Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 183 "Cricket Fighting"

Aihan, eager to return home, wished he could make the camel run at the speed of wheels, but abusing animals was wrong. He had bought the camel with his own money, even if it was just the difference between the profit from selling the horse and the camel—it was still money! Later, this camel could serve as transportation for the experimental base and help transport supplies. So, no matter how anxious he was, he could only sit quietly, trying to urge it to run faster through telepathy.

“Savill has a few strong chakra reactions, but don’t worry too much. They’re all in a dormant state right now and haven’t engaged in combat.” Naruto made this assessment as he left the checkpoint, his perception range as reassuring as ever.

"Do you recognize anyone?"

Yes, of course there are, the strongest ones are all familiar ones.

Naruto said with a smile, "Baki, Gaara, and Temari."

With these names thrown at us, even a fool would know that Sunagakure's operation must have a significant objective, most likely aimed at assassinating the lord.

"Why would they invade a small country?" Gaara was actually a pretty good person after he returned to normal, and Temari was more like a caring older sister. The chaos of the Chunin Exams made the participating ninjas get to know each other, and Sakura was the first to sense something was off; at least Temari completely disliked the idea of ​​invasion.

"Although there are many small countries in this world, the five great nations truly dominate." Kakashi didn't want to say too much, lest he shatter the children's worldview. He disliked politics, yet he had to learn, study, and master it. According to the Fifth Hokage's plan, he was to become the Sixth Hokage, thus giving Naruto more time to grow.

The boys and girls saw only innocent foolishness, while Shikamaru stroked his chin thoughtfully...

"What I mean is that this country is not under the control of the pro-Wind Country's government, while the neighboring Bird Country's government is completely tied to the Earth Country. This makes the Wind Country feel insecure about its border. So it has its eye on this place, wanting to make the Owl Country its strategic extension, thereby achieving a balance with the Earth Country." Naruto, hugging the soft hump of the camel, smoothly recited a rather official description, startling the entire group into silence.

Sakura spurred the camel to Naruto's side, grabbed his cheek, and was interrupted by Naruto's grimacing. Then, as if in a dream, she said, "Are you really the Naruto I know?"

"Huh? Of course I'm Naruto!" Naruto glared at her matter-of-factly. "I'm not stupid, isn't it obvious!"

Where exactly is it obvious?

Three innocent children, completely unprepared, screamed inwardly.

Kakashi's eyes were filled with inquiry again. He suddenly felt that Naruto might not need that much time to grow. Wasn't he already seeing things clearly?

Compared to his frustration and thoughtfulness, Ayhan's emotions were much more straightforward. He had been forced to spend half his life in chaos, and when he first heard the real reason for the war in the Kingdom of Owls, his first reaction was not to question, but to suddenly understand.

War inevitably breeds hatred, and this long-standing hatred has created many tribes that have become sworn enemies. However, after Hui took control of Savile, they opened the doors of various tribes through trade, which ultimately led to an unprecedented meeting.

At that time, Ayhan thought it was simply a fantasy. Wouldn't the tribes really fight at the meeting? However, no, the talks went smoothly. For whatever reason, the tribal chiefs sat calmly at the table and finished their discussions, reaching a consensus.

The Land of Owls is the country of the people of the Land of Owls.

This consensus left many people scratching their heads, including Ayihan. But now he understands; Hui must have conveyed this principle, which finally calmed the clan leaders down.

Those who reach the position of clan leader generally understand this principle; many of them have even used foreign powers to secure their positions. The reasons that led them to reach a consensus are far more complex, and the process far more difficult—it's far more than simply holding a meeting.

The Kingdom of Owls is, after all, a desert nation. Whoever possesses the largest oasis has more resources for development and is more likely to become the ruler. This is why Hui didn't completely follow the grassroots approach here, but instead first captured the capital. With the largest oasis and Hui as a powerful backer, it's not difficult for a nation to develop significantly in a short period. Fertile land and wealth inevitably attract competition, but they were surprised to find that Saville possessed a well-trained army. Not only were they strong and well-coordinated, but their reaction speed was also incredibly fast, quickly routing the advance teams of various tribes.

After suffering losses, the tribes, as usual, launched a joint attack, intending to seize another opportunity. Unexpectedly, they walked right into an encirclement and were completely wiped out. The captured tribal chiefs, who had assumed they were doomed, were surprised to find their advance team members alive and well in the prisoner-of-war camp. The comfortable and healthy life there made the chiefs question their existence. Even more absurdly, the current leader of the Savile people met with each of them individually, sincerely asking if they had encountered any difficulties. He said that if there were any problems, they could discuss and solve them together; they were all family, and there was no need for a life-or-death struggle. The tribal chiefs, looking at the man's Central Asian features, pointed their fingers at him and cursed, "Death is better than humiliation!" However, he didn't get angry; instead… he released them. Just like that, he released them!

Not long after the tribal chiefs were baffled, Savile's envoys arrived at each of the small oases, offering terms they couldn't refuse to discuss cooperation. One doesn't refuse a smiling face, and besides, Savile could easily subdue them; to retaliate against these envoys would be utterly foolish. Thus, the tribes embarked on a path of cooperation from which there was no turning back.

With a mediator in place, it was only a matter of time before the tribal chiefs sat down to negotiate. Hui leveraged the intelligence department's advantages to obtain information on many reasons for the mutual hostility among the tribes, analyzed how much foreign instigation was involved, and then convened an unprecedented conference with the sole objective of reconciling intelligence.

The inventor of this thing must have been a genius, because after the tribes argued heatedly for a while, they gradually calmed down, were able to speak calmly, and finally realized how ridiculous their self-righteous cleverness was. A great power's resources could be invested in several tribes, who would fight to the death like crickets for entertainment, but even the victor would still be just a cricket being manipulated.

If even the people of the Kingdom of Owls don't cherish their own country, how can they expect other countries to care?

impossible.

If they truly want to achieve prosperity and strength, they must rely on themselves.