How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Naruto scratched the back of his head with a grin. 

"Gaara helped me block Kimimaro and even sent me flying over here. But he used too much force, and I ended up landing in front of you just as you arrived." 

It was the truth. After all, Jirobo had been moving slowly to ensure Sasuke's safety, while Gaara's sand traveled far faster. It was only natural that it caught up to Jirobo quickly. 

Jirobo had figured it out by now. He sensed Kimimaro's chakra behind him, along with three unfamiliar ones. Since Kimimaro had activated his Curse Mark Level 2, it was likely to deal with those three before catching up to him. 

With that realization, Jirobo's expression grew calm. However, he was clearly annoyed. 

"You're such a nuisance, kid. If that's the case, I'll take care of you first." 

Jirobo set down the barrel he was carrying and adjusted it carefully before forming a hand seal. 

"Even though Orochimaru-sama ordered us to leave the Land of Fire as soon as possible, your relentless pestering has really ticked me off. So, I've decided to kill you first before leaving." 

"I'm sure Orochimaru-sama won't blame me for this." 

Jinchuriki? What Jinchuriki? Jirobo didn't care anymore. 

"Earth Release: Earth Mausoleum Dumpling!" 

Jirobo pressed his hands to the ground. As he lifted them, a massive chunk of earth rose with him, as though he were holding an entire piece of land. 

Then, without hesitation, he hurled the enormous mass toward Naruto. 

Naruto didn't underestimate him. The red chakra of Kurama flared around his body, and with its boost, he leapt high into the air, dodging Jirobo's attack. 

Looking at the messy ground and the distant Jirobo, Naruto thought for a moment and asked, 

"Hey, big guy, are you sure it's okay to just leave Sasuke like that? What if something happens to him? Wouldn't that mess everything up for you?" 

Jirobo sneered. 

"Don't underestimate our sealing technique. Until Sasuke completes his transformation, there's no way the seal will fail. Once the transformation is complete, the seal will automatically release and set him free." 

Naruto sweatdropped. This guy really answers everything. 

As Kurama said, answering every question must be a villain's natural talent. 

But if that's the case, then he can relax. 

A single red tail formed behind Naruto as he smiled. 

"So, you're saying that even if I defeat you, it won't affect Sasuke's transformation?" 

"That's great news." 

A purple Tailed Beast Bomb began forming in Naruto's right hand. 

Without giving Jirobo a chance to respond, Naruto dashed forward and slammed the attack toward him. 

"Ninja Art: Mini Tailed Beast Bomb!" 

Jirobo's eyes narrowed. Even he could sense how dangerous this violent chakra was. 

He quickly formed a hand seal. 

"Earth Release: Earth Return!" 

The ground trembled as a massive boulder rose between them, serving as a shield that blocked Naruto's advance. Jirobo retreated, his Curse Mark spreading further across his body. The black patterns grew darker as his chakra flared. 

"Naive!" 

Naruto pressed his Mini Tailed Beast Bomb against the boulder without hesitation. With a deafening roar, the rock shattered into pieces. 

As Jirobo fell back, Naruto opened his mouth. Red and blue chakra began swirling together, forming yet another attack. 

"Don't think I can only form Tailed Beast Bombs with my hands!" 

Here comes another! 

"Ninja Art: Mini Tailed Beast Bomb!" 

This time, the Tailed Beast Bomb wasn't a close-range attack. Instead, after it successfully gathered, it was directly fired, its speed even faster than Jirobo's Body Flicker Technique.

With the Cursed Seal only halfway activated, Jirobo widened his eyes as he watched the incoming Tailed Beast Bomb. Its incredibly fast speed left him no time to use Ninjutsu to block it. All he could do was watch helplessly as the Tailed Beast Bomb hit his chest.

Boom—

The powerful force erupted again. After the first Tailed Beast Bomb hit, Naruto opened his mouth and gathered another Tailed Beast Bomb, launching five more bombings in a row, making the already uneven rocky ground even more desolate.

Chakra kept exploding, shaking the earth. The storm and dust filled the sky, and the overwhelming force tore apart Jirobo's body. Without a word, he vanished, leaving only a face full of terror.

After six consecutive small Tailed Beast Bomb explosions, this level of attack could only be withstood by a handful of people in the ninja world today. Jirobo, however, was not one of them.

Naruto closed his mouth and exhaled a ball of Chakra, his expression cold.

The explosions in the distance had stopped, the storm and shockwaves had passed, leaving only the smoke and dust that reached into the sky.

But Naruto wasn't happy. He slowly turned his head to the distant rocks on his right and began forming another Tailed Beast Bomb.

"In that situation, you could still use the Substitution Jutsu to escape. Your strength is indeed not weak."

As the Tailed Beast Bomb slowly gathered, Jirobo stepped out from behind the large rock, his face dark as he glared at Naruto. He was injured. Although he had dodged the first Tailed Beast Bomb using the "Earth Substitution," he still took the full impact of the shockwave.

But… who starts with a powerful attack like that? Don't people usually test their opponent's strength first and then look for an opportunity to use a big Ninjutsu? What's the meaning of coming at me with a Tailed Beast Bomb right from the start? Didn't you see my Cursed Seal isn't even fully activated yet?

He wanted to curse, but he also realized that Naruto's approach wasn't wrong.

If he had activated Cursed Seal 2 right away, he wouldn't have been hurt. He had planned to test this guy's strength first, but Naruto didn't care to test, instantly launching a Tailed Beast Bomb at him.

But Jirobo was a ninja. He wouldn't say something childish like "Naruto doesn't follow the rules of combat." Ninja battles are always about using any means necessary. It was part of the strategy to go all out right from the start.

Silently, he activated Cursed Seal 2. His skin turned dark red, and his body grew larger and more muscular. He coldly stared at Naruto.

"I won't give you another chance to use that Ninjutsu, Konohagakure's Jinchuriki."

Naruto didn't respond. He simply countered with a small Tailed Beast Bomb.

This time, Jirobo had enough time to dodge. His body sank into the ground, disappearing from the spot. As expected, the Tailed Beast Bomb hit nothing.

"Just as I thought," Naruto murmured, "The gathering and firing of the Tailed Beast Bomb is still a big problem. Ninjas stronger than me have all seen it once and know how to deal with it. Kimimaro and this big guy have already figured it out. Unless I gather a stronger Tailed Beast Bomb, it's hard to hit these people."

"No wonder Kurama insisted that I need to learn Rasengan," Naruto muttered to himself.

Although Rasengan is just a copy of the Tailed Beast Bomb, and it can't attack from a distance and isn't as powerful, it has a huge advantage in terms of the speed at which it gathers.

Even though Naruto has gotten fairly skilled with the Tailed Beast Bomb, it still takes about a second to gather. For a larger Tailed Beast Bomb, the gathering time increases. On the other hand, Rasengan can be formed in an instant.

Against a powerful ninja, that one second of gathering time is enough for them to dodge or counterattack, while against weaker ninjas, you don't need the power of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

Unless Naruto learns to gather the Tailed Beast Bomb instantly, which would require him to completely unlock Kurama's seal, because the chakra of the Tailed Beast sealed within him can't support instantaneous gathering.

Naruto pouted. Now, he really wanted to learn Rasengan.

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