The smoke cleared.
A wooden shield shaped like a grimacing face with fangs stood tall in front of everyone.
"Nani?!" Sasuke was startled.
Although Yamato had heard about it, he was still shocked to see Naruto's Wood Style in action. After all, Yamato was the only surviving subject out of the 60 experiments Orochimaru conducted to replicate Hashirama's Wood Release—just so Namikaze Naruto could master it!
The grimacing shield slowly parted, revealing Naruto, completely unscathed.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
Sasuke clenched his teeth and glared at Naruto. "Bastard… this guy is way stronger than before!"
Naruto folded his arms, then channeled Wood Style chakra into the ground beneath his feet. "Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!"
"Nani?!" Sasuke shouted, as the ground beneath him split open and massive, coiling tree limbs surged up to ensnare him.
"That's amazing! As expected of Konoha's Golden Boy!" Yamato looked at Naruto with admiration. This was far beyond the scale of summoning a simple forest mattress.
Sasuke tensed his body and leapt back swiftly to avoid the trees. Forming hand signs, he inhaled deeply and spat flames at the oncoming wood. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A massive fireball blazed across the field, incinerating the closest tree limbs into ash.
"Cheap trick." Sasuke sneered.
But a second later, the massive forest surged again, the trees bursting toward Sasuke like tidal waves.
Sasuke flipped into the air. "Soaring Dance!" Orochimaru had modified the Crane Hermit Style martial arts using only the Turtle Hermit scrolls!
The giant trees finally stopped growing and collapsed in heaps.
The three genin observers gaped at the scene as if they'd just witnessed a world war. The battlefield was in complete ruin.
Not far away, a man lying prone on the ground turned to Orochimaru and asked, "Lord Orochimaru, are you sure you can kill him?!"
Orochimaru: "..." It's worth a try, isn't it…
Sasuke hovered mid-air, while a massive branch rose from beneath Naruto, lifting him to the same height.
"How about now?" Naruto grinned. "My power already surpasses Orochimaru. And if I train with you, wouldn't I grow even stronger?"
Sasuke stayed silent, then said, "Your techniques… they don't suit me. They're all Kekkei Genkai."
Naruto rubbed his chin. "That's true. Guess I really couldn't teach you anything besides the Kamehameha."
He glanced at Orochimaru. "Uncle Snake deduced a flight technique from Turtle Hermit's energy style? He really is something. Who else could stretch their neck ten meters without violating the law of conservation of energy?"
"Unfortunately…" Naruto smirked, "I still have to send you back to work!"
In an instant, a massive Susanoo cloaked Naruto. Its wings spread wide as it carried him effortlessly through the sky.
"What… is that?!" Sasuke gasped.
"This is the Mangekyō Sharingan's exclusive ability," Naruto chuckled. "Want to learn it? I'll teach you."
"Nani?!" Sasuke's eyes widened. "Impossible!"
He shouted, "Even Itachi doesn't have this power! How could it be a Mangekyō ability?!"
"So do you want to learn it?" Naruto grinned.
Sasuke was silent, then spoke coldly, "No. Revenge is everything to me. As long as I can get revenge, neither I nor the world matters.
Let's be honest. Neither I nor Orochimaru can defeat Itachi right now. But… if I offer my body to Orochimaru and gain power, then he can use my life. That way…"
Dark chakra enveloped Sasuke as his body transformed into his Curse Mark Level Two form.
"That way!" Sasuke roared. "I can't die yet!"
Naruto's blood surged with excitement. "Let's go!!!"
Sasuke: "Chidori! Ahhh!! Narutooooo!!"
Naruto: "Rasengan! Ahhh!! Sasukeeeee!"
The konoha trio and Orochimaru's duo:
Naruto: "SASUKEEEE!!"
"That's a lot~" Sasuke's voice trailed into the distance…
Naruto: "…" You used Chidori… just to escape faster?!!
"Lord Orochimaru?" Kabuto looked toward him.
Orochimaru nodded.
The two vanished in an instant…
Konoha Village.
"Sou ka~" Tsunade nodded, then slammed Naruto onto the table. "Are you a complete idiot?!"
Naruto scratched his head and laughed nervously. "It's not my fault! The mood was there, how was I supposed to know he'd just run away…"
"What a waste of emotions…" he mumbled.
"What did you say?!" Tsunade's voice thundered.
"Alas~" Tsunade sighed and waved him off. "Get out of my sight! Just looking at you gives me a headache!"
"Lady Tsunade, please don't be angry," Shizune interjected. "At least he came back safely."
"Naruto, your team is confined to the village until further notice," Tsunade said flatly.
"Yatta!" Naruto beamed. "Finally, some rest!"
After Naruto and the others left…
Tsunade turned to Yamato. "How's Sai?"
"Yes, just as you feared," Yamato reported. "Danzo gave him a special mission."
"What kind of mission?" Tsunade asked, her brow furrowed.
"Although Sai is listed as a member of Team 7, in reality, he's still carrying out Root assignments. Danzo ordered him to conduct surveillance and eliminate threats to Konoha."
Yamato continued, "His current target is Uchiha Sasuke, who is on the verge of becoming Orochimaru's new vessel."
"Huh… I didn't think Danzo still had that kind of spine," Tsunade said in surprise. "His methods are as aggressive as ever, but he actually wants to eliminate a threat for the village?"
"No," Yamato said, handing her a sealed file. "You should read this before drawing any conclusions. This is Danzo's 'sincerity' to gain Orochimaru's trust."
"What is this?" Tsunade took the file—and her expression immediately changed.
BOOM!
The desk shattered under her fist.
"Bastard!" Tsunade roared. "Shizune! Strengthen the protection of the confidential archives! Also, change the access codes and reading protocols!"
"Understood!" Shizune saluted and rushed off.
"Bring him to me—NOW!" Tsunade bellowed.
"Yes, ma'am!" Shizune responded and ran out carrying Pakkun.
"Damn that bastard!" Tsunade bit her finger, furious. "I thought I gave him too much credit!"
Meanwhile.
Advisory Council Office.
Utatane Koharu and Mitokado Homura were in conversation.
"It's fortunate that Naruto returned safely this time," Homura sighed.
"Still, missions always carry risks," Koharu said disapprovingly. "But he was reckless—fighting Orochimaru? I want Naruto to stay in the village to avoid this exact situation!"
"Looks like we'll have to find a way to restrict Naruto's movements going forward," Homura said sternly.
"Hmph! As if that hard-headed Tsunade would listen to anyone's opinion!" Koharu scoffed. "She pretends to agree but then sends Naruto on such dangerous missions outside the village! That's not how a Hokage should act!"
The two advisors frowned deeply.
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