Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 269 Blockade Battle

The demon army prefers to operate at night, disappearing into the ground as soon as dawn breaks. Naruto wasn't sure if the demons were afraid of the sun or simply disliked daytime, but it was true that their energy was less active during the day. Adhering to the principle of not wasting any advantage, Naruto timed the arrival of his shadow clones at the sealed land, flying there with a group of people at midday under the bright sun.

"We're here already?" Ziyuan felt she wasn't mentally prepared at all; how could the place already be right in front of her?!

"Naruto is the fastest ninja in Konoha!" Rock Lee praised without reservation.

"It's not that exaggerated." Naruto, still not used to being praised to his face, quickly ended the discussion, raising his arm in a gesture of satisfaction. "Let's hurry and end this catastrophe. Neji..."

"I'm looking." Neji's eyes remained open as he landed and began looking around, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. "This mountain is too thick; I can't see through it. Should we just go straight in..."

Before Neji could finish speaking, the energy of the demon suddenly surged violently. Naruto's first reaction was to activate a barrier, hoping to create a buffer and prevent a sneak attack. However, the "monster's" power was clearly beyond what was recorded. An astonishingly large army of ghosts suddenly emerged from the previously empty ground. Naruto was 100% certain they had appeared suddenly, as the glaring spatial fluctuations were impossible to conceal, and this army had been stationed hundreds of kilometers away just half a day ago!

"Have we been ambushed?!"

The team immediately went on alert, all eyes fixed downwards. Their landing point wasn't at the main entrance of the sealed shrine, but above the cave entrance; Naruto's cautious approach prevented them from immediately being surrounded. However, the enemy seemed to be preparing to rush into the shrine, meaning they still had to actively block their path.

"Sakura, can you cut off the road?" The flat area in front of the ancestral hall is too wide and the foundation is relatively stable, making it difficult to handle. However, the road winds its way up the mountain, making it much easier to handle than the platform.

"no problem."

"Okay! Tiantian, you should have brought enough explosive tags, right? If not, I have more."

"Do you even need to tell me?" Tian Tian's spatial scroll had already been opened, and the small scroll she was holding had a big "Explosion" written on it.

"Charge forward in one go! Sakura cuts off the road, Tenten uses explosive tags to suppress the terracotta warriors on the platform, Lee and Neji clear the way for me, Shion, get on my back."

The ninjas, once in battle mode, even changed their demeanor; their usual friendliness was replaced by a fierce, eager fighting spirit. Shion was actually a person who could distinguish right from wrong; her temper was limited to everyday life, and she was reliable in crucial moments. She leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder, feeling as light as if she were floating on a cloud, surrounded by the constant explosions, with shards of rock and dust constantly splattering on her. She dared not look up or move, fearing that she might prevent them from reaching the gate. However, her fears were unfounded; Naruto quickly stopped moving and gently set her down.

“I’ve checked. There’s only a broken puppet inside. He can’t threaten you. Just seal him away.” Naruto pressed her shoulder, smiling brightly amidst the smoke. “I’ll go in and help you after I’ve dealt with the trouble around the area near the entrance.”

"Ziyuan, don't be afraid."

Upon hearing this, Ziyuan's heart trembled violently, but she said nothing, only nodded, and ran with all her might towards the ancestral hall.

She'd heard those words before, in her dream. The person in her dream had no expression, spoke without any intonation, and certainly never called her name so gently. She couldn't understand why there was such a difference. Their path had been so smooth so far; did it really mean the prophecy wouldn't come true?

But reality is always so cruel, shattering her illusions without mercy.

The moment she stepped through the passageway, Shion froze, then belatedly realized that cold sweat had soaked through her clothes. She recognized this place—the place where the prophecy had taken place. A silent fear spread from the depths of her heart, trying to control her limbs, but she gritted her teeth and took a step forward. Naruto had said that no matter how much the demons interfered, there was only one thing she had to do.

Seal him away!

“You’ve grown up, you look just like Maitreya.” The man possessed by the demon looked wrinkled all over, and it seemed difficult for him to even lift his head, but the demon still said with ease, “Let’s formally greet the young priestess.”

The stone statues suddenly reappeared, startling Ziyuan. Fortunately, they weren't moving very fast, so she was able to find a way to avoid them.

Perhaps it was because he was about to die, but the man became unusually talkative, speaking slowly and deliberately: "My name is Huang Quan, and I am the one whose ambitions were thwarted by your mother, Maitreya..."

Ziyuan, who had accidentally reached a dead end, was terrified. But then the bell her mother had left behind began to shine. The stone statue was swept by the light and instantly turned into a pile of rubble.

"What are you surprised about? Don't you understand your own power? This is truly astonishing. What have you learned so far?" The man named Huang Quan seemed to be more himself or more of a demon at this moment. Shion had no memory of this person, yet he seemed to really understand the priestess's abilities.

With the bell protecting her, Ziyuan gained confidence and said firmly, "For today, I've worked day after day..."

"Practicing sealing techniques, huh?" Huang Quan suddenly laughed, a chilling laugh that even carried a hint of pleasure in his tone. "Then try sealing me away as soon as possible! Can you do it?"

"There's only a broken puppet inside. He can't threaten you. Just seal him away."

Shion remembered Naruto's words; he had been incredibly reliable throughout the journey, completely disregarding even her prophecy. So, she'd trust him for now... she was about to pass by that guy!

"This thing is really hard!" Xiao Li said, shaking his hand.

"Even the detonating tags aren't very effective." Tian Tian had already pulled out her homemade oversized bomb, but it seemed to only be enough to blast the statue a little distance away.

“We can handle the superhuman strength, but there are just too many of them…” Sakura was already panting. She had just interrupted the path below, but all the stone statues seemed to be able to use earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to escape from the ground), and they would always inexplicably emerge from the ground.

"Even the Eight Trigrams Palm can only temporarily repel them. Is the only way to stop them really the seal of Lady Shion?" Neji waved his hand again to repel several stone statues, and a feeling of powerlessness arose spontaneously.

"Looks like there's no other way. I didn't want to cause so much damage." Naruto used the Giant Rasengan after a long time, but it seemed that its size was not enough in the face of so many people. "Everyone, get into the cave. I'll lower the entire platform."

As everyone quickly slipped into the passageway, Naruto's chakra also dissipated in large quantities, instantly filling the entire platform.

"Earth Escape Technique: Super Earthquake Core!"