Chapter 61:
"Done!"
After quickly digging a large pit, Naruto and Inuzuka Kiba jumped back into the trees and called out to Shikamaru, who was leading the wild boar in circles with Sasuke.
"Got it!"
The injured wild boar was being toyed with by the two of them. Several bloody holes had already been shot into its back by arrows from Sasuke's bow.
"Sasuke, now!"
Shikamaru and Sasuke quickly changed tactics, driving the wild boar toward the trap.
"Shadow Imitation Technique!"
The moment the boar neared the trap, Shikamaru swiftly formed the seals and activated his Shadow Imitation Technique.
Under the control of the shadow, even though the boar struggled, its body staggered and fell straight into the pit.
"Wild boar captured—success!"
Naruto and Kiba cheered happily beside the trap. It would be almost impossible for the boar to climb out of this pit, so they had essentially completed the task.
"Kill it and drag it back. Don't waste time!"
Sasuke drew his bow and shot an arrow straight into the boar's eye.
The boar didn't die from the first shot, so he fired several more in quick succession until it was finally dead.
"Sasuke is really amazing. What do we do now? Drag it out and head back?"
Naruto tied a rope around the boar's leg. The next step was about to begin. He wondered if the crow in the tree would help…
"Drag it, drag it! We're now the heroes who hunted a wild boar!"
Kiba was the happiest one. He grabbed one end of the rope and started urging everyone to head back.
But just as they all pulled together to drag the boar out of the pit, an unpleasant aura gradually spread around them.
"Woof… woof woof…"
Akamaru suddenly began trembling in Kiba's arms. The sound it made was full of fear.
"Bad news. Something's coming… and there's a lot of it…"
Kiba put down the rope, warned the others, and quickly jumped up into the tree.
Whatever could make Akamaru this terrified probably wasn't just wild boars.
"Wolves?"
Shikamaru stood on a branch, watching the pack of wolves closing in from all sides. The suspicion he had earlier resurfaced.
An injured wild boar… and now a wolf pack drawn to it…
"Shikamaru, you and Kiba go back and notify everyone. It's best if Iruka-sensei takes the others and leaves quickly. These wolves aren't normal…"
Naruto stood beside Shikamaru and tapped his shoulder twice.
"N-no way… You and Sasuke…"
Shikamaru turned to look at Naruto. Was he being protected by Naruto right now?
But leaving just the two of them here could be very dangerous. What if…
"Don't forget — I'm the demon fox…"
Naruto lowered his head, clenching his fists tightly.
He had heard the voices of those few Root members. They wanted to force him to unleash the Nine-Tails' power so Danzo would have an excuse to take him away for thorough brainwashing?
They didn't mind letting their own friends die in front of them just to complete the mission?
Hah… heh…
He still couldn't kill Danzo yet, but these Root members today — not a single one of them was getting away!
"Naruto… Sasuke, you two be careful. We… we'll find a way!"
Shikamaru glanced at the wolves getting closer, gave Kiba a hand signal, and quickly headed toward Iruka's direction.
When he heard the sound of branches snapping behind him, he knew Naruto and Sasuke had started fighting.
It wasn't that they couldn't escape. If they all ran together, the wolf pack would follow them, and then the entire class would suffer.
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