Chapter 358: Orochimaru of the Land of Grass
In the end, Transformed Sasuke still followed along.
"She's obviously here to be the third wheel and ruin our honeymoon! Fox Spirit Hero, you shouldn't have agreed to this!"
Clown Sasuke, who was stuck inside the lantern, complained.
"I'm not Fox Spirit Hero. I'm just Naruto Uzumaki."
"Right, right—Fox Spirit Hero is you, and Naruto Uzumaki is also you. But the real issue here is, why did you let that person come with us?" Clown Sasuke shot a glance at Transformed Sasuke. "What do you even see in her? Her figure? Please! Those two lumps of fat will only drag us down in battle—and get us all killed!"
"Those two lumps of fat can nurture new life—Naruto's and mine." Transformed Sasuke thrust out her chest in defiance. "I can help him fight. I can relieve his exhaustion. What can you do for him?"
"I can tell him jokes! He loves it when I tell jokes, don't you, Fox Spirit Hero?"
Clown Sasuke looked at Naruto expectantly, hoping to see a nod. Unfortunately, it never came.
"See? I win," Transformed Sasuke said with a smug smile.
"Hmph!"
Clown Sasuke puffed out his cheeks in frustration.
Watching the two bicker, Naruto simply smiled. It didn't feel so bad—this moment reminded him of his time as a Genin. Though the training had been tough, those days had been filled with joy.
"So, where are we headed now?" Naruto asked. Though he had decided to save the world, he had no idea how to start.
"Just the two of us alone won't be enough..."
"Hey! You're forgetting me!"
Clown Sasuke interjected from inside the lantern.
"...Alright, two and a half people aren't enough to take on Skynet Naruto. We'll need more support. That's why our next stop is the Land of Grass."
---
Land of Grass.
The harsh winter had driven all snakes into hibernation.
Every time Naruto or Transformed Sasuke opened their mouths, a cloud of white mist would escape with their breath.
"It's so cold..."
Transformed Sasuke was slowing down. Without the protection of a Tailed Beast, she couldn't resist the bitter chill.
"Naruto, let's take a break."
"Hey! Sasuke!"
Naruto, walking ahead, quickly dropped Clown Sasuke into the snow and ran back to support the staggering Transformed Sasuke.
"Stay with me, Sasuke! Don't fall asleep!"
"Hey, what about me? I'm the one you love the most, aren't I?!"
Clown Sasuke shouted from inside the lantern planted in the snow.
"So warm..."
Transformed Sasuke opened her eyes and realized Naruto was holding her in his arms, constantly channeling Nine-Tails chakra to keep her warm.
Her face instantly flushed red.
"Hmph. Naruto only pities you, that's all."
Transformed Sasuke completely ignored the howls of the sore loser nearby.
"Thank you, Naruto."
"As long as you're okay, Sasuke."
Seeing she had recovered, Naruto began to loosen his embrace.
"Wait, Naruto..."
Transformed Sasuke grabbed onto him and leaned against his chest.
"Just a little longer... I haven't felt like this in so long..."
Naruto and Transformed Sasuke had been childhood sweethearts. But a family tragedy had changed Sasuke's nature, turning her into a rogue ninja. After a long journey—and many heartfelt words—they reconciled, eventually even marrying.
"Hey! You home-wrecking fox! What are you doing to my Naruto?! Don't you dare push your luck!"
Clown Sasuke inside the lantern completely lost it.
"A-Ah... Sasuke, we should probably get moving. The snowstorm's about to hit..."
Naruto's voice was awkward and unsure.
"...Okay."
Transformed Sasuke lingered in Naruto's arms just a moment longer before pulling away, and the three of them resumed their journey.
Before long, the snowstorm struck, forcing Naruto and Transformed Sasuke to slow down significantly.
"This is all your fault! If not for you, we'd already be at our destination!"
Clown Sasuke, cozy inside the lantern and untouched by the cold, shouted at Transformed Sasuke.
"Naruto, be careful. I think I heard something."
Kurama's voice rang out from within Naruto.
"A sound?"
Naruto immediately activated Sage Mode to sense their surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
"It's an avalanche!"
Naruto and Transformed Sasuke were forced to accelerate, battling against the wind.
"You got this, Fox Spirit Hero!" Clown Sasuke cheered Naruto on, then turned to Transformed Sasuke and sneered,
"As for you—you might as well just die here."
"Not a chance!"
Transformed Sasuke snapped back as she ran.
But in the end, the avalanche caught up to them, burying both Naruto and Transformed Sasuke under heaps of snow.
Naruto, his strength completely drained, blacked out just as he glimpsed a familiar figure and heard a voice.
"It's okay now, Naruto."
Minato Namikaze smiled warmly as he held Naruto in his arms.
"Oh ho~ Look who it is! It's Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki..."
Clown Sasuke, safe and sound in his lantern, watched the couple pick up Naruto and Transformed Sasuke and burst into wild laughter.
---
"Where is this...?"
Naruto groaned and sat up in bed, clutching his head. Outside the window was a peaceful spring scene.
"This is home."
Minato entered the room as he spoke, followed by Kushina, a fully recovered Transformed Sasuke, and Clown Sasuke nestled in her arms.
"Ah! Fox Spirit Hero, you're finally awake! Thank goodness!"
Clown Sasuke burst into tears.
"Hey! Give me back to Fox Spirit Hero! My body and soul belong to him!"
"Dad... Mom... you..."
"No—they're not the real Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Your parents died a long time ago. These are just clones."
The voice came from the final person to appear—Transformed Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru!"
Naruto glared at her.
"I heard about your plan to fight Skynet Naruto," Orochimaru said, hands tucked inside the pockets of her white coat.
"Honestly, I want no part of it. I don't believe you'll succeed. I once tried to rebel against Skynet Naruto, too, but..."
She led them to an outside storage shed and opened the door. Inside was a gruesome sight—piles of arms and heads.
"Look what I found! It's the old geezer—Third Hokage's head!"
Clown Sasuke, dangling from Naruto's hand, lit up at the sight of the closed-eyed severed head.
"Can I have it? I think he'd make a great addition to my collection!"
The familiar limbs and heads scattered across the floor were all clones Orochimaru had created in her attempt to challenge Skynet Naruto.
But they had all been wiped out.
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