Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 356 Loulan Ruins

"This is your mission." Missions that require elite Jonin to participate are never simple, and pursuing rogue ninjas is a relatively common type. As is customary for three-person ninja teams, their lineup this time is quite impressive, with two elite Jonin present.

"Choza, you've been to that place before. Make sure to resolve this trouble as soon as possible. Sunagakure is preparing for this year's Chunin Exams and is worried that this guy will affect the exams, so they're urging us to hurry."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Choza took the scroll and led his squad away.

"Naruto, it's been a while, hasn't it?" As soon as they stepped out of the Hokage Building, Choji's serious expression vanished. He and Minato Namikaze were old comrades-in-arms, and Choji was Naruto's childhood friend; the two sides had met many times before.

"I never expected to be on a mission with Uncle Choji this time. Grandma Tsunade must be worried about me." Naruto laughed without any hesitation, and then introduced the third member, "This is my old teammate Matsuri. Matsuri, and this is Choji's father, Uncle Choji."

Matsuri greeted them somewhat awkwardly, but Choza was very tolerant of the younger generation and treated them to a meal at Ichiraku Ramen before they set off.

"Speaking of which, where's your brother? He doesn't seem to be in Konoha lately."

"My brother was sent to Sunagakure to assist with the Chunin Exams. They said I'm not good at speaking and might cause diplomatic incidents..."

Naruto barely managed to suppress his laughter, but a clear "pfft" sound came from in front of them, clearly indicating that Uncle Choza had also been amused.

Matsuri, with a cold expression, didn't want to talk to them anymore, so Naruto had to find someone else to chat with.

"Uncle Ding, have you been here before?"

"Hmm, it's been about twenty years. I've almost forgotten where I am here. I remember that when I came with... Minato, Shiki, and Kakashi." Choza said that name right in front of Minato's child. The village's prohibitions were still in effect, but this wasn't Konoha. Perhaps he should tell the child the story of his father, so that he could know what kind of person his father was.

"Uncle Zhiwei and Teacher Kakashi also came..."

"Minato...could it be Minato Namikaze?"

The usually taciturn Matsuri suddenly became interested, "Naruto, that guy is a Flying Thunder God user just like you, and the youngest Hokage in history."

The youngest Hokage, also the Hokage with the shortest tenure and the earliest sacrifice.

Naruto had long since come to terms with this, and he could even laugh at this moment, jokingly asking, "Was the captain back then the Fourth Hokage?"

"Yes, he always manages to see through the enemy's plans before they even begin and wins by surprise. Just like his Flying Thunder God Technique, it's unpredictable. But despite his fearsome reputation, he's a very gentle person when it comes to his friends."

"I wish you could see him."

This wish was fulfilled in an unexpected way.

The most troublesome part of pursuing rogue ninja is the "pursuit" step. While Naruto has scattered Flying Thunder God Marks all over the world, the world is so vast that there are always remote and untouched places he hasn't been, such as the Loulan ruins mentioned in this mission. They originally thought that having Naruto as a human sensor would make things much easier, but who would have thought that the ruins would hold such a secret? Their target vanished without a trace as soon as they entered.

Even Naruto had never seen anything like it. He hadn't wanted to use his super senses, just to add unnecessary burden, but the fact that people could disappear only fueled his competitive spirit. He didn't realize until he investigated that he'd resonated with something underground, which terrified him so much that he quickly retreated.

He knew Earth was a magical planet, able to thrive even after being harvested by the Otsutsuki, but... could this specialness not be reflected in the very aspect he least wanted to encounter right now? Even if it was the Otsutsuki who came, it would be fine, but please, please, not "Gen"!

"Still can't sense it?" Seeing Naruto's unpredictable expression, Choza frowned as well.

Naruto composed himself and said, "Sorry, the ruins ahead seem to be protected by some kind of power."

Ding looked up at the ruins in the distance. Once upon a time, that place was a towering city, filled with false prosperity, and what supported that prosperity was that strange force.

"No need to investigate further, let's get straight to the point. That rogue ninja is most likely after it too."

The three hurried along and soon entered the ruins. Fortunately, apart from a slight tremor, the "source core" sealed deep within their souls showed no signs of movement, which relieved Naruto greatly. Once inside the area, the hidden rats quickly revealed themselves.

"He's underground."

"Hmph, I guessed it, they really came for the seal." Choza said disdainfully, "Minato's sealing techniques are extremely powerful, not something a single rogue ninja from Sunagakure can break."

However, he was quickly proven wrong. The rogue ninja he was chasing did not play by the rules and actually transferred the seal to himself, causing the power that had been suppressed for a long time to erupt.

Of the three, Naruto was the fastest, rushing to the front. He should have been able to teleport directly to the guy's face, but the space in this area seemed a bit off; he couldn't pinpoint his location, and even his usually uncontrollable natural powers were disobeying him. Perhaps the opponent knew the strength of the Konoha pursuers from somewhere, because this guy went straight for the seal as soon as he arrived, giving them very little time to react.

The moment the purple light rose from the ground, the intense tremor caused the "source core" to become restless. Naruto's mind was instantly consumed by the intense pain, and he could only muster his last bit of strength to release a Wind Release technique behind him, blasting his two teammates far away.

He remembered that he had carried out this mission before, and he had also been swallowed by light, but in the end he woke up safely and completed the mission in a daze.

If he had another chance, it would be safer for him to go in himself than to let his unsuspecting teammates go in, and even if something really happened... he could return to this world again.