Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat Obtained

Su Bai nodded to himself. Naruto really was Naruto. He might be unreliable most of the time, but he could still be counted on when it mattered.

Orochimaru launched another attack at Sasuke, several kunai landing at his feet.

Naruto made a dazzling entrance. "Sasuke, I already forgot the password and all that."

But Sasuke shouted in panic, "Idiot, run! This isn't the time to play hero! We're no match for him at all!"

Then Sasuke tremblingly pulled out a scroll and said to Orochimaru, "Take this scroll. Please let us go."

Su Bai shook his head helplessly. "Orochimaru's target is you. The scroll means nothing to him."

Seeing this, Naruto could no longer hold himself back.

He rushed forward, grabbed Sasuke by the collar, and yanked him in front of him.

"You coward! You actually want to surrender to the enemy? Do you even deserve to call yourself a ninja?!"

Naruto roared and drove his right fist hard into Sasuke's face, knocking him to the ground.

Sasuke was stunned by the sudden punch, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He stared at Naruto in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

"N-Naruto? Have you gone crazy? That guy isn't someone we can fight!"

Sasuke's voice trembled, steeped in despair.

"Shut up! Once you've decided he's the enemy, you have to fight with everything you've got! That's what it means to be a ninja!"

Naruto clenched his fists, a fierce aura radiating from his entire body.

He turned to face Orochimaru, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

"Hey, you! I don't care who you are, but if you dare bully my companions, I'll never forgive you!"

"Hehe, what an interesting brat. Then let me see what tricks you can pull."

Orochimaru licked his lips, his smile growing ever more unhinged.

Naruto gritted his teeth as chakra surged through his body. His hands flashed through seals before crossing into a hand sign. "Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Poof! Poof! Poof!

Dozens of Naruto's clones appeared, surrounding Orochimaru on all sides.

"Get him!"

The clones raised their arms and charged Orochimaru from every direction.

A desperate battle had begun!

As Naruto and Orochimaru's battle grew fiercer, a string of system notifications rang out in Su Bai's mind:

[Ding! Ninja combat detected nearby. Obtained 9,000 experience points.]

[Ding! Ninja combat detected nearby. Obtained 10,000 experience points.]

[Ding! Ninja combat detected nearby. Obtained 110,000 experience points.]

Seeing the experience points constantly rise, Su Bai's lips curled into a satisfied smile.

He could clearly feel his strength steadily increasing as his fusion rate rose.

The chakra in his body seemed more abundant, and controlling it had become much easier.

During the battle, Naruto fought valiantly, but he was still no match for Orochimaru and was driven back step by step.

Naruto had clearly fallen into a disadvantage.

His shadow clones were shattered one after another by Orochimaru, dissolving into clouds of white smoke.

Naruto himself was also hit hard several times by Orochimaru. Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his cheeks were swollen.

He barely managed to stay standing, breathing heavily, yet his eyes still stubbornly glared at Orochimaru.

At this rate, Naruto would not be able to hold on for much longer.

However.

If Naruto wanted to grow, didn't he need to keep pushing past his limits?

Su Bai made his decision at once and shouted, "Naruto, pull yourself together! Didn't you swear you'd become Hokage? You've only just started, and you're already going to give up?"

Naruto was jolted, and his gaze abruptly sharpened.

"And Sasuke and Sakura are counting on you! As their companion and friend, didn't you swear to protect them? At a critical moment like this, you can't fall!"

Su Bai's words struck Naruto like a blow to the head, pounding fiercely against his heart.

That was right. How could he admit defeat here?

Hadn't he struggled this far to become Hokage and protect his companions?

"I... I'll never admit defeat! Because I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage!"

Naruto clenched his teeth and fists, as though a blazing fire had ignited deep within his body.

It was chakra from the Nine-Tails.

At that moment, it kept spilling out in response to Naruto's emotions, swirling around his body.

"This brat... is he the Nine-Tails' jinchuriki?" Only then did Orochimaru realize Naruto's identity.

He licked his lips and narrowed his eyes as he studied Naruto.

Immediately afterward, he and Naruto began their second round of battle.

Orochimaru was indeed one of the top figures in the ninja world. Though it took some effort, he defeated Naruto once again.

Seeing Naruto knocked down once more, Su Bai spoke again.

"Naruto, you can't lose! If you lose, he'll kill every one of us!"

At those words, Naruto's pupils contracted as he struggled to his feet.

"I! Won't let you kill my companions!"

Boom!

A vast surge of chakra erupted from Naruto's body and swept across the entire battlefield.

His eyes turned blood-red, his pupils narrowing into beastlike slits.

His nails and fangs became sharp, while red chakra coiled around him like an enraged fox.

"What?!"

Orochimaru was dumbfounded.

Drawing on the Nine-Tails' power, Naruto charged Orochimaru again. With fists and kicks flying, he actually fought him to a standstill.

"Damn it! That bug hiding in the shadows is too annoying. If not for him, I would've finished this long ago!"

As Naruto fought again, Su Bai silently watched from the shadows, a faint approving smile appearing on his lips.

Though it was rather underhanded of him to provoke Naruto with words.

Naruto had found his own strength because of it.

After this battle, Naruto would surely grow a great deal.

On the battlefield, Orochimaru gradually grew impatient.

Though he had to expend more effort, he still won.

Even with the Nine-Tails' power, Naruto could not shake the absolute strength of Orochimaru, one of the "Legendary Three Ninja."

After several exchanges, Naruto was once again beaten black and blue by Orochimaru and fell into a disadvantage.

Orochimaru grabbed Naruto by the collar and lifted him into the air.

Naruto struggled desperately, but it was useless.

Orochimaru snorted, his gaze suddenly turning sharp.

He glanced in Su Bai's direction. Though his view was blocked by layers of leaves, he could keenly sense that Su Bai was hiding nearby.

"I'll kill you sooner or later!"

Orochimaru muttered under his breath. His right hand quickly formed seals, and a faint blue glow appeared at the tips of his five fingers.

"Five Elements Seal!"

He shouted and slammed his palm into Naruto's abdomen.

A complex curse mark emerged and swiftly sank beneath Naruto's skin.

Naruto only felt a strange force invade his body, violently clashing with the Nine-Tails' chakra.

He let out a scream. The red chakra around him instantly dispersed completely, and he lost consciousness, going limp in Orochimaru's hand.

"Orochimaru truly lived up to his name. He immediately identified the key issue."

As long as he used a seal to stop Naruto from using the Nine-Tails' chakra, he could defeat him without harming him.

With Naruto unable to use the Nine-Tails' chakra, Su Bai gave up on the idea of provoking him further.

After dealing with Naruto, Orochimaru turned his attention back to Sasuke.

Another kunai shot toward Sasuke.

Sasuke still looked like a trembling, cowardly mess.

At the crucial moment, Su Bai used White Lightning again.

"Way of Destruction No. 4: White Lightning!"

White Lightning knocked the kunai away.

"You weren't hurt, were you, coward?" Su Bai's voice echoed through the forest.

Orochimaru finally flew into a rage and roared at Su Bai, "You little bastard, stay hidden forever if you can! I'll take your life sooner or later!"

Just as Orochimaru was raging, a system notification drew Su Bai's attention:

[Ding! Ninja combat detected nearby. Obtained 20,000 experience points.]

[Ding! Genryusai Shigekuni Yamamoto template fusion progress: 7%. Current experience: 20,000/10,000,000.]

[Basic Hand-to-Hand Combat has been upgraded to Intermediate Hand-to-Hand Combat!]