Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 307 makes a dazzling debut.

"boom!"

For a brief moment, Hozuki Castle, usually shrouded in dark clouds, was illuminated as if it were daytime. The overly dispersed toad oil indeed triggered an explosion, the shockwave so powerful that even the giant toad Gamabunta couldn't maintain his balance and was sent tumbling through the air. However, the danger didn't disappear with the explosion. The black-clad assassin, with his agile movements, dodged the blast and shot out from the toad's blind spot, attempting to pierce a hole in its massive body, as ruthlessly and decisively as he had stabbed his father in the chest.

However, his attack was intercepted, and a giant golden hand descended from the sky, instantly locking down all his movements. To his astonishment, he discovered that the sudden appearance of the enemy did not elicit any reaction from him; the being remained completely unmoved, showing no fear whatsoever.

A giant hand slammed into the plaza with a powerful punch, but the attacker didn't press its advantage. Instead, it vanished into the sky, reappearing only to catch the toad that was about to spiral to the ground. Gamabunta, a veteran of countless battles, had anticipated the unfolding events long before the fire was unleashed. He had carefully tucked Sasuke, who was on his head, into his mouth, thus protecting the boy from the direct impact of the explosion. Now that reinforcements had arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief, though he was struggling to catch his breath.

Who would have thought that the Nine-Tails, which required Gamabunta to exert all his strength to suppress with Mount Tai just over a decade ago, would now become his rescuer?

Sasuke was dizzy when he came out of the toad's mouth. No one would feel comfortable after experiencing the Super Invincible Thomas Spin once. He felt like his brain was being shaken to its core. But as soon as he landed, he could see the pure gold color fading from Naruto's body. Even if he didn't want to wake up, he had to force himself to.

"what is that?"

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes were filled with clear confusion. "Shouldn't I be asking you that? You guys haven't even figured it out yet and you're already fighting that weird thing?"

"I meant that golden chakra." In Sasuke's eyes, the monster supposedly the ultimate weapon was a step behind; Naruto's different forms were far more captivating. This meant Naruto had grown stronger without his knowledge, while he himself seemed to be stuck in the same place. How could he possibly catch up with his sun like this?

Upon hearing this, Naruto cooperatively released a glittering golden power into his palm, saying, "This is the form formed by the fusion of Kurama's and my chakra. I've never used it before, so remember to keep it a secret~"

"Let's not talk about that for now. What are you fighting with? I sensed that Boss Bunta was coming, so I knew you must be in trouble and flew over here as soon as possible."

“That is ‘Kaku’, a dangerous weapon locked in the Box of Bliss.” Kurama was the first to speak. Unlike Gamabunta’s hearsay, he had actually experienced the tailed beasts of the Six Paths era and was much clearer about the danger of Kaku.

Naruto wasn't surprised that Kurama knew something. He stopped Kurama's narration and then conjured a small fox phantom on his shoulder. The phantom was golden and had only one tail, looking nothing like the Nine-Tails. However, the voice coming from the fox's mouth was completely at odds with its cute and innocent appearance.

"Kurama knows some information, which makes communication easier. I'll leave the explanation to you, Kurama."

Nine-Lama had no time to complain about this temporary vessel. Anyway, he would go back after he finished speaking and would never admit that he, who was so majestic and domineering, had ever used the image of a little fox.

"...That thing caused trouble once when the old man was still alive, but he quickly subdued it and locked it up. Later, the old man studied the principle of the box for a while and concluded that it was actually a kind of sealing vessel, designed to seal the thing that created 'Awakening'. At that time, the 'Awakening' outside the box could only use less than one-tenth of its power, but even that little bit caused great harm."

"Later, the old man discovered that once the box absorbed chakra, the sealing power would weaken, and even he couldn't figure out a way to repair the seal. So, he threw the thing into the most dangerous sea area at that time to prevent it from being dug up and used by someone with ulterior motives. He didn't expect it to be found even like that."

Nine-Lama had tried to be as brief as possible, but the battlefield was not like a normal chat or gathering. After only a few words, a series of explosions came from afar again.

Gamabunta and Sasuke simultaneously assumed battle stances, while Naruto calmly said, "Don't worry, it's just my clone stalling for time. It's not destroyed yet."

"This commotion must have been caused by the use of Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, but 'Kaku' has not disappeared from my senses."

“Nonsense, a monster in its ‘Awakening’ state can only be broken by Truth-Seeking Balls.” Kurama turned his head and asked, “Hey, kid, is that monster a human in disguise? If it is, it’s much simpler. Just use a chakra seal to force it back into its human form and we can kill it.”

"That thing could be a human?" Sasuke really couldn't connect that thing with a human, but as long as he recalled what "Satori" had said, and the "corpse" lying next to the Box of Elysium... that thing might really be a human!

Whether he was human or not was a serious question for Naruto. He frowned and asked, "Can't I maintain a stable state even after turning into a human? Do I have to kill him?"

“This is another terrifying aspect of the box, and the reason the old man had to hide it. Everyone who enters the box will be severely ‘contaminated,’ a ‘contamination’ rooted in their soul, with no possibility of recovery.” Nine Lamas coldly sentenced the thing to death without hesitation, saying, “Don’t spread your useless sympathy. That kind of ‘contamination’ is irreversible and contagious. Once you’re infected, you must get rid of it, understand?”

...This statement sounds vaguely familiar. Where have I heard it before? Oh well, I'll think about it after this is resolved.

"Do you remember how to use the chakra-sealing technique?"

"nonsense."

“Then I’ll capture him, and you can cast the seal. Do you still have enough chakra?”

"Stop worrying about trivial matters, get ready to go!"

"I still have some time left for my psychic abilities to launch a feint attack. You two better seize the opportunity."

"Please, Boss Wentai. It's not convenient for me to release the Nine Lamas here directly; there are too many people watching."

"You still worry about your identity being exposed?"

"This is just to avoid causing too much shock in the ninja world!"

"You two really haven't changed at all; you always end up arguing whenever you meet."

"...Who said that? That idiot can't speak properly, he brought it on himself!"

"Hmph, I won't stoop to the level of an idiot."