Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 136 Broken Window

"...The source of chakra is gone." Karin cautiously activated her senses, not because she was afraid of those red eyes. But unexpectedly, the "sun" had disappeared, but the "light" it emitted followed closely, enveloping the city in an extremely gentle and even manner.

"That incredibly powerful source of chakra is gone, but his chakra is still there, and... it's everywhere."

"...Is there any sign of chakra depletion?" Sasuke frowned even more, but his Sharingan could only detect denser chakra, so no matter how carefully he looked, it was to no avail.

Karin shook her head vigorously and said, "My senses are all disturbed by that source, so I can't tell if there are any subtle changes in these chakras for the time being. But he should be hiding, right? It's impossible for someone to escape my senses so quickly!"

Coincidentally, there really is one.

A certain person's image became even stronger in her mind, but Karin was still just a child, and forcing her wouldn't allow her to discover the truth in a short time. A vast source of chakra will involuntarily release chakra outwards. This power doesn't immediately disappear after the source vanishes, but rather weakens over time. If the power is merely hidden, this overflowing chakra will plateau at a certain point, but if the source disappears, this chakra will weaken rapidly and eventually vanish.

"Keep a close eye on this chakra; it's crucial." Sasuke had some guesses, but there was no reason for Naruto to avoid him. Even on a special mission, he'd at least greet him, right? Most likely, Naruto had sensed him and was hiding his power… but what if the chakra disappeared…

Tsk, how could I forget about the Communication Frog? Why not just ask?

Sasuke, unable to wait even a second longer, grabbed a pen and paper, wrote a note, and summoned a small toad right in front of Karin. But before he could even put the letter in, the toad spat out an envelope, clearly Naruto's latest letter.

[Sasuke! Where's my reply? You haven't forgotten about it while you're engrossed in training, have you?! I'm on another mission, this time in the southeast of the Land of Fire. It's a pity it's a bit far from the Land of Waves, otherwise I'd really like to visit Mr. Tori and the others. I heard the seafood feast at the mission location is delicious, hmph~ I'm not going to get to eat it~ Ever since I had that big incident on my last trip, Granny Tsunade won't let me take any missions abroad, and she won't let me go north either... How about we discuss it sometime, you take a mission in the south of the Land of Rivers, and I'll take a mission in the southwest of the Land of Fire? That way we can meet secretly again, or you can send me a message whenever you're not in the Land of Rice Fields? I don't want to land and face-to-face with the Sound Ninja...]

Still ugly handwriting, still illogical daily routines, nothing unusual.

Although Sasuke disliked the word "ugly," he meticulously folded the letter, stuffed it into the envelope, and then put the envelope into the pocket of his inner garment.

"Did you get a reply? If not, I'm leaving." The awful weather in the Northwest isn't suitable for a toad. The toad tried to hold back, but since Sasuke hadn't said he could leave, he could only pick up his water cup and pour some water on his very uncomfortable skin.

"Wait a minute." Sasuke wrote another note, rolled it up, and handed it over. "Take this to him."

"Okay, see you next time, Sasuke-kun."

Twenty kilometers from Fuxiu City, an inconspicuous little hole was carved into the fiery red mountain wall, but inside the hole was a completely different world, which was transformed into a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment.

After that conversation, Old Purple neither answered nor left. He silently followed Naruto to a hiding place, silently watched Naruto complete the miraculous transformation of the mountain rocks with a light touch, and silently chose one of the three rooms as his own.

Old Purple's shocked expression was truly hilarious. Normally, Naruto would definitely have started a group chat to chat about it, but he was too busy to do so now.

Operation Broken Windows was the name of this operation. Its purpose was to expose the ugly face of the nobility and to make the people question the rule that had lasted for thousands of years for the first time.

Breaking with the old system is a gradual process. Slowly exploring and learning, summarizing experiences, constantly correcting and avoiding mistakes to improve – this is a positive cycle of progress. Gradual improvement in thinking is the experience Hui has accumulated over many years. As for the failures, see the one-country-one-village system crudely assembled by the First Hokage… For the creator of this system, the day the First Hokage died was the day peace ended – what an ironic outcome.

What they are trying to create is not an order that cannot be maintained once the pioneers are gone.

Getting back to the main point. After the thirty-seven children from the night of the raid were taken away, the intelligence team members transformed into the likenesses of those thirty-seven children. Naruto even transformed into Little Tuya, joining the operation to trace the source. After the guards, who had been given a hint, returned, they quickly selected the first batch of "children." These children shared the common characteristic of being beautiful, regardless of gender. Little Tuya was among the first group. They were moved from their cages and given food laced with a sedative.

The intelligence department's elites were all highly skilled actors, capable of spotting problems with the food. Aside from Naruto, none of them were fit to eat; they took only a couple of symbolic bites before gradually "fainting." Naruto, however, actually tasted the food to confirm the drug's effectiveness. It turned out the dosage they used was far too weak to subdue the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but it was enough to incapacitate a child. Moreover, this was a potent drug; too much could cause respiratory failure, something even adults might not be able to withstand, let alone children.

Naruto collapsed, his heart heavy. He had already guessed that some children might not even make it through this ordeal and would die just like that. And this place was damned because it was a car dealership, with several secret passages underground. The children would just die silently in the darkness and be buried silently... If that's the case, there must be a place to bury the children!

Note that the sedative is very potent; children may die during this phase. It is recommended that someone be sent to locate where they dispose of the bodies.

The message was extremely blunt, bordering on cruel. But the intelligence team remained silent; only the operation's commander, Izuna, spoke.

"Senju Takahashi, Uchiha Izumi, you two disguise yourselves as corpses and make sure you find out where the children are."

"Yes, sir!" "Understood."

"Damn it, who poisoned them this time! How come two are missing? This batch was top-quality stuff, and they've been lying about it all this time!"

"...I...I don't remember putting in much..." The dull thud of a knee hitting the floor echoed in the cellar. "I'm sorry, boss! It's my fault! Please forgive me!"

"Same old rule, one death for two plus twenty lashes. Let's see who dares to do it again! Wake up, all of you!"

"Boss... what do we do if two of them are missing?"

"This batch of goods is going to that place, we can't just do it half-heartedly! We'll just send it there like this, even if we earn less, it's better than losing our business."

"Let's go deliver the goods!"