Naruto: Get Stronger by Spoiling My Sister

Deep in the forest, Kidomaru, Sakon, and Jirōbō sat silently around a crackling campfire. They glanced at one another, not saying a word.

Even the usually playful Kidomaru wore a grim expression.

"This… are we really supposed to follow his orders?" Jirōbō scratched his head and asked cautiously.

Neji had dumped the three of them here with barely an explanation. He had laid out his demands without so much as asking for their opinion, then walked off with Tayuya and the barrel containing Sasuke.

In short, he wanted them to hold back any Konoha pursuers who might come their way. And to make sure they took him seriously, he'd casually warned that if they tried to run off, he'd raze Orochimaru's entire hideout to the ground.

Then he was gone, leaving only stunned silence and unanswered questions in his wake.

Jirōbō's words were swallowed by the night. Only the pop and hiss of the fire answered him.

Honestly, Jirōbō had started to wonder if it was all just a bad dream. The Sound Four reduced to errand boys for a brat who had threatened them with destruction. But the biting wind and the sting of cold air in his lungs told him this was all too real.

"I've had enough. I'm not taking this lying down." Sakon, ever the hothead, finally couldn't suppress his fury. He shot to his feet, ready to storm off.

"Can you even beat him?" Jirōbō asked dryly.

That shut him up.

They'd all seen Neji in action not just during the invasion of Konoha, but also more recently. Orochimaru had been murmuring his name with increasing frequency, and even Kabuto couldn't stop talking about him.

In hindsight, it all made sense. The collapse of Orochimaru's plans, Kabuto's severed arm these setbacks had Neji written all over them.

"Orochimaru once said something that stuck with me," Kidomaru muttered. "'Don't take anything Neji says as a joke.'"

That memory rang loud in their minds. Sakon sat back down, swallowing whatever curses he had lined up.

"Arghhh…" Sakon clutched his head and barked at Kidomaru, "Aren't you the idea guy? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"What do you expect me to say in a situation like this?"

Kidomaru stood up, scowling. This wasn't strategy it was humiliation.

"Whatever. We were just supposed to hold them off anyway," Jirōbō sighed deeply, trying to accept their role with some semblance of peace.

"Damn it!" Sakon slammed his fist into a nearby tree. Just as he opened his mouth again, the forest around them stirred with rustling sounds.

Their bodies tensed at once.

At that moment, Neji was strolling through the forest, looking unusually relaxed. Tayuya walked ahead, carrying the heavy barrel with Sasuke inside on her back.

"You really have no sense of chivalry, do you?" she grumbled silently. I'm a gorgeous woman, and you've got me hauling this thing like a pack mule.

Neji didn't respond to her sulking. Outwardly, he looked calm, but he was constantly scanning the area using his Kagura's Mind Eye technique, keeping tabs on everyone's movements.

Suddenly, he paused mid-step and murmured, "They've made contact already? That was fast."

Without warning, he grabbed Tayuya's hand and, with his other, hoisted the barrel. In the blink of an eye, they had leapt several kilometers away.

"Host has made physical contact with Tayuya. Reward unlocked: Summoning Jutsu – The Three Oni."

Summoning Jutsu – The Three Oni: Summons three giant demon-like warriors who specialize in close combat. One wields a massive club, another uses bone claws, and the third, whose head and upper torso are wrapped in bandages, fights without arms, relying solely on devastating body slams. The user can control them with flute music.

"So fast!" Tayuya was stunned. She turned to glare at Neji, If he could move like that the whole time, why did I have to carry the damn barrel?!

But Neji wasn't paying attention to her complaints. Konoha's pursuit team had already caught up most likely the usual bunch. This time, though, they'd brought everyone, all because he had left with Sasuke.

"What a grand production," Neji muttered. "Let's just get to Orochimaru already."

Under Neji's blistering pace, they soon reached a wide, open plain. Just then, a gray-haired boy appeared before them.

"Stop."

He looked sickly, his skin pale as paper. But Neji knew better. This was the most powerful of the Sound Five.

"Kimimaro of the Kaguya clan."

Neji's gaze sharpened. Kimimaro was a tragic figure deadly powerful, but doomed by his own failing body. Still, Neji had no intention of interfering with his fate. His opponent was meant to be Rock Lee and Gaara.

Kimimaro coughed violently, blood trickling from the corner of his lips. Yet he ignored it. A sharpened bone blade emerged from his hand as he pointed it directly at Neji.

"Hand over Sasuke."

He didn't spare Tayuya a glance. She was irrelevant to his mission. All that mattered was obeying Orochimaru's command.

"You're up, Tayuya." Neji let go of her and passed the job over.

She didn't understand his plan. Why go see Orochimaru? But Kimimaro had always been the calmest among them. If anyone could assess the situation, it was him.

With that thought, she ran up to Kimimaro.

If Kimimaro is already here, Neji mused, then Orochimaru must be getting impatient.

Unless he used his phasing ability right now, by the time he reached the hideout, Orochimaru would've already taken over Gen'yūmaru's body.

"Faster than expected," he muttered, though he wasn't worried. Even if Orochimaru became a man again, Neji had enough leverage to make him hand over the jutsu.

Because he had something Orochimaru couldn't resist.

"You say he's Hyūga Neji?" Kimimaro asked Tayuya, pointing at Neji.

Before she could answer, he murmured to himself, "Yes… he has the Byakugan. And he's still so young."

Then, without warning, Kimimaro retracted his bone blade and bowed slightly.

"My apologies for blocking your path. Please, make sure Sasuke reaches Lord Orochimaru safely."

Tayuya stood stunned. She'd expected to argue for hours, but just hearing Neji's name changed everything? If not for Kimimaro's unwavering loyalty, she might have suspected he'd defected.

What she didn't know was that Kimimaro's response was not his own. It was exactly what Orochimaru had ordered.

"If Neji wants to see me… then let him come," Orochimaru had said.

—————————————————————————————————————————————————

Didn't expect you to stick around guess miracles do happen. If you're feeling generous, drop a review and chuck a power stone my way. Motivation doesn't grow on trees! Hungry for more?

The story's already racing ahead on Patreon!

[email protected]/_tey 

Change @ to a.