Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 491 Casual Chat at Sea

"What's wrong? Seasick?" Naruto opened his eyes in the mental space and saw the head on his lap. For some reason, he particularly liked to sit cross-legged and float slightly when he was dormant in the mental space, probably because this posture didn't consume much energy?

Sasuke was busy; he would sometimes be awake, and sometimes asleep. Their schedules weren't entirely the same; he usually went to bed a few hours later than Sasuke, keeping watch until midnight before Kurama took over. Therefore, he rarely saw Sasuke get up, and he couldn't understand why the guy had been so clingy lately.

Sasuke didn't answer, but simply lay on his side on the sea of ​​consciousness, stubbornly resting his head on his lap.

Naruto sighed. Sasuke's stubbornness had never changed. So, he could only rely on his limited emotional intelligence to guess the reason.

"Is the food bad? It's really hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables on a ship, and the R&D department can't solve this problem for now. But just bear with it a little longer, our destination has many local specialties, and they all taste pretty good."

"You've eaten there? Isn't that the Hidden Cloud Village's secret base?" Sasuke finally spoke, but his words were tinged with suspicion.

"Um...actually, we've all seen that place before. Remember the sea monster incident in the Land of Iron? The island we encountered at sea back then is our current destination." Naruto couldn't very well say that he had actually eaten there, and for quite some time afterward.

Sasuke was already adept at exploiting such loopholes, and then asked, "We only took a glimpse from afar; we didn't actually land on the island."

"...I'm used to sending shadow clones to scout unfamiliar places. I've sneaked up there before."

"And then you left a mark?"

Naruto maintained an awkward and helpless smile, unwilling to answer the question.

"If you're alright, we don't need to waste any more time at sea..."

"That's not how you put it. I can't just fly directly to the Hidden Cloud Village's secret base in front of the entire ninja world. If I did that, morale would collapse before the battle even starts."

"Hmph, why bother considering the opinions of those old fogies?"

"They're not all old-fashioned, are they? When it comes to actual negotiations, aren't they very cooperative? Look, Granny Tsunade went out for a big meal as soon as she got back."

"Isn't that because she hasn't fully recovered yet?"

"No, no, no, if Granny Tsunade is in a bad mood, she'll go to the most remote training ground in Konoha, and then..." Naruto clenched his fist, vividly imitating the prelude to Granny Tsunade's attack.

Having spent so much time with the Hokage, Sasuke had pretty much figured out Tsunade's temper. When she was in a bad mood, her desk would literally break down. The fact that she was in such a bad mood that she had to personally go to the training grounds... one could already imagine the disastrous scene.

"Come to think of it, couldn't she see through my disguise?"

“Didn’t Tobirama find an opportunity to talk to Granny Tsunade? She seems unaware. Sometimes playing dumb is a form of acting, you know.” Naruto muttered to himself, trying to soothe Sasuke’s ruffled hair. “Look at the bodyguards I brought on this trip, none of them are very familiar with me, except for Captain Yamato. His Wood Release couldn’t be replaced, so I had to bring him. To know what someone is thinking, you can’t just look at what they say to you, but observe what they do.”

"So, it means she knows the truth." Sasuke sat up. In reality, his unruly spiky hair was surprisingly obedient in the mental space. After being manipulated for so long, the frizzy hair on the back of his head was actually smoothed out.

"No wonder she was so receptive to the 'Dongfeng' project. As soon as we recommended it, she approved the appointment of your father."

Sasuke was staring intently at him, so close that Sasuke could even see his own reflection in those dark pupils. Sasuke, still sporting his signature bangs, couldn't quite pull off the perfectly straight hairstyle; it looked more like a poorly cut watermelon head. But he couldn't help but drift off for a moment, then his mischievous hands created Sasuke's new look: a messy, unkempt hairstyle.

"You'd be better off thinking about how to get along with the Jinchuriki once you get to the island. Don't forget the most important mission of this trip."

"I haven't forgotten to help them reconcile with the Tailed Beasts." Sasuke neither got angry nor avoided him, but lowered his head and let him do whatever he wanted.

"Hmm~ I can't help with this process, I can't even solidify into a physical form, I can only stay inside Kurama's tail." Naruto still had some conscience, after messing around enough, he tried his best to restore Sasuke's hairstyle to a hedgehog-like state, Sasuke was more vivid like this.

"Keep it up, I believe in you!"

Sasuke reluctantly agreed, completely lacking enthusiasm. He was always like this during social situations; it was almost a habit. The thought of the least sociable person now having to maintain a smile and speak in a way that wasn't his own felt a bit excessive, even to Naruto himself. But what could he do? His unreliable original self hadn't returned yet. He could only temporarily put Sasuke in a difficult position.

Naruto had no idea that during this brief conversation, Sasuke's mental state was going through a rollercoaster of emotions.

One moment he felt Naruto's lap pillow was soft, but lacked the warmth of a living person; the next he recalled that the sun in his dream was warm, but its light concealed hidden dangers; one moment he resented why the people of Konoha couldn't recognize him as Naruto, yet he was also grateful that it was precisely because of this that Naruto's plan could proceed smoothly; the next he sensed a possibility he didn't want to believe in Naruto's slight daze, but he still couldn't bring himself to question the person who most likely knew everything.

If that dream really was related to Naruto, and everything in the dream actually happened... then who else could Naruto be who came to his side?

What child, at such a young age, could capture White Zetsu on their own, save people from jumping off cliffs, and also happen to be able to use the Edo Tensei, which was almost modified to its final version?

Before waking up, Sasuke couldn't help but grab Naruto's hand and ask the question that had been weighing on his mind.

"Naruto, when you come back, will you leave me?"

Naruto seemed not to understand him at all, but the confusion only lasted for a moment before he flashed his brightest smile.

"Of course I wouldn't say that!"

This resounding affirmation did indeed calm his restless heart, but this clueless fool started talking again.

"Based on my previous habits, my main body will most likely remain in Konoha. If you don't travel around, you'll be able to see me all the time. However, even if you do travel around, it's okay, as my clones will still be scattered throughout the world. It just depends on whether you can recognize them."

They've already exhausted themselves once, yet they still have to go through all this trouble... Suddenly I understand why those seniors can talk so eloquently about Naruto's achievements, but are speechless when talking about him.

"Hmph, don't even think about it. I'll keep an eye on you."