Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 255 "Buzz"

[Intelligence reports: Mr. Jiraiya, disguised, has entered the southern part of the Land of Wind from the east, ostensibly for business, to investigate Hui's whereabouts, seemingly trying to find our core base. Please advise whether to interfere with his movements.]

"Tsk, why did it have to be at this crucial moment?" Izuna couldn't help but complain, then turned to Naruto, who had definitely heard the message, and said, "Give me some instructions, Lord Kinrin."

"What are you talking about?" Hashirama peeked out from the side, but was quickly pressed down by Tobirama.

Tobirama immediately guessed, "Is there some trouble on the mainland?"

"As long as Beichen doesn't expose himself, we should try not to let him see too many ninjas." Jinlun stared intently at the water below, not even raising his head.

It's now the fifth day since filming of "Princess of the Wind and Cloud" was successfully completed. The crew, who had struggled immensely to get there, returned to the mainland in just over an hour thanks to the Flying Thunder God technique. Moreover, this was only because the crew had so much stuff that it wasn't packed properly, which meant Naruto had to teleport everything one by one, slowing things down.

In short, the mission was successfully completed, and it was time to part ways. Sakura said goodbye reluctantly, even giving Sasuke a handful of homemade soldier rations. Naruto didn't react much, since he could see Sasuke anytime he wanted. As for the souvenir, he prepared assorted tuna jellies—a whole large tuna, so plentiful that even Orochimaru at the Land of Rice Fields base could get a piece. This was a specialty of the Land of Snow; giving a local specialty as a souvenir was the perfect gesture!

Of course, whether or not to split the scroll was ultimately Sasuke's decision. When they said goodbye, he had no idea what was sealed inside the scroll he had received.

As for why Naruto hastily finalized the plan to explore the underground cavity when the Land of Snow was in dire need of reconstruction, it was all because of that mysterious voice.

It's understandable to hear that thing from the top of the Snow Country, and it can also be explained by the range of "sensory perception" if you can hear it after you go down the mountain and into the city. But Naruto has already returned to the mainland, and the sound has not disappeared, and the volume and frequency have not changed at all. That is a situation that cannot be explained by current science.

Moreover, it seemed that only he could hear that voice.

Before embarking on his exploration, Naruto had essentially lived on the "snow" mountain. The temperature there was so comfortable that he could lie down anywhere wearing only a single layer of clothing. The heating system operated steadily day and night, turning a small basin on the mountaintop into a greenhouse with a constant temperature.

Moreover, the light from the cliff is constant. It's not very noticeable during the day, but at night, it's so bright that you can't sleep well without thick cloth to block it out.

Hashirama's eyes lit up at the sight of this environment, exclaiming that it was a paradise for planting, where even the most demanding and difficult-to-care-for plants could soon thrive.

Of course, Hashirama wanted to grow these things for improvement. Currently, they didn't have the technology for direct gene grafting; hybridization was their only option. If they couldn't even grow a parent organism, how could they hybridize? How could they select and breed? Therefore, he quickly became engrossed in this vast greenhouse.

Besides assisting with the policies of the Land of Snow, Naruto, who lived there, devoted himself to exploring the underground cavity. He quickly discovered a passage submerged underwater. It was a completely vertical passage; the entrance was directly covered by the wet soil above. If that layer of soil were lifted, they would see a circular passage constructed of metal, vertically straight up and down, with no handholds in the middle. Even more absurdly, Naruto even carefully examined the material used to construct the passage and discovered that it was something he had never seen before, and it was a single, seamless piece without any signs of splicing.

Look at that snow country fortress covered in screws. How could this thing possibly have been built by the ancestors of this country?

His research into "sound" had, of course, never ceased. He eventually followed the clues and found the instrument that emitted the sound; the screen was filled with incomprehensible but vaguely familiar text. Before this, he had never tried directly locking onto and jumping to such a depth underground. To be on the safe side, he didn't go down directly but chose to use the door.

As for why he finalized the exploration plan so quickly, it was certainly related to "sound".

In his mind, this regular, uninterrupted sound was either the noise of a machine working, or... a signal transmitting information outwards. Given that the "sound" could be transmitted to a distant continent without attenuation, his guess naturally leaned more towards the latter.

Regardless of the signal being transmitted, remaining silent in the universe was a conclusion he had drawn from painful lessons. While Kaguya's spatial blockade was still in effect, he could indeed postpone dealing with that thing, but eliminating it as soon as possible remained his top priority.

"Today's operation remains unchanged. Is Izuna going to handle this matter? We can switch to a reserve personnel."

"No need, that's a small matter, I don't need to personally oversee it." Izuna decisively refused and directly gave instructions to the mainland via telepathy.

"I still don't recommend you lead the advance team. The situation in the cavity is unknown, and any sudden danger could threaten your life. Don't forget the original purpose of the Impure World Reincarnation." The die was cast, yet Tobirama still firmly voiced his opposition. What if Naruto listened?

Unfortunately, Jinlun was a resolute person.

“My ‘sensory perception’ is best suited for scouting; there’s no better choice than me. Besides, isn’t there you? Tobirama-san, leaving you on the ground and pre-positioning chakra in the advance team members is for teleportation in case of emergencies.”

"I trust your judgment."

Hashirama patted his younger brother on the shoulder, his smile a stark contrast to Tobirama's gloom.

"Don't worry too much, my Wood Release will stay with them. If anything happens, I'll be the first to respond!"

Having no choice but to submit to the majority, Tobirama turned his face away, no longer wanting to pay them any attention.

"Now that you're ready, let's begin."

At Jinlun's command, several Senju warriors, who had been waiting on the shore, slammed their fists onto the water in unison. Their combined water-based technique was extraordinary; the lake's surface was stirred, initially flowing slowly before suddenly accelerating, forming a bottomless whirlpool that effectively drew almost the entire lake's water towards its center. When the whirlpool reached its maximum speed, even hollow areas formed around the lake's perimeter.

The Uchiha's fire-style technique quickly burned into one of the cavities. After the soft mud turned into hard blocks, the second group of Senju immediately took action, pouring a large amount of rock and soil into that corner, filling the cavity completely. Then, the Uchiha used their powerful fire to bake it, and the artificially filled land appeared.

The whirlpool in the center of the lake gradually slowed down, gently releasing the entire lake's water, and the artificial lake shore successfully passed inspection.

Of course, they didn't do all this fancy stuff to fill in a lake, but to fill in the area where the passage is located with land, since it's much easier to deal with soil than water.

When it comes to tunneling skills, no one can compare to the Thousand Hands. The Thousand Hands, who have mastered the art of using earth elements, quickly created stable caves that lead directly to underground entrances, making it much easier than filling in lakes.