After making all the preparations, the treasure-hunting team was finally ready to set out on their quest. They hid near the entrance to Konoha, each carrying a pack stuffed with all kinds of supplies. Excitement and nerves showed on their faces.
"Stick to the plan. I'll sneak out first, then use the Flying Thunder God to bring you all out," Menma said.
The others nodded. Menma handed Naruto a Flying Thunder God Kunai, then vanished from the spot with the Flying Thunder God.
Menma had left Flying Thunder God Marks outside Konoha, too. He had made a point of leaving some there the last time he'd sneaked out to play.
Menma arrived at one of the marked spots. After looking around and confirming no one was there, he activated the Flying Thunder God.
With a whoosh, the others appeared in front of him. Once they'd confirmed everyone was there, they quickly showed off the supplies they'd brought.
Kuaiyu brought out the treasure map again, studying its drawings and markings carefully as he tried to pinpoint their first destination.
"Based on this mark, I think we should head for the forest east of the village first," Kuaiyu said, pointing to a symbol on the map that looked like a tree.
Naruto rubbed his hands together excitedly. "What are we waiting for? Let's get going!" With that, he took off toward the east.
Menma smiled and shook his head as he followed. The others hurried after them.
Once they entered the forest, they found it far more foreboding than they'd expected. Towering trees blocked out the sky, letting only patches of sunlight filter through the leaves. A thin mist hung in the air, making it hard to see.
Shikamaru frowned and warily scanned their surroundings. "Everyone, be careful. Something feels off about this place." He remembered how they and Yota had snuck out to play before, which made him all the more wary.
As soon as he finished speaking, several small ninja beasts burst from the nearby bushes. Their eyes were bloodshot, and they bared sharp claws as they pounced on the group.
"Red-Eyed Wolverines! Watch out!" Hinata shouted.
Naruto charged forward at once. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" A dozen Naruto clones rushed toward the wolverines.
Menma wasn't about to be outdone. He formed Hand Seals. "Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
A huge fireball burst from Menma's mouth. Its scorching flames instantly took out most of the wolverines.
Kuaiyu focused, trying to cast a genjutsu on the remaining wolverines.
An odd light began to flicker in his eyes, but the chakra in the forest was too chaotic, greatly weakening his genjutsu.
Just then, Shikamaru calmly directed the others. "Hinata, use your Byakugan to check the surroundings and see if there are any more wolverines. Menma, Kuaiyu, the three of us will take on the ones in front. Naruto, Kiba, look for a chance to attack from the side. Choji, protect Hinata!"
Following Shikamaru's instructions, everyone sprang into action. Hinata activated her Byakugan and carefully searched for any movement nearby.
Menma, Kuaiyu, and Shikamaru worked together, deftly dodging the remaining wolverines' attacks as they looked for a chance to counter.
Naruto and Kiba quietly circled around to the wolverines' flank, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
Suddenly, Naruto spotted his chance and shouted, "Rasengan!" A blue ball of chakra quickly formed in his hand, and he charged toward the pack.
Seeing this, Kiba unleashed his family's Passing Fang and charged in, too.
Naruto's sudden attack sent the wolverines scattering. The few remaining ones realized they were outmatched and fled deeper into the forest.
The group breathed a little easier, but Shikamaru still frowned. "This forest is more dangerous than we thought. We can't let our guard down."
As they continued deeper into the forest, the dangers they encountered grew stranger. Sometimes traps sprang up without warning; other times, enormous vines dropped from above and tried to ensnare them. Every new danger seemed carefully planned.
Hidden in the shadows, the mysterious figure in the black cloak silently watched their every move. From time to time, he used ninjutsu to create obstacles, carefully gauging their difficulty so they wouldn't suffer any fatal injuries.
Kuaiyu couldn't shake the strange feeling that there was some deeper meaning behind these dangers, as if someone were secretly testing them. But he couldn't figure out who would do such a thing. After all, this treasure hunt was full of unknown dangers.
They continued onward and came to a rushing river. The water surged fiercely, and hidden currents seemed to lurk beneath the surface. One misstep could sweep them to the riverbed.
"How are we going to cross?" Choji asked worriedly as he looked at the river.
Menma surveyed the area and spotted several widely spaced rocks in the water. "We can jump across them, but we'll have to be very careful."
Naruto stepped forward first. "I'll give it a try." He took a deep breath and jumped to the first rock. But when he reached the third, a powerful undercurrent suddenly surged up, nearly knocking him over.
"Naruto, watch out!" Shikamaru shouted. He swiftly used the Shadow Imitation Technique, stopping Naruto just in time.
Naruto glanced gratefully at Shikamaru, then carefully continued jumping toward the opposite bank. With everyone helping one another, they all made it across, with only a few close calls.
But the mysterious figure's trials continued. Not long after crossing the river, they entered an area blanketed in fog. Their vision was severely restricted, and they began to lose their sense of direction.
"Stay close together. Don't get separated," Shikamaru said.
Despite their caution, something still went wrong. Hinata suddenly felt a powerful force pulling her. Her body drifted helplessly in one direction.
"Hinata!" everyone shouted.
Menma quickly focused his chakra, trying to use Wind Style to disperse the fog and find Hinata. Naruto rushed in the direction where Hinata had vanished.
Just as Hinata was about to be pulled into a mysterious black hole, Menma arrived in time and grabbed her hand. He swung her away with all his strength, and Naruto caught her securely.
"Earth Style: Earth Wall!" A massive earthen wall rose in front of Menma. The moment it appeared, the black hole's pull vanished.
"Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame!" Menma leaped into the air and unleashed a massive burst of fire at the black hole. The instant the scorching flames touched it, they shattered, and the suction vanished with them.
"Thank you," Hinata said, still shaken.
After all these trials, Kuaiyu's doubts only deepened. He couldn't shake the feeling that the mysterious person secretly creating trouble knew them very well—well enough to understand each of their abilities and weaknesses.
He also noticed that many of the traps were genjutsu. That meant they might have fallen into a massive illusion without even realizing it, and it closely resembled the genjutsu of the Kurama Clan.
This only strengthened Kuaiyu's conviction that they were on the right path to the treasure. He shared his thoughts with Menma and the others, and they all nodded in agreement.
As they continued forward, Naruto, who was in the lead, seemed to trigger some kind of mechanism. A massive formation of rocks sprang up around them, trapping everyone inside.
"Naruto! Look what you've done! I told you to watch your step," Shikamaru complained.
"Sorry, sorry," Naruto quickly apologized to the others.
"Earth Style: Earth Platform!" Menma slapped his hand against the ground, and a huge block of earth rose up.
The others thought they could escape by climbing onto the earthen block, but several rocks flew up and blocked their path.
They were startled. If they did nothing, they'd be crushed to a pulp. Menma didn't waste any time and immediately formed Hand Seals.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!" A huge fireball appeared and hurtled toward the rocks. But the moment it touched them, it disappeared, as though the rocks had absorbed its chakra.
Everyone was shocked. Menma reacted quickly. "Jump down, or we'll be flattened!" he shouted.
The others reacted at once and jumped down. Luckily, it wasn't too high, and Menma caught them with an Earth Style jutsu.
After that, they attacked the rocks with ninjutsu, but the rocks didn't budge. They simply absorbed the chakra, leaving the group trapped inside.
Kuaiyu decided they couldn't keep sitting around doing nothing. He carefully sensed the chakra fluctuations around them, trying to locate the mysterious figure.
Just as Kuaiyu was about to pinpoint the figure's position, the mysterious person suddenly appeared before them. He was still wearing a black cloak that hid his face.
"You brats are more capable than I expected," the mysterious person said in a low, hoarse voice.
"Who are you? Why do you keep stopping us from finding the treasure?" Kuaiyu demanded angrily.
"You're not worthy of knowing!" the man said, slapping both hands against the ground.
In an instant, massive rocks hurtled toward them. The group was startled and scattered to dodge as the rocks raced around them. Gradually, they began to feel the strain.
"Damn it! At this rate, we'll run out of strength sooner or later!" Shikamaru shouted.
Hearing him, Menma realized that things would indeed go badly if they kept this up. He decisively activated Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Dark golden chakra enveloped his body, and dark golden chakra arms extended from his back, grabbing the others.
Then a dark golden chakra arm burrowed underground. A moment later, another dark golden chakra arm shot up beneath the mysterious figure's feet and seized him tightly.
The moment the mysterious figure was caught, the massive rock formation collapsed and vanished before their eyes.
Only then did Menma set everyone down. He pulled the mysterious figure closer and removed his cloak and mask.
Underneath the cloak and mask was a familiar face. The others were stunned to discover that the mysterious person was Kuaiyu's father, Kurama Duanyu.
"Father, why are you the one behind this?" Kuaiyu asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kurama Duanyu looked at Kuaiyu and his companions, his eyes filled with pride.
"I did this to train you. The treasure is important, of course, but the growth and experience you gained along the way are even more valuable."
Only then did everyone understand. All the dangers they'd faced had been trials carefully arranged by Kuaiyu's father.
Though they now knew the truth, Kuaiyu still felt a little resentful. "Father, that was too dangerous. We nearly lost our lives."
Kurama Duanyu walked over to Kuaiyu and patted him on the shoulder. "Son, I was protecting you the whole time. Besides, I spoke with Lord Hokage. There were Anbu nearby, too."
Kurama Duanyu glanced around, then continued, "I know your abilities. I wouldn't let you suffer any real harm. And today, you all made me very proud! Come on, let's head back to the village!"
Kurama Duanyu was about to take them back when Naruto suddenly remembered something.
"Uncle, Uncle, what about the treasure?" Naruto hurried over to Kurama Duanyu and asked.
The others looked at Duanyu expectantly. Menma smiled; he knew what the treasure was.
"Didn't you already find the treasure? It's the spirit of never abandoning or giving up on your comrades, and never giving up when faced with difficult challenges," Kurama Duanyu said.
Only then did they understand. "It looks like this treasure really is precious," Shikamaru said.
And so, they set off for the village together, laughing and talking along the way.
Before you continue