Naruto: The new beginning

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Sumaru stepped forward and addressed Hoshikage Akahoshi with determination. "Lord Akahoshi, let me go after him! I promise to bring back the 'star' intact!"

Akahoshi shook his head. "No. You are to remain here and tend to your injured comrades. The pursuit will be left to the Konoha ninja."

"But Lord Akahoshi!" Sumaru protested, his voice tinged with frustration.

"This is an order!" Akahoshi's tone grew firm, his expression stern.

"Yes, sir…" Sumaru replied reluctantly, lowering his head as he walked away in defeat.

Akahoshi turned to Kakashi and his team with a grave expression. "That traitor has already mastered our village's secret techniques. He can now use chakra to fly. Please proceed with caution. I will stay behind to investigate any further clues in the village. The safety of the star is in your hands."

"This is our mission, and we'll see it through," Kakashi replied calmly. With that, he led Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura out of Hoshigakure.

As they walked, Sakura voiced her concerns. "Kakashi-sensei, the symptoms affecting the villagers are all strikingly similar. It has to be connected to their training. If we recover the star and they continue using it to train..." She hesitated, her voice softening. "It feels like we'd only be harming them further."

Kakashi glanced at Naruto and Sasuke. "What do you two think?"

Sasuke's response was calm and detached. "Our mission is to retrieve the star. If anyone is to blame, it's the one who taught them this harmful technique."

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if this training method is truly harmful, the Hoshikage would've known all along. But they've clung to it out of some unrealistic hope. This is an internal matter for their village, and we have no authority to interfere."

Kakashi felt a tinge of pride. Both boys had grasped the situation. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed troubled by her empathy as a budding medical ninja clouding her judgment.

Before Kakashi could respond, Naruto grinned mischievously. "But if you're feeling bad about it, Sakura, we could get the star back and then let it get 'accidentally' snatched by some ninja from Kumogakure. Problem solved, no guilt involved!"

Sasuke and Sakura stared at Naruto, momentarily considering his outrageous suggestion.

Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Naruto, stop fooling around. Our task is to retrieve the star. If you're that concerned, Sakura, you can try persuading Akahoshi once we're done."

"Understood!" Sakura nodded firmly, then turned to glare at Naruto.

Kakashi and Sasuke followed suit, their eyes boring into Naruto.

Naruto raised his hands in mock surrender. "Alright, alright! I was just joking! Geez..."

Meanwhile, at Hell Valley, Team 8 had reached the area. Seeing Naruto and his group approach, Kushina Uzumaki frowned. "This isn't good."

Akamaru whimpered softly at her side.

Kiba explained, "The scent disappears here. I think it's the effect of the toxic gas from the valley."

Hinata added, "Using my Byakugan, I've scanned the area below. There's no sign of anyone passing through recently."

"So entering the canyon is unlikely, even with protective gear," Kakashi summarized. He considered the information Akahoshi had shared. "It's possible the target flew directly to their stronghold from here, which would explain why the trail goes cold at this point. Let's proceed there next."

Naruto, now the team's mode of transportation thanks to his Flying Raijin Kunai, carried everyone across the canyon.

However, Kiba and Akamaru still couldn't pick up any scent on the other side. With no other choice, the group moved toward the dense forest Akahoshi had mentioned.

By the time they reached the forest, the sun had already set. Exhausted from their efforts, the teams decided to mark their progress and return to Hoshigakure for the night.

The next morning, both teams regrouped and set out early. Surprisingly, Kakashi was punctual he had avoided his usual diversions, fully aware of the mission's importance.

Naruto, however, was less enthusiastic. As the group clung to him during teleportation, he muttered under his breath, "The son of the Fourth Hokage, reduced to being a human taxi... How did my life end up like this?"

Back in the forest, the group split up to search for clues. Naruto and Kushina used Kagura's Mind Eye to sense chakra signatures, Shino released his insects to scout, and Kiba and Akamaru sniffed for scents.

Everyone carried a Flying Raijin Kunai for quick regrouping. Sakura and Sasuke, lacking advanced detection abilities, were each assigned a ninja hound.

Pakkun, Kakashi's trusted ninja dog, froze after catching Sakura's scent. His nose twitched, and his body stiffened in recognition.

'Not again...' he thought. Silently, he chose a direction opposite Sakura's and bolted.

Biscuit, another ninja hound, was paired with Sakura. Larger than Pakkun, with yellow fur and a talkative demeanour, Biscuit sniffed the air curiously. "You know, kid, your shampoo smells just like Pakkun's lately…"

Boom!!!!!

A loud crash echoed through the forest as a tree toppled dramatically.

Within Naruto's subconscious, Kurama stirred. "Hey, brat. There's a familiar presence nearby."

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

"It's Matatabi," Kurama clarified. "Some people call her Nibi. You know, the blue two-tailed cat."

Naruto nodded, remembering the kind, feminine voice of Matatabi's Jinchūriki, Yugito Nii of Kumogakure.

Despite her strength, she had been defeated by Kakuzu and Hidan.

Still, Naruto knew her loss was no reflection of weakness facing the Immortal Duo without intel was a tall order for anyone.

"So Yugi-err, Yugito is here too?" Naruto asked, piecing things together.

Kurama huffed. "Looks like it. Kumogakure sent her, probably as a gesture of goodwill toward Hoshigakure. Or maybe they're just watching their interests."

Naruto grinned slyly. "Hey, Kurama, are you going to say hi to Matatabi?"

Kurama bristled. "Why would I? What's next, a meet-and-greet? Idiot."

Naruto laughed. "Fine, fine. Tell Mom about it, though. She'll want to know."

After relaying the message to Kushina, Naruto sped toward Kakashi. "Kakashi-sensei, how about we add a cat-catching mission to today's agenda?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. "…What?"

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