Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 428 A Dream

Death is the passing of the physical body, the dissipation of consciousness, and the beginning of disappearance. For the vast majority of lives, death is the end.

However, there are always exceptions.

The moment the seal was complete, Naruto sensed a clear, rhythmic ripple. It belonged neither to space nor time. The moment he touched it, he felt as if he had sunk into a deep sea, but when he opened his eyes, he was standing on the surface. He looked up and saw a blurry reflection in what seemed to be the sky. He saw red and white amidst a patch of emerald green, and a figure resembling Tobirama who paused for a moment after landing, then immediately rushed to the overlapping color blocks and disappeared with them.

And then what? Many more shadows hurried by, but Naruto had already accomplished what he cared about most. He stopped looking and instead lowered his head to gaze at the "water" beneath his feet. His reflection was much clearer than the patches of color in the sky. This time, the long, flowing golden hair of that shadow truly looked like it was submerged at the bottom of the water.

Naruto leaned down, and his reflection in the water mirrored his movement, just like always. But when he actually touched the water, he sensed something different. He touched something warm, like human skin!

The shadow in the water suddenly opened its eyes, and a hand from the bottom of the water suddenly reached out, squeezed through the gaps between his fingers, grabbed him tightly, and instantly pulled him into the water and disappeared.

"Sasuke."

Hearing that familiar voice, Sasuke practically sprang to his feet, his heart still pounding, his left hand trembling slightly. What had he just done? Why...?

"Sasuke?"

The voice rang out again, but Sasuke wasn't annoyed at all; in fact, he looked up impatiently. Naruto was standing not far away, waving at him with his most familiar smile on his face. For some reason, he suddenly felt that if he didn't respond, Naruto would leave, so he immediately rushed over and pulled Naruto into his arms without saying a word.

Naruto was knocked off balance by the bump, and hugged him back to regain his footing.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?"

Sasuke silently shook his head. He was way past the age of being frightened by nightmares, and he wouldn't have such a strong physical reaction to dreams. So... why was he so anxious and insecure?

Naruto chuckled softly in his ear, patting his back with utter tenderness, as if to comfort him. But when he spoke, everything changed.

"Looks like I really am dreaming."

"Have you forgotten? I've already..."

Crimson blood filled his vision. He looked down and saw that his left hand had emerged from Naruto's back, and it was covered in blood!

No...no, this shouldn't be happening!

Sasuke tried to pull the hand back, but as soon as he pushed it away a little, he saw the pair of lifeless blue eyes. He was struck dumb and couldn't move for a moment. He just stared blankly at those downcast eyes, not even looking away when the azure was stained with blood.

Those eyes rose again, but this time, the pupils within their sockets were no longer human; blood-red beastly eyes stared intently at him. He found himself unable to move, forced to watch helplessly as Beast-Eyed Naruto transformed before him into a gigantic beast with several tails. The beast's gaping maw lashed out with a claw, plunging him into the abyss of darkness.

No... Give Naruto back to him, give him back to him!

"Sasuke, Sasuke!"

A strange yet familiar female voice woke Sasuke from his nightmare. When he opened his eyes, his shock and anger hadn't subsided when he was confronted with a face he thought he would never see again. He saw his mother, her eyes filled with tears, holding his hand, looking at him with pain and worry.

"Mother?"

Has he already gone to the Pure Land?

The mother forced a weak smile, her eyes still filled with unyielding sorrow. She raised her hand to touch his face and said, "You're awake. Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

Now that he has arrived in the Pure Land, why would he feel uncomfortable?

But when his consciousness returned, he quickly felt the slight pain in his eyes, the heaviness in his body, and... the overwhelming smell of blood. The smell was so strong, it was as if someone had bled dry.

No, he's not dead...he's not dead! Before he closed his eyes, the one who was truly seriously injured wasn't him at all!

"Where's Naruto!" Sasuke no longer cared whether the "mother" in front of him was real; he could only think of one thing: "Naruto is seriously injured and needs treatment!"

Tears welled in Mikoto's eyes. Seeing the two children covered in blood, she felt as if the sky had fallen. Even if she ever returned to the Pure Land, she would have no face to face Kushina and Minato. While the Sharingan couldn't see the complete meridians, it could at least perceive the flow of chakra. Naruto had a gaping hole in his chest, and almost all of his chakra had been drained, while Sasuke was unharmed, with a wisp of chakra, clearly not his, slowly circulating in his abdomen.

The outcome is already clear. Even if the Hokage haven't given up yet, Naruto's death is a foregone conclusion.

Seeing his mother's tears, Sasuke's heart sank halfway, but the other half chilled him to the bone when he looked past his mother and saw the person lying on the emergency bed not far from him. There had been two people, one with black hair and one with white hair, performing first aid, but in the time it took him to get up, the white-haired person had already withdrawn his hand from performing medical ninjutsu. The person's face, hands, and clothes were still stained with blood, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with emotions that Sasuke couldn't understand.

"That's enough, brother. There's no hope." The white-haired man bluntly delivered the "death sentence."

The black-haired man remained silent, but the light in his hand continued to shine.

The blood-red eyes closed, and the white-haired man took a deep breath before saying in a seemingly relaxed manner, "We all knew this day would come sooner or later. Stop, brother."

Upon hearing this, the black-haired man stopped, but Sasuke exploded.

"What do you mean... what do you mean by 'it will come sooner or later'?" Sasuke finally came to his senses and regained a little bit of his senses, but only a little bit.

He felt no warmth in his mother's hands, and he knew exactly what kind of person would have such cold hands. He didn't recognize the two people surrounding Naruto, nor did he know where he was. He wouldn't allow just anyone to sentence his Naruto to death! But his attack was thwarted; incredible wooden vines easily entangled him, who was blinded by emotion.

His mother immediately stepped between him and the two men, anxiously trying to explain, but the thunder was enough to drown out any sound. His goal was clear: to take Naruto away; nothing else mattered.