Shikamaru and the Sand siblings continued pursuing Sasuke, determined to bring him back.
Sasuke's body still hadn't adapted to the curse mark's second stage. As its power wore him down, his movements gradually slowed.
Before long, Shikamaru's group caught up.
"Damn it! Why won't you leave me alone?!" Sasuke shouted. "Do you want me to go back to Konoha and keep playing games with you?"
He glared at them.
"You don't know what I've been through! You don't understand what I have to do!"
Shikamaru sighed.
"I've never liked you all that much, but you're still our comrade. And this is my first mission as a chūnin. I'm bringing you back."
"Sasuke!" Lee called. "Orochimaru has done terrible things. Your youth should be spent fighting for something better!"
"Enough resisting," Kiba added. "We're taking you back to Konoha!"
Sasuke's expression darkened.
He had come this far, accepted the curse mark's power, and abandoned the village.
Was he still going to fail?
At that moment, a flock of white birds plunged out of the sky.
They swept toward Shikamaru's group and the Sand siblings.
Everyone immediately moved to evade them or knock them down.
Then a voice rang out from above.
"Art is an explosion!"
Boom!
The birds detonated.
The blast tore through the clearing, throwing the pursuers to the ground.
Before they could recover, a black-and-gold rope lashed down from the sky. It wound tightly around Sasuke and pulled him upward.
A moment later, he landed on the back of a huge white bird.
A red-haired woman wearing a mask stood beside him.
Sasuke looked at her coldly.
"Are you one of Orochimaru's people?"
"No. I simply made a deal with him."
Naruto's female avatar turned toward him, smiling beneath her mask.
"He certainly didn't hesitate over the price of getting you to him."
Below them, Shikamaru and the others could only watch as the bird carried Sasuke away.
Naruto arrived shortly afterward.
When he heard what had happened, he slapped his thigh.
"Damn it! If only I'd gotten here sooner!"
He looked toward the empty sky, making a show of his frustration.
"A shinobi who can fly on a bird… Who would have expected that?"
…
The group returned to Konoha with their mission unfulfilled.
Afterward, everyone resumed their usual routines: training, missions, and life in the village.
Sakura was the exception.
The others began putting Sasuke's departure behind them.
For reasons she hadn't explained, the Fifth Hokage hadn't formally declared Sasuke a rogue ninja. Even so, the others already regarded his actions as a betrayal.
If they met again, they would be facing one another with weapons drawn.
Orochimaru had killed the Third Hokage. His attack had left nearly half of Konoha devastated and claimed the lives of countless shinobi and civilians.
And Sasuke had chosen to join him.
Who could still consider him a Leaf shinobi? Who could still trust him as a comrade?
Sakura could.
She remained withdrawn, looking lonely and miserable whenever Naruto saw her.
There was no doubt how deeply she cared for Sasuke.
Naruto never knew what to say to her. When she passed him without a greeting, he let her go on her way.
He had his own work to do.
The large collection of elemental ninjutsu scrolls obtained from Orochimaru was waiting for him.
With the [Ninjutsu Talent] granted by [Senju Clan Sage Body], he learned quickly. Even with A-rank techniques, he could grasp the basics without much difficulty.
By the time he had worked through the entire collection, Jiraiya returned.
"Hey, Naruto!"
Jiraiya greeted him with a mischievous grin and settled onto his windowsill.
Apparently, windowsills were among his favorite places to sit. He did the same thing even when visiting the Hokage's office.
"There's something important I need to tell you."
His expression became serious.
The sudden change made Naruto a little uneasy.
"From today onward, I'm officially taking you on as my student. I'll spend the next three years training you to become a stronger shinobi."
Jiraiya paused, apparently waiting for a question.
Naruto remained silent.
With nothing to answer, Jiraiya continued.
"I've gathered some information about the Akatsuki. They'll come after you again. Their next attempt might be three or four years from now, but we can't be certain."
He looked directly at Naruto.
"First, I'm going to investigate them more closely. Once I return, I'll take you out to train. That includes visiting Mount Myōboku and getting you acquainted with the toads there."
After saying his goodbyes, Jiraiya left.
Naruto covered his forehead with one hand.
"After all that, I still have to wait before we start…"
Then he considered the scrolls.
"Well, that gives me more time to improve my Wind, Lightning, Earth, Fire, and Water Release."
He already had several ideas for what came next.
He intended to acquire abilities such as [Lightning God Form] and [Earth God Form] from the system, expanding on what he could do with [Wind God Form].
After those preparations, he would obtain [Senjutsu Body].
Senjutsu could strengthen his elemental techniques several times over. He wanted a broad enough range of ninjutsu to make full use of that advantage.
"I want to become the strongest shinobi when it comes to ninjutsu," he murmured. "And there's still Wind Release: Rasenshuriken to learn. After that, I can work on adding Lightning Release and Fire Release to the Rasengan…"
He hadn't forgotten his taijutsu, either.
"The Eight Inner Gates would be an ideal match for my Mangekyō Sharingan."
That was only the first outline of his plans.
He would use the techniques he remembered from the original story as a foundation, then develop his own applications and combinations. He wanted to improve in every area and find a path that would take him further.
The other members of the Konoha Twelve were training as well.
But Konoha still urgently needed shinobi for missions. Their jōnin instructors were frequently away, leaving the three-member teams to arrange much of their training themselves.
Sakura, meanwhile, attempted to leave the village alone to search for Sasuke.
The ANBU stopped her.
After a stern lecture from Tsunade, she finally decided to become the Hokage's apprentice and learn her techniques.
What had begun as a failed attempt to find Sasuke had given her a chance to grow.
By then, Team Seven existed almost in name alone.
Sasuke was gone, Sakura had begun seeking instruction from Tsunade, and Kakashi was constantly away on missions. There was rarely any sign of him in the village.
Naruto's new rank offered him little opportunity to remain idle, either.
He was a chūnin with the combat strength of a jōnin, and Konoha needed everyone it could spare.
Another assignment soon followed.
The next morning, he was summoned to the Hokage's office.
"An escort mission?"
Naruto looked down at the report.
"We're protecting the actress Yukie Fujikaze while she travels to the Land of Snow to make a movie?"
He couldn't hide his surprise.
He remembered that mission. In the original story, Kakashi had led Team Seven through it.
Now it was beginning under entirely different circumstances.
His actions must have changed its timing as well.
"Which genin do you want to take with you?" Tsunade asked, her arms folded.
Naruto considered it for a moment, then smiled.
"Hinata and Neji."
"Two Hyūga?"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure? Their abilities overlap considerably."
"This mission should be manageable with my strength," Naruto replied. "I'm on good terms with both of them. It'll be a chance for us to see more of the world together."
After receiving the mission scroll and permission to leave the village, Naruto went to inform Hinata personally.
He sent a shadow clone to notify Neji.
Hinata had always worked hard at her training. Unfortunately, her timid nature made her hesitate when she needed to act, and her strength had remained unremarkable.
Naruto found her practicing.
He watched her for a moment, a smile spreading across his face as he thought of their future together.
"Hinata! I've come to rescue you!"
She was adorable, and he could see how much effort she put into improving.
With confidence and the right guidance, perhaps she could one day become as formidable as Tsunade.
He had no intention of letting their future together slip away.
The Land of Snow mission suddenly sounded much more appealing.
A trip with his future wife—with Konoha covering the expenses.