Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 519 Changes in the Battlefields

When the Jinchuriki appeared, the masked man first attacked the third front, stealing the ninja tools that sealed Kinkaku and Ginkaku, before officially appearing in the Allied Forces' perception system. He wasn't acting alone, but with a team exactly the same number of Jinchuriki as him.

The unit responsible for sensing included ninjas from various countries. They quickly identified individuals whose identities could be confirmed and soon obtained unsettling results.

"I can confirm that the Fourth Mizukage is among them..."

"...The previous Eight-Tails Jinchuriki, Lord Burubi, is also here."

“This is Pain of Akatsuki. I would never mistake this chakra.”

"The identities of the remaining individuals cannot be confirmed at this time."

As intelligence reports continued to emerge, the Allied headquarters once again found itself on high alert.

The massive commotion on the Fourth Front couldn't be ignored; one of the two largest bubbles on the Allied Forces' sensory sphere was a product of the Fourth Front. The moment he saw Uchiha Madara, the Tsuchikage Onoki ordered the liaison forces to connect him to the Mind Transfer Technique. He had been broadcasting the situation on the Fourth Front in real time, and the barrage of crucial information left even the central command, Yamanaka Inoichi, somewhat bewildered.

"Hokage, I need an explanation." It's not so outrageous that Madara Uchiha was impersonated, but for the Raikage, the fact that the current "Hokage" could be replaced is extremely bizarre and could even shake the trust of all parties.

Tsunade remained calm. On the eve of the war, she finally had time to see her "resurrected" great-uncle. The surprises and shocks of that day had left her somewhat numb. If anyone else had said they had a way to return from the Pure Land, Tsunade would never have believed them. But it was Naruto who said it, and before he left, he made thorough preparations to ensure that the failure of the Edo Tensei would not affect the most important plan.

She had faced far too many deaths, most of them chasing the title of Hokage, some even being Hokage themselves, ultimately dying for that title. Naruto was that kind of person, but she never thought Naruto would die quietly, as it was completely inconsistent with his incredibly boisterous and rebellious nature.

However, the person left so quietly, but left behind an organization that shook the entire ninja world... no, the entire world.

“There’s nothing to explain. I gave my consent to this. I know the Sixth Hokage’s true identity.” Tsunade said calmly, “Naruto passed away due to a sudden illness, but he was of great significance to the Jinchuriki and the Tailed Beasts, so we had to keep this news from you until you all resolved your inner conflicts.”

"This is utterly absurd! How much of our plan was based on his abilities? And now you're telling us that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is an Uchiha?"

"We have a ninja on our side who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique. He cooperated throughout and it didn't affect the plan at all. Besides, isn't the best way to deal with the Sharingan another pair of Sharingan?"

Tsunade had already made up her mind that, no matter what, she would have to take the blame for the future of Konoha and the world.

"Compared to obsessing over the identity of the Sixth Hokage, isn't Uchiha Madara more important? That masked man used the name 'Madara' as bait to drag us into the vortex of war. And according to Naruto's report, Madara's understanding of the ninja world hasn't been out of touch for too long, and he knows about the Eye of the Moon Plan. He is the true architect of the plan."

"You don't actually think that with the First Hokage around, Madara Uchiha is no threat, do you?"

As it turned out, Tsunade's judgment was correct.

The predecessors of the Warring States period were truly terrifying; the aftershocks of their battles could send even the distant ninjas into chaos. Within minutes, the sandy, rocky landscape vanished, replaced by vines and branches as agile as giant snakes that covered the entire area. The allied forces retreated swiftly, yet they still couldn't outrun Susanoo's blade. Giants as imposing as mountains collided, and a casually swung attack instantly cleaved a distant mountain peak in two.

"Are you kidding me!"

"What is this...?"

"Is this the power of our ancestors?"

"They're from completely different dimensions."

"That's terrifying..."

As the battle between the previous generations truly began, such voices grew louder and louder. There was no way to compare the direct visual impact of a thousand legends with the power of a single, tangible sight. Only now did they truly understand the power of the God of Shinobi, and why his archenemy could make the entire shinobi world tremble with just his name.

"What discouraging words are you all saying!" Onoki had never witnessed such power before. He was very glad that the God of Shinobi was definitely on their side and recovered quickly after being violently impacted.

"We've already done a great job defeating several of our predecessors! Now, what we need to do is withdraw from the battlefield as soon as possible and not hold our predecessors back!"

Stop complaining and start running! Do you even want to live?! That monster doesn't need comparison; if it weren't for cover, it would have vanished long ago!

Gaara silently followed Onoki, rescuing straggling ninjas whenever possible. Joining him in the rescues was Naruto, who had borrowed a sand platform from him; Naruto was a clone left behind to observe, while the real Naruto and Sasuke's clone disappeared together.

Perhaps because he wasn't under any life-or-death pressure, Naruto sat leisurely on the automatically flying platform, and with just a wave of his hand, he could pull the ninjas who were almost buried by falling rocks back to the main force.

"Sigh... I guess I've been holding it in for too long. Even Hashirama-san was a bit too rough with his attacks. I should have thrown them further away while they were hugging." Naruto sighed after being forced to teleport away from a large rock. This comment broke the overly quiet atmosphere and attracted the overly curious Onoki.

"I was just about to ask, are you very familiar with the First Hokage?"

"Yeah, he's my senior. If you really want to be close, Uzumaki and Senju are distant relatives, so isn't it normal for us to be a little familiar with each other?" Naruto blinked innocently.

"So when exactly did you resurrect the First Hokage using the Impure World Reincarnation technique? Isn't that a forbidden technique? Konoha actually allowed you to use it." The topic suddenly shifted to the key point. Although the Impure World Reincarnation technique did save his life, the fact that Konoha had quietly pulled off such a big stunt still made the other Kage very unhappy.

"Grandpa Tsuchikage, you should know about White Zetsu, right? His clones are very special, possessing life force equivalent to that of a human. I've captured more than ten White Zetsu; it would be a waste not to use them for anything."

Ah, this kid isn't as aggressive as that Uchiha kid, but he's quite good at dodging questions. He avoided all the questions and just explained that the sacrifice he used wasn't a living person.

Ōnoki wanted to press for more information, but Gaara, who had been silent for a long time, spoke first.

“Naruto, first of all, welcome back.” Gaara’s tone was much heavier than Onoki’s as he asked with difficulty, “I want to know, how exactly… did you become like this?”

"That's a long story, but it's mainly my own problem." Naruto spread his hands and said in a relaxed tone, "You all saw it just now. I could destroy the Edo Tensei body with just a simple jutsu. It wouldn't be much better if it happened to me. I have chakra overload syndrome. There's no cure for it. I have too much chakra."