Gama Bunta darted forward at high speed, his sharp claws clamping directly onto Shukaku's shoulders.
No matter how Shukaku struggled, he could not break free in the slightest.
The instant Shukaku was caught, Naruto jumped straight onto his head.
With one hand gripping a Wood Release pillar, he frantically slapped Gaara with the other.
But Gaara showed no sign of waking up at all.
That made Naruto rather anxious. He grabbed Gaara by the hair and shook him back and forth.
"Wake up already! Wake up!"
Gaara still had his eyes tightly shut, looking as though he were truly dead.
Naruto clenched his teeth. "Then don't blame me!"
With that, he pulled out the Skunk Ball from his ninja tool bag.
Holding his breath, he pried open Gaara's mouth.
Gaara's eyes immediately flew open.
Shukaku's movements stopped as well.
"Heh heh, you wouldn't wake up, so let's see if I can't stink you to death!"
Gaara's eyes slowly turned and settled on Naruto.
In that instant, his gaze filled with helplessness and pitiful despair!
Naruto curled his lips. "No need to thank me. I only did what I should have done!"
Gaara's eye twitched incessantly. In his heart, he had already minced Naruto into ten thousand pieces.
But trapped by the Wood Release, he could not do anything at all.
Filled with resentment, he whimpered from deep in his throat.
"You... you..."
Before he could finish, he fainted again with a look of utter despair.
The moment he passed out, Shukaku became even more violent, roaring and flailing his claws.
"Hey, I worked so hard to wake you up!"
Naruto frantically slapped Gaara, knocking chips off even his Sand Armor, yet Gaara still showed no signs of waking.
Gama Bunta shouted from behind.
"Get back here! That brat has probably entered a state of suspended animation!"
"That thing of yours is too wicked. He probably won't wake up again!"
Naruto did not hesitate. He hurriedly put away the yo-yo and jumped onto Gama Bunta's head.
Just then, the Transformation Jutsu's effect wore off.
Gama Bunta instantly returned to his Great Toad form.
Naruto scratched his head, utterly dejected.
He had finally managed to wake Gaara up just now. How had he fainted again so quickly?
If it was really as the Great Toad said, and Gaara had entered suspended animation, he would not wake up for at least a day or two!
"What do I do? What do I do?" He clawed frantically at his hair.
Across from them, Shukaku had already charged over.
Gama Bunta suddenly drew his blade and slashed directly at Shukaku's shoulder.
With a powerful leap, the giant blade swept past. One of Shukaku's arms fell away with a crash, landing in the distant forest and immediately turning into a mass of yellow sand.
Gama Bunta's blade was knocked away as well, standing tall amid the dense forest.
Without a weapon at his side, he was clearly at a disadvantage in a confrontation with Shukaku!
Shukaku flew into a rage, crazily puffing out his belly and firing air cannons at them one after another!
Gama Bunta dodged left and right, completely unable to get close.
"Kid, do you have any other ideas? My summoning time is almost up!" Gama Bunta said nervously.
Naruto clutched his head, desperately thinking through every possible solution.
Suddenly, inspiration struck him.
Since they could share the Transformation Jutsu earlier, could his Wood Release be shared too?
He patted Gama Bunta. "I'm going to borrow your hands to cast a ninjutsu in a moment. That should be fine, right?"
Gama Bunta answered, "Then hurry up and try it!"
Naruto punched his palm, and a long-missing wicked grin appeared on his face!
"Taste Uzumaki Naruto's ultimate finishing move!"
"Wood Release: Thousand Thousand Thousand Thousand Thousand Year Impale Technique!"
This time, his hand seals took noticeably longer than before.
As his words fell, a row of chimney-thick wooden stakes suddenly appeared above Shukaku's head, sealing him tightly from every angle.
He could not move at all.
Immediately afterward, five consecutive explosions of bursting earth rang out, and Shukaku's expression went completely blank!
"Now taste my other ultimate move: the Skunk Ball!"
Naruto swung the hemp rope, trailing a ring of stench behind it.
Gama Bunta could not help covering his nose, not daring to breathe.
In an instant, the yo-yo traced a beautiful arc through the sky and landed right in Shukaku's mouth.
Shukaku fell into complete despair.
"Aah!"
After a painful roar, Shukaku vanished with a loud explosion.
Naruto hopped around and shouted happily, "Well? I'm amazing, aren't I?"
Gama Bunta swallowed. This kid seemed a little too...
Thinking of that set of ninjutsu Naruto had just used on Shukaku, he could not help clenching his ass.
Naruto celebrated for quite a while before suddenly remembering a serious question.
"Eh? Didn't he give my yo-yo back yet?"
He immediately panicked, hurriedly jumping to the ground and shaking Gaara hard.
"Hey, big tabby cat, come out already and give me back my yo-yo! Hey, big tabby cat!"
He shouted himself hoarse for ages, but Gaara did not react at all.
Gama Bunta picked up his pipe and wiped it with a towel.
"Kid, my time is up. If there are any more Tailed Beasts next time, don't call me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce gust suddenly rose, and his figure vanished.
Naruto threw his head back and howled in despair, "You still haven't told me what Tailed Beasts are!"
Outside Konoha, Danzo lay sprawled on the ground, finally regaining some consciousness.
He had just sat up when his eyes began to redden uncontrollably. "Hiruzen Sarutobi, we were classmates, yet you actually hit me so brutally! I hate you to death!"
He tugged at his pink skirt and rose to his feet, tilting his neck with haughty pride.
"Hmph, don't lower your head, or the crown will fall!"
"Hiruzen Sarutobi, just you wait. One day, I'll become Hokage."
"When that day comes, I'll dig up your ancestors' graves and beat up your dead relatives!"
Like a resentful wife, he clutched his skirt and walked toward Konoha with a coy, swaying gait.
He had not gone far when two people wearing black robes with red clouds suddenly descended from the forest.
"Itachi, are all the people in your village this bizarre?"
Kisame Hoshigaki stabbed his great sword into the ground, stepped onto a rock, and snorted.
Itachi's expression was extremely grave.
When he had left the village in the past, Danzo had still been a normal person.
Though Danzo had been somewhat sinister, he had not been this overflowing with eerie energy.
He said coldly, "You've got the wrong person. That ghostly thing isn't from Konoha!"
Then he gave a contemptuous laugh.
"It's been a long time since I returned to Konoha. I wonder what my foolish little brother is like now!"
Kisame Hoshigaki gave a wicked smile, looking full of anticipation.
"Then let's go in and take a look!"
As soon as he said that, he hoisted his great sword onto his shoulder and prepared to head inside.
Itachi suddenly reached out and stopped him.
"Don't be in such a hurry. I have a feeling there's something strange in the village. Better be careful!"
Kisame twisted his body, baring all his sharp teeth.
"Heh, that's not like you, Uchiha Itachi. Don't tell me you still can't bear to leave this village behind?"
Before you continue