Chapter 88: Big Trouble!

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A handful of kunai were suddenly lodged into Kidōmaru's heart without warning.

Kidōmaru turned back slowly, his face twisted in shock. "You—!"

Before he could finish, Naruto yanked the kunai out. "Oh, I pulled it out for you. You're welcome."

Kidōmaru trembled, trying to say something, but before he could get a word out, Naruto stabbed the kunai back in.

"If you didn't want to help, you should've just told me earlier. I don't~ want to help either."

Kidōmaru couldn't speak anymore. His body went limp, and he collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.

Author: "..."

"What the hell is Kidōmaru doing?" Tayuya asked impatiently.

"Wait... you mean all of them failed?" Sakon said, his expression shifting.

Suddenly, both of them froze as they turned around.

"Oi... this isn't right, is it? None of those two idiots were supposed to hold them back?"

"Nani?!" Tayuya's head snapped back, and her face twisted in shock when she saw that all of Rock Lee's team was standing behind them.

"Shit, so that's how it is—" Before Sakon could even finish, his breath hitched when he saw Naruto.

"Wait a damn minute! Isn't this the brat Lord Orochimaru told us to avoid? No wonder Jirōbō and the others..."

Sakon and Tayuya exchanged glances, their faces grim.

Suddenly, a figure leapt down behind them and landed on the coffin containing Sasuke.

Their eyes widened instantly.

"What?! No way! Why the hell are you here, Kimimaro?!"

Kimimaro stood atop the coffin, his piercing gaze locked onto them. "You're too slow, Tayuya. Sakon."

He glanced around, his face impassive. "Where are the other two? This was supposed to be a five-man job."

"Why are you here?! Your body is already—"

Before Tayuya could finish, Kimimaro cut her off. "I'm not moving with my body right now."

Before he could explain further, Naruto interrupted, his expression mock-serious. "Is it duty? Is it responsibility?"

He paused dramatically.

"No! It's love!"

Kimimaro ignored him, turning back to Tayuya and Sakon. "I know who you are." His gaze flickered to Naruto. "Lord Orochimaru mentioned you specifically."

Kimimaro glanced at Naruto, his face indifferent. "I won't fight you this time. My priority is ensuring this container is delivered to Lord Orochimaru."

Tayuya and Sakon stiffened. "Wait… did you just say 'container'?!"

Kimimaro nodded. "That's right. This vessel is being prepared for Orochimaru-sama's next reincarnation."

"Tch! What the hell are you even talking about?! Give us back Sasuke-kun!"

Lee, unable to hold back any longer, shot forward with a flying kick toward Kimimaro.

Before Kimimaro even had to react, Sakon dashed forward instead.

"Multiple Fists!"

A flurry of punches exploded forward, striking Lee and sending him flying backward.

Kimimaro didn't even turn his head. "You two… I'm not killing you now because you're still needed. You have a mission to complete. And my mission… is to deliver this to Lord Orochimaru."

His eyes flickered to Naruto again. "As for him… Kabuto said someone else would be handling him."

With that, Kimimaro leapt backward, coffin in hand, vanishing into the trees.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru called out, eyes wide. "Why the hell didn't you stop him?!"

Before Naruto could reply, Kimimaro suddenly reappeared… still holding the coffin.

Everyone froze.

Kimimaro landed with a neutral expression. "I went the wrong way."

Then he jumped in the opposite direction.

Everyone: "..."

"Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted again.

Naruto waved a hand dismissively. "I don't think I'll be much help this time. Whether you can recover Sasuke… is up to you."

Silence fell over the group.

Suddenly, a crushing pressure filled the air.

On a nearby tree, several figures in black cloaks adorned with red clouds appeared.

Tayuya and Sakon immediately paled.

"No fucking way!" Tayuya stammered.

Sakon's voice was barely a whisper. "Each of these guys… their chakra feels like it's on Orochimaru-sama's level!"

Naruto's expression darkened. Shit. He should've expected this after his last run-in with Itachi and Kisame—of course, Akatsuki would have been informed.

One of the figures, a silver-haired man with a scythe, scoffed. "Boss, are you sure it really takes all of us to handle this brat?"

Another man, wearing a stitched-together mask, replied coldly. "Shut up, Hidan. The Leader has his reasons. Besides, this kid's bounty on the black market isn't small."

A hunchbacked figure with a long, segmented tail spoke next. "Shut up, Kakuzu. We can't kill him. We need him alive for the Sealing Ritual."

Pain, the orange-haired leader, spoke with finality. "Enough. This time, we are capturing the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. No mistakes."

A man with spiky blond hair nodded. "Zetsu, scan the area. Make sure there are no Leaf reinforcements nearby. Deidara, prepare for aerial support in case he tries to flee. The rest of you—on me. The capture mission begins now."

"Understood!" The six members of Akatsuki slowly began closing in on Naruto.

Naruto took one look at the luxurious F6 lineup and let out a deep sigh.

"Oi~ oi~! No way!" He groaned, already regretting every life decision that led him here.

Shikamaru swallowed hard. "Naruto… who the hell are these people?"

Naruto didn't even look at him. "It's better if you don't know."

He exhaled sharply. "I'll lure them away. If you can catch up to Sasuke, do it. If not—head straight back to Konoha. Go to Tsunade-sama and tell her to retrieve something from my house."

Shikamaru clenched his fists. "Naruto—!"

"Shut up!" Naruto cut him off. "This is not your fight. Just do what I say!"

Then, in an instant, Naruto burst forward, vanishing into the trees.

Pain's Rinnegan tracked his movements immediately. "Zetsu, follow him!"

"On it." Zetsu disappeared into the ground.

As Naruto sped through the trees, his stomach sank.

"Shit… this time, I might be in real trouble."

"System! Open my status panel!"

A long-unused system menu popped up in his mind.

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Status Panel

Host: Uzumaki Naruto

Titles: Son of the Fourth Hokage,

Nine-Tails Jinchūriki, Ashura's Reincarnation

Bloodline: Uzumaki Clan

Chakra Level:

Super-Kage (Eight-Tails equivalent)

Abilities:

Dōjutsu: Sharingan (Mangekyō)

Kekkei Genkai: Wood Release (Mokuton)

Taijutsu: Eight Inner Gates (Seventh Gate)

Ninjutsu:

Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu

Five Basic Nature Transformations

Wood Release Techniques

Lightning Release: Kirin, Raikiri, Chidori Stream

Kenjutsu:

Swordsmanship (Zoro Template)

Zanpakutō: Hyōrinmaru (Shikai)

Haki: Conqueror's Haki (Intermediate)

Other:

Mouth Dungeon (Exclusive to the Son of Destiny, lowers enemy IQ by 20 when hit with inspirational talk)

Chakra Precision Control (Mastered)

Grandmaster-Level Shurikenjutsu

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Naruto glanced at his skill set and clenched his fists.

Compared to a year ago, his ninjutsu and taijutsu had improved significantly. But against six Akatsuki members at once?

Yeah.

This time, he was in deep shit.

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