Don't Stand in My Way (Continued)

"What happened... Hah! If you want to know so badly, go ask Danzo!"

Danzo...

Kakashi froze for a moment. Seeing that, Naruto suddenly attacked, sending Kakashi flying with a fist formed from Nine-Tails Chakra.

Naruto continued running toward Konohagakure's gates, forming hand seals as she ran.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

As the smoke cleared, dozens of Narutos ran in different directions. The difference was that one of the shadow clones had an inconspicuous ladybug perched on its shoulder.

The Kakashi who had been sent flying turned into a wooden log, while the real one climbed up from the eaves. Looking at the Narutos scattering in every direction, he could not tell which was real and which were clones.

"What a headache..." Perhaps Naruto leaving Konohagakure was not necessarily a bad thing... Kakashi pulled down his forehead protector and casually chased after one of them.

"Youthful Power Prelude!"

"Bang!"

The Naruto trying to rush out through Konohagakure's gates was kicked into smoke by Might Guy's flying kick. Taking the opportunity, a tiny ladybug quietly crawled out through a crack beneath the gates, wiping nonexistent sweat from its forehead with its little claws as it went.

"Damn it, was that one a shadow clone too?!"

The little ladybug that had crawled out of Konohagakure stuck its tongue out at the gates.

"Go play hide-and-seek with my shadow clones!"

Suddenly, a giant foot, no less towering than a giant to Naruto in ladybug form, descended from the sky to stomp on her.

Naruto released the Transformation Jutsu. Before the smoke had dispersed, she transformed into C.C. and was about to press a finger to the person's chest, only to be struck in the chest by a palm. Her Chakra immediately spiraled out of control, forcibly undoing her Transformation Jutsu.

"The Byakugan. No wonder."

Clutching her chest, Naruto saw the man's pale eyes and understood why she had been discovered. Turning into a ladybug before the Byakugan was like becoming the brightest bug in a black-and-white world.

"You have entered the range of my Eight Trigrams. Surrender yourself, Naruto Uzumaki! Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms!"

"Tch! You talk about surrendering, but you still came at me..." Nine-Tails Chakra formed a layer of cloak around Naruto's body, forcibly blasting open the chakra points that had been struck.

A hand formed from Nine-Tails Chakra grabbed the Hyuga Clan ninja, squeezed hard, and pressed him into the ground with only his head exposed. Then it slapped down hard, and this time even his head vanished beneath the earth. Whether he was dead or not depended on his luck. If someone found him early enough, he might survive. If they found him too late, all they could do was collect his body.

Naruto raced along the tree trunks, leaping swiftly through the forest.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"

A massive fireball came hurtling toward her.

With a bang, Naruto transformed into a little mouse and darted beneath the fireball. The searing heat made her feel as though the fur on her body was about to catch fire.

"Asuma Sarutobi..."

Naruto looked at the man emerging from the forest, touching the outer layer of her hair that had been singed into curls as she watched Asuma Sarutobi with a slight frown.

"Naruto Uzumaki, come back to Konohagakure obediently. I do not want to lay hands on a child." Asuma Sarutobi took a drag from his cigarette. Though he said that, he still took out his chakra blades and put them on, infusing them with Wind Release Chakra.

"Hahaha! Asuma Sarutobi, you're not exactly young anymore, so stop telling jokes, will you? Go back to Konohagakure with you? You and your father should know very well how Konohagakure treated me! That Third Hokage of yours sure did a fine job!"

Naruto seemed to have heard the funniest joke in the world as she looked at Asuma Sarutobi mockingly.

"If you want to take me back, then beat me down! That is, if you can defeat me!"

Nine-Tails Chakra covered Naruto's body, forming a fox-shaped cloak.

Two tails swayed behind her.

"Nine-Tails Chakra..."

Asuma Sarutobi clearly understood his weakness when facing a Jinchuriki. A prolonged battle would be disadvantageous for him; he had to end this quickly! His figure flashed, and he appeared before Naruto, slashing at her arm with a chakra blade.

Suddenly, a streak of red shadow lashed out. Asuma Sarutobi crossed his chakra blades before himself, but the tremendous impact forced him back several steps.

It turned out that the tail behind Naruto had attacked him as though it possessed a will of its own.

Naruto charged at Asuma Sarutobi on all fours!

"Wind Style: Gale Palm!"

"Aah—!"

Naruto opened her mouth and roared. Nine-Tails Chakra scattered the whirlwind Asuma Sarutobi had blown forth, then flew at him with undiminished force.

Asuma Sarutobi swung his chakra blades, barely cutting the Nine-Tails Chakra in two. Feeling the pain in his arms, he gave a bitter smile.

As expected of the Nine-Tails' Jinchuriki!

"Wind Release: Finger Gun!"

Naruto raised her hand, using Nine-Tails Chakra to activate the ninjutsu, multiplying its power several times over.

The red projectile reached Asuma Sarutobi in the blink of an eye. As he raised his chakra blades to block it, a sight that filled him with despair unfolded.

The chakra blades actually broke! The projectile pierced through Asuma Sarutobi's body without slowing, exploding behind him. Countless tiny wind blades sliced into him, leaving his back a bloody mess.

Looking at the unconscious Asuma Sarutobi, Naruto picked up his intact chakra blade and swung it toward his neck. Just as she was about to cut his throat, she stopped and threw the chakra blade aside.

In the end, Naruto did not ruthlessly kill Asuma Sarutobi. It was only because she still remembered the days she had spent in front of a computer watching Naruto. The blood-red color in her eyes gradually faded into a deep azure blue.

"Asuma Sarutobi, be grateful for how much I once loved Naruto! Next time, I will not show mercy to anyone from Konohagakure!"

After Naruto left, Konohagakure's ninja arrived and took the severely injured Asuma Sarutobi away. A little ant in the grass turned into a puff of smoke and vanished.

Shimura Danzō did not know that he had merely wanted to prevent Naruto from being hypnotized and exploited by the Uchiha Clan, becoming a threat to Konohagakure. He had wanted to lock her up, but instead made matters worse and drove Naruto to leave Konohagakure.

(Naruto: I left Konohagakure, okay! Who defected? I left openly and honestly! Author: Yes, yes, yes. You openly and honestly turned into a little bug and crawled out through a crack under the gates. Naruto: Wind Release: Finger Gun!)

Inside Naruto's home, the Third Hokage looked at the corpses of Root Anbu ninja on the floor.

"Danzo! What did you do to Naruto this time?!"

The Third Hokage's trembling hand removed the hat symbolizing the Hokage from his head and hurled it heavily to the ground.

"Where is Danzo?! Tell him to come see me!!!"

An Anbu appeared behind the Third Hokage and dropped to one knee.