Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 72 Desperate Situation and Paradise

The desert landscape is exceptionally magnificent. When the wind is calm, the yellow and blue hues are clearly distinct, and towering sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see, resembling a continuous mountain range. But once the sandstorm picks up, the world seems to be reduced to a hazy yellow, and walking through this sandstorm is pure torture. No matter how well protected you are, you'll inevitably get a mouthful of sand whether you open your mouth or not.

At this moment, amidst the twilight sky, a faint outline of deep black could be discerned. The part above the sand barely revealed the head of a slender animal, but what lay buried beneath was a completely different story.

"When will this damn sandstorm finally end?!"

"Don't move around, or you'll trigger the mechanism and die from poisoning, and I won't be responsible for you."

"Don't be so heartless, buddy! It's just that your hometown doesn't welcome you! Hmm."

The salamander puppet is a defensive barrier designed for a single puppeteer. It's more than enough for one person, but a bit crowded for two. Moreover, one of the two occupies a large area, is round and made of hard material, and is full of traps. Anyone who gets too close will die if they're not careful.

Trapped in the desert were two members of Akatsuki: Sasori, codenamed "Jade," and Deidara, codenamed "Blue." These two had been a team for many years and had long since passed the adjustment period. Although they never stopped arguing about art, their relationship was actually quite good, and they wouldn't really fight to the death over such a trivial matter.

Why would members of Akatsuki be appearing in the desert? Well, you'd have to ask the guy who issued the mission what he was thinking.

"Ugh!! Why did that old geezer want to attack such a small, broken country?! Hmm."

"It may be a small oasis, but its territory is quite large." Sasori disdainfully explained some of the rules of the desert to Deidara. "An oasis means life, while yellow sand only brings death. In desert countries, the size is determined by the area of ​​the oasis, which is different from how borders are usually calculated."

"Got it, buddy. So could you move over a bit? You're poking my arm! Ugh."

"This is my puppet!"

The two men arguing in the sandstorm did not notice that in the crevice of the boulder where they placed their puppets, a tender green shoot was expanding its territory, striving to stretch its branches outwards.

"Hello, Mr. Little Ninja, we are travelers from out of town and don't know the way very well. Could you please take us to a place to stay?" The young man with spiky hair very familiarly approached a blond boy who happened to be passing by and asked for directions in a friendly manner.

With the helpful nature of a Konoha ninja, Naruto acted as a free guide, leading three seemingly...brothers into the inn closest to Konoha's commercial district. He appeared to leave shortly after, but his shadow clone remained behind, alone to face the three extremely capricious seniors.

"This is the plan you were talking about?" Naruto thought he should seriously consider writing his will in advance. These people really wanted him to die from overwork! "Using the Konoha crisis to showcase 'Dongfeng's' powerful transportation capabilities, and then forming partnerships with some Konoha shops..."

"Overall, there are no major problems. The only issue is how to avoid being noticed by the higher-ups beforehand. Currently, we can only get involved in some peripheral material supplies; it's best to avoid anything too important." Tobirama surprisingly nodded in agreement, seemingly unconcerned about the issue.

"So the three of you went out in full force again? You left Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto at the base to guard the house again? Didn't you find traces of 'Akatsuki' in the Land of Birds? Such a sensitive location, you don't even need to worry about that?"

"The desert is quite turbulent this season; the sandstorms will probably blow for a few more days. No rush. Anyway, we have the Flying Thunder God, hahaha..."

Naruto glanced at Izuna, who had been "carefully" examining a string of three-colored dumplings the whole time, and sighed silently. It seemed there was no need to persuade him anymore; these three had only dared to go out because they were in cahoots, and their self-righteousness was astonishing.

"Hopefully, I won't hear any rumors about the First or Second Hokage being resurrected in a few days..."

"No, no, Tobirama and I have been staying outside the village these past few days. We came in early just in case it was inconvenient for Izuna."

Izuna, who could only admire the dumplings but not eat them, finally put them down and casually shoved one into Naruto's hand, saying, "I'll be in charge of contacting shops and screening partners."

What could Naruto do? He could only trust his seniors. On the bright side, when the main force launched their surprise attack, any one of these three could easily overwhelm the enemy; it just wouldn't be as easy to execute their moves. At least, fewer people would die…

A month is neither long nor short for a ninja. A ninja who has accumulated knowledge over a long period can break through their limitations in just one month, integrating their skills and achieving a qualitative leap. But those who cram at the last minute have no such "good luck," and even if they have an opportunity, they may not be able to seize it.

As for Naruto... he is neither of those; he is a pure monster.

To Jiraiya, Minato was a once-in-a-century genius. Naruto, however, truly opened the eyes of the Sage Toads of Mount Myōboku; for millennia, only the legendary Sage of Six Paths could rival him. From the moment he entered Mount Myōboku, Naruto could sense a special power surrounding him. He effortlessly mastered the absorption of Sage Mode, and when he opened his eyes, he didn't even have the orange eyeshadow and frog eyes that usually appeared on Minato. Two frogs, one human, and a small face that retained human features, except for its unusually golden eyes, stared at each other in bewilderment.

"Is this Sage Mode?" Naruto asked knowingly, seemingly innocent, but actually finding the stunned silence of the three different modes on the other side quite amusing.

"...Naruto, how are you feeling right now?" Fukasaku asked cautiously.

"I feel great all over," Naruto replied, tilting his head as if it were all perfectly natural.

He's been reborn, so can't he even show off a little? Although the price of showing off is being forced into hard labor, he has to do it anyway, so it's better to face it proactively than to passively endure it.

And... that's not even the full extent of his power!

The twelve-year-old boy easily lifted a boulder as high as a small mountain, finally convincing Fukasaku, who was deeply mired in self-doubt, that Naruto had truly entered Sage Mode. From sensing the power of nature to meditating, the entire process takes no more than five minutes. Subtracting preparation time, Naruto's speed in activating Sage Mode can almost be described as "instantaneous."

This kid seems to have the surname Whirlpool... Could it be that he reverted to his ancestral immortal body?

While everyone else was still in a daze, Naruto openly tested the power of Sage Mode. Not content with just repeatedly making small and large Rasengans, he even attempted to infuse a Rasengan with Lightning Release, trying to replicate Boruto's signature ninjutsu—the disappearing Rasengan—which is unlikely to ever be born. However, he clearly overdid it; the thing exploded in his hand, startling his two guardians, one sticking out their tongue and the other shaking their hair, as they quickly pulled Naruto out of the smoke.

He's a genius, but he's also a bit too careless about his own life... How did he develop this kind of personality?