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Naruto's POV (Southern Swamps of Irminsul - Terra)
Naruto sat at an unattended pathway between the branches of the massive trees of the Blechumi clan. Ichumi had said they were named Spectrum Wood trees before which Naruto proposed was fitting. Their unique pink wood and gleaming leaves reflected in the moonlight made a sight even the energetic blonde could enjoy. Even in his homeland Naruto had never seen treetops so breathtaking. However, the beautiful sight and even the relaxed atmosphere of the Blechumi Clan did little to settle his disturbed state.
The play was a kindness, and the shelter and food they offered were acts that Naruto could and did appreciate. But extended plays had never been his forte; sitting and quietly enjoying something the blonde could respect but couldn't suffer himself. Luckily, a quick, seamless switch with a shadow clone allowed Naruto to show his appreciation to the clan without being subjected to the play directly. He had felt a little guilty leaving Yuno behind to experience it, but she had seemed really into it. Besides he had something he had wanted to try.
Besides, the blonde couldn't help but worry. Naruto now knew just how dangerous these lands were. While they had been lucky to discover the Blechumi Clan, the knowledge of a third party with the ability to mind control and some weird monsters prowling the night. Naruto couldn't help but be worried about his friends. He had found Yuno and Kiba but had only managed to save Yuno. However, Kiba, Muri, Sasuke, Hinata, Shino, Lee, Choji, and Sakura were still missing. And likely to be in a fair bit of trouble. And here he was safe and sound.
Naruto was no fool; he recognized that he needed to rest, and traveling in the dark with an unknown number of dangerous enemies all around him was nothing short of stupid. But he had come to rescue his friends; the fights with the late Krookorook Clan, Kiba, and Yuno had stalled him. But they were out there struggling while he relaxed… he peered into the dark forest below. His mind was betrayed by the knowledge of the danger his friends were left with… There was no movement out there; in fact, there was barely the cacophony Naruto was used to hearing from the forest. Which played into the idea of something being different. But all the same he yearned to continue his search through the night.
Naruto flinched as several bouts of information flooded his mind. Grim visions and fates of what lies out there. But all the same, didn't that make the case of going out there to aid his friends all the more valid?
Maybe he should…
"Ah, I was wondering where you wandered off to Blondie." Yuno's voice chimed in, and the teasing smile of the female became visible as she walked over to the blonde. Resting against the rail beside him and relaxing as if fully comfortable around him. "Kinda rude to wander off with a clone during the nice play the Blechumi Clan has blessed us with. You missed the entire dramatic twist in the second act. Also, did you really think a Uchiha wouldn't notice your exit?"
Naruto chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. "Mostly it was meant to fool our host. Though I'll admit, I didn't expect you to notice with how into it you were. Not really into plays myself, much too long for my taste, more of a movie guy I guess."
"Oh, so that's why you wandered off," Yuno said as she rolled her eyes. "And here I thought you'd be debating heading out for the night to look for the others."
Naruto chuckled again; Yuno was similar to Ino in some ways. Both seemed to be able to read him so effortlessly. "Caught red-handed, aye? I'm guilty, I'll admit it; I feel bad relaxing and partying when our friends could be in trouble. Hell, we know for a fact Kiba is."
"Maybe, but you've been fighting all day, even you must be worn out. Hell, I'm exhausted as well. We won't be of any help to anyone if we're all worn out, and get in trouble ourselves." Yuno pointed out.
"Yeah… I know." Naruto agreed with a frown. He felt a small amount of shame in admitting even that. "That's why I haven't run off yet. Even though I think I could keep going, I don't wanna act impulsively. It's mostly because I'm a jinchuriki. Recently I've realized just how different that makes me… Normal people like you need your rest now; but I could probably go for days… Though I'll likely need your help for the rest of this mission. If today was a sign of how much resistance is out there, I could use the help. So I know I need to just wait it out for the night…"
"You're human too, Naruto; just because you're the host of the tailed beast doesn't change that fact. I appreciate you looking out for me, especially for not demeaning my skills while doing so, but you need rest just as badly as I do. Besides resting, we need to make sure you're at your very best. Something we may need to get out of this. However, let's be honest: we know you've done more since we arrived here. A man like you can't sit still. I wouldn't be surprised if you already have a plan in motion." Yuno said with a knowing smirk.
Naruto flinched at her calling him out so quickly. She was just as sharp as his teammate but much more blunt. "Caught onto that too? Are all Uchiha annoying know-it-alls?" Naruto joked. "But right you are; call it dumb or risky. But sitting here partying while my friends might be in danger. Well, it doesn't sit right with me, ya know? So when I slipped away, I summoned more clones, forty to be forthright. I split them into four teams of ten and sent them out in each cardinal direction. Figure they could scout out for signs of our friends and check out those demons."
"Kami Blondie, you really are just like him…" Yuno said with a shake of her head. "You've been gone for a while. Have any of them reported back?"
"No, that stopped me from going out thus far," Naruto admitted. "Shadow Clones aren't like regular clones; when they perish, they send their memories back to me. It's why I knew it would be useful regardless of how it went. But most of them have already perished…"
"Well, considering we knew the swamps at night are teeming with some sort of mysterious creatures, that doesn't seem strange to me. They are only clones after all, they're not as strong as you." Yuno pointed out.
"Fair, but they nearly are." Naruto countered. "They have access to the same skills and techniques as me and copies of my tools. The only reason they can't stand toe-to-toe with people most often is twofold. One, they aren't as durable; due to my tough biology, I'm used to tanking hits or trading if necessary; my clones can't and, due to such, are slightly stylistically crippled. Not to mention, any lethal or solid shot is a kill shot. Secondly, they can't quite fight the same as me, either. They don't have as much chakra as me and certainly don't last as long as I can in battle. It's why I went for quantity, figured a team of ten should be able to face most problems…"
"Based on your melancholy mood, I suppose it hasn't gone well since?" Yuno asked.
"Each group but one has been destroyed… within minutes of it starting. Like I said earlier, the clones send me their memories, experience, and mental toll. As such, I got the details of each of their deaths. Nearly all of them were killed by those so-called demons. The bastards are some scary and tough monsters. It looks like some demonic version of a human or something. But they're a lot tougher than they look, fast enough to keep us on our toes, strong enough to rip chunks out of us, and their numbers…" Naruto started. "The first two teams were taken out almost immediately. While the demons can't get in here, they are more than aware we are here. The south and western fronts were completely covered in them. Bastard mobbed the clones so fast and hard that they barely had the chance to fight back. Several clones escaped these ambushes and tried out running them. But eventually, they were all caught."
"So monstrous strength, speed, and numbers, paired with the shocking ability to outrun the Leaf's stamina freak. Just wonderful." Yuno said with a sarcastic tone. "Is there any good news?"
"Well, the second two groups didn't run into ambushes; the first group went for speed and tried to make some distance, and the second tried for stealth. The stealth group was detected immediately despite their efforts. In fact, based on their memories, it seems like these demons can track us." Naruto responded with a sigh. He fiddled with Riptide as he spoke, a habit he had recently developed when stressed. The repeated memories of his own death were distressing, as well as what it bodes for his allies. "The group did manage to fight back; their numbers weren't as thick as the ambushes had been. They attempted to make a stand using nearly every technique in my arsenal. It turns out these demons aren't immortal. The group suffered losses but managed to take out dozens of them. Whatever they are, they can also take a punch, and nothing less than a headshot keeps them down. One of my clones managed to bisect one of them, only for it to simply crawl up and behead him after. There's still hope for the last group; they haven't suffered a casualty yet, so they would have managed to make it… but I doubt it. These "demons" are no joke."