"Naruto, did you hear any sound?" Sakura asked curiously, looking around.
"No, is there a sound?" Naruto pretended to listen around and said innocently with an innocent look, "I didn't hear any sound at all."
"We came out to look for Sasuke. Do you think Sasuke might go to that riverside to find us?" Sakura thought of this possibility and quickly said, "Naruto, let's go back. Maybe Sasuke is already waiting for us at the previous place."
Naruto was shocked. That place couldn't be visited because Orochimaru was testing Sasuke, testing Sasuke's aptitude.
"Sasuke!" Naruto pointed in one direction and shouted, "I seem to see Sasuke! Over there! It seems he's being chased."
Sakura's eyes burst with a fierce light. She transformed into a wild beast, baring her teeth and charging in the direction Naruto pointed.
"Phew—" Successfully tricking Sakura, Naruto let out a sigh of relief. This was a crucial moment for Sasuke and they couldn't disturb him.
In the following time, Naruto accompanied Sakura searched here and there, tricking Sakura to wander around in the forest, which took half a day.
Estimating that the time was about right, Naruto said, "Let's go back. Maybe Sasuke is already waiting for us at that place."
With a loud thud, Sakura's iron fist punched Naruto's head. Fortunately, Naruto was well - prepared. After being hit by the fist, Naruto's body emitted white smoke and turned into a half - tree stump. This was the Substitution Jutsu Naruto used.
Sakura was really surprised. In the past, she could easily hit Naruto, but now Naruto was always ready to use ninjutsu.
"Naruto! What on earth are you up to! Are you even worried about Sasuke!"
"I'm very worried about Sasuke." Naruto's real body walked out from behind the tree and said helplessly, "This is the path Sasuke chose himself. I'll do whatever I can to help him, and I'll even try to help when I can't."
At this moment, Sakura had an illusion that Naruto had become so handsome. Sasuke's figure overlapped with Naruto's.
"Hey." Naruto said disgustedly, "I'm Naruto, not Sasuke. Don't look at me with that kind of look."
"Humph." Sakura also snorted disgustedly.
Then Naruto and Sakura returned to the riverside, the place where they encountered Orochimaru. There was also a charred sunken pit here, which was the mark of Naruto using one thousand five hundred and sixty - two Explosive Tags.
Sakura was too worried about Sasuke before and didn't notice this sunken pit. Now seeing it, Sakura was extremely shocked.
"What on earth happened here?" Sakura said to herself, "Is this the mark left by Naruto and Sasuke fighting with that kunoichi from Kusagakure Village?"
"Found Sasuke!" Naruto was the first to spot Sasuke's figure and quickly ran over. The first thing he did was to check the back of Sasuke's neck.
Sure enough, he found the mark of the Cursed Seal of Heaven on the back of Sasuke's neck. Gently opening Sasuke's eyelids, he clearly saw the double - tomoe Sharingan.
Sasuke had become even stronger!
Naruto couldn't help thinking, "Damn, Sasuke's situation is really bad. He looks half - dead after being tortured by Orochimaru, yet he's still maintaining his Sharingan. It seems the Cursed Seal of Heaven is affecting Sasuke's Chakra, which is why the Sharingan remains active..."
Naruto cursed under his breath, "That bastard Orochimaru doesn't know how to be gentle. Treating Sasuke so roughly. If anything happens to Sasuke, I'd like to see where you can find another vessel..."
Sakura ran over. When she saw Sasuke's pitiful state, she covered her mouth in horror. At this moment, Sasuke was covered in wounds, breathing rapidly with his chest heaving violently. He looked extremely uncomfortable.
"Let's find a safe place to hide for the night," Naruto said as he picked up Sasuke and found a hiding place in a tree hole.
Sasuke was placed at the innermost part of the tree hole. Naruto took off his clothes and covered Sasuke with them, while Sakura took good care of Sasuke by his side.
Seeing that Sasuke still couldn't wake up, Sakura felt very heart - broken. So she asked, "Naruto, what kind of battle did you and Sasuke go through while I was unconscious?"
Naruto put on a serious face while stifling a laugh inside, "It definitely isn't your fault, Sakura. All the blame lies with me. Sasuke ended up like this because of me... Hahaha..."
Hearing Naruto's words of comfort, Sakura clenched her fists tightly and tears streamed down uncontrollably. She thought she was too weak to keep up with Sasuke and Naruto. She couldn't fight side by side with them and ultimately couldn't help at all.
Naruto glanced at Sakura and was shocked. He quickly comforted her, "Sakura, don't think too much. It really has nothing to do with you. If you have to blame someone, blame me. It's all my fault. I'm too weak to protect Sasuke well... Sigh..."
"Thank you, Naruto," Sakura said with a tear - streaked face but a determined look in her eyes. "I'll become stronger and be able to protect Sasuke in the future."
Naruto smiled. It seemed Sakura had misunderstood, but it didn't matter. Unexpectedly, it could inspire Sakura's determination as a Ninja. "The Will to Protect Those You Love Is the Driving Force to Become Stronger."
Naruto encouraged her, "Sakura, you'll definitely become stronger. Don't let Sasuke get too far ahead. You must keep up with him."
"Yeah!" Sakura nodded vigorously and said, "You've really changed a lot since we graduated from the Ninja Academy."
"Shh!" Naruto made a shushing gesture, indicating that someone was approaching. Sakura immediately understood and quickly drew out her Kunai to stand guard.
Naruto gently pushed aside the leaves, leaving only a small hole. He saw a figure outside. Taking a closer look, he was shocked to find it was Kabuto Yakushi!
Kabuto Yakushi had tracked Naruto and the others here but found nothing in the end.
Kabuto Yakushi observed the surroundings but found nothing unusual. He thought to himself, "Sasuke has the Cursed Seal of Heaven planted by Lord Orochimaru, so he should move slowly. I've tracked all the way here, but why can't I find anything now..."
Meanwhile, Naruto motioned for Sakura to relax. He whispered, "The tree hole I found is very hidden, and I added several layers of bushes outside. It should be difficult for people outside to find us."
Sure enough, Kabuto Yakushi couldn't find any trace of Sasuke and had to leave first.
After Kabuto Yakushi left, Naruto said to Sakura, "That guy couldn't even find this place, which means it's safe here. You stay here with Sasuke for the night. I'm going to follow that guy outside to gather intelligence and come back here tomorrow."
"Naruto! Why are you taking risks?"
Naruto smiled and said, "Because I'll protect you guys too." After saying that, Naruto took out the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll from his person and gave them to Sakura to keep.
Naruto glanced outside. It was already dark, so he quietly slipped out and caught up with Kabuto Yakushi.
Kabuto Yakushi thought to himself, "It would be terrible if I can't find Sasuke. After being implanted with the Cursed Seal of Heaven, Sasuke only has a one - tenth chance of survival. My mission is to observe whether Sasuke can endure. If he can, then he'll be a qualified vessel for Lord Orochimaru."
"Sasuke's team has obtained the Heaven Scroll and the Earth Scroll. So they will eventually make it to the Tower. I'll wait for them there," Kabuto Yakushi whispered. "I hope you can reach the Tower alive, Sasuke."
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