Naruto, along with everyone else, was retreating. This morning, the order came: fall back to the bridge. Asuma immediately ordered them to move out. Yesterday's words about the Hokage were actual; he had indeed done what Asuma expected, and it seemed that Sarutobi Jr. already knew what to do. According to the information they received, the squad from the Waterfall Village, the one that had crossed the border, was closing in on them.
The bridge was not far from the Takayama Village, connecting two sides of a ravine. It could accommodate a column of seven people, and it was about seventy meters long, with a river flowing below. The area was surrounded by forest, and there was only one road, not the most convenient place. Naruto understood this, and so did Asuma. The first thing Sarutobi ordered was to mine the bridge, as a last resort. Then, he called the placement of numerous traps in the forest. They needed the enemies to come in a group, as it would be easier to defeat them. The fact that the Waterfall Village was approaching made them somewhat complacent. Their village had never been known for its strength, and their shinobi were indeed weaker than those from the Stone Village. However, in this case, their numbers exceeded those of yesterday's Stone squad. They were facing less than a hundred.
Today, the people were different. Yesterday, Naruto saw them mourning their comrades, their eyes red from tears, their thoughts wandering far away. Today, they were determined, at least at first glance. On closer inspection, one could see their pain and hatred hidden behind a curtain. Naruto could discern that. Such was war. The battles had only been going on for the second day, yet so much blood had already been shed. Naruto was afraid to imagine what would come next. He was human too, and he felt fear, but his sense of duty was stronger.
He had been assigned the task of mining the bridge, which he completed quickly. Therefore, he decided to allow himself a break and rest. He sat on the railing, his legs hanging down, while he gazed at the clouds.
"What are you thinking about?" A sudden question came. Asuma approached Naruto and leaned on the railing, looking down.
"Oh, you know... I'm just getting ready for the fight," he said, looking down.
"That's good," Asuma replied quietly. Then he took out a cigarette and lit it. "Be prepared to return to Konoha," he suddenly said.
"What do you mean?" Naruto was surprised. "I don't understand."
"Look at all these people here. They are all doomed, many will die," Asuma exhaled smoke.
"That sounds very..."
"Sad. Right. It is. And it's also heartbreaking, but they all understand it."
"I still can't understand why you're saying this."
"Just promise me that you'll survive," he patted Naruto on the shoulder and walked away.
Naruto watched him go but didn't understand. He didn't understand anything. It sounded like he was going to die today and was just saying goodbye, but that wasn't the case. Uzumaki didn't believe that. He continued to sit like that until he received an order.
Naruto was moving towards his destination, which was a surveillance point. About a kilometer from the bridge, there was a small slope that offered a clear view of the valley and the Takayama village. In the distance, you could see the battlefield, the hill where they had set up their camp. Naruto quickly arrived at his destination. Izumo was sitting on a branch, observing the valley. Naruto landed near him.
"How's it going?" Naruto asked.
"Hey," Izumo smiled. "How are you?"
"Not better than you, I suppose," Uzumaki replied.
"Probably," the brown-haired ninja scratched his head. "By the way, what are you doing here?"
"I came to relieve you," Naruto replied and looked at the valley.
"I didn't even notice how time passed," Izumo looked at the valley. "It's a beautiful view here, but the battlefield ruins everything. Well, I'll be off. Good luck to you!"
Izumo headed back to the camp. Uzumaki continued to sit in place and observe. He gazed at the valley, where everything seemed calm. He felt a bit tired; his shinobi clothes were dirty, torn, and stained with dried blood. He wouldn't mind a warm shower but now was not the time. Naruto continued to watch the valley, occasionally glancing around. There were two more observers about a hundred meters away from him. Uzumaki kept his watch. The sun was slowly setting; it was now Naruto's watch for the next few hours. A few more hours, and it would be dark.
Suddenly, things got uneasy. It felt like enemies were right there near him. Naruto glanced at the valley again, but there was no one there. But then a sense of danger made Naruto turn around. He turned and in an instant, he blocked an incoming kunai from the attacker's sleeve. Then he jumped down as two more attackers seemed to come from different directions. Naruto blocked the strike from one and quickly drew a kunai, which he plunged into the second one's leg. Then he kicked the first attacker and hurried to slash the throat of the second one before throwing the kunai to finish off the ninja on the right. Then he had to quickly jump as hands emerged from the ground and attempted to grab him. Naruto exhaled a fireball and hit the shinobi who was emerging from under the ground. Uzumaki landed and stared at the first attacker, who stood where the post used to be.
You're that kid from Konoha, aren't you?" a shinobi from the Waterfall recognized the blond. Naruto took a closer look; it was the same person, the one who could pass through solid objects. "I see you've come to war," the enemy jumped down and stood a few meters away from Naruto. "So you were on duty," the shinobi observed, looking at the branch. "Unfortunately, you've completed your mission."
Naruto felt air currents behind his back, and then he saw many shadows. They were the Waterfall shinobi; they were here. But they managed to sneak in unnoticed. Naruto glanced around; apparently, his comrades had been taken care of, but how had they passed through the valley so quickly?
"Move forward! I'll handle them!" commanded the shinobi. Naruto couldn't stand for this. He quickly created clones, and they all fired a burst of fire into the air as a signal of intrusion. Of course, this technique hit a few Waterfall shinobi, but that wasn't his concern. "You little bastard! I'm Jero, remember that name because it will be the last thing you hear!"
Jero lunged at Naruto with a kunai. Uzumaki dodged one strike, then another, and a third. The enemy became visible, and the blond attempted to cut him with a kunai, but it passed through without leaving a scratch.
"Have you forgotten my ability?" Jero mockingly asked, looking at Naruto. "Watch, I'll show you another one!" He formed a concentration seal, and in an instant, his body began to disappear, blending with the surrounding environment.
Naruto assumed a stance and prepared himself. He stared in all directions, trying to find the enemy, but he was nowhere to be seen. Pain. Sudden pain pierced Naruto's back, followed by a strike to the chest, causing the blond to bend over, and then another blow to the head, and he was on the ground.
"Darn it," Naruto started to get up; the wound on his back was small, but if there were many more cuts like that, this fight wouldn't last long. He needed to come up with something. Uzumaki had managed to stand up, but in the next moment, a kunai plunged into his right shoulder. Naruto clenched his teeth and pulled the weapon out of his body, but in the next moment, two shuriken flew into his left leg, causing Naruto to fall to one knee. Pulling out that weapon as well, he prepared to get up, but then a blow to the face followed. The blond fell on his back, the wound throbbing.
"You're not so strong!" a voice rang out.
"Show yourself, level the odds," Naruto grinned. He couldn't sense the enemy either. Jero hadn't attempted close combat yet, only when Naruto was down. So, he had to seize the moment of the attack, but he wasn't the Yellow Flash, so he had to rely on his reflexes. Uzumaki crossed his fingers and summoned three clones. All four of them stood back to back.
"Interesting, but this won't help you!" a clap sounded, and one of the clones disappeared. Then another, and another. Naruto prepared himself. A blow came from behind, and the blond fell. At that moment, Jero pressed his foot on the wound on Naruto's back. "Well, how do you feel?"
"Harder," Naruto hissed.
"As you wish," after these words, he pressed even harder. It was a good opportunity for Uzumaki. Naruto quickly crossed his fingers and summoned two clones, who instantly grabbed Jero. The clones pulled the enemy away from the original.
"Get ready!" Naruto began to form Rasengan in his hand.
"What are you doing?" Jero returned to his normal state and tried to break free, but the clones held him tightly.
"Take this!" Naruto lunged forward and hit his target squarely.
"Aaaaaah!" Jero screamed, and then he flew away, crashing through trees.
"After that, they don't survive," Naruto stated and dispelled the clones. - We need to get back to the bridge!" But as soon as Naruto took a step, he immediately grabbed his head. The Nine-Tails. A bomb. A mask. A child. All of this flashed in a single second, and then everything went dark, and the blond fell to the ground.
"Aaaaaah!" Naruto jumped to his feet. He looked around - it was the same place, then he turned his gaze to the sun; it was slowly setting. So, he hadn't been out for more than an hour. Far behind, the sounds of battle could be heard. The fighting was still going on. Without much thought, Naruto got up and ran towards the noise, but soon he fell to his knees. His wounds were making themselves felt. "Damn!" he cursed. He continued moving from tree to tree, leaning on one, then another. In one hand, he held a kunai. Ahead, cries, the names of techniques, and the air became so hot from the fire that Uzumaki could feel it on his skin. Near him, from time to time, shinobi ran by, whether they were fleeing or carrying the wounded, there was no way to tell - the main thing was that no one noticed him or simply left him alone. Slowly, he reached his destination; there ahead was the battle. Black smoke clouds were coming from the forest - traps were triggered. There were many Waterfall shinobi, but there were very few of Naruto's comrades. They stood with their backs to the bridge, holding back the enemies and not letting them pass. Naruto only tightened his kunai and headed there. He was wounded, blood was flowing from him, but he kept going, driven by some sense of duty, some promise he hadn't made - no. At this moment, he understood that he wanted to protect Konoha. All of its residents, whom he didn't know, but there were others, like Kakashi-sensei; he could defend himself, but Konoha was also his home.
Three enemies turned their attention to the wounded boy and rushed towards him, anticipating a quick victory. Naruto gritted his teeth; all he had to do now was endure. He dodged the first blow, blocked the second, then threw a kunai, hitting one of them, who grabbed his shoulder. The other two shinobi immediately pounced on Naruto. The blond quickly pulled out another kunai and blocked a blow but realized that he had made a mistake when he saw that they were open. This was probably his last mistake, but suddenly both shinobi fell to the ground. Naruto looked at his savior - it was Asuma.
"Finally, we've been waiting for you!" he smiled.
"Hold on tight!" Gai shouted and threw Naruto over his shoulder.
"Be careful with him; he's injured!" Sarutobi warned.
"Let's go!" Gai rushed off.
"Wait!" Asuma ran with all his might; catching up with Gai was no easy task, but the road needed to be cleared. Sarutobi gave in a little and ran ahead of Gai. The enemies were already preparing to meet them.
"It was easier to get out!" Asuma blew ashes out of his mouth, then clicked his teeth. Fire flared up, and then cries for help could be heard. Asuma and Gai quickly ran through the ruins, reaching the bridge. - Get him across the bridge!" Asuma ordered.
"I can still fight!" Naruto protested.
"Not today," Asuma smiled. "Gai!"
"Got it!" The guy in the tracksuit rushed across the bridge with Naruto on his back.
"As soon as Gai gets to the other side, the next one goes!" Asuma shouted. He prepared to retreat.
Gai quickly carried Naruto to the other side of the bridge and stayed there with him. They watched as one shinobi after another crossed; how they fought on the other side, and how much larger the Waterfall group was.
"Is Asuma-san preparing to retreat?" Naruto asked, although he already understood.
"Yes," Gai nodded. - He decided to stay and hold them back for a while longer so that they wouldn't chase us.
Naruto turned his gaze to the other side. Asuma remained the last. And apparently, he had no intention of crossing the bridge. If he ran, the entire horde would chase him, but his comrades would cover him. But if so, why was he waiting? Why didn't he retreat? Why did he disobey his own orders? Could it be that he had come up with something? Suddenly, Asuma formed a concentration seal, and in the next moment, there was a hissing sound; explosive tags were under the bridge.
"No," Naruto whispered and rushed to the bridge. - Nooooooooooo!" Gai stopped him for a moment; Naruto saw Asuma smile, and then an explosion rang out. - No," he repeated. - Why didn't he retreat? Why didn't he come after us?
"He decided that from the very beginning," Genma suddenly said. - He decided to stay and hold them back for a while longer so that they wouldn't chase us.
"But they'll eventually come after us."
"I don't know what he had in mind, but I can say one thing: he waited for your return until the end. He sees something in you, so whatever it is, don't disappoint his expectations, Naruto," Shiranui smiled.
Uzumaki looked at his comrades; there were fewer than twenty of them left, all exhausted and weakened. But now, in their eyes, there was something different from before the battle - faith in their commander, gratitude, confidence, and pride. Their eyes were directed to the other side, where Asuma was currently fighting. They thanked him with every look and instilled confidence in him. He did this so they could live, even though he could have saved himself as well, but he chose differently. Still, why did he do it? Why did he act this way? Naruto didn't understand.
