Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 258 That Voice

"Hello, can I turn off the sound this machine keeps making?"

"Which sound do you need to turn off? System operating noise cannot be turned off."

"It's a regular buzzing sound, and I don't think it's the sound of machinery operating."

The voice, which had been quick to respond and almost always answered every question, paused for a moment, and then the large room, which had previously only had one light source, suddenly became brightly lit. Naruto didn't react excessively, but his two teammates surrounded him, as if afraid that some danger might suddenly appear. It's worth praising that Izuna didn't use Susanoo this time, although even if he had, the ceiling of this enormous room could easily accommodate half a person.

"Entering biometric information, please enter your identity name."

"What the hell is this place?" The room was fully lit up, and Izuna realized that the wall in front of them was actually glass. This room was already huge enough, but there was an even bigger space below. It would be more than enough for all the core members of Hui to stand in.

He Yu appeared calm, but he was actually completely bewildered; there wasn't a single thing here that he could understand!

"What does 'identity name' mean?" Naruto was still able to calmly talk to that thing.

"In layman's terms, what is your name?"

"...Bofeng Jinlun".

"Hey!" Izuna tried to stop him, but it was too late. His naive junior had already revealed the name. Although it wasn't the one from Konoha, the name "Namikaze Kinrin" already held considerable significance for this world, so it wouldn't be wrong to say it was true.

"Your identity has been registered. Welcome, Captain Wavewind Gold Wheel."

Now, not only his teammates beside him, but even Hashirama above him uttered a sound of confusion.

Am I hearing things? Did she just say the word "captain"?

Is this "captain" what we understand it to mean?

What captain? Who is the captain?

The voice just now said they've entered Lord Jinlun's identity information and addressed him as captain! Does that mean... this spaceship is ours?

Naruto, unusually, ignored the chaotic chatter inside. There seemed to be no danger here, and even the text that was floating around was quickly turning into something understandable. But a strange intuition made him uneasy.

What does 'captain' mean?

"This means that you now have supreme control over this spaceship."

"Even higher than you?"

"Yes. I am an offline version of the auxiliary operating system. The main system has been disconnected and cannot be updated to a higher level. Only basic functions are retained."

"This is just the basic functionality? There's also a main system?" Izuna immediately grasped the key point from the conversation. "This spaceship isn't unique; are there others?"

The so-called auxiliary system didn't answer Izuna's question, so Naruto quickly asked, "Are there any other spaceships?"

"Data lost."

"You don't even know something this crucial?" Izuna really felt he shouldn't have come down. He was so startled the whole time, and not only was he ignored when he asked a question, but his answers were also so infuriating.

"If you can't find out, you can look it up yourself later. There's no rush." ​​Naruto offered Izuna a few words of comfort. Although he was also feeling heavy-hearted, he hadn't forgotten the most important thing.

"Can we turn that sound off now?"

"The signal is being turned off."

The buzzing sound that had been ringing in Naruto's head for five whole days finally stopped. He breathed a long sigh of relief and felt that the world was finally quiet.

"Is that why you decided I could be the captain?"

"Yes."

"why?"

"This audio is the only sound that can be transmitted from the material dimension to the soul dimension. The life that can hear this audio has transcended the constraints of the material dimension and is a higher level of life. Theoretically, it no longer has any need for the material universe. Only such life can lead the material world to a better future."

It seemed that silence had been a constant presence since the exploration began. But this silence was particularly long, because while everyone understood each word the voice spoke, the whole thing was incomprehensible. The seemingly lofty descriptions of material and soul dimensions, when heard by the ninja, only revealed one crucial point.

The ship said that Wavewind Gold Wheel and they are not even the same species!

"...I knew from the beginning that you were hiding a lot of things, but what does this mean?" Izuna was straightforward, and he had been patient with Naruto because Naruto was a very sincere person in most aspects. His ideals were more practical than Hashirama Senju's and more likely to bring about a peaceful future.

Izuna always knew his brother was a soft-hearted person. Even though he said he would abandon Hashirama Senju and his childish wish, he still couldn't help but walk towards that man after Hashirama's death to achieve so-called peace. But in the end, history told him about his brother's fate and the shattering of that wish. He was truly unwilling to accept it, but no matter how much resentment he felt, he couldn't erase Hashirama Senju's place in his brother's heart.

There's a person in that organization called Akatsuki who calls himself Uchiha Madara. The leader of this organization even advocates using overwhelming power to suppress the entire world in order to achieve peace. This sounds a lot like the conclusions that Uchiha Madara would draw.

Izuna wouldn't acknowledge the imitator, nor could he deny the striking similarities between Akatsuki's ideals and his brother's; it was highly unlikely his brother hadn't interfered. His first thought was Izanagi, the forbidden resurrection technique unique to the Uchiha clan, unknown even to Tobirama. But too much time had passed, and the imposter's actions contradicted his brother's. He had to accept the fact that Madara Uchiha had died of old age, and even before his death, Madara had made arrangements for this world.

Given Madara's personality, relying on others is something he detests most. He will most likely return to this world after everything is prepared.

No matter what choice Madara makes, Izuna, as his younger brother, will support him; but at the same time, he will always be his older brother's fallback.

If the Eye of the Moon fails, then we will use the Path of Light to fulfill my brother's wish.

This is why Izuna joined Hikaru.

If Naruto were just a slightly different "person," Izuna would have continued to suppress his doubts, but that voice shattered the balance.

He can work with "people," but he will never accept charity from so-called "higher beings."

But what he saw was Naruto's complicated expression. He seemed to be full of questions, mixed with shock and thoughtfulness.

“…I don’t know, Izuna-nii,” Naruto murmured. “I really don’t know.”