Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 336 Dark Universe Life

"That thing can actually turn!" Kurama exclaimed in alarm. The golden fox cloak reappeared, and this time, nine black lines extended from beneath the cloak, instantly filling into nine sturdy tails that completely enveloped Naruto.

“Something’s not right…” Of course, Naruto wouldn’t just sit there and wait to die. He also wanted to mobilize his chakra to defend himself, but as soon as he moved, the pain of his meridians tearing surged up.

Kurama had already used the maximum power of this body; if he increased it any further, he didn't know whether he would be killed by the "meteor" first or explode. Since he couldn't use chakra, he would try another way to participate. His forte was perception, and figuring out why that light was coming towards him was the most important thing.

He knew of only one thing that existed in the form of light... Compared to the one in his memory, this light was nothing. Although he really didn't want things to go that way, the moment its pale green exterior was completely destroyed in the collision, the undeniable energy was finally revealed.

That's the "source," the true "source." That explains why he always felt a strange familiarity with the Grell Stone—it turns out it's a product of the "source's" natural sedimentation!

Logically speaking, the "source" could not possibly be so concentrated in one place, unless...

"Naruto, get out of the way!"

The worst thing still happened. Chakra was no match for the erosion from the "source." Kurama's barrier, created with all his might, couldn't stop the final aftershocks, and that energy still rushed towards Naruto.

Naruto subconsciously used the "source" he could to create a barrier, but his opponent's manipulation was clearly far superior. An unusual beam of light easily broke through the defense and pierced straight into Naruto's body.

"After all these years, finally... finally! Hahahaha!"

A completely unfamiliar voice echoed in my mind; it was the exhilaration of rebirth, but also a malicious covetousness.

"I'm so lucky to have found such delicious food as soon as I stepped out the door."

"If left unattended, it will eventually become your most troublesome enemy... Who told you to be so unlucky?"

Realizing something was wrong, Naruto instantly arrived in the mental space. The beam of light just now seemed to be entirely composed of "source," but at the moment it broke through the defenses, Naruto still keenly sensed that familiar energy that he felt physiologically averse to.

A soul of a "dark universe life form" was hiding within him and entered his body.

The database records what happens to creatures corrupted by the "Dark Universe." This state is akin to possession, essentially assimilating a normal "Source Universe" life form into a "Dark Universe" life form. They specialize in targeting the soul; once the soul's core is tainted by darkness, there's no turning back.

Just like... a demon that dies at the hands of another version of itself.

"Kurama, back off!" Naruto opened his eyes and saw that Kurama had already entered an offensive stance, baring his teeth and about to pounce. Naruto's chains immediately followed, binding the fox tightly without hesitation and pulling it behind him.

"What are you doing! You can't use ninjutsu anymore, your body can't take it!" Kurama thought Naruto was going to use a wide-range ninjutsu to attack indiscriminately, so he was dragging him out of the danger zone and quickly reminded him.

"Stay away from that thing." Naruto pretended not to hear. He even regretted not learning the technique of hiding the fox in his mind's eye, so that he could truly unleash his full potential.

"...Huh? You know what I am?"

The drifting black mist almost occupied half of Naruto's mind, and a faint pain returned to his chest. The persistent intrusive feeling made his brain work at lightning speed.

He is still in the exploratory stage of using the "Source". He has no chance of winning against the "Dark Universe Life" that can use the "Source" as cover. Moreover, the battle of souls will also cause great damage to the body. If he cannot win quickly, he can only drag the opponent to the Pure Land together.

But at the very least... we must keep Kurama alive so that this important information can be passed on!

"Dark universe life, right?"

As Naruto spoke, he made a "retreat" gesture behind his back, but only Kurama received the signal. This was Naruto's mental space, already the limit of his retreat. Where could he retreat to any further? Away from Naruto?

It's impossible!

"Who cares what it is, let's fight it!" Nine Lamas rejected the signal.

"Wow, what a touching camaraderie! Don't worry, I won't let you two be separated, as long as you behave..."

The black mist was even showing signs of gathering, suggesting that it had never taken Naruto and Kurama seriously from the beginning. And rightly so; how could a soul that had existed for thousands of years care about a few "children" who weren't even a fraction of its age?

But it was precisely this contempt that gave Naruto the opportunity, ruining his hard-won escape.

Remember the runes that put Kurama to sleep? Chakra couldn't unleash the full power of the runes, so what about "Source"?

The moment the soul core appeared from the black mist, a brilliant light also shone on the sea of ​​consciousness.

"What?! How could you..." The black mist didn't even have time to utter a complete sentence before the enlarged runes firmly enveloped the pitch-black core, forcing it into a deep slumber.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief and plunged into his sea of ​​consciousness with a thud. Using "Source" to draw runes was incredibly energy-consuming; not only was it energy-intensive, but it was also very difficult to control. These past few days, he had been working tirelessly with the team while also pursuing dangerous individuals, and now that he was relaxing, the pent-up fatigue immediately surged up.

"Naruto! How are you? Don't move, let me heal you."

Nine Lama was really anxious, and even took the initiative to connect to the mind-to-body transmission channel that he usually disliked the most, calling for help everywhere.

[Is anyone alive?! A few people need to come quickly! Doctors would be best!]

The seniors immediately erupted in an uproar.

[That voice... is it... Kyuubi? What happened to Naruto?! Tobirama, Tobirama!]

"Stop shouting, open the door!"

"It's not that serious. I was just attacked by something that suddenly jumped out of the ruins." Naruto couldn't stop Kurama in time, so he could only try to reassure him, "I've already subdued that thing, but I'm a bit exhausted."

If Uncle Hashirama really comes... his physical condition won't be able to be hidden!