Chapter 509: A Blond Guy Falls from the Sky
"Naruto, what do you think? Do you want to try training Sage Mode together with the Nine-Tails as well? Huh? Where's Naruto?"
After finishing his Sage Mode demonstration, Rōshi suddenly remembered Naruto. He looked around, only to realize Naruto had disappeared.
"Oh, I'm over here."
Hearing Rōshi call him, Naruto hurriedly raised his hand and ran back.
"Naruto, did you hear what I just said? What do you think?"
Rōshi stepped forward and patted Naruto on the shoulder.
"Uh..."
Naruto hesitated.
For a moment, he had no idea how to refuse.
After all, he had only just promised the Nine-Tails that he wouldn't let the Four-Tails or Rōshi know about any of this.
Fortunately, the "considerate" Nine-Tails came to his rescue.
"Four-Tails' jinchūriki, just worry about yourself. Naruto is the reincarnation of the old Sage of Six Paths' son. He doesn't need you telling him how to train!"
The Nine-Tails' voice sounded directly beside Rōshi's ear.
Using the contact between them, it transmitted its voice through chakra.
"..."
"Um... Rōshi, sorry about that. Kurama is just like that. He doesn't actually mean any harm."
Seeing how blunt the Nine-Tails had been, Naruto quickly tried to smooth things over.
"It's fine. Tailed Beasts are always like that with people they don't know well. I understand."
"Besides, the Nine-Tails does have a point."
Rōshi waved his hand, showing he didn't mind.
"Alright... Since you've already mastered Sage Mode, I guess it's time for us to head to the next village. If anything comes up, have the Four-Tails contact me."
"Oh, right. I still haven't absorbed the power the Four-Tails gave me. Kurama said to wait until I get the Five-Tails' power so I can do both at once."
"The Five-Tails? I understand."
"Ōnoki! You old fossil, get over here!"
Rōshi enthusiastically decided to help Naruto.
He didn't know where Han, the Five-Tails' jinchūriki, was.
But he figured Ōnoki probably did.
"What are you yelling for? I'm still a former Tsuchikage. Now that you've come back, can't you at least give me a little respect?"
Ōnoki floated over with an annoyed expression.
"Sorry, I'm just used to calling you that. Can't help it."
Rōshi didn't sound apologetic in the slightest.
"Ōnoki, where's Han? Hurry up and tell Naruto."
"Once he gets the Five-Tails, he'll have collected the power of all nine Tailed Beasts."
"At that point, both us jinchūriki and the Tailed Beasts can use Naruto's body as a relay station to pass information to one another."
"Not just information."
"According to Orochimaru's research, Tailed Beast power itself can also be transferred. They just haven't figured out how to fully use that ability yet."
Kakashi added calmly.
It sounded like an ordinary comment, but he was actually easing Ōnoki's concerns.
If the only purpose was to let Naruto gather the power of all nine Tailed Beasts, then even though Ōnoki had regained his Will of Stone and was now thinking about the ninja world as a whole, he'd still find it hard to accept.
After all, Naruto was a Konoha shinobi.
The idea of Konoha possessing the power of all nine Tailed Beasts would naturally make anyone who had lived through the previous Great Ninja Wars uneasy.
But if that power could be shared and transferred...
Then there was far less reason to worry.
"I see... In that case, alright."
"The truth is, we already know Han's approximate location."
"When you find him, tell him to return to Iwagakure while you're at it."
Ōnoki decided to tell the Konoha group where Han was.
Rōshi and Han were much like Tsunade and Jiraiya from Konoha.
They had left the village, wandered wherever they pleased, ignored the village's authority, and refused orders.
Even so, they weren't considered missing-nin.
After Kurotsuchi became Tsuchikage, she had handed the long-term mission of bringing both jinchūriki home to her grandfather, Ōnoki.
According to her, the two jinchūriki leaving the village had happened during his tenure as Tsuchikage.
Therefore, it was his responsibility to solve the problem.
Han himself had never had any conflict with Ōnoki.
As for why he had left the village in the first place...
No one knew.
Originally, Ōnoki had expected to bring Han back first.
Instead, thanks to Kurotsuchi's impressive handling of things, Rōshi had unexpectedly returned before Han.
As for Han...
After the intelligence division carried out an extensive search, they had finally narrowed down his general location.
However, precisely because no one knew why the normally silent Han had left the village, Ōnoki hadn't immediately sent anyone to approach him.
Now that Naruto needed the Five-Tails' power, he would have to meet Han anyway.
So he might as well let Naruto handle it.
Ōnoki had figured something out.
Naruto's identity as the reincarnation of the Sage of Six Paths' son affected Tailed Beasts the way catnip affected cats.
The moment they met him, they practically started wagging their tails.
Because of Naruto, Rōshi and the Four-Tails had completely resolved their differences and became a true Perfect Jinchūriki.
As a bonus, Rōshi's improved mood had also completely repaired his relationship with Ōnoki.
So having Naruto find Han, and casually ask him to return to the village, was almost certainly the most successful approach.
"Leave it to me!"
Naruto patted his chest confidently.
Naruto had always been eager to help others.
Even after becoming the Seventh Hokage, he had spent so much time helping elderly people cross the street that he neglected both his family and his training.
That eventually led to problems at home and caused his strength to stagnate for years.
So whenever someone asked Naruto for help, he would agree without hesitation.
As for the rule that shinobi from one village shouldn't interfere in another village's affairs or casually accept missions from another village...
That didn't exist in Naruto's mind.
All those basic ninja regulations taught at the Ninja Academy?
He hadn't paid attention.
If he never heard them...
Then, as far as he was concerned, they didn't exist.
Ōnoki personally escorted the Konoha group out of the village.
Following the information Ōnoki had provided, they prepared to head southeast through the Land of Earth in search of Han.
Just as they were about to leave, a voice suddenly came from above.
"Hold it! The one called Uzumaki Naruto—stop right there!"
"Huh? Who's calling me?"
Naruto looked up in confusion.
He saw another blond-haired man leap down from the sky.
A terrible memory instantly surfaced in Naruto's mind.
He hurriedly covered his head with both hands.
"What are you doing?"
After landing, Deidara stared blankly at Naruto, who was crouching there with his head covered.
Never mind the fact that he hadn't even attacked.
Even if he had...
Was the mighty Nine-Tails' jinchūriki seriously planning to defend himself by covering his head?
Had coming here been a mistake?
"..."
Naruto snapped back to reality and slowly lowered his hands.
He had just remembered the time Boruto had literally fallen from the sky and knocked him unconscious.
After Boruto knocked him out, Naruto had vaguely suffered all kinds of inhuman torment in his dreams.
Then, after waking up, he had seen Boruto doing...
Seeing another blond guy drop from the sky had given Naruto full-blown PTSD.
"Deidara, what are you doing here?"
"And another thing—Naruto and the others are guests of Iwagakure. Show some manners!"
Ōnoki stepped in front of Naruto.
"Your guests, not mine."
Deidara muttered under his breath.
Then he looked directly at Naruto.
"Uzumaki Naruto, I heard Sasori had you test the abilities of his new puppet."
"So why don't you come and test my new technique too?"
(End of this chapter)