Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 334 Blockade

"What exactly is that thing?"

Forgive Qu Gen for being so naive; he had never seen a fortress as tall as a mountain, let alone one that could move on flat ground!

As they flew to the ground, the enormous thing hurtled towards them, startling Qu Gen. His first instinct was to avoid it and run to the side, but his teammates had a different idea.

Naruto drew his prized longsword and plummeted towards the ground at an extraordinary speed. With a deafening roar, the fortress was actually brought to a halt!

Whether it was the longsword's exceptional sharpness or Naruto's enhanced wind-style chakra, looking down, one could see that the underground and above-ground parts of the fortress had completely separated. The upper part slid forward slightly due to inertia, but quickly tilted to the side due to the loss of balance. Fortunately, the location was a narrow valley, and the tower-like upper part soon leaned firmly against the stone wall, remaining still.

"There are many people trapped inside, so go easy on them."

While Torane was still in shock, Naruto's voice suddenly rang in his ears. He jolted awake and turned to see Naruto floating beside him. Torane felt his heart might not be able to take it; the rapid flow of blood was even making the worms inside him restless. He knew perfectly well that only the descendants of the Tsuchikage possessed the art of flight. Had Naruto stolen it or was he simply using a different method to fly?

The intelligence report didn't mention that he could slice through a ten-meter-wide metal tower with a single strike, and that he could fly too!

Before Qu Gen could continue to be shocked, the top of the tower, which had been quiet for a short while, moved. What attacked first was not a person, but a sound wave.

Torune, a member of the Aburame clan, hated this kind of attack the most, and immediately jumped off his landing spot. Although he hadn't cooperated with Naruto much, he had already deduced that this person preferred to face enemies head-on, so he leaped onto the metal tower at an extremely fast speed and circled around to the back.

Naruto, as expected, chose the opposite path, suddenly gaining altitude to avoid the range of the first sonic wave. Even their attackers couldn't maintain a relentless assault; as soon as the sonic waves subsided, Naruto's ranged attack flew in. Whistling wind blades covered Naruto's advance, but he abruptly stopped halfway, assuming a defensive stance. Torune saw no ripples from the attack, yet Naruto was struck by an invisible force, staggering back a short distance. This pause allowed his previously suppressed opponent a respite, and the second sonic wave struck.

As he ran, Togen threw off his gloves and arm guards, and an ominous purple hue instantly spread across his arms. He never imagined that one day he would fight alongside Kurama, and even genuinely worry about Kurama's safety during a lull in the battle.

Lord Danzo said that the existence of the Nine-Tails is necessary; if not Naruto, then someone else. Naruto can die, but before he dies, the Nine-Tails must be passed down.

Yes, that's right. He was just afraid that if Kurama died, it would delay Lord Danzo's great cause.

Naruto, of course, wasn't so easily defeated. He simply floated back a short distance and then used an invisible wind to withstand the second wave of sound. So, it's true that learning a little science is useful; sound waves travel through air, and Naruto's Wind Release disrupted the airflow, naturally disrupting the sound waves as well. However, this was his first attempt, and he might have used a bit too much force. The strong wind not only dispersed the sound waves but also blew several people standing on top off the platform.

"Damn it, how dare you hurt Lord Hyde!"

A woman's exasperated voice came from above, then lost its crispness and took on a wild, hoarse quality. Another shapeshifter? He really hated people who couldn't be poisoned instantly.

Taking advantage of the enemy's attention being completely drawn to Naruto, Torune seized the opportunity to climb to the top of the tower and silently kidnapped the man who appeared to be the leader from behind. His kidnapping was completely contrary to his gentleness; his purple fingers went straight to the man's exposed neck.

"Surrender immediately! You don't want him to die, do you?"

The half-human, half-wolf monster suddenly turned around. Its fierce eyes became somewhat panicked when it saw the man being held hostage. It stopped attacking as expected, because the man's face had begun to turn purple.

"Release Lord Hyde, and I surrender!" The woman raised her hands, but did not revert to her wolf form. Togen, of course, wasn't that foolish. He didn't retract the poisonous insects, but instead continued to hide behind Hyde, waiting for his teammates to act.

Naruto's speed was indeed incredibly fast. As soon as the kunai struck the platform, he appeared behind the woman. With a sealing jutsu, she lost her fighting ability, just like their captive.

"Take some of the poison back, lest it really kill someone." Naruto walked forward with a smile and took off the green stone Hyde was wearing. Without the energy source, he had no ability to cause any trouble.

Qu Gen nodded and began to retract his poisonous insects. Having learned from the previous troublesome lesson, his attack this time was swift, accurate, and ruthless. The moment he touched the person, he seized control of the spinal nerve center before the opponent could even realize the force of his attack. Even if the person later realized the power of his poison, they could only stand there helplessly, unable to do anything.

"Give me back the stone!" The moment he regained his freedom, Hyde could no longer maintain his philanthropic facade. His long-cherished wish was finally within reach, but who knew that two ninjas would suddenly appear, first destroying his fortress and then seizing his last remaining Grell Stone. Without that stone, even if he reached the mine, he couldn't access the control panel!

However, having lost his greatest asset, how could this pampered businessman possibly compare to a ninja? Naruto easily dodged the attack, casually pulled out a wire rope with an iron ball attached from his pocket, and tied Hyde up tightly.

"What, do you want to experience being punished by standing again? Brother Qugen, how about we feed him some poison instead?"

"Yes, I can't just use a little bit of poison; too much will kill you."

Hyde's expression shifted between fear and resentment. How could he not hate the enemy who had taken the fruits of his victory?

The skirmish between the two sides didn't last long before it ended, and the complete victory of their side improved Torune's impression of Naruto. He had actually been wanting to ask, "Do these people really have to be captured alive?"

Driving a fortress recklessly through the Land of Fire, even executing them on the spot wouldn't be considered excessive.

“I think there are people more qualified than us to judge them. I said there are many people trapped in the fortress.”

Naruto's response was both unexpected and perfectly reasonable. He should have realized long ago that Naruto Uzumaki was an excessively kind and principled person.

He will not kill without cause, nor will he let any criminal go free.