Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 210 "New Year's Greetings"

"Happy New Year, Naruto-sama."

The ninja outside the door was young, accompanied by a child of about seven or eight years old. Although there was an age difference, their appearances and chakra were strikingly similar, suggesting they were likely siblings. The little girl, too young to understand, peeked out from behind her brother. Her brother, nearing adulthood, was much taller than Naruto, wearing black goggles; his posture alone revealed him to be a highly skilled ninja. Yet, this man smiled and addressed him as "Master."

Malice doesn't come from an immature child. Naruto looked up at the fake smiling face and laughed too, but it was a laugh of anger. The young man's malice wasn't intense, not enough to kill. People this age are easily manipulated, believing everything they think they know, and can do something irreversibly foolish because of a little incitement. Naruto wasn't angry at the two children, but rather at the person behind it all.

"I'm younger than you, what kind of 'adult' am I?" Naruto didn't move the door open, but he didn't shoo him away either. "Happy New Year. May I ask who you are?"

“My name is Aburame Torune, and my father is Aburame Shiguro. You should have heard of him. This is my younger sister, Aburame Toriyo.” Torune used a little force to pull his sister out. At this moment, his tone was no longer so harsh and became much gentler. “Yoyo, didn’t you insist on coming? You should say what you want to say properly.”

Aburame... Shino's family. Isn't Uncle Shiguro the second-in-command of the department? It's said he has resistance to nano-sized poisonous insects and always wraps himself up tightly to prevent accidental poisoning. Shiguro is quite conservative; he had reservations about Naruto being brought in by the Hokage, but reluctantly let him off the hook because of his excellent work performance. According to the "gossip" he just overheard, Shiguro and Shino's father, Shio, are cousins. Shiguro's lineage descends from Aburame Ryoma, and he was... one of the original members of Root.

Tsk, this is really Danzo's style, he'll stop at nothing, even using children.

This series of thoughts was completed in the blink of an eye. Naruto maintained his smile and silently observed what the brother and sister wanted to do.

The little girl had large, beautiful brown eyes. It was the first time Naruto had ever seen the eyes of the Aburame clan, and they were sparkling as they looked at him—quite beautiful indeed. He watched as the little girl struggled to step out of her brother's protection, offering him something in her small hands.

"This...this is for you, from that time in the forest...thank you, Naruto..."

Before the child could utter those two words, Naruto interrupted, saying, "Just call me brother, Miss Ye~"

Forgive him, this busy man sometimes has a bad memory; trying to remember a dozen people with one brain is definitely too much of a strain. He remembered—it was a little girl who had gotten lost in the forest. He occasionally encountered such situations during training and would simply take her home. Perhaps because of the recent newspaper report about the meeting, his name and appearance were finally known to everyone. His overly peaceful childhood meant that even though he was the source of these rumors, not everyone actually knew him. If he took a few steps into places he didn't frequent, he would still receive many affectionate glances.

However, that's truly typical of the Aburame clan; this large, black and white insect looks quite intimidating. But in the little girl's hands, it's incredibly docile, neither crawling, flying, nor biting, only occasionally twitching its long antennae. Even as a gift, it's an insect—that's really something...

Torune was a bit confused. He didn't know why his younger sister was insisting on finding Naruto; it was just that Lord Danzo had given him orders to test Naruto's loyalty to Konoha, so he had brought his sister along. What to do now? Should he take out what was in his pocket or not? When exactly had this Jinchuriki tried to seduce Little Leaf?!

However, while he was struggling with his decision, the two of them had already left him behind and started chatting.

"what is this?"

"It's Hanako!"

"Oh~ you named her? It's a really nice name."

The girl's expression held a hint of pride, which then turned into deep reluctance. "Hanako is very well-behaved; she won't cause you any trouble."

"Since you like her so much, why did you give her to me?"

"The teacher said we should be grateful and repay kindness with the most precious things."

"...Your teacher's statement is incomplete! Some people help you not out of gratitude. For example, I helped you out of the forest when you were lost because I hoped that if you encountered someone else who was lost in the future, you would lend a helping hand like I did, understand?"

Kotori looked somewhat confused, and replied as if she didn't quite understand, "So, the reward you want isn't Hanako?"

Naruto smiled helplessly, "I don't know anything about these things. Only you can take better care of her."

The little girl didn't understand any of this yet, but knowing she wouldn't lose Hanako, she immediately beamed and rushed over to give Naruto a big hug.

"Thank you, Naruto-nii-san!"

At this moment, the real older brother, Toru, was filled with resentment and wished he could kill the bastard who had stolen his sister right in front of him with poisonous insects. But damn it, he couldn't move, because he was Toru's good older brother.

"Alright, alright, let's take Hanako to a warm place. Happy New Year, take the leaves and the roots."

Naruto's radiant smile was dazzling, causing the guilty-hearted Torune to instinctively avert his gaze. He was genuinely guided by Naruto's words to take his sister's hand. Only after walking a short distance did he suddenly remember his mission; however, turning back now would be too conspicuous!

Was this the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's scheme? Or is it just his true nature? What he said to Yoko... it seems to make a lot of sense. Is gratitude and repayment really understood this way? Wait, why am I starting to agree with that guy? Don't forget, the Nine-Tails is a dangerous individual who dared to release a Tailed Beast Ball near the village. Whether he's loyal to the village is unknown, but he's definitely at odds with Lord Danzo. The Nine-Tails has already incited the Fifth Hokage to do many outrageous things. If this continues, can the village really be safe? Can he really protect Yoko?

Torune walked away, lost in his chaotic thoughts, while Naruto, watching them from upstairs, closed the door and his smile vanished. Torune Aburame—a name he had absolutely no recollection of. But if Torune was Shiguro's child, he should have been a shining star in the ninja world. His lack of recollection meant that this person hadn't lived to see the future.

This is another disaster caused by Root. I'm really looking forward to seeing Tobirama suddenly appear in that guy's face; he'll definitely be watching closely!