Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 418: Attrition +2

Chapter 418 Personnel Losses Plus Two

Hidan's reaction speed was incredibly fast. The moment Naruto's hand touched him, the spear in his hand, his backup plan, stabbed straight towards his heart, with utter ruthlessness, as if he wanted to pierce through Naruto's back as well. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. The Flying Thunder God Technique activated the instant he was touched, and the hand left him. Immediately afterward, wooden branches and vines sprang up from the ground, binding him tightly. Hidan tried to curse, but his hoarse voice betrayed him, and he couldn't even utter a sound. He struggled desperately, but soon felt his limbs weaken, as if his strength was being drained... No, it was the wood that was causing the problem; these things could absorb his chakra!

"It really is immortal. Even with its heart pierced, it's still jumping around."

"...It has great research value."

"Uncle Tobirama, you're being a little frighteningly excited."

"In short, this person is in your hands now. Don't overdo it."

All the sounds came from behind him. Hidan, who was immobilized by Wood Release, couldn't even turn his head to look. At this moment, he was still secretly anchoring his strength, completely unaware of the storm that was about to hit him.

Only the original Naruto could accurately grasp the two jump points in such a short time, and Naruto was in a hurry to get back without stopping. In the short time he was away, the battle on the other side was equally intense.

The moment Kakuzu discovered Hidan was missing, he knew that the silly boy was probably doomed, and that he himself might also be doomed. So he decisively attacked Jiraiya, who had landed too hastily and seemed to be wide open, with his tentacles.

In the minds of ordinary ninjas, binding one's hands is tantamount to restricting most of one's fighting ability. Ninjas like Naruto, who can freely unleash ninjutsu without hand seals, are extremely rare. Therefore, Hidan targeted Jiraiya's arms. He not only wanted to bind them but also to pierce his meridians, rendering him unable to use ninjutsu. He wouldn't forget that Kurama (the Nine-Tails) excels at various long-range, wide-area ninjutsu. Having a hostage would force Jiraiya into close combat.

However, it wasn't just Naruto who was caught off guard, but also his good master. Jiraiya had just recovered from his fall when he was caught red-handed, but being bound by his hands didn't make him panic. He simply used Kakuzu's strength to lift his feet and tap his wooden clogs together a couple of times. His unruly long hair suddenly grew wildly and actually trapped Kakuzu in the opposite direction!

In the instant Kakuzu was shocked, the Sharp Lightning finally approached him. Kakashi aimed at Kakuzu's weak point on the back and struck with a single blow, sending the Lightning Blade into the enemy's chest.

Kakuzu's tentacles lost their strength, and he collapsed. At the same time, the mask on his back, pierced through, spewed out a large number of tentacles. Fortunately, Kakashi didn't hold back and withdrew after that attack, thus avoiding being affected. The masked man struggled for a few moments before collapsing into a ball and ceasing to move. One of the two masked men outside quickly burrowed back into Kakuzu's body, giving that body a new lease on life.

This is already the third heart he has lost to this group of people; if he dies twice more, he will truly be dead.

The moment Kakuzu got up, he immediately raised his guard to the highest level. He thought that the group would take advantage of his "resurrection" to attack, but when he got up and looked around, he found that everyone had left far away.

This isn't right, absolutely not right!

Kakuzu sensed danger but didn't know where it came from. By the time he heard the sharp tearing sound, it was too late. He saw something resembling a shuriken flying from the direction of the Fire Temple, but it wasn't a shuriken. Instead, it was a high-density chakra that the group had never seen before—chakra that could be released directly from the hand! It felt like a wind-style release technique, so Kakuzu immediately used fire-style release to try and slightly change the object's trajectory. However... the object did deviate slightly and didn't hit him directly, but the explosion radius completely engulfed him. In the end, he was engulfed in the raging storm and died instantly.

After confirming that Kakuzu's chakra had completely disappeared, Naruto, who was standing on the outer wall of the Fire Temple, slowly descended. He paused for a while before returning to the Daimyo's presence, the very spot where he had just been standing.

Konoha only sent four people in total; they couldn't all go out to fight, leaving the Daimyo without anyone by his side. Naruto, with the highest mobility, was chosen to stay behind. Although he was inside the walls, he kept a close eye on the situation outside. His request to join the battle had been pre-arranged, and his shadow clones were dispatched directly in front of the Daimyo. As for his brief disappearance, the Daimyo didn't inquire, but his gaze remained fixed on him. Therefore, he clearly saw how the ninjutsu that created the huge noise was formed in a short time and how it provided long-range support.

In truth, everyone was watching him; it was impossible not to. Among those gazes were fear of the incomprehensible, envy of Naruto's immense power, curiosity about Naruto himself, and, more simply, pure amazement. Hirozumi was one of those utterly amazed individuals. During their collaboration with Naruto, they hadn't encountered a single worthy opponent, and thus missed witnessing such a wondrous battle.

However, his initial amazement quickly turned into concern. He almost left his post to go and check on the situation, but in the end, he was still bound to his post by his responsibilities.

Naruto suddenly noticed a bright red stain on his nose and mouth. He quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe it off and humbly bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I may have released too much chakra just now. I apologize for my rudeness."

"My dear minister, you did nothing wrong in protecting me. Is the battle outside over? I don't think I've heard any more sounds." The daimyo's worry seemed so real, yet so fake.

"It's over, the enemies are all dead." Naruto's handkerchief was still in his hand.

"Oh, that's wonderful. Although I didn't get to witness it firsthand, you were the one who delivered the final blow, weren't you? You're truly a force to be reckoned with."

"You're joking. That was the result of my master and teachers working together as a team. I just completed the last piece of the puzzle."

The daimyo nodded in satisfaction and finally said, "Thank you for your hard work. Go and get some rest, Naruto."

"I dare not delay. Let's wait for Master to return before we talk. Your safety is the most important thing. I'm fine."

"This is the Daimyo's order. How can we make the wounded and the great heroes stand guard? Isn't there still Kanzumi here?" The Daimyo's smile was hidden by his folding fan, and Naruto's pale face was the best testament to his loyalty.

For a teenager to act this well, even if he was fooled, it's just a matter of him being outmaneuvered. It seems the intelligence network within Konoha needs to be expanded. Those opportunistic old fogies will only write things that benefit them, such as how unruly and difficult to control the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is.

But seeing is believing, and he still trusted his own judgment more. This was clearly just a slightly rebellious, but still fairly obedient, boy.