Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 363 Revitalization

"The light inherited from the spiral, severing the dragon's hand, leads to the inner court..."

"The image that emerges from the past, the eternal song connects our hearts..."

The girl's clear voice echoed in the empty corridor. It was a rather gentle nursery rhyme, much like a lullaby used to soothe a child to sleep. This time, Naruto listened to the entire piece quietly.

"It's a beautiful song. You were singing it when we first met, weren't you?"

The red-haired girl didn't run away like a frightened bird; instead, she raised her head and looked at him helplessly and confusedly.

"Because my mother is always there singing this song for me."

Once her mother was mentioned, the bittersweet memories of the past became inescapable. Sarah recalled her mother's earnest teachings, An Lushan who brought about the greatest changes to Loulan, and the pain of her mother's sudden death. Undoubtedly, it was An Lushan who truly put the dragon veins dormant underground to use, benefiting the people. But it was also he who, in the most cruel way, pursued his ambition, turning Loulan into an empty shell of hell.

"After my mother passed away, only An Lushan stayed by my side. There was no one else... no one else..."

“I don’t have parents either; I’ve been all alone since I was three years old.”

This was unexpected for Sarah. "But you weren't calling for that ninja..."

"This is the first time I've seen my father alive since I became conscious." Naruto sat down on the stairs and even smiled as he comforted Sara, "Fate is amazing, isn't it?"

Sara's gaze gradually shifted from surprise to pain; having experienced loss herself, she understood that pain all the more deeply. But Naruto was smiling, a warm smile like the sun.

"I've always been a troublemaker since I was little, always talking about becoming Hokage, but I never understood the ideals of my predecessors and did all sorts of annoying things. Until one day, I finally got my first recognition. My teacher protected me with his life and told me that I was not a monster, I was just myself. From that day on, I was truly born into this world as Naruto Uzumaki, and I stopped worrying about how others saw me."

"'I am Naruto Uzumaki of Konoha, the man who will definitely become Hokage.' It is with this firm belief that I have become who I am today."

"Sarah, and you? Who do you think you are?"

Who is she? Is she her mother's child, the Queen of Loulan, or a puppet of her ministers, a little princess who knows nothing? Isn't the answer right there?

Loulan was the most important legacy her mother had given her. Her people were struggling in hell, and as a queen, how could she have time to cry and shed tears?

"I am Sarah, Queen of Loulan." The Queen straightened up again, the mist in her eyes completely gone, leaving only a resolute flame. "First, we need to confirm the true situation of this city. Can you confirm where the threads connecting the puppets come from?"

“From those pipes.” Since Sara was already in the zone, Naruto naturally wouldn’t let her down.

"Sure enough, those pipes are the power source of this city, the power of the dragon vein. Our Queen has the ability to sense and control the dragon vein, and by following those pipes, we will surely be able to find the source."

"Let's set off quickly."

Sara's plan to strike at the heart of the enemy was incredibly reckless, but unfortunately, Naruto was by her side. Having considered Centipede's current abilities, Naruto naturally concluded that they could fight him however they wanted. After all, puppeteers' own abilities are usually quite questionable, relying entirely on their skillful manipulation of puppets for damage. While the dragon vein was powerful, the human body had its limits; no matter how strong Centipede was, he couldn't possibly defeat Naruto. So, Naruto went along with Sara's whims, after all, he needed to pave the way for the little girl's first step.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Loulan, a gigantic arm suddenly burst forth from the ground, smashing the tightly closed gate to pieces. After the arm retracted, a burly figure emerged from the earth. Only after confirming there was no danger did he signal to his followers to evacuate quickly. A blond-haired youth waited nearby, touching anyone who approached. Soon, the shackled, emaciated group of people vanished completely.

"How many strongholds have been destroyed now?"

"The fourth one. I never expected so many puppets to be hidden in a city. But why hasn't that guy made a move?"

Choza was already quite used to this unofficial member. When they discovered that the guy who claimed to be a shadow clone wasn't lying at all, and that they could run into him from time to time, Minato immediately adjusted his plan and included this extra fighting force in his calculations.

Naruto's chakra reserves are astonishing. Even if he created a shadow clone for each of them, he could still easily handle the task of using the Flying Thunder God Technique to relocate the civilians. This technique consumes a significant amount of chakra, and the chakra required to teleport others differs from that required to teleport oneself. At least, Choji had never seen Minato teleport so many people at once.

“There are too many places to hide things in this city. It’s probably unrealistic to evacuate all the people before the war starts. Let’s think about how to limit the scope of the battle.” Naruto was telling the truth. They had only been here for a short time, while the enemy had already tried to kill the queen. They were very likely already prepared.

"I'm not the captain, I'm just following orders. You should talk to Minato." Choza shrugged, indicating that he couldn't help.

"Since I thought of telling you, I'll definitely tell him too, so there's no need to worry about that."

"What, you don't call him 'Dad' in private anymore? Don't you two get along?"

Everyone says the Akimichi clan are easygoing and plump, only interested in food and guileless. This is a huge misconception. The Akimichi family members are also excellent at reading people; they just appear rather naive, making them easy to overlook. Even though Naruto acted naturally, Choza still sensed a slight restraint during their first meeting. It wasn't the restraint one would see between family members, but rather... the restraint of long-separated acquaintances suddenly meeting.

Would Minato be the kind of person who's never home? Impossible. This kid, on the other hand, seems more like the one who can use the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel the world.

"It's just a form of address, it's a bit strange to call others that too." Naruto, who is at least fifty years old at heart, still has some baggage. He himself has been a father, and calling someone two cycles younger than him "Dad" is already the limit.

Just as Naruto was about to fly with his group to the next suspicious location, his clone's telepathic message arrived. Upon hearing that the Queen was heading straight for the enemy's headquarters, Naruto decisively changed his landing point and brought his group to Minato's side.

Since it's the final battle, of course we have to go all out.