Outside Konoha.
Because of Naruto Uzumaki's relentless pursuit, Orochimaru and his reanimated ninja were struggling to escape, not even daring to risk the dense forest.
Orochimaru was a little surprised. Who could explain to him why the jinchuriki named Naruto Uzumaki could awaken the Wood Style? Back when he was in Konoha, his own disciple, Nawaki, who carried the First Hokage's bloodline, had never awakened it. So why would Naruto?
This flew in the face of all the genetic research Orochimaru had conducted.
So, was it the old man who, in order to control the Nine-Tails, had secretly performed transplant experiments with the First Hokage's cells? Or was there something strange about Naruto's parentage...
Naruto leaped into the air, a pitch-black Tailed Beast Bomb shooting from his hand toward Orochimaru and the others.
Unexpectedly, Tobirama Senju suddenly turned and charged toward the bomb. He intercepted it, then vanished instantly with the Flying Thunder God Technique. A moment later, he reappeared beside Orochimaru using the same jutsu.
BOOM!
A nearby small mountain collapsed from the Tailed Beast Bomb's explosion.
This scene wasn't rare; it had played out several times during the chase. Whenever Naruto Uzumaki released a Tailed Beast Bomb, Tobirama's reanimated body would jump out and use the Flying Thunder God to transfer the bomb safely out of range.
"Spiral Shockwave!"
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Wave!"
A wave of gold dust glittered under the sunlight as the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, controlled it to block the attack.
It had to be said, although this reanimated ninja team lacked their strongest member, the First Hokage, the remaining few were still formidable. Even the Fourth Kazekage, whom Orochimaru himself considered an extra, could display considerable strength.
"So persistent..."
Naruto Uzumaki gritted his teeth, looking at Orochimaru and the reanimated ninja beside him. He had to admit that in terms of raw power, they were no match for him, yet their techniques were all refined and they coordinated perfectly to block his attacks.
Of course, what Naruto couldn't imagine was that Orochimaru was also gritting his teeth, frustrated that he couldn't shake off such a powerful jinchuriki.
This was not good.
Orochimaru knew Jiraiya's personality well. His old friend would absolutely not allow Naruto to chase after him alone. Once he was tied down by Naruto, it wouldn't be long before Jiraiya caught up.
During the Chunin Exams, he, with three reanimated Hokage, had barely managed a draw with Naruto, and was arguably at a disadvantage. Now, with two Hokage, one Kazekage, and a survivor of the Uzumaki clan by his side, how did it still feel like a draw?
That blond kid… did he get infected by Kakashi?
But for Orochimaru, the biggest trouble was his own body. It was at its limit. He had to return to his base as soon as possible to recuperate and prepare for his next reincarnation.
-----
This area wasn't just occupied by Orochimaru and Naruto. In the area where they were fighting, there were some other guests.
Beside a small stream, two figures in black cloaks adorned with red clouds sat together. It was Kisame Hoshigaki and Itachi Uchiha. After they retreated from Konoha before the Chunin Exams, they had been active near the village, gathering intelligence and sampling snacks from the Land of Fire's towns.
"Itachi, the leader wants us to enter Konoha again to confirm the Nine-Tails jinchuriki's combat power and security level. Should we go take a look tomorrow?"
Kisame Hoshigaki, a smile on his face, took a grilled fish from the rack and handed it to Itachi, saying softly, "Living off the land is a bit rough. I hope you don't mind my cooking skills."
"It doesn't matter. I don't care about satisfying my appetite," Itachi shook his head, taking the fish from Kisame's hand without looking at his teammate's slightly awkward expression.
He continued in a deep voice, "As a ninja, even if what you make is terrible, I will eat it to replenish my stamina. Since it's the leader's order, we have no choice but to carry it out, right?"
"Among the members of the organization, we are the closest to Konoha," Kisame nodded. He saw Itachi frown after taking the fish. His teammate had never really liked barbecue.
"Forget it," Kisame sighed, "if you really don't like grilled fish, don't force yourself..." He took a small bag from his pocket and tossed it to his teammate. "Here. I bought an extra bag of dried natto last time we were in town. Just make do with this."
"...Yeah." Itachi's reply was concise.
Compared to barbecue, he did prefer sweets. Natto had a somewhat pungent smell, but it tasted slightly sweet and replenished stamina better than ordinary food. To be honest, Kisame was quite a suitable teammate. Itachi had to admit that even Shisui, who had treated him like a real younger brother, wasn't nearly as considerate as Kisame when it came to looking after a partner.
Unfortunately, their lunch was destined to be interrupted.
After Itachi took the natto, he suddenly looked up. In his perception, a deathly, quiet chakra suddenly appeared, and then just as suddenly vanished. Immediately after, they were met with a world-shaking explosion.
Kisame pulled out his ninja sword, Samehada, staring intensely at a towering shockwave sweeping toward their position. It would knock them to the ground in the next moment. A rough judgment told the two Akatsuki members that the center of the explosion was not far from them. Even if they were just caught in the aftermath, the outcome would probably not be good.
"You have to be kidding me..."
The shark-faced man tried to form hand seals to create a water wall, to buy time for him and his teammate to escape, but the attack came too fast. They didn't have the slightest bit of preparation.
Who in their right mind throws a jutsu like that? Didn't they know people were trying to have lunch nearby?
"Kisame, get back!"
A red light flashed in Itachi's eyes, which instantly transformed into the Mangekyo Sharingan, his visual prowess pouring out. He had originally wanted to hide his true strength from his teammate, but the attack came too suddenly. Even Itachi could only think of one move in that moment.
A red phantom emerged from Itachi's body, which then rapidly expanded into a tall, red giant, its skeletal structure faintly visible... This was one of the ultimate dōjutsu of the Mangekyo Sharingan, the Susanoo.
However, Itachi knew that the Susanoo in this state was not enough to block the attack.
The Mangekyo Sharingan's visual prowess continued to pour out. The tall, red giant quickly completed its body, materialized, and put on hard armor, staring menacingly out at the world.
Itachi stood within the Susanoo, controlling it to unfold a round, red giant shield to block the incoming impact—the legendary artifact capable of nullifying all attacks, the Yata Mirror.
Even with the Yata Mirror's defense, the tall Susanoo was still pushed back a few steps by the impact, but that was enough for Kisame and Itachi to survive.
When the overwhelming explosive impact dissipated, Kisame looked at the Susanoo with a face full of surprise. This powerful ninjutsu had clearly left him in shock.
"...Your natto is very tasty."
Itachi stuffed the food bag into his pocket. He looked up and scanned the surroundings, finally seeing the two sides confronting each other in the distance.
-----
Bonus:
Itachi: We're eating here!
Orochimaru: Oh great, why is Itachi Uchiha here? Just to be clear, the Tailed Beast Bomb was thrown by Naruto Uzumaki!
Naruto Uzumaki: But you're the one who moved it!
Orochimaru: It wasn't me, it was Tobirama Senju!
Itachi: Then hand over the Second Hokage. I grew up hearing stories about him.
Orochimaru: Are you sure? The Uchiha tell stories about Tobirama Senju? I was under the impression that Uchiha, regardless of gender or age, just start cursing when the Second Hokage is mentioned, no warm-up needed.