"Sir, why haven't we seen anyone else in the village along the way?"
Naruto's question left the old man guiding him with his mouth hanging open, unable to give an explanation.
After standing frozen for a while, the old man seemed to reboot like a preset program. Ignoring Naruto's question, he raised a hand and pointed at a house. "The person you're looking for is in here."
His puppet-like behavior made Naruto sigh.
He had sensed it the moment he arrived: there wasn't a single living person in this village.
That included the old man before him.
It was an intuitive sense for life energy he had gained after learning the Senjutsu of Ryūchi Cave and Shikkotsu Forest.
Over the past six months, Naruto hadn't just sought out the other Jinchūriki and tailed beasts. He hadn't forgotten the Great Toad Sage's "last words" at Mount Myōboku, either, and had gone to learn Senjutsu from the other two sage lands.
Shikkotsu Forest had been easy enough to find. After all, Granny Tsunade could summon a fragment of Sage Katsuyu at will.
Ryūchi Cave, on the other hand, had taken quite a bit of effort. In the end, Gamabunta had provided the lead.
Back when Gamabunta was little, he had been a notorious delinquent on Mount Myōboku. He had especially enjoyed picking fights with those stinking snakes of Ryūchi Cave, so he knew the place well.
After a fair amount of trouble, the White Snake Sage had finally taught Naruto Ryūchi Cave's Senjutsu.
She hadn't had much choice. Even all of Ryūchi Cave's disciples and their disciples combined were no match for Naruto Uzumaki...
After mastering and integrating the Senjutsu of the Three Great Sage Lands along with the Nine-Tails' self-created Senjutsu, Naruto had gained a sense for life in addition to