Naruto: Reborn as Yagura Karatachi

"Goodbye."

Menma turned his head and gave a wide, toothy grin—the last thing Kakashi heard before he vanished.

The moment Menma touched Naruto, they both disappeared from that space. Kakashi felt like he had fallen into an icy pit.

He found himself back at his original starting point—where the kunai had landed.

Menma casually dropped his half-brother, someone from the same clan who also carried half of the Nine-Tails inside him, to the ground. Grinning from ear to ear, he turned to Yagura, clearly expecting praise.

"Sensei, target secured."

The eagerness in Menma's voice—practically trembling with anticipation—pulled Yagura's attention away from Naruto.

"Nicely done," Yagura said.

Then, from head to toe, he ruffled Menma's hair. The sensation was so good, Menma almost let out a fox-like cry of delight.

Turning back to his half-brother, Menma couldn't help but find Naruto oddly good-looking in a clueless sort of way.

He used to feel an instinctive aversion toward Naruto, just like Sasuke did. Something deep down in his genes rejected him.

Even Kakashi was caught off guard. Naruto, who had never seen the Flying Thunder God Technique before, was utterly stunned.

He had no idea what had just happened—all he knew was that the world around him had suddenly changed.

The only thing he could be sure of was that the two people in front of him weren't from Konoha. They were enemies.

He tried to stand up and grab a weapon to fight back, but Yagura's oppressive aura—far stronger than his own—crushed him into the ground. He couldn't even lift a leg.

His instincts screamed the truth: this was an enemy he could never hope to defeat.

Naruto scooted back inch by inch.

"W-what are you guys trying to do, huh?! You jerks!"

They didn't answer him.

Yagura was confident—Naruto wasn't going anywhere.

He turned to Menma. "Go help Sasuke and the others."

Kakashi had likely grasped the situation by now. Things were about to get serious.

This battle was meant to be a trial for the three young shinobi. Yagura was only here to maintain control.

Kidnapping Naruto had been a bold move.

Yagura was already thinking about how to make this "hard meal" a little easier to chew. As he approached Naruto, he said,

"Konoha really handed you over to Kakashi? They really thought nothing would go wrong?"

He tilted his head and dodged the kunai and stones Naruto hurled at him.

Still in high spirits, Yagura smirked in that annoyingly smug way of his.

Chains of water shot out, wrapping around Naruto's neck and limbs, locking him in place.

There were no Anbu from Konoha rushing in to interfere.

Yagura couldn't help muttering to himself—was Hiruzen Sarutobi starting to lose his mind in his old age, buried under paperwork?

He just left the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki in Kakashi's care and felt safe about it?

"Oh well, dumb enemy decisions are my best friends."

Ignoring Naruto's completely ineffective struggles, Yagura pressed a hand against the seal on his stomach.

His consciousness dove into Naruto's mind—the mental space where the Nine-Tails resided.

He still hadn't decided what to do with Naruto in the end.

Just like in those novels, brainwashing Naruto into turning evil wasn't off the table.

If he really wanted to, Yagura could have his strategic partner, Shimura Danzo and his Root operatives, kill the person Naruto cared for most—Umino Iruka.

But before taking the next step, there was something else to do: eliminate the leftover chakra of Minato Namikaze sealed inside Naruto, that pesky remnant getting in the way.

...

Kakashi's pupils shrank. "Naruto—!"

In front of him, Naruto—carrying a Tailed Beast—had just been snatched away by the shinobi from Kirigakure.

Flying Thunder God Technique...

Wait.

Any one of these developments would be enough to shake Kakashi to his core.

But all of them happening at once?

Neji was still fighting Shinobu when Shinobu suddenly broke off and ran to retrieve Sasuke, who had been knocked down by Kakashi.

The mission was complete. Now it was time to retreat.

But there was no way Kakashi would let them leave.

"You're not getting away!"

These two Mist shinobi, along with the one who used the Flying Thunder God Technique earlier—they had to be Kirigakure's new generation of geniuses, just like the Kimmaro squad from three years ago.

No one knew where Naruto had been taken.

But Sasuke—and Shinobu—were still here!

For Konoha, and for his own pride, he had to capture them alive!

He unleashed a Wind Style jutsu, dispersing the acidic mist Shinobu had summoned.

But the lightly-armored girl moved with speed far beyond that of an average chunin.

She had already put significant distance between them, leaving Kakashi unable to catch up—at least for now.

In that short window of time, Shinobu had used medical ninjutsu to heal most of Sasuke's injuries.

Sasuke had already recovered about eighty percent on his own.

"Thanks. I'll hold him off."

"Huh? You're not running?"

Kakashi's body and face were already covered in burns from the acid...

The mist parted, revealing skin streaked with fresh, crimson wounds.

Even so, Elite Jonin Hatake Kakashi was not someone Shinobu or Sasuke could mess with.

From a young age, they'd been taught: if you encounter an enemy stronger than you, your first priority is to escape.

Shinobu thought maybe he hadn't made himself clear.

"You can't beat him. We should run."

"No," Sasuke shook his head stubbornly, eyes steely. "That's exactly why I'm staying."

His resolve was firm—he had made up his mind to stay behind and hold Kakashi off.

Shinobu didn't hesitate to leave Sasuke behind.

Team spirit? There was no such thing in a group that had just barely been thrown together.

As the mist cleared, Kakashi finally got a full view of Sasuke charging at him, hands flying into a blur of seals. Even though Sasuke started later, he finished his jutsu at the exact same time—

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

Kakashi's attitude shifted instantly. The casual detachment from earlier was gone—he was fully engaged now.

The fireballs clashed and dispersed in a sizzling roar.

All distractions burned away, Kakashi now viewed Sasuke as a true opponent.

Within just a few exchanges, Kakashi's precise offense drove Sasuke into a dangerous position.

He was barely hanging on—only able to keep up by relying on the Sharingan to read Kakashi's moves.

Fortunately, the famed Copy Ninja, whose name had been built on the Uchiha eye, wasn't known for his taijutsu.

Without Might Guy's burning passion for training by his side, the son of the White Fang had a blind spot—and it was close combat.

Fresh from a painful misstep, Sasuke now treaded carefully, analyzing every move as he intercepted Kakashi's relentless attacks.

He could see it.

Exchange after exchange, Sasuke began to adapt—his Sharingan gradually copying Kakashi's movements.

He was turning the tide in hand-to-hand combat.

"Chidori!"

The piercing screech of lightning, sharp as a thousand birds crying at once, tore through the air right in front of him.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

He could see it!

Using the sound to judge distance, he ducked low—dodging just in time.

At the same moment, Kakashi bit his thumb and slammed his hand to the ground.

"Ninja Art: Summoning Jutsu!"

Eight snarling ninja hounds burst from the earth, lunging straight at Sasuke with snapping jaws!

"Earth Style: Earth Wall!"

Three escape routes were sealed off.

The pack pounced, fangs tearing into flesh, blood staining Sasuke's already battered form.

The rain had passed. The sky was clear.

And Sasuke—still had the nerve to think he was doing fine.

Kakashi pressed a kunai to Sasuke's throat, aiming to force out information—where had they taken Naruto?

But then came the sound of paper bombs.

Gritting his teeth through the pain, Sasuke scuffed his foot across the ground, pushing the sandy dirt aside. He looked up at Kakashi and gave a smug grin.

If Kakashi wasted even a second trying to finish him now, there was no way he'd make it out of the explosion range intact.

There'd be plenty of chances to kill Sasuke later—like the moment he'd rigged this entire area with explosive tags.

But Kakashi couldn't afford to die here.

For the first time in years, he lost his composure. Internally, he cursed the ANBU lurking in the shadows—what the hell were they doing, just watching?

He hurled out a chain weapon, binding Sasuke tight.

Then he retreated, calculating the blast radius and the countdown with deadly precision. At the very last split second—0.01 seconds before detonation—he recalled the ninja hounds.

But by then, Sasuke was already gone.

He hadn't returned directly to Yagura's side; the chain Kakashi left behind was still in the way.

Menma sliced through it with a kunai, scowling at the mess of a teammate he'd just rescued.

"You're really trying your best to die, huh?"

Blood poured from Sasuke's wounds, fresh and red from where the dogs had bitten deep.

Etched into his body, from childhood training sessions, were remnants of the Flying Thunder God seal.

Even on the brink of death, Sasuke kept that stubborn mouth running.

"I did it on purpose. And you still came to save me, didn't you?"

Menma looked away, annoyed. Then he glanced at Kakashi.

"Hey."

Swish—!

Before Kakashi could charge back in, Menma vanished with Sasuke in a teleportation flash.

Murder, looting, escape—all easier with the Flying Thunder God.

Back then, Kakashi had followed his sensei into the battlefield of Iwagakure, slicing through enemy lines with Minato at his side.

And now, for the first time, he understood the helplessness the Iwa shinobi must have felt facing the Yellow Flash.

Menma returned to Yagura.

Shinobu was already back on his own. Yagura called him over to treat Sasuke's wounds.

She grumbled, "Second time now," as she set about healing Sasuke.

Should've run when we told you.

She'd been an assassin from the ANBU—was she seriously their team's designated medic?

Sasuke could tell praising her medical ninjutsu right now would get him stabbed. He just muttered,

"Thanks."

Yagura nodded approvingly. "You did well."

Thanks to the time Sasuke bought, Yagura had erased the last remnants of Namikaze Minato's chakra.

He knocked Naruto out with a precise chop before the boy could flee.

Down below, Neji had already spotted them. Kakashi was heading their way too.

Yagura hoisted Naruto onto his back and placed a hand on Menma's shoulder.

"Let's go, Menma. We're heading home."

Menma couldn't shake the feeling something was off.

The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki of Konoha had been abducted by Kirigakure.

The next move was up to the Leaf.

Would they handle this discreetly, behind the scenes? Or make it public?

Would people fear the Mist for taking a Tailed Beast—or target Konoha for losing one?

Yagura hoped it was the latter.

But if it turned out to be the former—well, neither he nor Kirigakure would back down.

...

Kakashi forced himself to calm down. This was no longer something he could handle on his own. It had to be reported to Hiruzen Sarutobi.

He retrieved the shaken Haruno Sakura.

Then, not far from the bridge battlefield, Team 7 stumbled upon the corpses of Konoha's ANBU, directly under the Hokage's command.

This second battlefield had been wiped clean—too clean.

No traces left behind. No clues about the culprit. Not even Kakashi could find a single lead.

It made him and Yagura realize something—they'd misjudged Hiruzen and the ANBU.

Naruto hadn't been left unguarded after all.

Neji was doing his best to stay composed. "So… it really was the Mist?"

Kakashi didn't respond.

Because the truth wasn't something a child raised on the peaceful surface of Konoha needed to hear.

No. It wasn't the Mist.

He had another suspect. A much more troubling one.

If it really was Kirigakure, they would've fought out in the open. There'd be no need to erase the scene so thoroughly.

It was too clean. That was what made Kakashi suspicious.

The enemy isn't openly aligned with the Mist. They don't want to be identified—because we know them. They're one of us. An enemy from within.

Root, under Danzo.

So many shady operations. So many dirty deeds.

If Kakashi had to suspect anyone first—it was Danzo and his underground unit.

As Konoha appeared weaker to the outside world, the internal political struggle grew fiercer.

Danzo's hawkish faction had already clashed more than once with Hiruzen's leadership.

It was a high-stakes conflict at the heart of the village.

Kakashi knew he couldn't interfere in that. All he could do was bring Neji and Sakura back to Konoha—

And let Hiruzen decide what came next.

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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