Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 101 The Battle of Fate?

Sasuke knew very well that he was no match for Naruto in his normal state. With his most promising genjutsu broken, he had no more chances of using tricks and could only fight head-on. Therefore, he unleashed the power of his cursed seal without hesitation; the sudden surge of powerful chakra was his greatest asset in defeating his opponent.

The Cursed Seal in its first state did indeed bring a significant boost. Sasuke could feel that his speed had increased, and this sudden increase in speed disrupted Naruto's rhythm. He landed two punches in quick succession, but Naruto adjusted quickly, and Sasuke couldn't touch Naruto's body with his third strike.

After several exchanges of blows, the distance between the two widened. Sasuke used Naruto's strength to retreat, unleashing a powerful fireball. Naruto, of course, responded with a water-style release. The collision of water and fire instantly created a large cloud of smoke. Both the Sharingan and sensory abilities allowed them to locate their opponent within the smoke, but Naruto, relying solely on his sensory abilities, could not react as quickly as he could with clear vision to objects unencumbered by chakra.

Now it was time for both sides to blindly throw their ninja tools, the crisp clanging of metal echoing incessantly from the smoke. Naruto liked to imbue his ninja tools with elemental chakra, mostly Wind Release, followed by Lightning Release. Wind Release greatly expanded the attack range of shuriken, while on kunai it increased their speed and penetrating power. The two shuriken and one kunai flying towards them used different speeds to deceive their opponent. The shuriken swept past first, one vertically and one horizontally, while the kunai initially lagged behind, but ultimately arrived almost simultaneously with the second shuriken.

Faced with such an attack, Sasuke didn't simply sidestep and jump back up. Instead, while sidestepping, he simultaneously tucked the sharp point of the kunai into the center of the shuriken that was about to pass him. Thanks to the Sharingan's motion capture capabilities, Sasuke was able to do this, and even turn his opponent's weapon into his own. The second shuriken was thus deflected by the first, and Sasuke only needed to tilt his head to dodge the kunai.

However, he hadn't thought carefully about why Naruto would use an enchanted weapon that was easier to see in the smoke, which is why he was thrown off balance by the sudden attack from behind.

Is it Flying Thunder God again? And he has a mark on him?

The mist dissipated, and the three-tomoe spun rapidly. Naruto didn't hide anything; he hooked the kunai with his index finger, and the faint chakra reaction on the handle silently revealed the truth.

It's Flying Thunder God Technique Stage 2! Space-type attacks are definitely the most troublesome! He's very likely been marked during that exchange. It seems small-scale skirmishes are useless; he has to get serious.

"Chidori!"

Lightning enveloped half of Sasuke's body, but it wasn't ordinary blue and white; it was mixed with a strange black light. Before Sasuke even realized it, the cursed seal, resembling flame patterns, spread on its own, almost crawling across every inch of his skin. He roared and charged forward, seemingly a desperate gamble, but Sasuke knew very well that Naruto would definitely take the hit.

"Rasengan."

As expected, the blue orb of light appeared, and Naruto rushed towards Sasuke as well. He still looked calm, and his blue eyes seemed to be empty, containing nothing.

If fate truly exists in this world, then this moment must be a significant and memorable chapter in their intertwined lives.

Unexpectedly, the Rasengan didn't completely withstand the upgraded Chidori. But Naruto's reaction was astonishingly fast. His blue irises were instantly covered in gold, and the hand that had unleashed the Rasengan quickly moved down and then up again, diverting the remaining force of Chidori from his chest and finally letting it brush past his shoulder.

Sasuke had regained some consciousness the moment the Rasengan disappeared, but the released chakra couldn't dissipate so quickly, and he couldn't stop himself. Therefore, when Naruto reacted swiftly, he breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, anger belatedly crept up on him, and he immediately forgot about fighting, harshly berating him:

"Idiot! Why don't you use more chakra!"

Naruto blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing, laughing so hard he was bent over and couldn't stop.

"What's so funny?!" Sasuke was even angrier, grabbing Naruto by the collar and saying, "You almost got hurt!"

"Isn't that what I'm talking about?" Naruto finally stopped laughing. "Even if it didn't block it, I can still use the Flying Thunder God Technique to fly away."

Thinking about it carefully, it seems to be true. Unless there is a reason why you can't escape, it's basically a pipe dream to kill an opponent who can fly like the Thunder God.

Before Sasuke could react, Naruto suddenly opened his arms and hugged him. This was more effective than any technique, leaving Sasuke stunned on the spot.

“I see your determination. But don’t forget you signed up for the spirit communication at Mount Myōboku. When you miss us, just have the liaison frog deliver a message.”

The weather during the rainy season is extremely unpredictable. Gray clouds quickly filled the sky, starting with a light drizzle, but soon turning into a downpour. At this point, no one worried about the rain washing away the smell, because the border was so close. Even if they wanted to pursue, they could only stop there.

"I see Naruto!" Neji suddenly sped up, leaving Shikamaru and Kiba far behind.

Shikamaru and Kiba only hesitated for a moment before quickly increasing their speed. Neji was a composed person; what could possibly make him lose his composure?

Something must have happened to Naruto!

Fortunately, the worst hadn't happened yet. Although Naruto was lying in the pit with torn clothes and bloodstains, there were no external injuries upon closer inspection. Neji stared wide-eyed at him and looked him over from head to toe, finding that his internal organs were not damaged. He seemed to have simply fainted from exhaustion, but he couldn't be woken up at all.

"What do we do now?" Ya was still a child and really didn't want to admit that their mission had failed.

Shikamaru was much calmer and said, "Judging from the traces at the scene, it's clear that a major battle took place. We could hear the sounds from far away, couldn't we?"

"An opponent that even Naruto couldn't defeat, even with us joining the fray, probably doesn't stand much of a chance. Let's take Naruto back to Konoha first and report the situation here truthfully. I think my Fifth Hokage won't make things difficult for us."

On their return journey, the pursuit team encountered the three siblings from Sunagakure and their teacher, Kakashi. This large, well-stocked pursuit force was reduced to cleaning up the mess and escorting the only wounded soldier back. From the traces they observed, the arduous nature of this solitary pursuit is vividly portrayed.

Naruto first used the Flying Thunder God Technique to land directly in the middle of the team that had kidnapped Sasuke, using Wind Release to scatter the enemy's formation. Unfortunately, his injuries had just healed, and he was outnumbered. The enemy used a human wave tactic to hold him back, continuing their advance with Sasuke. But Naruto didn't give up. After repelling the first wave of enemies, he quickly made a second leap, this time landing directly near the Valley of the End. Only there, his opponents hadn't left any corpses. Next to the fallen Naruto, he also found Sasuke's headband, which was very likely Naruto's signature item. So he knew that if he didn't stop them, he wouldn't be able to accurately locate Sasuke, which was why he was desperately exhausting the remaining strength of a man recovering from a serious illness. Unfortunately, he ultimately failed.

Sasuke Uchiha has been confirmed to have been kidnapped by the rogue ninja Orochimaru, and his whereabouts are unknown.