Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 257 "Infiltration"

Undercover reconnaissance is a dangerous and lengthy task.

That's usually true, but there are exceptions.

"From the Land of Wind? You've never seen such a big mango before, have you? Try it! It's 15.3 ounces!" Fruit stalls lined up one after another, with even small stools provided, ensuring that customers could eat to their heart's content.

Jiraiya would never admit that he ate the fruit because he was greedy, but rather that he wanted to extract information from it later. The soil and water near the coast in southern Sichuan are indeed suitable for the growth of these fruits. It's still a bit early now. If he came a month or two later, there would be more varieties and they would be bigger and tastier.

The way they eat mangoes here is unique, and the mangoes seem to be a bit larger than those in the market, with a translucent golden skin that looks much better than green mangoes. Jiraiya watched as the vendor skillfully cut the mangoes in half, easily removing the small pits, and then making several horizontal and vertical cuts on the incredibly tempting flesh. With just a gentle push against the skin, the square pieces of fruit were right in front of his mouth, ready to be eaten in one bite.

Jiraiya couldn't resist showing off three. Freshly picked ripe fruit is just different from ripe fruit; it's so soft, sweet, and has an unforgettable aftertaste.

However, the stall owner he chose was a local, and when he tried to buy a few more, the stall owner refused him.

"This stuff is the limit, three times a day is too much, we can't eat it anymore."

"why?"

"Eating too much will give you diarrhea." The stall owner had the typical face of a farmer, his skin tanned dark from years of exposure to the elements, and his smile had a simple, honest charm. "If you like it, come back tomorrow! I'll still be here setting up my stall!"

"That's not fair of you. Give us some business too." The stall owner next door, having nothing better to do, munched on his own fruit and joked. It was more of a tease than a complaint, showing he had absolutely no desire to sell his goods.

Seeing the vendors' harmonious interaction, Jiraiya keenly sensed something was amiss, but he couldn't ask directly, so he had to adopt a roundabout strategy.

"Boss, your mangoes are big and delicious. I'd like to take some back for my family to try. I'll pay sixty taels for three, is that alright?"

The stall owners were too busy chatting to care about anything else; the two of them looked at him as if he were some big, dumb oaf.

"Are your family members in the city?"

"No, I came out alone."

"So you're a ninja?"

Jiraiya's heart skipped a beat, but he answered crisply, "No, I just know a little bit of martial arts."

“No way, I can’t sell it for any extra money.” The stall owner refused him decisively and explained, “These are all ripe fruits, meant to be eaten now. They’ll spoil in two or three days. Fruits meant for transport are picked before they’re ripe so they can ripen during transport.”

Jiraiya glanced down at the numerous stalls, then looked around at the impressive number of fellow travelers. Southern Sichuan had always been an obscure place. Sandwiched between two countries, it was always a battlefield during wartime, its initial gains quickly extinguished. Consequently, its security was poor, and ordinary people rarely traveled there. Jiraiya, however, discovered upon arrival that it was different from what he had imagined. People like him, with a mission and exceptional skills and daring, were extremely rare; there was no way he could possibly consume all that fruit.

"Won't these fruits spoil if they're not sold?" Jiraiya thought it was normal for him to ask this question at this time; he was genuinely curious.

"Don't worry about that, there are buyers." The stall owner pointed to the house across the street and said, "That's where they buy mangoes. They specialize in buying ripe ones. You don't need to take any of the ones you don't sell back each day; just sell them to them."

With a new target in mind, Jiraiya quickly changed his strategy. After pretending to stroll around for a few steps, he used shadow clones to create the illusion of returning, while his real body quietly hid near the seemingly new large bungalow. The risk of infiltrating during the day was too great, so he decided to go in at night instead, and while waiting, he also observed what kind of people were going in and out of the building surrounded by fences.

At first glance, this place seems quite ordinary; the people coming and going are all common folk. A horse-drawn cart carrying goods came by, but it had a roof that completely concealed its contents, making it impossible to see what was inside. Around 3:30 PM, the gate of the enclosure opened, and a man who looked like a security guard directed the stall owners to line up. Around the front of the queue were several very robust-looking middle-aged women, deftly sorting and packing the mangoes from the carts, and calculating the payment for the stall owners on the spot.

After waiting for so long, Jiraiya finally spotted a person carrying a sword. The person's attire was no different from that of an ordinary civilian, but the sharp-eyed Jiraiya immediately recognized the significance of the weapon.

It was a standard-issue longsword, from one of the most famous weapons manufacturers on the continent, so its presence here wasn't surprising. What was strange, however, was that the hilt wasn't the most common type; it appeared to be custom-made. Nowadays, most sword hilts are made of metal, but this sword had an old-fashioned wooden hilt, which was still visible despite being wrapped in cloth.

Replacing the handle might not seem like a big deal, but for a chain weapon shop, any custom-made item is very expensive, something that people in this area simply can't afford.

Just as Jiraiya was about to observe the man's behavior further, the unassuming security guard suddenly looked up in his direction, startling him so much that he immediately put away his binoculars and remained hidden.

Is someone who is very sensitive to sight a ninja?

For some reason, Mr. Jiraiya has set his sights on our juice processing plant.

"Isn't that great? There's nothing you can't see."

But he stared at me, and it made me feel incredibly itchy...

"…Hold it in, you're a security guard, not a ninja!"

I tried my best...

"The weather's nice today," a security guard said with exaggerated acting and volume, pretending he was just looking at the clouds.

"The sun is blazing hot, it's definitely a scorching sunny day." The stall owners, though not good at acting, still went along with it.

"Huh? You didn't mention this before." The security guard couldn't stand the word "no," and his impure body couldn't really notice the change in temperature.

However, the stall owners responded cheerfully, "We've always lived like this, it's fine. We're already doing very well just to make a living by selling melons every day."

The security guard stopped talking. He had long forgotten about Jiraiya and was preoccupied with whether applying for a shed across the street from the factory would affect the city's planning, what materials would be needed, how much it would cost, and how long it would take to complete.

Jiraiya, perched in the treetop, only caught glimpses of the conversation and temporarily set aside his doubts.

It seems he wasn't the one who was discovered; the other person was just looking at a cloud.