Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 536 Gods Fighting

[Uncle Hashirama, what is the Ten-Tails like in your perception?]

Hashirama, who was admiring Madara's skillful use of his technique, paused, glancing at his brothers who were still arguing. Seeing their lack of reaction, he tentatively replied, "I didn't sense any telepathic fluctuations. Can you hear me if I speak like this directly?"

【certainly.】

What new thing has this child researched this time?

Hashirama set aside his doubts and replied, "Its consciousness is like that of a wild beast, but its perception is like that of a plant, somewhat similar to Wood Release. The rest is beyond description."

"Still so perceptive, Uncle Hashirama. The remaining part doesn't belong to the Ten-Tails; the cause and effect here are quite complex. If I told you I could let you replace the Ten-Tails' soul and become it, would you be willing?"

Hashirama almost showed a shocked expression, but he tried his best to hold it in and confirmed Naruto's meaning several times.

Is it even possible to do something like this?!

"Hmm~ Actually, if I gave you some time, I should be able to tame the Ten-Tails. Your attributes are similar, and your soul is much stronger than the Ten-Tails'. But that Ten-Tails eats people, so it's better to remove its soul. A body without a soul will not only go out of control, but will also decay rapidly. The Ten-Tails is so big; who knows what would happen if we removed its soul all at once? That's why I immediately thought of what Hashirama said."

Don't downplay this kind of thing!!

Hashirama, usually quite oblivious, now had a completely new understanding of Naruto. He was finally certain that Naruto, returning from the Pure Land, seemed to have unlocked his full potential. He was still Naruto, but his control over his power had clearly reached a whole new level. He didn't seem to care much about the Ten-Tails, reviving it whenever he wanted, replacing its core whenever he wanted. This kid hadn't been nervous since the start of the war, as if everything was under his control.

Is this really normal? He always felt that a part of Naruto had disappeared.

[It's alright if they don't want to, but the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki will have to suffer a bit more. Suddenly having control over such a large amount of power and a new body, it will take them a long time to adjust before they wake up.]

This statement was the real bait that lured Hashirama in. Based on Hashirama's understanding of Madara, Madara would never delegate the task of completing the Infinite Tsukuyomi; he would definitely do it himself. And the person who would become the Jinchūriki was, without a doubt, Madara!

He had just promised Ban that he would share the future with him, how could he go back on his word now?

【I agree. You didn't give me a chance to refuse, Naruto.】

No, I clearly have absolute confidence in you.

This was to give his own people a chance to evolve. It wasn't a scheme, of course. It was for the future of this world, so that he could solve the biggest problem without any worries. He had to do this.

While this secret exchange was taking place, the battle continued.

Faced with the sea of ​​trees, Sasuke chose to hide in the sky. Naruto rode on Sasuke's Susanoo and took to the air as well, casually conjuring a black shield for the oversized Susanoo. Surprisingly, this shield was indeed stronger than the one formed by Susanoo, blocking all incoming attacks without causing any recoil—quite absurd.

Sasuke didn't have time to ask what that was; he simply flung the tomoe adorned with Amaterasu towards the ground and summoned surging lightning from the dark clouds using Susanoo. This wasn't normal rain; it was acid rain. After all, there was a giant acidic lake nearby, and the fire-style techniques used around it accelerated the evaporation of the lake water, thus forming this rain cloud. However, everyone present was a ninja, protected by chakra, so this amount of acid rain wouldn't cause them much of a problem.

This was Sasuke's first time using Susanoo to perform a ninjutsu. Kirin is a ninjutsu that draws upon natural lightning, but with the enhancement of Susanoo, his own lightning-attribute chakra was released in greater quantities, amplifying the overall power of Kirin. Even before it was fully concealed in the clouds and rain, the lightning Kirin emitted a deafening roar, seemingly capable of tearing everything on the ground apart at any moment.

Madara Uchiha was quite satisfied with this young man. Up until now, he hadn't yet witnessed what kind of eye technique Izuna had described, the Dark Seal, but that didn't stop Sasuke from demonstrating his power. This was how the Uchiha clan should be—using their overwhelming power to declare their existence to the world.

Since the younger generation has worked so hard, he should respond to this strength with all his might.

The blue giant that appeared in the fourth battlefield rose up from the ground. That thing was even larger than Sasuke's current Susanoo. The long sword it drew reached the sky, as if it could shatter the clouds.

"Leave this to me." Naruto, who had been slacking off for a long time, was finally going to make his move openly. He had added a little surprise to Sasuke's Kirin, so breaking through his defenses should be easy, but if he was slashed beforehand, the effect would be greatly reduced.

However, Sasuke restrained his leg as he was about to step forward, gripping his wrist tightly with distrust in his eyes.

"Can't it be in Susanoo?"

Sasuke was also terrified of Naruto, and even the Edo Tensei form wouldn't let him do anything. He couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't go crazy if he saw Naruto break apart a few more times.

"The distance is too far, it's hard to pinpoint the location." Actually, it's possible to pinpoint the location, but it's mentally taxing, since what needs to be transmitted is the opponent's attack, not a lightweight person.

"Use clones."

The clone's positioning ability is not as good as the original body. After all, he is just an extension left in the human world by the "god" and cannot create a clone with soul fragments. However, judging from Sasuke's posture, he probably won't back down, so he really didn't bother and obediently threw down a clone.

The attacks from both sides were about to erupt. The Thunder Kirin's size was comparable to a complete Susanoo. It roared as it charged towards the ground, its body creating bursts of thunder as it scraped against the air. The Blue Susanoo's attack was simpler. He simply gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist and then swung it sharply into the sky. The sonic boom of the longsword also created a long, continuous blue sword light.

However, the first thing to collide with the sword light was not the Thunder Beast, but Naruto's clone, which appeared incredibly small and sandwiched in the middle. From the moment he fell, a pure black power had been gathering in his hand. In the instant the clone became illusory and completely disappeared, that energy finally erupted, blasting a nearly perfect circular crack from a tiny point. The sword light passed through the crack, but did not reappear on the other side, thus causing a break in the perfect blade of light.

Immediately afterwards, the wound healed before the Kirin arrived, and the lightning, almost undamaged, struck Susanoo's body directly.