Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 1: Fragments of the Rewritten Future

The living are but passersby, the dead are those who return home. Heaven and earth are but a fleeting inn, all share the same sorrow of eternal dust. -- Li Bai, "Twelve Poems in the Ancient Style"

一

This dense forest has never been so lively.

Several groups, each with their own objectives, had gathered here. The forces of Konoha, Akatsuki, and Orochimaru had been engaged in a chase for days. But today, the rapidly closing distance made everyone tense. They all understood that a collision was inevitable; the only question was which group would collide first.

At this moment, the most anxious person was undoubtedly the leader of Team Snake. His long-held obsession was right before him, yet he was beset by a madman-like Akatsuki member seeking to take him down with him, and relentlessly pursued by Konoha. He only wanted revenge! Naruto had just discovered his location; if he could kill that man and settle everything, he could… he could…

“You stay here; this is my revenge.”

Faced with Kisame's obstruction, Sasuke unhesitatingly ordered Team Snake to stand by. From the beginning, he only intended to face the man alone, and it seemed the other party shared the same intention. Suigetsu and Jugo had no objections, but Karin, who wholeheartedly supported Sasuke, was filled with resentment but could not utter a word, only watching Sasuke leave. A strange intuition filled her with inexplicable fear, as if Sasuke would never return.

After all, their opponent is that Uchiha Itachi!

Itachi made no attempt to conceal himself. His chakra shone brightly in the center of the deserted village, as if awaiting the arrival of his pursuers. The closer Sasuke got, the slower his steps became, not because he had stopped being anxious, but because he found the layout of this deserted village strangely familiar. It wasn't until he caught a glimpse of a few broken fan patterns that he realized this might be the former stronghold of the Uchiha clan, a once magnificent site, now abandoned and crumbling, much like that once glorious clan that now only had a few scattered members remaining.

Ah, choosing a place like this to fight to the death is not bad.

However, as Sasuke was fully focused on rehearsing the impending battle, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, the three tomoe in his blood-red eyes spinning wildly. He stared intently at a wooden hut directly in front of him, where a person sat on a barely usable bench, completely out of place in the dilapidated and desolate background. The person waved at him, laughing carefree as he had countless times in his dreams, his smile as radiant as the sun.

"Sasuke, I've been waiting for you for so long."

Illusion? No… they had just met recently, and he remembered Naruto’s current appearance perfectly.

His soft yet stubborn blond hair, his mature face, his slightly less rustic clothing, his chakra reserves, his constantly flowing meridians—everything matched perfectly, without a single flaw. This Naruto wasn't some weak clone encountered in the forest; even if it were, it had captured the vast majority of the original's essence.

But how did he manage to get here, bypassing both Karin and Akatsuki's double detection?! The Konoha pursuers are still some distance behind!

After the brainstorming session, a surge of anger overwhelmed Sasuke. That bastard is always like this, always like this! He barges into his world without explanation, steals his gaze without restraint, and tirelessly follows in his footsteps. He had already given up on severing ties with that man, agreeing that once he achieved his revenge, he could let Naruto cling to him however he wanted, but not now.

That won't work now.

“Naruto.” Sasuke tried his best to calmly persuade this stubborn guy, even though he knew it was futile. “I don’t have time to talk to you right now. After you get your revenge, you can talk for as long as you want.”

Naruto was still smiling. He stood up and slowly stepped out of the shadows under the eaves. "Although I'm glad you said that, that's why I came here."

"You'll regret killing him."

Regret? Regret what? Regret for not telling his father about the abnormality sooner? Regret for having wholeheartedly trusted his two-faced "brother"? Why should he regret it? What right does he have to regret it!

"Naruto! I've told you, you can't possibly understand my pain!"

He clearly wanted to speak politely, but the person's opening words were things he didn't want to hear. The sharp blade brought the broken wooden stool to its end, the crisp hum and dull thuds mingling together—it was a clash of physical skills, and as always, he couldn't gain the upper hand.

"Go away!"

Faced with the hysterical roar, Naruto unusually remained silent, which only fueled Sasuke's anger, causing him to strike harder and harder. Finally, a sharp bird cry pierced the silence, and in the flash of lightning, Sasuke saw the chakra sphere gathering in Naruto's palm.

Has it really turned out like this? He clearly wanted to conserve his strength before the battle, but after all this, will he still be able to avenge himself? Damn it, it's all that idiot's fault!

Thinking this, his swing became even faster and more ruthless. He was sure this guy could take it; he'd healed a hole in his chest before with just a couple of blows. He was getting closer and closer. That guy looked pretty serious when he wasn't smiling, but now he looked like a complete idiot. He seemed harmless, but his punches actually hurt quite a bit. That move hadn't changed in three years. If he performed a Thousand Birds Stream now, could he win? But he didn't. He was determined to prove he could win fair and square with a move from three years ago!

At this moment, Sasuke never considered another outcome. An outcome that... would plunge everything into the abyss.

The light of the Rasengan dissipated just as the Chidori was about to crash into it. The Sharingan possesses the strongest motion capture ability, allowing the user to see everything clearly, but it cannot perfectly synchronize the body.

Sasuke saw it all clearly. He saw the chakra dissipate, he saw Naruto gently tug at his arm, he saw every detail of the lightning tearing through the fabric and flesh, he saw it! The flame that symbolized life... how it... went out in his hands.

Red is always associated with death. Last time, it was the terrifying undertone of the Tsukuyomi space; this time, it's the blood that splashes into our eyes.

Naruto's blood.

"Uh...cough cough"

His breath was like a flickering candle in the wind, and a warm, sticky sensation spread across his shoulder. Oh, and on his hands too, and on his face, the feeling of flesh and blood writhing against his wrist was enough to make him vomit his breakfast... But... why was he still standing there?

What...did he just do?

Why did Naruto disperse his chakra? Why did he deliberately change his target to the heart? What was he doing?!

"I'm sorry." The hand that should have been used to attack embraced his enemy. Naruto's voice was weak and distant, yet extremely calm. "Sasuke, I will give you back everything you wanted."

Whether it's your family, your people, your wishes, or the power you should possess.

The immense chakra brought the stunned man back to his senses, but he could do nothing. The chakra was so heavy that it pressed him to the ground, and a surge of frenzied rage, mixed with the roars of a wild beast, rolled in. He could only make out a pair of eyes—a pair of blood-red, beastly eyes that were definitely not human. He had seen those eyes before; on Naruto. The Jinchuriki was no secret to Orochimaru, and he certainly knew about the Nine-Tails, but he hadn't taken it to heart.

Because he had never seen a real tailed beast, he couldn't understand how terrifying they were.

Now, he saw it. He vaguely saw a colossal creature lurking in the shadows, its nine tails stretching wildly as it kicked through his defenses, pulverizing his body.

Before his consciousness was dragged into darkness, he vividly remembered Naruto's face, slightly contorted with pain, and he remembered... that he himself had sent his death into his best friend's arms.

No! He can't fall asleep! Naruto... he's dying! Karin and Jugo are nearby! If only we could find them, if only we could get there in time!

But it was all in vain, and he eventually closed his eyes.