Chapter 286: The Lost Tower
With Ryūjin Jakka resting against his throat, Suigetsu froze.
He had not even seen Sasuke move.
One moment, the sword had been sheathed.
The next, its lightning wrapped edge was already pressing against his neck.
For someone like Suigetsu, whose body could liquefy to avoid most physical attacks, Lightning Release was an especially troublesome counter.
The difference in strength was obvious.
Still, Suigetsu refused to submit without conditions.
"Fine."
His sharp teeth showed as he spoke.
"I'll go with you."
Sasuke waited.
"But I have one condition."
"What?"
"You help me find Kubikiribōchō."
Sasuke considered the request for barely a moment.
"Agreed."
Suigetsu raised an eyebrow.
"But not now."
A grin appeared on Suigetsu's face.
"Good enough."
He slowly raised both hands away from the sword.
"My name is Suigetsu Hōzuki."
Sasuke withdrew Ryūjin Jakka.
Suigetsu rubbed his neck.
"Then we have a deal."
The two left the base together.
Over the following days, Sasuke travelled between several of Orochimaru's hideouts.
One by one, he gathered the people he wanted.
First came Suigetsu Hōzuki of the Hidden Mist.
Then Karin, an Uzumaki with fiery red hair and exceptional sensory abilities.
Finally, Jūgo, the origin of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal research and a man whose body naturally absorbed nature energy.
With those three gathered, Sasuke's team was complete.
The four stopped together after leaving the final hideout.
Suigetsu rested his weapon against his shoulder and looked toward Sasuke.
"Alright."
"We're all here now."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"You should probably tell us why you dragged us together."
Then he added,
"And don't forget your promise about Kubikiribōchō."
Karin immediately adjusted her glasses.
Her expression softened the moment she looked at Sasuke.
"That's right."
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"You still haven't told us what we're actually doing."
Jūgo remained silent.
His orange hair shifted lightly in the wind as he watched Sasuke and waited.
Sasuke looked across the three people before him.
Then he spoke.
"I formed this team for one reason."
His expression became cold.
"To kill Uchiha Itachi."
The atmosphere changed.
Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan remained hidden, but the hatred behind his gaze needed no dōjutsu to be felt.
"For years, I have lived for this."
His hand settled near Ryūjin Jakka.
"Now the time has finally come."
"Itachi will pay for what he did."
Suigetsu grinned.
Karin said nothing more.
Jūgo merely accepted the decision.
None of them objected.
From that moment onward, Team Hebi began moving.
They split up and searched for any information that could lead them to Uchiha Itachi.
Meanwhile, in Konoha, another mission was beginning.
Outside the Hokage Building, Naruto stood beside Sakura, Yamato, and Sai.
Sakura glanced toward the upper floors.
"I wonder why Lady Tsunade summoned us so urgently."
Naruto shrugged.
"We'll find out when we get upstairs."
Yamato nodded.
"Let's not keep Hokage sama waiting."
Sai remained quiet.
The four entered the building and made their way to the Hokage's office.
Tsunade was seated behind her desk, surrounded by documents.
She looked up the moment they entered.
Then she picked up a scroll.
"I called you here because an urgent mission has come in."
Yamato stepped forward.
"Please give us the details, Hokage sama."
Tsunade opened the scroll.
"Our target is Mukade."
Her expression became serious.
"A rogue Shinobi from Sunagakure."
Naruto listened closely.
"He is attempting to seize the Dragon Vein beneath the ruins of Rōran in the Land of Wind."
Sakura frowned.
"The Dragon Vein?"
Tsunade nodded.
"It is an enormous source of chakra buried beneath the ancient city."
She tapped the scroll.
"The Fourth Hokage sealed it years ago."
Naruto's eyes sharpened slightly at the mention of Minato.
Tsunade continued.
"According to our alliance agreement with Sunagakure, Konoha will assist in stopping Mukade."
She looked directly at Yamato.
"Yamato, you will lead the team to the Rōran Ruins."
"Capture Mukade."
"And above all, protect the Dragon Vein seal."
Yamato nodded immediately.
"Understood, Hokage sama."
Naruto, however, had briefly turned his attention elsewhere.
Hiruzen sat at the side of the office.
The former Third Hokage looked weaker than he had only days earlier.
His frame seemed thinner.
His face had lost even more color.
Even without Asuramaru saying anything, Naruto could see that Hiruzen's time was running out.
Then Asuramaru spoke quietly inside Ryūjin Jakka.
"He has less than two weeks."
Naruto's gaze remained on the old man for a moment.
He had already accepted the truth.
Death came for everyone.
And in the Shinobi World, very few people were fortunate enough to die peacefully from age or declining health.
If Hiruzen could spend his last days in Konoha, surrounded by the family and village he loved, perhaps that was not the worst ending a Shinobi could receive.
Tsunade stood.
"There's no time to waste."
She looked at all four of them.
"Leave immediately."
"Make sure Mukade does not take control of the Dragon Vein."
The team answered together.
"Understood!"
They left the Hokage Building.
Soon afterward, the four passed through Konoha's gates and began travelling toward the Land of Wind.
Inside Ryūjin Jakka, Asuramaru found himself unexpectedly interested.
Rōran.
The Dragon Vein.
A tremendous source of chakra capable of distorting time itself.
If his memory was correct, this was the incident connected to the Lost Tower.
And if events unfolded the way he remembered...
Naruto might encounter Minato.
Asuramaru's crimson eyes narrowed with amusement.
A father and son meeting across time.
That could be interesting.
Three days later, the team finally reached the Rōran Ruins.
Nothing remained of the ancient kingdom's former glory.
Broken towers stood half buried beneath endless yellow sand.
Ruined walls rose from the desert like bones.
Wind swept through the abandoned city, carrying curtains of dust beneath the blazing sky.
Yamato stopped and checked the map.
"This should be it."
Naruto looked across the ruins.
Yamato continued.
"According to the records, this is the ancient kingdom of Rōran."
"The Dragon Vein is sealed somewhere beneath these ruins."
Naruto nodded.
"If Mukade wants the Dragon Vein, he'll have to come here."
He looked toward the ruined city.
"So we find the seal first."
"Then either we catch him there, or we wait for him to show up."
Sakura frowned.
"Unless he's already reached it."
Naruto looked toward her.
"If that's the case, we need to hurry."
Sai had already pulled out a scroll.
"Then standing here isn't helping."
He dipped his brush in ink.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
His brush swept across the paper.
Ink flowed from the scroll.
A large white tiger emerged.
Sai gestured toward it.
"Get on."
The others climbed onto the ink beast.
The tiger raced across the desert, bounding over collapsed stone and deep banks of sand as the team searched the ruins.
Before long, they discovered an enormous crater near the center of Rōran.
The tiger stopped.
Everyone jumped down.
Yamato approached the edge and looked into the darkness below.
"This looks promising."
Naruto stared down into the pit.
Asuramaru's voice immediately entered his mind.
"There is an enormous amount of energy below us."
Naruto's expression tightened.
"How much?"
"Far more than anything else in this area."
A pause.
"And someone is already down there."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"Mukade?"
"Most likely."
Naruto immediately turned toward the others.
"He beat us here."
Yamato's expression changed.
"You're certain?"
"Asuramaru can sense someone below."
Naruto looked back into the crater.
"And the Dragon Vein is down there too."
Sakura's face became serious.
Naruto took one step forward.
"We don't have time."
"If he's already working on the seal, we need to stop him before he breaks it."
Then he jumped.
Naruto plunged into the crater.
Yamato followed immediately.
Sakura and Sai came after them.
The deeper Naruto descended, the stronger the energy became.
Once they reached the bottom, Asuramaru guided him through the buried ruins.
"Straight."
Naruto led the group.
"Then left."
They passed through broken corridors and ancient stone passages.
The air itself seemed heavy with chakra.
Finally, they entered a wide underground chamber.
At its center lay the seal.
And someone was already there.
A thin man crouched over it.
Naruto immediately recognized him from the mission information.
Mukade.
The rogue Shinobi looked back.
"You arrived faster than I expected."
His hands remained pressed against the seal.
A crazed smile spread across his face.
"But you're still too late."
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
Mukade continued.
"The Dragon Vein contains power beyond anything you can imagine."
His voice rose with excitement.
"Once I pour that power into my Puppet Technique, no one in this world will be able to oppose me!"
He laughed.
"The entire world will fall under my control!"
Naruto's answer was immediate.
His hand moved.
A three pronged kunai shot across the chamber.
Yamato charged at the same time.
Mukade looked toward the incoming weapon.
Then his hands moved over the seal.
Too late.
The seal broke.
Mukade ripped free the three pronged kunai that had been embedded there years ago by the Fourth Hokage.
The moment Naruto saw it, his eyes widened.
Minato's Flying Thunder God kunai.
Naruto vanished.
Flash!
He appeared near the center of the seal.
His hands immediately formed seals.
"If I reseal it now"
The ground trembled.
Naruto's expression changed.
Purple chakra erupted from below.
The Dragon Vein had already awakened.
A pillar of immense energy tore through the chamber.
Naruto was swallowed before he could complete the seal.
Mukade disappeared into the purple light as well.
"Naruto!"
Yamato lunged forward.
He reached for him.
The energy expanded.
Yamato was dragged in with Naruto.
Purple light consumed both of them.
Sakura stared in horror.
"Naruto!"
Sai reacted first.
He opened his scroll.
"Super Beast Imitating Drawing!"
An ink eagle burst from the page.
Sai jumped onto its back and pulled Sakura with him.
The eagle beat its wings and rose away from the spreading energy.
Below them, the Dragon Vein erupted.
The entire chamber vanished beneath a storm of purple chakra.
Sakura leaned over the eagle's side.
Her eyes searched desperately through the light.
"Naruto!"
Her voice echoed over the ruins.
But Naruto was already gone.
....