This brat really had some tricks up his sleeve, but the outcome was already decided.
That's what the Raikage thought as he casually kicked Naruto away. As expected, the airborne Naruto burst into smoke once again.
The Raikage turned to deliver the finishing blow to the fallen Gamabunta. Blood spraying from his mouth, the great toad roared with all his strength, "Naruto, hold on until Jiraiya returns!" With that, he was forced to cancel the summoning.
Elsewhere, Katsuyu could no longer shield Shizune under the coordinated assault led by Darui. Overwhelmed, the slug vanished in a puff of smoke. Shizune was captured alive.
Surrounded by Cloud shinobi, Darui placed his foot on Shizune's back and held his blade to her throat.
"If the real you doesn't show yourself," he shouted toward the trees, "I'll have no choice but to kill her!"
Shizune tried to cry out for Naruto not to come out, but before she could utter a sound, Darui stomped harder, forcing her face into the dirt. She was silenced.
Perhaps in a different situation, Darui could've been considered a decent man. But now, as a shinobi of the Hidden Cloud, he was prepared to do anything.
"You bastards... you Cloud guys are seriously despicable," Naruto growled from behind a tree, gritting his teeth as he finally stepped out, forced into the open.
Young as he was, he hadn't yet learned the harsh truth that you can't negotiate with kidnappers.
Darui sighed inwardly but kept his tone cold and detached. "If you care that much about your comrade, surrender. Then again... this might just be another clone."
Naruto planted the Power Pole into the ground, arms crossed, trying to maintain his composure. "Even if I surrender, you won't let Shizune go, will you?"
For all his usual cluelessness, Naruto had always been sharp where it mattered. Back in the Chūnin Exams of the original timeline, Sasuke had been about to surrender to Orochimaru, disguised as a genin. But Naruto had seen through it at a glance and refused to give in, launching an attack on Orochimaru instead.
Darui raised an eyebrow slightly. "That's hard to say. You'll only know if you surrender, won't you? Better decide quickly."
The Raikage spoke then, his voice sharp and brutal. "Let me break your arms and legs, take you back to the Cloud, and I'll fix you up afterward!"
"Like hell I'd let you do that!" Naruto roared in defiance.
His mind spun as he tried to find a way out. But the cold sweat pouring down his back only confirmed what he feared he couldn't think of any way to save Shizune.
"Naruto, they're lying to you," the Power Pole snapped open an eye Enma's and growled, "The Cloud has never been trustworthy!"
Having fought alongside the Third Hokage for years, Enma knew all too well the kind of reputation the Hidden Cloud held.
Naruto clutched his head, scratching at his hair in frustration. Then, in a burst of desperation, he yelled, "Let's settle this one-on-one!"
All eyes turned toward him.
Naruto pointed straight at the Raikage. "One-on-one! You and me! If you win, take me! If I win, you let her go! What's the matter, Raikage? Afraid of a kid like me?"
"Aren't you the one who lost to my dad, huh?!"
That last jab hit a nerve. The Raikage's face darkened.
He was a hot-blooded man, but he wasn't stupid. As a Kage, he couldn't afford to fall for provocation so easily.
"Darui," he ordered coldly, "Kill her."
Darui raised his blade high, aiming straight for Shizune's back.
She closed her eyes, despair washing over her.
So this is where I die…?
But just as the blow was about to fall, the Naruto in front of them vanished in a puff of smoke.
"Wait! This time, I'm really the real one!"
A voice came from behind a different tree another Naruto stepped out, flushed red with panic.
"If you kill her, I'll run. And I mean it! I'll run right now! I'm the one you want, right? And Jiraiya-sensei might be back any moment now!"
The Raikage and Darui exchanged glances. Darui stopped mid-swing.
I'm… I'm alive? The blade had already sliced through her clothes and was pressing against her skin. Shizune could feel the chill of the steel on her back.
The Raikage walked toward Naruto, eyes locked on the boy's bright blue gaze.
"Say it, brat. You better mean it."
The goal of this entire operation was the Nine-Tails' jinchūriki. The Raikage was perfectly aware of that.
Staring straight into the Raikage's eyes, Naruto forced himself to stand tall. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I keep my word. Unlike you cowardly adults!"
The Raikage's hair stood on end, lightning crackling around him as blue chakra surged.
"Crushing a little brat like you will only take a second. And if this turns out to be another clone… she dies."
This time, the Raikage didn't flash forward in a burst of lightning, but walked toward Naruto step by step, each stride radiating crushing pressure. He needed to confirm with certainty that this was the real body.
The towering mountain of a man bore down on him, and sweat poured from Naruto's face.
At his side, the Power Pole twitched. Enma shouted, "Naruto, don't trust them! Retreat!"
But Naruto couldn't just abandon his comrade. He stood firm, gathering all his chakra, eyes fixed on the approaching Raikage.
Jiraiya-sensei... hurry up. I… I can't hold out much longer…
And Jiraiya never disappointed.
Just as the Raikage drew close
"Your scheme has failed, Raikage!"
A loud voice echoed from the distance.
The Raikage's head snapped around. His pupils shrank.
Walking into view were Jiraiya and Tsunade along with a thick-browed Konoha shinobi and a squad of ANBU in animal masks.
The shinobi with the thick brows was carrying someone over his shoulder none other than Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails jinchūriki, unconscious and completely incapacitated.
Killer Bee… defeated so quickly in full Tailed Beast Mode?
And Konoha's reinforcements arrived so fast? Where were their backup forces?
Was the operation compromised? Was it that masked man? The Raikage's heart sank.
"Surely the life of your Eight-Tails jinchūriki is more important than a single young woman," Jiraiya said calmly, eyes fixed on the Raikage.
The Raikage's face darkened. "Tch. Hand over Killer Bee, and the girl is yours."
Naruto finally let out the breath he'd been holding. His legs gave out as he slumped against a tree then vanished in a puff of smoke.
From above, a leaf fluttered down, transforming midair back into Naruto. That had been the real one all along.
He dashed over to Konoha's main force, giving a wave to his familiar teacher. "Hey, Guy-sensei!"
Jiraiya smiled with pride. The Raikage's face grew even more grim.
You little rat, the Raikage cursed silently.
Just as was said from the beginning Naruto might be naive at times, but when it mattered, he saw right through people.
He had never believed a word the Raikage said.
At that moment, Darui genuinely found himself admiring the yellow-haired kid. His use of Transformation and Shadow Clone Jutsu was simply masterful.
A real shame… he's not one of us.
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