Chapter 145: Orochimaru
These Grass Ninja scrolls were also heaven scrolls, making them useless for Team 7.
However, their other friends should have Earth Scrolls; it was impossible for all four teams to have heaven scrolls, right?
Tossing the scroll into his ninja tool pouch, Naruto sensed that the closest people to the three of them were Team Ten's Ino–Shika–Chō trio.
They seemed to be in the middle of a battle as well.
"Let's go. I've sensed Shikamaru's location; they've gotten into a fight with someone."
The three of them didn't delay any further, moving quickly toward the direction Naruto sensed. Their movements were light and swift, like three shadows darting through the forest, carefully avoiding paths and sounds that might expose their presence.
When the Team 7 trio followed their senses and the faint sounds of fighting to the vicinity of the battlefield, this was the scene that met their eyes.
In a relatively open forest clearing, a battle was underway, but the Hidden Leaf Village side firmly controlled the situation.
Shikamaru was crouching on a thick branch of a large tree, his brow slightly furrowed but his eyes focused.
His hands maintained a steady hand seal. From his position, a long, slender, flexible black shadow snaked down the trunk, through the fallen leaves and bushes on the ground, and precisely connected to the feet of a Hidden Rain Village Ninja in the center of the clearing.
Ino wasn't there; she must be hiding and using the Mind Transfer Jutsu.
In the center of the clearing, Akimichi Choji had activated the Partial Multi-Size Jutsu and was dealing with Rain Ninja A alongside Rain Ninja C.
It seemed Rain Ninja C was being controlled by the hidden Ino.
Rain Ninja B, controlled by Shikamaru, could only watch helplessly like a 'helpless bystander' as his teammates were dealt with.
"Ino, release the Mind Transfer Jutsu."
Naruto rushed out and decapitated Rain Ninja A, who was fighting Choji, while Sasuke drew a Kunai and stabbed Rain Ninja B, who was controlled by the Shadow Imitation Technique.
Rain Ninja C, controlled by Ino, nodded at Naruto and then raised his right hand high.
The moment Rain Ninja C's right hand dropped, Naruto knew the Mind Transfer Jutsu had been released. Taking advantage of the moment the opponent regained control of his body, he raised his blade and stabbed it into the man's heart.
"You guys arrived a bit slower than I expected."
As the last Amegakure Ninja fell, Nara Shikamaru jumped down from the branch where he was hiding, his feet landing on the ground with almost no sound.
A rustling sound came from the bushes behind a tree on the other side.
Ino Yamanaka pushed aside the dense foliage and emerged from hiding.
"You're here, that's great."
"Are you okay, Ino? Is your consumption high?"
Sakura stepped forward to help Ino pick off the leaves stuck to her.
"I'm fine, Sakura."
Ino gave Sakura a bright smile.
"But I'll need you to protect me in the battles ahead."
"Sure."
After Shikamaru got the earth scroll from the Amegakure village, his gaze quickly swept over his team's condition.
Choji and Ino hadn't consumed much.
He looked at Team 7 again.
Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had steady breathing and ample Chakra; clearly, they hadn't exerted themselves much either.
"No time to lose, let's go meet up with Kiba and the others."
Naruto nodded and added, "Yeah, it seems they've already gone to meet up with Neji and his team."
During the brief exchange, Naruto had already activated the Kagura Minds Eye to scan the Forest of Death.
Team Eight and Neji's trio were approaching quickly. Both teams had the Byakugan, so there was no need to worry about encountering other teams in between.
The Byakugan's powerful X-ray vision and long-range sight were practically 'cheat codes' in such complex terrain.
With Hinata and Neji present, their two teams could not only avoid most obvious dangers but also detect other teams' tracks in advance, choosing safe routes or actively avoiding or ambushing them.
This undoubtedly greatly increased the success rate and safety of the rendezvous.
Hearing Naruto's words, a flash of understanding and praise crossed Shikamaru's eyes. This guy Naruto was not only strong but even his sensing ability was so abnormal... with him around, intelligence was indeed much easier.
"That's perfect then."
Shikamaru made a prompt decision.
"We'll head directly toward where they're converging, trying to meet them on the way or near their rendezvous point. This saves time and avoids the risks of waiting at a fixed location."
According to what was discussed before entering the Forest of Death, the scrolls would only be distributed once everyone was together.
Shikamaru directly put away the earth scroll.
Shikamaru looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you lead the way. I'll leave the sensing to you."
"No problem."
Naruto replied.
"Let's go!"
At Naruto's command, Team 7 and Team Ten set off again.
They had barely moved for two minutes when Naruto noticed someone approaching.
That cold and sinister Chakra... could it be Orochimaru?
Naruto left a Kunai behind and then continued leading the group forward.
After they left, a woman weaving through the trees arrived at the spot.
"Uchiha Sasuke, we will meet soon."
Her long tongue flicked out, and the woman used it to wipe her face before preparing to speed up.
"I don't think you'll be seeing him."
The Kunai Naruto had dropped earlier transformed into his likeness. It turned out that Kunai was a Shadow Clone Naruto had created in advance, using the Transformation Jutsu.
While he couldn't use those powerful skills openly, Naruto was also thinking about how to ambush others... and how to exert more of his strength.
The Shadow Windmill collaboration he used with Sasuke before gave him inspiration, and thus the Shadow Clone Kunai was born.
Looking at the Naruto before him, Orochimaru gave a sinister smile.
"Just with you?"
She was slightly surprised in her heart:'Such sharp sensing... I deliberately suppressed my presence, yet I was still detected in advance, and he even left a countermeasure?'
'This kind of sharp sensing couldn't possibly be the Kagura Minds Eye, could it?'
As a research fanatic, she also had some knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan's secret techniques.
The Kagura Minds Eye was the Uzumaki Clan's top-tier sensing technique, with an extremely wide range and high precision.
But as far as she knew, even Uzumaki Kushina didn't seem to have fully mastered or displayed this technique.
This kid... although he was the child of Minato Namikaze and Uzumaki Kushina, and having extraordinary talent was understandable, but the Kagura Minds Eye... wasn't that a bit too much?
After all, even within the Uzumaki Clan, those who awakened the Kagura Minds Eye were very few. Could this kid Naruto, who didn't even have red hair, actually awaken the Kagura Minds Eye?
Naruto's Shadow Clone didn't answer Orochimaru's taunt. He leaped lightly onto a nearby tree, casually broke off a branch that looked sturdy enough, and weighed it in his hand.
"Just with me."
He said calmly, his gaze locked on Orochimaru.
Orochimaru looked at the Shadow Clone's face, which closely resembled Minato Namikaze's. A hint of reminiscence and amusement flashed in her golden slit pupils: 'He really does look like Minato... I just wonder if you have Minato's skills.'
Due to the Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru was currently using a female body.
It didn't matter; in the process of constantly improving the Living Corpse Reincarnation for eternal life, she had long since grown accustomed to bodies of different genders and ages.
Although this body could only exert about eighty percent of her strength, Orochimaru was confident that dealing with a Genin brat was more than enough.
Read New BooKs In Profile
Loving Book So Far? Check Out 30+ Advanced Chapters At PA Treon
patreon.com/FictionOP