In the Leaf Forest, ten figures swiftly traversed the forest.
Naruto Uzumaki led the charge, followed closely by Kiba Inuzuka, Kyoko Shimura, and Shino Aburame, with Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka, and Choji Akimichi providing support from the center. At the very back was an elite genin team comprised of Itsuki Ito, Makoto Sawagoe, and Jun Matsumoto, all graduates of a few years prior.
"Hurry up, Sasuke will be in danger if we're late!"
Naruto kept speeding up along the way, urging the group of people behind him to keep up.
The actual leader of this operation, the newly appointed Konoha Chunin Nara Shikamaru, couldn't help but roll his eyes and gave Ino and the others a wary look once again.
On the road to pursuit, Shikamaru appeared lazy on the surface, but he was actually very cautious, keeping his mind working at high speed and paying close attention to every trace while maintaining the pursuit speed.
Carrying the weight of a group of people on his shoulders was no easy task. Shikamaru had to be careful and vigilant, making the most appropriate balance between the mission and the safety of his teammates. His brilliant mind still couldn't understand why such an important mission was being undertaken by him, a newly promoted Chunin, leading several teams of Genin.
Konoha's fighting strength isn't that scarce!
As he was pondering, Ya's nose suddenly twitched a few times, and then he spoke up to warn, "There are a lot more people ahead, and a very strong smell of blood. Be careful."
"Everyone be careful, slow down, split into three groups and approach to observe. Shino, release the parasitic insects..."
Shikamaru had only finished speaking when the others slowed down, but Naruto ignored them and accelerated forward.
"Fight! Sasuke, I'm here to save you!"
Naruto's impulsive behavior left Shikamaru speechless. He could only smile wryly and say, "Let's sneak past Naruto from a different direction. Shino, you continue to scout. Ito, you all keep an eye on the surroundings. Everyone, stay alert."
Shikamaru's heart was in his throat. He had sensed something was wrong with the mission during the pursuit. Although he hadn't found anything wrong with his investigations, he felt that there were other people around him.
What is gay?
Ignoring Shikamaru and the others behind him, Naruto charged into an open space, shouting wildly.
Here lay a dozen or so Konoha ninjas wearing animal masks, amidst blood and fallen trees. In the very center of the battlefield stood a handsome young man dressed in blood-red white robes, with white hair, green eyes, and two red dots between his brows.
"Where did you take Sasuke? Hand him over right now!"
Without even a thought for the corpses of his Konoha comrades, Naruto stood before Kimimaro and shouted excitedly.
"Sasuke? That's the body Lord Orochimaru needs. Someone has already taken him there. With me here, you won't be able to ruin Lord Orochimaru's plans!"
Kimimaro's expression was cold and indifferent. Even after killing more than a dozen members of the Anbu and Root, he remained calm and composed. Only when Orochimaru was mentioned did his expression and voice show a slight fluctuation, as if he had come back to life.
Upon hearing Kimimaro's words, Naruto's face was filled with rage. "I will not let that disgusting guy hurt Sasuke! He's a comrade I respect, you bastard!"
After saying that, Naruto didn't care why Shikamaru and the others hadn't caught up and launched an attack.
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique"
Driven by their intense emotions, Naruto's shadow clones, each one blazing with fury, charged directly at Kimimaro, while Naruto himself attempted to bypass Kimimaro and continue the pursuit from behind.
"Ten fingers piercing a bullet"
Kimimaro's taijutsu was superb; he effortlessly passed through the dense array of shadow clones, then shot out ten finger bones from his hands, blocking Naruto's pursuit.
Kimimaro immediately rushed in front of Naruto and launched a close-quarters taijutsu attack.
"Corpse Bone Pulse: Dance of the Willow"
Kimimaro sprouted sharp bone spurs that gleamed with a cold light from his palms, thighs, elbows, and back, launching an attack on Naruto like a meat grinder.
Naruto was startled by this sudden turn of events. Before he could even think about how to dodge, his beast-like instincts kicked in and he managed to dodge an attack.
Even so, Naruto still had several bloody cuts on his body in a short period of time, but fortunately the damage was not in vital areas.
"You monstrous monster!"
"Everyone, we can't just stand by and watch ourselves get bullied, let's fight together!"
"Charge! Defeat this monster and rescue Sasuke!"
After Naruto was injured, the shadow clones, as if they had suffered a great humiliation, roared and charged towards Kimimaro in droves. Naruto's main body, after being thwarted several times in his attempts to bypass Kimimaro and continue the pursuit, abandoned any remaining hope and joined the attack alongside the shadow clones.
Outside the battlefield where Naruto and Kimimaro were fighting, Shikamaru and his group gathered again, watching the battle unfold and discussing the current situation.
Shino Aburame spoke first: "Shikamaru, I've scoured the surrounding area with parasitic insects, and I haven't found any enemies."
Kiba Inuzuka continued, "I circled around and, apart from Naruto and the others who were fighting, and two other scents that left, the remaining scents were ours and the Anbu members lying on the ground."
"Shikamaru, what should we do?"
Ino blinked her big eyes and stared at Shikamaru, asking a question. Although she had liked Sasuke, the handsome guy, before, Ino wasn't obsessed and understood that she should listen to the judgment of Shikamaru, the Chunin leading the team, during missions.
Shikamaru watched as the enemy moved like a ghost among the large group of Narutos, capable of eliminating a shadow clone with a single gesture, and felt extremely hesitant.
A ninja should prioritize the mission, but he didn't want to abandon his comrades. Although everyone's detection and his own observation indicated that there was no one else around, his subconscious kept reminding him that something was wrong, so Shikamaru couldn't make up his mind.
"Damn it, how could my pursuit of Sasuke stop because of you, you monster?"
"Eight Gates Formation. Open!"
After a prolonged but fruitless siege of Kimimaro, and with his shadow clones gradually being wiped out, Naruto grew increasingly impatient. He activated the Eight Gates, his body radiating chakra flames as he launched a fierce attack on Kimimaro.
Unfortunately, Kimimaro dodged most of Naruto's powerful attacks. Occasionally, an attack would hit, but it had no effect. Instead, Naruto felt intense pain in his own fist.
"superior!
Ito, stop your attacks with ninja tools and ninjutsu, and be careful to target the enemy's eyes and ears.
Ino and Choji, we'll use ninja tools to probe, gradually getting closer before trying to use our clan's secret techniques.
Shino, Kiba, and Kyoko, you continue scouting on the perimeter and be ready to provide support at any time!
After observing the battle for a while, Shikamaru gained a certain understanding of how difficult the enemy was. Although he was still somewhat uneasy, he knew that he could not delay any longer.
We'll just have to improvise!
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