Guren of the Crystal Release

"Nee-san Shizune, are you okay?" Naruto helped Shizune up, vigilantly watching their surroundings.

"It's just a scrape. I'm fine!" Shizune stood up, a long wound across her chest, her mesh bodysuit sliced open as well.

Naruto analyzed, "Your eyes never left that ninja called Guren just now, Nee-san Shizune. That means the one talking to Kabuto Yakushi from the start was her Crystal Release clone. Be careful—the Crystal Release is dangerous. I just saw an earthworm get sealed up and directly crystallized, then shattered."

The earthworm thing was naturally made up. Naruto had merely found an excuse to warn Shizune about the terrifying power of Crystal Release. Its nature somewhat resembled Kekkei Tōta or Kekkei Mōra; it could not be considered an ordinary Kekkei Genkai.

Hidden in the shadows, Guren saw how troublesome Naruto and Shizune were and formed hand seals.

"Crystal Release: Crushing Crystal Dragon Technique!"

A dragon's roar rang out. Naruto and Shizune's expressions changed slightly as four Crystal Dragons, each thirty to forty meters long, charged at them. Guren stood atop one of the Crystal Dragons, looking down on them from above.

The commotion here also alerted the three Sannin in battle.

Standing on Katsuyu's head, Tsunade was deeply worried. "That crystal is a Kekkei Genkai. Naruto and Shizune are in danger!"

Standing on Gamabunta's head, Jiraiya said, "Tsunade, we need to hurry. I never expected Orochimaru's subordinates to be so full of talent!"

"Yeah!" Tsunade nodded, and her attacks grew several degrees faster. Faced with Jiraiya and Tsunade's combined assault, Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi were beginning to struggle to hold their ground.

Naruto slashed at a Crystal Dragon's body with a kunai infused with Wind-Nature Chakra, but only left a scrape. Even Wind-Nature Chakra could not cut through these Crystal Dragons!

"Nee-san Shizune, get farther away from me!" Naruto was gathering Chakra.

"Ah, okay!" Shizune, who had been attacking the Crystal Dragons with her Chakra Scalpel, froze at first. When she saw Naruto's condition, she immediately understood that he was likely preparing some kind of ninjutsu and hurriedly put distance between them.

Crash!

Golden Chakra chains burst out from Naruto's body. The agile chains smashed the Crystal Dragons into fragments, and Shizune stared in astonishment at Naruto's eruption from afar.

Seeing all her Crystal Dragons destroyed by Naruto, Guren was equally shocked. "So Kabuto Yakushi was right. You're no ordinary opponent!"

Whoosh!

Suddenly, in that instant, Guren saw Naruto appear before her, and her breathing stopped. A gust of wind had brushed past her, and then Naruto was right in front of her with a Rasengan in hand. It had happened far too suddenly.

"Rasengan!" Naruto drove the Rasengan hard into Guren's chest.

The pain of that instant made Guren feel as though her entire body were being torn apart with every second. Without her Chakra, the Crystal Dragons began to collapse.

"I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru..." Guren's final consciousness faded. Naruto's Rasengan had blasted a hole through her chest, and she fell from the sky.

That fiery, surging feeling vanished again. Naruto began falling through the air, crying out in alarm.

"Ah, oh no, this is bad..."

"Naruto!" Shizune rushed over. Just as Naruto was about to hit the ground, she lunged forward and caught him in her arms, rolling across the grass to keep him from being injured by the fall.

With Naruto pressing her to the ground, Shizune let out a breath of relief. "Naruto, how are you? Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I'm fine!" Naruto rubbed his head and said, "It just felt like I ran into a wall. My head hurts a little. Thanks, Nee-san Shizune!"

Shizune's gaze shifted slightly downward, toward her chest. Naruto had said his head had run into a wall.

Smack!

Shizune sent Naruto flying off her with a hard slap, knocking him to the ground. She seemed to have inherited some of Tsunade's Monstrous Strength, and her face was flushed with embarrassment and anger.

"Ow, what was that for, Nee-san Shizune?" Naruto got up while covering his face. A prominent handprint had already swollen on his cheek. Shizune's sudden slap had completely stunned him.

"Hmph..." Shizune gave a cold snort, making it clear that she was angry.

Naruto was completely baffled. He had no idea how he had angered Shizune, and he had taken a slap for no reason. But this was no time for that. Rubbing his bright red face, Naruto headed toward where Guren had fallen.

Guren had completely fallen silent by then. Naruto's Rasengan had shattered the ribs in her chest, and the fall had broken more bones, but she was not completely dead yet.

Naruto had used Flying Thunder God Movement for a sudden sneak attack, exploiting his informational advantage to defeat Guren directly—just as he had previously taken Tsunade's necklace while she was unaware.

"You..." Guren wanted to say something more, but a mouthful of blood spurted from her lips.

That was what made ninja different. An ordinary person would have died outright from a fall that high! Naruto formed a Rasengan in his hand, his expression grave. Without wasting any more words, he prepared to finish Guren for good.

Boom...

Suddenly, the ground shook. A massive brown-scaled python swallowed Guren whole and burrowed underground to escape, leaving Naruto staring blankly.

The battle of the three Sannin had long since ended. Once Orochimaru and Kabuto Yakushi saw that they were quickly falling into a disadvantage, they prepared to split up and flee. Seeing that Guren was also in danger, Kabuto Yakushi took the opportunity to use the Summoning Jutsu to summon a giant snake and rescue her.

Is Orochimaru a snake or an eel? Naruto inwardly ranted to Kurama. Orochimaru's ability to escape was truly absurd.

The Nine-Tails said, "Enough. What, do you really think you can kill Orochimaru right now? Aren't you just worried about Sasuke? You're afraid that because of you, a butterfly effect will occur and Orochimaru will truly take Sasuke's body! That's why you're so desperate to kill Orochimaru now!"

Naruto dispersed the Rasengan in his hand. The Nine-Tails understood him very well and knew what he was thinking. The butterfly effect was what worried him most. In particular, he had keenly felt Sasuke's pursuit of power and his desperate desire for revenge. But Naruto could not directly tell Sasuke the truth about the Uchiha Clan's massacre, because if Sasuke dug deeper, how would Naruto explain how he knew? Even if he were to tell him, he needed to find a suitable opportunity.

And more importantly, Naruto felt that even if he told him, Sasuke would still seek out Orochimaru in pursuit of power.

The battle of the three Sannin ended in Tsunade and Jiraiya's victory. Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and Guren fled in defeat, while Naruto's greatest injury remained the slap Shizune had given him.

Tsunade decided to return and succeed the position of Fifth Hokage. Once everything was settled, the four of them, along with Tonton, whom Shizune had been carrying all along, set off on the journey back to the village.

Yet along the way, Naruto was burdened with worry. According to Awen's memories, the time when Sasuke would leave Konoha was drawing closer and closer.