Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 148 "Conquer"

"I told you not to mess with the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, but you wouldn't listen! Now look what happened, we didn't even catch him and we alerted him. Did you think the rankings from headquarters were just randomly chosen?"

"What can we do then? Did we forget about the smell issue during one of the operations?"

"Stop arguing! We should report this to headquarters right now; we should have done so in the first place."

"No! We've already gone this far."

"How far will you go in being so stubborn? Are you going to kill them all? Do you think you can defeat the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?"

"He's already seen those eyes. Even if headquarters comes, they'll have to find a way to erase his memory! We can't control him without ruthless methods!"

"How will we know if we don't try? He's only fourteen. His teammates are all good at reconnaissance, and their combat ability is negligible. As long as we attack everyone, he will eventually reveal a weakness."

"They are Konoha ninja!"

"I know, I know! I'm not trying to kill them, I just want to control the Jinchūriki."

"And then what?"

"Are you going to return the grain and confess to the crime? If we're disappointed this time, what will the villagers think of us?"

"It's not too late to report this to your superiors. Lord Jinlun will come up with a solution."

"No! I don't want to disappoint him."

"Won't your actions disappoint him? If the Jinchuriki weren't a shadow clone, that slash of yours would have..."

"I avoided all the vital points! I just wanted to seriously injure him to increase the chances of the illusion succeeding. Anyway, you can heal him!"

"That's not how you use the Senju's medical ninjutsu!"

"Have you two finished arguing? Everyone's out here!"

The hushed argument instantly subsided as they saw the person who had come out staring straight in their direction.

"There's still his chakra reaction in the cave, but it's far weaker than the one that came out. It's definitely his real body." Reluctantly, Senju still reported the results of his perception.

The hot-tempered Uchiha quickly calmed down, somewhat puzzled, "Didn't he dispel the genjutsu from his companion?"

"...Based on his chakra reserves, he could easily take on the three of us by himself," Senju remarked.

The Uchiha who had been on lookout duty said, "He looked us straight in the eye several times just now? He didn't fall for it even once. A perfect Jinchuriki is indeed extraordinary."

"We should still report it..."

"Shut up, let's fight first! I don't believe the three of us can't beat a fourteen-year-old brat!"

Naruto, who was listening from a distance, was almost laughing in anger. Just as they were about to form a formation, he appeared directly between the three of them.

Good evening.

The three were startled, but were immediately grabbed by a force. Before they could even understand what was happening, a wave of dizziness washed over them, followed by a powerful force that flung them away. They landed on the open sand and in the water, completely dazed, and instinctively scrambled to their feet, assuming defensive stances.

A salty, fishy wind jolted the three men awake. Good heavens, the scenery before them was nothing like the forests of the Land of Fire; it looked like a deserted island in the sea, though calling it an island would be an exaggeration. There was only a small patch of land, slightly larger than a typical training ground, surrounded by an endless ocean. The "fourteen-year-old brat" who had brought them had three translucent red tails swaying on his body, and the overflowing tailed beast cloak was slowly retracting into him.

When they met a pair of bright red, beastly eyes, almost all of them felt a chill run down their spines, realizing that things were in grave danger.

Hui's intelligence report listed three current users of the Flying Thunder God Technique: two from Hui and one from Konoha. According to Hui's work regulations, engaging in combat with ninjas from a major power within its borders is strictly prohibited, and initiating an attack is out of the question. Furthermore, the regulations specifically state: Upon encountering Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha anywhere, no form of attack is permitted; friendly communication is required.

Now they finally understood why this regulation was written in the first place. It wasn't to protect the Jinchūriki of Konoha, but to protect them!

Even now, they still don't understand when they were labeled as such!

〖call……〗

Senju, on the surface of the water, didn't bother consulting the group. Just as he was about to contact headquarters for help, the calm water beneath his feet suddenly surged, turning into a small whirlpool. His call for help was interrupted, and he immediately began forming hand seals, attempting to escape from the seabed by filling in the ocean. His teammates, of course, weren't idle either. Seeing their leader missing, the two who had landed on the island attacked Naruto, while the other rushed towards the surface.

Naruto wasn't about to let them have their way. He remained rooted to the spot, while two shadows flew towards the remaining two. The Uchiha were speed- and skill-based ninjas; sensing the danger, they immediately unleashed their signature techniques. One, focused on saving lives, chose the wide-area Great Fire Annihilation Technique to both block the clones and create confusion. The other used the Phoenix Flower Technique, incorporating shuriken; the curving flames appeared to be aimed at the shadow clones, but were actually directed at the main body.

But this is at sea, on a desolate island, and the Uchiha have no advantage to exploit.

A waterspout rose from the ground, the rapidly spinning wall of water engulfing all the flames, but this was not the end, but the beginning. Water blades condensed from the spinning tornado broke free and relentlessly attacked the two Uchiha. Encountering each other in close combat was Hui's greatest fear, because not everyone could use the Mind Transfer Technique with ease and accuracy. In a life-or-death battle, any lapse in concentration meant fatal danger, naturally making it impossible to consistently use the Mind Transfer Technique. This was why outward-deploying teams always had at least two members, ensuring that one could always relay messages under cover.

However, facing an enemy who had captured all three of them in the previous encounter was truly the most dangerous and fatal moment.

Perhaps the fight on the shore distracted Naruto, because the one who had been dragged underwater finally lifted himself out of the water and decisively released the Earthquake Core, lifting the waterspout up as well.

[Calling General...]

The three's telepathic cries for help were interrupted once again. The exploding water tornado transformed into a shower of light that shot down from the sky. Senju, who had just used a powerful ninjutsu and hadn't even had time to catch her breath, was directly struck by a beam of light, while the two Uchiha also had a difficult time dodging. That lightning-fast speed was clearly not ordinary water jutsu, but storm jutsu!

The intelligence report didn't mention he has a bloodline limit!

Mixed in with the Storm Release technique, a rain of shuriken rained down. Both Uchiha were acutely aware of the terrifying power of the shuriken thrown by the Flying Thunder God Technique; they focused intently on deflecting every approaching shuriken while simultaneously keeping a close watch on every corner of their surroundings. However, once their vision focused, a blind spot appeared. Suddenly, their ankles tightened, and their bodies sank, locked into the ground, leaving only their heads exposed to face the oncoming attack. The consequences were predictable.

All three logged off within minutes of the encounter.