Hunted Through the Forest of Death

The iron fence outside the Forest of Death looked like a row of black fangs in the night.

Wind blew from deep within the forest, carrying the smell of damp leaves and animal droppings. The guardhouse light was still on. Two Chunin guards lay by the door, tiny punctures in their necks. Medical ninja had temporarily contained the poison.

The remaining Root operatives had entered the forest here.

What they had taken was no ordinary scroll.

It was Root's last batch of sealed records.

The records might contain more names of experimental subjects, or clues to what was missing from Minato Namikaze's belongings.

When Naruto arrived, only Uchiha Tekka, an Inuzuka Ninja, and three Konoha Jonin accompanied him.

The Third Hokage had come too.

He had not brought a large ANBU force.

ANBU's position had become awkward today, and Root had just been exposed. If he sent too many people into the Forest of Death now, neither Naruto nor the Uchiha would trust him.

The Inuzuka Ninja crouched and let his Ninja Dog sniff the torn strip of cloth.

The Ninja Dog growled and charged into the forest.

"Seven people," the Inuzuka Ninja said. "One is wounded. The smell of blood is strong. They split into two groups, but the main scroll should be to the northwest."

Naruto looked toward the forest.

The Nine-Tails' senses were more direct than the Ninja Dog's nose.

Seven clusters of Chakra moved through the dark like insects crawling close to the ground.

One carried traces of Root's Cursed Seal and was rapidly moving away.

"Northwest."

Naruto stepped through the iron gate.

Tekka followed.

The Third Hokage came up beside Naruto and said quietly, "The Forest of Death has difficult terrain, giant snakes, and venomous insects. Root knows the hidden paths. Don't pursue them too deep on your own."

Naruto did not look at him.

"Are you worried about me, or the scroll?"

The Third Hokage faltered.

Naruto was already entering the forest.

The canopy blocked the moonlight, and the air beneath it was heavy with moisture. Fallen leaves crunched softly underfoot. Somewhere in the distance, startled night birds took flight, then quickly vanished into the dark.

The remaining Root operatives had chosen their route with care.

They avoided the main paths, deliberately passed through areas frequented by wild animals to draw snakes with the smell of blood, and left false trails at several forks.

The Inuzuka Ninja soon frowned.

"They're confusing the scent."

Naruto stopped beneath a giant tree.

A shallow mark had been carved into its bark.

It was no ordinary mark.

It was an internal Root signal for an evacuation route.

Naruto pressed his hand against it, and a Sealing Jutsu formula seeped from his fingertips into the cut.

A system alert sounded.

[Residual traces of a Root evacuation route detected.]

[Analysis complete.]

Naruto opened his eyes and looked right.

"This way."

The Inuzuka Ninja froze for a moment.

There was no scent in that direction.

But Naruto had already shot forward.

He moved so fast that branches brushed by his Chakra snapped, their broken ends charred black.

Tekka activated his Sharingan and barely kept up.

The Third Hokage watched Naruto's back, his gaze troubled.

Six years old.

That speed, that perception, that ability to decipher seals.

Since the Nine-Tails had accepted Naruto, his growth could no longer be explained by talent alone.

He was more like a weapon Konoha had kept sheathed for six years, finally drawn today.

An explosion suddenly sounded ahead.

Explosive Tags.

Naruto did not slow down.

Three Explosive Tags were fixed beneath the tree roots. As he approached, they lit up together.

Chakra tails wrapped around Tekka and the Inuzuka Ninja, flinging them to safety.

Naruto went straight through the blast.

Nine-Tails Chakra tore through the flames. He burst from the smoke and dust with barely a speck of ash on him.

The first remaining Root operative was hidden in a hollow tree. He was about to detonate a second set of traps when Naruto appeared before him.

One punch.

The hollow tree blew apart, and the operative flew backward, snapping two trees on impact.

The scroll was not on him.

Naruto did not linger.

The second. The third.

He smashed through every trap the remaining Root operatives had laid along the way.

It was not brute force.

Each time, he first saw through the heart of the formula, then struck its weakest point with Nine-Tails Chakra.

Tekka followed behind, a chill running down his spine.

Root had turned this stretch of forest into a killing ground.

But Naruto moved as though he had read the map beforehand.

Deep in the forest, a giant snake burst from the undergrowth and lunged at Naruto with its jaws wide.

Naruto reached back, caught it by a fang, and slammed the entire snake into the ground.

Nine-Tails Chakra bore down through his palm.

The giant snake immediately curled up, its hissing turning to a whimper.

"Get lost."

The snake turned and fled.

The Inuzuka Ninja swallowed.

His Ninja Dog tucked its tail between its legs and did not dare get too close to Naruto.

After another quarter-hour of pursuit, an abandoned observation post appeared ahead.

It was an old Konoha outpost once used for the Chunin Ninja Exams. Long since abandoned, it had lost half its roof.

Four remaining Root operatives stood guard there.

One carried a black scroll case on his back.

The case bore a seal from the Hokage Office.

Naruto stopped on a branch.

The Root operatives saw him too.

Their leader drew a Kunai and held it against the seal on the scroll case.

"Come any closer and I'll destroy it."

Tekka arrived, and his expression changed.

"Don't do anything rash!"

The Root ninja did not look at him. He stared only at Naruto.

"Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, Lord Danzo is dead, and Root is finished. But some things cannot fall into your hands."

Naruto stood in the tree, the night wind stirring his coat.

"Such as?"

"The Fourth Hokage's true last words."

Naruto's gaze changed.

The Third Hokage had just arrived. At those words, his face abruptly went pale.

The Root ninja caught his reaction and smiled.

"Looks like Lord Hokage is afraid you'll find out too."

Naruto raised a hand.

Nine-Tails Chakra condensed into a thin thread at his fingertip.

The Root ninja immediately sliced through the scroll case's seal.

"Don't move!"

The seal split, exposing the corner of a page.

Naruto advanced no farther.

The Root ninja breathed a little easier. Just as he started to step back, the soil beneath his feet split open.

An orange-red Chakra hand burst from the ground, grabbed his ankle, and dragged him underground headfirst.

The scroll case flew into the air.

Naruto caught it with the Body Flicker Technique.

The three remaining Root operatives detonated the paper tags on their bodies at the same time.

The Third Hokage began forming Hand Seals to contain the explosion.

Naruto was faster.

Nine-Tails Chakra formed a dome, trapping the entire blast inside.

Flames churned beneath it like a beast locked in a cage.

When the explosion ended, only charred marks remained on the ground.

The Root operative dragged underground was still alive. A Chakra arm tossed him at Naruto's feet.

Naruto opened the scroll case.

Inside were two scrolls.

One was titled: Minato Namikaze's Final Sealing Arrangements.

The other was titled: ANBU Deployment Orders on the Night of the Nine-Tails' Attack.

Naruto looked at the Third Hokage.

"Third Hokage."

"You'd better pray your name isn't in here."