Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 226 Accommodation Issues

"I only booked one room in advance. If it's not possible, we can stay in the Land of Fire. Anyway, we have the Flying Thunder God Technique, so it's convenient." On the other side of the space-time ninjutsu was a hotel with a rather trendy decor. They landed in a corner of the lobby, at a private booth separated by a screen. "By the way, do you have identification?"

The two fugitives, abducted from other ninja villages, exchanged bewildered glances. Their previous credentials were certainly no longer valid, and Orochimaru wouldn't be idle enough to grant his experimental subject official status in the Land of Rivers. They had assumed that Sasuke, in his similar predicament, wouldn't possess such a thing either, but the cool guy pulled a small booklet from his wide waistband, clearly displaying the three large characters "Land of Rivers."

"When did you become a citizen of the River Country?" Shuiyue asked incredulously.

Naruto, standing to the side, said with a forced smile, "Identity documents from the Land of Rivers can be obtained with money. I recommend that Sasuke get them done in advance."

In this day and age, identification documents are almost always only used when crossing national borders. For ninjas, border patrols are as fragile as paper, utterly ineffective in stopping them. Only legitimate ninjas serving the nation possess such documents, and even then, they rarely use them.

"Do we need identification to check into a hotel?" Shuiyue asked again.

“Of course, this is an important holiday, and it’s essential to prevent dangerous individuals from entering the country. You’ll need to go through immigration procedures later.” Naruto said confidently, not at all finding it absurd to ask a group of Orochimaru’s subordinates to handle the paperwork.

Mizuki glanced at the glaringly obvious identity card from the Land of Rivers, then at the composed Sasuke, and said irritably, "But the identity this guy presented is clearly fake!"

"It's true, no doubt about it. I took care of it myself." Sasuke appeared expressionless, but others could detect a hint of pleasure in his tone.

After a moment of silence, Karin adjusted her glasses and calmly said, "I did bring proof of my identity from Kusagakure, but I don't know if it will be accepted."

"Huh? You're actually planning to do it!" Mizuki exclaimed in shock, trying to snap his bewitched companions out of their daze. "Isn't the point the ninja identity? Ninjas aren't allowed to cross the border in most places!"

"Don't worry about that. The Land of Waves welcomes travelers from all over the world. As long as you follow the rules of the Land of Waves and travel in a civilized manner, whether you are an ordinary person or a ninja, you are a good tourist of the Land of Waves~ Come on, Mr. Hozuki, take out your Kirigakure certificate."

The border crossing procedures were completed rather haphazardly, but surprisingly smoothly. The young woman who greeted them maintained a sweet smile throughout, completely unmoved by the word "ninja" on their documents. This was quite rare; these were experienced young men who had traveled to many places and had never encountered anyone so accommodating to ninjas. Some ninja villages even discriminated against ninjas with special bloodlines. The people here were truly strange; had they never witnessed the power of a ninja?

In short, the first thing this amazing group did after crossing the border was to find accommodation. However, today was already the day before the festival officially began, and there was no room left except for the rooms they had booked in advance.

"Where do you live?" Sasuke asked.

"The Land of Waves had already prepared to invite the Konoha ninjas and had prepared a single apartment in advance. Those houses were originally prepared for the workers, and they were very simple to build. They would be dismantled after the construction was completed. The use of them was delayed a little because of the Spring Festival. The conditions there are definitely not as good as a hotel. This is a themed hotel that I specially chose."

It's not fair to blame the Land of Waves for being unkind. The workers' accommodations weren't actually that bad. The prefab houses were only slightly poorly soundproofed, but basic heating, ventilation, water, and electricity were provided. Soundproofing isn't an issue for ninjas; they just need to remember to set up soundproofing barriers. Spring in the Land of Waves is practically no different from summer; otherwise, they wouldn't be able to let tourists play in the water in early March. Calling it the "Spring Festival" is purely for promotional purposes.

Despite Naruto's high praise for the hotel's unique decor, Sasuke said without hesitation, "It's the same for me to stay here, so let them stay here."

"Huh? I don't want to live with this guy!" Karin immediately bristled.

"Do you think I want to live with you, you violent woman!" Shuiyue retorted.

"Guests, here are your room keys. There are other guests in the lobby. To avoid disturbing them, could you please go to your rooms to make noise?" The hotel receptionist's expression was initially quite subtle, but as he deliberately slowed down his observation, he realized they were more like a group of teenagers who weren't prepared for their trip, so he readily handed over the keys.

"I'm so sorry! We'll be leaving now."

The main room truly lived up to its name; the ocean-themed decor gave you the illusion of sleeping underwater. The bed was shaped like an open seashell, the bedside table was a starfish, the light green sofa was backed by a painting of seaweed, and the floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the boundless sea. Moreover, the bed in this room was a type I'd never seen before—it felt cool to the touch and had a liquid-filled feel when poked.

The room is incredibly spacious, with a balcony that could easily accommodate three people, but there's only one bed.

"What's that?" Karin immediately spotted the peculiar group of buildings on the sea; the circular roller coaster was simply too eye-catching.

“The Water Park, one of the main attractions of the Spring Festival.” Naruto was still trying to change Sasuke’s mind. “My apartment is even smaller than this. Are you sure you want to go?”

"I'm sure." Sasuke remained unmoved, even inquiring about other things, "You need to buy tickets in advance to go there, right?"

"I have a few internal tickets available, and I can spare a few, but it's best not to go when it's most crowded."

Naruto sighed. He saw Sasuke's resolve and stopped trying to persuade him. Sasuke had always been a gentle person, always trying his best to take care of his comrades. After seeing the environment here, he probably wouldn't want to keep this place all to himself. Although Naruto didn't object to Sasuke's request to live with him, there were still two Root members in that apartment building. Their interactions these past few days had indeed softened their attitudes, and they no longer inexplicably disliked him, but he wasn't sure what Sasuke might do after being exposed.

Should he just tell them that he ran into Sasuke on the roadside and brought him back? And then on the day of their parting, say that he dozed off and lost him?

That's a bit too fake!

A handsome face approaching interrupted Naruto's thoughts. Sasuke frowned slightly and asked, "Can't I go?"

"No, of course you can." Naruto, blinded by beauty, blurted out his answer, then could only smile wryly to himself. For the first time since his rebirth, Naruto suddenly found Kotoamatsukami quite useful.

How about we let Brother Zhishui brainwash us?