Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 12 "Home"

Of course, one night wouldn't yield a result on how to advance the new path. Each of the parties involved had been a leader, managing matters large and small, and their opinions clashed fiercely. Most astonishingly, every suggestion Naruto made seemed far-fetched, yet upon closer examination, it was all closely related to peace. His stubbornness on this matter was a stark contrast to his usually easygoing demeanor; his argumentative style was simply unstoppable. In the entire small hall, only Shisui truly couldn't get a word in edgewise, and could only occasionally offer Naruto, the only one with physical needs, snacks and tea.

It was another thoroughly enjoyable night. Naruto, who had been arguing all night, returned to Konoha completely exhausted. But today was Sasuke's second day back home, and as soon as he landed, he noticed that his neighbor's mood wasn't exactly good either. The clone looked at him hesitantly, then promptly released the jutsu. A double wave of fatigue washed over him instantly. He immediately learned that Sasuke hadn't slept all night. Thankfully, it was the weekend, so neither of them had to go to class with dark circles under their eyes. Speaking of which, the Uzumaki clan's vitality is truly tenacious. Even after Naruto's exertions, his body was still remarkably strong, with only a few slight bags under his eyes, and his dark circles were barely noticeable.

Naruto thought for a moment, then got up, washed up, took out the rice balls he had prepared for breakfast, quickly heated them up, and went into Sasuke's house.

Sasuke had no reason to refuse breakfast, and halfway through his meal, he noticed that the usually overly talkative guy was eerily quiet. Looking up, he found the other guy asleep, slumped over the table. Had he gone off to steal something in the middle of the night? He was the one who couldn't sleep.

For some reason, Sasuke didn't forcefully wake his sometimes unreliable partner. Despite his stubbornness, he still carried him onto his tatami mat and lay down with him. It was warm beside him, and people tend to fall asleep more easily in comfortable environments, so he fell asleep next to Naruto.

"I'm impressed." It wasn't just humans who gained a new understanding of Naruto throughout the night; a fox also did. "You really like reading the local produce catalog because you actually like those products..."

"The issue of having enough to eat and wear is very important!"

Nine-Lama felt that he really didn't understand humans. He had never seen such an outrageous and selfless idea in his life. "'The way to achieve human unity is to satisfy everyone's desires.' Only a naive idiot like you could say such a thing."

"Theoretically, it's possible once we have abundant resources. We need a goal!"

"I don't think an unattainable goal is of any benefit to the world right now," Nine Lamas commented mercilessly. "Didn't you ask me before which era of humanity was the most peaceful? I'll tell you now."

"The era when Kaguya, the goddess of the rabbit, was still alive."

Naruto showed no surprise or doubt. He remained calm and smiled with a slightly bitter expression. "So, from the very beginning, we were on the wrong path. As a result, there are always people who want to imitate that goddess who seems successful but is actually a complete failure."

"...Tell me, has peace been achieved?"

"Then the price was that the world was reshuffled and wars raged for a thousand years. What kind of achievement is that!"

As the second round of debate in Naruto's mental space was about to end, his physical fatigue finally subsided, and even Sasuke managed to pull himself together and drag Naruto to their secret base.

Nothing much has changed here. The trees, which have been used as targets for years, are still riddled with holes. The pits dug out to serve as earthen stoves haven't been filled in with leaves yet. The air is filled with the fresh scent of grass and streams. Everything seems warm and harmonious. But less than five miles away lies the edge of the Uchiha clan's territory, where an unprecedented massacre in Konoha's history has just taken place.

Naruto was a little apprehensive when he came here, mainly because he was afraid that Sasuke wouldn't be able to accept such a drop in status. But Sasuke was stronger than he thought. He looked in the direction of the clan's territory for a long time, then suddenly turned around and assumed an attack stance.

"Fight me, Naruto. Don't hold back."

Naruto had to fill the hole he dug himself, so what could he do but respond with the same seriousness?

In terms of taijutsu, Sasuke is no match for Naruto at all. Every move he makes is learned and perfected under Naruto's constant instruction. It is very difficult for one person to defeat an opponent who understands him well.

His hook punch was dodged, then parried; his flying sweep was neutralized, leaving his leg bone throbbing; his grappling was neutralized by a flexible technique. Sasuke was finally getting carried away. He leaped backward, his hands rapidly forming hand seals, and unleashed a fireball large enough to swallow Naruto whole! Indeed, who says anger can't be materialized?

Naruto was slightly surprised, but that was all. He placed his hands on his chest and unleashed a cross-shaped slash. The invisible blade pierced through the fireball, successfully creating a passable central area for him. Naruto leaped lightly through the center of the fireball, directly confronting Sasuke who was not far away. A child wouldn't have such reflexes; he easily took Sasuke down.

"What is that? Wind?" Sasuke's chakra was exhausted, and he lay on the ground unable to move, but his eyes were stubbornly wide open, as if he felt that his friend had deceived him.

Naruto raised his hands in surrender. "I threw paper airplanes at you for two days and accidentally discovered that chakra can be transformed into wind. Otherwise, why do you think paper airplanes can fly so high?"

The surrounding ANBU members' emotions shifted from shock to speechlessness. Most people struggle to even touch the edge of wind-style chakra training, yet Naruto had achieved a unique application of wind-style chakra just to send a paper airplane into the sky—it was practically a genius descended to earth! And he hadn't even finished hand seals after using wind to slice through a fireball!! The ANBU members exchanged glances, and one of them quickly slipped away.

"I heard that chakra test strips can test chakra attributes. Even if you don't have an attribute, it doesn't matter, because attributes can be trained later." Naruto fully demonstrated his studious persona.

"...I think I have some at home."

Sasuke's words silenced Naruto, but he seemed oblivious and continued, "It's for my brother. He graduated very early, I think he was only seven years old?"

"Ha, that's my current age."

"Sasuke..." Naruto tried to stop Sasuke from his oblivious state, it was a bit too frightening, but Sasuke spoke again with great determination.

"Naruto, come home with me. We can get the chakra test strips, can't we?"

Could Naruto say no? So, the two children walked hand in hand to the gate of the clan's territory, which was sealed off by white stripes.