"Naruto, did you hear something?" Sakura looked around in confusion.
"No. Was there a sound?" Naruto pretended to listen in every direction and said with an honest expression, "I didn't hear anything."
"We came out to look for Sasuke. Do you think Sasuke might have gone back to the riverbank to look for us?" Thinking of that possibility, Sakura quickly said, "Naruto, let's go back. Maybe Sasuke is already waiting for us at that place."
Naruto was startled. They absolutely could not go there, because Orochimaru was testing Sasuke and assessing his potential.
"Sasuke!" Naruto pointed in a direction and shouted, "I think I saw Sasuke! Over there! It looks like someone's chasing him down!"
Sakura's eyes blazed fiercely. Turning into a ferocious beast, she bared her teeth and charged in the direction Naruto had pointed.
"Phew—" Having successfully fooled Sakura, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. This was Sasuke's critical moment; they could not disturb him.
For the next while, Naruto accompanied Sakura as they searched everywhere, deceiving her into circling through the forest and wasting half the day.
Figuring that enough time had passed, Naruto said, "Let's go back. Maybe Sasuke is already waiting for us there."
With a loud thud, Sakura's iron fist slammed into Naruto's head. Fortunately, Naruto had been prepared. White smoke rose from his entire body after he took the punch, and he transformed into half a tree stump. It was the Substitution Technique Naruto had used.
Sakura was quite surprised. In the past, she could hit Naruto whenever she wanted, but now he was always prepared to use ninjutsu.
"Naruto! What are you doing?! Are you even worried about Sasuke?!"
"I'm very worried about Sasuke." Naruto's real body stepped out from behind a tree. Wearing a helpless expression, he said, "This is the path Sasuke chose for himself. Whatever I can do to help him, I'll do it. Even if I can't help, I still have to try."
For a moment, Sakura had the illusion that Naruto had become so handsome. Sasuke's figure seemed to overlap with Naruto's.
"Hey." Naruto said disdainfully, "I'm Naruto, not Sasuke. Don't look at me like that."
"Hmph." Sakura snorted with equal disdain.
Afterward, Naruto and Sakura returned to the riverbank, the place where they had encountered Orochimaru. There was still a scorched crater there, evidence of Naruto using 1,562 Explosive Tags.
Sakura had been too worried about Sasuke earlier to notice the crater. Seeing it now deeply shocked her.
"What exactly happened here?" Sakura muttered to herself. "Were these traces left behind when Naruto and Sasuke fought that female ninja from Kusagakure?"
"I found Sasuke!" Naruto spotted Sasuke first and hurried over. The first thing he did was inspect the back of Sasuke's neck.
Sure enough, he found the mark of Heaven's Curse Mark on Sasuke's nape. Gently lifting Sasuke's eyelids, he saw the Two-Tomoe Sharingan.
Sasuke had grown stronger again! Naruto thought. But Sasuke's condition is terrible. Orochimaru tortured him until he's barely alive, and he's still maintaining the Sharingan. It seems Heaven's Curse Mark is affecting Sasuke's chakra, which is why the Sharingan has remained active...
Naruto cursed inwardly. That bastard Orochimaru doesn't know how to be gentler. He handled Sasuke so roughly. If anything happens to Sasuke, where else will you find a vessel...?
Sakura ran over. The moment she saw Sasuke's miserable state, she covered her mouth in fright. Sasuke was covered in wounds, breathing rapidly, his chest heaving violently. He looked to be in terrible pain.
"Let's find somewhere safe to hide for the night." Naruto picked Sasuke up and hid in a tree hollow.
Sasuke was placed at the very back of the hollow. Naruto took off his clothes and covered Sasuke with them while Sakura carefully tended to him nearby.
Seeing that Sasuke still could not wake up, Sakura's heart ached. She asked, "Naruto, what kind of battle did you and Sasuke go through while I was unconscious?"
"Sakura, you don't need to blame yourself. This isn't your fault." Naruto wore a serious expression, but inwardly he was laughing. Of course it isn't your fault, Sakura. It's all my fault. Sasuke ended up like this entirely because of me... Hahahaha...
Hearing Naruto comfort her, Sakura clenched her fists tightly as tears flowed uncontrollably down her face. She also felt that she was too weak, unable to keep up with Sasuke and Naruto or fight alongside them. In the end, she had been unable to help at all.
Naruto glanced at Sakura and was immediately startled. He hurriedly consoled her, "Sakura, don't overthink it. It really has nothing to do with you. If anyone's to blame, blame me. It's all my fault. I'm too weak to protect Sasuke properly... Sigh..."
"Thank you, Naruto." Though tears still streaked Sakura's face, her gaze was resolute. With strength beneath her frailty, she said, "I'll become stronger. In the future, I'll be able to protect Sasuke too."
Naruto smiled. It seemed Sakura had misunderstood, but a misunderstanding was fine. He had not expected it to awaken Sakura's determination as a ninja. The resolve to protect those you loved was the drive to grow stronger.
Naruto encouraged her, "Sakura, you'll definitely become stronger. Don't let Sasuke get too far ahead. You have to keep up with him."
"Mm!" Sakura nodded heavily. "Ever since graduating from the Ninja Academy, Naruto, you've really changed a lot."
"Shh!" Naruto made a silencing gesture, indicating that someone was approaching. Sakura understood at once and quickly drew her kunai, remaining on guard.
Naruto gently parted the leaves, exposing only a tiny gap. He saw a figure outside, and upon closer inspection, it was Kabuto Yakushi!
Kabuto Yakushi had tracked Naruto's group here, only to ultimately find nothing.
Kabuto Yakushi examined the surroundings without discovering anything unusual. He thought, Sasuke has already been implanted with Lord Orochimaru's Heaven's Curse Mark. He should be moving slowly. I tracked them all the way here, so why can't I find anything once I reached this place...?
At the same time, Naruto signaled Sakura to relax and whispered, "The tree hollow I found is very well hidden, and I added several layers of bushes outside to conceal it. People outside shouldn't be able to find it easily."
Sure enough, unable to find any trace of Sasuke, Kabuto Yakushi could only leave first.
After Kabuto Yakushi left, Naruto said to Sakura, "Even someone like that couldn't find this place, which proves it's very safe. Stay here with Sasuke for the night. I'm going to follow that man outside and gather information. I'll return here tomorrow."
"Naruto! Why are you taking such a risk?"
Naruto smiled. "Because I'll protect you too." With that, he took the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll from his body and handed both to Sakura for safekeeping.
Naruto looked outside and saw that night had fallen. He quietly slipped out and caught up with Kabuto Yakushi.
Kabuto Yakushi thought, It'll be troublesome if I can't find Sasuke. After being implanted with Heaven's Curse Mark, Sasuke has only a one-in-ten chance of survival. My mission is to observe whether Sasuke can endure it. If Sasuke can endure it, then he'll be a qualified vessel for Lord Orochimaru.
"Sasuke's team has already obtained the Heaven Scroll and Earth Scroll, so they'll eventually reach the tower. I'll wait for them at the tower." Kabuto Yakushi murmured, "I hope you can make it to the tower alive, Sasuke."
Before you continue