Saving the Uchiha clan starts with becoming the clan leader.

Scorpion, who was forced to take action, was clearly not in a good mood.

If the situation weren't so inappropriate, he would have been tempted to give Orochimaru a good beating right now.

"Naruto, this guy is too early for you. Try to take Sasuke and leave through the air." Taking advantage of this moment, Kakashi lowered his voice and gave the order. His voice was cold and urgent, containing an undeniable authority and urgency. "No talking back. Do as I say now."

As they were speaking,

Kakashi had already completed the hand seals with lightning speed.

He unleashed his ninjutsu and launched an attack.

Water Release: Water Fang Bullet Technique

The rapidly spinning water slid hurtled towards Orochimaru and Sasori.

Behind Kakashi, Naruto frowned as he began to draw on the paper. Two seconds later, a giant black eagle flapped its wings and flew out from the narrow paper. Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a glance and silently climbed onto the eagle's back.

The initial hesitation and missed opportunity to escape stemmed from a lack of experience.

However, it would be truly foolish for them to remain foolishly behind and hold Kakashi-sensei back. Having received a complete education at the Ninja Academy and been carefully guided by their elders, the boys have realized that they are now nothing more than a burden to Kakashi-sensei.

As long as they are still here,

Kakashi-sensei was constantly on the defensive because he was distracted while protecting them, and even the option to retreat was removed from the selection menu.

As for staying and teaming up with Kakashi to defeat these two mysterious enemies... that option is obviously unreliable. If they had mastered some powerful offensive ninjutsu, it wouldn't be impossible to try, but Naruto and Sasuke haven't trained in any powerful offensive ninjutsu yet.

It's not that I'm unwilling to teach them,

Instead, they thought that if the powerful offensive ninjutsu they learned at the ninja academy were used without restraint, it could cause huge casualties. Furthermore, their elders had high hopes for them, hoping that they could accumulate knowledge and skills before making a breakthrough, rather than being forced to grow too fast due to the war like themselves, and then spending time consolidating their foundation.

This results in them lacking sufficient offensive means at this moment.

Naruto and Sasuke both secretly vowed that once they escaped this crisis, they would definitely go to find their grandfather/brother Jiraiya to learn some powerful ninjutsu.

"Want to run?"

Orochimaru saw the giant black eagle take flight, and a sharp smile appeared on his lips.

next second,

In Kakashi's astonished gaze,

Orochimaru's head flew into the sky, his neck stretched to an exaggerated degree, completely ignoring Kakashi's 'Water Fang Bullet', letting the rapidly spinning water shards tear his body to shreds. Then, Orochimaru's head, which had flown into the sky, opened its mouth wide.

A pair of wet, slimy hands opened the mouth, and a brand new Orochimaru appeared in mid-air, his remaining old body crumbling like ashes.

This is not the end.

Orochimaru's tricks aren't over yet.

Under the astonished gazes of Naruto and Sasuke, Orochimaru opened his mouth once more, and a long sword gleaming with cold light rapidly extended, stabbing towards the giant black eagle in front of him. It pierced directly through the giant black eagle's abdomen, and then through Sasuke's right leg and Naruto's right hand.

then,

The giant black eagle turned into ink and scattered.

The injured Naruto and Sasuke also fell downwards.

Orochimaru, unperturbed, retracted the Kusanagi Sword and swallowed it back into his stomach. As a fervent collector of Kusanagi swords, he possessed not only the Sky Sword but also several other different Kusanagi swords.

The [Ruyi Blade], which can freely extend and retract in length, is one of his most treasured Kusanagi swords, ranking alongside the [Sky Blade], which was taken by Uchiha Shisui, as his most frequently used and favorite Kusanagi swords.

"Naruto!! Sasuke!!"

Kakashi, standing below, was glaring so hard his eyes were practically popping out of their sockets.

Despite his best efforts to guard against Orochimaru's tricks, he ultimately failed to prevent them. However... to be honest, even Sogen would find Orochimaru's unpredictability troublesome. This guy might not be the strongest ninja in the world, but he is definitely the most troublesome.

One wrong move,

You'll suffer if you're in front of Orochimaru.

Kakashi is an example of this.

Naruto and Sasuke were injured, and both of their injuries were quite serious. These penetrating wounds that reached the bone could potentially lead to permanent disability if not properly treated. In other words, they had completely lost their fighting ability. Even if they didn't care about the future disability, the blood loss alone was enough to render them unable to fight.

The situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

In an instant, they fell into the worst situation that Kakashi was trying his best to avoid.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After escorting Tazuna's daughter back to the village, Sakura quickly returned to the bridge. However, instead of seeing Kakashi, Naruto, and Sasuke, she saw Tazuna being pinned to the ground by a group of sword-wielding ronin.

"This is······"

Sakura paused for a second, realizing that something might have gone wrong, but no matter what, their mission was to protect their employer, Tazuna, and in the current situation, she needed someone to explain what had happened. "You bastards, let go of Mr. Tazuna right now!"

"Why is another Konoha ninja here?"

"Wasn't it said that all the Konoha ninja had been wiped out?"

Sakura's arrival threw the ronin who were preparing to execute Tazuna into a panic. It wasn't that they were useless; they had been badly beaten by Naruto and Sasuke during the last attack, and the scene of being beaten so badly that they were running away with their tails between their legs was still fresh in their minds.

"What are you bunch of useless trash afraid of? She's just a little girl. Those troublesome Konoha ninjas have already been taken care of. Do you think we can't take down a pink-haired girl with so many of us?"

A leader of the ronin stepped forward.

And true to his word, he charged towards Sakura, wielding his long katana.

The leader taking the lead has a certain motivating effect, and besides, compared to Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura, a pink-haired girl, does seem much easier to bully.

Unfortunately—

No one has ever taught them the principle of not judging a book by its cover; those who seem easy to bully may not actually be pushovers.

Hearing the ronin shouting that "Konoha ninjas have been wiped out," Sakura's anxiety reached its peak. How could Kakashi-sensei and the others be in trouble? Naruto and Sasuke are such geniuses... A jumble of chaotic thoughts kept surfacing, and various terrible possibilities made the girl extremely agitated.

The violent personality that had been hidden and suppressed for so long quietly emerged.

Water Release: Bubble Technique

Facing the charging ronin, Sakura showed no mercy and used the Water Release technique, which was almost a secret art taught to her by the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, Uta. With the help of a bubble blower, she blew out one crystal-clear bubble after another, about the size of a bowl, which flew towards the ronin with the sea breeze.

Standing upwind,

This is one of the secrets Professor Bubble gave to the girl.

Although this technique can be used against the wind, it is obvious to everyone that it is more effortless to use with the wind at the right time, so seizing the upwind position at the beginning of the battle is very important.

"what?"

The ronin weren't fools; seeing the bubbles drifting in with the wind, they immediately became alert.

What can be done?

They underestimated the ninja's abilities.

"careful·····"

Halfway through their conversation, the nearby bubble suddenly exploded. It was a physical explosion, not a chemical one. The bursting bubble released a powerful shockwave and a large amount of steam, blasting the ronin, who were completely unprepared for the explosion, into the air.

fighting,

It ended in an instant.

About half of the ronin present were killed by the explosion, and those who managed to get down were all injured. The few remaining ronin who did not go forward were so frightened that they didn't even bother to strike Daz, or perhaps they were afraid that if they struck him, they would be chased down by this pink-haired Konoha ninja. In any case, they abandoned their injured comrades and ran away, leaving behind Sakura, who was pale-faced, and Daz, who also looked somewhat bewildered.

"······vomit!"

Looking at the corpse that had been blown into pieces, Sakura almost vomited.

She forced herself to suppress her nausea through sheer willpower. Now was not the time for her to be delicate and vomit. No matter what happened to Kakashi-sensei, Naruto, and Sasuke, she didn't even dare to feel nauseous.

[Chapter 355. Sending the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki to Amegakure]

The unfinished cross-sea bridge was stained with a crimson hue, as if offering a sacrifice to the god worshipped by the craftsmen.

Corpses, mangled beyond recognition, lay scattered everywhere. Many wounded, unable to move, huddled in corners, groaning softly. They dared not raise their voices, fearing to attract the attention of the pink-haired demon. If it weren't for the excruciating pain, they wouldn't even want to breathe.

However, their worries were unnecessary.

Sakura, who is killing someone for the first time, is barely holding back from vomiting; she hasn't yet learned the importance of finishing off the enemy.

"Mr. Tazuna, where are my teacher and companions? What on earth happened here?" Sakura helped Tazuna sit down on the wood next to her. Even though she was extremely anxious, reason told her that there was no point in getting angry or crying at this time.

Staying calm is the most important thing.

Only by maintaining a calm attitude can we communicate with Tazuna as quickly as possible and grasp the situation.

Fortunately, Daz also has a really good mental fortitude.

This old man, who dared to go against the super-rich Gato, was quite courageous. Even when he was pinned to the ground and about to have his head chopped off a minute ago, he didn't break down. After sitting down to catch his breath, he looked at Sakura and said, "Two people dressed in black suddenly appeared. Lord Kakashi and the two boys retreated to the southern sea, where they engaged in a great battle."

As he spoke, Tazuna struggled to his feet, walked to the bridge where there were no railings, and pointed to the surging sea to the south. "I saw those two boys riding on the back of a big black bird and flying into the sky. It seems they were shot down. Then I saw Mr. Kakashi run over. I didn't see the specifics clearly, but Mr. Kakashi suddenly dived into the water... I don't know what happened after that. Gato's men appeared, and my companions were all scared away. I stayed behind to cover for them."

What happened next was obvious.

Gato's men captured Tazuna and were about to execute the old man, but Sakura arrived just in time, defeated Gato's ronin, and rescued Tazuna.

During this period,

The fierce battle at sea has come to an end.

"At sea?"

Sakura looked at the vast, unremarkable sea, remained silent for three seconds, and then resolutely jumped in. "Mr. Tazuna, if you feel alright, please go back by yourself! I'm going to find my teacher and companions."

The sound drifted up from under the bridge.

In the blink of an eye, the girl was already speeding across the sea.

I am extremely worried.

This word perfectly encapsulates the girl's feelings at this moment. She couldn't imagine that Kakashi and the others would suffer misfortune, and she didn't want to believe that Naruto and Sasuke would be defeated... All of this seemed so unbelievable to her. If she hadn't secretly pinched herself earlier, almost bringing tears to her eyes from the pain.

She thought she was having a nightmare and hadn't woken up yet.

"...This won't do! There's not a single clue."

Sakura stood on the sea, looking at the seemingly indistinguishable surface around her, and felt a chill run down her spine. There were no traces of a battle left on the ocean. "Don't panic, Sakura, don't panic, stay calm, calm down and think carefully. If you were in this situation, where would you go?"

The girl muttered to herself.

Then--