How Kurama Leads Naruto Astray

Something just felt off. Really off.

Sasuke looked at the unconscious Kakashi on the ground and the beautiful smiling woman next to him. The scene was just too weird to process all at once.

Kakashi wasn't saying anything for some reason—just giving Sasuke a blank, dead-eyed stare.

The beautiful woman seemed to understand what was going on between the two of them. She spoke gently, "When my chakra suddenly came back just now, the sealing jutsu I had prepared to fight the Edo Tensei worked a bit too well and accidentally hit Kakashi too. Don't worry—it won't last long."

Sasuke froze for a second, staring at the girl in front of him—she looked like she wasn't even twenty. He asked with a hint of doubt, "Mito-sama?"

"That's right." Mito—or rather, the younger Mito, now that her chakra and Yin Seal had been restored—nodded with a cheerful smile.

Sasuke was left speechless.

Honestly, his thoughts about the Yin Seal keeping people young were the same as Sarada's.

A bunch of lying women...

Huh? Who's Sarada?

The name flashed across his mind, but Sasuke didn't think much of it. What really surprised him was the woman standing in front of him.

The last time he saw her, she was an old granny. Now she looked like she was in her prime. More than that, her chakra was so deep and powerful that Sasuke felt like he was standing in front of Naruto.

Come to think of it, Naruto's chakra levels were already insane, but this woman might be on another level.

Wait, no—this wasn't the point.

Sasuke asked, still a little unsure, "Mito-sama, did the Edo Tensei get lifted for you?"

Tobirama was still fighting Orochimaru for control. In theory, except for Madara—who Orochimaru hadn't taken control of—everyone else should be frozen right now. But Mito-sama didn't look affected at all.

Mito smiled softly and replied, "Actually, before that summoner even let go of the chakra control, I had already broken free from the Edo Tensei."

Sasuke: ?

"The jutsu that controls our movements is based on a sealing technique I didn't recognize. It was pretty strong, so it took me a little extra time," Mito explained with a smile. "If my chakra hadn't been sealed back then, I could've locked everyone down the moment he summoned me."

"Too bad that summoner..."

"...was pretty cautious," Mito said with a hint of regret as she shook her head.

Sasuke looked completely lost and turned toward the still-silent Kakashi on the ground. Kakashi stared back at him with dead eyes, then finally gave a helpless nod.

He had actually defeated Mito-sama earlier and was just about to seal her up. But the moment the sealing chakra touched her, strange sealing script lit up around them—and somehow, Mito suddenly broke free from Edo Tensei like it was nothing.

Just when he thought he might have to fight Mito-sama again, he saw her suddenly form hand signs. Whatever she did, everyone's chakra restrictions were lifted. The sudden surge of chakra hit Kakashi so hard he collapsed and couldn't move.

Sasuke blinked. "So, you were the one who removed their chakra restrictions, Mito-sama?"

"Yes." Mito still wore that gentle smile. "Now that the chakra seals are gone, Tobirama can use this jutsu to counter it, and Hashirama and Madara should be able to break free from the control. The only one left is the monkey—he might need a little help from us."

Physical help.

She'd been wanting to punch Sarutobi Hiruzen for a long time.

Sasuke twitched. "So you're saying the reason Lord Hashirama suddenly released that massive chakra burst to stop me was because you removed the control on him?"

"Eh?" Mito looked surprised. "Didn't Hashirama break free?"

She could sense his chakra, but not what happened, so she assumed he'd stepped in and taken care of the enemy.

Hearing that, Sasuke let out a long sigh and said helplessly, "Actually, Orochimaru tightened his control over Hashirama at that moment, and right when Hashirama's chakra flared up, he used a Ninjutsu to block my attack. Because of that, the enemy got away."

So, in the end… was Mito-sama kind of the one at fault?

Whatever. Obito had already escaped anyway.

Sasuke shook his head. "Forget it, Mito-sama. You don't need to blame yourself. Obito can't really stir up much trouble anymore… probably."

Naruto went to save Gaara. As long as Gaara is safe, the Ten-Tails still can't be revived. Sasuke didn't believe Orochimaru had some other weird Edo Tensei ready to stop Naruto. There's no way he'd summon Uncle Minato, right…?

Sasuke suddenly went quiet, then quickly shook his head hard.

No! Don't jinx it! Don't jinx it!!!

Forget what I just said!

Watching Sasuke suddenly freak out,

Mito didn't know what to say either. She did feel a little guilty, but it wasn't just that. The situation had already happened—there was no use regretting it now.

Rather than blame herself, she should focus on how to fix things.

With that in mind, Mito said, "The monkey is still fighting. I'll go seal him first. You don't need to worry about Hashirama and the others. This jutsu was Tobirama's invention. Even if the caster modified it, the core of the jutsu hasn't changed. There's no way he can outmatch Tobirama."

"Got it," Sasuke nodded.

Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't strong enough to break free by force. The best way was for Mito-sama to seal him. Otherwise, Sasuke would have to use Chibaku Tensei again. And to make sure Hiruzen didn't break out like Tobirama did, he'd have to use even more power.

Hiruzen was still the Third Hokage. Sasuke couldn't just disrespect him like that.

So it really was better for Mito-sama to handle it.

After Mito spoke, she turned and walked off toward Hiruzen's chakra, leaving Sasuke and Kakashi behind.

Kakashi was still lying on the ground with his usual dead-fish eyes, his Sharingan and black pupil staring blankly at the sky. Sasuke sighed and dropped down beside him, also looking up at the blue sky. "What's wrong? You look even more out of it than usual."

"I just think maybe I need to get a bit stronger," Kakashi answered softly.

"You're actually thinking that?" Sasuke couldn't help but laugh. "You know, the thing I've heard the most from the Pervy Sage about you was the word 'genius.' Konoha—no, the entire ninja world's youngest jonin."

"Heh." Kakashi let out a quiet laugh. "But I've come to understand something. Like Mito-sama said, everyone has their own role to play. I have mine, too—things I need to do, and should do."

"But… like you said, I'm a genius." Kakashi turned to look at Sasuke, his face deadly serious. "I've thought it through, so I've decided to get stronger—even if it's just a little."

He was a genius. Even if he only saw himself as weak, it didn't matter...

Or rather, it didn't matter to keep going now.

At the very least, he could do better than he had before.

In the clear blue sky, a single white cloud slowly drifted in. It blocked the sunlight, casting a shadow over the land.

But the sunlight was only blocked, not gone.

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