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Naruto's strength was far beyond what both Kabuto and Tsunade had estimated.
If his opponent were Orochimaru, Naruto would have little confidence in winning, but when facing Kabuto, things were different.
Although Kabuto had strange, unpredictable attacks, he lacked overwhelming ninjutsu.
He had defeated Tsunade by exploiting her weaknesses, but Naruto felt sure he could take him on.
Kabuto was agile and fast, could use Earth Release, and, most importantly, had extraordinary healing abilities.
This made Naruto's large-scale ninjutsu less effective.
The best option would be to defeat him in one move using the Rasengan, but for that to work, Naruto needed to restrict Kabuto's movements or catch him by surprise.
Naruto created multiple shadow clones, sending a few to attack Kabuto from different angles.
In terms of taijutsu, Naruto was strong, but the clones couldn't gain the upper hand. Kabuto dealt with them cautiously yet steadily.
Seeing an opening, Naruto attempted to attack Kabuto from behind with the Rasengan, but Kabuto heard the distinct sound of the Rasengan and dodged at the last second.
Realizing it would be challenging to catch Kabuto off guard, Naruto understood that powerful jutsu like the Rasengan were too noticeable.
By now, Kabuto's precise attacks with his chakra scalpel destroyed most of Naruto's shadow clones.
With few options, Naruto activated his "Lightning Armor" technique and engaged Kabuto in close combat using a kunai.
Seeing Naruto enveloped in lightning-based chakra, Kabuto found it troublesome.
His chakra scalpel couldn't penetrate Naruto's defence, and Naruto found it difficult to land a decisive blow with his kunai, as Kabuto's regeneration abilities kept healing his wounds.
The fight was currently at a stalemate.
Naruto then created two more shadow clones. Kabuto scoffed, saying, "Numbers don't matter. As long as I handle this carefully, you're wasting chakra."
Naruto replied, "You'll see if it's useful soon enough."
As he charged toward Kabuto, just as he reached him, Naruto quickly formed a set of hand seals and unleashed "Lightning Strike."
The lightning coursed through the kunai, temporarily hitting Kabuto's arm and paralyzing him.
Shocked, Kabuto remarked, "Not bad, but that's still not enough to kill me."
Naruto increased the power of his Lightning Release, further paralyzing Kabuto. At that moment, one of Naruto's shadow clones hit Kabuto's back with the Rasengan.
Kabuto was in utter disbelief. In his mind, the Rasengan was a high-level jutsu that only the original body could perform.
He was sent flying, spinning mid-air before crashing into the ground, creating a large crater. Despite the powerful blow, Kabuto managed to survive.
His injuries began healing rapidly, but his chakra was too depleted to recover fully. While not dead, Kabuto was now unable to move.
Lying on the ground, Kabuto looked at Naruto and said, "I never imagined... you'd be able to channel such powerful chakra into a shadow clone. Just who are you?"
Seeing Naruto defeat an enemy who had pushed her into a difficult battle filled Tsunade's heart with complex emotions.
Her perception of Naruto began to change. She thought that perhaps this boy, who dreamed of becoming Hokage, wasn't wrong after all.
Meanwhile, Orochimaru, locked in combat with Jiraiya, noticed the outcome of Naruto and Kabuto's fight.
A sudden wave of killing intent surged through him. He broke free from Jiraiya's pursuit, using a trick to knock him down.
Orochimaru lunged toward Naruto's back. In time, Tsunade noticed and shouted, "Naruto, watch out!"
Hearing her warning, Naruto activated his "Lightning Armor" again and barely dodged Orochimaru's attack.
Orochimaru's Kusanagi sword was incredibly sharp, and Naruto knew his current Lightning Release might be unable to block it.
If he were hit, it wouldn't just be an injury—his head might roll. Naruto quickly dodged to the side and faced Orochimaru.
Orochimaru, whose hands were sealed and unable to perform ninjutsu, could only rely on his tongue and the Kusanagi sword in his mouth.
If Naruto continued to dodge, he could buy time until Jiraiya recovered, but this would endanger Tsunade.
Naruto created shadow clones to distract Orochimaru.
However, Orochimaru, using only his tongue, sword, and legs, easily destroyed Naruto's clones, showing a vast difference in power compared to Kabuto.
Realizing this, Naruto stood before Tsunade, quickly thinking of a strategy.
If Orochimaru's hands were fully functional, Naruto would have already been defeated. But now, he had to fight for his life.
Just then, Tsunade stood up, and a strange mark appeared on her forehead. "Yin Seal: Release. Ninpo: Creation Rebirth!" she shouted.
Her wounds instantly healed. She stepped before Naruto and declared, "From now on, I'll be your opponent as the Fifth Hokage!"
Orochimaru coldly responded, "So, you've finally overcome your fear of blood. You've even mastered a jutsu that can rapidly heal your injuries."
Tsunade replied, "It's not healing—it's regeneration. I've stored chakra in my forehead for years. I release this seal in battle, allowing my body to regenerate continuously. You can't kill me."
Tsunade smeared a little blood and began forming hand seals.
Seeing this, Orochimaru quickly retreated to Kabuto's side while Jiraiya began forming hand seals.
At almost the same time, the three Sannins summoned their creatures. In an instant, Gamabunta, Katsuyu, and Manda appeared.
Gamabunta jokingly asked Jiraiya if they were having a class reunion, while Manda demanded a living sacrifice in exchange for helping Orochimaru.
Katsuyu, as usual, remained silent. The battle began with Katsuyu spitting acid toward Manda, but the large snake dodged with surprising agility.
Manda retaliated by coiling around Katsuyu and preparing to strike with his massive jaws, but Gamabunta intervened, slashing at Manda with his sword.
However, Manda caught the sword in his mouth, and the battle continued evenly.
Katsuyu divided herself to escape Manda's coils, while Gamabunta abandoned his sword and quickly retreated.
Together with Jiraiya, they unleashed a powerful "Fire Style: Toad Oil Flame Bullet," a combination of fire and oil.
The attack had immense power and range but only burned off Manda's shed skin. The snake had already slithered underground and was now attacking Gamabunta from below.
Manda used his tail to distract Gamabunta while his head came from behind, jaws wide open, ready to bite.
Just then, Tsunade, with her monstrous strength, picked up Gamabunta's discarded sword and drove it through Manda's mouth, pinning him to the ground.
She then launched a relentless barrage of attacks at Orochimaru.
Her monstrous punches repeatedly struck Orochimaru, who, if not for his stolen body, would have been unable to endure such a beating.
Even with his formidable body, Orochimaru was overwhelmed, coughing up blood after just a few blows. Realizing that the mission had failed, Orochimaru retreated.
....
Tsunade returned to the Leaf Village, where things had mostly returned to their usual peace, and in just a few days, she officially became the Fifth Hokage.
However, most of the jonin were now frequently dispatched on missions, and even the genin had become busier.
For Naruto, though, these tasks weren't particularly meaningful, so he began planning.
One day, Naruto visited Tsunade's Hokage office, holding the spoils from his latest mission—the "Sword of the Thunder God."
This weapon originally belonged to the Leaf Village and was used by the Second Hokage.
It contained powerful lightning-based chakra and was convenient to carry. The blade, made of lightning chakra, could be extended or retracted.
However, it had fallen into the hands of the rogue Rain Village Jonin named Aoi.
Aoi had no skill in lightning release techniques and was only barely considered a jonin. After Naruto defeated him, he reclaimed the Sword of the Thunder God.
As Naruto reported the mission to Tsunade, a man walked in, leaning on a cane with his right eye covered in bandages.
It was none other than Danzo, the leader of the Foundation (Root).
Danzo glanced at Naruto before turning his gaze to Tsunade and said, "Lady Hokage, it's fortunate that Naruto is here as well."
"The village is in a delicate situation, and the Anbu have numerous missions. Leaving a talent like Uzumaki Naruto as a mere genius is a waste."
"I request that you allow him to join Root, where I believe Naruto's growth would be much quicker."
Hearing this, Tsunade immediately understood Danzo's real intentions.
She frowned and said sternly, "No. Naruto isn't just any ninja. For his safety, I absolutely won't let him join Root."
Danzo countered, "Root has trained many talented ninjas. Talents must not only grow under the sun but also face the right amount of pressure."
"Let me join the Anbu, Lady Hokage," Naruto suddenly said. Danzo's eyes lit up with delight. "Since Naruto himself is willing, then, Lady Hokage, I—"
"But I want to join the Anbu directly under the Hokage's command, not Root," Naruto cut in.
Danzo's expression darkened as he shot Naruto a deep look.
"Naruto, people must be responsible for the choices they make. I hope you come to understand that sooner rather than later." With that, he turned and left the office.
Once Danzo was gone, Tsunade expressed her concern, "Naruto, have you thought this through?"
"The Anbu isn't what you imagine it to be. You'll face a lot of bloodshed and cruelty, things that someone your age shouldn't have to deal with yet."
"Don't worry, Granny Tsunade. Joining the Anbu is something I've considered for a long time," Naruto replied.
He then adjusted the forehead protector on his head and continued, "As a ninja of the Leaf Village, it's my duty to contribute as much as I can."
"But I have one request: I still want to participate when Team 7 has important missions."
Tsunade responded, "Alright, that sounds fair. I'll allow it."
Naruto had indeed spent a long time thinking about this decision.
By joining the Anbu, he would have the chance to undertake more challenging missions, allowing him to face ninjas from other countries and take down strong opponents from abroad.
This would help him prepare for what he planned to do. Gaining a position in the Anbu would also grant him greater freedom.
To that end, Naruto had been thoroughly preparing himself.
First, he honed his skills by learning more advanced lighting techniques from Kakashi and even began training in water release techniques.
Additionally, he acquired the Sword of the Thunder God as his primary weapon.
He also purchased a set of black clothing and a cloak, which would be his exclusive Anbu outfit.
Like regular ninjas, Anbu are organized into squads for missions but operate much more covertly.
If an Anbu member dies during a mission, for the sake of secrecy, even their body is not allowed to remain.
Naruto, newly inducted into the Anbu, hadn't yet joined a squad and was tasked with solo missions.
Tsunade's first mission for Naruto was to assassinate the daimyo of the Land of Tea. A rival daimyo heir commissioned the mission.
The current daimyo had just inherited the position, and if something were to happen to him, another successor would be chosen.
However, this needed to look like an accident, with no evidence left behind.
The Leaf Village partially accepted the mission because the client had offered a hefty reward, which was critical given the village's financial situation.
The mission's objective was clear: kill the daimyo and leave no trace, using any means necessary.
Almost every country has its ninjas, differing in numbers and skill levels, but during such a period, the daimyo was likely to be heavily guarded by many shinobi.
The key to the mission was Naruto's freedom to execute the assassination.
Naruto used the Transformation Technique to gather information on the daimyo's movements over several days.
He discovered that whenever the daimyo travelled, he was accompanied by many guards, including at least 20 ninjas, some of whom were jonin.
The exact situation inside the daimyo's palace needed to be clarified. Despite the heavy security, Naruto came up with a plan.
Two days later, the daimyo was set to travel to a distant location with his large entourage in tow. As they travelled through a remote area, they encountered a figure standing in the middle of the road.
Dressed in black with a cloak trailing to the ground, the figure wore a mask, making it impossible to discern his age or identity—it was Naruto, carrying out his mission as a member of the Anbu.
One of the guards at the front shouted, "Hey, you! Get out of the way! Can't you see this is the daimyo's procession?"
Naruto remained where he was, seemingly unfazed. He let out a cough and spoke in a deliberately mature-sounding voice, "So, you're the new daimyo of the Land of Tea?"
"It's obvious you lack any real skill. You haven't even trained your subordinates properly. No wonder someone wants you dead. Prepare to die."
Hearing Naruto's words, the daimyo burst into laughter. "So, you're the assassin they sent to kill me? You must be an idiot."
"If you'd used stealth, I might not have stood a chance, but do you think you can take on all of us by yourself? Men, surround him and capture him alive!"
Naruto remained still, drawing the Sword of the Thunder God. The lead, Jonin, immediately became wary when he saw the blade.
"Be careful, everyone! This is no ordinary ninja."
Before the others could react, lightning chakra surged through the Sword of the Thunder God, and in a flash, Naruto moved like a bolt of lightning.
In the blink of an eye, the heads of dozens of guards fell to the ground.
Only the two jonins managed to block his initial strike, but they were electrocuted by lightning and collapsed.
Still holding the sword, Naruto slowly approached them and remarked, "What a pathetic excuse for Jonin. Is this the best a small country can offer?"
With two swift strikes, he ended the lives of the fallen Jonin. Naruto then turned his gaze toward the daimyo's carriage.
The once-arrogant daimyo had collapsed inside, trembling in fear and muttering, "Monster... monster…"
Naruto approached and said, "You have neither wisdom nor strength. You inherited the position of daimyo simply because of your parents."
"No matter how fancy your clothes, trash will always be trash." With a final scream, the daimyo's life came to a brutal end.
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