How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

For some reason, Jirobo felt the same frustration with this brat as he had felt when facing Sasuke. But this time, it was even stronger, as if these two were just playing with him.

Jirobo was still quite smart, at least a little smarter than most people.

If he were an ordinary person, he might have started doubting Sasuke's intentions because of Naruto's attitude. But Jirobo didn't doubt. He trusted in Orochimaru-sama's charm and believed Sasuke would make the right choice.

He took a deep breath and sneered:

"Well, if you want to wait, then wait. Just hope you won't regret it."

With that, he silently increased his speed again, pushing it to the maximum without disturbing Sasuke.

Naruto didn't care. Anyway, the guy wasn't moving fast, and with his stamina, it was easy to keep up. He was just a bit worried about Shikamaru and the others, since they were now a bit far away, and his sensory abilities weren't enough to detect them at that distance.

But before half an hour had passed, in less than ten minutes, Jirobo's eyes suddenly lit up.

A warm breeze came from ahead, and as he looked, the scenery ahead was wide open. They had reached the border of the Land of Fire. Naruto knew that a little further ahead would be the border of the Land of Fire, and beyond that was the Land of Wind.

It wasn't that the Land of Fire was small. Konohagakure wasn't even in the center of the Land of Fire. The capital where the Daimyo resided was in the center, while Konohagakure was located at the border, halfway between the capital and the border. From the capital to the border, a Jonin would need at least a day or more to travel.

But from Konohagakure, it would only take about half a day.

Just a note, Naruto couldn't cross the border into the Land of Wind without permission. Not just because he was a Jinchuriki, but because no ninja was allowed to enter another country without permission. That would be considered an invasion.

But now, it was different. The Land of Wind had just lost to the Land of Fire, and with Tsunade's strong stance, even if Naruto crossed into the Land of Wind, they wouldn't do much about it. At most, they would verbally condemn him but would later help him fight enemies.

That's the way it is for a defeated country.

But right now, the focus wasn't on Jirobo, because just as they were about to cross the forest...

At the border, Naruto sensed a powerful chakra, and it was not far ahead. He looked at Jirobo's expression and knew right away that it was most likely a ninja sent to meet them.

From the chakra, Naruto could tell that the person's strength was above Jirobo's.

Naruto silently assessed his own body. After such a long time, his body was almost fully healed. The training with Adamantine Sealing Chains had triggered the Uzumaki clan's physical traits, which had greatly improved his recovery abilities. Although he wasn't completely healed, it was enough to deal with two people.

To avoid any surprises, Naruto immediately began to mobilize his chakra. As his chakra moved, Kurama's crimson chakra slowly leaked out from his body, though it didn't form the Nine-Tails cloak.

Two minutes later, a figure appeared ahead of Naruto. Jirobo didn't hesitate and immediately approached. When he met the person, he dropped to one knee in a show of deep respect. "Kimimaro-sama, the mission is complete."

Naruto also stopped right away, his gaze thoughtful as he examined Kimimaro.

Kimimaro's expression was calm, his face radiating an icy aura that kept others at a distance. He lightly nodded when he heard Jirobo's report but showed no concern for Naruto as he spoke directly. "What about the other three?"

"They've been held up by Konohagakure's Genin," Jirobo replied. "This guy here is the only one who caught up. He's Konohagakure's Jinchuriki, and he once defeated Sunagakure's Jinchuriki. His strength is not weak."

Kimimaro's face showed no reaction, but when he heard that Naruto was a Jinchuriki, he slightly raised his head and looked at him. "Jirobo, you take Sasuke and leave. I'll handle the pursuers."

Jirobo hesitated for a moment, as if realizing something. "Kimimaro-sama, your body…"

"It's fine," Kimimaro said softly, stepping forward to stand in front of Naruto. "My body is already reaching its limit. Let me do one last thing for Orochimaru-sama."

He knew his own body better than anyone. Perhaps aside from Yakushi Kabuto, no one understood better than he did how long he could last. In fact, it was already a miracle that he was still alive.

Since that was the case, he might as well use his life to do one final thing for Orochimaru-sama.

"I understand," Jirobo nodded, acknowledging Kimimaro's wish. He glanced at Naruto before standing up and heading toward the Land of Wind border.

Naruto didn't stop him. Instead, he continued watching Kimimaro until Jirobo had left. Then, he spoke slowly, "Are you finished?"

"Ah," Kimimaro nodded. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

Kimimaro was still polite, treating everyone with respect, but his reverence was reserved only for Orochimaru-sama.

Naruto looked at Kimimaro with some curiosity. It was probably Kimimaro's politeness that made Naruto feel he wasn't a bad person, so he didn't really guard himself and asked directly, "Earlier, you told that big guy your body had reached its limit. Were you injured?"

"No,"

Kimimaro shook his head, showing no hesitation as he openly shared his condition. 

"I'm have a Kekkei Genkai of the Taketori clan. As my strength grew, I also got infected with the Taketori clan's blood disease. For many years, I've been using medicine to suppress it, but it's reached its limit now. If I fight again without holding back, I'll probably die."

Kimimaro said this without any sign of emotion on his face, his tone completely calm, as if he had already accepted life and death and wasn't concerned at all.

Naruto, hearing this, looked a bit shocked. "Even like this, you still want to fight me? Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"I'm not afraid," Kimimaro replied with a shake of his head. "What I'm more afraid of is that after I die, Orochimaru-sama will lose a capable subordinate. Fortunately, Uchiha Sasuke has come. I believe he can become a strong ninja, and with him, Orochimaru-sama won't lose anything. He'll be able to take my place."

Since Sasuke was personally chosen by Orochimaru-sama to be his body, Kimimaro felt even more reassured.

Naruto's expression grew a little darker. "Why would you go this far? Just for that Orochimaru?"

"Please don't insult Orochimaru-sama," Kimimaro responded seriously. "Orochimaru-sama is everything to me. My dream is to give up everything for Orochimaru-sama. If I didn't have the blood disease, I would have become Orochimaru-sama's body. It's just a shame..."

When Kimimaro said this, there was a genuine sense of regret on his face, not fake regret, but real disappointment, even a bit of frustration.

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