Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 277 The Prophecy of the Child

[Izuna-nii.]

〖what?〗

[I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to say first...?]

Spit it out.

Good news! Those of us in southern Sichuan no longer need to pretend.

"Oh, so you, the leader, have finally remembered to do something? Planning to capture them and bring them back to Konoha?"

That was the original plan, but plans can change.

[The Perverted Sage has confirmed that "Hui" is a ninja organization, and its core base is most likely located somewhere in southern Sichuan. Oh, and he also mentioned that the base might be called "Hokushin."]

At that moment, a sharp explosion came from the Beichen headquarters building, which was not too far away. Of course, it was not a human sound, but rather the hand that was adjusting the telegraph machine trembled and accidentally turned the frequency too high.

After a period of chaos and confusion, Izuna's voice came again.

[Please double-check if he thinks "Hui" is just a pure ninja organization, then do everything you can to get him out of there, immediately!!]

"This organization gives me a very peculiar feeling. They don't usually do what ninjas typically do, yet they were at the forefront when the demon appeared. I don't know how long they lasted, but their organizational skills and average strength definitely gave me some clues. Logically speaking, a ninja organization like this could easily establish its own ninja village simply by appearing in the ninja world, but instead, they dispersed their fighting force all over the world, serving the people day after day..."

Naruto, who had been trying to feign surprise, slowly composed himself and asked in a very serious tone, "Master, what do you think of this organization?"

This was the first time Naruto had called him "Master," and Jiraiya didn't react for a moment, continuing to talk at length: "Judging from the results of their management, their governance ability is really good, and they are particularly close to the people, wishing they could be on the front lines themselves... Wait, what did you just call me?!"

Naruto said with a bright smile, "What a perverted sage."

"No, that's not it!" Jiraiya slapped Naruto's shoulders. "Say it again."

Naruto winced in pain, but lowered his head to hide his expression, and still managed to squeeze out a particularly irritating remark, "What's your name? Perverted Sage?"

"You disrespectful brat!"

In short, the two exchanged some existing information. After all, Kakashi and his friends had witnessed the situations in the Land of Waves, the Land of Owls, and the Land of Snow, so it would be abnormal for them to deliberately keep it a secret.

Knowing that three small, peripheral countries had already been incorporated into "Hui's" territory, Jiraiya's expression became even more serious, and he became even more certain of his guess.

"If 'Hui' and 'Dongfeng' are indeed connected, then this organization is probably not content with small countries, but... is aiming for a daimyo."

Jiraiya did not explicitly state which daimyo it was, which means that he truly understood Hui's ultimate goal in an unexpected way.

"...Isn't 'Dongfeng' just a transport brigade? What does it have to do with 'Hui'?" Naruto actually wanted to laugh. Of course, he knew that his master was no ordinary person, but the fact that the other party could directly guess Hui's ultimate goal surprised and made him proud. This was his master after all.

"Business is about making money, and even the most conscientious boss wouldn't engage in a lot of unprofitable deals. 'Dongfeng' operates in a similar way to 'Hui,' and their coverage overlaps. You can see 'Dongfeng' even in the most remote corners of the country. Moreover, I've investigated, and in many areas controlled by 'Hui,' there's basically only one Dongfeng caravan, because those places are too remote, and the local people don't have much purchasing power. But 'Dongfeng' goes to these places, selling goods at prices even lower than the local average, while buying up raw materials produced in those places at high prices."

“Even if ‘Dongfeng’ doesn’t belong to ‘Hui’, the cooperation between the two is definitely closer than imagined. Otherwise, ‘Hui’s’ resources scattered in various places would not be able to be integrated, and selling raw materials alone would not be enough to support so many people.”

I didn't realize that the lecherous immortal was actually quite good at business!

[Even worse news: Master has discovered a close connection between "Dongfeng" and "Hui".]

"...Then it's up to you, Lord Kinrin. Don't let this information fall into the hands of the Fire Country's daimyo." Izuna chose to give up.

"That's a good thing, isn't it? People in those places have survived because of this organization, and their lives are getting better and better."

Jiraiya suddenly turned around and stared intently at Naruto, but his face only showed genuine joy.

"Naruto, is that really what you think?"

"Ah...of course." Naruto was a little confused as to why Jiraiya had suddenly become serious.

“You’ve always had a keen political sense, and you’ve managed to outmaneuver the advisory group. That’s why Tsunade and I were able to confidently let them know that you are our chosen successor to the Hokage. But what you just said is enough to bring you to your doom, understand? Naruto.”

It wasn't until Jiraiya pointed out the problem that Naruto realized he had indeed been too blatant. But... he didn't want to lie to the perverted sage, he couldn't even pretend to be uninterested. He was already so old, yet he was still acting like a child, craving adult approval—it was truly inappropriate.

Having thought everything through, Naruto said firmly, "If pursuing something better will lead to my utter ruin, then so be it. My ninja way is 'to do what I say,' and 'to keep my word.'"

These words deeply moved Jiraiya, for Naruto spoke with such confidence, determination, and unwavering conviction. Although Naruto had always been special, in Jiraiya's eyes, despite being two generations younger, he was still just a child. But at the moment Naruto uttered those words, Jiraiya felt that the person sitting before him wasn't a rebellious child, but a steadfast pioneer.

The Toad Sage prophesied that one of his students would be the chosen one, bringing about a new change to a world that had suffered for millennia. As a ninja, he once believed that power was the only tool for changing the world, so he took in Nagato, who possessed the "Sage Eyes," and diligently conveyed his belief in world peace to that child. However, soon after, he received news of his impending death.

Later, he stubbornly believed that someone like him could emerge from the village. He encountered Minato Namikaze, who had displayed extraordinary talent from a young age. That child was equally dazzling; he survived the brutal flames of war and rose to become the first commoner ninja to ascend to the Hokage position through military achievements. However, the dazzling meteor could only last for a moment. Minato died in battle less than two years after becoming Hokage, and the hope of the prophesied child was dashed once again.

He didn't want to delve into the many illogical points surrounding this "death." It was absolutely impossible for an ordinary person to snatch Kushina from Minato's grasp, and if the supporting forces had been even slightly stronger, Minato wouldn't have ultimately perished. He hated himself for not returning sooner and began to resent the place that should have been his "home." Like Tsunade, he fled far away, continuing his journey in a daze, gradually losing his way over the years.

But the starting point of a journey is often the end point; after many twists and turns, he returned to where he began.