Kimimaro

"It must be that thing the snake bastard left on him-oh, right, the Cursed Seal. That's what's causing this," Naruto blurted out.

"They seem to be performing some kind of ritual. This is the perfect time for a surprise attack," Neji reported at once.

"Right. Everyone, get ready. We have to end this fast." At Shikamaru's command, all five prepared their ambush. But just as they were about to attack, a flower Naruto had kicked earlier released its spores, and Kiba couldn't hold back a sneeze.

"Damn it!" Kiba cursed under his breath. The Otogakure squad instantly noticed them.

"Hehehe, I was wondering who it was. Just a few scrawny little brats from Konoha. Crawl back to your village, you losers. You're no match for us, and we're not in the mood to play with you," Tayuya snapped in a shrill voice.

"Screw you, you bitch! We're taking that bastard in the coffin back with us, and you're not stopping us!" Kiba shot back at once.

"Enough. Cut the chatter. Jirobo, stay here and hold them off. The rest of us will keep moving. We still have Sasuke to carry." The speaker was Sakon, a tall boy with gray-blue hair who seemed to have a puppet strapped to his back.

"Huh? Why do I always get stuck with the hard work, Sakon?" Jirobo complained.

"Shut up, you fatass, and get to work!" Tayuya cursed, grabbing a corner of the coffin.

Jirobo quickly formed hand seals and slammed his palm into the ground. A massive Earth Release dome rose in an instant, trapping the five from Konoha inside. The other Otogakure ninja immediately withdrew with Sasuke.

"What the hell? I can't even break this stupid dome with Fang Over Fang! Whenever I make a hole, it repairs itself!" After several failed attempts to break out with his Ninjutsu, Kiba couldn't help complaining.

Naruto thought, It can repair itself? My Rasengan should punch through it, but I can't guarantee the hole will be big enough for everyone to get through. Forget it. Let's see if Shikamaru can come up with something.

Before long, Shikamaru did come up with a plan. With Choji's strength, the five finally broke through the dome and rushed out. Choji volunteered to stay behind and deal with Jirobo, telling the others to keep chasing.

The remaining four soon caught up with the Otogakure squad, who tried the same trick again. This time, the six-armed Kidomaru broke away from the group. He had just tried to fool them by disguising himself as Jirobo, but it hadn't worked.

Kidomaru instantly trapped Shikamaru, Kiba, Naruto, and Neji with Chakra Threads, taunting the captive Konoha ninja all the while. But Neji soon found a weakness in the threads, broke free in time, and rescued his companions. He told the others to keep chasing while he stayed behind to deal with Kidomaru.

Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba soon caught up with the two remaining members of the Otogakure squad. They devised a careful plan, and Shikamaru used the Shadow Imitation Technique to control Tayuya and make her attack Sakon. They successfully recovered the coffin holding Sasuke, then immediately turned and headed back toward their village. Kiba stayed behind to hold off their pursuers, and Sakon stayed to face him, while Tayuya chased after Naruto and Shikamaru. But they hadn't gone far when another Otogakure ninja suddenly appeared.

"Tayuya, you're taking too long," the newcomer said.

"Kimimaro? What are you doing here? With your body in its current condition, you shouldn't be moving at all!" Tayuya said, her face full of shock.

Kimimaro snatched up the coffin, leaped into the air, and sped off toward Otogakure.