While Naruto considered how to finish Kimimaro off, Sasuke finally burst out of the sealed barrel.
Shikamaru and Kiba arrived almost at the same time.
Sasuke surveyed his surroundings with a cold expression. When his gaze reached Naruto hovering overhead, he gave a dismissive snort, then turned and ran toward the Land of Rice Fields without hesitation.
"Sasuke!"
Shikamaru's shout rang through the clearing.
Sasuke didn't stop. He merely scoffed and picked up speed.
As far as he was concerned, he had already abandoned Konoha. Everything there belonged to the past. Revenge was all that mattered now, even if obtaining the power he needed meant placing himself in a monster's hands.
What he might not have understood was that Orochimaru had never intended to spend three years training him first.
Neither in the original story nor in this world had that been the plan.
Orochimaru wanted to take his body as soon as he arrived.
In the story Naruto remembered, it was the Konoha team's pursuit that had delayed Sasuke long enough to prevent that from happening. Orochimaru's condition had deteriorated while he waited. With the portions of his soul governing his arms sealed away by the Third Hokage, the pain had become unbearable.
Unable to wait any longer, he had used [Living Corpse Reincarnation] to take Gen'yūmaru's body instead.
Once he transferred, he couldn't perform the technique again for three years.
That restriction had bought Sasuke time.
Whether Sasuke understood any of this was another matter. Even if he did, Naruto doubted it would have stopped him.
For all his pride, Sasuke could be painfully reckless whenever revenge was involved.
Shikamaru immediately led the others after him, once again leaving Naruto to hold off the enemy.
Kimimaro moved to intercept them, but a hurricane roared across his path.
Forced to stop, he looked up at Naruto with undisguised anger.
They had reached a stalemate.
Kimimaro couldn't reach Naruto in the air, while Naruto's wind techniques weren't getting through Kimimaro's defenses.
"He's too quick, and that bone armor is troublesome…"
Naruto frowned as he watched him.
In the original story, Kimimaro had survived even Gaara's Sand Waterfall Funeral. Catching him in another hurricane was unlikely to accomplish much.
His current Wind Release techniques lacked the power to finish the job.
Or perhaps he simply hadn't learned how to draw out their full potential yet.
If I could use Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, his armor wouldn't be enough.
Of course, he would still have to land the attack.
Senjutsu would help, too. If it strengthened my techniques enough, I might be able to kill him with what I already have.
While considering his options, Naruto created a shadow clone. It picked up the unconscious Chōji and carried him away from the battlefield to treat his wounds.
Naruto checked his surroundings again.
Then again.
Only after confirming that no other witnesses remained nearby did he allow his eyes to change.
The eight-pointed star pattern of his Mangekyō Sharingan appeared.
He activated the ability in his left eye.
[Time Acceleration].
His speed increased so sharply that, for an instant, he seemed to have teleported.
An afterimage still lingered high above the clearing when Naruto's real body reached Kimimaro.
Kimimaro hadn't even begun to react.
A blue Rasengan slammed into his face.
His bone armor was formidable, but it didn't cover his eyes, nose, or mouth.
The violently rotating chakra tore through those exposed areas, destroying his eyes, nasal cavity, and mouth before driving deeper into his skull.
Part of his brain was reduced to pulp.
His will had kept a dying body moving.
It couldn't keep a corpse fighting.
Kimimaro fell dead.
In the end, Naruto had needed his Mangekyō Sharingan to finish him. Kimimaro had forced him to use a power he had hoped to keep hidden.
His Mangekyō didn't burn its targets like Amaterasu. It didn't assault the mind like Tsukuyomi, nor did it tear away parts of a body through spatial distortion like Kamui.
Its abilities primarily supported him in battle.
But that support came through control over time itself.
"Ding! You have killed a jōnin. Reward: 100 System Points."
Naruto deactivated his Mangekyō and rubbed his left eye before sealing Kimimaro's body inside a scroll.
He had used the ability for barely an instant, yet his eye already ached.
And that was with both Sage Bodies strengthening him.
Hopefully, [Senjutsu Body] will ease the strain a little more.
At that moment, Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari finally arrived.
Naruto's actions during the Chūnin Exams had left Gaara on a very different path from the one he remembered.
There had been no conversation that helped Gaara change his outlook.
Instead, Naruto's female avatar had brought him into the center of Konoha and unleashed Shukaku, the One-Tail sealed within him, allowing the beast to ravage the village.
Afterward, Gaara had remained in Konoha's custody until Sunagakure surrendered.
The Sand had since made some progress in curbing his violent behavior, but his bloodthirsty nature remained.
And he still regarded Naruto as an opponent.
"Where's the enemy?" Gaara asked coldly.
"Dead," Naruto answered with a grin.
"You killed him?"
"I did."
"Where's Sasuke?"
"Shikamaru's taken the others after him."
Gaara's expression hardened.
"Can the Leaf's shinobi even bring back one of their own? Hmph. We'd better catch up."
Naruto shrugged.
"I don't care about Konoha. All I know is that I'm stronger than you."
"You—"
"Gaara…"
Temari spoke carefully, interrupting before the exchange could go any further.
"We came to support the Leaf. Please, focus on the mission."
Gaara gave Naruto another cold look, then turned away with a sharp snort.
Following the tracks Sasuke and his pursuers had left behind, he headed into the forest. Temari and Kankurō followed.
Naruto extended his senses toward the distant group.
Shikamaru and the others had already intercepted Sasuke. The two sides were facing one another, and now three more powerful shinobi were on their way to join the pursuit.
Will Sasuke even reach Orochimaru this time?
Naruto almost laughed.
I'm the one who's changed this pursuit the most…
Whether Sasuke actually made it to Orochimaru no longer mattered much to him. He had already allowed Sasuke to leave Konoha once.
His thoughts turned instead to Orochimaru.
The Sound Four were dead. Kimimaro was dead.
Even Kabuto, that accomplished spy, had been killed by Naruto.
Orochimaru should have very few capable fighters left to send out.
"Maybe it's time to ask him for another payment…"
Naruto paused, then smiled.
"No, wait. That makes it sound like extortion. He can hire me. I'd only be accepting payment for doing a job."
Satisfied with that reasoning, he made up his mind.
…
Deep in a forest in the Land of Rice Fields, Naruto's red-haired female avatar rested inside the hollow of a tree.
A mask concealed her face, and a black cloak patterned with red clouds covered her body. An unusual ring adorned her right hand, and her fingernails were painted red.
A small black snake rested on her shoulder, lazily flicking its forked tongue.
Joining the Akatsuki didn't mean she had to remain in Amegakure between assignments.
She also had little desire to spend her free time with her assigned partner.
Tobi.
Obito had adopted that identity earlier than he had in the original story and personally taken her as his partner. Her background was a mystery to him, and he wanted to keep a close watch on her.
A figure in a black cloak suddenly appeared behind her.
The snake raised its head, ready to strike, but she caught it before it could attack.
"Is there any White Zetsu nearby?"
"There was one earlier. I killed it. There haven't been any others since."
"And you're sure there aren't any White Zetsu spores on you?"
"I checked carefully. There aren't."
"Good."
The visitor lowered his hood, revealing Naruto's face.
"Have you found Orochimaru's hideout?"
"I have."
She nodded and continued.
"I found the trail the Sound Four and Kimimaro left when they set out. I followed it back. Between my sensing abilities and the senses of the snake from Ryūchi Cave, I was able to locate him."
"Sasuke may have trouble reaching him this time," Naruto said. "Go ask Orochimaru whether he wants my help. If he does, I want plenty of ninjutsu scrolls in return—Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire, and Water Release."
His grin widened.
"Orochimaru collected an enormous number of techniques in his earlier years. He's always been chasing the secrets behind ninjutsu. I should learn as much as I can from that collection while I still have the [Ninjutsu Talent] granted by [Senju Clan Sage Body]."
The avatar nodded.
"And if he says he doesn't need your help?"
Naruto laughed.
"Then I'll tie Sasuke up and take him back to Konoha myself. Let's see how Orochimaru reacts to that."