Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 31 "Let's Set Off"

Since that battle, the atmosphere at the base has improved considerably. Groups of two or three are no longer just members of individual clans. Those summoned were mostly children born after the village joined, some even reaching the third generation. At least they hadn't fought internally, and their hatred was much less than the older generation. Top-tier ninjas don't need words; they can see into each other's hearts during battle. No matter how fierce the fight, both sides returned unharmed. After a tactical debriefing, they discovered that the opponent's strengths were their own weaknesses, and their own weaknesses were the opponent's strengths—a remarkable complementarity rarely seen between ninja clans. The enthusiastic Senju clan, the ones who had done wrong, apologized and their relationship improved significantly. Especially those who had studied in Shingo, they were practically inseparable. It can only be said that a faith that truly benefits the world has a positive influence on people.

After the first group of torchbearers were ready, Naruto broke the seal for the second time. This time, the commotion was significantly smaller, and when he finally stood before the group of young people, he almost completely concealed the fluctuations of the Nine-Tails' chakra.

"Congratulations on winning this opportunity to go abroad with your outstanding achievements. You have become pioneers for 'Hui' to move towards the world. Future generations will remember your names and great achievements forever."

Naruto shook hands with each of them one by one, and the immense, vibrant chakra emanating from him made everyone's eyes widen involuntarily. He transferred all twenty-seven hands without even breaking a sweat, and in the end, he was still able to chat and laugh with them as if nothing had happened.

The leader is truly a master of disguise!

At this moment, Naruto was completely unaware that his image had been greatly elevated in their eyes; he simply patiently explained the use of this chakra.

“Everyone has participated in the preliminary training and knows how to activate the Mind Transfer Technique, right? Try using that chakra to say a sentence in your mind, starting with…” Naruto hadn’t finished speaking when an incredibly noisy sound rang in his mind.

〖is that so?〗

[Lord Jinlun is so handsome!!]

Is this really the amount of chakra a human could possess? That's ridiculous!

What should I say?

[Uchiha Tsubasa is a complete idiot!]

Will Lord Jinlun hear this?

……

Faced with the oncoming mental attack, Naruto remained calm, his expression unchanged. A massive water curtain rose in his mind, displaying the telepathic messages from everyone in detail. Most people couldn't withstand such an attack, but Naruto had even experienced the impact of hundreds of shadow clones performing different tasks over time before dissolving them. This telepathic attack was nothing to him!

"I'm glad everyone cooperated so well, but I haven't finished speaking yet." Naruto said helplessly, "Alright, that concludes the first step of the trial. Next is the dialogue between your teams. Please say a few words to your comrades."

〖...Bai Shan? 〗

"…Tsubasa…I think I heard you calling me."

"I can hear you, Captain."

Didn't you just say that Uchiha Tsubasa is a big idiot?

〖？ ？〗

"Lord Jinlun! I didn't!"

Ah, I could have guessed.

----------

"Captain! Captain! Can you hear me?!"

Please keep your voice down, my head is starting to hurt...

"Isn't this how your haori always is? I'm not used to it yet."

"You were shouting even louder than a haori just now, and you were saying...!"

[Lord Jinlun! Ahaha, so you're here too! Ahahaha!]

"…Oh my god, is the captain laughing? Hui, can you hear that? The captain is laughing!"

[Pfft... Too bad I can't record it with my Sharingan.]

----------

What should I say?

"Yes, what should we say?"

Sigh, what should I say?

"...You three are really in sync."

"Ah, Lord Jinlun. So you can hear me too."

This way of communicating is indeed very convenient.

But we can't use it all the time, chakra is consumed.

……

Naruto briefly checked the connectivity of each team and briefly demonstrated his presence in their internal communications. Even responding to several teams simultaneously didn't cause any confusion. This was probably the benefit of frequently using Shadow Clones; he was quite accustomed to handling such complex tasks concurrently. He needed to demonstrate the importance of this communication channel and ensure it wasn't wasted.

“Currently, the information transmitted between the two teams cannot bypass me, the chakra provider. I can hear every word you say. I'm sorry, this problem cannot be solved for the time being.” Naruto smiled apologetically. “Normally, each team is linked together, and you can communicate directly without going through me. But if you want to find someone outside your team, you must notify me first before you can connect. You should all understand the principle, right?”

Everyone nodded in understanding; after all, their equipment was limited, so they could only use ninjutsu to make up for it.

"Furthermore, in critical moments, you can use this chakra in battle, which may have unexpected and miraculous effects."

"Then, go and say goodbye to your family and friends, and then meet at the entrance of the barrier. This journey has no fixed destination and the return date is uncertain. Everything depends on your judgment."

"I hope you can leave the flame on the land you have passed through."

Let's go.

This is a group of talented young people, even younger than Naruto, at the prime of their youth, full of youthful passion. They once struggled in the darkness with torches, only to be swallowed by it in the end. But they still have the courage to pick up the torch again, vowing to find light in the darkness.

"What a great bunch of kids," Naruto couldn't help but remark.

Hashirama ambushed Naruto on the head and said with a grin, "Aren't you one too?"

Naruto simply tilted his head, making no further significant movements to dodge, letting the First Hokage ruffle his hair. His father and mother had left behind only chakra. Although Tobirama had studied the subtle connection between chakra and the soul, once a physical body was lost, neither the soul nor chakra could be sustained for long. Naruto didn't force them to stay, nor did he attempt the Impure World Reincarnation, even though Aunt Mikoto also missed her best friend.

"The Reaper Death Seal hasn't been lifted yet, so I can't recall Dad, and I don't know when I can. Mom and Dad have never been separated for so long, so let's wait a bit longer." Naruto gave a reason, but in reality, the trouble he mentioned could be easily solved with a wave of his hand; he just didn't want to, and couldn't, recall them for the time being.

Only by empathizing with Sasuke could he better care for him. It doesn't make sense that he can enjoy his parents' love while Uncle Fugaku and Aunt Mikoto can only think of Sasuke from afar and learn about his situation from him.

This is not fair.

and……

Naruto pressed his hand to his chest, suppressing the faint pain. There were bound to be side effects from using such a large amount of chakra too early, and he didn't want them to worry unnecessarily.