Traveling through Naruto, I am Uchiha Obito?

"During your guard duties, if you discover anyone among those traveling to and from Daming Prefecture who is contemptuous and arrogant towards the village, be sure to compile their detailed information and report it to me."

He paused, his cold gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"Do you understand this?"

Despite their confusion about the command, years of ninja training had subconsciously forced them to suppress their doubts. After a brief silence, the response rang out again:

"Yes!"

Only Naruto, standing at the very front, caught the fleeting hint in the instant his eyes met the Rubik's Cube's. A chill ran through him; he immediately understood the true meaning behind the words.

Is this implying that we should actively seek out or even create conflicts with the nobles?

Chapter 83 The Approaching Dawn

Chapter 83 The Approaching Dawn

Time flies, and two weeks have passed in the blink of an eye.

During his time as a guard in the Daimyo's capital, Naruto felt that his life could be summed up in one word: leisure.

"How boring... Isn't anything interesting happening? What do you think, Chojuro?"

Naruto sat lazily on the stone steps of the pavilion in the courtyard, casually tossing small pebbles into the water and watching the ripples spread across the surface.

The boy beside him, watching his precise throwing technique, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration:

"Okay, so awesome!"

But then he hesitated, nervously wringing his hands:

"Menma, is it really okay for us to slack off here without Captain Minazuki's knowledge?"

"How can this be called slacking off?"

"Naruto retorted confidently, "We got permission from our 'employer,' don't you agree, Lord Daimyo?"

The little boy, dressed in fine clothes, was excitedly chasing the butterflies fluttering around the pavilion, completely unaware of Naruto's question.

Naruto rested his chin on his left hand, gazing at the child who could finally be temporarily freed from constraints and unleash his true nature, and a wave of sorrow washed over him. Through his observations over the past few days and the casual conversations of the nobles, he had pieced together the truth of the matter:

With the former daimyo's sudden death and lack of designated successor, his royal family unsurprisingly fell into a power struggle. Meanwhile, the nobles of the Land of Water seized the opportunity to join forces and place their chosen puppet on the throne.

The child before them was merely a distant relative of a former daimyo family, his blood ties even less close than those of the lord executed by the Rubik's Cube. The sole reason he was chosen was his young age, making him easy for the nobles to manipulate and control. And his own family, for the sake of a hard-won opportunity for advancement, betrayed him, personally pushing him into this inferno.

Realizing they had been tricked, the royal family forces naturally wouldn't let it go. They pooled their resources to hire the powerful mercenary organization "Akatsuki," with the aim of eliminating the child before the daimyo ascended the throne, completely overturning the game and reshuffling the deck.

"Xiao..."

Naruto muttered to himself, "The organization Sasuke's brother belongs to..."

"Mianma! You're slacking off again!"

A furious shout made Naruto flinch. He quickly forced a smile and greeted him:

"Yo! Minazuki! Long time no see!"

"Long time no see, my foot! I just assigned you to patrol this area a few hours ago!"

Hozuki's cheeks flushed red with anger.

"It's one thing if you don't carry out your mission properly, but you even dragged Chojuro into it! You're utterly hopeless!"

That's really low aggression...

Naruto looked at Minamoto, who was clearly angry but felt he had spoken too harshly and was hesitating whether to apologize. He couldn't help but think of the sharp insults his master and senior brother had exchanged, and almost burst out laughing.

"You were laughing at me just now, weren't you?"

The initial guilt was instantly replaced by anger. Jieyue's delicate face flushed red, and she clenched her shark teeth, making a grinding sound, as if she was about to pounce on him and bite him hard at any moment.

Seeing that things were not going well, Naruto quickly hid behind the young Daimyo.

Seeing the child's anxious eyes, Jieyue had no choice but to suppress her anger and continue her patrol with a dark face.

……

Meanwhile, the coastline of the Land of Water.

A small boat quietly approached the shore, and two figures dressed in black robes with red cloud patterns stepped onto the damp sand. They were members of the Akatsuki organization who had received a new mission.

—Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha.

"Hey~ Kisame-senpai! Itachi-senpai! We're here! We're here!"

Ah Fei waved wildly at the two of them.

"Shut up! Ah Fei! You're so noisy!"

Deidara was already in a bad mood because of the mission failure, and seeing Itachi's face only made things worse.

Knowing Tobi's true identity, Itachi and Kisame both looked at "Uchiha Madara" who was putting on a great show, and then glanced at Deidara, who was being completely fooled by him, with a complex sense of sympathy flashing in their eyes.

"Alright, Deidara."

Ignoring the other party's impending outburst, Itachi calmly stated, "Your mission has ended. Your current duty is to cooperate with us in carrying out the next operation."

"Yes, yes! As expected of Itachi-senpai, he's truly dedicated! An excellent ninja who can perfectly accomplish any mission!"

Ah Fei added in an exaggerated tone from the side.

Itachi naturally understood the sarcasm in the words, but he didn't respond. He simply glanced at Tobi with an indescribable look. "Big brother may not criticize second brother, but aren't you doing just as well yourself?"

Kisame, sensing the strange atmosphere, quickly tried to smooth things over:

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we discuss this mission? Deidara, with your abilities, how could you fail? Killing the Daimyo of the Land of Water without even gathering intelligence is not like you."

Deidara clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"We've run into some troublesome guys. Also, we didn't kill the Daimyo of the Land of Water, so we're not taking the blame for that."

"Oh?"

Kisame was indeed somewhat surprised. He already knew that Mei Terumi had become the Fifth Mizukage. As a former elite of Kirigakure, he was well aware of Mei Terumi's strength.

Although she possesses two powerful bloodline limits, she should not be a match for Deidara and "Madara-sama". In other words, an unexpected variable has emerged.

"It's a guy called Vortex Cube, and a guy carrying a gourd."

Deidara said through gritted teeth.

"I don't know about that vortex cube. He was fighting Afei, who is probably just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong."

That guy carrying the gourd wasn't actually that strong; he couldn't compare to my artistry at all! Normally, I would have blasted him to smithereens! But somehow he figured out my artistry, and all my attacks were neutralized by him!

Recalling that frustrating battle, his anger surged again.

"Next time we meet, I'm going to show him real art!"

"rubik's cube……"

Upon hearing the name, Itachi Uchiha's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously glanced at "Madara," who was still feigning madness. This mysterious young man seemed to have some connection with "Madara," and perhaps he could extract information about "Madara" from him.

More importantly, he seems to know Sasuke...maybe we can find out about Sasuke's current situation from him.

Sasuke... are you alright now?

Thinking of his only attachment in this world, even this usually calm and composed man couldn't help but feel a little flustered.

But he quickly regained his composure and returned to his usual calm:

"There's no time to lose. Deidara, you should all join this mission as well, as a way to make amends for your past mistakes."

"Huh? I don't want it!"

"Ah Fei wants to participate! Ah Fei wants to participate too!" Ah Fei immediately raised his hand and cheered.

"Hey! Ah Fei, whose side are you on?"

"Hey!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

…………

Four figures silently disappeared into the thick fog of the Water Kingdom, steadily approaching the direction of the Daming Prefecture.

Chapter 84 Attack

Chapter 84 Attack

Naruto leaned against the vermilion wooden pillars of the corridor, his gaze passing through the thin mist swirling in the courtyard and landing on the figure sitting alone under the eaves in the distance.

Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, was casually blowing a colorful bubble. The bubble reflected an eerie luster in the hazy moonlight before popping with a soft "pop." He seemed to exude a sense of detachment that was out of place with the solemn atmosphere around him.

Naruto took a deep breath, remembering the task given to him by his brother Rubik's Cube, and decided to take the initiative. He first sidled up to Chojuro, who was carefully wiping his twin swords, Hiramekarei.

"Hey, Chojuro,"

Naruto lowered his voice and nudged him with his elbow.

"Are you acquainted with that guy over there... named Yu Gao?"

Chojuro was startled and nearly dropped his sword. Following Naruto's gaze, he saw Utakata, immediately shrank back nervously, his face flushing slightly, and mumbled softly:

"Menma-kun... Yuga-senpai... I, I don't know him very well. He always seems to be alone and doesn't talk to people much. He seems... he seems like a very unapproachable person. I, I'm a little afraid to go up and talk to him..."

His voice grew softer and softer, filled with obvious fear.

Naruto scratched his head, realizing he wouldn't get any useful information from him. After chatting for a few minutes, he found Hozuki Minamoto, who was meticulously checking the patrol records.

"team leader,"

Naruto leaned closer and asked with a grin, "What do you think of Utakata? We've been spending two weeks together, but he's been like a silent gourd, not saying a word."

Hozuki Minazuki raised her head, her shark teeth grinding habitually. She glanced in Utakata's direction, a complex and unfathomable emotion flashing in her eyes, and lowered her voice, speaking seriously:

"Namikaze Menma, I advise you not to be too curious about him. Utakata is... a guy with terrifying strength."

For the village, he was, in a sense, an extremely important 'weapon'.

She emphasized the word "weapons," her tone conveying both warning and concern.

"Stay away from him, or you might not even know how you died. This is no joke."

Sensing the gravity in Minamoto's words, Naruto touched his nose and finally pinned his hopes on Kisame Hoshigaki, who was holding a large sword and seemed to be resting with his eyes closed forever.

"Kizuna-senpai!"

Naruto tentatively spoke.

"About Utakata..."

Kisame Hoshigaki didn't even open his eyes, only letting out a hoarse chuckle from his throat, like rough sandpaper rubbing together. He slightly lifted his eyelids, revealing a slit, and swept a scrutinizing gaze at Naruto, as if he could see right through him, before slowly uttering a few words:

"I...know nothing."

After asking around, Naruto not only didn't get any useful information, but he also became even more confused.

The fear, apprehension, or avoidance of his companions acted like an invisible wall, keeping Yu Gao out.

Weapons...?

Naruto felt a pang of unease when he thought of that word. He looked at the lonely figure blowing bubbles alone, and he knew all too well the feeling of being rejected, feared, and treated as an outsider.

Finally, Naruto shook his head, his golden hair fluttering in the breeze.

'Forget it! Why think so much! Just go ask! We're all Jinchūriki, maybe we'll unexpectedly find common ground!'

His inherent recklessness... or rather, his stubborn refusal to succumb to prejudice, took over at this moment.

Naruto took a deep breath, his signature slightly silly yet infectious smile returning to his face, and strode towards Utakata under the eaves.

"Yo! Yu Gao!"

Naruto raised his hand and greeted them in a bright voice, trying to break through that cold barrier.

"It's so boring blowing bubbles here all by yourself! Let's chat! By the way, your bubbles are pretty amazing, how did you do that..."

Just as Utakata turned around upon hearing Naruto's voice...