Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 284 One Map

The Chunin Exams went smoothly this year, but the teammate who had already taken the exam earlier in the year didn't participate in this one supervised by Naruto. Instead, they chose to continue honing their skills. After all, exams happen every year, and they definitely have a lot to improve on; there's no need to keep taking them. Besides, these exams cost money! Wouldn't it be better to use that money to eat more?

After the exams each year, the peak season for tasks begins. Whether you work in an office or on the field, as long as you have enough fighting spirit, you have to take turns.

In the past, Naruto always initiated every meeting; Sasuke had never taken the initiative. However, on the eve of his birthday this time, Gamabunta brought a letter that Sasuke had sent on his own initiative! To be precise, it wasn't a letter, but a map marked with points.

"The sea area near the Land of Waterfalls..." Naruto suddenly smacked his head, finally remembering.

"No way, why would Orochimaru be eyeing that place too?!"

"Where?" Nine Lamas asked.

"A prison isolated from the world, where someone could really die if you're not careful." Naruto's expression turned incredibly serious. As someone who had been inside, he knew better than anyone the dangers of that place. That's why he couldn't understand why Orochimaru would send his most precious vessel there. Was it because he believed the rumors about the "Box of Elysium"? Or... because he knew that Naruto would be constantly by his side?

"Although it's quite risky... I should have tried to avoid going to the Land of Frost, but I can't worry about that now." For the first time, Naruto used his position to find a B-rank mission to the Land of Frost from a pile of missions. The moment he saw the mission notice, he felt a headache coming on, but the destination of this mission was the closest place to Hozuki Castle, so he had no choice.

The missions of becoming the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki all require the Hokage's approval before they can be accepted. So when Naruto went to Tsunade with the mission assignment, she was more interested in him than the assignment itself.

Is there anything special about this mission?

"That place is relatively close to the Land of Waterfalls and the Land of Grass. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever been to those two countries where there are ninja villages stationed."

"...Just to leave the Flying Thunder God mark?"

Naruto looked thoughtful before finally replying, "This mission mentions that many people have gone missing from their village. They've called in ninjas from other villages and wiped out the bandits in the surrounding mountains, but people are still going missing. Konoha is probably their last hope, and my abilities should be able to help them."

Tsunade, with an "I knew it" look on her face, threw the scroll back, saying, "You really should change your ways of spreading kindness so casually."

"That's something I'm afraid I can't change," Naruto said with a bright smile. "Could I borrow your beloved student for a moment?"

"Get lost."

"okay."

The restrictions on Jinchuriki missions remain unchanged, only the requirement has shifted from Root members to supervisors with sufficient strength. While Root's overall strength is indeed top-notch, it seems somewhat inadequate under the Jinchuriki's aura, forcing them to relinquish their positions. This time, Naruto is accompanied by Jiraiya, who has finally returned, as Kakashi, a frequent mission taker, is away from Konoha again.

"The Land of Frost, ah, that's a rather desolate country. I don't usually use that word to describe a place, but it really is too desolate. The soil is even stranger than a desert. Although the land there isn't a desert, a large part of it simply can't grow much, and over time, it naturally becomes barren." Jiraiya could rattle off the characteristics and customs of various places with ease. Before even setting off, he was already showing off his erudition to the children.

This question can actually be answered by referring to the gold mine near Beichen.

In the early days when Hokushin lacked manpower, their main task was to "plant" more White Zetsu. Hashirama, of course, went all out, and they created a large number of White Zetsu in a short period of time, while also discovering a likely side effect associated with it.

The once lush green mountain has started to turn bald, and the cause certainly isn't the gold mining. Tobirama is known to be very concerned about pollution; the gold refining sites aren't even near Hokushin, so it's impossible for them to affect the mountain's vegetation. Yet, the mountain is slowly becoming bald, starting from the foot, which completely defies the laws of nature.

Ultimately, they focused their attention on the giant tree hidden in the cave, grown from White Zetsu. Life inevitably needs to absorb nutrients to grow, and it seemed impossible for Hashirama's chakra alone to sustain the growth of so many White Zetsu. Moreover, this thing would continue to grow even without human intervention, almost clearly indicating the cause of this situation.

He wouldn't forget that Madara Uchiha's true lair was beneath the Mountain Graveyard. The 100,000 White Zetsu that appeared during the Fourth Shinobi World War clearly couldn't have been created overnight. There was also a giant tree beneath the Land of Frost that created White Zetsu, which was why the land there was so barren; despite not being a desert, nothing could be grown.

Hopefully, that nobody will be smart enough not to show up and cause trouble at this time, otherwise... if we take down his base ahead of time, that guy's expression will definitely be quite interesting.

In short, this hastily assembled team set off. Because the true objective was somewhat sensitive, Naruto conservatively chose the people he trusted most. Moreover, he genuinely tried his best to avoid getting close to that location. Even though he had worked hard to isolate Kurama's chakra and create clones, the sheer volume of chakra from both sides was overwhelming, and their chakra had been intertwined since he was still in his mother's womb. What if the Gedo Mazo was too sensitive to tailed beast chakra? Wouldn't that be prematurely alerting the enemy?

Unless there was a legitimate opportunity, he wouldn't easily venture into that area, so naturally he didn't leave any marks. For the first time in a long time, they had to rely on their own two legs to travel.

"This mission is somewhat risky, and you don't have to complete it. If you really can't infiltrate the city, just give up. I don't want to go through the trouble of rescuing you."

This is the first time Orochimaru has talked so much nonsense before a mission; it seems that place is indeed very special.

"Of course, it's more likely that you won't be able to find that island at all. I can't let Karin come with you this time; she's a ninja from Kusagakure, and it would be even more troublesome if she got captured."

"Understood." Sasuke didn't waste any words and left with the scroll.

The scroll was written rather hastily, offering almost nothing more than the message: Investigate Wuwei and find the Box of Elysium. Sasuke didn't believe in boxes that could grant wishes, so he was uninterested in the mission and had no desire to complete it. He should take this opportunity to invite Naruto out; it was time for him to explain himself in person.