Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 435 Returning to the Village

"No, Naruto's scent permeates the entire forest; there's no way to confirm it..."

"I couldn't see Naruto-kun even with my Byakugan!"

At least "Hui" knew that Naruto was dead and had entered the process of handling the aftermath. However, Konoha, who suddenly lost Naruto's clone, was completely confused and had changed their main search target. In the process, they happened to run into the "Snake" team, who had also lost a member.

Originally, "Snake" had hoped to rely on Jugo's ability to communicate with animals, but the area Sasuke went into was completely deserted, not even a single bird could be found. Those who flew over later had no idea what had happened there. Kiba, who followed the scent, could only conclude that Sasuke had disappeared in a barren field, where there was an unsettling smell of blood.

That's right. Although time was tight, Tobirama still remembered to turn the land over. He just couldn't do what his brother did and force some grass to grow to completely restore the ground.

“Sasuke and Naruto’s scents both dissipate here.” Kiba comforted Akamaru, who was uneasy because of the smell of blood. “There is the smell of blood here, which should belong to the same person, but it’s impossible to tell whose it is, as the scents are all mixed together.”

"They've probably been fighting again." Kakashi could understand the origin of the fight; it was probably because Naruto tried to persuade Sasuke to stop, but instead angered him. "Since Naruto can still use the Flying Thunder God Technique, nothing serious should have happened. Maybe he's already back in Konoha."

"Did Naruto kidnap Sasuke?!" Karin recognized Naruto and had some affection for her clansman, but it was nothing compared to her strong feelings for Sasuke. Besides, it had been almost three years since they last saw each other; people change, and she was afraid that Naruto had become the kind of person who would stop at nothing to bring Sasuke back.

"It's 'bringing' him home." Sakura corrected, annoyed. "Naruto's clone disappeared without saying anything, which means something happened to the real Naruto. The blood here must be Naruto's! Damn it, it's definitely like that time on the ship. Why didn't they come to find me right away?"

"Perhaps he's afraid that if they get too close, Sasuke will run off to find Itachi while he's healing," Kakashi reassured his students, but a strange tension gnawed at him. He couldn't help it; the trauma of such things was too great for him. He knew better than anyone that Chidori could easily take a life.

We've already taught Sasuke a lesson last time. Even if that kid gets angry, he wouldn't go so far as to kill Naruto, would he? We should send a ninja dog back ahead to check on the situation.

Kakashi acted immediately. He usually raised his ninja dog, and its summoning location was near Konoha, making it convenient to transmit information. He crouched down and entrusted Pakkun with the task of confirming Naruto's presence in Konoha, then immediately canceled the summoning and planned to summon him again in half a day.

"Although Akatsuki has left for unknown reasons, we should still check if Itachi has also left. We can't let such an S-rank rogue ninja wander around the Land of Fire."

Given their inability to locate Naruto and Sasuke, returning to the mission itself seemed to be their only option. The eight ninja dogs needed time to confirm their whereabouts, but only half a day; they could afford to wait.

As for Sasuke's "Snake" squad, this group had already been recruited by Orochimaru and had never been active in the ninja world before, so naturally they were not wanted. Moreover, one of the prerequisites for Sasuke to take notice of them was that they had not committed murder or arson. The biggest crime they had committed was illegal entry into the country.

Both sides shared a similar goal. Karin and Suigetsu had met Naruto and had a decent impression of the boy, which improved their overall impression of Konoha. Konoha had a numerical advantage, while they had an intelligence advantage, so they decided to join forces and find Itachi to have a serious talk with him.

However, when they discovered a scent that resembled a weasel and followed it to the other side of the forest, they found that the weasel scent had also suddenly disappeared! Moreover, another scent that caught their attention remained in the area.

"Something seems off. This smell is the same as the place where Sasuke disappeared!" Kiba's mind was actually quite sharp, and the smell was so unique that he couldn't ignore it.

"The smell didn't belong to anyone I knew, and... it smelled like a moving cloud of dust."

"Could it be Tobi who just stopped us?" Kakashi suddenly asked.

The only technique capable of taking someone away on the spot is space-time ninjutsu, and such techniques are extremely rare. Reverse Summoning requires intelligence and the coordination of a summoning technique mastered by another ninjutsu user. The Flying Thunder God Technique is notoriously difficult to learn; since its inception, only three people have been able to use it solo. Now, an unfamiliar scent has taken Itachi away, and it's highly likely it also took away the heavily injured Naruto and the unsure of Sasuke's condition. Therefore, the only explanation he can think of is Tobi's bizarre abilities.

Ya shook his head firmly and said, "Impossible. That person's smell... is a bit like plants? It's completely different from this strange earthy smell."

Isn't that right? Then who else could it be?

Kakashi had a premonition that the information coming from Puck might not be what they wanted.

The two groups ran through the woods for half a day, finally arriving at the appointed time. Kakashi's heart was pounding, and he only managed to maintain his composure thanks to his ninja discipline. Pakkun appeared in the white smoke, bringing both good news and bad news.

"Naruto has returned to Konoha, but Sasuke hasn't. Naruto was summoned by the Hokage and can't come to take you back right now."

The people of Konoha breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that Naruto was alright. As for where Sasuke was, they would probably have to ask Naruto in person.

"Is that guy injured?" Sakura asked.

Parker thought for a moment and said, "I don't see any injuries, but he doesn't look too good."

Sakura clenched her fists secretly, determined to personally drag the person to the hospital when she got back.

"So, we still don't know where Sasuke went. How could he just abandon us like that!" Karin said indignantly, but she was worried inside.

"Oh, Naruto said that you should come back to Konoha with him. This is Sasuke's request."

"Huh!? 'Back' Konoha?" Suigetsu couldn't hold back anymore. He was a rogue ninja from Kirigakure, how could he be so eager to run to one of the five great ninja villages? Was Sasuke alright?

"Believe it or not, I've delivered the message." Parker was a ninja dog and couldn't be bothered with the feelings of strangers. He disappeared after speaking.

After staring at each other for a while, the large group of people finally embarked on their journey "home".