Deep in the forests of the Land of Fire, Sakura knelt beside the injured Tayuya, focused intently on healing the injuries Tayuya had sustained from Sasuke's Lightning Release.
Tayuya had suffered burns across multiple areas of her body and her heart had momentarily stopped.
Fortunately, Naruto's Shadow Clone had administered CPR before dispelling itself.
"Tayuya, how are you feeling?" Sakura asked with concern.
Tayuya gave her a glare and snapped,
"I feel like some bastard grabbed me by the throat with pliers, then zapped straight through the heart. I feel fantastic, Pinky, can't you tell?"
Sneering as she spoke, Tayuya uncomfortably twisted her body. "Thanks to that kid Naruto…"
Sakura could only nod along. "It's all my fault… If Naruto hadn't appeared in time…"
"Stop it," Tayuya snapped, cutting her off harshly. "We almost died! And you hesitated? Facing a ninja powerful enough to defeat Orochimaru, you hesitated? You should've knocked him out with one punch and hogtied him! Don't tell me you've forgotten your training? Granted, you don't have Lady Tsunade's figure, but at least you inherited her Chakra Enhanced Strength, right?"
Sakura turned away in shame, unable to meet Tayuya's gaze. "I know I messed up…"
"You got that right," Tayuya cut in again, clearly uninterested in hearing Sakura blame herself further. "You really messed up—we nearly died. You're way too indecisive! If it were you in that situation, what would you do? If your comrade was about to be killed, what would you do?"
Sakura shook her head, words failing her. She stopped pouring chakra into the wound and turned away, unable to face Tayuya.
Tayuya sighed. Her body still felt numb, but she could move—at least she wasn't paralyzed.
"This isn't some fairy tale where a kiss can save a corrupt prince."
Looking at Sakura's back, she narrowed her eyes and stretched her limbs cautiously. "Make the same mistake again, and I'll put you down myself—I swear it… Lord Orochimaru was right… With soft-headed fools like you, only fists get through!"
"It's here," Pakkun's voice came from a distance as the Konoha ninja squad arrived with Sai and Maki. "I found them."
"What happened?" Pakkun asked upon seeing the scene.
Arms crossed, Tayuya leaned against a tree to take the weight off her legs.
"Pinky had a sweet reunion with her beloved Uchiha prince, and he tried to kill us both—while she tried to talk him into coming home nicely. Now he's gone."
Kakashi noticed the wounds on Tayuya while Sakura remained completely unharmed. He suspected Tayuya had been shielding Sakura when she took the hit.
He looked at Sakura and shook his head. "Exactly why Lady Tsunade didn't want you on this mission—you lose your composure too easily." Then he turned to Tayuya. "Are you alright?"
"Dead? No," Tayuya grunted. "Thanks to Naruto."
Shikamaru wiggled his eyebrows. "You saw him?"
"Just a Shadow Clone," Tayuya explained.
Neji Hyuga frowned. He looked visibly frustrated—he hadn't managed to close the gap between himself and Naruto or Sasuke.
"Where's Naruto gone? Even Kiba can't track him down. The forest is saturated with Sasuke's chakra signature—we have no lead to follow."
Kiba gave a nod while scratching Akamaru behind the ears.
"The scents are too mixed up. I can't find a direction."
Sai narrowed his eyes. "Can you locate where they fought?"
Kiba nodded.
"How many directions?"
Kiba pointed toward five different areas, and Sai nodded before pulling out a scroll.
[Super Beast Imitating Drawing!] Five ink birds burst forth from the scroll, each soaring toward one of the directions Kiba had pointed out.
"Let them work for a bit. They'll track down clues and return with what they find."
Kakashi smiled at Sai. "Good job." Then he turned to the others. "Before that, let's analyze the situation first."
He looked at Maki. "You said you saw Naruto engage in battle with a member of the Akatsuki organization and win? Then he went after Sasuke?"
Maki nodded, her voice failing her for a moment.
Sai placed his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "His team will find out eventually. Tell them everything you know."
Maki hesitated for a moment but decided to tell the truth in the end. Sai was right—the truth has a way of coming out eventually.
"Naruto-senpai was seriously injured—mostly superficial wounds, which could be healed with Medical Ninjutsu and the power of the Nine-Tails. But there was one critical wound none of us could treat."
She felt every pair of eyes locked onto her as she continued, "Although I strongly opposed it, he still went after Sasuke Uchiha and Itachi Uchiha."
Shock rippled through the group, though Maki had yet to reveal the most crucial detail.
She would only speak once Naruto gave his consent.
"He actually went looking for them?" Tayuya roared, furious. "What's that moron thinking? He's going to get himself killed!"
Maki glared at Tayuya, but her expression soon softened. "It was his own decision, and it was also the mission entrusted to him by Lady Hokage. Our mission this time is to seize the famed Kubikiribōchō from Kisame Hoshigaki—the partner of Itachi Uchiha—or from Sasuke Uchiha's companion. Naruto's task is to keep Sasuke or Itachi occupied so they don't interfere with our operation."
******
"Can I handle this?" Naruto stood before both Sasuke and Itachi, weighing his options in silence.
The three stood locked in a standoff, but nobody made the first move.
"He wasn't sure… but maybe he could pull it off," he thought, noticing Itachi forming half the Tora seal. A surge of battle-lust flared within him. "Alright then! Let's go!"
At that moment, Sasuke reached for the cursed seal on his wrist at the same time Naruto unsealed his left arm, preparing to unleash a Flash Bomb.
"Damn it!" Sasuke muttered, keeping his gaze lowered—he couldn't afford to be caught staring straight at Naruto and risk being blinded by the Flash Bomb.
Itachi had also been momentarily blinded by the flash, but quickly realized he was surrounded by multiple Narutos.
Sasuke faced the same dilemma—surrounded by multiple copies of Naruto.
Itachi swung his kunai, blocking and countering in a single smooth motion, immediately dispelling several Shadow Clones.
Then, he seized the moment and threw the kunai in his hand, hitting another Shadow Clone squarely in the forehead.
Itachi used the momentum to propel himself into the air, twisted midair, and immediately performed a ninjutsu.
[Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!]
Dozens of fireballs erupted from Itachi's mouth, blazing at incredible speed with immense force.
The faster Shadow Clones dodged in time, but the slower ones were instantly engulfed in flames, leaving only three intact.
Hidden within the flames, however, were several shuriken tied to steel wires. Silently, they streaked toward the surviving Shadow Clones.
Only Naruto reacted in time, severing the wires. The other two Shadow Clones couldn't dodge in time and were hit by the shuriken—they dispersed instantly.
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