Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 60 "The Sun"

As dawn broke over the forest, the sunlight had not yet penetrated the dense canopy, but the sounds of nature coming back to life were already quite lively. Even after a long afternoon of intense activity, Sasuke was still awakened by his biological clock. He struggled to get up out of habit, opened his eyes groggily, and precisely spotted a figure in the dim light.

Ah, it's Naruto... Wait, it's Naruto!

Sasuke regained his senses and immediately remembered the terrifying battle yesterday. He jumped up and instinctively tried to rush over to check on things, but he almost tripped over the blanket and finally calmed down.

"Good morning~" Naruto turned around and gave him a bright smile. "You woke up just in time, Sasuke. The miso soup is freshly made. Wash up and have some breakfast."

Sasuke glanced at the small pot and makeshift stove in Naruto's hand, then at the blanket in his hand and the thin mat beneath him, and a sense of absurdity welled up within him.

Are they here to take an exam or to go camping?

With plenty of water in reserve, Sasuke washed his face to thoroughly clear his head. After yesterday's tension subsided, many doubts belatedly surfaced.

Why was Orochimaru at the exam hall? Why did he approach them from the very beginning? Why is that guy still alive even after his head was severed?! How many new ninjutsu has Naruto developed? What level of strength has he reached? Why didn't he react at all to such intense killing intent? How many secrets is he still hiding?

During the silent breakfast time, a barrage of questions bombarded Sasuke's mind, and a deep-seated fear was swept up from the seabed by the raging waves, gradually revealing its outline on the surface.

Because of his weakness, he didn't even deserve to die, abandoned by his loved ones. Naruto was already so powerful; without him, Team 7 would never have escaped Orochimaru unscathed. Compared to his own insignificant contribution, Naruto was the one who contributed the most.

Will I, so weak... be abandoned again?

"What's wrong? Is the soup not good enough? You're not saying anything." Naruto's voice interrupted Sasuke's wandering thoughts. He saw that reassuring smile again. "Did you have a nightmare? Were you scared by Orochimaru? Don't be afraid. That guy is fifty years old, and he comes here to bully a kid. He's shameless! We'll definitely be much stronger than him when we're fifty!"

"You're too weak, too weak to even be worth a fight."

"You're the one who's scared."

Stop thinking about it... Stop overthinking!

"I was really scared~ After all, it can survive even after its head is cut off, it's really as troublesome as a snake." The warm little sun took the initiative to move closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I hate snakes the most! It feels so uncomfortable to punch one while holding back my goosebumps."

No, no! Naruto would never measure anyone by their "value"!

"...Then why not just use the Nine-Tails' power?"

“I have to call him by his name, Nine-Headed Rabjam, otherwise he’ll keep nagging me. I can’t always rely on Nine-Headed Rabjam; I want to see what I can do on my own.”

Dependence? In a way... hasn't he also been dependent on Naruto all along?

"My own strength is very important. Only when I am strong can the power we unleash when we cooperate be even stronger!"

...Is it due to its own...power...?

An unusually large amount of chakra is approaching. Having been in such a hurry to escape yesterday, Naruto naturally hadn't paid attention to the traces he left behind, so being tracked was to be expected. A team that didn't even have time to hide its escape route must have either encountered a powerful enemy or suffered heavy losses. Most people would assume the latter.

"Someone's on their way. Unfortunately, it's not a friend who's coming first." Naruto didn't have time to ponder why Sasuke was in a bad mood so early in the morning. He certainly had the means to deal with a large group of enemies, but he had just been ordered last night not to use ninjutsu beyond his limits, and he didn't want to be bombarded by the four-man group and Kurama on his first day.

"Wake up Sakura, we'll move to a different location right away." Sasuke immediately stood up.

"She kept watch last night..."

Naruto was only halfway through his lie when Sasuke started calling for help, so he had to shut up. Three elders had been on night watch the previous night; they had erased Sakura's memories and inserted a fake storyline of Naruto waking up and taking over the shift. They had also brought blankets and a stove; it was already quite good that Naruto, that guy who couldn't manage any household chores, remembered to bring food and water.

Sakura was given breakfast as soon as she woke up. She ate while her two companions packed up. They were quickly ready and left the tree hollow where they were hiding. The biggest advantage of those with sensory abilities is that they will never be discovered unless they choose to meet. But similarly, when they want to ambush someone, their opponent can only passively take the hits.

The first group of three to appear was the Sound Ninja Team. They had come confidently on orders to pursue the enemy, only to leave defeated and humiliated. A revitalized Sasuke desperately needed a fight to vent his emotions, and these three unfortunately ran right into his line of fire.

In this battle, Naruto didn't intervene at all. Sasuke had a very solid foundation, and with his tactical awareness honed since childhood, he quickly separated the three, creating one-on-one opportunities, and then swiftly countered their moves to win the victory.

While Naruto and Sakura were watching the match, Neji, Tenten, and Lee's team arrived. Neji stopped directly on the tree where Naruto and Sakura were watching and blocked Lee from helping.

"Which scroll is yours? We have two Books of the Land."

"The Book of Heaven," Naruto said with a smile. "Can't you see it?"

"So I can also see that the scrolls of the group below are the Book of Heaven." Neji was quite frank about some things. "Exchange?"

"it is good."

The battle below was still undecided when Naruto had already exchanged the Book of Heaven. Neji's team, having achieved their objective, didn't leave immediately but remained to watch. Soon, the third team arrived. This time it was familiar faces again, landing at the same tree. After all, Team 10 also had sensory-type abilities, just not as outrageous as Naruto's.

"Hey, I bet you guys were the ones who caused all the commotion yesterday." Shikamaru cut straight to the point. He found the exam incredibly troublesome, yet he was still very concerned about what happened yesterday.

"Sakura! After Shikamaru's analysis yesterday, I was so scared I couldn't sleep all night. I'm so glad you're okay!" Ino rushed to Sakura from behind. She wasn't worried about those two ridiculously handsome guys at all, but her best friend wasn't like them. Thankfully, she wasn't hurt anywhere.

Compared to the chattering crowd, Choji, quietly showing off his snacks, is a breath of fresh air.

As Sasuke turned around with the Book of Heaven in his hand, he saw the harmonious Konoha team. Everyone was probably doing different things, but they all turned their gazes to the center of the team, Uzumaki Naruto.

"Sasuke! That was a beautiful win!" The battle ended, and Naruto, who had been talking to someone, immediately turned around and praised him. Everyone was used to this; some silently gave a thumbs up, while others loudly echoed the sentiment. All sorts of people would set aside their differences and stand together in this dangerous arena, ultimately just because… some big idiot likes it.

That was the first time Sasuke realized that Naruto didn't belong to him alone.