Sasuke was defeated with shocking speed.
Faced with an experienced Root ninja, Sasuke was far more vulnerable than anyone could have imagined. It was completely unexpected.
Naruto Uzumaki watched, stunned, as Sasuke's kunai was sent flying before a swift kick sent him to the ground. Sasuke had only managed to clash blades a few times before the Root ninja found an opening and disarmed him with a single stroke.
Even the female Root ninja seemed surprised. She had likely expected a fierce battle, not such an easy victory. In the end, Sasuke Uchiha's strength was nothing like his brother's.
Seeing Sasuke so easily defeated, the other ninjas began to relax.
"Is Itachi Uchiha's younger brother really this weak?"
"This Uchiha brat was the top student at the Academy, that shouldn't be right."
"She's just gotten stronger. After the humiliation of being subdued by an eight-year-old brat back then, she trained even harder. If she couldn't beat an Academy graduate now, she'd have no reason to live."
With Sasuke taken down and Naruto already injured, the group of enemy ninjas visibly relaxed. Their leader, Fu Yamanaka, felt a wave of relief. His subordinate's easy victory proved that not everyone on Team 7 was a monster.
On the other side, Kakashi Hatake was still fighting desperately, the number of injuries on his body growing. He had to fend off his own attackers while keeping an eye on Team 7, making his situation incredibly difficult.
When Sasuke stood up, full of confidence, only to be instantly defeated, Kakashi knew he could wait no longer. "Raikiri!"
A mass of electricity crackled in Kakashi's palm. He ignored the danger, trading an injury for an opening as he plunged the lightning in his hand into an enemy's chest.
Kakashi's shoulder was cut in the exchange, but it bought him a precious moment. The white-haired ninja flew to Sasuke's side, blocking an incoming attack. Blood sprayed from his new wound from the force of the impact, but he gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as he dragged Sasuke out of danger.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura Haruno nervously took out gauze and began to bandage him, but she was so scared she started to whimper. "Sensei, what should we do...?"
"Don't worry," Kakashi said, holding a kunai in his mouth as he helped Sakura with the bandage. "I'll find a way to cover your escape."
He sized up the enemies as they began to gather. In reality, he wasn't very confident. If it were just him, escaping wouldn't be a problem. But getting all of Team 7 out safely was next to impossible.
After helping Sasuke sit down, Naruto got up and stood in front of the enemies. "Kakashi-sensei, do you know who they are?"
Kakashi fell silent. He recognized the Mind Body Switch Technique—a secret jutsu of Konoha's Yamanaka clan. No other ninja should be able to use it. These people, with their fluid teamwork and ruthless efficiency, weren't ordinary ninja. They were ANBU.
However, the Third Hokage would never send ANBU to assassinate Team 7; he knew how important Naruto was. That left only one possibility: Root, the shadowy organization run by Danzo Shimura, which operated beneath the great tree of Konoha.
As far as Kakashi knew, Root was supposed to have been completely disbanded after the Uchiha clan massacre. It seemed something fishy was going on. This was the dark side of Konoha, something these little ones shouldn't have been exposed to. Why would they appear now?
Kakashi's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Naruto. It made a twisted sort of sense. The one-eyed old man was making a play for the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki. There were many unspeakable things in Konoha, and the Third Hokage definitely had a hand in some of them; Kakashi knew of at least two or three himself.
Danzo certainly knew more. With just a little thought, he could find a way to provoke Naruto into joining Root. He could even use a seal to control him. If Danzo completely controlled the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, even Hiruzen Sarutobi would have to consider the consequences before making a move against him. The Nine-Tails' rampage twelve years ago had devastated Konoha. If it happened again, the village would be finished.
Kakashi gritted his teeth, grabbed a few shuriken, and said in a deep voice, "In a moment, I'll cover you so you can escape..."
Sakura grabbed his arm, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Kakashi-sensei, you're already injured." Even she could see that if Kakashi stayed behind to cover their retreat, his chances of survival were slim.
Naruto watched the enemy encirclement slowly close and shook his head. "We can't escape. If we split up, we'll be picked off one by one."
Besides, he and Kakashi were the only ones capable of fighting these enemies. If Sasuke, Sakura, or their client encountered them alone, they would almost certainly die.
Kakashi pulled his arm free. "Don't worry," he insisted. "I'll find a way to hold them off."
"But you'll definitely die here, Kakashi-sensei!"
Naruto helplessly stuck his kunai into the ground and slowly closed his eyes. "If we don't want to all die here, it seems there's no other way..."
His Rasengan was still too underdeveloped, its power not nearly enough to change the course of the battle. It was also too easy for the enemy to dodge.
Earlier, he had used the Shadow Clone Technique to stop their advance, which had consumed a lot of his chakra. With his current strength, it was impossible to defeat this group of elite ninjas alone.
When encountering such difficulties… what should one do?
A sense of fate drove him. Naruto Uzumaki slowly closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into the seal space. He walked step by step toward the giant demon fox. "Nine-Tails, I need chakra again."
The Nine-Tails groaned internally. Is this kid an idiot? No, it should be that all the Jinchuriki I've met have something wrong with their brains!
Look at other people's Jinchuriki. They borrow the Tailed Beast's chakra to gain power sufficient to change a war. But my first two Jinchuriki never used my chakra, giving me no chance to escape the seal. This third one finally got a clue, but he just keeps using his own jutsu to devour and absorb my chakra, literally treating the strongest Tailed Beast in the ninja world as a chakra refill station!
Just as the Nine-Tails closed its eyes in dissatisfaction, ready to let the boy do as he pleased, Naruto suddenly spoke. "This time, we might have to fight together. Otherwise, we might both die out there."
The Nine-Tails snorted, cracking open an eye to look at the small figure before it. "Brat, what makes you think I'll agree to that?"
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Bonus:
Naruto Uzumaki: Nine-Tails, can you give me a hand…
Nine-Tails: Not helping. Get lost!
Naruto Uzumaki: Sealing Technique: Devour!
Nine-Tails: Fine, talk.
Naruto Uzumaki: Lend me your power…
Nine-Tails: Not lending…
Naruto Uzumaki: If you won't, then I'll just have to absorb your chakra and fight the humans myself!
Nine-Tails: How much do you want, and do you plan to pay me back?
Naruto Uzumaki: What are you saying? I don't understand.