Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 273 Life and Death Line

Pain awakens a dormant consciousness.

Beneath the pitch-black backdrop lay pure pain, so intense that it was impossible to discern where the pain was more intense; even breathing felt like being slowly sliced ​​to death on a knife's edge. Yet, he still sensed a warm strength within the pain, and so he forced himself to crawl out of that darkness and return to the world of men.

"Naruto? You're finally awake!"

The voice grew closer, carrying an unprecedented urgency. He recognized the voice, of course, and with difficulty opened his eyes, plunging into a darkness illuminated only by a pale green light.

Night fell. There was no moon or stars tonight. The sea breeze was blowing quite fiercely, smoothing out the white, bristling fur. But the owner of the fur had no time to care. Instead, he said anxiously, "Where's Nine-Tailed Fox? Get it out here to work!"

“His name is Nine…” Naruto instinctively wanted to refute, but even uttering a single word was extremely difficult.

"Nine Lama, Nine Lama, of course I know his name, hurry up and wake him up!"

By the way, Kurama has been branded with a mysterious symbol that he can't erase no matter how hard he tries underwater. He feels like he's about to die, and Kurama isn't roaring in his ear anymore. Could something really have happened?

Naruto swiftly entered the mental space, where he finally felt relieved. But he didn't have time to catch his breath; he immediately checked on Kurama. Kurama was still asleep, and judging from his aura, he wasn't injured. However, this time, he no longer saw a pure fox, but rather a very familiar point of light within the fox's body. While the light was slightly less intense than that of the demon, it was far brighter than Shion's. Most importantly, he saw that the symbol was attached to the point of light, and it appeared even more dazzling than the light itself!

This time, relying on the "feelings" he had gathered during that confrontation, he reached out to the symbol. His body actually passed directly through the Nine-Lama's body and touched the symbol on the light spot.

The symbols disappeared, and Kurama suddenly awoke, almost instantly realizing the situation. He didn't even have time to curse; he immediately and gently dispersed his chakra, trying to fill the countless cracks above his sea of ​​consciousness.

"Don't tell me you knocked me out just to get yourself killed! Naruto Uzumaki! If I ever interfere with your father again, I'm an idiot!"

"...I'm sorry, I had no choice." Naruto was wronged, but he couldn't tell the truth, so he could only bow his head and apologize.

Kurama was so angry he didn't want to talk to him, but he didn't have the ability to repel him, so he simply used his tail to hug himself up to show his refusal to accept the apology. However, although he refused to communicate, the flow of chakra did not stop. His body, which was almost completely collapsing, was revitalized under the nourishment of Kurama's extremely vital chakra, and he finally came back from the brink of death.

The medical ninjutsu was only stopped once Naruto's condition had completely stabilized. The user sat down on the spot in a rather unladylike manner, looking utterly exhausted.

"Uncle Tobirama...cough cough, sorry, you've really gone to a lot of trouble." He opened his eyes to find himself facing another person he had to apologize to, but he only managed to say a few words before coughing up dark red blood.

"Shut up. Cough up the blood in your trachea. It's a wonder you haven't choked to death yet." To exhaust Tobirama, an Edo Tensei body, to this extent, it's highly likely that medical ninjutsu was being maintained before he woke up, and it was the highest level ninjutsu used to prolong his life.

"...How did you know I was here?"

“I don’t know, but the military reported that the shrine where the demons are imprisoned was severely damaged, and even the volcano had a minor eruption. Only you could cause such a disturbance. Although you returned to the Konoha team, you haven’t reported that you’re safe, which is very unusual.”

"I distinctly remember leaving a shadow clone in the base to handle official documents. The fact that the shadow clone is still around means that the main body is alright..."

Tobirama's expression turned dangerous. "You still want to keep this a secret? I should have told you, your life is very important to Hikaru."

"If I hadn't come, were you planning to die on that deserted island?"

The silence lasted for a long time, and all that could be heard was the howling of the waves and the wind; it seemed that the first storm of early summer was about to arrive.

In this short yet long period of time, Naruto recalled many things. He remembered one inexplicable dream after another, one major event after another that had occurred since he opened his eyes in this world, and also the "Naruto" who had seized control and caused the current situation. In matters of great importance, he always possessed a beast-like intuition, so when he sensed that the "shadow" underwater, though without malice, would bring unimaginable disaster the moment it was released, he made his final decision.

“Everyone dies eventually.” Naruto raised his head, his confident smile returning. “What we want to create is a new path, an ideal world that cannot be defeated by time and will self-correct, not an order that revolves around me. What matters has never been me, but 'Ki's' belief.”

Tobirama's emotions were fluctuating wildly, but his outward appearance remained unchanged; only his gaze became sharp and complex. After a long silence, he pointed out a cruel truth: "The current 'Radiance' is an order that exists around you, and your will is enough to determine the direction of 'Radiance'."

"Therefore, this situation must change. What guides us should not be a single person, but a systematic set of ideas."

"Words cannot accurately encompass everything in the world; they will inevitably be misinterpreted!"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Tobirama. I believe that the vast majority of people yearn for a better life, and the majority of people must resonate with this belief."

Tobirama's expression twisted slightly; he seemed to be struggling to suppress some emotion, trying his best to remain calm as he said, "Never mind what you want to do now, go see my older brother, he'll definitely be able to find a way..."

"Uncle Tobirama," Naruto called out to the person who was about to get emotional, and said with a smile, "It's okay."

"Aren't ninjas always living with death? Everyone else has died once, but I haven't. That doesn't make sense."

"This is different!" Kurama, who had been feigning death, couldn't hold back any longer. His roar was deafening. "They didn't have a choice, and they didn't die because of you. But what about you? Naruto, you're actively courting death!"

“You always say you have to believe in the power of your comrades, so why can’t you do it when it’s your turn? Big Brother can definitely do it. He’s always been doing things that others find incredible!” Tobirama grabbed Naruto’s shoulder, but his grip was as light as a feather. He didn’t dare to use any force. “If you give up on ‘hope’ yourself, then who can save you? You’ve already saved us from the abyss, so let us save you this once more.”

But Naruto still smiled in the end, "Thank you, Tobirama-san."

"But I have a reason to reach the Pure Land. Don't worry, it'll only be a short while. You'll call me back, right?"