Counterattack

Clang!

Shadow Clone Naruto thrust out his long blade, cutting down an Otogakure ninja with a single strike.

"They just keep coming..." Naruto's expression darkened as several more Otogakure ninja closed in around them.

There was no telling what would happen next. If these small fry really drained away all their chakra, they would be in trouble.

Although the original had given him nearly half his chakra, it could not withstand this kind of expenditure.

"Can you still hold on?" Naruto asked quietly. Even he was struggling to bear such terrifying chakra consumption, let alone someone as small-built as Shikamaru.

Shikamaru exhaled slowly. "This time, even if we can't hold on, we have to."

"How many can you control?" Naruto knocked down every incoming kunai.

"...Two." Shikamaru checked the chakra within his body, his expression turning grim.

"..." Naruto swept his gaze around. Small battlefields covered the area, and the attacking Otogakure and Sunagakure ninja showed no sign of stopping.

"Move!"

Bzzz!

In an instant, a great amount of Wind Release chakra coated Kusabimaru.

He had to break away quickly. If this Shadow Clone's chakra ran out, Shikamaru would definitely be in danger.

The long blade slid into its sheath. Then, in a mere instant, Kusabimaru was drawn from its scabbard at extreme speed.

The blade was like light, like a shadow. Its afterimage, far beyond the human eye's ability to follow, even left a cross in everyone's vision.

Secret Technique: Ashina Cross!

Feeling the scant chakra remaining in his body, Naruto hoisted Shikamaru onto his back and quickly fled.

In a secluded corner outside the Chunin Exams venue.

Kabuto Yakushi's body trembled faintly as his heart, which should have stopped beating, began to pound once more.

He struggled to open his eyes, staring at the blue sky and white clouds above through blood-red eye sockets.

At that moment, he felt only one thing—

It was good to be alive!

Only after losing something did one learn to cherish it...

"I have to leave quickly!" Kabuto Yakushi shakily propped himself up.

In his current state, let alone encountering a ninja, even running into a man with a bit of strength would finish him off.

"Looks like I need to hurry up with the next stage of body modification. If it were Lord Orochimaru, he surely wouldn't be as pathetic as I am."

Hokage Office.

Dressed as an ANBU operative, Naruto carefully concealed himself in the shadows at the corner of a wall.

Sunagakure and Otogakure had launched an invasion, and most of the ninja had gone out to fight the enemy. Only a handful remained behind to guard the building.

It seemed the temporary command center had not been established in the Hokage Office.

Naruto sensed the presences inside the building and silently considered it.

It made sense. In the face of an invasion like this, setting the command center in the Hokage Office would be no different from placing the high ground right before the attackers.

Seizing an opening, Naruto's figure flickered, and he instantly appeared inside the Hokage Office.

First basement level.

Two ninja stared nervously at the tightly shut door.

Their orders were clear: if they encountered enemies, they were to immediately burn every piece of intelligence stored here.

Under normal circumstances, a place like this, which held only ordinary intelligence, would not be attacked.

But nothing in life was certain. Who could guarantee that something which had never happened before would not happen this time?

Click...

A faint sound suddenly came from overhead.

Just as the two raised their heads to investigate, they fell unconscious.

"My skills haven't gotten rusty." Naruto removed the senbon from their necks.

In his previous life, he had not possessed such terrifying physical abilities as he did now, so he had inevitably put more effort into smaller methods.

Poison was an unsurpassed means of killing and securing victory.

A small investment often brought enormous returns.

Kabuto Yakushi had not deceived him. Those hand seals truly were the release seals for the barrier; otherwise, he would not have been able to slip in from above so smoothly.

After checking the general arrangement of the scrolls, he found that they were organized chronologically.

Naruto swiftly located the intelligence scroll for Konoha's forty-eighth year.

Ten minutes later.

Naruto helplessly looked up. Just as he thought—what top-secret intelligence could be stored in a room whose location was known to the enemy?

The intelligence stored here was not something ordinary genin or chunin could access, but it definitely could not be called top secret.

Most of it was neither here nor there.

For example, on September 12th of Konoha's forty-eighth year, after the Daimyo of the Land of Rice Fields secretly met with a mysterious ninja, he began raising funds to build a ninja village;

On September 15th, the Daimyo of the Land of Birds corresponded with the Daimyo of the Land of Rivers for the third time. The contents of the letter were unknown;

On November 5th, bloodline-limit merchant Miyashiro En preordered the Transparent Release bloodline limit.

"..."

Naruto sighed softly. It was not that this information was useless. It was better than nothing.

It looked like things outside would remain chaotic for a while longer, so he might as well use the intelligence here to broaden his horizons.

"Naruto, Shikamaru! Come help!"

Ino's shout came from above. The two exchanged a glance.

With Kurenai and Asuma Sarutobi there, it did not seem like they needed help...

But since she had called them over, refusing to go would be somewhat inappropriate.

The two leaped up.

"???"

Looking at the four jonin standing not far away, the two fell silent.

"Come on! Let's go help!" Ino said eagerly.

"They probably don't need our help, do they?" Shikamaru sighed helplessly. Even after taking a Military Rations Pill, he was still somewhat short on chakra.

"With Kakashi-sensei and the other four here, they definitely don't need our help." Ino spoke as though it were obvious. "But if we don't go now, all the battle merit will be gone."

"...I'd better pass on the battle merit for now. My chakra can't hold out much longer." Shadow Clone Naruto sighed helplessly.

When had he ever lived so frugally?

In the time the three spent talking, Kakashi and the others had already dealt with every enemy in the vicinity.

"Shikamaru, Naruto, I have an A-rank Mission for you." Kakashi walked over and spoke to them.

"Catch up to Sasuke and deal with that Sunagakure ninja, Gaara, together with him!" As he spoke, he formed hand seals and summoned an adorable ninja hound.

"My name is Pakku!" The puppy raised a chubby front paw.

"Pakku will lead you to Sasuke." After Kakashi finished speaking, he exchanged looks with Might Guy and the other two before rushing toward the Third Hokage's battlefield.

"Is there anything else we need to do?" Pakku asked.

Naruto looked toward Shikamaru. He was better suited to command.

"First, let's find a few people." After pondering for a moment, Shikamaru turned to look toward the other young ninja fighting elsewhere.

Sasuke...

Sakura, whose body was wrapped in bandages over nearly half its surface, watched the direction Uchiha Sasuke had left in with worry in her eyes.

After the jonin had cleared the area earlier, only insignificant enemies remained near the venue. Even the young ninja could easily handle them with their strength.

"Lee, Neji, Kiba, Shino, plus Naruto and me..." Shikamaru relayed the mission Kakashi had assigned them.

During wartime, jonin had the authority to assign temporary missions.

Thus, the group understood the arrangements that followed.

"I'm going too!" Sakura stepped forward.

Ino hurriedly moved to stop her. This was not the time to be willful—Sakura's body was covered in bandages.

"You can't go." Shikamaru rebuked her.

"Why?" Sakura shook free of Ino's hand and asked in disbelief. "Sasuke and I are classmates. Why can't I go?"

"You're too weak, and you're injured. You'll only be dead weight if you go!" In wartime, everything had to be handled with urgency. Shikamaru had no intention of explaining gently.

"Pakku, let's go!"

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