Chapter 26: Return to Konoha

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After defeating the Grass Country's ninja, Naruto was certain they wouldn't send any more reinforcements in the short term. 

However, they would likely send more people once they discovered their fallen comrades. 

Naruto hurried back to Ryusen and asked for the treasure map. Even though he had already studied the route, finding the treasure wouldn't be easy. 

The treasure's location was extremely remote, and several areas on the map had changed over time.

It took Naruto an entire day to pinpoint the area roughly. However, even within this general vicinity, the search was frustrating. 

The landmarks on the map resembled many surrounding areas, and this wasn't a simple journey — it required careful exploration. 

Since no people were around, Naruto used many Shadow Clones to search. 

Although this increased the risk of exposure, it drastically improved the search efficiency. 

With over a thousand clones searching, finding the exact location still took another day. 

Without the map, even if someone stumbled upon the site, they wouldn't realize it was where the treasure was hidden.

The entrance required crawling through a cave and had many similar caves. 

Even with the map and so many clones, it had taken Naruto considerable effort to locate the correct one. 

According to the map, inside the cave was an underground river with a secret door at the riverbed. 

After wandering through the cave for a while, which turned out to be a labyrinth of tunnels, Naruto suddenly heard the sound of water. 

He followed the sound and found the underground river as described. 

Jumping into the cold, bone-chilling water, Naruto spotted the markings for the hidden door. He activated the mechanism, and the door slowly opened. 

Despite the freezing water, Naruto quickly passed through the door as soon as it was big enough for him to fit in.

Once inside, he found himself in a passageway, and soon, there was no more water as the path sloped upward. 

As he walked further in, there were a few stone doors but no additional traps. 

Naruto realized that once a treasure's location was known, no amount of traps or defences would be effective, especially in a world full of skilled ninjas. 

For someone powerful enough, such defences would pose little threat.

The tunnel eventually led to an illuminated chamber — not by sunlight but by the glow of five large gemstones embedded in the ceiling. 

These gems, brighter than any lamp, were worth a fortune. Behind them was a large golden door. 

The texture felt different from bronze; it was solid gold. The entrance alone was so extravagant that Naruto could only imagine what was inside. 

Unable to contain his curiosity, Naruto entered the chamber.

What greeted him made even Naruto's heart race, more than even the thrill of mastering the powers of Hashirama's cells. 

It was an underground palace made entirely of treasures. 

The vast underground vault contained gold, silver, and priceless rare artefacts Naruto had never seen or even heard of. 

Every single item was worth enough to ensure a lifetime of luxury, and this enormous trove was piled high, filling the entire chamber. 

Naruto lay down on a mountain of gold, gazing at the hoard, and thought to himself, How could such a small country amass so much wealth? 

This amount seemed impossible even if the Grass Country had accumulated riches since its founding.

Then Naruto recalled a story. The Grass Ninja once had a legendary box that could grant any wish. 

When they opened it in the past, a terrible monster was released, and the Grass Ninja nearly took over the entire ninja world. 

Though they were eventually defeated, they must have looted vast amounts of treasure during that time. 

These treasures likely came from that era, and the Grass Country had never had a chance to use them.

Naruto initially wanted to take as much of the treasure as possible, but it was too vast to transport all at once. 

Besides, he had no place to store such a massive amount. 

Since the treasure's location was so hard to find, Naruto decided it was better to leave it hidden and take only small amounts when needed. 

He marked the area carefully and used Earth Release techniques to seal the entrance and disguise the surroundings, making it look like a cave had never been there. Even with the map, no one could find it again.

Naruto returned to the treasure chamber, left the map there, and took just one bag of gold before using the Flying Thunder God technique to teleport back to his base in the Land of Fire. 

Ryusen was already accustomed to Naruto's sudden arrival. 

Seeing Naruto, Ryusen bowed respectfully and said, "My lord, it has been some time since we last met. Is there anything I can assist you with this time?"

Naruto asked, "How are those two boys I brought back last time?"

Ryusen replied, "I have been teaching them some basic knowledge. They are quite smart and learn quickly." 

"They also feel deeply grateful to you, my lord. If you wish to see them, I can call for them."

Naruto waved his hand and said, "Not for now. Focus on training them. I will bring back more children in the future, and I will leave their management entirely in your hands."

Ryusen frowned and said, "My lord, there are many children in this world with no food to eat." 

"Taking in a few is fine, but I worry the financial burden will be too great if we take in too many."

Naruto smiled and said, "Ryusen, while you are good at business, your vision is too short-sighted. But never mind, you'll understand eventually." 

With that, Naruto handed Ryusen the large bag beside him. "Open it and take a look."

Ryusen took the bag from Naruto and was surprised by its weight. 

As Naruto let go, Ryusen stumbled under the bag's heft and fell onto it, hearing the sound of metal clinking. 

Recognizing the sound, Ryusen, a merchant, immediately opened the bag and was shocked to find it filled with gold.

Stunned, Ryusen asked, "When did you acquire so much gold? Did you find the treasure?"

Naruto nodded and said, "All you need to do is teach the children as I instruct. You don't need to worry about money." 

This made Ryusen even more convinced of Naruto's vast power and influence. 

Following Naruto seemed to be the best decision he had ever made, and he naturally didn't doubt Naruto's words anymore. 

Bowing once more, Ryusen said, "Understood, my lord. I will do my utmost."

After Naruto had finished arranging everything with Ryusen, he realized that over two months had passed, and it was time to report to Danzo about the mission. 

As an Anbu operative, Naruto returned to Konoha and went directly to Danzo's office in the Anbu division to report. 

Seeing Naruto, Danzo was somewhat surprised but true to his scheming nature. 

He tapped his cane, stood up, and said, "Naruto, the assassination of the Land of Earth's daimyo has already spread throughout their country, and I received word long ago." 

"You did well on this mission; our deal is now complete."

Naruto replied, "Don't you want me to report the mission details?" 

Danzo responded, "That won't be necessary. I doubt you would share all the details with me anyway." 

"You're not my subordinate. As long as the objective is achieved, that's all that matters." 

Naruto thought Danzo was an old fox, and he knew people's intentions very well. 

Not having much more to discuss, Naruto left Danzo's office and changed out of his Anbu uniform to meet Tsunade.

When Naruto knocked on the door, Tsunade was in her office, swamped with Hokage duties.

It was Shizune who opened it. "Naruto, I haven't seen you for the past two months. What have you been up to?" she asked. 

When Shizune called out to Naruto, Tsunade said, "Shizune, leave us. I need to talk to Naruto alone." 

Tsunade's tone was serious, so Shizune closed the door and left. Naruto felt that Tsunade already knew about the situation in the Land of Earth.

Once Shizune was gone, Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk and said, "Why did you take on a mission for Danzo without my approval?" 

"Do you realize how dangerous that mission was?" 

"If your identity as a Konoha ninja had been exposed, it could have sparked a war between Konoha and Iwagakure, potentially leading to the Fourth Great Ninja War!" 

"Did you even think about that? Do you know how worried I was after hearing that you successfully assassinated the daimyo?" 

"Escaping from Iwagakure's pursuit must not have been easy. It took you this long to get back to Konoha."

From Tsunade's expression, Naruto could tell she was genuinely concerned about his safety. 

Naruto knew that while Danzo could assign Anbu missions, the Hokage was the village leader and had the right to know everything. 

He hadn't expected Danzo to tell Tsunade so quickly. 

Trying to ease the tension, Naruto smiled casually and said, "I heard from Danzo that Iwagakure might be planning a major operation against Konoha." 

"Negotiation is one way to solve problems, but addressing the root cause is always best." 

"Now that the Land of Earth is in internal turmoil, they won't have the resources to threaten Konoha."

Tsunade slammed her hand on the desk again, splitting it in half, and shouted at Naruto, "Do you still not see how serious this is?" 

"Are you ignoring me? I've warned Danzo not to assign you any more missions like this!" 

"You'll take on regular missions, working alongside your peers to improve your teamwork."

Naruto replied, "Can't you at least give me an A-rank or higher missions? Those simple ones don't excite me at all." 

Tsunade responded, "You need to understand that officially, you're still a genin. It'll raise suspicion if you don't take on some ordinary missions." 

Before Naruto could argue, Tsunade called Shizune back into the office and summoned Hinata and Choji.

It had been a while since Naruto last saw Hinata, and as she entered the office, he noticed how cute she still was. 

Naruto gave her a bright, sunny smile. Seeing Naruto in his white cloak smiling at her, Hinata blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. 

Naruto walked over to greet her, making her lower her head even more. 

Choji, standing nearby, quickly greeted him as well, saying, "Naruto, it's been a while!"

Tsunade coughed, and all three turned to look at the broken desk. 

Shizune smiled awkwardly while Tsunade pretended nothing had happened and assigned the mission: 

"This time, you'll escort a merchant caravan from the Land of Vegetables. Your job is to ensure their safety."

Naruto initially wasn't keen on escort missions, often finding the employers troublesome, but hearing it was for the Land of Vegetables piqued his interest. 

He figured they might encounter self-important ninjas along the way, making the mission less boring. 

Plus, with Hinata alongside him, it wouldn't be too bad. 

...

The three received Tsunade's approval seal, gathered their essential supplies, and headed out to meet the caravan. 

They quickly found the group from the Land of Vegetables, but when Naruto and his team approached, the caravan members seemed cautious. 

Naruto introduced himself as a Konoha ninja, and Hinata and Choji did the same. 

Hinata showed the caravan the official seal from Tsunade. 

A girl in the group snatched the seal from Hinata and opened it, revealing uniforms from Konoha's "Moving Center" service. 

The uniforms were intended for Naruto and his team, causing everyone to laugh—it was a prank by Tsunade.

Once their identities were confirmed, a man who seemed to be in charge introduced himself: 

"I'm Kikusuke, this is Yurisuke, and the girl over there is Shun." 

It was common for Konoha to send ninja for escort missions, so after some brief introductions, they set out toward their destination. 

Along the way, Naruto and his team also helped carry the goods. Naruto, being considerate, didn't let Hinata do any of the heavy lifting. 

He created several shadow clones to speed up the process, much to the amazement of the caravan. Momiji, in particular, was delighted by Naruto's skills.

Knowing Naruto was trying to take care of her, Hinata was grateful but too shy to express her feelings directly, and her face flushed. 

After this small moment, the caravan moved quickly, thanks to Naruto and Choji's assistance.

However, Choji soon noticed a large plume of smoke rising from a distant area in the Land of Vegetables, signalling that something might be wrong. 

Naruto also sensed that someone was approaching the caravan. He turned to Choji and said, "In this situation, the group's safety is the top priority." 

Let everyone know to stay on guard. We can't afford to leave the caravan; it's the best way to ensure everyone's safety."

Choji thought momentarily before asking, "Won't that just cause panic among the group?" 

Naruto replied, "It's better for them to be a little scared than completely unprepared." 

Following Naruto's suggestion, they informed everyone, and as expected, the group became slightly anxious. 

However, knowing they were being watched, they had no choice but to remain vigilant.

A girl named Shun started analyzing the situation. 

He proposed splitting into two groups: one for the elderly and children, to be protected by two ninjas, and the other for those who could move quickly, to be protected by one ninja. 

He claimed this would better use Naruto and his team's abilities. 

The plan seemed reasonable at first glance, but Naruto realized Shun was trying to use the elderly and children as bait to ensure his safety. 

Naruto hadn't exposed him yet. Choji and Hinata agreed that the arrangement made sense, so the group was split accordingly.

<End Chapter>

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