Chapter 122: You Are the Only Candidate
Guren accepted Orochimaru's request and took Yugito back to meet with her subordinates. However, on the way, Yugito developed a high fever from being in the rain, which made Guren very worried.
"Yugito, are you okay?" Guren touched Yugito's forehead and found his temperature was unusually high.
So Guren had to find a small hut for Yugito to rest in, covering him with her own clothes as a blanket. Looking at Yugito in this state, Guren couldn't help but recall her own childhood.
At that time, Guren had also been a lonely, helpless child, just like Yugito.
Guren sighed softly, her eyes showing tenderness. "Don't be afraid, I won't leave you."
Hearing this, Yugito opened his eyes slightly, smiled weakly, and took a charm from his neck, handing it to Guren. "This... for you... my mother left it for me... if you carry it, you won't get lost."
Guren took the charm, a wave of warmth rising in her heart. "Thank you, Yugito. I will definitely protect it well."
Meanwhile, in Konoha Village, Byakuya had analyzed the secret of the crystallized Kikaichu.
"This Chakra reaction... it's definitely Crystal Release," Byakuya said in a deep voice. "And judging by the degree of crystallization, the opponent's Crystal Release Ninjutsu is already quite mature."
Hearing this, Tsunade's brow furrowed. "Crystal Release... where on earth did Orochimaru find such a rare Ninjutsu?"
Tsunade knew that the appearance of a Crystal Release Ninja undoubtedly added huge pressure to Kakashi and the others. This Ninjutsu not only had extremely strong defense but could also trap opponents in crystals or even seal them completely.
At this time, Kakashi, Might Guy, and Shino were already trapped in a dense forest by the opponent's Crystal Release technique.
"Kakashi-sensei, what do we do now?" Might Guy asked anxiously.
Looking at the constantly spreading crystals, Kakashi felt at a loss. "Let's try breaking these crystals first."
However, their attacks were completely useless against these crystals. Every attack was reflected back by the crystals, failing to cause any damage at all.
"These crystals... they're too hard!" Might Guy said, panting.
Kakashi's brow furrowed; he knew that if this continued, they would eventually be trapped to death here.
Just then, a roar suddenly came from the sky. Everyone looked up to see Yamato landing in front of them with Sai and Sakura.
"Kakashi-senpai, we're here!" Yamato said.
However, before they could even celebrate, they heard Sai exclaim: "Is this... Crystal Release?!"
A giant wall of crystal appeared ahead, blocking their path.
"It seems we're trapped too," Yamato said with a solemn expression.
At that moment, a gust of wind suddenly swirled. Everyone saw a figure descending from the sky, slamming into the crystal wall.
"Naruto?!" Kakashi cried out in surprise.
Naruto, radiating a golden glow, struck the crystal wall with a powerful punch. With a loud boom, the crystal wall instantly shattered into countless pieces, dissolving into spots of light in the air.
"It worked!" Naruto shouted, pulling back his fist.
Seeing this, everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected Naruto to be able to break the Crystal Release technique.
"Naruto, how did you..." Kakashi looked at Naruto in confusion.
Naruto grinned. "This is a new jutsu I just practiced with the toads; I didn't expect it to come in handy!"
Everyone was pleasantly surprised. They knew that with Naruto's addition, their chances of winning had increased.
After the group quickly gathered, Kakashi asked about Yamato and the others' situation and learned that Hinata had been trapped by the opponent's Crystal Release technique.
"We must rescue Hinata as soon as possible!" Kakashi said.
Thus, the group quickly took action. With Naruto's help, they successfully broke the opponent's Crystal Release technique and rescued Hinata.
"Thank you..." Hinata said weakly.
Kakashi looked at everyone and said solemnly, "Now is not the time to relax. We must track the enemies as soon as possible and stop their plan."
After speaking, Kakashi divided everyone into several groups to track the enemies' traces. Naruto went as a separate group to investigate the lake deep in the forest that was emitting a massive amount of Chakra.
In the forest, the trees were dense and the light was dim as Naruto quietly approached the lake.
Suddenly, the sound of intense fighting came through. Naruto quickly hid behind a tree and quietly observed the situation.
He saw Guren fighting fiercely with a giant Mud Beast, while Yugito watched from the side, looking very anxious.
"Is that... Guren?!" Naruto said in surprise. He hadn't expected to encounter Guren here.
At that moment, Gamakichi suddenly appeared beside Naruto and said seriously, "Naruto, that giant Mud Beast is the legendary Three-Tails!"
"Three-Tails?!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Could it be... the enemy's goal is to unseal the Three-Tails?!"
At this point, although Guren was fighting the Three-Tails with all her might, she was gradually being overwhelmed. Every attack from the Three-Tails put immense pressure on her.
"I have to find a way to help her!" Naruto thought to himself.
However, just as he was about to rush out, Kakashi's voice suddenly rang in his ear.
"Naruto, don't act rashly! The situation has changed!" Kakashi said.
It turned out that Kakashi had learned through Byakuya's intelligence that the enemy's true goal wasn't just to unseal the Three-Tails, but to use its power to trigger a massive disaster. This disaster would deal a devastating blow to Konoha Village.
"Kakashi-sensei, then what should we do?" Naruto asked anxiously.
"Stay put for now and wait for Byakuya's orders," Kakashi said. "Byakuya is analyzing the enemy's plan; I believe there will be results soon."
Hearing this, Naruto could only suppress his impulse and wait silently.
Deep in the forest, Byakuya stood quietly by the lake, his gaze solemn as he observed the situation on the water.
"The Three-Tails has appeared. It seems the enemy's plan is already half-successful," Byakuya said.
At this time, Yamato and Tsunade gathered together to discuss the next plan.
"We've analyzed the enemy's plan; now we just need to stop them," Yamato said.
"But we don't know exactly what they're going to do," Tsunade added.
"No matter what they do, we must stop them," Byakuya said decisively.
The three looked at each other and fell silent for a moment. Finally, they reached an agreement: first, send someone to infiltrate Konoha Village to investigate the enemy's true purpose; meanwhile, strengthen the perimeter watch to prevent the enemy from escaping; finally, wait for Byakuya's signal for everyone to act together and stop the enemy's plan.
"Naruto, you're responsible for infiltrating Konoha Village," Byakuya said. "You're the only candidate."
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