Getting to the Root of It
"Let me show you what a natural enemy is like."
The heavy punch landed squarely on the center of Manda's nose.
The earth collapsed with a deafening roar.
Centered on the point of impact, the ground within a 300-meter radius sank by two meters.
The head of the Manda was driven deeper into the ground, and the latter half of its body rose high under the force before crashing down with tremendous force, crushing the remaining grove of trees on the east side to pieces.
Not far away Gamabunta bent down to pick up his pipe, his huge frog-like eyes filled with seriousness. "Jiraiya, this kid isn't just someone in a high position. He's already above you in his place."
Tsunade's feet were firmly planted on the Katsuyu's back, her fingers instinctively gripping the soft body in front of her tightly.
In her amber pupils, only that figure, woven with blue and gold, appeared, like a god descending to earth.
Shizune called her name three times from the side, but she didn't even blink; her heart was pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.
In the deep underground pit, the bloodline within the Manda completely collapsed.
That is the ultimate fear of encountering a natural enemy at the genetic level, devoid of any dignity.
Dragging its half-collapsed head, its vertical pupils filled with the madness of a defeated dog, it roared at the ground, "Orochimaru! You lied to me! This is not human, this is the divine punishment of the snake clan! From this day forward, the Manda's Cave is sealed, and your name is forever erased from the contract stone tablet!"
Thick white smoke billowed as the Manda unilaterally broke their Summoning Contract and forcibly escaped.
Before leaving, the giant tail, which was flailing wildly, swept indiscriminately, crushing two remaining Hidden Sound members who were trying to drag Kabuto Yakushi away into a bloody pulp.
Without the giant beast supporting him, Orochimaru's remains plummeted straight down from mid-air.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the air in front of him was filled with a hand covered in snake blood.
Naruto had already cut in close to the ground without anyone noticing, his five fingers gripping Naruto's face like iron clamps.
The scorching heat from the Sixth Gate hissed and smoked from Orochimaru's face, while golden light pierced his needle-like vertical pupils through his fingers.
"Run?"
Naruto's voice was extremely calm, as if he were talking about something insignificant.
This is pure dimensional reduction and crushing.
Orochimaru's throat tightened uncontrollably; he made the most decisive decision of his life.
Without the slightest hesitation, he clenched his teeth and bit off the tip of his tongue.
Blood splattered as the S-rank forbidden escape technique was activated.
The skin on the face that was being held captive cracked and peeled off layer by layer between Naruto's fingers, like dry tree bark.
A slender, snow-white snake shot out from the empty shell and burrowed into the deep crevice in the rock beneath its feet at top speed.
A tattered map, completely stained with blood, floated down from mid-air, along with a dead skin mask shed by Orochimaru.
The white snake's aura rapidly dissipated into the depths of the Leyline, and that chilling voice pierced through the rock layers. "Naruto-kun... Sasuke-kun's body is more suitable as a vessel than I imagined. He's waiting for you three hundred miles north of Otogakure. The later you arrive, the less he resembles himself."
As the last word fell, the blue flames burning on Naruto's body suddenly went out.
A dull tearing sound came from the quadriceps muscle of the right leg.
Immediately afterwards, the muscle groups in my shoulders, back, waist, abdomen, and arms went out of control one after another, and the sound of the dense muscle fibers breaking was like steel bars being snapped.
Naruto's knees buckled, and one knee slammed heavily into the muddy water at the bottom of the pit. His right hand's five fingers dug deep into the ground, barely managing to keep from falling forward.
Large beads of cold sweat mixed with mud dripped from his forehead.
The system's cold, impersonal notification sounded on time:
[Warning: Host cell activation reserves have dropped to 11%. Current status: Severely overdrawn. Recovery period: 24 hours. During this time, combat power will drop back to the level of Chunin.]
Naruto's lowered lips curled into a nonchalant smile as he muttered a curse under his breath.
Tsunade was the first to rush down from the rear.
She didn't even notice the ruins beneath her feet, and her ankle twisted badly on the rubble without her noticing.
She ran straight to Naruto, half-squatted down, and with her hands glowing with emerald green healing light, steadily placed them on his chest and right leg.
The sensation from her fingertips sent a jolt through Tsunade's heart; the almost shattered muscle tissue made her immediately clench her lips.
She lowered her voice, her tone tense and barely concealed. "Do you have a death wish?"
Naruto turned his head, and even though he was covered in injuries, the mischievous glint in his eyes remained undiminished. "Lady Tsunade, your hand is shaking."
Tsunade's ears burned, and she gritted her teeth, increasing the amount of chakra she was expelling by three times. Chakra 'Naruto brow twitched slightly in pain, but he didn't let her continue her banter.
Jiraiya walked to the side, remained silent for a good ten seconds, and then asked, "Sixth Gate. When did you break through?"
Naruto leaned back against a broken tombstone beside him and casually replied, "Just now."
Jiraiya was speechless for a moment.
Looking at the brat covered in blood yet grinning nonchalantly, he finally reached out and ruffled Naruto's blond hair, which was matted with sweat, swallowing back the astonishment he was about to utter.
Tsunade for five minutes, Naruto reached out and pushed her arm away.
He leaned on the stone tablet to stand up and bent down to pick up the map that Orochimaru had dropped.
Wiping away the bloodstains with his fingertips, the markings for the outer transit point of the Otogakure were clearly visible in the corner.
Folding the map neatly and stuffing it into his pocket, Naruto dusted off his trousers and spoke calmly, as if he were arranging a casual meal. "Return to Hidden Leaf. Make Tsunade the Fifth Hokage. Squeeze every last drop of data from Lady Tsunade's head, including all the data on bases and experiments."
He raised his eyelids, his eyes dark and cold. "Then, I'll go to the Otogakure and dig up all the assets Orochimaru has accumulated over the years."
Shizune finally arrived, panting, clutching the Chakra -sealing rope.
Despite being bound tightly, Kabuto Yakushi remained unconscious.
Naruto glanced at the person on the ground, a mocking smile playing on his lips, and said softly, "Don't understand the script, huh? When we get back to Hidden Leaf, I'll give you a few questions to do, and you'll understand. Handwriting questions, oral questions, fill-in-the-blank questions—if you don't understand, I'll teach you myself."
At the end of the distant official road, the carriages transferred from Tanzaku Town were already showing their outlines in the morning light.
Tsunade walked to Naruto's side and crossed her arms over his chest.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly made her move, tearing off the crystal-clear First Hokage Necklace from her neck and ruthlessly slipping it over Naruto's head.
The heavy, emerald-green crystal flicked at Naruto's nose.
"The gambling debt. You won; this is the stake."
Tsunade turned her face away to look at the ruins beside her, the blush spreading from the base of her ears all the way to her fair neck. Her voice was stiff, but it conveyed an unmistakable sense of surrender and submission.
The familiar mechanical sound arrived as expected from the depths of my mind:
[Ding! Tsunade's affection level +5, current affection level 90. Marked: Unwavering devotion.]
[Bond conditions met -- Bond critical hit reward calculation in progress...]
[A critical hit triggered by the host's bond with "Tsunade" has been detected. Rewards are being generated—"Perfect-grade Wood Release Kekkei Genkai" has been injected into the host's cells. Note: 100% compatible with the host's Perfect Sage Body, no rejection reaction. Awakening period: 24 hours. At that time, the host will gain Wood Release manipulation abilities at the level of the First Hokage.]
Feeling the warm life force sprouting deep within his chest, Naruto glanced down at the emerald green on his chest, put one hand in his pocket, and took the lead in walking towards the carriage.
The rising sun leaps above the horizon.
Meanwhile, deep underground in the far north, the Snake Mark left by Orochimaru is locked in a fierce struggle with the Yang Release mark that Naruto left on Sasuke's shoulder in the darkness.
This final strangulation of the prey has only just begun.