Moonlight Hayate, Fallen!

Keiichi wasn't worried in the slightest. Even if Naruto ran out of chakra, there was still a fox inside him that could recharge him.

So whenever Naruto cried, "I can't go on, I can't go on!" and collapsed onto the life preserver, exhausted and ready to give up, Keiichi would bring up Sasuke to get him fired up and push him to keep training.

As a hopeless student, Naruto didn't know that running out of chakra could kill him. All he could do was desperately squeeze out the last of his strength and try to mold chakra.

But the human body had its own safeguards. Naruto thought he was pushing himself as hard as he could, but in truth, he always had a little left in reserve.

Seeing that this wasn't going to work, Keiichi pulled out Obito's Goggles, transformed himself into an assassin, and charged at Naruto.

"Who are you?!" Naruto was startled. He quickly found himself at a disadvantage, and could only flee desperately toward the shore.

But Keiichi was much faster now. He always managed to block Naruto's escape route in advance, forcing him to keep swimming around the lake.

After all, Naruto had been constantly releasing chakra from the soles of his feet to keep himself steady.

Before long, the last of his chakra was finally gone.

Naruto had gradually learned how to stand on the water through this kind of intensive training. But once his chakra was completely depleted, he had nothing left to rely on, and tumbled into the water.

Keiichi ignored him, even deliberately moving the life preserver out of reach.

Fortunately, Konoha was on high alert, and the Anbu were stretched thin. The people secretly watching over and protecting Naruto had all been reassigned; otherwise, Keiichi's plan would have been difficult to carry out.

Naruto sank beneath the water, a stream of bubbles bursting from his mouth as he choked.

And because he had overexerted himself molding chakra, his arms and legs were now limp and powerless. All he could do was watch the surface drift farther and farther away.

Was I really going to die like this?

Gradually, his consciousness began to blur.

"Where's Naruto?" Jiraiya found Kakashi, who was training Sasuke in the mountains, and asked him bluntly.

He hadn't wanted to return to Konoha. Even when his teacher, Hiruzen, had personally summoned him, he hadn't wanted to come back. Too many unpleasant things had happened back then, leaving him disillusioned with his teacher. He'd rather carry out missions elsewhere than return.

But Hiruzen eventually persuaded him. He'd suggested that the Fourth Hokage's son had grown up, and that Jiraiya might consider taking him on as a student.

So Jiraiya had spent the whole night thinking it over, recalling nearly everything that had happened since he'd first met the Fourth Hokage. At last, he made up his mind and returned to Konoha.

But he hadn't expected that no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find Naruto. It was as if the boy had disappeared.

"Lord Jiraiya? You're back!" Kakashi stared at him in astonishment, as if the sun had risen in the west.

"I came to take Naruto on as my student. Where is he?" Jiraiya didn't bother being polite to Kakashi. He got straight to the point.

Kakashi was technically his student's student. They were all family, after all.

"Naruto? Shouldn't he be in the village?" Kakashi was surprised, too.

"Hey, you didn't just give this kid special training and leave Naruto to fend for himself, did you?" Jiraiya pointed at Sasuke, who was practicing lightning-style chakra transformation nearby, and asked in irritation.

"Well... ahaha..." Kakashi looked awkward, unsure how to answer. He really had handled things poorly.

But what could he do? The Jonin were fiercely competitive. He'd made a bet with that Might Guy that his student would take first place.

He'd placed a hefty wager on Sasuke.

It wasn't that he thought Naruto lacked talent. Sasuke was simply a better investment.

In fact, he had found Naruto a teacher, too: Ebisu, the elite coach. But Naruto had never come to see him, so Kakashi hadn't had the chance to recommend Ebisu.

And then Jiraiya had shown up.

With Sasuke there, Jiraiya didn't want to say too much. He just glared at Kakashi and turned to leave.

Konoha wasn't that big. There was no way the great Jiraiya wouldn't find him!

He planned to summon the nearby toads and search every corner of the entire village!

"Who was that?" Sasuke finally opened his eyes after Jiraiya had left.

"That was... probably going to be Naruto's teacher," Kakashi said. A wistful look came over his eyes as he remembered something.

"Is he stronger than you, sensei?" Sasuke had keenly noticed how much respect Kakashi had for that man. There had even been a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"He could take on four or five of me by himself. What do you think?" Kakashi replied.

Sasuke's expression immediately turned serious. Naruto had a teacher that strong. If he didn't train harder, Naruto might really leave him behind!

So you want to outwork me, huh?

I'll show you who the real training maniac is!

After an unknown amount of time, Naruto's consciousness gradually returned. A gigantic cage had appeared before him.

A talisman, enormous as a person and gleaming brightly, was pasted across the cage. It seemed to be keeping all danger at bay.

But the profound darkness lurking within still frightened him enough to make him step backward.

"Want my power...?"

"It's all here..."

"If you've got the nerve, come and take it..."

"Hehehehe..."

One complex thought after another seeped out from the cage. Fear washed over Naruto, leaving him icy cold.

But at the same time, his stubborn defiance began to grow.

What's there to be afraid of? You're locked up. Why should I be scared of you?

You're that Stinky Fox, aren't you? You've made my life miserable. What's wrong with taking a little something from you?

So Naruto walked to the edge of the cage and reached out.

What he couldn't see was the reflection of nine enormous tails sweeping toward him, filling the world as if they meant to swallow him whole. Then they spun around and entered his body...

At last, Naruto opened his eyes.

"Multi-Shadow Clone Technique!"

From Keiichi's point of view, the lake's still surface suddenly rippled with tiny bubbles. Then it began to bulge upward until it reached a breaking point and exploded. Hundreds of Narutos leaped into the air, filling the sky with their figures.

He did it!

Keiichi smiled with satisfaction.

Chapter 53: Moonlight Hayate, Fallen!

"Orochimaru! Where have you hidden Naruto?!" Two figures raced across the rooftops, one black and one white. The white one was clearly chasing the black one.

"Take a guess. Hehehe..." Orochimaru made no effort to deny it. He laughed mockingly at Jiraiya, who was chasing after him.

Come and catch me!

Catch me, and I'll let you... hehehe...

What had led to this was all just a coincidence.

Jiraiya had summoned a large number of toads to look for Naruto. Instead, he'd failed to find the boy and flushed Orochimaru out of his hiding place in the village.

Jiraiya and Hiruzen had an irreconcilable disagreement, but they shared the same desire to protect the village. Orochimaru had suddenly come to the village to cause trouble, so he must have had some hidden agenda.

And if he took that a step further, perhaps Orochimaru was involved in Naruto's disappearance, too.

So Jiraiya kept his eyes fixed on Orochimaru, determined to capture him. That way, whatever his plans were, Orochimaru wouldn't be able to carry them out.

Above all, he had to force Orochimaru to reveal Naruto's whereabouts.

Orochimaru wasn't in a hurry to shake him off. He kept Jiraiya at a short distance and dragged him along.

He knew just how good Jiraiya was at gathering information. The inconspicuous toads scattered all over the village were proof enough. So he planned to use himself as bait and keep Jiraiya occupied.

Otherwise, if Jiraiya discovered anything, it might interfere with his plans.

It wasn't clear yet who was actually keeping whom busy.

Orochimaru was so confident because he had a capable assistant who could take over the rest of his work.

That assistant was Kabuto Yakushi. Following Orochimaru's instructions, he had met with Baki, a Jonin from Sunagakure, in Kikyo Castle to discuss their plan to overthrow Konoha.

Baki was entirely in favor of the plan. Ever since the alliance with Konoha, the Daimyo of the Land of Wind had started slacking off. He actually believed he could rely on Konoha's power to protect him, so he had slashed Sunagakure's funding.

It was hard to believe the leader of a nation could do something so foolish.

As a result, the Kazekage had been forced to cut back on the village's forces. Sunagakure's strength had plummeted, and even its position as the weakest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages was in jeopardy.

Gaara and the others had made a splash in the Chunin Ninja Exams, but in truth, those few were all Sunagakure had to show for itself. Pouring most of its resources into a small number of elite shinobi was the Kazekage's only viable strategy.

But if war really broke out, Sunagakure would be a paper tiger, ready to fall at the slightest touch.

All show, no substance.

But if Sunagakure joined Orochimaru's plan and broke with Konoha, the alliance would naturally collapse. The Daimyo of the Land of Wind would surely grow uneasy and start relying on Sunagakure again, increasing his support for the village.

We're not attacking Konoha out of some desire for revenge. It's all for the future of the Land of Wind!

Besides, this has the Kazekage's full support, so it must be the right thing to do.

Ever since Orochimaru had become the leader of Sound Village, his position had changed. He'd come to understand the private concerns of the leaders of the various shinobi villages. By taking advantage of that, he had managed to bring Sunagakure into the plan.

But now they were facing a problem. If Sunagakure sent too many shinobi, Konoha would notice as soon as they entered the Land of Fire. It would be like announcing to Hiruzen that they meant to attack Konoha.

But if they sent too few, how could they threaten Konoha?

That was why Kabuto had arranged this meeting with Baki: to discuss the problem.

What they didn't know was that a third person was hiding in the room: Moonlight Hayate, under the effects of the Invisibility Technique.

He was there because he had been following Kabuto Yakushi.

During the battle beneath the tower, Kabuto had done his best to hold back and hide his strength. But the Explosive Tag had ultimately enraged him, and for a moment he'd revealed a speed that no Genin should have possessed.

He'd moved so fast that even Keiichi couldn't react in time.

Moonlight Hayate, who had been watching the battle unfold from inside the tower, had seen it all.

A man who usually seemed entirely ordinary had suddenly shown strength that didn't fit his image. That could only mean he was hiding something.

After all, if he were just an ordinary shinobi, why would he do that?

After investigating, Hayate had been surprised to learn that Kabuto Yakushi was the adopted son of the head of the Medical Corps. The boy had been an orphan taken in from the enemy during the Battle of Mount Kikyo.

Kabuto was supposedly studying medicine, so he should have spent his time at the hospital. But he kept leaving the village to go on missions, seeming far too 'restless.'

Who would believe there was nothing suspicious about that?

With all these doubts in mind, Hayate saw Kabuto leave the village again, apparently for some unknown purpose. He used the Invisibility Technique to follow him, and ended up discovering an astonishing secret.

Kabuto Yakushi was one of Orochimaru's men!

And Orochimaru had joined forces with Sunagakure to attack Konoha!

He had to get the news back to Konoha immediately!

Just then, Baki spoke up.

"I know what Orochimaru is worried about. We've already made all the preparations on our end. What does it matter if we have fewer people?"

"Oh? What's your plan? Let's hear it."

"Do you remember when the Nine-Tails Fox nearly destroyed Konoha? If we can make something similar happen again, wouldn't that be better than sending an army?" Baki asked with a smug laugh.

"Are you saying you want to..."

"We've already..." Baki leaned in close to Kabuto's ear and spoke so softly that his words were impossible to make out.

Hayate couldn't help moving closer. He knew this had to be crucial information.

But that slight movement made Kabuto suddenly lift his head and look toward him. Without hesitation, he shot a scalpel from his sleeve.

Clang!

The scalpel was knocked aside, but the Invisibility Technique was disrupted, and Moonlight Hayate appeared.

Run!

He had to get the information back to Konoha!

That was the only thought in his mind.