Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 295 The King

Who owns that large estate in the south of the city?

On the second day of their separate operations, Ye Ming obtained the necessary data. However, as expected, among the fleets with questionable death tolls in shipwrecks, very few of their normally retired crew members were still alive. Half a day wasn't enough for Ye Ming to thoroughly investigate the current situation of these survivors; he had only just witnessed the horrifying coincidence and had already rushed back to share the data. Then, after reviewing the data, Naruto asked a seemingly inexplicable question, which was also a dangerous one.

"That's the residence of the Grand Minister of State, the chief civil official under the monarch. Did you encounter anyone from that residence?"

Naruto looked at him with a complicated expression. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I want to see the king."

Ye Ming was a little stunned, but he quickly sensed Naruto's firm determination. He must have found out something, which was why he made this request.

"To date, there has never been a case of a king directly receiving foreign guests who are ninjas. It's not that we're making things difficult for you, but... there's a distinction between superiors and inferiors..."

“I know that the king almost never meets with ninjas from outside the country. The reason is simple: more than ninety years ago, an unfortunate king was assassinated by unarmed ninjas at a banquet. Distinction between superiors and inferiors? That’s just an excuse to glorify cowardice.” Naruto succinctly shattered the ideology that the nobles had been advocating for nearly a century. For the first time, he showed his sharpest side to Yoru, all for the sake of those who were trapped and for the safety of his comrades.

"Your king says he wants to break with convention and create a different Frost Kingdom. Surely he doesn't even have the courage to meet me?"

"His Majesty is the bravest man!" Ye Ming instinctively retorted, his voice rising slightly with emotion. He quickly composed himself, saying, "His Majesty and I grew up together, and he has always placed the well-being of the people first. It's just that power has long been divided among the nobles, making it difficult for him to display his talents. I will convey your message; His Majesty will certainly..."

"Ye Ming, no need to relay the message." The bookcase door by the wall suddenly opened, and a person walked out. Behind him was a deep, dark opening that appeared to spiral downwards, illuminated by candlelight.

Of the four people sitting in the room, only Sakura showed a hint of surprise but quickly regained her composure, while Naruto and Jiraiya remained calm, as if they already knew someone was spying on them from the shadows.

When Ye Ming saw that the king had come out on his own initiative, he simply stepped forward, bowed, and then retreated to the king's side to become a dutiful guard.

"You all seem...not surprised at all. Did you already know about me? Was that conversation just now a test?"

"How could that be? It's just a reasonable request." Jiraiya felt he couldn't just ignore it anymore. The Land of Frost wasn't like the Land of Owls, where the ruler changed frequently. The smaller countries surrounding the Land of Fire had relatively stable succession, and they were all somewhat related to the Land of Fire. Naruto's statement was tantamount to offending all the rulers of those countries. The young man was too impulsive; it was better for him to handle such important matters.

However, Naruto didn't give him that face and admitted without any beating around the bush, "Yes, I need to confirm your determination."

Jiraiya tried to cover Naruto's mouth, whispering a reprimand: "Say less."

However, he didn't pounce seriously, and Naruto dodged casually, even deftly pushing the two prayer mats to the other side of the table and making a gesture of invitation.

The king's gaze swept back and forth across the three people opposite him, and finally, as expected, his attention settled on Naruto. He smiled and accepted the two seats that had been arranged for him and Ye Ming.

"It's a real shame that there are no legends about you in the ninja world now. Your sense of smell is even more acute than I thought. I thought ninjas were focused on pursuing power and were not sensitive to politics."

"What makes me make a judgment is not political considerations, but the wishes of the people. I don't care what kind of political bargaining chips you want to get through us, I just need an answer."

How determined are you to end all of this completely?

The king, still able to maintain his elegance and smile, asked, "Do you mean finding out who's behind the disappearances? Of course, I have absolute confidence in you and will fully support you."

"I mean, completely cut off this industry."

The king was silent for a moment, his expression even faltering for a moment, but he quickly put on a very serious expression and said, "Of course, it is the king's responsibility to ensure that the people live in peace and prosperity."

The standoff between the two sides was completely beyond everyone's expectations. They felt a chill run down their spines, as if a thousand-pound weight was on their shoulders, and even their breathing became cautious, for fear that their movements would attract the attention of the big shots on both sides. However, that oppressive pressure dissipated with Naruto's light laughter. Only then did they realize that what they had just glimpsed might only be the tip of the iceberg of the boy's chakra.

"Good answer, I believe you."

The king smiled, and if you ignored the fine beads of cold sweat on his face, you might really think he was carrying it with ease.

"So, does this mean I've passed your test, Naruto-sama?"

"This is just the first step. The problems that follow will have a direct impact on our actions." Naruto pulled out a detailed map of the Land of Frost from somewhere, took out a pen and ink, and pushed it to the other person.

"This is......"

“To accomplish something great, ambition and strength are both indispensable. I hope you can honestly exchange intelligence with us, after all, as you know, your enemy is quite powerful for this country.”

Once cooperation is confirmed, both sides need to be frank and open with each other. No matter how strong the Konoha ninja are, they are ultimately only three individuals. They can play a role in a single battle and influence victory. But those who can truly manage the overall situation and completely remove the spies buried throughout the Land of Frost are the locals.

Naruto never fights unprepared battles. Even if he could achieve a crushing victory, killing the ones who show themselves would only scare more rats into hiding. The danger of lurking rats is self-evident. Therefore, he needed to ascertain what trump cards this young ruler had up his sleeve before daring to request assistance from the Leaf Village ninja at this crucial moment.

However, under Naruto's repeated questioning, the king's forehead was covered in more and more cold sweat, and his voice was no longer so strong, even carrying a sense of timidity as if he had done something wrong.

"You mean you only actually control 10% of the army, 15% of the land (which is mostly barren plains), and 17% of the financial power...?"

"...Yes...yes, that's all."

Naruto, who hadn't shown any negative emotions, covered his face and sighed, letting out his first breath since arriving in the Land of Frost.