Reclaiming the Scroll!

"Damn it!" Naruto slammed a fist into the ground in fury, only to break into a violent coughing fit from the weakness and poison.

Sakura collapsed onto the ground, her face filled with despair. "How did this happen... We were so close..."

Sasuke stared fixedly in the direction the scroll had vanished, his eyes frighteningly dark. The curse mark on his neck seemed to faintly burn again from his overwhelming rage.

Humiliation! This was utterly humiliating!

Ling Yue forced herself to calm down, her mind racing. Don't panic! There's still a chance!

That Rain Ninja had only just taken the scroll. He could not have gone far! And he clearly feared the poisonous mist around them, so he would not dare linger. He would definitely leave the area as soon as possible!

"Chase him!" Ling Yue gritted her teeth and stood up. Though her body was still weak, [Resilient Body] and the [Wind Release: Great Breakthrough] scroll she had just exchanged had blown away part of the poisonous mist, leaving her in slightly better shape. "He can't have gone far! We have to take the scroll back!"

"How are we supposed to chase him? We're all like this..." Sakura said weakly.

"Even if I have to crawl, I'll crawl over there and take it back!" Sasuke snarled, struggling to stand, only to stagger and nearly fall again.

The curse mark's backlash and the poison had left him weaker than the others.

Ling Yue glanced at Sasuke and Sakura, who were in the worst condition, then at Naruto, who was still loud and boisterous but had astonishing recovery abilities. She immediately made her decision. "Naruto, can you still move?"

"Of course I can!" Naruto thumped his chest. Though his face had turned green, his eyes remained unyielding. "Watch me send that bastard flying!"

"Good! You're coming with me to chase him! Sasuke, Sakura, stay here. Find somewhere safe to hide and wait for us to come back!" Ling Yue swiftly assigned their tasks.

"I'm going too!" Sasuke said unwillingly.

"In your current condition, you'd only hold us back!" Ling Yue cut him off without mercy. "Guard this place. Don't let anyone take advantage of us while we're weak! That's an order!"

Sasuke was left speechless. Looking at his trembling hand, he finally clenched his teeth and nodded, helping Sakura into a depression beside the tower gates that was somewhat farther from the poisonous mist.

"Let's go!" Ling Yue waved to Naruto, and the two immediately chased after the Rain Ninja.

[Zetsu] was activated to the limit she could currently sustain, reducing the two of their presence.

[Thunder Breathing] circulated faintly, enhancing her hearing and vision as she tracked the subtle traces left on the ground by his hasty escape and the residual chakra fluctuations.

Naruto might have been careless, but the tracking instincts he had developed through years of pranks came in handy now. His nose twitched, and he actually managed to keep up.

"This way! The smell went this way!" Naruto pointed in a direction, lowering his voice.

The two quickly moved through the edge of the thinning poisonous mist. Before long, they heard faint footsteps and suppressed panting coming from not far ahead.

They found him!

Ling Yue made a hand signal, and the two silently climbed up a tree, looking down through gaps in the branches and leaves.

The Rain Ninja who had stolen the scroll was leaning behind a tree, warily observing his surroundings. He tightly clutched the Earth Scroll in his hand.

He seemed to have been affected by a small amount of poisonous mist as well, and his breathing was somewhat rushed, but he was in far better condition than Ling Yue's group.

"He's alone?" Naruto asked, surprised. "Where are his teammates?"

"They may have gotten separated, or they could be lying in ambush nearby," Ling Yue whispered. "We can't let our guard down."

She carefully observed the Rain Ninja. He had the strength of a Chunin and was skilled in Water Release and concealment. If they attacked head-on, she and Naruto had little chance of winning in their current state.

They had to outsmart him!

"Naruto," Ling Yue said in a low voice, "when I give the signal, use Shadow Clones to make a big commotion and draw his attention."

"And then?"

"Then... leave it to me." A flicker of resolve flashed through Ling Yue's eyes as her consciousness sank into the system once more.

After exchanging for the Wind Release scroll, she had 800 points left. This was no time to be frugal!

She quickly scanned the shop and fixed her gaze on an item.

[Smoke Bomb Scroll (Enhanced): 150 points. Releases a large amount of dense, irritating smoke, effectively disrupting vision and perception. Moderate duration.]

That was it!

"Exchange!"

[150 points consumed. Obtained [Smoke Bomb Scroll (Enhanced)].]

An inconspicuous little scroll fell into her hand.

"Ready?" Ling Yue looked at Naruto.

Naruto nodded hard.

"Move!"

Naruto immediately formed hand seals. "Shadow Clone Technique!"

Several Shadow Clones appeared and charged the Rain Ninja head-on!

"Who's there?!" The Rain Ninja was indeed alarmed. He immediately turned around vigilantly and threw his kunai!

The Shadow Clones were easily dispelled.

But in the instant his attention was drawn away!

Ling Yue suddenly leaped down from the tree and tore open the Smoke Bomb Scroll at the same time!

An incredibly dense black smoke, carrying a pungent stench, instantly erupted and spread rapidly, completely engulfing the area where the Rain Ninja stood!

His vision and senses were utterly blocked!

"Cough, cough! What is this?!" The Rain Ninja panicked within the smoke, coughing violently and completely losing his sense of direction.

Now!

Relying on [Paper Arts] to sense the air currents and the explosive burst of [Flash Step], Ling Yue rushed into the smoke and accurately pounced in the Rain Ninja's general direction!

Her hand shot out, aimed directly at the hand holding the scroll!

Though the Rain Ninja's sight was blocked, his battle instincts remained. Sensing the wind, he instinctively swung his arm up to block!

Ling Yue seemed to have anticipated it. Her outstretched hand abruptly changed direction. Rather than snatching the scroll, she drove a vicious punch into his wrist!

"Urgh!" The Rain Ninja cried out in pain, his fingers loosening!

The scroll fell from his hand!

Ling Yue's other hand had long been waiting. She precisely caught the falling scroll, then refused to linger after succeeding. [Flash Step] burst out at full power as she rapidly retreated!

The entire process took place in the blink of an eye!

By the time Ling Yue withdrew from the smoke, the Rain Ninja was still wildly swinging his kunai inside it, roaring, "Who?! Come out!"

"Got it! Let's go!" Ling Yue called to Naruto in the tree before turning and running.

Naruto stared dumbfoundedly at everything that had happened. Once he came back to his senses, he immediately jumped down and followed her. "Whoa! Yue, that was amazing!"

The two ran madly toward the tower without looking back.

The Rain Ninja's furious and unwilling roars came from the smoke behind them, but he seemed unwilling to chase them out of its cover. Eventually, his voice gradually faded away.

"We did it! We did it!" Naruto shouted excitedly as he ran.

Ling Yue tightly gripped the recovered Earth Scroll and let out a breath of relief, but she did not dare lower her guard. "Hurry back! Sasuke and Sakura are still waiting for us!"

However, as they neared the Central Tower, they heard fighting and Sasuke's furious shout!

Something had happened again?!

Their expressions changed, and they sped up as they rushed over.

At the tower entrance, Sasuke was shielding the weakened Sakura as he faced off against three unfamiliar Genin! The three wore Hidden Grass Village forehead protectors and had ill-intentioned smiles on their faces. They were clearly trying to take advantage of the situation!

"Hand over the scroll, or don't blame us for getting rough!" the leader of the Hidden Grass Genin shouted arrogantly.

Sasuke was in terrible shape. His face was pale, and he could not even maintain his Sharingan. He was only standing through sheer willpower as he replied coldly, "Dream on!"

"Hmph! You won't take the easy way, so you'll take it the hard way! Get them!" The three Hidden Grass Genin charged at once!

"Bastards! Don't you dare bully Sasuke!" Seeing this, Naruto immediately roared and joined the battle. Shadow Clones appeared again. Though they lacked strength, their momentum was fierce.

Ling Yue did not hesitate either. She stuffed the Earth Scroll into her clothes, gripped a kunai, and charged forward!

The battle erupted once more!

These three Hidden Grass Genin were not particularly strong, but they coordinated well and were well-rested. Against Team 7, who were in dreadful condition, they actually gained the upper hand for a time.

Naruto's Shadow Clones were quickly destroyed, and even his real body was kicked to the ground.

Sasuke barely blocked one opponent's attack, only to be kicked in the abdomen from the side by another. He grunted and staggered back several steps.

Ling Yue relied on her footwork to maneuver around them, but her chakra and stamina were both nearing their limits. Even [Paper Arts] was beginning to lose form, and danger surrounded her at every turn.

"Haha! Is this all Hidden Leaf Village Genin can do?" The Hidden Grass Genin laughed smugly as their attacks grew fiercer.

Just as they were about to be unable to hold on any longer—

"A bunch of trash... and you dare block my path?!"

A cold voice filled with viciousness suddenly rang out!

It was Sasuke!

He slowly raised his head. The beastlike vertical pupils appeared in his eyes again, and black curse mark patterns slowly crawled up his cheeks! Chilling chakra erupted once more!

Though it was not as violent as before, that oppressive aura instantly stunned the three Hidden Grass Genin!

"Y-you... what the hell is that thing?!" The Hidden Grass Genin stared at Sasuke's transformation in horror.

Sasuke did not answer. His figure suddenly blurred, moving so fast that it left afterimages!

Two soft sounds rang out!

The two Hidden Grass Genin did not even see his movements before pain shot through their wrists and their kunai fell to the ground!

Then their chests were struck by a heavy blow, sending them flying backward as they spat blood!

The remaining one was terrified out of his wits and turned to run.

Sasuke snorted coldly, picked up a kunai from the ground, and threw it with force!

The kunai lodged precisely in the ground in front of the man's feet, scaring him stiff. He did not dare move an inch.

"Get lost," Sasuke spat coldly.

The three Hidden Grass Genin fled in disgrace, scrambling and crawling away as though they had been granted a pardon. None of them dared look back.

With the trouble dealt with, Sasuke swayed. The curse mark state quickly faded, and his face became even paler. He could barely remain standing.

"Sasuke!" Sakura hurriedly supported him.

Naruto ran over as well, his face full of lingering fear. "You scared me to death... Good thing you could turn into that weird monster again..."

Ling Yue walked over and handed the Earth Scroll to Sasuke, her feelings complicated.

Though they had survived the crisis by relying on the curse mark, that power... was ultimately poison disguised as medicine.

Sasuke took the scroll and gripped it tightly. His eyes flickered as though he was savoring that powerful force from before, yet also resisting something.

Supporting one another, the four of them finally walked step by step through the gates of the Central Tower.

The instant they entered the tower, it felt as though they had been separated from the danger and slaughter outside.

However, before they could breathe a sigh of relief, a familiar and stern voice rang out ahead.

"You finally made it."

Kakashi was somehow already standing in the hall, watching them with sharp eyes. When he saw the clear curse mark on Sasuke's neck and the group's battered state, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Now, then..." There was a faint, almost imperceptible chill in Kakashi's voice.

"Who's going to explain exactly what that thing on Sasuke's neck is?"