Two Fingers Break the Wind! Even Your Full Strength Wasn't Worth Making Me Stop
The surrounding Hidden Leaf are about two kilometers from the venue.
The moss on the tree trunk was shaken off by the Tailed Beast Chakra.
Naruto's boots slammed against a thick, protruding branch, the wood making a dull thud. More than four hours had passed since the Gate of Limit opened, and the muscle response in his legs was slightly slower than usual—in his prime, those three rats wouldn't have even had a chance to escape his sight.
But that's enough.
Mind's Eye of the Kagura spread outwards. Eight hundred meters away, two Chakra sources were moving rapidly, with a swirling, violent, deep blue vortex sandwiched between them. Shukaku's Chakra was tearing through the sealing barrier layer by layer.
Naruto licked his back teeth and sped up.
Six hundred meters ahead.
Kankuro half-dragged, half-carried Gaara as they raced through the forest. The puppet parts on his back clanged and rattled, and the Black Ant's head slammed into a tree trunk, chipping off a piece of paint. Gaara's right side was a mangled mess—yellow sand and blue patterns spread from his shoulder to the back of his hand, and his thick, tanuki-like arm swung wildly out of control, tearing deep, bone-revealing claw marks into the tree trunk beside him with each swing.
"Gaara! Hold on! We'll talk about it when we get to a safe place—"
"Shut up!"
The voice was forced from his throat, indistinguishable between a human shout and a wild beast's howl. Pure madness raged in his star-shaped pupils. "Go back... kill him... tear him apart—"
Kankuro bit his cheek, his face as white as paper. Gaara couldn't control himself in this state.
Temari ran at the back, her Iron Fan held horizontally behind her as a barrier. Her heart pounded in her ribs. She glanced back for the fifth time.
Then she saw it.
The blond figure shortened from 800 meters to less than 200. His steps were neither hurried nor slow, as relaxed as if he were taking a walk in the woods.
"He's catching up!" The voice was three octaves higher than I expected.
Kankuro's voice cracked with tears. "Sister! Try to stop them!"
Temari a deep breath. She pulled out the Iron Fan with both hands—three stars activated. Her hands trembled as she gripped the handle, and her jaw ached from clenching her teeth.
The wind was her only weapon. No matter how chaotic her mind was, she couldn't let her brother die here.
The Iron Fan was raised high above the head. Chakra flowed into the patterns on the fan ribs, and three layers of starlight lit up simultaneously.
"Wind Release: Slash!"
Three wind blades swept across the area with a whooshing sound. Trees as thick as bowls were severed at the roots, and wood chips exploded everywhere. It was a killing move powerful enough to cut Chunin into six pieces.
Naruto didn't stop.
A flash of silver light appeared in the Pure Byakugan's eye socket. The Chakra structure, flow rate, and weak points of the Wind Blade were all laid out in his field of vision.
Tilt your head 30 degrees, and the first cut will go past your ear.
Turning to the side, the second gap was just big enough for one person to pass through.
The third course.
He raised his right hand, pinched the invisible, transparent wind blade between two fingers.
The wind has stopped.
Temari's Iron Fan froze in mid-air.
That was her full-force attack. It was caught between two fingers.
Naruto rubbed his fingers together. The wind blade shattered into Chakra particles, scattering like Fire Fly. He didn't stop walking; he was now less than five meters away from Temari.
"Princess of the Hidden Sand Village"
Lazy and somewhat playful.
"The accuracy of the Wind Release technique is decent, but the Chakra flow is too rough. The fan is a good thing, but unfortunately, the person who uses it is too inexperienced."
Temari's Iron Fan trembled.
It's not from anger.
He was commenting on her technique, in the same condescending tone he used during the competition, like a teacher grading a student's homework.
"Get out of the way."
Naruto didn't lay a hand on her. He didn't even unleash his killing intent. With his hands in his pockets, he simply walked past her.
She was never the target.
The Temari stood frozen in place. The Iron Fan hung limply at his side.
The rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves was amplified tenfold.
He didn't attack her. He had a hundred ways to cripple her in a second. But he chose to walk past her.
Like walking past a tree.
She doesn't even deserve to be taken seriously.
The hand holding the fan trembled. This feeling was more humiliating than being defeated—you swung a knife with all your might, and the opponent caught it with two fingers and Earth Flow without looking back.
But something else was wrapped within the humiliation, burning her throat.
My gaze followed that retreating figure.
He only pursues Gaara. He said he would cure him.
What is being treated?
Cut to the next scene.
The venue was located in a dark underground passage. The light was dim, and the soles of boots creaked dully on the damp stone slabs.
Kabuto Yakushi's smile froze on his face.
In the corridor ahead, frost spread at a visible speed. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were all freezing. The three Hidden Sound shuddered; one of them had his feet frozen and was desperately trying to pull himself out.
Bai stood in the middle of the corridor. His icy blue eyes were devoid of warmth. Long, sharp ice spikes reflected the only glimmer of light in the dark passage.
What are you doing here?
The voice was very soft, so soft that the Hidden Sound behind Kabuto couldn't hear it at all. But Kabuto heard it clearly; each word felt like tiny shards of ice rolling in his throat.
"It's a misunderstanding." Dou adjusted his glasses, maintaining an innocent expression. "I got lost in the chaos and just happened to be passing by—"
Take three steps back.
Bai interrupted him.
"Otherwise, the ice under your feet will grow from your ankles to your heart. It will take four seconds."
Dou's smile froze for a second. He subconsciously looked down—and sure enough, a thin layer of ice silently covered the soles of his shoes.
When did it start?
He sensed no Chakra fluctuations. The girl's Ice Release technique was so refined that it exceeded his conventional understanding of "Kekkei Genkai".
Cold sweat broke out on my back.
Kabuto was medical-nin by training, and had undergone mental defense training thousands of times. At this moment, his body was making the decision for him—retreat.
The Ice Release girl in front of him was at least Special Jōnin level fighter. Fighting in this narrow, dark passage, he wouldn't gain the slightest advantage against the three Hidden Sound. Moreover—
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the red-haired girl huddled in the corner.
Naruto's men. This is where Naruto's men are guarding. Drag them out until that monster returns...
Dou decisively retreated.
"Let's go." The tone was calm. "Target changed."
The three disappeared into the depths of the secret passage. Bai didn't chase after them. She turned around, squatted down in front of Karin, and offered a slender hand.
"We're safe."
In the corner, Karin looked up, tears still streaming down her face, a crack appearing in her red glasses.
She saw a black-haired girl in white standing expressionlessly in front of her, blocking the way for those men with malicious intent.
The girl's back view was chillingly cold, yet it made Karin's fingers twitch slightly.
She remembered someone. The blond man who shattered everything with a single punch on the field. His words still echoed in her ears.
From this day forward, I will protect the Uzumaki Clan.
Karin's lips trembled slightly, and she gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.
So this is what it feels like to be covered up...
The scene returns to the forest.
Naruto bypassed Temari and caught up with Kankuro and Gaara. He stood on a horizontal branch of a giant tree, looking down from above.
The moment Kankuro saw that figure, his legs went weak, and he almost threw Gaara away.
"Don't come any closer! This is a mission from Sunagakure! You have no right to—"