Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 221 A Letter

As it turns out, with an overwhelming advantage in chakra, techniques are futile. The Shadow Binding Technique couldn't even catch Naruto's shadow—this was the first time Shikamaru had ever encountered such a thing. If he went back and consulted his family's ancient texts, he would find this utterly absurd. Because since the Shadow Binding Technique was invented, such a thing had "never" ever happened.

Having satisfied his curiosity, Shikamaru lost the cost of a meal, and not just for one person. They encountered several people staking out the entrance of Ichiraku Ramen. They seemed to be just passing by, but after eating some ramen, their true colors were revealed.

"Whether you pass or not is the examiners' business. I really don't know if you can pass," Shikamaru said, feeling exhausted. When he saw familiar names on the list of candidates, he knew this was going to happen. Abusing power for personal gain is wrong, especially since these few test-grading workers didn't have much power to begin with; they were just there to familiarize themselves with the exam-taking process!

Naruto, who was sitting on the side away from the main attack, suddenly said, "Kiba definitely won't make it this year."

"Huh?! Why?! I won so beautifully!" Kiba was unhappy, and even the Great Akamaru, who could no longer sit on his head, bared his teeth at his feet.

"Just because you actually came all this way to ask?" Naruto replied nonchalantly, continuing to savor his ramen with a blissful expression.

"Huh?? Explain yourself!"

Now, Shikamaru also agrees with Naruto. Kiba is indeed a bit too impulsive, and he still needs a lot of training before he can overcome his hot-tempered nature.

"What about me?" Ino asked curiously, peeking out.

"Hmm...probably not." This time, Naruto hesitated for a moment.

Ino retracted her thought that Naruto had become more handsome and decided to hate him for a whole day first.

"Sakura, Neji, and Shino are the most likely to pass."

"Me? I'm just a medical ninja, I haven't done anything special." Sakura, who was engrossed in her meal, was a little surprised to be called upon. Perhaps because she'd been at the hospital for so long, she ate incredibly fast, because eating slowly meant she might be too busy to eat at all!

An eerie silence fell over the crowd after those words, as everyone recalled the deep crater in the dueling arena. Ha, she really was a medical ninja; the numbing effect of that punch was truly remarkable.

The number of participants in the winter exams is small, transportation is inconvenient, and it's difficult to invite people from outside Konoha to watch the public matches, so a final battle with a publicity stunt element is usually not held. They have indeed finished the exams and deserve a good rest.

The promotion to Chunin isn't just about winning or losing; it requires a comprehensive evaluation of the candidates' performance throughout the trials. Therefore, for experienced individuals, judging who will advance is quite simple. Naruto, who has been a judge for ten years, is very accurate in his judgment, and unsurprisingly, only two people passed. As a result, the three newly promoted Chunin treated everyone to their second meal, much to the dismay of his comrades who would be fighting again in the second half of the year.

However, Shikamaru only cared about one thing.

"Will it still be us in the second half of the year?"

"I'm not sure, but you're very likely to be."

"...Seriously, this is such a hassle."

"Sasuke, Sakura's become a Chunin. Maybe by the time you come back, she'll be a Jonin too, and you'll be the bottom of our Team 7. Who told you to go to Orochimaru's team?!"

How have you been lately? Still training like crazy? Going shirtless in the dead of winter isn't right. Who was it that wouldn't let me use chakra to regulate my body temperature before? I'm rejecting your sparring request from last time. It's wrong to eat and sleep without proper clothing!

Speaking of which, did you see the ad for the Land of Waves? "Spring Festival," that sounds really interesting! They seem to have developed quite a few water activities! We haven't been there for a year and a half, it looks like it's changed a lot. Don't you want to go check it out? Oh right, I forgot you're still at Orochimaru's base, it's probably not easy for you to go out~ Need my help?

There's been so much more work lately, but Granny Tsunade looks really tired. I even saw wrinkles on her skin once. Should I bring that perverted sage back? He didn't even come home for the New Year; he's probably off somewhere enjoying some pleasure. Damn it, when I become Hokage, I'm going to shut down all the brothels in Konoha and promote them elsewhere! Let's see where he can find material then!

Finally, here's a flower petal. Guess what kind of flower it is!

After writing the last wavy line, Naruto carefully folded off a curled white petal and sealed it on the back of the letter using space-time ninjutsu. This potted plant was the only living plant in the house. He used to enjoy tending to these flowers and plants, but since the establishment of the Hidden Army, he hadn't had time to pay attention to them anymore; the plants were all kept alive by Sasuke. After Sasuke left, these little things all suffered, except for that particularly space-consuming orchid that stood out. Its tenacious vitality meant that even without his sporadic watering, it had managed to produce a few small flowers.

Naruto stuffed the flower petals into the letter purely to show off, but there was also a tiny bit of selfishness involved—he hoped Sasuke would reminisce more about his time in Konoha. While painful memories don't disappear, neither do happy ones; he'll eventually have to completely erase that pain. We can only pray that Sasuke can maintain his current mindset and not go to extremes!

"Can holding a memorial service really attract tourists?"

"Even the Chunin Exams in Konoha can boost the economy."

"After all, it's Konoha. How can the Land of Waves compare in terms of fame?"

"The publicity campaign has already been launched; the rest is up to fate."

“We should hold it every year from now on. If we only hold it for one year, of course we won’t be able to increase its popularity.”

"This thing is incredibly expensive!"

"We've already tried our best to save money on construction costs, and I haven't even asked for wages!"

"Brother, you... never mind, there's always a backup plan, whatever."

"Don't be so casual!"

Naruto, seated at the head of the table, slammed his hand on the table, finally silencing the commotion. Hui usually didn't make this much noise during major meetings, but this memorial service had clearly taken a lot of effort from everyone, and the heads of several departments were worried, fearing their masterpiece wouldn't be well-received.

"There's no need for everyone to be nervous. According to the current experience survey report, our park will definitely be loved by everyone. As long as we maintain our quality, tourists from all over the world will flock to us."

Let us wait patiently for good news.