Chapter 77: A Loyal Ninja

Arc: The Uzumaki Clan

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As the group neared the entrance, Karin frowned. "I sense Orochimaru's chakra. He seems… to have been there for a while now," she said. "I know," Naruto replied. Hearing him, Karin looked at him but didn't respond.

'He's relaxed. Well, as relaxed as a shinobi can be,' Naruto thought. From his senses, he could see that Orochimaru had no plans to fight. It was as if he was waiting for them to arrive like a good friend.

'What are you planning, damned snake?'

Naruto narrowed his eyes as they breezed through the dark tunnels made of rocks.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

"Well, well, well. Look who we have here. Karin, you are betraying me, I see?" Orochimaru chuckled. "You already knew she betrayed you from the start," Naruto said. Orochimaru merely stayed quiet at the accusation.

"How is it going, kyuubi-jinchuriki?" Orochimaru asked as he looked at Naruto. His smirk never left his face, even in the face of Naruto's group. Naruto stood straight and crossed his arms.

"I've been well, snake. How are you? Is your genjutsu resistance doing better now?" Naruto mocked. Orochimaru shook his head, "It's so-so. Hmm, it was nice meeting you, but I've got to go now," Orochimaru chuckled as his body melted on the floor.

"Orochimaru, you bastard!" Karin yelled and was about to dash at Orochimaru when Naruto's arm blocked her. "What are you doing?! He's getting away!" Karin yelled. "That's just a genjutsu. Even if you attack him now, your efforts will have gone to waste," Naruto scoffed.

"Genjutsu? Bullshit," Karin frowned and sensed Orochimaru's chakra gain. He was still melting to the ground, and Karin could sense his chakra. It meant that he was still there. "You won't be able to know as you can't see sealing chakra. But I can see that right now, Orochimaru is in a state between genjutsu and reality. I wonder how he created the seal…"

Hearing Naruto's words, Orochimaru raised his brows in surprise. "Oh? You're a Fuinjutsu Professor now? Well, I shouldn't have been shocked. You have one of the purest Uzumaki blood, after all. Though, I feel sorry for Minato's genes," Orochimaru laughed one final time before his body disappeared into the rock below.

Naruto frowned at the mention of his father. 'What is his agenda? Does he think we are good friends or something?'

Naruto's heart began thumping loudly, though slowly. His chest felt light, and his instincts were warning him about something.

Something he couldn't fathom.

'Just what is going on? I feel like I'm under a blindfold. And I hate it.'

"Let's hurry," Naruto urged and rushed toward the trapdoor. Gaara tried to use his sand to open it, but Naruto was faster.

WHIRRRLLLL!

"Ninjutsu: Giant Rasengan!"

BANG! CRASH—"Quick, stop wasting time. We're on a tight schedule," Naruto yelled as he flickered behind Hinata and carried her princess style. Gaara narrowed his eyes at Naruto's hurried actions, but he didn't delay and used his sand to carry everyone in the group with the exception of Naruto.

Out of the entire group, Gaara was second in traveling speed. Naturally, Naruto was first.

"Why are you so hurried?" Hinata whispered in Naruto's ears. She had never seen Naruto acting so urgently before. "I've got a bad feeling," Naruto simply said.

FOOSH! SHHHH…

As Naruto ran with Hinata in his arms ahead of Gaara and the rest, he suddenly halted and stopped.

BANG!

Seeing a red scythe planted on the ground just an inch away from his feet, Naruto cursed. "Fucking hell," he said and looked at the scythe's owner.

"FUHA! Hey, Kakuzu, isn't this the kyuubi-jinchuriki?" A man with grey hair yelled as another man with green irides and red sclerae. "Yes, he is the kyuubi-jinchuriki. And the other boy with auburn hair is the ichibi-jinchuriki," the other man said.

Both of them were wearing black cloaks with red clouds all around them. Naruto narrowed his eyes, instantly recognizing the organization behind the two people. "Akatsuki," Naruto mumbled.

"Well, what a lucky day! I get to capture two tailed-beasts," the grey-haired man laughed. "To think that chasing after that snake had its merits," he mused. The other man merely scoffed, "Do you seriously think you can defeat them alone?"

"Of course, I can, you bastard! Are you doubting my capabilities?!" The grey-haired man yelled. "Hmm. Whatever," the other man shook his head.

"Akatsuki, begone now before I kill you both," Naruto said as he put down Hinata gently. Gaara did the same for the other members of the group, though sand floated around the group like a haze.

Hearing Naruto's comment, the grey-haired man laughed manically, "Kakuzu! Did you hear him?! He said he will kill me! HAHAHA!"

"Tsk, loud idiot," Kakuzu, the man with green irides, slicked his tongue as he gazed at Naruto's group. He wasn't intimidated by being outnumbered. He was a powerful man, and so was his partner, otherwise, they wouldn't be S-rank missing-nin.

"Kakuzu?" Naruto murmured as he looked at Kakuzu's forehead protector. 'It's that guy from Takigakure,' Naruto thought. Kakuzu's infamy had spread far and wide for a long, long time. Even before his father was born. Naruto then glanced at Hidan's forehead protector and recognized it instantly.

"You're from Hot Waters?" Naruto asked. "Ah? That worthless village?" The man asked back before swinging his scythe in annoyance. "God damned it, why did you remind me of that useless village?! Fuck! I'll kill you for that! O' Jashin-sama, bless me as I offer fresh sacrifices to you!" He said while holding the necklace in his hands.

The act made him look like a religious man, though his words were far from holy.

"A Jashinist?" Naruto frowned. He often heard about them as they were the most prevalent pests that he encountered during his time as Yukito in Ginko. After a moment, he shook off unnecessary thoughts and spoke to his group, "Be careful. Akatsuki is an organization of S-rank criminals. They are not to be underestimated," Naruto warned.

"Damn? S-rank criminals? I just joined your group and I'm already going to fight S-rank criminals? What the hell, is this a scam?" Karin cursed, though her chakra chains were already poking out of her back, evident by the bumps that suddenly appeared on her clothes.

"Sorry, Karin," Naruto promptly apologized before a shadow clone poofed into existence. The shadow clone opened a scroll and with five puffs of smoke, the five Uzumaki children vanished. The shadow clone vanished too, and Naruto caught the scroll before sealing it inside the storage seal on his waist.

After the act, no one spoke. Even the loud-mouthed grey-haired man was silent as they had a stand-off.

A minute later, Naruto's fingers twitched—"Fire Release: Grand Fire Dragon Jutsu!" Kakuzu yelled and breathed out an enormous fire dragon from his mouth, though his mask was somehow intact.

"Taking out the big guns already?" Naruto smirked as a scroll appeared in his hand, "Fuinjutsu: Earth Golem Guardian!"

As the dark-red fire dragon approached them, an earth golem suddenly rose from the ground to block the fire dragon with its hands—BOOOM!

"DIE!" As smoke covered the area, the grey-haired man came out from the smoke and ash and tried to cut Naruto with his scythe. Naruto scoffed and unsealed his chokuto to block the red scythe.

"I'd be careful if I were you," suddenly, a familiar voice echoed out from Naruto's side as he jumped to avoid a massive sword that tried to cut him in two.

"Kisame Hoshigaki," Naruto mumbled.

'Hold on, didn't he join Akatsuki before Yagura regained control? Did Yagura and Mei successfully bring him back or…?'

"I heard you betrayed your Mizukage," Naruto said out of the blue. Kisame smirked, "I am a loyal ninja," he simply said.

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