Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 482 Preparations

Once officially entering a state of war preparedness, the ninja village, this massive war machine, will reveal its most terrifying side.

The exponential demand for grain and raw materials was precisely met by the Dongfeng jet. Opportunity favors the prepared. Apart from Dongfeng, no other merchant firm could meet such a huge transportation demand in such a short period of time.

The local military factories in Konoha were already slamming their hammers into the air, and the boilers were burning non-stop; tailors were working in shifts day and night, because the newly designed headbands would no longer separate the ninja villages, and everyone would wear the same "ninja" character to fight for this world; the list of personnel participating in the main battle had to be compiled separately, and no matter how small the possibility of the main camp being attacked, a portion of the troops had to be left behind for defense.

In conclusion, the decision to form the coalition was indeed swift and decisive, but the subsequent troubles were not decided on a whim. Coordination among various departments, personnel deployment, financial flows, and a whole host of other issues required detailed planning.

Fortunately, these troubles weren't just the Hokage's problem. Sasuke was incredibly lucky; aside from the first Five Kage Summit which passed without incident, he didn't even need to attend the subsequent summits because Tsunade finally woke up!

The good news spread throughout Konoha that very day and was also delivered to the Daimyo.

Waking up to find the Daimyo has appointed another Hokage would be incredibly frustrating for most people, but Tsunade is no ordinary person. If it weren't for the impending war, she would have gladly given Naruto a formal inauguration ceremony and dumped all that mess. However, Naruto ignored Tsunade's hints, emphasizing his role as "Acting Hokage." While telling her to rest and not rush things, he also informed her that he had been appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Shinobi Forces—a sign of the other four Kage's trust in Konoha—and urged her to do a good job.

Tsunade almost wanted to faint on the spot, pretending that she had never woken up, but Naruto must have put in a lot of effort to get this identity, and she couldn't slack off with a clear conscience.

However, Tsunade somewhat underestimated the trouble Naruto could cause. Just as she was about to participate in the second Five Kage Summit to confirm various details of the Allied Forces, Naruto told her that he had rescued all the Jinchuriki and they were now hiding in a base arranged by "East Wind".

Good heavens! She was wondering how Naruto, at such a young age, could be entrusted with such an important position by the Daimyo. It turns out there was some underhanded trickery involved! She wondered what Naruto had promised "Dongfeng" that would make them go to such lengths to push him to the Hokage position. Once the war was over, she had to have a serious talk with that kid.

It's good that someone is sharing the burden, but it also means that Naruto can no longer keep up appearances of being very busy; he has to deal with that vast network of relationships.

The first to approach him was the "Snake" squad.

They followed the message Pakkun delivered and came to Konoha, only to find that Naruto had been taken to Mount Myōboku for training before they even returned. Unable to find either Naruto or Sasuke, the team was wary of this unfamiliar place. They were all special ninjas with bloodline limits, the kind of people who would be persecuted in any village, but Konoha was a mysterious place.

The people here didn't consider bloodline limits anything special. They'd encountered Byakugan ninjas more than once walking through the streets like ordinary people, attracting no attention whatsoever. Even though their identities were unknown, and they'd even been Orochimaru's subordinates at one point, the Fifth Hokage arranged accommodation and a guide ninja for them. This ninja wasn't there to spy on them; he simply showed them around Konoha's residential areas and places where ordinary people weren't allowed, and then... confidently left them in the apartment.

Wait, is Konoha really this open-minded? There's not even any covert surveillance. What if they're spies?

In the end, Karin took the initiative to go to the Fifth Hokage and explained that Jugo might be unable to control himself. She couldn't handle him when he went berserk, and if he caused damage, they wouldn't be able to explain it to Sasuke.

The solution to this problem was that they were moved to a different apartment. This time, the location was more remote and the population was not concentrated. However, the area was a concentrated residential area for ninjas. She even saw a white-haired ninja with his face covered, leaving only one eye visible, coming out from across the street one morning when she went out.

Well, she didn't quite understand this approach either, but overall it was very much in line with Konoha's style.

And so they settled in Konoha. During this time, Jugo, who was often irritable, miraculously never had a seizure. He frequently went to the nearby training grounds to clear his head, often encountering a master and student doing physical training. Then, during a sparring session, they inexplicably became acquainted. Perhaps because his frequent battles had released his energy, he miraculously managed to control his killing intent.

Later, they got caught up in the invasion of Konoha, which resulted in Naruto's return. However, he was so busy after returning that he practically lived in the Hokage Building. Since they were outsiders, breaking into the Hokage Building during such a tense period would definitely be detrimental to Sasuke, so they waited and finally caught him outside the Hokage Building.

"I know Sasuke trusts you a lot, so I don't want to make things difficult for you." Facing someone other than Sasuke, Karin appeared extremely serious and asked very earnestly, "But please answer me, why do you have Sasuke's chakra in you!"

"The Uzumaki clan's sensory abilities are indeed incredibly strong; I knew it couldn't be kept secret. What do you plan to do?" Naruto was kind to these companions who followed Sasuke; he didn't think they would betray Sasuke. Therefore, whether or not to tell them the truth was up to Sasuke to decide; they were his friends.

“Exchanging chakra allows us to sense each other’s situation immediately. Sasuke is my best friend and the person I trust most. He’s helping me take care of the Jinchuriki, so of course I need to know his situation at all times so I can provide timely support.” Surprisingly, Sasuke’s lie sounded flawless. He even maintained a smile throughout, looking nothing like “Sasuke”.

"Don't worry, he's fine. He didn't fight with his brothers, and he wasn't injured."

"Do you think we'd believe a few words from you?" Suigetsu feigned a grimace. He and Karin had known Naruto for a long time and knew very well how important he was to Sasuke. That was precisely why they were worried Sasuke would suffer.

Sasuke paused for only a moment, then flashed an even brighter smile and said, "You are Sasuke's comrades, so I trust you as much as I trust Sasuke, and I'm giving you all the conveniences I can. So... please trust me as much as you trust Sasuke, okay?"