Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 294 Tracking

As the two boys slowly walked out of sight, Sasuke's face fell, and he was just short of wielding his Kusanagi sword.

Are you here to laugh at me?

"How could that be? I'm here to investigate a case."

Naruto responded to Sasuke's question with innocent naivety. He would never admit that he genuinely wanted to see Sasuke's disguised state up close. In his past life, Sasuke always disguised himself where Naruto couldn't see him, which was a shame. Besides, he had never seen Sasuke with such a drastically altered appearance! Sure enough, even if a handsome guy is a bit dark-skinned and wearing the most ordinary clothes, he's still exceptionally handsome. No wonder he wears a hat to cover it up.

Sasuke frowned. "Are they involved in the missing persons case?"

Although I haven't noticed anything wrong or found anything strange in the past few days, if it's Naruto's judgment...

"No, that's not it. We just wanted to see what kind of fleet has suffered the most shipwrecks but has stood the test of time for over a decade. The investigation we ultimately decided on is to investigate the crew's accidents, just to do a thorough check." Naruto shook his head repeatedly.

"If you need to investigate them, I can help. From what I've seen so far, they seem fine; they're just a very united, optimistic, and kind-hearted crew." Sasuke felt a strange sense of relief, probably because even with their skewed values, the crew members still took great care of their teammate's mentally unstable younger sister. Sending her home was just the beginning; they also frequently secretly delivered food to Rina's house. Seeing Rina's welcoming attitude towards these people, it was clear she hadn't suffered any abuse.

Naruto was a little surprised. "This is the first time I've heard Sasuke evaluate a group of people, and it's surprisingly fair?"

Sasuke's lips twitched down slightly, a sign of displeasure. "Do you believe me or not?"

"Of course I believe you," Naruto muttered, deliberately using a regretful and hurt tone. "But, I've never heard Sasuke comment on Team 7..."

"...It's just exchanging information during a mission. Don't push your luck, you huge idiot!"

"Can't we give an award? Something to summarize our friendship of over ten years, Sasuke... ah, you're called Rei-suke now~"

"Shut up!"

It's not easy to get Sasuke, who is this age, into this state. Naruto knew when to stop, and just then, a crew member came to call them to go eat. So the two boys stopped their "noisy" argument, which was about to escalate into a fight, and went to the cafeteria to eat.

A cow certainly wouldn't be eaten in a day, but today's meal was definitely a step above usual. Everyone enjoyed it, and the captain even brought out his treasured wine, though he certainly wouldn't force a child to drink. Playing the emotional card requires a gradual approach; the captain wasn't completely flattered but maintained a good balance, not suggesting Naruto stay the night, but instead arranging for someone to take Naruto back.

"No need, I'm planning to go explore other places."

Naruto declined the offer and disappeared from the crew's sight at a leisurely pace.

Honestly, who was the idiot to decide to follow a ninja? And their tracking skills were terrible; they barely even shifted their gaze, making them easy to spot. Didn't they know that ninjas have incredibly sharp senses?

To understand exactly when this group of people appeared, we have to go back to when Naruto flashed to the dock. Upon landing, Naruto immediately surveyed his surroundings, subconsciously memorizing the chakra in the area. He discovered that besides the fleet members and the girl lingering at the entrance, there were two other people permanently stationed nearby. He occupied a higher position and wandered around the area. One of them left briefly after Naruto's arrival, then quickly returned. After a while, three more people appeared in the vicinity, mostly crouching near the entrance, showing no signs of moving.

As the fleet began their meal, darkness gradually fell. The girl at the entrance, as usual, prepared to go home. Even on a day when they could enjoy good food, the fleet didn't forget to send someone to guard her. The girl had taken the first two men who had been staking out the area; the remaining three were now following behind her.

Could they be related to the disappearance? Most people wouldn't randomly stalk someone, would they? And two people were stalking the girl; their malice was practically overflowing. Were they targeting her?

Moreover, the girl's mental state was indeed very poor. She spoke incoherently, had obvious cognitive impairment, and sometimes showed signs of unfocused gaze and mental confusion. But Hui had treated similar cases before, and knew that as long as someone was willing to dedicate enough time and care, she could definitely recover.

But all of this is on the premise that the clutches of human trafficking do not reach the girls.

Unexpectedly, the clues that couldn't be found in the dock were found outside. Does that mean Sasuke really is his lucky star? My head is starting to hurt, and my senses are almost at their limit for today. I'll use a clone to continue the tracking.

Shaking off a few ordinary people would be a piece of cake for a ninja, but Naruto didn't. Instead, he released two shadow clones while passing a blind spot, then strolled casually through the streets of the Land of Frost as if nothing had happened. Although this was the main city, the Land of Frost was poor overall. Even its most prosperous areas couldn't compare to ordinary cities in larger countries. Electricity was nonexistent, not even in some parts of the main city; most people still used oil lamps. The oil here was also unique, as its marine resources included whale oil, and exploiting whale oil in various ways was a way of life for the people here...

No, no, he's here to investigate a case, why is he suddenly thinking about people's livelihoods again! There are still so many people missing, dead or alive, he shouldn't be diverting his energy to people's livelihoods that can't be addressed in the short term... I have to say, is occupational disease really that scary?

"Naruto, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Let's hear the good stuff first.

The good news is that our people have uncovered an even larger human trafficking network.

"...Has someone been discovered?"

No, it's several branches of this chain... that ultimately converge on the Land of Frost. There, there's a trading place larger than the Land of Earth, and the goods sold have expanded from children to all age groups...

Naruto barely managed to avoid giving himself away on the street. He took a few deep breaths before replying, "I understand. Send me the address you found."

"Due to the initial ban, our people stopped after reaching the vicinity. Are we going to lift the ban now? With just your small team and a ruler who hasn't even secured his position, I'm afraid..."

The ban remains unchanged. I encountered White Zetsu the moment I entered the Land of Frost; this is highly unusual. You understand, Izuna.

"...Be careful, and report any problems immediately. I'll also have Hashirama keep a close eye on things here."

〖good.〗