Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 59 Concern from Elders

"Naruto! Naruto! Are you alright?!" A loud voice, though thousands of miles away, still worried about Konoha, started yelling again. "I saw you unleash the Nine-Tails! Are the Chunin Exams that dangerous these days?"

"Please, brother, could you please keep your voice down!" Tobirama's scolding followed immediately. "Orochimaru has infiltrated Konoha. If we run into him, wouldn't he have to use the Nine-Tails to keep his trump cards hidden? How many tails does he have, shouting so loudly!"

"…one." The chakra provider from the last sealing weakly spoke.

"What are you yelling about?!"

Well, judging from this, it's probably because that roar damaged important experimental materials, and the anger level is just short of using Flying Thunder God Technique to physically confront him.

"Thank you for your continued concern. The Chunin Exams aren't dangerous; Orochimaru is. He's most likely after me and Sasuke." Naruto's body was immobile, but his mind was highly active. He hadn't chosen an escape route randomly; he had deliberately stopped at the place where his allies were most likely to regroup. He could force himself to wake up at any time, but that might anger Kurama.

"What is he planning to do!" Fugaku became excited upon hearing his youngest son's name.

"This guy has been researching how to achieve immortality, and the children he collects all have special abilities... Isn't it obvious? He's got his eye on the Sharingan." Izuna didn't know exactly what Orochimaru had researched, but he could basically guess that Orochimaru coveted the Sharingan. After all, they all knew that Orochimaru had been forced into joining Akatsuki by Itachi.

"You encountered him in the forest? Are you alright?" Fugaku asked again. It's almost impossible for someone Naruto's peer to use the Nine-Tails, so it must be an extraordinary opponent.

〖fine…〗

"Bullshit! You call lying down and unable to move 'being fine'?!" Kurama, who rarely interrupted, roared. The chakra provided to others was a combination of Kurama's and Naruto's, greatly concealing the special nature of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Therefore, theoretically, the Nine-Tails was also one of the information centers. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't speak, unless Naruto secretly abused his body again without telling everyone.

"Naruto, are you really alright?" Tobirama was the first to raise a question. Last time, the sudden outburst of the Nine-Tails made them realize the burden of Yang Release on Naruto's body. What about this time?

"It's just that I used too much chakra at once, and my meridians are a little sore..."

"A little pain in your meridians is no small matter! I need to check on you." The strongest medical ninja roared, "Tobirama!"

Coming right away.

"No, I'm still in Konoha! I just triggered the highest alert level at the exam site!"

"Shut up! The wounded can only listen to the doctor!"

The intense argument in Naruto's mental world continued, while the forest in the real world was eerily quiet. The unlucky Team 7 encountered Orochimaru shortly after entering the forest. They fought their fiercest battles and ran their farthest distances, reaching the depths of the forest in just a few hours. The forest's visibility was extremely poor and fraught with danger after nightfall, so almost all the teams chose to stop and rest, unwilling to push their limits. After all, it was only the first day, and their minds weren't yet on the edge of urgency.

The light in the forest gradually dimmed, eventually being completely swallowed by darkness. Without direct sunlight, the temperature plummeted, and a damp, chilling cold rose from the ground, eroding every living thing. Sakura, who had been drowsy, was awakened by the cold, but fearing her location would be exposed, she couldn't start a fire. She could only try to hug herself tightly to minimize the area affected by hypothermia. Then she remembered her unconscious companion and turned to find Sasuke had unconsciously closed the distance between himself and Naruto, embracing him tightly with both hands and feet. Naruto's posture remained unchanged from when he lay down; he still had a slight frown, looking somewhat uncomfortable.

…Sigh, it's so nice that the boys can huddle together for warmth, while she, the night watchwoman, can only silently endure the cold. However, she couldn't tell whether the two of them were exhausted or unconscious. Clearly, medical knowledge needed to be put on the agenda, otherwise she wouldn't even know how to treat her teammates.

Sakura sighed as she ate the rice ball Naruto had brought. She was still visibly exhausted, but at least one of the three of them had to stay awake. Even if she had to pinch her thigh until it was bruised and blue, she had to stay awake until at least one of them was awake. Thankfully, Naruto had prepared well, otherwise she would have gone hungry tonight…

Filling her mind with random thoughts could indeed alleviate drowsiness, but it also lowered her alertness to her surroundings. So when she looked up and saw a fox mask, she was so frightened that she almost screamed.

"Shh, you're Sakura, right? I'm an ANBU member. I followed the trail of the battle to find this place. Don't worry, I'm here to help you." The ANBU member's voice was deep and gentle, with a calming magic that gradually soothed Sakura's wildly beating heart.

The Anbu are, by nature, beings who operate in the shadows. Their sudden appearance isn't surprising. She even met Orochimaru, one of the Legendary Sannin, today; what's there to be alarmed about?

Before the ANBU member finished speaking, a candlelight suddenly shone behind him. Sakura then realized that there was a second ANBU member present, also wearing a fox mask. He was carrying an oil lamp and walked straight towards Sasuke and Naruto.

"How long have they been unconscious?" The voice of the white-haired member of the Dark Guard was somewhat cold.

Sakura quickly calmed down, but she couldn't really say the exact time, because from a physical perspective, every minute and second her companion was unconscious brought her enormous pressure; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that each day felt like an eternity.

"I'm not sure, but they went to sleep before sunset."

"At least three hours, huh?" The black-haired operative became serious and moved to the two children's side. He didn't try to separate them, but began his examination while they were still in that position.

"Are they alright? We encountered Orochimaru. My companions fought him for a long time before finally escaping and getting here." With saviors arriving, Sakura immediately recounted what she knew, instinctively concealing the details of the battle.

"...Don't worry, that's why we're here." The white-haired ANBU member lowered his voice. "We understand the situation. Orochimaru is an enemy outside of the exam, so it shouldn't be your responsibility to deal with him. They'll be fine, and we'll eliminate the influence of that rogue ninja."

"But you, little girl, should take a nap. You're already very tired."

The voice, which had just seemed cold and ruthless, suddenly softened considerably, and these few words directly brought out the exhaustion that Sakura had been trying so hard to suppress.

They did indeed appear to be Konoha's Anbu; they didn't seem to harbor any ill will...they seemed quite reliable...perhaps she could...rest...for a while...

Sakura's thoughts went from swift to sluggish and then to a standstill in the blink of an eye. She was no match for Tobirama's illusion and quickly closed her eyes.

"Let her forget." Tobirama handed the little girl to the third person in the shadows. Against the pure black background, a pair of blood-red eyes were exceptionally clear.

"..." Fugaku came out, gently brushed the little girl's forehead to complete the spell, and then his gaze lingered on the only source of light in the tree hole.

“You can go and see him.” Tobirama, with his back to the cave, remained vigilant of his surroundings.

Fugaku remained silent, as he had been since his arrival. After a long while, he said, "Naruto has taken good care of him, and that's enough."