Husband Protection

"Honestly, why are you always so reckless?"

Sakura complained as she looked at Naruto's severely burned arm, using her Chakra to heal him. The sky had gradually darkened, and the three of them were hiding inside a concealed tree hollow, preparing to spend their first night there.

"How else were we supposed to win? Weren't you reckless too, Sakura?"

Naruto reached out and poked Sakura's arm, making her cry out in pain. That slender arm was currently immobilized between two wooden splints and wrapped in bandages; she would not be able to use it for a while.

"You infected me with it!"

"Sakura, you're exhausted. It doesn't hurt anymore, so get some rest."

Naruto stopped Sakura's treatment before it lasted too long. After simply wrapping his arm in bandages, he did not want Sakura to waste too much Chakra. Sasuke, beside them, had long since fallen asleep from the power of the Cursed Seal.

"Then you sleep first. I'll keep watch."

Sakura nodded, took a kunai, and left the tree hollow to set a few traps and alarms nearby to prevent enemies from sneaking in.

"Be careful."

Naruto did not say much. He knew he had to rest first if he wanted to protect the other two better. He lay down with his eyes closed and soon fell asleep.

"Damn it, how did I fall asleep...?"

When Sakura woke up, she found herself beside Sasuke, while Naruto was nowhere to be seen. She slapped her face in frustration.

"You're awake? Want some mushrooms?"

Naruto's voice drifted into the tree hollow along with the aroma of food. Sakura sniffed, drooled a little, and her empty stomach, which had eaten nothing the night before, growled in protest.

"It smells amazing. Naruto, you're actually good at cooking?"

Sakura stepped out of the tree hollow and saw Naruto cooking something in a small pot—probably a soup made with assorted vegetables and mushrooms.

"Hehe, didn't expect that, did you?"

"Mmm, delicious. I feel alive again."

Sakura scooped up some broth with a spoon, gently blew on it, and put it into her mouth. The mushroom's savory flavor instantly spread across her taste buds, making her cry out happily.

"Eat slowly. I'm going to entertain some guests."

"Guests?"

"The three over there. Your Killing Intent is so strong it's scaring the mushrooms limp. Come out already."

Naruto stepped in front of Sakura and called toward the bushes not far away.

"Oh? You actually noticed us. Interesting."

Led by the bandaged man, three Sound ninja leaped out from the shadows and landed before Naruto. They did not advance, because they knew Sakura's traps lay ahead.

"We happen to be short one scroll. Did you come to help us complete our mission?"

"With that battered body of yours, you still dare talk big? We'll kill you first, then deal with Sasuke."

The guy with three characters meaning "death" written on his clothes glared viciously at Naruto's arrogant attitude, completely unaware that his own manner of death was written right on his outfit.

"You're after Sasuke? Does he owe you money? Though that guy does love showing off, has an awful personality, always acts cool, looks down on everyone, can never be bothered when people talk to him, and he's a picky eater too..."

"Is this guy really his teammate?"

The Sound ninja watched Naruto mercilessly count off Sasuke's numerous flaws on his fingers and began to wonder.

"Naruto, I want to fight too! How could you possibly beat three people by yourself?!"

"Sakura, go protect Sasuke. You heard what their goal is, right? Besides, you can't attack with your injury anymore. Go!"

"If you can't hold on, I'll definitely come help you!"

Sakura knew her own condition as well. She could only force herself to leave Naruto and stand vigilantly in front of the tree hollow.

Shadow Clone Jutsu!

As Naruto formed Hand Seals, four identical Shadow Clones appeared beside him. But Sakura's heart clenched. Shadow Clones that usually appeared in groups of hundreds had only produced four this time. Naruto was nowhere near as unharmed as he claimed.

"Zaku, Kin, leave him to me."

The bandaged man spoke to his companions. The moment he saw Naruto, he had felt irritated—unpleasantly so. Naruto's blonde hair was simply too dazzling. Compared to him, whose entire body had been bound in bandages for experiments, Naruto was like heaven and earth. Jealousy made him impatient to turn Naruto into someone like himself.

"Then he's yours. I was planning to blow him into pieces."

"Everyone, go! Buy time for the original!"

Naruto's original body was already forming a Rasengan. The four clones immediately lunged at the bandaged man, trying to hold him back.

Resonating Punch!

The bandaged man revealed the strange device on his arm. He did not seem to do anything, merely swinging his arm at the Shadow Clones. Yet each clone immediately showed a pained expression before dissolving into smoke.

"You're next!"

With the Shadow Clones no longer blocking him, the bandaged man charged straight at Naruto and swung the strange device on his right arm. Naruto hurriedly raised his left hand to block. He stopped the attack, but an overwhelming pressure struck his ears.

"Urgh!"

Naruto grunted, immediately slamming the half-formed Rasengan into the bandaged man and sending him flying. He himself lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"Whew, you could still counterattack after taking that move? That was the first time I'd seen that."

Zaku whistled when he saw the bandaged man get blasted away. The bandaged man also climbed up from the ground with an ugly expression, glaring at Naruto with hostile eyes.

"That hurt, brat!"

"My body..."

Naruto tried to get up, only to find that his body was beyond his control. The moment he stood, he would topple to the side, and warm blood was flowing from his ears.

"It's useless. Stop thinking about resisting and obediently become just like me."

The bandaged man pulled out a kunai and slashed it toward Naruto's face. A twisted look flashed through his eyes. Soon, Naruto would become as ugly as he was.

"Naruto!!!"

Sakura immediately abandoned Sasuke and ran toward Naruto. There was still time—she was fast enough to use her own body to block the blow for him.

"Air Slash!"

The bandaged man's companion extended a hand toward Sakura. A modified hollow was exposed in his palm, and a fierce gust burst out, blasting Sakura away.

"Interrupting Dosu while he's working isn't a good habit."

"Please, someone save Naruto! Just once is enough—save him!"

Sakura did not believe in gods, but at that moment, she could only pray aloud, shouting desperately toward the sky obscured by trees.

Clang!

The kunai slashing toward Naruto was blocked by a small hand. The Chakra gathered around it was enough to protect its owner from the sharp blade. Its furious owner kicked the bandaged man away and stood protectively in front of Naruto.

"Unforgivable, unforgivable... anyone who hurts Naruto!!!"

An astonishing presence erupted from her small body. Immense Chakra radiated around Hinata, stirring up dust. She glanced at Naruto once before fixing her gaze on the bandaged man, roaring like a lioness.

"Hinata... so Team Eight came too. That's great..."

The moment Sakura relaxed, she collapsed onto the ground. Seeing that Kiba and Shino had arrived, she finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Where did this little girl come from? You're asking for death!"

Seeing his plans ruined, the bandaged man flew into a rage and lunged at Hinata.

"Are you the one who hurt him?!"

Hinata had never killed anyone, but a faint killing intent now seeped from her body. Naruto had always been so gentle and strong before her. The last time she had seen him badly injured was when they were four, when Naruto had been severely wounded saving her. Now, seeing Naruto lying helplessly on the ground, something inside Hinata snapped.

"Resonating Punch!"

The bandaged man used the same trick again. He could practically see Hinata being knocked down by his sound-wave attack, then left at his mercy alongside Naruto. A sickly smile appeared beneath his bandages.

"Gentle Fist!"

Hinata raised her left hand in a defensive stance and brought the fingers of her right hand together. Her Chakra-coated hand strike pierced into the bandaged man's body, accurately sealing his chakra points and leaving him unable to move.

"How is that possible? Why weren't you hurt by the sound waves?!"

Panic appeared in the bandaged man's single eye. His sound-wave attack had clearly struck Hinata, yet she was completely unharmed. The existence of such an ability terrified him.

"You use sound-wave vibrations to damage your opponent's eardrums and semicircular canals, making them lose their balance. That's how you ambushed Naruto, isn't it? But as long as it's a ninjutsu involving Chakra, it can never escape these eyes of mine!"

With her Byakugan active, Hinata had clearly seen a Chakra-controlled sound wave assaulting her ears. So what she had just used was not simple defense—she had gathered her own Chakra in her hand and made it collide fiercely with the bandaged man's Chakra in midair, canceling out the attack.

"Impossible! Can you see the flow of Chakra?!"

"Eight Trigrams!"

"Two Palms!"

"Four Palms!"

"Eight Palms!"

"Sixteen Palms!"

"Thirty-two Palms!"

Blue Chakra flared around Hinata's hands as she launched a blinding barrage of strikes at the bandaged man's body. When she finished, his body collapsed to the ground like a puppet, completely motionless.

"I've sealed your chakra points with Chakra. You can't move now, can you? I'll make you experience Naruto's pain one bit at a time!"

Hinata drew a kunai and stabbed it toward the bandaged man without hesitation. Though she was kind-hearted and disliked killing, she could do it if it was for Naruto!

"Dosu!"

The bandaged man's two companions hurried to rescue him, but Kiba and Shino each blocked one of them, leaving them unable to break free for the moment.

"Say, was Hinata always like this?"

As Kiba exchanged blows with Kin, he asked Shino. It was hard to imagine that the usually gentle and timid Hinata could show such murderous intent.

"That's why people who are usually honest are the most terrifying when they lose their temper."

Shino nodded as he controlled the Kikaichū to keep Zaku occupied. The sound waves Zaku released could do nothing to him.

"Hi... nata..."

Just as the kunai was about to pierce the bandaged man, Naruto's voice reached Hinata's ears. She immediately abandoned the bandaged man and returned to Naruto's side. To her, killing someone was far less important than Naruto calling for her.

"Naruto, are you okay? I'm sorry, I came to your side so late. I'm so useless..."

"Idiot, who would blame you for coming late? Thanks for saving me. You've gotten stronger."

Naruto chuckled softly at Hinata's little face, on the verge of tears, then pinched the tip of her nose.

"I-I've been working hard while watching Naruto's back, too. Whenever I think of Naruto, I just keep getting stronger!"

"Heh."

Naruto let out a strained laugh, shifted into a more comfortable position, and lay back in Hinata's arms.

Without warning, a powerful surge of Chakra erupted outward like an explosion. Sasuke had appeared before Naruto at some point. The Cursed Seal spread from his neck across his entire body, densely covering his face. It looked mysterious and terrifying. Purple Chakra carrying an ominous aura shot into the sky, making him seem like a demon god.

"Yo, Sasuke. There should be a limit to how long you sleep in."

"Naruto... who injured you?"

Sasuke glanced at Naruto's body. Naruto, who was usually always laughing and joking, could not even stand now. Bandages wrapped his arms, blood flowed from his ears, and the sight of him so weak made Sasuke's Killing Intent erupt at once, leaving everyone struggling to breathe.

PS: Please bookmark and recommend.

PS: It seems the previous chapter lured out a lot of silent readers. I swear on the hundred-plus wives aboard my ship that this book isn't yoooooo!

PS: Thanks to reader Night Wind White Moon for the 100 reward.