Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 453 "Pain"

What just happened?

"I jumped halfway up, but I somehow managed to get back up..."

"Is that...Mr. Choza?"

"Dad...Dad!! That's great! That's great!"

The situation was too urgent. Tobirama's clone, who came to find Jiraiya, didn't say anything and, according to the agreement between the two sides, flew away with his men within two seconds of landing. Then, the two extremely resilient ANBU members in the group seemed to suddenly realize something, their expressions immediately changed, and they told everyone to run in one direction immediately.

However, no matter how fast they were, they couldn't outrun the Flying Thunder God Technique. The four beams of red light that shot into the sky when the Four Red Sun Formation was activated lit up just as they were about to reach the edge. Among the group, Kakashi was the fastest, running out of the sealed area on foot. Choza, realizing what was about to happen, suddenly multiplied his arms and threw his child out. The others almost crashed into the red barrier that rose from the ground, but fortunately, an earthen wall blocked their path.

Those who had escaped initially breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the Four Red Sun Formation withstand the incomprehensible attack of the Heavenly Dao. Choji even smiled at his son, who was on the verge of tears, not wanting Choji to experience the cruelty of the ninja world so soon. However... disaster still struck. The all-encompassing power crushed the area where they had taken refuge into dust. Choji watched helplessly as his father was engulfed by the smoke and dust, completely stunned, kneeling on the ground, unable to utter a sound.

But now? The destruction they thought they had suffered could actually be erased? They witnessed the ruins transform into a bustling neighborhood in a short time, and those they thought were dead rose from the ground one by one, returning to their pre-destruction positions.

After all this happened, Naruto clutched his chest and collapsed, even though an ANBU member had jumped out to stop him.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Jiraiya nearly choked. He'd sent Sasuke to hold off the previous Hokage, not to die. Although he didn't understand the Sharingan's mechanics, he vividly remembered Sasuke using the Dark Revelation technique on him! That kid had only managed to rewind him to his pre-technique state before his eyes started bleeding. To use a technique on such a large area at once, and rewind such a long time... going blind would be the best-case scenario!

Sasuke took a few deep breaths and stood up straight again. To avoid being exposed, he had already wiped the blood off his face. Under the effect of the genjutsu, his eyes were still clear blue, but the world in front of him was blurry and dark, obviously because he had pushed his eyes to their limit in one go.

But it doesn't matter, he's still holding onto the second generation. Anyway, he won't be here in a while, so he can pretend his eyesight is perfectly fine for a bit.

“I’m fine,” Sasuke replied. “Nagato came for me, and the village has been destroyed because of me. I couldn’t participate in the initial battle, but at least I can still do something for the village.”

Kakashi came over carrying a small slug and placed it on Sasuke's shoulder without even asking his opinion. "Let Lord Slug check on you first, then I'll take you to the hospital."

Sasuke frowned. He wasn't sure if his identity would be exposed after the chakra made contact. He was about to shrug and pretend to be startled, but it was Slug who apologized first.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Kakashi, Lady Tsunade's chakra is almost depleted, so I can't treat Naruto right now."

Sasuke relaxed his grip on the force he was about to unleash and said nonchalantly, "I'm really fine, Kurama is here."

"Have you found Nagato?" This question was directed at Tobirama, who was disguised as an Anbu member.

"...The Six Paths of Pain are currently in the southern suburbs of Konoha. They are probably planning to continue their advance into Konoha."

"I see." Sasuke tried his best to imitate Naruto's bright smile and said, "Kakashi-sensei, can I leave the Pervert Sage to you? Slug-sama will keep us updated on the situation over there, so you don't need to worry too much."

Kakashi knew that his chakra was almost exhausted, and even if he went along, he probably wouldn't be of much help. So he could only nod and say with concern, "Be careful, and remember to take down the Hell Path first."

“I know…” Sasuke grabbed Tobirama’s arm, smiling at him. This was the time to use the Flying Thunder God Technique. If Tobirama didn’t take him away now, it would be hard to explain why “Naruto” suddenly couldn’t use the Flying Thunder God Technique.

The unmoving face beneath the mask changed again and again. Although this kid's acting skills were not as good as Naruto's, and many aspects revealed a naive sharpness, he was very good at seizing opportunities to achieve the results he needed.

It's no wonder they're children of the Uchiha clan. Of course, Naruto's influence from his surroundings probably played a significant role as well.

Tobirama resigned himself to his fate and brought Sasuke with him. Their landing point was right on Pain's path. At this moment, Tobirama could only transfer Izuna, who carried his chakra, directly over.

"Flying Thunder God?"

The Asura Path, which led the charge, created a small crater upon landing. The other Pains arrived one after another, their formation clearly indicating that they were standing to protect the Heavenly Path.

The Heavenly Dao stood atop the treetop, looking down at them, with the Hungry Ghost Dao standing by his side, ready to pounce. The group didn't immediately engage in combat, but maintained a safe distance, facing the three who blocked their path.

"Naruto, are you feeling any pain now?"

Pain's first words after landing infuriated Sasuke. He wasn't angry that Pain mistook him for Naruto. Even though he didn't know the cause and effect, he instantly understood what Pain meant by "pain" after seeing the huge crater in Konoha.

Before engaging in battle, one must know oneself and one's enemy. Sasuke certainly knew all of Pain's abilities, as well as Pain's advocacy of "peace," which was the very thing he hated most.

"Pain...is this how you make excuses for your destruction?" Sasuke wasn't going to tolerate this and didn't care if it provoked the other person. He said, "Are you an orphan?"

Not to mention Pain, even Tobirama and Izuna were somewhat stunned. This child was far too honest, so honest that the two seniors didn't know how to respond.

But Sasuke wasn't insulting anyone; he was stating a fact. "It seems so. Then I'll have to ask you..."

"Just because you're an orphan yourself, does that give you the right to use the guise of inflicting pain to turn other children into orphans?"