Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 242 Inventory

"Fuka Nutao is dead. I knew this would happen." Tobirama's expression showed no surprise, and he calmly hung up the call.

This operation was the first in many years that Hui had fought without involving ordinary people. As expected, the battle was one-sided. Although the enemy possessed equipment far superior to their time, they had no chance against the two most powerful clans in the ninja world. They even used this battle to verify certain things, such as the effectiveness of the three-person team in combat, the stability of radio communication technology, and the execution of a short-term defection plan. The main objective was to waste no opportunity or resource, striving to obtain the most combat data in the shortest time and with the least sacrifice.

Of course, there were no actual sacrifices; at most, one or two veterans died a few times while protecting careless children. In fact, those who went to the battlefield were no longer considered children; they were over ten years old when they were rescued, and now they were between sixteen and eighteen years old, soon to be adults.

Naruto wasn't really in favor of sending them to the battlefield. In his eyes, eighteen-year-olds were still children, and unless absolutely necessary, they shouldn't go to war. Unfortunately, his seniors felt this was a good opportunity for training. Their children were too proud, had hardly experienced hardship, and had never seen real war. This small-scale operation was the best way to hone their skills, preventing a bunch of warmongers from taking war for granted and only thinking about fighting.

The leader's votes were far behind, and the elders' idea was approved, and it was passed at the general assembly. Many of those present were Wa's relatives, and since they agreed, Jinlun naturally couldn't object.

"Should we continue to throw that third one into the mine?" Izuna asked with remarkable calmness, offering a rather cruel suggestion.

"I think they should have learned their lesson... at least the Raging Waves didn't escape." Naruto was never a heartless person. He was the one who sent them for reformation, but he was also the one who would soften his heart a little, because Naruto never really felt that the blunder "assassination" had any impact on him, after all, it was only a clone that was stabbed.

However, this is exactly what the older generation hates most. People who disregard the lives of others in order to complete a task are very dangerous. Their task is simply to farm the land.

Tobirama coldly said, "Don't show kindness in a place like this. They dared to lay a hand on you this time, but who knows who will be unlucky next time."

“…We can’t just not give him a chance to change, can we?” Naruto was in a passive and disadvantageous position, trying to find a teammate, but even Hashirama, who was the most easy to talk to, was unwilling to help.

“I think they should stay until their sentences are over,” Hashirama replied with a smile.

Leaving aside those three poor souls targeted by all the higher-ups, because the Snow Kingdom fell so quickly, they seized control of the Snow Kingdom's palace—that massive fortress—sooner than expected. With technical personnel and resources not yet fully in place, they didn't immediately announce the change of power, but instead focused on quickly assimil the fortress.

In some ways, this group is quite formidable. Thirty percent of the fortress looks like it has been abandoned for many years, and much of the equipment is so outdated that it is unusable. They even found something resembling a firearm in the warehouse, except that the caliber they found here is significantly more outrageous than what Hui currently knows.

The more you explore, the stronger the sense of separation between this fortress and most of the Snow Country becomes. It's like a legacy built by ancestors who have worked hard to establish it, only to have it squandered by the incompetence of their descendants.

"If we brought Mahan over now, he'd be ecstatic," Izuna remarked, looking at the impressive-looking but unusable gadgets.

“He hasn’t graduated yet. Let’s wait a few more months until we have complete control of this country.” Tobirama said, flipping through documents he had collected from the lord’s office.

Their numbers were pitifully small, and the vast majority were filled with bloodshed and repression, while some were about "Little Snow Princess." Nu Tao was constrained by the unstable rule within the country and unable to send large numbers of people to the mainland. It was only after Little Snow Princess became an actress and quickly became a sensation that Nu Tao confirmed her identity from the resemblance between Little Snow Princess and her mother.

So why would a princess who's running away to escape being hunted choose to be an actress? She has absolutely no sense of crisis!

Naruto felt it was time for him to speak, so he raised his hand and said, "But 'Little Snow Princess' is already very close to the Land of Snow. Have you convinced those who are loyal to her?"

"Are those people truly loyal to her? They're simply extremely dissatisfied with the status quo, so they pin their hopes for change on another ruler. Don't worry, as long as we extend our policies and let them taste the benefits, people will immediately forget about the so-called ruler and nobles, just like in the Land of Owls." Izuna didn't think this was a problem.

Fugaku, unusually, chimed in, "I thought you had made up your mind and were just leading the team off with such certainty."

It's quite normal to have this kind of thinking, because Naruto really doesn't fight battles unprepared; most of their actions are planned in advance by Naruto.

"...Come on, you've conquered a country in just one week! Even if I react quickly, I still need time to come up with contingency plans!" Naruto, the slow learner who had to start early, was a little worried. He certainly had a lot of clever ideas, but those plans were the result of years of accumulated experience. Some were from his past life, some were flashes of inspiration, and none of them were improvised. He wasn't the type of person who excelled at political writing; he could only make up for his lack of brainpower with time.

Hashirama blinked, then said with great curiosity, "So there are things you wouldn't expect, Naruto-kun."

"Stop watching the show, hurry up and help me think of something!"

In short, the future plans for Feng Hua Xiao Xue were completed amidst a chaotic scene.

Where Hui resides, the old aristocratic ways are no longer permitted. From now on, Feng Hua Xiao Xue will only be Xiao Xue, not a princess. If she desires to contribute to her homeland, letting her stay and do what she excels at—public relations—would be quite good; after all, her acting skills are universally acknowledged. If she doesn't want to stay, Hui won't force her; letting her go back to be a wildly popular star would be just as good.

Of course, both of these options are contingent on her cooperating in handing over the hexagonal crystal and accepting a sum of money confiscated from the Feng Hua family. Part of this treasure is to be returned to the victims, and another part is to be kept for national development. The portion that Xiao Xue can receive is not much, but it's not a small amount either; that money is enough for her to live a comfortable life.