Neji's arrival was unexpected. At present, Orochimaru had no way to remove his Caged Bird Seal.
The Caged Bird Seal operated through the body's chakra network. Once activated, the chakra backlash would directly destroy the Byakugan and the nerves in the brain.
Of course, Orochimaru had no method specifically designed to undo the Caged Bird Seal, but he had plenty of ways to disable its functions.
The simplest was sealing jutsu. It did not even require a particularly advanced technique-just lock down the body's chakra circulation. Without chakra, the Caged Bird Seal could not activate. It was the equivalent of unplugging the network cable or cutting the power.
The next option was to overwrite it with Orochimaru's own Cursed Seal.
Because Orochimaru frequently switched bodies, his flesh could not support training in True Sage Mode. The power of the Cursed Seal he wielded was senjutsu chakra.
Orochimaru's body did contain senjutsu chakra, but he could not use that power himself. He could only give it to others.
Jugo's Sage Mode differed from that of the Three Great Sage Lands. He was essentially born a sage and needed no training.
But without question, the Cursed Seal developed through studying Jugo was a form of senjutsu energy.
Senjutsu energy could forcibly scour and overwrite ordinary chakra.
It could replace the ordinary chakra within Neji Hyuga's body and mask the Caged Bird Seal's chakra signals.
Even if overwriting it proved impossible, there was another method: plant a second Cursed Seal in the same location and use the higher priority of senjutsu chakra to occupy the Caged Bird Seal's activation pathways.
Any attempt to activate the Caged Bird Seal would trigger the other Cursed Seal first, preventing the Caged Bird Seal from activating.
It was merely a secret technique of the Hyuga Clan. To a master of forbidden techniques like Orochimaru, it was riddled with flaws and easily defeated.
"Hyuga Hiashi really is useless!"
An eerie smile curled Orochimaru's lips. The current generation of the Hyuga Clan had no shortage of internal strife. Whatever things had been like before, Hizashi Hyuga's death had truly brought the conflict between the Main Family and the branch family to a head.
Even Orochimaru could see that conflict.
The Hyuga Clan had always been fairly harmonious. Although the branch family was bound by the Caged Bird Seal, that seal could not actually stop its ninja from defecting. The reason none had defected was the emotional bond of shared blood.
Yet Neji had fled.
Meanwhile, at the main battlefield in the forest.
Naruto charged ahead at full speed and finally caught up to Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon.
"Stop running!!"
"Multiple Shadow Clone Technique!"
Naruto leaped into the air, and nearly a hundred shadow clones rushed Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon.
Faced with Naruto's shameless tactics, Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon had no immediate way to escape. They could only get bogged down in combat with him.
But shortly after the four began fighting, two figures raced in to reinforce him.
Kankuro's puppet landed, and Temari swung her giant fan open and shut, sending a dense barrage of wind blades straight at Jirobo.
The siblings from Sunagakure entered the battle together, taking all the pressure off Naruto and immediately holding Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon in his place.
"Naruto! Go! Sasuke's in that wooden crate!"
"We'll hold them off!"
With reinforcements at his back, Naruto did not hesitate. He charged straight toward the sealed black wooden crate ahead!
At that very moment, Sasuke had entered the final stage inside the crate. The Cursed Seal's markings covered his entire body, and he felt that power-immense, incomparably immense power.
Throughout the bumpy journey, Sasuke had been absorbing natural energy. By now, he had perfectly adapted to the Cursed Seal's power and completely broken free of the container's restraints.
Crack!
A faint cracking sound rang out.
The black wooden crate split apart, and Sasuke reached one hand out.
Then he pushed off with that hand and jumped out.
Seeing Sasuke emerge, Naruto immediately stopped. He looked at Sasuke, who felt utterly unfamiliar now.
His eyes were cold. All his former immaturity and innocence had vanished, leaving him a completely different person.
"Sasuke!!"
Just as Naruto spoke, at that very same instant-
Footsteps sounded in midair!
A slender, deathly pale figure landed in front of Sasuke, blocking Naruto's view.
Kimimaro had reached the battlefield!
Kimimaro looked sickly from head to toe. He regarded Naruto without a trace of emotion, as though looking at an object.
Immediately afterward, two figures landed behind Naruto, one after the other.
Rock Lee had rushed over with a bottle of alcohol immediately after his surgery.
And Neji Hyuga had run over from Miki Yūya's side. Everyone had assembled!
"Naruto, go!"
The moment Rock Lee landed, he charged straight at Kimimaro without stopping to think.
Expressionless, Kimimaro extended a bone spike from his palm and stepped forward to block Rock Lee head-on!
Clang!
Fists and feet collided violently with the bone blade, the sound ringing in everyone's ears.
Rock Lee attacked relentlessly, but Kimimaro was also a taijutsu expert, and his Kekkei Genkai was exceptionally troublesome. Rock Lee could do nothing against him.
"Rock Lee, I'll help!"
Neji rushed forward. Rock Lee had sneaked out on his own and had not even met Shikamaru and the others, so naturally, he did not know Neji had defected.
Meanwhile, Naruto slowly stepped forward, quietly watching Sasuke a short distance away.
Sasuke looked at Naruto with cold eyes and spoke flatly.
"Naruto, did you come after me to drag me back to Konoha too?"
Sasuke knew Naruto and understood him, just as he understood Sakura.
But the Naruto standing before him had already changed completely. He was no longer the Naruto Sasuke imagined him to be.
He gently shook his head, utterly serious.
"No."
"Sasuke, we're comrades. I've always... always thought of you as my best friend."
"So you shouldn't have left without saying goodbye. At least... you should've told me."
"I only came after you to say a proper goodbye."
"I know the hatred you carry. No one has the right to stop you from taking your own path. No one-not even me. I have no right to demand anything of you."
"Sasuke!!
"Go get your revenge. Follow your own path."
"I'll wait for you in Konoha. Once you've finished everything, you have to come back and see me."
After hearing Naruto's words, a faint trace of warmth flickered in Sasuke's icy eyes.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a smile that was both relieved and forlorn.
"Naruto, I can't go back anymore."
"From the moment I stepped out of Konoha, there was no going back."
"That's okay."
Naruto shook his head firmly, his gaze unwavering.
"Then I'll become Hokage!"
"Once I'm Hokage, all those mistakes, all those barriers between us, will disappear.
"Then you can come back whenever you want."
While Naruto and Sasuke caught up, Rock Lee and Kimimaro continued their fierce battle off to one side.
Rock Lee looked at the hesitant Neji in confusion. Hadn't Neji said he was here to help?
"Neji! Hurry up and fight! Don't just stand there!!"
After another exchange with Kimimaro, Rock Lee retreated to Neji's side.
Neji was still hesitating. He looked at Rock Lee and asked a question.
"Rock Lee, is your body really okay now?"
Although Neji's Byakugan could see the chakra network, it could not examine the body in minute detail the way a medical ninja could.
That was why Neji was so hesitant.
Hearing Neji's question, Rock Lee nodded earnestly.
"Lady Tsunade already healed me. As long as I don't overdo it and take my medicine properly, I'll recover."
"Neji, hurry up and make your move."
Neji breathed a sigh of relief at Rock Lee's words.
The next instant, Neji suddenly moved!
He did not charge at Kimimaro.
Instead, he struck backward with his palm, landing precisely on the back of Rock Lee's neck!
Thud!
The force was perfectly controlled, leaving Rock Lee completely uninjured.
Rock Lee's vision went black, and he toppled straight to the ground!
In the final instant before he passed out, his mind was filled with endless confusion and disbelief.
Why?! Why did Neji ambush me?! I told him to attack the enemy! Why are you hitting me?
Neji remained expressionless.
He bent down, picked up the unconscious Rock Lee with one hand, stepped forward, and casually tossed him!
Whoosh!
He threw Rock Lee toward Naruto with perfect accuracy.
Naruto instinctively caught Rock Lee, then froze on the spot, his pupils shrinking. What had happened?
I was just talking. Why did Rock Lee suddenly fall asleep?
Behind him, Kankuro and Temari also stopped fighting and leaped to Naruto's side, their faces wary.
"Neji... what are you doing?!"
Naruto asked, holding the unconscious Rock Lee.
Neji was baffled too. What am I doing?
"Naruto, weren't you chasing us this whole time?"
"Me? No, I came to say goodbye to Sasuke. It's Yūya... he has a grudge against Kidomaru and Tayuya."
Naruto's explanation only made things worse.
Even Kankuro and Temari were dumbfounded.
Neji stood quietly beside Sasuke and Kimimaro. Everyone on the battlefield simply stared at Naruto.
The battlefield fell deathly silent.
Naruto looked back at them.
Finally, Sasuke could not take it anymore.
"Naruto... they mean, weren't you supposed to bring Neji and me back to the village?"
"Huh? But... I never received that mission."
Naruto answered with complete confidence. He really had changed. His previous experiences had convinced him of one thing: he could refuse anything outside the scope of his mission.
And this time, he had not even accepted a mission.
Besides, Sasuke and Neji had not done anything to hurt anyone. In that case, why should he fight them?
Off to the side, the now-freed Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon hurried over, looked at Neji, and urgently asked:
"Neji! Where are Kidomaru and Tayuya?!
"Weren't they staying behind to cover our retreat?!"
Neji looked at Naruto.
"Naruto just said they're still back there, fighting Miki Yūya."
"What exactly did you do to provoke that madman?"
"..."
Jirobo, Sakon, and Ukon exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
Kimimaro had little desire to keep fighting. In a certain sense, he was much like the Naruto standing before him: both adhered closely to certain rules.
For instance, in the original story, he and Rock Lee had been trading blows evenly, but when it was time for Rock Lee to take his medicine, Kimimaro had let him take it first.
"Let's go. We'll back them up."
Sasuke gave Naruto a flat glance, then turned to leave.
"Naruto, let's say goodbye here.
"Don't follow us. As we are now, you can't stop us."
But Naruto was not actually an idiot.
He handed Rock Lee over to Kankuro and Temari to look after.
"No way!! I won't stop you, but I won't let you hurt Yūya either!"
With that, Naruto chased after Sasuke and the others.
Over on Miki Yūya's side, the scene had become exceptionally brutal.
After enduring the utmost humiliation and melding their minds, the human and the One-Tail had fully achieved the synchronization of a Perfect Jinchuriki. The true Shukaku appeared, no longer radiating that violence and madness, his pupils returning to normal.
At that moment, Gaara and Shukaku achieved the highest level of Perfect Jinchuriki synchronization in the Shinobi World.
No loss of control, no rampage, no devouring of consciousness.
"Gaara."
Shukaku's low, hoarse voice echoed through his mind, brimming with malice.
"Don't kill him outright."
"For an arrogant, despicable human like him, a quick death would be far too merciful."
"Seal his mouth first, then break all four limbs so he can never spout that arrogant bullshit again."
"Torture him slowly. Let him experience endless pain and despair firsthand!"
Gaara nodded silently. At first, he had wanted to kill Miki Yūya outright, but after enduring all his foul-mouthed insults, he realized that sometimes simply killing someone was letting them off too easily.
Killing Miki Yūya outright would never erase today's humiliation or the insults he had hurled at Gaara's mother.
He had to be tortured! He had to be brutalized!
He had to pay a thousand times over, ten thousand times over!
By then, Miki Yūya's bones were already cracked all over, his flesh a mangled, bloody mess.
First, the tailed beast's Wind Release had severely injured his body. Then the crushing beating from a perfect jinchuriki had completely destroyed his limbs!
Both arms and both legs were broken, twisted out of shape!
Blood seeped endlessly from wounds all over his body.
He hung limp, like a battered rag doll.
Shukaku's enormous sand hand held him carelessly in midair, toying with him at will.
"When do we kill him?"
Gaara lifted Miki Yūya before his eyes and asked the tailed beast inside him.
Shukaku let out a sinister chuckle.
"Scum like this should be turned into a puppet!"
Hearing Shukaku say that, Gaara felt it was a little too cruel.
Then he looked at Miki Yūya before him, already on the verge of death.
Miki Yūya's face was deformed. Snot, drool, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his battered features, leaving him utterly wretched.
Even his pupils were no longer visible. His eyes had rolled back, and he was barely alive.
Yet somehow, at that moment, another pebble appeared in Miki Yūya's hand.
His hand was broken, but he still summoned every last ounce of strength and gave a faint flick of his finger.
Tap!
The pebble flew from Miki Yūya's hand and struck Gaara's Shukaku face, knocking off only a tiny bit of sand.
"..."
Gaara finally put aside his compassion. Turning Miki Yūya into a puppet no longer seemed all that cruel, though his mouth would have to be sealed.
Severely wounded and paralyzed, with all four limbs broken, Miki Yūya no longer had the strength even to lift his head. He could only let them do as they pleased.
But even in such a hopeless situation, he still refused to accept it. He felt this was all Naruto's fault.
He cursed furiously inside!
It's all Naruto's fault!
It's all those people's fault!
Before they set out, Naruto just had to say something like that-something about avenging him if he died.
Now he had ended up with all four limbs broken, reduced to a plaything.
It was all Naruto's fault, and Sasuke's, and Konohamaru's, and those three-Kawada, Sato, and Yamamoto.
Right, that useless old Third Hokage was at fault too.
And that idiot Hyuga Hiashi was at fault as well. Would any of this have happened if Neji hadn't run away?
Anyway, I didn't do a damn thing wrong!!
Just then-
Naruto, who had followed Kimimaro, Sasuke, and Neji there, had already charged to the edge of the battlefield, a vast sea of sand.
The sight before him instantly shattered every shred of his reason.
Miki Yūya's limbs were twisted, his entire body covered in blood.
Shukaku's sand hand dangled him carelessly in midair, playing with him and tormenting him like a piece of trash!
Seeing Miki Yūya covered in wounds and barely clinging to life, all the fury in Naruto's eyes erupted.
"Yūya!!!"
His anguished, agonized roar rang across the battlefield!
Naruto's eyes instantly turned bloodshot crimson, and every shred of reason in his mind shattered.
I promised.
I promised him.
If anything happened to Miki Yūya, I'd risk my life to avenge him. Why? Why did I have to say something so unlucky to Yūya?
Scene after scene of his time with Miki Yūya surfaced in Naruto's mind.
From their first meeting, to following Teacher Jiraiya to find Granny Tsunade, to their experiences in the Land of Snow afterward.
The man who was always attacking others, who always lived without a single restraint.
The man who possessed such talent, yet chose to remain an ordinary villager.
He remembered what Miki Yūya had said before: he did not need strength to protect himself. If he died, that would mean every ninja in the village was useless.
Just how desperate, how tormented did someone have to be to lose that much faith in everyone in the village?
Naruto remembered what he had said before they set out-
"Then I, Naruto Uzumaki, will avenge my friend, no matter what. Blood for blood!"
"Just like you, Yūya. If you die, I'll definitely avenge you too."
"But I seem to have pissed off quite a few people. If it isn't ten thousand, it's at least eight thousand."
"If I really do die someday, don't hold back when you avenge me. Kill freely. Don't bother sorting them out or checking anything. Better to kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one escape!
"It doesn't matter if you kill the wrong ones. Put those on my tab. The ones you get right go on yours."
"Yūya!!"
"Big Bro Yūya!"
BOOM!!!
The nine-tails chakra inside him spiraled out of control.
Savage red chakra erupted wildly from his body.
In an instant, a crimson Chakra Cloak enveloped his entire body!
A thick, menacing tail of nine-tails chakra appeared behind him, and then a second tail emerged.
His two-tailed berserk form.
Berserk, Naruto pushed his speed beyond its limits and dropped onto all fours.
He became a crimson blur.
In the instant when Shukaku and Gaara were completely unprepared!
CRUNCH!!!
He sank his teeth in viciously!
Crimson chakra fangs violently tore through Shukaku's palm.
He bit clean through the sand hand Shukaku had been using to hold Miki Yūya.
Thud!
A sensation of weightlessness struck!
Paralyzed and mangled, Miki Yūya fell from midair and slammed into the scorching yellow sand.
He landed on the ground.
With his last sliver of strength, he endured the excruciating pain throughout his body, raised his hand, and painstakingly flipped Naruto the middle finger!
Before you continue