Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 238 Sea Storm

"I am Naruto Uzumaki, from Konoha." Naruto's answer was so sincere; he wasn't lying. Considering the terrible consequences he suffered after trying to reveal information about the future, the outcome of uncovering the truth was likely unbearable for him, and he wasn't prepared to reveal the truth even to someone he could trust.

Tobirama stared at him for a while, but did not put any pressure on him. After a long time, he looked away and said, "...A perfect answer. I hope it will never change."

"But I'm Namikaze Kinrin now, from the Land of Rivers~" Naruto said quipped, turning the page on that sensitive issue. "Why did Tobirama suddenly start talking to me about souls? Is it because my chakra is overflowing?"

Although the answer was less than satisfactory, it was still a passable answer. Tobirama was in the mood to tease Naruto, "Haven't you realized it yet? You really are quite dense."

"Perception is originally accomplished by the body's keen sense of chakra, but your 'perception' has broken free from the body's constraints, and you can even hear and see things from a great distance. This is not called perception, but rather you are observing the world with your soul."

The sea was relatively calm this time of year, and they never encountered any large waves that could capsize the ship, sailing safely all the way. Because of this, the restless crew set up their makeshift stage and, relying on the bright daylight, rushed to film the indoor scenes. Fujikaze Yukie might be a willful girl, but once she gets into work mode, her acting skills and charisma are undeniable. Having been tethered to the crew and unable to disembark, she could only temporarily settle down, appearing perfectly normal as she went in and out of the crew's room, working diligently.

"There's not a single ship in sight on the sea, what are we guards even capable of doing?" It only took Sakura three days to go from enthusiastically watching to groaning on the railing. Watching a movie is certainly entertaining, but watching people make a film is a different story. Without post-production editing, many scenes require the actors to rely on their imagination and conviction, which can seem somewhat comical to outsiders.

In addition, spoilers are a painful thing. As a guard who cannot leave his post, even if he wants to escape, he cannot escape the situation of the plot being slapped in the face. It is really painful but also joyful.

These boring days seemed a little different for her two best friends. Finally going on a mission with Sasuke again was indeed exciting, but Sasuke seemed to have changed. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had a feeling he was being even more clingy to Naruto than before.

Right now, she's watching a major battle from the ship. Sasuke's constant challenges to spar with Naruto under the guise of training have been a long-standing habit, so even at sea, even while on escort missions, they've never stopped. However, they at least remember there's a ship full of people on board, and know to fight from a distance.

Wow, the splashing is pretty big today! Are they really fighting that fiercely? The weather's even changed a bit because of the fighting! Are those thunderclouds over there?!

Sakura straightened up abruptly, straining to see what was happening in the distance, but unfortunately, she didn't have the Byakugan and could only see a hazy blur. Unable to see anything, she instinctively went to look for Naruto, but Naruto's clone was sprawled on a chair, motionless, holding a fishing rod, completely oblivious to the commotion in the distance.

Is everything alright?

Sakura had just relaxed and was about to continue vomiting when the two troublesome teammates she had been complaining about landed nearby, along with a strong, fishy smell. This smell was very familiar to doctors, and almost instinctively, she flashed to their side, her chakra already beginning to build up in her hands.

"Who among you is injured!"

Sasuke's face was stiff, his hands and feet were stiff, and he couldn't loosen his grip on Naruto for a long time. Meanwhile, the guy with blood on his lips smiled easily, patted his blood-stained shoulder, and said, "Alright, if you don't let go, I'll heal."

Sakura almost screamed. She immediately unleashed her full power, every strand of her hair fluttering in the wind. She didn't look like a doctor; she looked more like she was about to execute a criminal.

"Keep your hands away from the wound!"

After a period of chaos, Sakura discovered that Naruto was telling the truth; his shoulder had indeed healed incredibly quickly! It should be noted that Naruto's previous hospital visits weren't due to external injuries, so they genuinely didn't know about another characteristic of Jinchuriki: extremely strong regenerative abilities.

“No matter what, such serious injuries from a sparring match are excessive. Sasuke, you should control the intensity of your sparring.” Kakashi appeared at some point, and it was unclear how long he had been standing there. This was exactly the situation he was most worried about. Young people are impulsive and don't know their own strength; if no one is watching, accidents can easily happen. And these two kids are improving too quickly; even if he, as their teacher, rushed in, he would only be a step too late.

"It's not Sasuke's fault, I was just distracted." Naruto, the victim, was actually defending Sasuke, which made his two companions want to sigh.

Sasuke turned his head away, not wanting to speak, but his eyes would still unconsciously glance at Naruto, his gaze always landing on that shoulder that was still red.

"It's very dangerous to be distracted in battle. This time it was just a shoulder injury, but what about next time? A little lower and it could be your heart and lungs! And you, Sasuke. Don't use powerful moves on vital points during sparring. If something irreversible happens, you'll regret it for the rest of your life." This was the first time Kakashi had been so stern with the children.

The teacher's authority hadn't yet faded from the children's minds. He saw Sakura nod vigorously in agreement and glared helplessly at his two friends. Naruto maintained his smile, clasping his hands together assuring him he wouldn't do it again. Sasuke, who used to be a fairly obedient child, was now stubbornly unyielding.

"Naruto can't be defeated so easily." Sasuke said this with such conviction that Kakashi felt a headache coming on.

"Haha, that's true. I was just careless this time. Sasuke, let's fight again next time."

Sasuke walked away alone, which was unusual for him. He usually went with Naruto, but this time Naruto was going to change the clothes that Sasuke had ruined.

Sakura looked left and right, but still couldn't find the scene she wanted by dinner time, so she finally couldn't resist approaching Naruto who was alone.

Did you two have a fight?

"Huh? I don't think so." Naruto rarely showed a melancholy expression, but Sakura inexplicably felt that he seemed very sad.

"No, it is! There's no way it's stuck in the middle! Tell me about it, it's always good to have more people giving advice. I don't want to be on edge for the rest of the trip, there's still a long time to go."

"We really didn't argue, I was just impatient. I just... wanted him to look at things from a broader perspective, but it was misinterpreted as me trying to stop him from seeking revenge." Naruto's smile was full of helplessness.

"...Do you support him going? He's an S-rank rogue ninja."

"I don't object to his revenge, I just hope he can think ahead and make a decision after understanding the whole situation. Well, it's still early, let's take it slow."