Chapter 60
BOOM—CRACK!
Several blinding purple lightning bolts, like furious thunder dragons, erupted from beside Yuta and struck straight toward the four Anbu in the room!
The four Anbu's bodies instantly stiffened. Then, like puppets with cut strings, they toppled straight to the ground.
In the room, only Yuta's heavy panting remained.
Naruto and the other children stared dumbfounded at this sudden scene.
Looking at the Anbu collapsed around them, Naruto was the first to react.
He quickly checked them over: "They're all unconscious."
Shikamaru struggled up from the floor and said worriedly: "We have to get Yuta out of Konoha right now!"
"As an outsider, Yuta just attacked Anbu! This isn't just suspicion anymore."
"He'll be directly classified as a dangerous individual—wanted, captured, and executed!"
Everyone's faces immediately darkened.
Naruto immediately went over and hoisted Yuta onto his back.
Yuta now looked inexplicably weak—probably from the prolonged interrogation.
The group no longer hesitated. They had made up their minds.
Destination: outside village territory!
They were going to get Yuta out of Konoha!
Just moments after their figures disappeared through the back door,
Sarutobi Hiruzen—wearing his ceremonial robes—and the hawk-masked Anbu slowly arrived at the interrogation room.
The two sides had just missed each other and did not meet.
…
The interrogation room door was pushed open.
The lights were still glaringly bright. The unconscious Anbu lay scattered across the floor.
After Sarutobi Hiruzen entered the room, his gaze swept over the four fallen figures.
The hawk-masked Anbu following behind him immediately stepped forward to check his colleagues.
"It seems they were hit by Lightning Release. Their bodies are temporarily paralyzed—no danger to life. They'll recover soon."
After confirming they were only unconscious, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He then pressed a few points on one of their bodies.
Soon, that Anbu groggily woke up.
When he saw Sarutobi Hiruzen in front of him, he immediately struggled to get up.
"Hokage-sama…"
"No rush. First, give me a detailed account of what happened." Sarutobi Hiruzen's voice was very calm.
"It was those children… they…" The Anbu concisely reported the earlier events.
From the initial Shadow Imitation Technique, to the later thick fog, to the final Lightning Release eruption from the suspicious boy.
When he heard that Naruto had stood against Anbu to protect Yuta,
a faint change finally appeared on Sarutobi Hiruzen's previously stern face.
Up to this point, his heart remained somewhat conflicted.
"Naruto insisted on saving that child… but Orochimaru…"
That child might be connected to Orochimaru.
But from Naruto's side, he truly didn't seem like a bad person…
Sarutobi Hiruzen raised a hand to stroke his beard, his gaze growing complex as he fell into deep thought.
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat stagnant.
After a long while, the seriousness on Sarutobi Hiruzen's face faded, returning to his usual calm.
The hawk-masked Anbu stood to the side: "Hokage-sama, should we immediately dispatch people to pursue them?"
"Take a few people and follow them." Sarutobi Hiruzen turned, his tone flat: "But do not engage them."
The hawk-masked Anbu froze at those words.
"Stay behind them and see where they plan to take that child."
Sarutobi Hiruzen ignored the Anbu's reaction and continued issuing orders: "Also, protect them secretly. That group of little ones may be reckless, but they are still children of the village."
"They are Konoha's future. We cannot allow them to encounter danger outside."
"Yes!"
The hawk-masked Anbu accepted the order. His figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
…
The setting sun dyed the sky gold and red.
Naruto carried Yuta on his back, running freely along the road leading out of the village.
"Naruto, let me carry him! You've been running for so long already." Kiba offered proactively.
"No need, I'm fine." Naruto shook his head, not slowing his steps.
The others followed closely beside him.
"Haa… haa…"
Naruto's group finally burst out of the eastern forest on the village outskirts. The view suddenly opened up.
A wide river glittered under the afterglow of the sunset.
It flowed mightily into the distance, as though speaking of freedom.
Everyone stopped and looked at the river blocking their path.
"We… made it out?" Ino asked, staring at the broad river, her voice carrying a trace of uncertainty.
"Not yet."
Shikamaru analyzed: "Only after crossing this river will Yuta truly be out of Konoha. We don't have time to rest—the pursuers… will probably arrive soon."
His words immediately made the slightly relaxed group tense up again.
Naruto carefully adjusted Yuta on his back.
"Yuta, are you okay?"
Yuta's face looked very pale. He stared blankly at the rushing river before him, his eyes somewhat dazed.
"Don't be afraid."
Naruto grinned: "Once we cross this river, you'll be completely free! Go far away—never let anyone catch you again!"
"Free…"
Yuta repeated the word softly.
He looked at Naruto's sincere smile, then at his exhausted but still concerned companions around him.
A warm current surged in his heart.
However, just as they prepared to force their way across the river,
an inexplicable chill suddenly rose from deep within Yuta's consciousness.
A strong sense of resistance made him blurt out:
"No…"
He shook his head, voice trembling slightly: "I… I can't leave…"
"Why?" Chōji asked in confusion: "If you stay, they'll capture you!"
"I… can't think… I don't want… I don't want to leave here…"
Yuta's words became incoherent.
His small body trembled faintly, as though fighting against something.
Naruto immediately set Yuta down.
Everyone was thrown into confusion by Yuta's sudden reaction.
"Yuta, what's wrong?" Sakura asked worriedly, stepping forward.
At that moment,
something wriggled lightly under Yuta's collar. A small white snake slithered out.
Its tongue hissed, golden vertical pupils staring at the group.
"Snake!"
Sakura immediately screamed in fright and retreated repeatedly.
The children were all stunned—when had Yuta been hiding a snake?
"This is…" Shikamaru beside him noticed in shock.
The white snake's body rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye it became as thick as an arm, coiling around Yuta.
"Yuta!"
Naruto was just about to step forward and knock the large snake away.
"Don't come closer…" Yuta struggled to control himself: "My… my body…"
The next moment, the white snake opened its mouth and actually spoke in human language.
Its voice was low, hoarse, and carried a playful tone.
"How interesting…"
"Hehe… trying to take away my amusing experimental subject?"
This feeling…
"It's Orochimaru!" Naruto blurted out.
A few days ago, when he had borrowed Fox Sage's power, he had sensed Orochimaru's emotions together with him.
"To actually recognize me—indeed not simple…"
"But this guy's body has long since been marked with my curse seal."
"As long as the restriction remains… he won't want to leave Konoha village."
"Of course, if he insists on leaving, that's not impossible."
"He'll simply 'die' in the process."
"I'm very curious—what choice will you make?"
The expression vanished from Yuta's face. He stared blankly forward, as though he had lost all thought.
Seeing Yuta like this, Naruto unconsciously clenched his fist.
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