In the darkness of the night, several black figures retreated into the shadows.
The Root ninjas moved quickly. After retrieving the bodies of their fallen comrades, they followed Danzo Shimura and left the battlefield without hesitation.
After watching them go, Naruto Uzumaki's gaze fell upon the dark forest. Someone else was still out there watching—an unknown party, neither friend nor foe. This person had used a bone projectile to force Danzo to retreat. Their strength and motives were a complete mystery, but they couldn't be underestimated.
"Sasuke, stay here and protect Kakashi-sensei and Sakura," Naruto said. "I'll go into the woods and see who it is."
With a Rasengan forming in his palm, Naruto cautiously advanced into the forest. He had just stepped past the first line of trees when a finger bone suddenly shot out from the darkness.
Thud!
The bone embedded itself deep into the trunk of a tree right next to him.
The hidden person has incredible strength, Naruto thought. And he uses bones as weapons. What a strange and powerful opponent...
"Dead Bone Pulse: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"
As Naruto stared at the bone, the sound of something slicing through the air snapped him to attention. Ten more finger bones were shooting directly toward him.
"Spiral Shockwave!"
A burst of chakra shot from Naruto's hand, creating a shockwave that blasted into the woods. The wave of energy met the incoming finger bones and shattered them instantly.
The light from the jutsu illuminated the face of the person hiding in the trees. He was a young man, only fifteen or sixteen, with a full head of white hair. He had two red dots on his brow, red markings around his eyes, and green pupils that looked eerie in the dark.
His upper body was bare, revealing a thin frame. He held his palm open, watching Naruto with a cold expression. It was clearly him who had fired the bone projectiles.
"You are..." Naruto's expression grew vigilant. The look in this boy's eyes showed a chilling disregard for life. Having an enemy like that lurking in the shadows was a dangerous problem. Judging from the attack just now, he was definitely strong.
The thin, white-haired young man didn't answer. He expressionlessly flicked his arm, and another row of finger bones shot out.
"I can't even see how he's doing it..." Naruto thought as he dodged the attack, frowning as he watched the bones embed themselves effortlessly into the tree trunks. "The speed and power are both terrifying..."
"You... offended Lord Orochimaru just now," the white-haired young man said, clenching his fist. To Naruto's horror, a sharp bone slowly emerged from his arm.
"..."
A vortex of chakra began to form in Naruto's palm. He remembered now—before leaving the other battlefield, he had indeed hit Orochimaru with a Rasengan.
Is this guy one of Orochimaru's people?
Just as Naruto was about to press for more information, another figure suddenly appeared from the woods, standing behind the white-haired youth. "Kimimaro, you are very precious. Don't waste your power on useless things."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru." The young man, Kimimaro, looked at Orochimaru with deep respect. The bone on his arm slowly retracted back into his flesh, a sight that grew stranger each time Naruto saw it.
Orochimaru patted Kimimaro's white hair and chuckled. "I had a lot of fun today, so I won't bother with these little brats."
"Yes, Lord Orochimaru."
Orochimaru watched Kimimaro nod obediently, then turned his gaze to Naruto, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Heh heh heh... Naruto Uzumaki, what a good boy. We will have a chance to meet again!"
"Orochimaru, where is Pervy Sage!" Naruto demanded, watching them begin to leave. A Rasengan formed in his palm, growing larger as he poured more chakra into it.
"Naruto..."
A weak voice called out. Jiraiya leaped to Naruto's side and grabbed his arm. "Don't worry, I'm fine."
Jiraiya claimed he was fine, but his body looked battered and worn. Looking at the departing Orochimaru, whose clothes were completely unscathed, it was clear the fight hadn't gone well for Jiraiya.
Naruto felt partly to blame for this. Gamabunta, whom Naruto had injured, was still recovering on Mount Myoboku. The toad Jiraiya had summoned instead, Gamaken, wasn't experienced enough to handle Orochimaru's snake, Manda.
Moreover, Jiraiya could never bring himself to be truly ruthless with Orochimaru. As a result, he had been completely overwhelmed for most of the fight. Jiraiya only managed to end the battle in a less-than-dignified manner after Manda's summoning time ran out.
No wonder Orochimaru looked so pleased when he left. Naruto imagined that if he got to torment Sasuke like that, his own expression would be even more smug than Orochimaru's.
"Pervy Sage, did you lose to Orochimaru?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Jiraiya's face froze for a second before he patted Naruto on the head. "The outcome of a battle between ninjas is difficult to judge, especially for powerful ones like us."
"His clothes aren't even dirty."
"That's because of Orochimaru's substitution jutsu. It consumes a large amount of chakra to heal all his injuries. He was actually seriously hurt in the battle."
"He looked very happy..."
"That's because Orochimaru has ill intentions! Every time he smiles like that, he must be hiding a huge conspiracy!"
"But..."
"Brat, don't ask what you shouldn't ask!"
When they returned to their camp, Jiraiya saw Sasuke taking care of Sakura and Kakashi. His face grew grim. "Who was the enemy?"
"A ninja from our own village. His name is Danzo Shimura." Naruto spread his hands and briefly explained what had happened—the fight with the Root ninjas, Danzo's death and revival, and his offer to recruit Sasuke.
Hearing this, Jiraiya's expression became even more grave. Compared to the genin of Team 7, he had a much better understanding of Konoha's internal politics, the complicated cooperation and conflict between Danzo and Hiruzen, and the tangled relationships among the village's higher-ups.
This was no small matter. That man, Danzo, had used the pretext of hunting for spies to eliminate many innocent Konoha ninjas during the war. Jiraiya had no desire to deal with him personally. After returning to the village, he could only hand this matter over to Hiruzen. Both in terms of position and their shared past, only the Third Hokage could handle Danzo.
However, what startled Jiraiya was that Danzo had led so many Root ninjas outside the village. It was impossible for Hiruzen not to have known about it. And Orochimaru had appeared at the perfect time to keep him occupied. The idea that Danzo and Orochimaru weren't colluding was so ridiculous that even Might Guy wouldn't believe it.
What on earth is happening inside Konoha?
After he finished explaining, Naruto studied Jiraiya's expression. "Pervy Sage, are you okay?"
"...Yeah." The man shook his head and said in a low voice, "Now that they and Orochimaru have retreated, hurry up and pack your things. We're heading back to Konoha tonight!"
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Bonus:
Naruto: Why are you so happy?
Orochimaru: Because I beat up Jiraiya.
Naruto: Is that something to be happy about?
Orochimaru: Try beating up Sasuke sometime.
Naruto: ...It does seem worth being happy about. I'm happy just thinking about it.
Jiraiya: ...
Sasuke: ...