Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 314 Growing Pains

"You're incredibly lucky, kid. Did you thank the ninja properly? This is a life-saving grace. According to our fleet's custom, we repay it with a lifetime of loyalty." Seeing Sasuke intact and still breathing, the captain breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had been on edge the whole way, prepared to lose another crew member, but he never expected that Sasuke would still be alive, though he looked exhausted.

Let's go back to the morning of the day the incident occurred.

Fighting through the entire prison of criminals was certainly beyond Sasuke's current capabilities. Fortunately, Kaku appeared and used the Box of Elysium to eliminate a group of people. The remaining prisoners were basically terrified and only instinctively avoided the dangerous place, making numerous mistakes in their fights, barely allowing Sasuke to use a second move. He had experienced this kind of multi-on-one battle too many times, and in the end, all that drove him was "habit."

"That's enough, Sasuke." Naruto, whether a clone or his true form, appeared beside him and gently lifted him onto his shoulder. Warm, vibrant chakra surged from Naruto's body, which, while not completely eradicating his physical fatigue, invigorated him and helped him clear his drowsy mind.

What did you do?

“I went to find the person you mentioned. He is Wuwei’s younger brother, named Wuchang. He told me about Wugou, but we didn’t have time to talk in too much detail.”

"...It's just an attempt to exonerate himself."

"Well... while that's the goal, it's good to hear more stories from those who came before, at least you can learn some lessons from them."

Once Naruto starts rambling, he can't stop. Without Sasuke even having to ask, he recounted most of his unpleasant past experiences, emphasizing several times the abstract operations of the Kusagakure leadership.

"These descriptions are highly subjective, so don't show too much sympathy." Sasuke didn't have the energy to argue with Naruto right now; he was too tired to move. However, he was still worried that the idiot might be taken advantage of without even realizing it.

“I know, I know, isn’t it because no one can be saved? Where is the compassion?” As he said this, Naruto’s face was full of satisfaction that was beyond his years. “But you, you’ve improved a lot. You’ve already thought of this level.”

Sasuke's hands itched; he desperately wanted to punch that awkward expression, but he was completely immobilized. So, he deliberately loosened his grip, trying to use the sudden change in weight to break the guy's balance and make him scramble. However, this method was completely ineffective. Sasuke only felt a slight jolt before being hoisted back onto the guy's shoulder. His relief turned into heartache; it was blatant concern, so blatant it made him want to run away.

"You must be exhausted. You were a great help this time, drawing away the main firepower. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to set up my temporary barrier so quickly."

Sasuke lowered his head, not daring to look directly into those eyes, because he knew very well that there must be something hidden in his eyes that shouldn't be discovered now.

"Hmph, don't underestimate me. When I was with Orochimaru, I often did this kind of training, only I fought for a longer time."

"Yes, yes, because Sasuke has always been 'super' amazing~"

It wasn't until Naruto brought Sasuke to the beach that he finally understood why Naruto insisted on bringing him down instead of leaving directly using the Flying Thunder God Technique. The sails of the ship approaching were the very ones he had recently raised himself; that large ship named Wavebreaker was truly sailing against the wind and waves, having turned back for him alone.

"Looks like you'll have to continue as their assistant for a few more days. Say goodbye to them properly." Naruto smiled and put him down, adding with a particularly cheeky grin as he left, "As for how you survived, just make it up yourself~"

Knowing full well that he doesn't like interacting with people, yet still forcing him into situations he can't handle... This guy's sense of humor is getting more and more perverse!

He was genuinely helpless when the crew surrounded him, tears streaming down their faces. Although Naruto was quite disloyal, his story suddenly sounded more believable with him on board.

While on duty, "Riku" accidentally fell into the water due to an operational error. He struggled against the current for a long time and was about to drown when, unexpectedly, internal strife broke out in Hozuki Castle not far away. Coincidentally, Naruto is a sensory ninja and has a habit of giving his friends Flying Thunder God Seal amulets. He sensed an abnormal chakra flow in the direction of Hozuki Castle and immediately located the nearest coordinates, thus inadvertently rescuing Riku.

This far-fetched little story didn't arouse anyone's suspicion. Their ship had actually transported quite a few ninjas before, and they didn't have such an overly invincible filter on ninjas. But Naruto was just too mischievous. Despite having so many ways to get out of everyone's sight, he deliberately chose one that most people would never do.

He flew away.

Flying is often associated with so-called ghosts and gods. People try their best to imagine the freedom of flying, but they are firmly bound to the land by reality. So they can only construct beings that can fly in the most beautiful and the most evil imaginations. They are either gods or ghosts, but they are definitely not human.

While it's true that ninjutsu (techniques) exist in the ninja world that allow flight, these techniques are extremely difficult to learn and are strictly restricted by Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village), resulting in very few people being able to master them. Naruto was able to learn it entirely due to his good fortune; he happened to encounter one of only two people in Iwagakure who had mastered the technique. However, he could also use Yin-Yang Release to fly, but doing so would be extremely risky and not worth the effort.

Just because Naruto slightly slipped up, these ordinary people believed the nonsense that ninjas could save people from the undercurrents... It was a lucky accident, wasn't it?

"All the fugitives have been re-cast with the Heavenly Prison Technique, and the others will be cast later. Please allow me to catch my breath for a moment." Naruto appeared unexpectedly and immediately reported the latest situation. A good attitude in making amends would earn more goodwill from the Heavenly Prison Clan, so he had to appear very proactive.

"Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Wuchang. There's no need to rush. Just do your best." Naruto also shared the situation on his side. "I've already sent Fu to Konoha. My shadow clone is reporting the situation here to the Hokage. I don't know what to do next, but that box definitely can't be left here. Would you mind if I threw it somewhere deserted?"

"If it's the Hokage's order, then proceed."

After his senses faded, the power within the box completely subsided; even direct contact no longer triggered the energy that he felt physiologically averse to. Naruto stepped forward and touched the outer wall of the box, and in the blink of an eye, the three-person-tall cube vanished.