LRAB Page 197
Page 197
He stood up and stretched lazily at the top of the hundreds-of-meters-high stone pillar.
His entire skeleton emitted a series of soft crackling sounds, full of power.
The fairy-like eyeshadow rippled slightly with his movements.
"Naruto! Naruto!"
A small, bright green toad carrying a tiny scroll on its back – Toad Fortune.
It was hopping and skipping as it climbed up the steep stone pillar at an incredible speed.
They quickly arrived at Naruto's side: "Your letter is here! It's from Konoha!"
"Oh? Thanks, lucky bastard!"
Naruto accepted the letter bearing the Hokage crest and thanked him.
Sasuke also leaped over lightly, his movements fluid and natural, as if unrestrained by gravity.
His toad-like eyes returned to their normal black color, and the immortal eyeshadow slowly faded away, but his overall energy and spirit remained at their peak.
"What's written on it?" he asked, his voice steady.
Naruto tore open the seal and quickly glanced through the contents of the letter.
The relaxed expression on his face was gradually replaced by a solemn one: "It's an emergency summons from Granny Tsunade."
Naruto looked up at Sasuke: "She wants us to end our training immediately and return to Konoha!"
Sasuke's eyes instantly sharpened, a chilling aura emanating from them: "What happened in Konoha? Orochimaru has reappeared?"
This was his most direct concern, since one of the main reasons they left the village three years ago was to draw away Orochimaru's threat.
Naruto shook his head and handed the letter to Sasuke: "It's not Konoha, it's the neighboring country of the Land of Fire, the Land of Demons. Something has happened."
His voice was serious: "The letter said that the shrine within the Land of Demons that sealed the soul of the ancient demon 'Wraith' has been deliberately destroyed! The Wraith's soul inside... has escaped!"
"A demon?!"
As soon as Naruto finished speaking, the illusory soul of Minato within the sealed space trembled violently and cried out in alarm!
"The legendary world-destroying demon, the Wraith?!"
"According to ancient records, it was a terrifying entity that nearly destroyed the entire world in ancient times."
"Possessing the characteristic of immortality, it can control an endless army of the undead!"
"It was only sealed away by the priestess Miroku of the Land of Demons, who sacrificed her life! How could it..."
The sound of water gate was filled with shock and worry.
Sasuke quickly scanned the letter, his brow furrowed: "Does the Fifth Hokage mean... that we should capture that escaped demonic spirit?"
This sounds like an extremely dangerous and tricky S-class mission.
Naruto pointed to the back of the letter: "Our main mission is not to capture the soul of the demon, but to escort it!"
He explained, "According to the letter, when the Maitreya priestess sealed away the demon..."
"In order to completely eliminate the possibility of its resurrection, a special 'soul-body separation' sealing technique was used."
"Seal the soul of the demon in the shrine of the land of demons."
"His enormous, terrifyingly powerful body was sealed away in a secret place in the neighboring Swamp Country!"
Sasuke immediately understood the key point: "Therefore, the ultimate target of the guy who released the spirit of the demon must be the Land of Swamp!"
"He wants to liberate the sealed body of the demon, reunite its soul and body, and completely resurrect this world-destroying monster!"
Naruto nodded, his expression grave: "Moreover, to ensure absolute success, they will definitely try every means to eliminate the only being in this world capable of sealing away the demons again—the current priestess of the Land of Demons!"
Sasuke looked at the final arrangement in the letter: "So, the Fifth Hokage's plan is to dispatch Konoha's main force to the border between the Land of Demons and the Land of Swamp to directly intercept and eliminate the army of undead that the spirit of the demon might control after its release."
"Buy us some time, and at the same time, it's all thanks to us from Class Seven—me, you, and..."
He paused, a barely perceptible glint in his eyes: "...Sakura, you are responsible for secretly escorting the Priestess Shion through the dangerous area and safely arriving at the Sealed Shrine in the Land of Swamps!"
"Only the power of the priestess can seal the fully-formed demon once again!"
"As for the perverted sage..." Naruto pursed his lips, "He was ordered by Granny Tsunade to go and support the front lines."
"The letter said that the undead army controlled by the demons was very troublesome and possessed a certain 'undead' characteristic."
"Ordinary ninjas are hard to kill effectively; you need his wide-range ninjutsu to clear the area."
Mentioning Sakura, Naruto's eyes revealed a mixture of nostalgia and anticipation: "It's been three years... I wonder how Sakura-chan is doing now? She must have become incredibly strong after training with Granny Tsunade, right?"
Sasuke, seeing Naruto lost in thought, casually remarked, "Don't overthink it."
"It's only been three years, we haven't reached the point where we've completely changed into different people."
Although he himself knew that the three years of arduous training at Mount Myoboku and the trials on the brink of life and death had already transformed them completely.
He put away the letter and looked toward the magnificent toad palace deep in Mount Myōboku: "Let's go and say goodbye to Grandpa Fukasaku, Grandma Shima, and the Great Toad Sage."
Originally, the two of them addressed the two immortals quite politely, but the two little ones were just too lovable, so Shima the Immortal told them to just call them Grandpa and Grandma.
"The mission is urgent, we need to set off as soon as possible."
Naruto responded, his fighting spirit rekindled on his face.
After three years of arduous training, the immortal arts have been mastered. It's time to test the results and protect those who need protection!
Let them see the power of the new generation of Konoha's legendary Sannin!
The two exchanged a glance, said nothing more, and quickly disappeared from the spot.
Only two towering stone pillars remain, standing silently amidst the rich natural energy of Mount Myoboku.
It was as if witnessing the departure of two young immortals and the beginning of a new legend.
Konoha Hidden Village, Hokage's office.
A document was slammed down on the table.
"What about the intelligence from the front lines? What about the movements of the undead army? Why haven't we received any new information yet?!"
Tsunade, the current Fifth Hokage, is currently unleashing her fury on several members of the Anbu.
She was wearing a Hokage robe, her long golden hair was tied up, and her face showed obvious fatigue and anxiety.
But those amber eyes remained sharp as knives, exuding a sense of oppression.
Three years as Hokage added a touch of authority and competence to her demeanor, but her fiery temper seemed to have remained largely unchanged.
"Lady Tsunade, the number of undead is far greater than expected, and their shells are extremely hard, making ordinary ninjutsu ineffective..."
One of the secret agents forced himself to explain.
It wasn't that they didn't want to stop them, but the other side consisted of a group of lifeless stone men, devoid of pain and consciousness.
The only action was to move forward.
They also considered using boulders to block the path of the undead army, but these stone men could easily smash through the rocks.
As for breaking it, that would be even more of a headache.
During this period, the personnel responsible for stopping the enemy forces could be said to have wiped out the entire opposing legion several times.
But each time, as soon as one is broken, the previous one is already repaired and the process continues.
Upon hearing this, Tsunade covered her forehead: "Jiraiya? He's here? And reinforcements! The second batch of reinforcements must depart immediately! Kakashi, you lead the team yourself!"
Kakashi Hatake, who had been leaning lazily against the window, responded with a sound.
Even the exposed dead fish eye became unusually serious.
Just then, there was a knock on the office door.
Chapter 222 Class 7 Reassembles
Thinking there was some bad news, Tsunade covered her forehead and snapped irritably, "Come in!"
The door was pushed open, and two figures walked in.
The office fell silent instantly. All eyes were fixed on the doorway.
The boy on the left still had dazzling blond hair, but his posture was even more upright and robust.
He was wearing a well-fitting black combat uniform with an orange short-sleeved jacket over it.
His face wore a sunny and confident smile, his eyes were steady, and his brows revealed a maturity that had been tempered by life's trials.
It's Naruto Uzumaki!
The boy on the right has jet-black hair, a stern face, and a tall, slender figure.
He was wearing a dark blue stand-up collar robe, with a Kusanagi sword at his waist.
He had his hands in his pockets, his expression indifferent.
But when those dark eyes swept across the office, they were like swords drawn from their sheaths, carrying an all-knowing sharpness and an unfathomable, restrained aura.
It’s Uchiha Sasuke!
Three years is enough time for a boy to grow into a young adult.
The aura they exude is no longer that of the naive young people they were when they left the village.
That was the power and confidence that naturally flowed out after experiencing life-and-death trials and mastering extraordinary power!
"Naruto...Sasuke..."
Looking at her two transformed disciples, Tsunade's anger vanished instantly.
Instead, he felt an undisguised sense of relief and excitement, and even his eyes were slightly red.
She quickly walked around the desk and stood in front of the two people.
"Grandma Tsunade (Fifth Hokage)!"
Naruto and Sasuke spoke at the same time, their tone filled with respect and the warmth of a long-awaited reunion.
"Good! Good! It's good that you're back!"
Tsunade patted Naruto's shoulder hard, then looked Sasuke over carefully, her eyes full of approval: "Looks like you two rascals haven't been slacking off these past three years!"