't make up for his lost Sasuke now, and the unbearable guilt and pain ultimately fell upon the young Sasuke. This wasn't fair to the young Sasuke, but emotions aren't rational; he couldn't control them. Like now, he suddenly landed in the heart of the Land of Rice Fields, in Orochimaru's underground laboratory. Sasuke, facing him, wasn't surprised; instead, he smiled briefly upon seeing him.

Then, the cool guy, who had just begun to take shape, straightened his face, snapped his fingers stylishly, and lit the candle in front of him. It was a solitary candle, stuck on a small cake with a swirling design on the top tier, but in red and white.

"Happy birthday." Sasuke paused suspiciously for a moment, then urged, "Make a wish now."

Naruto was laughing so hard he almost cried, but he still said cheekily, "Shouldn't there be a birthday song before making a wish?"

Sasuke hesitated, then after a long pause, he actually started singing softly. After he finished, he didn't know where to look, crossed his arms, and glanced to the side, urging, "Hurry up and make a wish!"

"Then I make a wish..." I hope Sasuke can live a life without regrets.

This was Naruto Uzumaki's only selfish motive.

"How does it taste...?"

"You'll know once you try it!"

"Our tastes are different..."

"We've been eating together for so long, it's about time we got used to each other. The first time I ate a tomato, it almost made my teeth hurt from the sourness."

"That's because you bought the wrong ones; they were artificially ripened!"

"So, do you think ramen is delicious?"

"Heh, it'll do."

"Isn't there tomato-flavored ramen too?!"

"You can't eat ramen for every single meal!"

"Hmph, you bastard Sasuke."

"Ha, you idiot Naruto."