Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 365 The Power of the Dragon Vein

An astonishing number of puppets jumped off the production line, making the already cramped underground factory extremely crowded, with centipedes trying to bury them in a pile of wood.

Naruto couldn't unleash his full power under these circumstances, and with many civilians trapped, there was a high risk of accidental injury. The two decided to split up: Naruto would restrain the centipede and the puppet, while Sara would rescue the civilians.

"You've gotten so fat I almost didn't recognize you. Have you completely lost your ninja discipline?" Naruto's wind blades were flying wildly above the factory. To control the power output, he could only choose to sever the chakra threads connecting the puppet, rendering the pile of wood ineffective. Of course, Centipede could keep trying to connect to the puppet, but the moment he manipulated the puppet to move even one step towards the people, the chakra threads would be immediately severed.

He had long heard that the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki was proficient in the Flying Thunder God Technique, appearing and disappearing unpredictably and elusive. That's why he planned to cover the entire energy network of Loulan, create a puppet army by draining the resources of an entire nation, and acquire his current immortal body. From the moment he arrived in the past, he knew that one day in the future he would inevitably face this formidable enemy. If he couldn't overcome him, his dream of ruling the world would have to end there.

While Centipede meticulously planned his strategy against the Flying Thunder God Technique, he completely forgot about the Jinchuriki's identity. He hadn't expected this kid's ninjutsu to be so powerful; he'd never even seen this level of Wind Release in Sunagakure!

Remotely controlling the puppet is clearly not going to work. Should we reveal our hand now?

What are you daydreaming about?

The Flying Thunder God Ninja was indeed elusive, but in a moment of distraction, a kunai got close, and Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbing the kunai that had gone astray and stabbing it at him. Puppet masters' bodies were mostly weak, and the kunai, crackling with blue electricity, easily pierced through the centipede's head. But inside the shattered shell, there was no flesh or blood, only a pile of flying wood chips and parts.

Naruto had wanted to take down Centipede for a long time; he understood the principle of capturing the leader first, and this was especially true when dealing with a puppeteer. He just didn't want Sara to witness the bloodshed and be traumatized, so he waited until she left before making his move.

The characteristics of the dragon vein are already under investigation, and the only information received from the other party is a single sentence: the dragon vein can be regarded as a "source." If that power truly is a "source," what does that mean? Aside from erosion and destruction, the "source" can also be used for repair and creation.

The centipede's body was a puppet, which wasn't beyond Naruto's expectations. This special puppet could be repaired and reassembled using the power of the dragon veins; Naruto had guessed this possibility, but he only dared to confirm it after seeing it with his own eyes.

Even I, who has condensed a "source core," would be either killed or severely injured if I faced that thing. How come this guy can use the dragon vein to repair himself? Is it because wood has a simpler structure than flesh and blood, making it easier to transform? If he were to replace his body with wood, would he not feel pain...?

The idea was dismissed a few seconds later, because the centipede, having drawn upon the power of the dragon vein, had long since lost its human form. Not only had it condensed a new head with bulging eyes, but it had also grown eight slender "legs" from its body, and it no longer stood or walked, but crawled on the ground like an insect!

This is shockingly ugly! He absolutely doesn't want to become like that!!

The threads of the dragon vein exploded outwards, summoning every usable puppet component. Naruto decisively retreated to a safe distance. Such dense energy was unbreakable; without considerable strength, he couldn't stop the construction of that colossal entity. Seeing that the factory was about to be breached by the puppet polymer, Naruto quickly returned to the civilians who hadn't yet escaped, using Earth Release to firmly protect them.

"We can't escape now. We need to use the Flying Thunder God Technique to get out. This clone's energy is almost enough to transfer you all out. Hurry up and grab me!"

"But Miss Masako is still waiting for us on the ground!" Sarah had finally found all the people in the nooks and crannies and was about to lead everyone to escape when she turned around and saw the ceiling about to collapse. She was extremely anxious.

"My other clones are up there, you guys retreat first."

Naruto reached out his hand to Sara, but Sara turned around and called for everyone to gather around. She only approached Naruto after everyone else had left.

"Can you take me to the city center?"

The shadow clone was already on the verge of disappearing, but it still patiently asked, "Why do you want to go there?"

“Don’t forget my abilities. An Lushan is clearly still using the power of the dragon vein. If I go and shut down the source of the dragon vein, you will be able to subdue him.” Sarah answered earnestly, the light in her eyes undiminished by such a perilous day.

“Okay, I’ll take you there.” Naruto nodded in agreement and finally took Sara’s hand, but he corrected Sara’s statement the moment the jutsu was activated, “Sorry Sara, we probably have no choice but to kill him.”

In an instant, the last two people within the rocky walls vanished, leaving only a wisp of white smoke behind. Without the support of their chakra, the small shelter crumbled in a flash, buried deep underground.

"That's... a centipede?" Ding tightened his grip on the long staff, trying to understand the giant creature that had sprung up from the ground.

"Yes, he reshaped his body with the Dragon Vein, so he seems invincible. Maybe I was aiming wrong," said the only remaining Naruto.

Minato frowned and asked, "Your shadow clone has already dissipated? What about the people below...?"

"They've all been rescued, but Sarah said she can completely shut down the dragon veins and go to the city center."

Minato thought for about a second before immediately saying, "Naruto, go protect her. We'll take care of things here."

But he was met with a disapproving glance. Naruto said, "Have you forgotten this is a city? Who knows if someone's hiding in those seemingly empty places? This guy is so big, even a little destruction would be deadly. Destruction is easy, but building something would take so much manpower, resources, and time. Can you even keep him in one place?"

This was a side of Naruto he had never shown before. Usually, he was the kind-hearted guy, always gentle and kind to everyone, even when lecturing, he would do so indirectly, never using a harsh tone. But when it came to human lives and people's livelihoods, the aura of a superior would appear, and he would directly berate Minato, leaving the man stunned.

At this time, Minato was just a green captain and had never considered anything outside Konoha as something that needed to be protected. He was actually intimidated by that aura. Naruto didn't wait for him to react before turning his gaze to Kakashi, who had just reunited with his teacher and was still confused about what was going on.

"Kakashi Hatake".

"Huh? You're there?"

"Can you escort Queen Sara to close the dragon veins?"

"can!"

"Very good. Go and protect her. Leave this to us."