Escape From Konoha

Sasuke always thought that it was not a happy thing for him to suddenly meet an old friend from the past.

Just like when he met Naruto before, although he still missed the past, when their respective positions and goals became different, the so-called friends were just a big obstacle on his path.

That's what he said, but when he saw this familiar figure, Sasuke didn't think about escaping or leaving. He just said hello lightly as before:

"It's Sakura, long time no see."

The tone was extremely calm, as if he had seen an old friend whom he had not seen for a long time, but it could not cause the slightest disturbance in his heart.

Sakura's pupils were trembling a little, as if she couldn't believe that the scene in front of her was real, but after Sasuke said the words, she gradually regained her composure.

The Sasuke in front of him was real.

Although it is different from the past and seems more indifferent in temperament, some things cannot be changed.

The strong will to work hard to achieve a certain goal is brewing and buried in the eyes, waiting for the moment to explode.

"Well, long time no see, Sasuke."

Suppressing the trembling in her voice, Sakura didn't know what to say for a moment. Her mind was empty and she said this by accident.

People coming and going seemed a little curious when they saw the two of them standing facing each other.

Sasuke didn't have the interest in being watched, so he said to Sakura, "Let's go outside and talk."

After saying that, he walked out of the door on his own. Sakura took a moment before slowly following him. Her breathing was rapid, and she didn't know what she was thinking in her twinkling eyes.

Sasuke stopped at the bench in the courtyard in front of the building. Flowers and plants were planted here, and some injured people could occasionally be seen taking an evening walk.

Sakura sat on the bench with excitement and complicated emotions. She had imagined countless times what she would say when she saw Sasuke again, as if she had thousands of endless words to say. But after actually seeing Sasuke, he couldn't remember anything.

"I heard about you when I was still with Orochimaru two years ago. Fate is really strange. I never thought that we would meet outside of Konoha."

Sasuke sat on the bench, looking at the scene in the courtyard, as if feeling a little emotional about the impermanence of fate.

"Yes, yes, I didn't expect you, Sasuke, to be here. But, why haven't I seen you before?"

Sakura's sitting posture was a little reserved, and her tone of voice was also slightly panicked.

In the morning, I was still talking to Hanami Haruka about going to the intelligence department to find out about Sasuke, but when I got off work in the afternoon, I met him directly.

Such a dramatic arrangement directly disrupted her arrangements and deployment.

The surprise came so suddenly that she was unprepared.

Facing Sakura's question, Sasuke answered truthfully: "Because of some things, I had to work at Orochimaru's side until the work was completed. I just arrived here yesterday."

"Orochimaru? I heard someone said it was Sasuke-san..."

"Ah, I was the one who did it. He was originally the target of the Ghost Kingdom's plan. It was time to close the net a while ago, so there is no need to keep him."

Sasuke's affirmative reply made Sakura tremble.

Some things that I didn't understand, and many mysteries that had been blocked in my heart, finally cleared away the clouds, and I suddenly realized it.

"Really? Sasuke, you have become so strong."

Being able to defeat Orochimaru, one of the three ninjas, Sakura can imagine that Sasuke's strength at this time is already different from what it used to be.

"I also met Naruto there."

Sasuke spoke up again.

"Naruto?"

Sakura sounded a little surprised.

"Konoha's target seems to be Orochimaru, but he arrived a step too late. Although that guy has become stronger, his attitude towards doing things seems to be the same as before. He always has naive ideas, which is really hard to watch. "

"I heard before that he and Sunagakure's people teamed up to defeat dangerous ninjas like the Red Sand Scorpion. As expected, both you and Naruto have grown a lot."

Thinking of this, Sakura clenched her fists. She wondered how far her fists could reach now.

In the past few years, although she has also conducted combat training, she has not participated in any actual combat. She basically spent time in the medical department.

The only time he was trained was when he was transferred by the top management of the medical department to the western stronghold of the Kingdom of Original Land, now the eastern stronghold of the Kingdom of Ghosts, where he served as a military doctor for three months. He was then transferred back and returned to work in the medical department.

Therefore, although she is essentially a medical ninja who saves lives and heals the wounded, she also has a strong belief in her heart that she does not want to lose to a man.

"Speaking of which, where is Kakashi-sensei? Didn't he come back with you? I remember he went to Orochimaru's place with you, right?"

Sakura asked this question, asking about Kakashi's whereabouts.

If you think about it carefully, she and Kakashi haven't seen each other for a long time.

However, compared to Sasuke's crime of defecting to Konoha, Kakashi's crime of defecting to Konoha is greater, which makes Sakura's mood more complicated.

Over the years, she had borrowed the intelligence department of the Ghost Country and learned some things about Kakashi's past.

The reason why he betrayed Konoha and assassinated the Third Hokage was simple - hatred.

His father, Hatake Sakumo, died in Konoha's chaotic political struggle, so he wanted to spread his fangs to Konoha's top brass, take revenge, and calm the hatred in his heart.

For me, there is no more legitimate reason for taking action in the name of revenge.

"He is still in Tian Country. If you want to see him, he will come back together in a few days, along with that guy Mizuki."

"Mizuki? Is it Teacher Mizuki?"

Sakura was surprised again when she heard an unexpected name.

Of course she knew Mizuki, an elite teacher from the former ninja school who had an excellent reputation and a very relaxed attitude towards education.

But later I heard that he had committed some crimes and defected to Konoha, which shocked the students who had been taught by him.

Even Sakura couldn't believe it when she heard the news.

Now listening to what Sasuke said, the other party was probably a nail that the Kingdom of Demon took the opportunity to plant on Orochimaru's side.

Thinking of this, the corner of Sakura's mouth couldn't help but twitch.

"Well, that guy is cooperating with Kakashi in Tian Country and seems to be moving some people."

Sasuke nodded.

Before you know it, the sun sets and the street lights in the courtyard begin to turn on, illuminating the surroundings and bringing a soft feeling.

Summer is approaching, and the evening breeze is refreshing and pleasant.

"Then... Sasuke, you won't leave the Kingdom of Demons, right?"

Finally, Sakura asked this question anxiously.

"No, I won't stay in the Kingdom of Ghosts for too long. I still have important things to do."

Sasuke was silent for a moment, his black pupils filled with fierce color, so that Sakura, who was sitting next to him, could feel the dangerous aura on his body, and began to feel uneasy as if she was sitting on a pincushion.

"It would be better to say that after returning from Orochimaru, my 'revenge' has just begun!"

◎

"Huh...huh..."

There were heavy breathing sounds in the forest that had turned dark.

On the nearby tree, there is a portable lantern for lighting, illuminating the clearing.

A figure stood on the open ground, hunched over, wiping the sweat from his face while breathing heavily, looking at the several huge pits that appeared in front of him, showing a satisfied smile.

At this moment, there was a snapping sound, which was the sound of a branch being broken by someone.

"who?"

Under the shouts of the figure in the clearing, a figure walked out from the shadow behind the tree.

The other person strolled over with his hands in his trouser pockets and a leisurely expression.

"Hey, good evening, Naruto."

"Uh, Shikamaru, why are you here?"

After Naruto saw the person coming, the vigilance in his eyes disappeared, he straightened up slightly, wondering why Shikamaru came to look for him at this time.

"I have nothing to do, so I came here to see how you are doing. However, I didn't expect you to be so hardworking and still practicing so late... Besides, you are probably exaggerating."

Shikamaru looked at the many deep craters that appeared in front of him, like giant craters created by countless falling meteorites, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He knew that Naruto was training a new technique, but this new technique was too powerful.

I heard that a few months ago, Naruto successfully severely damaged the Red Sand Scorpion with a half-finished new technique.

Naruto scratched his head, looking embarrassed as he didn't know what to say.

"There is no way. This new technique is too difficult to practice. Although I have mastered some tricks recently, I think it will take some time to fully take shape."

Naruto expressed his speculation.

The difficulty of training the Rasengan is originally high difficulty A.

As a result, wind attribute chakra must be injected into it, and it may even be converted into senjutsu later to further enhance the destructive power of ninjutsu. I know this is not an easy thing to do.

"Just have confidence." Shikamaru nodded, glanced around, then focused on Naruto again, and said: "Speaking of which, I heard about this mission from the Hokage. Don't There are depressing thoughts, after all, no one expected the intervention of the Kingdom of Ghosts."

Thinking of this, Shikamaru couldn't help but feel sorry.

What a great opportunity this was, but due to the sudden intervention of the Kingdom of Ghosts, their side returned without success.

And the worst part is, I also learned that Sasuke is originally from the Kingdom of Demons, and taking refuge under Orochimaru has the meaning of being a spy. Not only that, even the people who originally inferred that Kakashi was Orochimaru, the position of this speculation has become ambiguous.

In other words, the already powerful Demon Country will become even more powerful in this operation, which is by no means a good thing for the hostile Konoha.

"I've long looked past this kind of thing. As long as I can meet Sasuke once, I'll be satisfied."

Naruto said this.

But Shikamaru still heard helplessness and annoyance in his tone.

Shikamaru stared at Naruto.

"What's wrong, Shikamaru?"

Naruto blinked in confusion.

"No, it's nothing. In fact, after this mission, I have always had a bad premonition in my heart."

Shikamaru expressed his uneasiness.

"Bad feeling?"

"What do you think Sasuke will do next?"

Shikamaru asked as he continued to look into Naruto's eyes.

Naruto's heart skipped a beat.

"This kind of thing..."

"Actually, Naruto, you understand, but you don't want to think about it. However, the current situation does not allow us to delay it. Some decisions are better to be firm earlier. Sasuke is very likely to... ...No, he will definitely attack Konoha and take revenge!"

Shikamaru stared closely at Naruto's green pupils, and from his eyes, Shikamaru saw sourness and pain.

Obviously, Naruto also understood this truth.

But as Shikamaru said, he was unwilling to think in this direction...or, in other words, subconsciously avoided such a correct answer.

"...Isn't there any other way, Shikamaru?"

Naruto lowered his head and clenched his fists, still hesitating in his heart.

"His revenge will not stop until one of us falls completely."

Shikamaru broke Naruto's unrealistic fantasy.

"Really? Isn't it really possible?"

Naruto raised his head and looked at the night sky. His green eyes reflected the cold moonlight, and he didn't know what he was thinking in his heart.

Shikamaru nodded, unwilling to say any more, turned around and left the place, his figure disappearing into the shadows of the woods.

…

7:30 p.m.

"Thank you for the hard work on the report. That guy Lu Jiu really got it right. Although you are still young, your ability to do things is still quite good."

Tsunade's voice of appreciation came from the Hokage's office, where the lights were still on.

Although the mission to destroy Orochimaru failed, and most of the ninjas and ANBU of Kumogakure and Sunagakure left one after another, the Chunin Examination still needed to continue.

Taking the information report made by Shikamaru, Tsunade sorted it out a little, then put it aside with satisfaction and waited for distribution tomorrow.

"No, thanks to the help of Sunagakure's Jonin Temari, otherwise I wouldn't have finished it so quickly."

Shikamaru answered modestly.

"It would be great if all the young ninjas in the village could be as easy-going as you."

"If everyone were like me, Konoha would be doomed immediately."

Shikamaru didn't dare to follow Tsunade's thoughts and a drop of cold sweat ran down his face.

Immediately, he straightened his expression and reported to Tsunade:

"Just now, I went to Naruto's place for a walk."

"Oh? Are you doing psychological counseling?"

Tsunade became interested.

Shikamaru shook his head.

"Naruto is not that fragile. He can survive this level on his own. I just wanted to confirm his inner thoughts, but found that it still didn't work."

"Is it because of Uchiha Sasuke?"

Tsunade picked up the water glass and took a sip of water, leaning back on the seat.

"Hokage-sama is really perceptive."

"For a ninja, being too emotional is not a good thing."

"Yes, a ninja's rationality and sensibility should be balanced, otherwise he will suffer a great loss in battle and even risk death." Shikamaru admitted this point of view, and then changed the subject: "But, There should be no one in this world who can truly balance this.”

"Are you trying to excuse Naruto?"

"No, I want to ask you something, Hokage-sama."

Shikamaru's expression turned serious.

Tsunade was silent for a moment.

"Tell me."

"I want to personally lead the team to kill Sasuke."

Shikamaru's words were astonishing, his eyes revealed unprecedented determination, and a killing intent as cold as winter.

"Naruto, he doesn't know what you are thinking."

Tsunade continued to drink water and looked out the window at the dimly lit night market. Although she was questioning, she was sure that Shikamaru had not revealed any relevant thoughts to Naruto.

Shikamaru nodded and said: "If he knew what I was thinking, he would definitely find ways to stop it. Therefore, I want to kill Sasuke before he attacks Konoha."

"Are you sure that Sasuke will attack Konoha?"

Tsunade put down the cup in her hand and looked Shikamaru straight in the eyes.

"You can guess this kind of thing without asking specifically, right? Besides, I think you, Hokage-sama, are already making relevant preparations."

If it were just Uchiha Sasuke, he wouldn't be worthy of Konoha's high-profile response.

However, Uchiha Sasuke is now backed by the Kingdom of Demons. If the Kingdom of Demons supports Uchiha Sasuke in his revenge, then things will become extremely difficult, and it will no longer be Uchiha Sasuke's personal revenge.

Taking precautions, Shikamaru determined that Tsunade was already taking corresponding countermeasures.

"It's not a good path to go down alone and carry it all on your shoulders."

Tsunade sighed, not wanting Shikamaru to make this choice.

"But now I have a choice, and I don't have the time to wait any longer."

"...So, what happens next?"

"after?"

"After killing Sasuke, will you also get rid of Sakura and Kakashi?"

"……yes."

Looking fearlessly at Tsunade, Shikamaru didn't hide his thoughts.

"Sarutobi-sensei originally arranged for you to contact Naruto and include him in the group. It seems to be a wrong decision."

Tsunade suddenly said these words that shocked Shikamaru.

In the past, in order to take care of Naruto's daily life and to cultivate the connection between Naruto and the village, a smart enough peer was needed to guide him, and that person was Shikamaru.

"No, Sandaime he-"

"Boy from the Nara family, I am the Hokage now. I will not agree to this matter. You are not qualified to bear everything by yourself."

"I know, but if this continues, Naruto, and the village..."

"One Uchiha Sasuke is not enough to be afraid of!"

Tsunade's expression turned cold.

"But now it's not Sasuke's problem alone. I can be sure that the Kingdom of Demons will definitely find an opportunity to intervene."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I would like to ask Hokage-sama to agree."

Shikamaru bent down and made a solemn request.

"Looked up."

As Tsunade finished speaking, Shikamaru raised his head again.

"You know? You are becoming more and more like a person in my eyes now."

Tsunade's tone softened and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Like a person?"

"Shimura Danzo."

As soon as the name came out, Shikamaru's expression froze and he fell silent.

Tsunade stared into Shikamaru's eyes, and she saw a deep darkness there.

◎

"Hey, Shikamaru, this way, this way!"

Ino's loud voice came from the meatball shop operating on the roadside, causing Shikamaru, who was about to go home, to stop and look inside the meatball shop.

He saw Ino waving to him, and Choji seemed to be there too.

Shikamaru thought for a moment, then walked into the meatball shop and walked towards the table where Ino and Choji were sitting.

When I got here, I realized that besides Ino and Choji, there were two other people sitting here.

It's Sai and Hanoko from Team 7.

After lingering on Sai's face for a moment, Shikamaru asked in confusion: "Why are you here?"

"We happened to meet each other on the road, so we came in to have dinner together. Speaking of which, Shikamaru, are you still hanging out so late at night because you are busy with the Chunin Exams?"

Ino was the first to ask, and patted the empty seat next to him, asking Shikamaru to sit down.

Shikamaru didn't refuse and sat down directly.

"Yes, although the exam has not started yet, the burden on me is not light at all. I am almost exhausted these days."

"You've only been working for a few days and you start complaining. As expected of you, Shikamaru."

Ino complained.

The preparations for the chuunin exam hadn't even started for a few days, and she was already exhausted, leaving her speechless.

"Well, although it's only a few days, the workload is really too heavy, and this is a joint exam again, so there's more busy content than usual."

Shikamaru explained, then picked up a bunch of three-color meatballs and started eating them.

He has been busy until now, and he hasn't even eaten dinner. He just happened to solve it here, and there is no need to go home and eat some leftovers.

"Speaking of which, did you really meet Sasuke on this mission?"

Ino also picked up the meatballs and started eating them. Her eyes fell on Sai and Hanoko and asked about it.

"Yes, Ino-senpai, but we didn't meet directly. At that time, Saoi and I were stopped by people from the Kingdom of Demons."

Huonoko thought about it and said.

Zuo Jing smiled and said nothing, just eating the meatballs quietly, as if the failure of the previous mission did not cause too many disturbances in his heart.

"Sasuke, it's probably impossible to come back."

Ino's tone became sad and decadent, and she even lost the desire to eat meatballs.

"Isn't that obvious? He is already an enemy of Konoha."

Shikamaru said calmly.

"That's why I feel distressed."

Ino scratched her hair, feeling that her brain was in a mess and she couldn't think.

"Ino, you really miss Sasuke."

Choji smiled.

"I want you to mind your own business. You should think more about yourself than me. If you eat so much, be careful not to find a girlfriend."

Ino glared at Choji fiercely.

"Just let it happen. Dad said that plump men are more attractive."

Choji swallowed the balls one by one, eating and drinking happily.

The corner of Ino's mouth twitched, but she said nothing.

Soon, the meal was finished, and Ino took the initiative to pay the bill.

Everyone chatted for a while at the entrance of the meatball shop and then went home.

"Sai."

"What's up?"

Sai found that Shikamaru had not left, but had been following him. This made Sai very curious and didn't know why Shikamaru was following him.

Although the other party is very familiar with Naruto, the relationship between him and the other party is not actually a close one.

Shikamaru hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said, "If I remember correctly, you are a subordinate of Shimura Danzo."

Sai stared at Shikamaru but said nothing.

"I have something to ask you for help."

"matter?"

The smile on Sai's face disappeared, and there was a look in his eyes.

"I want to meet Danzo Shimura, so I need your introduction."