Depths of the Forest of Death

When the entrance to the Forest of Death opened again, the sun had already risen above the treetops.

They had chased Root remnants through here last night, and scorch marks from Explosive Tags still scarred the trees. A new shift of guards stood watch, all looking tense.

Not many people entered this time.

Naruto, Jiraiya, Kakashi, Shisui Uchiha, a Byakugan Jonin sent by Hyuga Hiashi, and two ANBU.

The Third Hokage did not go in himself.

He had to stay in the village to deal with Kumogakure, the sealed archives, and a letter from the daimyo.

Before they left, he said only one thing.

"Don't pursue Orochimaru alone."

Naruto did not answer.

He had never intended to follow the Third Hokage's orders.

The smells grew heavy deep in the forest.

Roots tangled together, vines hung low, and insect calls filled the humid air. The Byakugan Jonin led the way, constantly scanning the Chakra residue that branched through the area like veins.

Shisui followed just behind Naruto.

After Naka Bridge, he had asked to come along.

His reason was simple: if Orochimaru had his sights on the Uchiha and the Mangekyo too, Shisui needed to see it for himself.

Jiraiya was quiet the whole way.

He knew Orochimaru too well.

And the better he knew him, the more certain he was that Orochimaru would never have left his name without a reason.

It felt like an invitation.

Even more like a test.

"There's snakeskin ahead," Kakashi said quietly.

Beside a tree root, a strip of freshly shed white snakeskin hung from the grass.

A small slip of paper clung to its inner surface.

Jiraiya took it down.

It read:

"The first manuscript is up ahead."

Naruto gave it only a brief glance before moving on.

Five hundred paces later, they found a corpse beneath a giant tree.

It was not Yamanaka Fūma.

It was one of the ninjas who had guarded the archives.

A snake had bitten him. Two black punctures marked his neck, and a rolled manuscript had been stuffed into his arms.

Kakashi examined him, his expression darkening.

"He's been dead less than half an hour."

Jiraiya took out the manuscript.

The writing on the cover was Minato's.

"Supplement on the Spatial Stability of the Flying Thunder God Formula."

Naruto took it.

It was real.

The system confirmed it.

Orochimaru had deliberately returned the first manuscript.

This was not an act of kindness.

He had laid bait along the path to force them deeper into the forest.

Shisui looked at the corpse.

"He's using people as signposts."

Jiraiya's voice turned grim.

"That's Orochimaru."

Naruto put the manuscript into the Sealing Scroll.

"Keep going."

The deeper they went, the more signs of snakes they found.

Some coiled in the trees and watched them without moving; others burrowed into the mud, leaving only their tails exposed; still others carried scraps of paper in their mouths and retreated the moment the group approached.

The third signpost was a clearing.

A Kunai stood planted in its center, the Flying Thunder God Formula engraved on its handle.

Kakashi's eyes widened when he saw it.

"Minato-sensei's Kunai."

Naruto walked over and pulled it free.

The Kunai was in perfect condition, with a short length of yellow cord tied to the end of its handle.

Words had been carved into a nearby tree trunk:

"Kushina's notes are at the next stop."

Jiraiya could no longer contain his anger.

"Orochimaru!"

His shout sent birds bursting from the trees.

There was no answer.

Only a white snake slithered out from behind a tree, opened its mouth, and spoke in a human voice.

"Jiraiya, you're still so impatient."

Jiraiya appeared in front of the snake in an instant and pinned its head beneath his foot.

The snake did not struggle. Orochimaru's raspy laughter continued to spill from its mouth.

"Don't crush it. It's only here to deliver a message."

Naruto looked at the snake.

"Where are the manuscripts?"

The snake's eyes turned toward him.

"Naruto-kun, meeting you is even more interesting than I imagined. The Nine-Tails has accepted you as its master, your Sealing Jutsu has awakened, and even Danzo died by your hand. If Minato and Kushina were alive, they would be proud of you."

Naruto raised a hand.

Nine-Tails Chakra pressed the snake to the ground.

"Don't mention them."

The snake let out a hoarse laugh.

"Very well. The Sealing Notes are in a cave ahead. Yamanaka Fūma is there too."

"What do you want?" Jiraiya asked coldly.

The snake looked at him.

"I want to see whether the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's body can withstand a higher level of jutsu."

Kakashi's gaze turned cold.

Shisui gripped his Kodachi.

Naruto did not get angry.

"You can try it yourself."

The snake seemed to find that hilarious.

"I'll have the chance."

Its body suddenly swelled.

Jiraiya crushed its head at once.

But its belly still split open, spewing a cloud of black smoke.

There was no poison in the smoke.

Only a projection.

In it, Yamanaka Fūma was bound to a stone pillar inside a cave, his eyes vacant. A Black Ring Mark spread across his chest. On a table beside him lay the original of Kushina's Sealing Notes and a small vial containing a blood sample.

Orochimaru's voice came from the projection.

"Seven and a half minutes."

"If you're late, Yamanaka Fūma dies."

"The notes burn too."

The projection vanished.

The Byakugan Jonin immediately pointed northeast.

"There's a cave that way. The Chakra signatures are a mess."

Naruto shot forward.

He was even faster than before.

Jiraiya cursed under his breath and hurried after him.

Kakashi and Shisui accelerated at the same time.

The cave lay beyond a rock face.

Vines concealed its entrance, and a cold wind blew from within. Snake trails covered the ground, along with a bloody trail left by a person being dragged.

Naruto stopped at the entrance instead of rushing in.

A sweep of his Nine-Tails Chakra revealed at least seven sealing traps inside.

When Jiraiya caught up, he immediately said, "I'll clear the way."

Naruto shook his head.

"I will."

He raised a hand, and golden Sealing Jutsu spread along the cave walls.

He dismantled the first trap.

Then the second and the third.

As he reached the fifth, Yamanaka Fūma screamed inside the cave.

Orochimaru's voice rang out softly.

"Naruto-kun, you're taking too long."

"Why not try rushing straight in?"

Naruto's gaze hardened.

He did not rush in.

Instead, he raised his other hand.

A miniature Tailed Beast Bomb formed in his palm, compressed until it was no bigger than a fingernail.

Jiraiya's expression changed.

"Naruto!"

Naruto flicked his finger.

The miniature Tailed Beast Bomb skimmed along the cave ceiling and struck the sealing nexus deep inside with perfect precision.

A muffled boom shook the entire cave, blasting the trap network apart from within.

The cave did not collapse.

But every seal went dark at once.

For the first time, Orochimaru fell silent for a beat.

Naruto walked into the cave.

"I'm in."