Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 309 "Fulfilling a Vow"

The rituals to please the gods are usually elaborate, complicated, and extremely extravagant.

Firstly, the more complex and incomprehensible something is, the more mysterious and solemn it appears. The masses will blindly follow these seemingly beautiful things, believing they should offer their best to God. Secondly, isn't it true that the more projects one undertakes, the better one can profit from them?

However, there are also rituals that go against the grain, such as the one in front of us.

The Frost Kingdom originally had very few decent armies, and even fewer that obeyed orders, making the process of summoning reinforcements extremely complicated. If it weren't for Taisho's mysterious death at home, which led to mutual suspicion among the various factions under his command, the king probably wouldn't have dared to issue orders to mobilize troops so casually, fearing that he would be killed if he made a single move.

Plans can never keep up with changes.

When the girls were awakened, it was still pitch black. The group of people dragged the girls around, washing and dressing them, which made Naruto a little nervous. He quickly devised a plan to rescue everyone without missing anyone or alerting the others. However, this was clearly an impossible task unless he could temporarily incapacitate everyone in the courtyard as quickly as possible. But the terrible outcome he anticipated didn't happen. The group simply dressed the girls up and put them on three carriages, telling them to prepare to go to the Buddha Mother to fulfill their vows.

While this isn't good news—the main body has confirmed that the Buddha's base is connected to a thick tree root—making the vow fulfillment likely involves more than just praying and offering incense; it might require physically reciprocating with one's entire being. But at least... there's still some time to work things out, and the process can't be rushed...

At this critical juncture, the clone suddenly sensed that the main body had left the city. He didn't know what had happened, but anything that the main body deemed necessary to intervene was definitely not trivial. Not knowing when the main body would be able to resolve the issue and return, meant that the hope of saving these children rested solely on the remaining shadow clones and the rapidly advancing royal guard.

So, this king does have some courage, but not much; he always hesitates at crucial moments. He was told long ago to send men to follow him, but he wouldn't listen, insisting on being in a hurry. The plan was perfectly devised; he could even use this opportunity to purge the traitors around him, but at the critical moment, he was indeed a step too slow. This is probably the nature of the old nobility. After so many days of testing, this king's image isn't very pleasant; he seems like the kind of person who would stab you in the back. Ye Ming, on the other hand, is truly stubborn and single-minded.

Just to be on the safe side, let's have Brother Zhishui come over after this is over.

These thoughts wouldn't affect what was about to happen. The journey from the inn to the temple wasn't long, and at this point, feigning illness might not even be effective; he'd better stay with the children. The closer they got to the temple, the louder the deafening gongs and drums became, and the sky in that direction was turning reddish. A huge bonfire was lit in the main square. Naruto didn't understand what was going on, nor did he have a chance to get closer and observe. The carriage turned around, not going through the crowded main gate, but entering the temple through a small, almost deserted door.

Upon entering, Naruto sensed something was wrong, because he saw not just three carriages, but many more similar large carriages parked in the courtyard.

"You've arrived? Everyone else has sent fewer gifts this year, so we're counting on your family." A bald man wearing a cassock greeted them and seemed to know them very well.

The proprietress greeted them with a smile, saying, "Don't worry, our family is always the most enthusiastic about doing good deeds. Children, get ready to go to the Buddhist hall."

Strangely, while the square was ablaze with fire and bustling with activity, the main temple's gates were tightly shut, and the interior was pitch black, without a single lamp lit. The Buddhist hall they were heading to was this dark main temple. The fellow, whom we'll call a "monk," led the children in through a side door, presented them to the problematic abbot, bowed in prayer, and quickly left.

This rather magnificent Buddhist hall, which could easily accommodate dozens of people, is now packed with an astonishing number of young men and women.

Naruto was genuinely shocked. He had thought the ceremony would have a maximum of twenty or thirty people. But upon closer inspection, the spacious Buddhist hall was incredibly cramped, probably two or three times more than he had anticipated! He had a bad feeling and urgently called for his main body to return as soon as possible to make preparations, but the situation there was also not good; his main body couldn't return anytime soon.

Just as he was considering which direction to break out from, the temple bells rang.

"Great Mother Buddha, please bestow your compassion and lead them back to pure happiness, so that the most beautiful world may descend once more."

The abbot clasped his hands together and recited his lines amidst the tolling of the bell. At that moment, Naruto clearly sensed the flow of natural energy, which surged along unknown patterns into the luminous pearl held by the Buddha Mother. That pearl, which was clearly just an ordinary one, suddenly burst forth with dazzling light!

Naruto was blinded by the light, but his senses were still working perfectly. He quickly realized that everyone in the room had been affected by the genjutsu in an instant, except for... the host who was covered by Black Zetsu!

Is this a collective genjutsu, a small-scale release similar to Infinite Tsukuyomi? The tree roots are starting to stir. No wonder this guy dared to devour so many people at once; it turns out he's trapped them all in a genjutsu, so they won't resist. The chakra flow in these people isn't as severe as during Infinite Tsukuyomi, and even if it were, he'd dispel the jutsu! But he only has one chance. Once it's released, this clone of his will be destroyed. He can only hope that the guy upstairs makes a loud enough noise when he opens the door.

The enormous Buddha statue slowly rose, and several pale branches extended from the hollow of the base. These things were clearly trees, but they were as flexible as vines. They passed by the abbot, who was smiling strangely, and slid towards the crowd.

Just then, the three doors of the Buddhist hall were suddenly opened at the same time. A violent gust of wind overturned the already unstable Buddha statue, causing the branches supporting it to be unexpectedly shot upwards and crash into the pillar in front of the hall with a bang.

You should know that the square outside the Buddhist temple was packed with people. The crowd, who had never seen such a scene before, let out a deafening scream. This panic spread rapidly from the front row where they could see the best view to the back. Everyone ran around in a panic, and the scene became chaotic.

It was this chaos that gave Naruto the best opportunity. He quickly dispelled the group genjutsu, used his last strength to shout "Run!", and then disappeared into the crowd.

The task of protecting the children can only be left to the other clones.