The rustling in the bushes grew louder, the enemy team creeping closer, their chakra signatures masked but not enough to fool Raven's senses. She glanced at Naruto, watching as his fists clenched with anticipation. His frustration from earlier still burned, the sting of being utterly useless against Orochimaru fueling the fire in his veins. He needed this fight. She would let him have it.
A kunai zipped through the darkness, aiming for Sasuke's unconscious form. Naruto moved without hesitation, intercepting it midair with a spinning kick, sending it clattering into the dirt. He landed in a crouch, his expression dark, his teeth gritted. "You bastards really think I'm just gonna let you take our scroll?"
A chuckle from the trees. Three figures emerged, their faces obscured by cloth masks, their hitai-ate bearing the symbol of Takigakure. The leader, a tall kunoichi with emerald eyes, smirked as she tapped a finger against her wrist blade. "You're weak. We saw your fight earlier. Your Uchiha's down, your girl's barely standing, and you—" she pointed at Naruto "—were completely useless. Why shouldn't we take advantage of this?"
Sakura bristled. "Excuse me?! I—"
Raven put a hand on her shoulder. "Let him handle this," she murmured.
Sakura hesitated but obeyed, stepping back.
Naruto cracked his knuckles, the tension in his body rolling off him in waves. "You think I'm weak?" He let out a slow exhale, then grinned. "Let's find out." His hands blurred through seals. "Ramen Clone Jutsu!"
The clearing exploded with a dozen identical Narutos, each one shifting slightly as their forms solidified, unlike traditional clones. The enemy's smirk faltered. One of the Takigakure genin lunged forward, slicing through a clone—only for his blade to bounce off the hardened ramen strands reinforcing its structure. The clone grinned and slammed a fist into the attacker's gut, sending him flying.
"What the hell—?!" The leader barely had time to react before the clones swarmed.
Naruto dashed forward, summoning Ramen Binding Strands, thick golden noodles stretching from his hands and whipping toward his enemies. One enemy leapt back, dodging, but another was caught, the noodles hardening like steel cables around his torso.
A second clone infused the strands with Earth Release, reinforcing them further, locking the opponent in place. A third clone followed up, breathing Fire Release into the strands, igniting them. The restrained enemy screamed as the burning noodles seared his skin, forcing him to drop his kunai.
The leader's smirk vanished. She moved quickly, forming hand seals. "Water Style: Raging Current!" A powerful surge of water crashed through the clearing, dispersing a handful of clones. But not all of them.
Naruto grinned. "Gotcha."
A single clone leapt from behind her, ramen spear in hand, already glowing red-hot from fire chakra infusion. "Ramen Spear of Burning Wrath!"
The leader barely dodged in time, the heat singing her shoulder as she flipped backward. She panted, her eyes darting around. Her teammates were down. She was alone. And she had underestimated him.
She growled, forming more seals, but before she could move, her body locked up. She shuddered as her vision swam.
Sakura stepped forward, her fingers pressed together in a focusing seal. "Genjutsu: Wavering Illusion."
The kunoichi's breathing grew erratic. The shadows around her stretched unnaturally, the ground beneath her feet cracking open into an endless void. Her limbs refused to obey her commands. Panic crept into her chest.
Naruto wasted no time. His clone shot forward, slamming his foot into her stomach, sending her crashing into a tree. She groaned, her limbs going slack.
The fight was over.
Naruto stood amidst the remnants of his clones, panting slightly but grinning. "Now then…" He crouched beside the enemy leader, yanking her bag open. His grin faltered. "Nothing."
Raven was not surprised that the enemy had no scroll they where desperate fools. Looking at Naruto with a smile Raven said. "Well, would you look at that," she mused. "You actually won the fight."
Naruto huffed. "Of course I did!"
Sakura exhaled in relief, but her expression softened as she looked back at Sasuke. He hadn't stirred once. "What about him?"
Naruto's smile faltered.
Raven crouched beside Sasuke, her fingers brushing near the mark on his shoulder. The dark veins pulsed slightly beneath his skin. She frowned. The Curse Mark was reacting to the battle. It was hungry.
She could remove it. Right now.
Her fingers twitched—but she stopped herself.
Not yet.
This wasn't her choice to make.
Mikoto needed to know first.
She straightened, brushing her hands together as if wiping away the thought entirely. "We should move. There are probably more teams around."
Naruto nodded, hoisting Sasuke onto his back. "Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
As they vanished into the forest, a pair of golden slitted eyes watched from the darkness, lips curling into a knowing grin.
The game had only just begun.
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