Chapter 130

June 23, 60th Year of Konoha, outside the gates of Konoha Village.

A luxurious carriage slowly approached from the distance. Beside the carriage, a man dressed in samurai attire, with his arms crossed, looked at the Konoha gates and remarked:

"I never thought that one day I'd be able to walk so openly into the village of Konoha."

A young girl dressed as a maid, standing beside him, smiled and covered her mouth:

"Lord Zabuza, we owe this opportunity to Lord Chuan for bringing us here."

At this moment, Leo also poked his head out of the carriage:

"Remember your identities—one is the Captain of the Prince's Guard, Zabuza, and the other is the maid, Haku. Make sure not to reveal your true selves; otherwise, it could become very troublesome."

When he last left the Naruto world, the Daimyo had summoned him to the palace and tasked him with leading the Fire Nation nobles to observe the Chunin Exams in Konoha.

So, upon returning, he immediately gathered Zabuza and Haku to the Fire Country and had them use transformation jutsu to pose as attendants accompanying him.

Normally, the influential figures from various countries would only arrive for the final official matches, but Leo wanted to arrive early to scout and gather intelligence on Konoha.

Otherwise, he would have run out of time by the time the official matches started.

"We're more professional in this regard than you."

Zabuza rolled his eyes in response.

As an elite jounin, his skills in infiltration, disguise, and intelligence gathering were far superior to Leo, who lived a pampered life as a prince.

"Rest assured, Lord Chuan. We've already used transformation jutsu to change our appearances. As long as we avoid using jutsu, even if we encounter Kakashi, he won't be able to recognize us."

Haku explained gently.

"That's good."

Leo nodded in approval and lowered the carriage curtain.

To be honest, Haku's transformation into a girl was seamless; her tone, pitch, and mannerisms were entirely those of a gentle young lady.

He couldn't help but marvel at how terrifyingly convincing cross-dressing can be.

"Stop the carriage. Please present your relevant passes."

At the Konoha gates, two ninjas in green vests saw the carriage approaching and stood up to block it from entering.

Haku smiled and stepped forward, presenting a stamped pass to one of the ninjas:

"Our master is the esteemed Prince Yuan Chuan, dispatched by the Daimyo to observe your Chunin Exams. We have already notified your Hokage of our arrival."

The ninja quickly scanned the document, confirmed its validity, and then spoke politely:

"Ah, it is His Highness the Prince. Welcome to Konoha Village. The Hokage issued orders this morning. My name is Shimotsuki Izumo; I will escort you to meet the Hokage."

"The Fire Country and Konoha are one and the same. No need to stand on ceremony."

Leo lifted the curtain of the carriage, leaped down in his Fire Country noble attire, and landed gracefully.

"Prince, you're not continuing with the carriage?"

Haku hurriedly approached to assist Leo, her face filled with concern, showcasing the qualities of a proper maid.

Leo waved his hand:

"I've been sitting for too long, and my back is sore. I want to get out and stretch my legs. After all, this is my first time in Konoha. I've heard so much about its beautiful scenery and want to take in the sights."

"Your Highness."

Shimotsuki Izumo and his colleague, Kaneko Tetsu, bowed respectfully as Leo stepped out of the carriage.

Though the ninjas in this world were powerful, the social status of nobles remained high in their eyes, especially someone of Leo's top-tier noble status.

"Haha, no need for such formality. Just call me Chuan. Thank you for leading the way."

Leo smiled and nodded.

Shimotsuki Izumo and Kaneko Tetsu exchanged glances, visibly relieved.

It seemed this prince was quite amiable, making today's reception work much easier.

Under the guidance of Shimotsuki Izumo, Leo and his companions passed through the Konoha gates and the powerful protective barrier surrounding the village, entering the bustling and formidable Konoha Village.

...

Clean streets, comfortable houses, lively avenues, and ninjas and villagers with beaming faces—compared to other ninja villages, Konoha was indeed the best village on the surface.

This was evident from the envious look on Zabuza's face.

Konoha had indeed seen many tragedies and many people had died, but it was still far better compared to other ninja villages.

The living conditions were superior, various shops were well-stocked, children who wanted to become ninjas could attend the ninja academy when they came of age, with dedicated teachers and peers to learn and grow with.

After graduation, they would be assigned to jounin and chunin, starting with simple, non-dangerous missions and gradually adapting to ninja combat.

In contrast, other ninja villages were either plagued by sandstorms or dust, where even drinking water was a challenge, let alone living conditions. Some villages were riddled with internal strife, with seven- or eight-year-old children already stained with blood.

The only village that might compare was the Hidden Cloud Village, which had economic and cultural aspects that could somewhat rival Konoha's. It had even managed to suppress Konoha during the early days after the Fourth Hokage's death and the departure of the Sannin, when the younger generation had yet to rise.

"It's the Hokage Rock."

After walking for about ten minutes, Leo saw four enormous stone faces carved into the cliff in the distance, representing the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Hokages of Konoha.

"Shimotsuki Izumo, have the ninjas from other villages arrived?"

"Your Highness, the ninjas from Sunagakure, Otogakure, and Kusagakure have arrived this morning. The ninjas from Amegakure and Takigakure have not yet arrived."

Shimotsuki Izumo replied respectfully.

Although the prince had told him to just call him by name, he still maintained proper etiquette.

"By the way, I know a few ninjas from your village. I wonder if they'll participate in the Chunin Exams this time."

Leo smiled.

Shimotsuki Izumo looked surprised:

"Your Highness knows our village's genin?"

If Leo had mentioned jounin or chunin, he wouldn't have been surprised, as those ranks often had the chance to interact with nobles of Leo's level.

But genin rarely left the village and typically did low-level tasks. Aside from that famous daimyo's lady who frequently lost cats, it was unlikely they would have had any opportunity.

Even Shimotsuki Izumo, as a special jounin, was seeing this prince from the Fire Country for the first time.

"Yes, I met them during a recent journey. They are... oh, I see them now—Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke. Long time no see!"

As Leo chatted with Shimotsuki Izumo, he spotted Naruto and his friends under a large tree in the distance and waved at them. 

"Brother Chuan!!!"

Naruto and his friends, who were discussing recent news about the Chunin Exams from visiting Sand Village ninjas, suddenly heard a familiar voice. Turning around, they saw Leo and exclaimed in surprise.