Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 56 Encounter Battle

"The Book of Heaven is definitely going to be with me, right?" The first thing to do upon entering the forest was to decide who would possess the Book of Heaven. Considering Naruto's overwhelming strength compared to others of his level, this decision was perfectly reasonable.

"The only problem now is where to steal a Book of the Land." Sasuke didn't think getting to the center was a problem. So far, he hadn't suffered a loss against anyone other than Naruto, and he was at an age where his confidence was overflowing. He was already thinking about fighting before the fight even started.

"There's no need to rush into taking the Book of Land. We have five days for the exam!" Sakura thought this wouldn't do. Who starts by getting into fights right away? Will they even have the energy to walk to the central tower?

Naruto also disagreed, saying, "Our main goal right now is to get through the forest. With me here, we don't need to worry about not finding other teams. My suggestion is to head straight to the central tower and stake out a team nearby."

Following the principle of majority rule, the suggestion was approved. They checked their supplies and discovered that the ever-remarkable Naruto always seemed to pull out something amazing. Sasuke knew Naruto was learning to make sealing scrolls, but he never expected that this guy not only made a portable version of the scrolls, but also had a habit of stockpiling food and supplies. Five days' worth of food was more than enough; they didn't even need to fetch water.

"Let's split them up, just in case we get separated?" Naruto turned around and took out two portable scrolls, the kind that can be strapped to your hands to draw weapons.

Sasuke was very interested in this item and refused to store food, instead packing a Fuma Shuriken and a short blade. Sasuke's reason for doing so was: "If we're scattered, you'll find us quickly anyway, so we won't need them. It's better to pack weapons."

...That seems to make sense. After all, that freak Orochimaru is coming this way, and he wouldn't dare leave the two kids for even a moment.

"It's time to go."

Naruto pretended to form hand seals to sense his surroundings, planning the best route, and then led the way. The route they chose was certainly safe, but safety was only temporary. The other groups weren't a threat, except for Orochimaru, who had rushed in this direction the moment he entered. He could sense many small snakes with faint chakra slithering through the forest, but most sensory types wouldn't be able to detect them, so he had to pretend not to see them. The three traveled quickly for a while until Sakura couldn't keep up anymore and they chose a secluded spot to rest.

"...You guys...are too fast runners..." Sakura, breathless from chasing, collapsed to the ground, forgetting all about her appearance. If they didn't have enough supplies, they really couldn't travel this way; otherwise, they wouldn't have the energy to find food and water.

"Sorry, Sakura, we're used to it during training, and we didn't control our speed well," Naruto offered a plausible excuse.

Actually, he was running when "Hui's" job came up again. The spies left behind in Sunagakure discovered that the village's elite forces were being frequently redeployed, with more than half of them receiving missions and leaving the village, which was clearly abnormal. Naruto overheard a bit while setting up a communication channel, but his attention was focused on his surroundings and Orochimaru, completely unaware that his pace had unconsciously increased. Sasuke, of course, could keep up without a word; the little guy's speed was actually even faster than his usual speed. It was just a pity for Sakura, who had to endure until she couldn't run anymore before calling for a stop.

Sakura firmly waved her hand and shook her head, saying, "Don't worry about me, I can handle it."

I feel like I've prematurely activated Sakura's fighting spirit. No matter how difficult the environment, Sakura is always the one who... can persevere to the end.

"Teammates should be considerate of each other, don't be so polite with us." Naruto crouched down and patted Sakura on the shoulder, then took out water and food to share with everyone to replenish their energy. He seemed very relaxed, but in reality, his senses had already locked onto Orochimaru. Yes, even though the three of them had pushed their speed to the limit, they were still caught up.

The wind in the forest suddenly intensified. Naruto, disregarding hand seals, immediately slammed his hand on the ground, pulling the other two to his side. The earth-style wall collided with the fierce wind, producing a teeth-grinding scraping and cracking sound, but thankfully the wall held up, with only some debris lost at the edges. The two little ones he held tightly in his arms hadn't even had a chance to peek out before being swept into the bushes. Sasuke was finally able to use the momentum to shake off Naruto's hand, his blood-red eyes already activated.

"Together." Sasuke gripped his kunai tightly and faced the direction from which the attack was coming.

Sakura, finally snapping out of her daze, also took out her kunai. Trembling but determined, she stood up straight on her own. "Together."

Naruto sighed inwardly, but he was actually quite happy. He was the only one who didn't draw his weapon because... he himself was the weapon!

"Together!"

A grass ninja wearing a straw hat and an exaggerated belt around his waist appeared in the smoke. His tone carried Orochimaru's unique weirdness. His long tongue rolled up and down as he licked the brim of the hat he was holding, as if he was deliberately showing off his inhuman weirdness.

"This is more interesting than I expected." Kusanagi chuckled a few times, pulled out his Book of Earth, and said, "You want my Book of Earth, right? Because yours is the Book of Heaven~"

Then, this guy performed a scroll-swallowing act right there in the middle of the scene, disgusting the previously composed Naruto. What's wrong with the Sannin? Orochimaru used to hide good things in his stomach, the Perverted Sage also liked to swallow toads, and even Tsunade, who wasn't as perverted as them, would let slugs hide things! Is the stomach really a place to put things?! This Book of the Land, it's absolutely unusable!!!

However, the fifty-year-old pervert opposite him didn't care whether it would traumatize the child. He swallowed the scroll without changing his expression and then announced the start of the battle.

"Alright, now we can begin... the battle for the scrolls. I'll give it my all!"

A murderous aura, an overwhelming murderous aura, suddenly swept over them. However, the murderous intent that made the two children feel as if they were facing death did not affect Naruto in the slightest. He even had the mood to complain about Orochimaru, that old scoundrel, who had become addicted to scaring children, his face was almost torn off!

Sasuke felt as if that night was repeating itself; his legs went weak and he slumped down, only to bump his back against a warm support. Turning his head, he saw Orange and Sakura, who was silently shedding tears. He and Sakura had both collapsed, but Naruto was completely unaffected! He kept his eyes fixed on the enemy ahead, offering only a gentle pat on their shoulders as a gesture of comfort.

"Oh?" The grass ninja's expression twitched, as if his body couldn't keep up with his soul, and he made an extremely ferocious smile. "Completely unaffected?"

"Who knows?" Naruto stepped forward, too lazy to form hand seals, and directly returned the same ninjutsu to his opponent.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"