Kapitel 75: If In Eighteen
Naruto can feel Ino's hot breath on his neck, and the strong wind mixed with heavy rain blowing past.
The two exchanged glances, hearing footsteps in the living room. Their bodies were soaked by the rain, hearts pounding as they pressed close together.
Itachi Uchiha's voice was low, carrying an immense sense of pressure.
"Kisame, go check the balcony."
"Okay." Kisame Hoshigaki seemed to deliberately stomp loudly, his steps echoing as he approached the balcony.
Naruto's apartment had been renovated, with wooden floors on the balcony and a thick glass door separating it from the living room. With a loud crash, the door was forcefully pulled open, shattering the glass.
The sound of pouring rain intensified immediately, and raindrops rushed in from the balcony, causing the grass-green curtains to flutter in the wind.
Listening to the noise, Naruto guessed what had happened to the glass door, feeling a pang of sympathy for it but too afraid to speak up. His body was soaked and cold from the rain, holding a knife instead of an umbrella.
Ino was also startled by Itachi Uchiha's words. Even though she didn't know who the two people outside were, the overwhelming sense of pressure was enough to make her struggle to breathe.
A terrifying face that seemed almost human but not quite emerged from the balcony. Kisame's eerie gaze swept around, but there was no one on the outer side of the balcony.
"That brat seems to have run off again," Kisame said, pulling his head back.
"He won't run far." Itachi's face was emotionless. "Don't provoke too many Anbu, retreat before Jiraiya arrives."
"Understood." Kisame revealed a set of sharp teeth, carrying the large sword Samehada, and asked, "It seems he has a woman with him. Should we kill her?"
"Mm." Itachi Uchiha left the living room. "I have some matters to attend to, I'll be gone for a while."
"Itachi-sama, I can handle it alone."
"Okay."
...
Downstairs, Naruto was dragging Ino through a narrow alley, running at full speed as the heavy rain stung their faces.
Above, tangled and complex power lines, old utility poles stood crookedly against the alley walls.
The two were stepping through puddles, their pant legs already soaked. The alley was full of potholes and waterlogged mud. Ino gasped for air, wiping the rainwater from her face.
"Naruto, who... are those two?"
"Missing-nin, psychos!"
"Why... are they after you?"
"The world's big. Some people are after my body, it's normal," Naruto said, continuing to run.
"But... someone's chasing us!"
"Don't worry about them, they're chasing their way, we're running ours."
"What's that thing?!"
Naruto glanced back quickly as he dragged Ino, catching a glimpse of Kisame.
"Shark-man!!"
"What??" Ino didn't understand, her stamina quickly draining from the rapid pace.
"Don't worry, he can't catch up!"
"Naruto, I can't... run anymore. You go ahead! Don't worry about me!"
"Damn it!! Then don't talk! Run for your life!!"
Ino panted heavily, barely able to speak.
"Last time... when you gave me flowers, I was... so happy, it was the first time I received flowers!"
"Don't worry, they'll grow on my grave. Pick as many as you like!"
Saying this, Naruto suddenly threw Ino forward, his right foot slamming into a puddle, sending water splashing a meter high. With his back to Ino, he blocked the approaching Kisame.
"Naruto!!" Ino crawled out of the puddle, her face covered in scratches.
"Don't come near!" Naruto shouted without turning around, "Hide well, stay alive! The Anbu will be here soon!!"
Kisame slowly advanced, holding Samehada, his sharp teeth exposed, a mocking expression on his face. He swung Samehada down with a powerful strike.
Naruto instinctively tried to dodge, but with a slight shift of his eyes backward, he gritted his teeth and swung his knife to block.
Itachi Uchiha hadn't arrived!! Pray that Itachi hadn't come after him!!
Then, he could survive, survive.
"Yo." A smile appeared on Kisame's terrifying face. "Going all out now? Weren't you fast on your feet?"
"Spit!" Naruto didn't say anything, instead spitting at Kisame.
Unfortunately, the rain was so heavy that the spit was knocked to the ground before it could reach him.
Kisame didn't get angry but instead appeared to enjoy it, baring his sharp teeth as the bandages on Samehada unraveled, revealing its vicious spikes.
With a quick motion, Kisame pulled back, causing Naruto's knife to crack and shatter, the broken pieces flying into the air.
Naruto gasped, pulling out a kunai with the Flying Thunder God seal.
From a distance, Kisame looked down at the kunai in Naruto's hand, his large body blocking half the alley, drenched in rain as he spoke.
"Itachi-sama said, everyone has weaknesses."
"To catch a quick mouse, you should capture what it cares about."
Naruto's heart raced, his pupils dilating as if he realized something. Without thinking, he threw the Flying Thunder God kunai toward Ino's direction.
The next second, Kisame rose from the puddle and appeared before the unprepared Ino, his gaze unblinking as he raised Samehada to strike her.
From the time Naruto faced Kisame's attack to Kisame's Water Release move appearing in front of Ino, only about half a minute had passed.
"Ahhhh!!"
Ino hadn't finished her hand seals, her body frozen in the face of the sudden murderous intent. She could only watch as Samehada descended.
The narrow alley was like a drainage ditch, with heavy rain pouring down.
Naruto bent slightly, his muscles tensed, his face twisted with rage. The chakra inside him boiled, turning the rainwater around him into steam.
Thirty meters away, Kisame raised Samehada above his head, ready to strike. Ino sat on the muddy ground, one hand propped up, the other instinctively blocking in front of her.
A Flying Thunder God kunai whizzed through the rain, floating between Kisame and Ino.
Two days ago, even facing the pursuit of Itachi Uchiha and Kisame, Naruto hadn't used the Nine-Tails' power. He hadn't informed the Anbu because he didn't want to give the high-ups the initiative at this sensitive moment.
Danzo still owed him an explanation, and the Root ninja issue wasn't over.
He wanted to wait longer, the future was long, all he needed was time. Naruto could grow stronger, strong enough to refuse the village's demands, strong enough to separate the Nine-Tails without injury.
He could even surpass the sealing techniques if given enough time.
But he never expected that Ino would come. He had been living alone for a few days, waiting for Itachi. He had even mapped out his escape routes and set up the Flying Thunder God.
The non-maxed Flying Thunder God in his hands could only switch places within a limited distance, and Naruto wasn't the kind of player who could make it as unstoppable as later-stage players with ease.
[Flying Thunder God. Second Phase]
In a flash, Naruto used the Flying Thunder God kunai to switch places, grabbing Ino tightly and exposing his back to the descending Samehada.
His eyes turned blood red, with vertical pupils, glowing ominously, his voice hoarse as he shouted into the storm.
"Kyūbi!!"
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