Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 452 Miracle

"What do you mean by 'we're not needed'?" Naruto, who could hear the reply but couldn't respond directly, was jumping up and down in a panic for the first time. "Pain is our senior brother, so it's the most reasonable thing for us to deal with him!"

Kurama refused to relay the message; since they said it wasn't necessary, he should trust his teammates—it was the Second Hokage's guarantee. Just moments ago, they had even captured the First Hokage and brought him to Konoha to work. He didn't know if the situation was optimistic, but the enemy was definitely doomed.

Sasuke frowned, first returning to reality to replenish the pearl chain maintaining the genjutsu with chakra, before saying, "They don't just want Naruto to be the Sixth Hokage, do they? They're just throwing away the glory that's been handed to them?"

Um... that makes sense, but Naruto is already dead!

Kurama glared at him fiercely, then noticed Naruto's eyes light up without him even realizing it, and said, "Sasuke wants to become Hokage? Actually, you don't need to keep pretending to be me. As long as Akatsuki takes the bait, expose their ambitions to the entire ninja world. Then everyone will be on the same boat, and it won't matter whether I am the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki or not."

Sasuke, with half his face hidden in shadow, said in a deep voice, "I promised to protect what you cherish. Isn't becoming Hokage your dream that you always talked about? It's not like you're never coming back. Now that I'm using your identity, it's only right that I do something for you."

Naruto's face was filled with hesitation, a mixture of emotion and helplessness. Only those who hold the Hokage position truly know the consequences; if it weren't for "Hikaru's" ultimate goal, he really wouldn't have needed to risk it all.

Kurama looked at Sasuke with a meaningful gaze. Naruto was exceptionally sharp when it came to politics and battle, but he was completely lost in this situation. Kurama understood the unspoken message in the boy's words: if Naruto didn't return, Sasuke probably... wouldn't regain his identity.

However, before they could finish discussing their reasons, a sudden spatial fluctuation struck, and when they opened their eyes again, Sasuke was face to face with Jiraiya.

Those whose names are on the Mount Myōboku register can actually be summoned by other people on the register or by toads. Jiraiya could, of course, summon Sasuke directly, as this was his last bit of power.

"Naruto?" Kakashi, who was standing guard nearby, was surprised that Jiraiya had summoned "Naruto".

Sasuke was on high alert when he saw the two men in such a disheveled state. He was shocked to see a huge crater behind him. He had just promised to protect Naruto's treasured possessions, but when he arrived at the village, he found a crater!

"This is?"

"...The Heavenly Dao was just destroyed."

"Just now?"

Sasuke's mind started to wander, and Naruto also noticed the eagerness in his tone.

"Sasuke?" Naruto tried to stop him, but he was currently only using a chakra core and couldn't do anything but offer advice. "You don't intend to do that, right? Such a large area..."

“It is precisely because of its vast scope that it can be called…a miracle!” Sasuke turned around and activated his Mangekyou Sharingan where no one could see him.

Seeing the astonishment on Naruto's face, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He had finally made this guy feel the same way he did. Naruto had already done so much, and what he could do was so limited. This ability was his trump card, the only thing he could offer.

Open it, Mingzhao. Let this land return to a time of peace and tranquility.

Kurama's chakra is very distinctive, and Sasuke was spotted by many sensory ninjas as soon as he appeared.

Tobirama was assembling his team. Pain was relentlessly channeling chakra to destroy Konoha, and Tobirama had indeed detected the intense fluctuations. He had roughly pinpointed the mountain where Nagato was located and planned to lead his team on a thorough search.

Moreover, he also had to send his brother back to Hokushin. There were five Jinchuriki there! And then there was the even more troublesome and slippery Orochimaru. The fighting power of the Uchiha and Senju was beyond doubt, but only the Mangekyou Sharingan could restrain the Tailed Beasts. Fugaku and Itachi, who hadn't yet adapted to his new eyes, might not be able to control these people.

Besides, Pain had already completely evacuated Konoha, so they had no time to worry about fighting outside the village. If they couldn't kill Pain, what kind of Second Hokage would he be? Therefore, he decisively rejected Sasuke's request to join the battle. Just as he was about to lead his team out, the Nine-Tails' chakra appeared within his perception range.

Jiraiya? He's probably afraid his two disciples will be killed. Sasuke doesn't have sensory abilities; as long as they move fast enough, the enemy definitely won't be able to catch up...

But just as he was thinking this, the giant pit beneath the ground suddenly stirred. The scattered dust and smoke abruptly gathered together, and then the flattened bottom of the pit rapidly rose! Then, the rubble spontaneously coalesced, the flattened houses "stood" up on their own, and slugs emerged from beneath the ruins, only to quickly shrink back into the small creatures hanging around people's necks...

Tobirama knew, of course, that Sasuke's new ability was incredibly powerful, but... he thought the kid could only rewind time to a small area at most? No way! Using his eye technique on such a large scale—did he even care about his eyes? Did he even care about his life?! How could they all be so reckless with their own lives?!

In an instant, Tobirama's hand was on Sasuke's shoulder, and he shouted sharply, "Stop! That's enough!"

Sasuke's eyes were indeed bleeding. This time, he couldn't bear the excruciating pain any longer and clutched his chest, gasping for breath. Compared to that pain that seemed to come from nowhere yet was everywhere, the pain in his eyes was secondary.

"Aaaaah! I told you your ability is activated by your soul!" Naruto was so anxious that he almost drew out all the chakra from his tails, but he held back for Sasuke's sake.

Sasuke's chest wasn't the problem; the issue lay with his soul core. He watched helplessly as the light dimmed slightly, and in a panic, he pinned Sasuke to his sea of ​​consciousness within his mental space. However, this didn't stop the kid from courting disaster. Luckily, Tobirama arrived quickly enough!

Despite the excruciating pain, Sasuke, who was lying on the sea of ​​consciousness, laughed. He caught his breath and, taking advantage of Naruto's distraction in treating his eyes, broke free and fiercely retorted.

"Naruto, aren't you just like that? You're allowed to do this, but I'm not allowed to sacrifice myself?"

"But I've never tormented my own soul like this before!" Naruto was more anxious than ever before, grabbing Sasuke's shoulders and saying, "A shattered soul means utter death! It will never come back! Do you understand, Sasuke?"

“I know.” Sasuke stared intently into those blue eyes that held his gaze. “Don’t you know a lot about souls? This trip to the Pure Land was also to figure out things related to souls.”

"You'll heal me, right?"