After the Rain, So Good at Breaking Others' Umbrellas

Watching Kabuto break his defenses, Naruto quickly retreats, jumping back three times, his legs bending to propel him backward.

Kabuto was enraged by Naruto's actions, nearly losing control. Once, he had known tenderness in his life, and for him, Yakushi Nonoyu was more of a mother figure than his real one.

However, he didn't know that Yakushi Nonoyu had been the former top intelligence agent for the Root organization, known as the "Wandering Priestess." After leaving Root, she became an orphanage director.

Due to his exceptional abilities, Kabuto had been noticed by Danzo from a very young age and brought into the Root organization.

Nonoyu could not see Kabuto anymore and could only understand his situation through photographs.

Danzo seized on this flaw and began subtly replacing Kabuto's photos, gradually erasing Nonoyu's memory of the real Kabuto.

In the end, Nonoyu completely mistook another person for Kabuto and forgot the true appearance of him.

So when she was tasked with assassinating Kabuto, she didn't have any emotional reaction—she no longer recognized him. Kabuto, unaware of who was sent to kill him, killed Nonoyu in return.

He had originally been an orphan with no memories, and it was Nonoyu who had given him a name, tenderness, and a sense of self. But before she died, she did not recognize him.

The last person in the world who remembered his existence died, and he lost his true self.

"Nonoyu doesn't even remember you. It's ironic, isn't it? Your very existence was meaningless. Whether you live or die, no one will care."

Naruto dodged as he spoke, his face filled with disdain as he tried to provoke Kabuto, each word stabbing into his heart. There was no intention to be kind—each word was a silent yet brutal strike.

"Shut up!" Kabuto's face twisted in rage, and his chakra scalpel condensed into a short whip, crazily closing in on Naruto.

"You have nothing, nowhere to go."

Naruto continued his taunts, his steps growing quicker, the motion of his sword increasingly fluid. Kabuto, now nearly out of control, hastened to kill Naruto, his reason collapsing in fury as he chased relentlessly.

"Shut up!"

The chakra scalpel sliced through the air, bringing a wave of warmth with it. Naruto didn't dare to slacken his guard. A single hit could sever tendons and ligaments.

Kabuto's speed was so fast that Naruto gave up on forming seals.

Step by step, he retreated, further provoking Kabuto's nerves. Jiraiya had yet to arrive, Tsunade had lost her ability to fight, and Shizune was no match for Orochimaru.

"If I can't find myself, then I'll take it from others!" Kabuto rolled and flung something chakra-chained and saw-like toward Naruto.

"What a joke, then go ahead and steal!" Naruto slashed his sword at the chainsaw, and the two closed in again, gritting their teeth as they clashed.

Meanwhile, Shizune, trying to protect Tsunade, had already begun fighting Orochimaru.

Naruto silently prayed for the perverted sage to arrive and remembered the master of rescuing, Kakashi.

"You, with a name and identity, would never understand the despair of someone like me, someone completely blank." Kabuto's eyes bloodshot, his gaze menacing.

"Naruto Uzumaki!" He breathed heavily like a beast, "Do you know what it feels like to erase yourself with your own hands? I am nothing."

"Names are just labels, glasses are just tools. You're right! From the beginning, I've been nothing, I've had nothing!"

"Heh." Naruto's expression also twisted in fury, "What disgusting words you're saying. If your life has no meaning, then die quietly!"

"Do you think I'll pity you? I'll slit your throat and spit on your grave. You think you've learned something grand, go say that to Nonoyu!"

Nonoyu was dead, and Kabuto had no one left to speak to.

He didn't know how Naruto knew about all this, but at this point, Kabuto was too enraged to think. His reason had already been overwhelmed by rage.

Naruto was killing madly, no longer human, disregarding the consequences.

If he couldn't have it, he would destroy it. Redemption was a barren thing. Who was more pitiful between life and death? Only the living had the right to spit on their enemy's grave.

Kabuto's life had been stolen by Danzo through despicable means. Before dying, Nonoyu had believed Kabuto was still safely living in Konoha.

Death was the norm, tragedy was the norm.

But the world wasn't fake. The warmth of a lover was real. Naruto just wanted to lie down.

So, he spoke the most venomous words to Kabuto.

"Have you ever wondered why it wasn't you who died that day?"

With a loud bang, Kabuto screamed, completely breaking down.

"Shut up! I'm going to kill you!!"

"Kill you! Naruto Uzumaki!!!"

"Come at me!!" Naruto's veins popped on his neck, not showing any weakness. His molten release covered his sword instantly, "How did Nonoyu end up raising such a thing."

So dirty. Naruto once again demonstrated the brightest quality of a ninja duel—the flexible moral line.

Children who have been through the rain are the best at breaking others' umbrellas.

He knew too well what could instantly crush a person's heart, what could completely destroy a person's beliefs.

The hilt of the sword was set on fire as Naruto, like a young leopard, charged at Kabuto, molten lava turning the blade red-hot. Kabuto's chakra scalpel let out a screeching sound as it rushed straight for Naruto's heart.

But Naruto's battle instincts were astonishingly sharp, and the entire world seemed to slow down in that instant. The wind, the buzzing sound of poisoned needles piercing the air, the chakra scalpel in his eyes growing infinitely larger.

The power in his legs exploded at that moment, causing Naruto to shake like a leaf in the wind, a black-and-white flash like a malfunctioning movie tape.

The high-speed tremor allowed Naruto to miraculously dodge the chakra scalpel, and he was already at Kabuto's side. Without hesitation, he swung his sword in a molten arc.

Kabuto's pupils dilated suddenly, the molten strike landing on his right rib. Thankfully, he activated his regenerative healing technique in time. He had already mobilized cells to heal before the attack hit.

In this way, the constantly destroyed and healed cells intertwined furiously, looking like a rapid recovery after an injury.

This ninjutsu was somewhat similar to Tsunade's Hundred Healings, a sophisticated technique.

At the same time, the sword in Naruto's hand couldn't withstand the heat and snapped. Kabuto's eyes narrowed, and a sinister grin spread across his face as his chakra scalpel grew.

In an instant.

Naruto casually discarded the broken blade in his hand. Kabuto, nearly doubting his own eyes, saw a brand-new ninja sword suddenly appear in Naruto's hand!

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