How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Facing the incoming Jirobo, the three Narutos really wanted to detonate the Tailed Beast Bomb, but it was too late. Jirobo's speed was exactly what a Taijutsu ninja should have. Even though Naruto could match his speed, there was no way the Tailed Beast Bomb could hurt him in time.

Why is it always a Taijutsu ninja? Right now, Taijutsu ninjas are the hardest for Naruto to deal with, especially the high-speed kind. Even facing Kimimaro wasn't this troublesome.

Kimimaro is also a Taijutsu ninja, but he's not the high-speed kind. If anything, Kimimaro focuses on high offense, high defense, and sustained power. In contrast, Jirobo gave up on strong defense, compensating for it with Earth Release to make up for his weak defense, while using speed and explosive force to make up for his lack of sustained damage.

To put it simply, Jirobo's fighting style isn't about landing hits like the other three; it's a more balanced type. This type usually requires a huge amount of chakra to support it, and the Curse Mark gives Jirobo just that—massive chakra, similar to Kimimaro.

Kimimaro is strong because he has no weaknesses, while Jirobo isn't particularly outstanding, but he has no obvious weaknesses either.

This is really annoying.

The two Shadow Clones facing Jirobo's charge gritted their teeth and prepared to detonate the Tailed Beast Bomb, but before they could, Jirobo punched them both in the chest.

The Tailed Beast Bombs, still forming, didn't have time to disperse and instead disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving only two Kunai on the ground.

At that moment, Naruto and Jirobo were at their closest distance.

Seeing Jirobo's fist about to land on him, Naruto, who had previously looked terrified, suddenly became calm. The corner of his mouth curled into a comical smile.

"Sure enough, big guys don't have the best brains," Naruto said with a grin.

"What?" Jirobo instinctively asked.

Naruto didn't answer. He threw the Tailed Beast Bomb, grabbed Jirobo's fist with both hands, and just before it hit, his figure wobbled for a moment. The powerful force traveled through his cloak.

Boom—boom—

The two Kunai dropped to the ground, transforming into smoke. Two Narutos appeared suddenly, each holding a Tailed Beast Bomb and attacking Jirobo.

"Checkmate!" both Narutos shouted in unison, and without hesitation, the Tailed Beast Bombs fell.

A deafening roar and explosion followed, lighting up Naruto's comical face and Jirobo's shocked expression. In the next second, Jirobo was torn to pieces by the violent energy of the Tailed Beast Bombs. His shattered body and torn clothes fell to the ground.

Naruto tossed aside Jirobo's remaining hand, clutching his chest as he kneeled on the ground, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth.

The Shadow Clone Naruto vanished, the crimson chakra slowly returning to Naruto's body, and his cloak began to dissipate.

"Heh, I told you, I'm pretty strong too," Naruto half-kneeled with a goofy smile, looking toward the distant barrel.

"Sasuke, the guy who could beat you down, was the one who defeated him alone..."

"Naive!"

A large hand suddenly broke through the ground, grabbing Naruto's head. The immense strength made Naruto feel like his skull was about to be crushed. His face filled with disbelief as he stared at Jirobo, who had emerged from the earth.

"How is this possible? You were..." Naruto's face was squeezed as he could only widen his eyes at Jirobo.

Jirobo sneered, standing tall like a monster casting a shadow.

"Of course, you're just a sheltered flower. The chakra of the Tailed Beast is so obvious. You really think I wouldn't see through your transformation technique?"

Mistake!

Naruto gritted his teeth and glared at Jirobo, helplessly grabbing his arm.

"You knew I used the transformation technique all along, didn't you? You deliberately led me to get hurt, just so you could pretend to die, all to make me undo my cloak!"

"You have the Nine-Tails chakra protecting you, so I really can't kill you in an instant," Jirobo sneered. "It's your own fault for being so clever. The chakra from the Tailed Beast is like a beacon to all ninjas. Did you really think such a transformation could fool me?" 

"You naive little brat. It seems ninjas from Konohagakure are only at this level after all." 

Jirobo tightened his grip on Naruto, and the seal technique he had prepared landed on Naruto, sealing his chakra. Though it couldn't completely seal him, it was enough to prevent Naruto from using both his own chakra and the chakra from the Tailed Beast for a while. 

The Curse Mark's effects disappeared from Jirobo, and he gradually returned to his original form. He looked at Naruto's unwilling expression and mocked him aloud: "A lure tactic... That kind of trick only fools idiots. It won't work on us." 

Naruto struggled, watching Jirobo seal his chakra and revert from his Curse Mark form. He saw... 

Wait. Naruto suddenly stopped struggling, and a smile appeared on his face. "Is that so? It looks like we're thinking the same thing." 

"What?" Jirobo was taken aback, not understanding what Naruto meant. 

But soon, he understood. 

The moment Jirobo returned to his original form, Naruto, who had been in his grasp, suddenly turned into smoke and vanished. White mist blocked Jirobo's view, and the confusion on his face was obvious. 

"So, I was waiting for you to leave the Curse Mark form too!" Naruto, without the Nine-Tails cloak, jumped out from behind Jirobo, tossing a kunai while holding an incomplete Rasengan in the other hand. 

It was the kunai that had fallen when the first Shadow Clone was destroyed! 

Jirobo almost immediately realized what had happened, but there was no time to react. The Curse Mark couldn't be activated instantly; it needed a moment to gather chakra. The black lines crawled up Jirobo's body, but he was too late to enter Curse Mark Level 2 before Naruto attacked. 

However, as always, the Otogakure Ninja quartet was not weak! 

Having survived countless life-or-death battles, Jirobo forced his body to twist and barely avoided the kunai attack. He only had time to raise his hands, using the still-forming Rock Fist Technique to block the direction Naruto was coming from. 

Naruto didn't hesitate and slammed the unfinished Rasengan into the defense. The powerful force instantly shattered Jirobo's Rock Fist, breaking through his defense and landing on his chest. 

Even an unfinished Rasengan carried immense power. It might not be as strong as a Tailed Beast Bomb, but it was enough to shatter Jirobo's ribs and internal organs the moment it hit his chest. 

But who was Jirobo? A member of the Otogakure Ninja quartet, who had been through countless life-and-death struggles under Orochimaru. How could he stop fighting because of a non-fatal injury? 

Blood mixed with pieces of his organs spilled from Jirobo's mouth as a vicious look appeared on his face. His already-broken arms swung out with brute force, striking Naruto with overwhelming power. Jirobo shouted, his mouth dripping blood, "Even if I die, I'm taking you down with me!" 

"Orochimaru-sama! Long live Orochimaru!" 

Naruto watched calmly as Jirobo made his last-ditch attempt. The force of Jirobo's counterattack was beyond what Naruto could withstand. Yes, if this attack hit him, it would be more than enough to render him unable to continue fighting. 

Thinking that, Naruto closed his eyes and quietly spoke, "You are a worthy opponent, but unfortunately..." 

The flying kunai transformed again. The Shadow Clone Naruto, wearing the Nine-Tails cloak, spun around and slammed a Tailed Beast Bomb into Jirobo's back. The massive force, accompanied by an overwhelming shockwave, shattered the power Jirobo had painstakingly gathered. 

The shadow clone Naruto took a deep breath, both hands tightening as he launched the Tailed Beast Bomb directly at Jirobo's massive body.

At this moment, Jirobo was blasted like a cannonball, flying into the air. Under the control of the shadow clone Naruto, the Tailed Beast Bomb made a large arc through the sky, exploding in the air among the birds. A brilliant flash of fire and the burst of chakra energy swept across the land, and the gust of wind brushed against Naruto's clothes.

Naruto watched the fireworks in the sky and suddenly remembered what Kurama had said.

He raised his right hand, extended his index finger, and slowly spoke amidst the fiery light from the explosion of the Tailed Beast Bomb.

"Kurama once said: When you're poor, use tactics; when you're rich, use firepower."

"The arrogant will always suffer the consequences. You didn't lose to me, you lost to your own pride."

In the shadows, under the firelight, Naruto pointed to the sky with one hand.

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