Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 394 Attack

As the moon climbed to its highest point in the night sky, Naruto's true form returned. Without any prior notice, the powerful members of Sunagakure would spontaneously and swiftly arrive simply by sensing that chilling aura.

"I found the barrier. Pakkun confirmed it. Gaara's scent stopped there." Once everyone was there, Naruto immediately and succinctly explained the situation.

"You knew perfectly well that Sunagakure was under martial law! I thought..." Maki was Gaara's teacher, and he did care about his student. But in the longer years, he was the protector of Sunagakure, and the village would still be ranked before Gaara.

But his friend stopped him, and Yura's eyes reddened even more as he asked in an extremely cautious tone, "Lord Gaara... is he still alive?"

He was met with an unbearable silence. The blond boy's face was expressionless, completely unlike his usual warm demeanor. Those few dozen seconds felt like days. Finally, the ninja, whose perception was almost an authority, spoke.

"The barrier is very strong, and I cannot confirm the situation inside. However, even the strongest barrier cannot completely conceal the power of the Tailed Beasts, and occasionally a tiny bit of chakra still leaks out from inside."

So, Gaara isn't dead yet, at least not yet.

Having asked what he wanted to ask, Yura shrank into a corner. He relaxed slightly after hearing the news that "Gaara is still alive," but then retreated further back, silently praying in his heart. The uncertainty of the outcome was always incredibly difficult to bear.

"Let's get ready to go. No matter what Akatsuki is up to, we shouldn't give them time." Naruto, once he got into the zone, was undoubtedly a hardliner. If time allowed, he would patiently explain, but if time was running out, he would only convey his will with an unquestionable attitude that demanded things be accomplished.

Usually, those around him are naturally infected by this will and unconsciously follow in his footsteps. Even if no one follows, it doesn't matter; Naruto will do whatever it takes, even risk his life, to achieve his goal.

"Are you still able to keep up?" The team doctor was more concerned about his teammates' health, and Sakura naturally asked. She hadn't forgotten that while she was rescuing people, Naruto was already searching for others, and he was clearly more tired than she was.

"I'm fine," Naruto replied firmly, appearing completely unaffected. His gaze remained fixed on Kakashi-sensei, the true captain of the team.

Knowing he couldn't persuade the child, Kakashi nodded on the spot and said, "Okay, let's set off immediately."

"If Sunagakure doesn't intend to send anyone."

This time, it was Maki's turn to be silent. Gaara's tenure was still too short, and he had just offended the Daimyo of the Land of Wind. Now that he was gone, the old guard couldn't wait to tear him apart. It was that traitor from the old guard who barely managed to keep them in check.

However, even without the verbal sparring, the orders issued still instilled despair. The one who had been kidnapped was the Kazekage, who was protecting the village, yet the higher-ups refused to send a single soldier from Sunagakure, citing the reason that "with the Kazekage absent, the border is very likely to be attacked," completely leaving the heavy responsibility of the rescue to Konoha.

What an absurd order! But as a Sand Village ninja, I have no choice but to obey.

The silence was broken by an elderly but cheerful voice. The short old woman, who had been aggressive yesterday, seemed exceptionally kind today.

"This old man is going." Chiyo darted in, carrying a small satchel, her movements light and agile, showing no signs of old age. Everyone except Naruto was somewhat surprised, even the Sand Village ninjas. But his senses had already given Naruto the answer: some puppeteers modify their bodies, making them into replaceable parts. As long as the core that generates chakra remains intact, they can theoretically live indefinitely.

Chiyo was a puppeteer of this kind; her hands and feet were no longer flesh and blood. Her grandson, Sasori of the Red Sand, went even further, simply leaving only a small core and replacing the entire body.

Granny Chiyo held a very high position in Sunagakure, and her willfulness was well-known. There was almost no Sunagakure ninja who didn't have a headache when they met her, and Maki was no exception.

But at this moment, this willfulness was just right. Maki only verbally "dissuaded" her a couple of times, confirmed that Chiyo was determined to leave, and then quickly changed his attitude, leading the Sunagakure people to express their blessings to them.

"I'm sorry, I will definitely try my best to persuade the officials."

"Please, please bring Gaara-sama back!"

Naruto gave them a thumbs-up with his remaining hand, then disappeared with the team that was rescuing the Kazekage.

In the blink of an eye, green grass sprouted from the ground beneath my feet, and swaying tree shadows appeared overhead. With a gentle breath, the scent of water was clearly visible, and this place was no longer a desert.

"Where am I?" Chiyo, experiencing the Flying Thunder God Technique for the first time, looked around curiously. A single experience wouldn't be enough to master such a miraculous ninjutsu, but this rare opportunity for close observation made her instinctively want to gather more information. She was silently assessing the range of the Flying Thunder God Technique, which seemed completely different from her initial assumptions.

"In the northern part of the Land of Rivers, in the relatively calm upper reaches of the River," Naruto provided a location that was not very detailed but sufficient. He raised his hand and pointed to the other side of the river. "That's the barrier."

A smooth boulder was embedded in the uneven rock face. It was clearly not formed naturally. Moreover, the moonlight was excellent tonight. By the moonlight, they could clearly see the red torii gate in front of the boulder and the "forbidden" character pasted on the stone.

"This is the Five Seals Barrier, isn't it?" Kakashi recognized the troublesome thing at a glance.

"Yes, I agree." Chiyo nodded as well; these veteran ninjas had seen far too much in the war.

"To break the barrier, you need to remove five 'forbidden' characters at the same time. I've already found the other four." Surprisingly, Naruto also recognized this thing and knew exactly how to break it.

Chiyo was once again impressed by this young ninja, and the sense of urgency he exuded was even stronger than that of her, a Sand Village ninja. Chiyo simply couldn't understand his determined desire to save the "Kage" of another country.

Keep in mind, she was mentally prepared to fight two opponents at once.

"Your shadow clones are already in place?" Kakashi knew his disciple well; since Naruto had given the method to dispel it, there was no way he hadn't done something.

As expected, Naruto nodded and jumped onto the boulder, pinching one corner of the forbidden character.

"Ready?"

Kakashi didn't ask Naruto how he unified and commanded the clones; he simply touched the kunai between his legs, preparing for battle. Sakura, meanwhile, silently gathered her strength, ready to charge forward.

The moment the "forbidden" character left, his companion's fist also landed on the boulder, and the seemingly indestructible defense instantly crumbled, revealing a dark hole.