Naruto: Growing Stronger Through Healing

Watching the battle unfold, Rasa's expression grew increasingly grim.

Magnet Release: Gold Dust Imperial Funeral was already his trump card, the technique he relied on most in life-or-death situations—yet even that had failed to capture Danzō and Orochimaru.

This result left him deeply frustrated.

After all, within Sunagakure, while he could not claim absolute invincibility, he had come very close to it.

Victories had long been the norm for him, and it was precisely this record that had fostered his arrogant and domineering temperament.

Whoosh!

The sharp sound of air being torn apart echoed once more.

Rinne Path–Orochimaru had again manipulated the Kusanagi Sword, launching another sneak attack from an unexpected angle.

But this time, Rasa was fully prepared.

Anticipating the strike, he dodged cleanly, avoiding injury. At the same time, he condensed and fired a Gold Dust spear in retaliation, forcing Danzō and his companion to retreat rapidly to avoid being skewered.

However, despite this exchange, Rasa had no intention of continuing the battle.

He was already wounded, and facing Danzō and Orochimaru simultaneously placed him at a severe disadvantage. One moment of carelessness could very well cost him his life.

It would be far wiser to retreat for now—heal his injuries first, then seek an opportunity to ambush Danzō later.

Originally, Rasa had planned to capture both Danzō and Orochimaru in one decisive engagement.

But after this short yet intense clash, he clearly realized that he simply lacked the strength to accomplish that.

Thus, he could only refocus his objective on Danzō alone.

After all, that was the mission personally assigned to him by the Third Kazekage.

However, just as Rasa was preparing to withdraw with his subordinates, the violent fluctuations of chakra and the deafening clash of ninjutsu attracted yet another group of shinobi.

Their leader wore a red ninja hat and a tight-fitting crimson combat suit. He was tall, with a prominent nose and a thick, connected beard.

The forehead protector on his brow bore the unmistakable symbol of Iwagakure.

It was Kitsuchi.

"Damn it—it's the Stone ninja!"

Danzō recognized him immediately. Seeing Ōnoki's son appear here caused his expression to turn exceptionally ugly.

He certainly didn't believe the other party had come to help him. Their objective could only be the same as Rasa's.

And reality quickly proved Danzō correct.

The moment Kitsuchi arrived with his men, he scanned the battlefield and instantly grasped the situation. It was obvious that Rasa was pursuing the same target.

But Rasa was already injured.

So Kitsuchi ignored him entirely, locking his gaze onto Danzō as he launched an attack without hesitation.

He was a man of action, not words.

Although Ōnoki had instructed him to capture both Orochimaru and Danzō if possible, Kitsuchi's straightforward nature led him to prioritize completing the core mission first.

Capture Danzō. If he still had the strength afterward, he could then deal with Orochimaru.

Earth Release: Fist Rock!

Kitsuchi clenched his right fist, coating it in a thick layer of hardened stone. The technique combined immense hardness with crushing weight.

The power behind a single punch was more than enough to shatter solid rock.

Danzō naturally did not dare to confront it head-on.

He swiftly drew a kunai and infused it with Wind Release chakra, forming an extremely sharp cutting edge.

Wind Release: Vacuum Blade!

With a piercing hiss, the blade of compressed wind sliced straight through the rock covering Kitsuchi's fist.

If Kitsuchi hadn't dodged in time, his entire arm might have been severed.

The close call startled him into immediately pulling back, creating distance and abandoning any thought of close combat.

But Danzō had no intention of letting him retreat so easily.

Now that he knew the other party had come specifically for him, holding back was no longer an option.

If he allowed himself to be surrounded and pressured by both Sunagakure and Iwagakure, he would eventually be worn down and killed here.

"Orochimaru, attack together—take out Kitsuchi first!"

Compared to Rasa, who possessed the ability to fly, Kitsuchi was clearly the easier opponent to deal with.

As he spoke, Danzō had already launched his attack. However, Rinne Path–Orochimaru was intercepted by Rasa.

In a one-on-one fight, Rasa might not be able to defeat Danzō and Orochimaru together.

But now that Kitsuchi had arrived, the situation had fundamentally changed.

Although Rasa and Kitsuchi were not allies, their goals were aligned. That alone was enough to justify temporary cooperation.

They could join forces first, and after capturing Danzō and Orochimaru, discuss how to divide the spoils afterward.

Thus, Rasa abandoned the idea of retreat and instead chose to intervene.

This development caused Danzō's expression to darken to an extreme degree.

In the past, he wouldn't have feared facing the two of them together—he would have simply crushed them both.

But now, everything was different. He was a rogue ninja hunted by Konoha.

Not only had he lost Konoha as his backing, but Sakumo Hatake could appear at any moment to hunt him down.

And since Sunagakure and Iwagakure had already sent forces, Kumogakure and Kirigakure would undoubtedly do the same.

If he became bogged down here, more enemies would inevitably arrive. One wrong step, and he could truly fall in this place.

"Kitsuchi, let's cooperate," Rasa said, having intercepted Orochimaru. "We can settle things after we capture Danzō and Orochimaru."

Kitsuchi, having just evaded another one of Danzō's attacks, nodded without hesitation.

"Fine. I'll deal with Danzō. You handle Orochimaru."

Although Ōnoki believed his son lacked the qualities needed to become Tsuchikage, that didn't mean Kitsuchi was foolish.

On the contrary, unwilling to disappoint his father, he had always studied carefully and thought things through.

The reason he chose to fight Danzō wasn't just because Danzō was the mission target—it was also a strategic decision.

Rasa was already injured. Holding off Orochimaru alone was already difficult enough.

Once Kitsuchi captured Danzō, he could decide whether to retreat immediately or continue fighting Orochimaru, depending on the situation.

And if Rasa happened to exhaust himself capturing Orochimaru, Kitsuchi might even seize the opportunity to capture Rasa as well.

After all, Magnet Release was an exceptionally powerful Kekkei Genkai—one Iwagakure had long coveted.

Unaware of Kitsuchi's inner calculations, Rasa saw him agree and nodded without hesitation.

"Alright."

Before the words had fully settled, Rasa activated Magnet Release once more.

Under his control, the Gold Dust surged toward Orochimaru as if it were alive.

At the same time, Kitsuchi rapidly formed hand seals, unleashing long-range Earth Release techniques.

A fierce ninjutsu battle erupted between him and Danzō.

"Kill!"

The Iwagakure shinobi under Kitsuchi's command charged forward, joining forces with the Sand ninja to assault the Root forces.

Caught between two enemies, the Root ninja fought desperately, but they were quickly pushed into a losing position.

The situation grew increasingly dire for Danzō and his group.

And as the three factions clashed in a chaotic, all-out battle, no one noticed that two pairs of eyes were quietly watching from the shadows.

They belonged, naturally, to Black Zetsu and White Zetsu.

With White Zetsu's abilities, locating Danzō was effortless.

"Should we help?" White Zetsu asked, knowing that Black Zetsu intended to use Danzō as a tool against Hirakawa Seisui.

Black Zetsu shook his head without hesitation.

"Not yet. This is not the time to reveal ourselves." As he spoke, Black Zetsu fixed his gaze on Rinne Path–Orochimaru.

After careful observation, he finally noticed something deeply unsettling.

The Orochimaru standing there was not alive at all. It was a corpse—moving as though it still possessed life.

And in Black Zetsu's vast knowledge, there was only one power capable of achieving such a feat.

The Rinnegan.

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