Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 437 Jiraiya's Choice

"There's no other way. If we can't bring Naruto back, you'll have to play him."

If Tobirama, on whom so much hope was placed, uttered such words, then there was virtually no chance of him successfully performing the Impure World Reincarnation. Orochimaru did have some unorthodox methods, but he was currently a prisoner, just not bound, and the large group of powerful figures weren't afraid of him escaping right under their noses. He thought cloning might be a good option, but his intuition told him that if he revealed it, these people would likely make him suffer a terrible fate.

His judgment was correct, because the reason for choosing the actor was not about whether they looked like the character or not, but about their special chakra.

"Now that you are the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, you know Naruto well enough, and besides, he should be able to talk to you directly."

Everything Tobirama said corresponded to Sasuke's current situation, and the boy, who had been calm and quiet since waking up, listened attentively.

Mikoto stayed by her child's side at all times. They were no longer in the examination room, but had moved to Fugaku and Mikoto's home in Hokushin. They had, of course, prepared clothes for Sasuke, as they had done for the past three years. After Hashirama confirmed that Sasuke was alright, just unconscious from excessive mental stress, she quickly changed his clothes and wiped away the clotted blood. Meanwhile, her true form was sitting in the living room, arguing with her seniors, but ultimately lost.

The Nine-Tails' chakra is impossible to imitate, and Sasuke's body likely contains a lot of Naruto's chakra, making it much easier for him to imitate Naruto than for the average person.

But can that child really bear so many blows?

"I understand." Sasuke finally responded, and he calmly began to analyze the need for disguise. "Konoha has the Hyuga clan, so the Transformation Technique probably won't be enough to fool them."

"Don't worry about that. The genjutsu we use is specifically designed to target Sharingan and Byakugan. What you need to be careful of are sensory ninjas." Although Izuna was furious, he was not angry at his junior, so he could barely control himself.

Hashirama had already pulled out an ornament from his body. The moment the object left him, Hashirama's yukata transformed into red armor, the whites of his eyes turned pitch black, and his body became covered in cracks—he looked exactly like a resurrected corpse. This was a ninja tool specially developed by "Hui" to facilitate the members' disguises. It could store a portion of chakra to maintain genjutsu, preventing them from being distracted by it at all times.

"The principle behind its use is very simple. First, use the Transformation Jutsu to transform into the form you want, then put on this little thing, input chakra, and record the transformation form. After that, you only need to input chakra." Hashirama explained how to use the ninja tool, and then handed another completely different item to Sasuke.

“These are Naruto’s auxiliary ninja tools. He insisted on using these as materials, and Tobirama put a lot of effort into engraving the jutsu formula on them. However, due to the material, they can’t store much chakra, so they need to be replenished about every three days. If you don’t mind, you can continue using them.”

Sasuke paused for a moment and tightened his grip when he took the item. It was a long pearl necklace, long enough to wrap around his arm three times.

"I do not mind."

This cozy living room rarely falls into such silence; the older folks, watching the boy who accepts everything they say, are at a loss for words.

Sigh, what a tragedy. Naruto was really too reckless this time, but now that everyone's dead, can they still vent their anger with a ball of chakra?

“Sasuke, I know it’s too difficult for you to perfectly disguise yourself. However, this disguise only needs to continue until Akatsuki declares war, and there is still someone in Konoha you can trust who will help you.”

"Besides, I don't think you can fool that person. It's better to lay your cards on the table sooner rather than later; it will be better for you both."

This explains why Sasuke landed in front of Jiraiya first. All the protective charms Naruto gave to the people of Konoha were double-marked, and they chose to land near Jiraiya, not near Naruto's hut. The moment Naruto rescued Jiraiya, he shared this information with "Hikaru," which is why they dared to throw them away so decisively.

Jiraiya, who had lagged slightly behind, quickly caught up. They were now on the main street, where fighting was absolutely out of the question, and even the content of their interrogation had to be carefully considered. Moreover, Jiraiya noticed that this time, when he was standing next to "Naruto," the guy's expression was no longer stiff. Instead, he slightly tensed some muscles and maintained a faint smile, making "Naruto" look a bit more like Naruto.

Wow, so this guy can actually "act"!

"What exactly happened? Didn't you guys go after Itachi Uchiha?" Even though Sasuke had tried so hard, Jiraiya didn't intend to expose him, but continued to investigate the truth.

"I couldn't catch him; Akatsuki stopped me," Naruto replied. "...He ran into me; I was too fast..."

Sasuke's description was very abstract, but Jiraiya understood it and found it even more unacceptable. "Why?"

Naruto turned around, gave him a bright smile, and said, "Just being willful."

Jiraiya was stunned by that smile, but reality was cruel. Naruto quickly suppressed his exaggerated laughter and turned his head back. "That's it. If you think it's necessary, then tell everyone."

As a result, Jiraiya said nothing, and even offered to take "Naruto" to Mount Myōboku for training in preparation for the upcoming battle.

Tsunade asked curiously, "Didn't Naruto already learn Sage Mode?"

"But this kid hasn't learned how to cooperate with the Toad Sages! Besides, when Fukasaku left, he mentioned to me that the Great Toad Sage wanted to see Naruto." Jiraiya's reasoning was half true and half false. Naruto had actually learned how to cooperate, but Fukasaku's request was genuine. However, the person he could take back now... was no longer Naruto.

“That’s fine. We can at least find some peace and quiet at Mount Myōboku. If we stay here, those old guys will probably cause all sorts of trouble.” Tsunade agreed without much thought. “Leave a communication frog. If anything happens in Konoha, I’ll let you know immediately.”

And so, Sasuke left Konoha again before even staying for half a day.