How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, but Kurama's earlier words suddenly came to mind, making him pause entirely.

Then, under Kimimaro's incredulous gaze, Naruto nodded in agreement.

"I think I get what you're saying. If it were the old me, I would've called you a fool, saying someone like Orochimaru isn't worth it. But after thinking about it carefully, we're not so different." 

"I'm willing to give everything to protect Konohagakure, even my life. If an enemy showed up in the village, I'd do everything to stop them. That's my dream." 

Naruto's face was filled with determination. 

"It's just a difference in perspective—there's no right or wrong here." 

Kimimaro looked a little stunned, but after a moment, he smiled sincerely. Yes, he smiled—a pure, genuine smile.

"Thank you for understanding. I also hope you can achieve your dream. My dream is almost within reach." 

To give everything for Orochimaru-sama. 

"If it's for a dream, I won't hold back either," Naruto nodded firmly, then added, "Of course, I agree with your dream, but to me, Orochimaru is still a jerk." 

Kimimaro's smile froze, and his tone turned slightly stiff. 

"I hope we can fight with everything we've got. I'll risk my life to kill you, but please don't insult Orochimaru-sama anymore." 

Naruto scratched the back of his head awkwardly. 

"But Orochimaru *is* a jerk." 

Kimimaro: "..." 

He knew Naruto was doing this on purpose. Using words to mess with your opponent was also a battle tactic. Kimimaro had a very good temper—surprisingly good. Unless Orochimaru ordered him to kill or do something extreme, he was, at heart, a kind person who loved life.

Yes, despite killing, robbing, and kidnapping children, Kimimaro was still a good person. 

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he realized Naruto was trying to throw him off balance. He couldn't let that happen. 

Gradually regaining his composure, Kimimaro stopped speaking. Instead, he slowly removed the upper half of his clothes, revealing his toned body. 

"I won't let you pass. But I don't think you'll give up either, so a fight is unavoidable." 

White, bone-like spikes emerged from various parts of Kimimaro's body, creating what looked like armor covered in sharp points. 

Naruto lowered his body into a combat stance. 

"Bone release? What kind of weird Kekkei Genkai is this?" 

"It's *Shikotsumyaku*," Kimimaro corrected calmly. 

"This is the Kaguya clan's unique Kekkei Genkai. We can manipulate our bones for combat. The strength of the bones depends on the body part, for example…" 

"Shikotsumyaku: Ten-Finger Drilling Bullets!"

Naruto only had time to see Kimimaro raise his right hand before the sound of projectiles tearing through the air came at him with incredible force. 

Even though he couldn't see how many bones were flying toward him, Naruto could feel the hair-raising danger they carried. 

With no time to dodge, Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest. Red chakra covered his skin in an instant, forming a thin layer of the Nine-Tails' cloak. Although it had no tails, the boost it gave was still frightening. 

Yet even this layer of the Nine-Tails' cloak was pierced by five ten-centimeter-long bone spikes. The tips of the bones punctured Naruto's arms. Although the damage was minor, with most of the impact blocked by the cloak, the attack had managed to break through. 

Naruto took a sharp breath, his eyes full of shock. 

"So strong!" 

Naruto pulled out the bone spike and tossed it to the ground. His body's incredible healing ability kicked in, and within ten seconds, his wound was completely healed. He didn't release the Nine-Tails' cloak, but instead swung his arm, flinging off the blood that had flowed out.

He looked at Kimimaro, his eyes full of caution: 

"Sasuke definitely isn't your match. Without Kurama's chakra, I wouldn't stand a chance against you either." 

Naruto clearly acknowledged this fact. Without Kurama's chakra, even just the "Ten Finger Bullets" would completely overwhelm him. Even if he managed to dodge once, there was no guarantee he could avoid a second time. 

Although he had already planned to fight at full power, Kimimaro now made Naruto feel genuinely uneasy. 

This opponent could kill him! 

Kimimaro raised his head to look at Naruto. 

"I don't want to kill you. So, can I ask you to stay here?" 

"No." Naruto refused outright. As he spoke, a surge of even stronger crimson chakra rose from within him. The blood-red chakra enveloped his body, forming a tail that lightly swayed behind him. 

"Then, be careful not to die." Kimimaro swung the bone sword in his hand and charged like a primordial beast. 

With swift strikes from his bone sword and the sharp bone spikes covering his body, Kimimaro suppressed Naruto completely within just a couple of swings. 

"A Taijutsu ninja…" Naruto's eyes flickered as he pressed his hands together to form a seal. 

"Ninjutsu: Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" 

Against a powerful Taijutsu ninja, the best strategy was to use Ninjutsu or Genjutsu for long-range attacks. But Naruto didn't have those options yet. He was still learning the Rasengan, and more importantly, his opponent wasn't slow, making it impossible to retreat and create distance. 

Since Genjutsu and Ninjutsu weren't viable, the only option was to use Taijutsu to counter! 

The constant "poof" sounds echoed as shadow clones appeared one after another. Even Kimimaro seemed momentarily surprised at the sight of over a hundred shadow clones suddenly surrounding him. But when he remembered Naruto's status as a Jinchuriki, he quickly understood. Still, sheer numbers proved effective. 

One of the clones took advantage of Kimimaro being distracted and landed a punch on his back. However, the clone's expression immediately changed as a bone spike grew out of Kimimaro's back, instantly destroying it. 

"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Willow!" 

Despite being surrounded by over a hundred clones, Kimimaro remained calm. Using graceful yet precise Taijutsu combined with his bone techniques, he unleashed a flurry of attacks. The continuous strikes of the Dance of the Willow hit all of the clones, including the original Naruto. 

Naruto's real body looked stunned as the sound of clones being destroyed echoed repeatedly. Within seconds, all of the clones were wiped out! Many didn't even have time to react before they were hit. 

"Shikotsumyaku: Ten Finger Bullets!" 

With the clones gone, the last one standing was the real Naruto. Kimimaro wasted no time launching his next attack. 

As the Ten Finger Bullets came flying toward him, Naruto's expression turned grim. Having anticipated this move, he quickly dodged to the left while gathering chakra in his right hand. 

When Kimimaro closed in and swung his bone sword, Naruto's eyes sharpened. 

Beneath the Nine-Tails' cloak, Naruto's eyes had already transformed into beast-like pupils. The icy aura surrounding him was intense, even though he wasn't consciously releasing it. Strangely, within this cold aura, Kimimaro noticed a peculiar smile. 

Was it just his imagination? 

Of course not. As the bone sword came straight for him, Naruto grinned and extended his right hand, thrusting a purple chakra sphere toward the blade. 

"Ninjutsu: Mini-Tailed Beast Bomb!" 

I might not have mastered the Rasengan yet. I'm still short on the Yin Seal and Strength of a Hundred Seal no Jutsu too.

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