Sasuke Retrieval Mission (3)

A/N: You guys hit the Double Release goal, so there will be a Double Release next Monday. For a Triple Release next Monday, we need to hit 1000 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Next Goal: 1000 Powerstones!

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Sasuke smirked at Goro, his eyes filled with arrogance. "Don't get in my way," he said, his tone cold.

Goro responded in a blank, matter-of-fact way, "Even with the power of the curse mark, I'm still stronger."

Sasuke's smirk grew wider. "You want to test out your theory?"

Before Goro could reply, Naruto, seething with frustration, tried to rush toward them, but Kimimaro intercepted him with his bone sword. The blade nearly pierced Naruto's chest, but Shikamaru yanked him back just in time.

"I trust Goro can handle Sasuke," Shikamaru said, keeping his eyes glued on Kimimaro. "Naruto, if you want to help, we need to deal with this guy," he added.

Kimimaro lowered his hand slightly, evaluating the situation. "That Chunin is strong... I'll kill these two quickly and then help Sasuke," he thought.

Sasuke lunged at Goro, throwing a high kick as he yelled, "Let's see how you deal with this!"

Unfazed, Goro caught Sasuke's leg mid-air with ease and slammed him into the ground with brutal force. Sasuke crashed hard, coughing up blood as the impact knocked the air out of him.

The sound of Sasuke hitting the ground caught Kimimaro's attention. He glanced back and saw Sasuke lying motionless.

"I told you, Sasuke," Goro said flatly, his expression unchanged. "I'm much stronger than you."

Seeing Sasuke down, Kimimaro turned to run after Goro, but his movements were stopped abruptly. His body froze in place—Shikamaru had caught him with his Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"Now, Naruto!" Shikamaru shouted, gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain control.

Naruto, not wasting time, leapt forward and aimed a punch at Kimimaro. However, Kimimaro sprouted bones from his face, which pierced Naruto's fist, causing him to cry out in pain. In that moment, Kimimaro managed to move just enough to fire a finger bullet at Shikamaru's gut.

Shikamaru barely evaded, releasing the jutsu to avoid the shot. "Tch..." he muttered, clutching his side.

Kimimaro, now free, activated his Cursed Seal Level 2. His body darkened as he transformed, his features becoming more menacing. Having completed the transformation, he rushed toward Goro and whispered, "Dance of the Clematis: Flower."

Goro let go of Sasuke and jumped back, narrowly dodging Kimimaro's attack. He kicked the bone weapon to the side, but as his foot made contact with Kimimaro's arm, more bones sprouted from Kimimaro's arm, piercing Goro's foot.

"That hurts…" Goro thought, gritting his teeth as pain shot through him. 'This Kekkei Genkai… I need it. It's too powerful!'

Kimimaro quickly bent down and lifted Sasuke onto his shoulder, but Sasuke, now conscious, pushed Kimimaro away, activating his Sharingan. The cursed mark spread across Sasuke's body and face upon activation of his Sharingan.

"You hit hard, but it's not enough to take me down," Sasuke said, his voice filled with renewed confidence. "The difference between our strengths is a gap I can easily close." He clenched his hand twice, testing his movements.

'That's because I'm not aiming to kill or cripple you…'

Naruto and Shikamaru, now regrouped, began running toward Goro, but Kimimaro noticed. Pulling his arm back, Kimimaro swung it in their direction. Just before the attack could connect, Goro flickered in front of them, getting Naruto and Shikamaru out of harm's way.

'These two are liabilities in this battle. They keep getting in the way!'

Naruto, however, was undeterred. "Sasuke!" he yelled again, his voice filled with desperation.

Sasuke turned from Goro, his Sharingan gleaming as he faced Naruto. "Naruto, I'm done playing ninja with you. We have different paths. You wouldn't understand."

"Playing ninja? I'm aiming to be Hokage! What's happening to you?!"

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What's gotten into him all of a sudden? He wasn't like this before... Not on the mission to the Land of Waves, and not back in the academy," he thought.

Naruto clenched his fists, fury boiling inside him. The red chakra of the Nine-Tails began swirling around him, filling the air.

'It's that same creepy Nine Tails chakra again…'

"Sasuke! You really think we're playing ninja?!" Naruto growled. "Quit messing around!"

Sasuke smirked, as he met Naruto's fiery gaze. "Like I said, you wouldn't understand," Sasuke repeated. "How could someone without a family from the start ever understand what it's like to lose them?!"

Shikamaru winced at Sasuke's words. "That's a low blow," he thought. "I never expected to hear something like that from him... Sasuke's motivations run much deeper than I thought. This has been building for a long time. It's not out of nowhere."

"It sounds harsher in person…" Goro thought, his eyes fixed on Sasuke.

Kimimaro, seeing things derail, spoke to Sasuke. "Leave. I'll handle things here."

Sasuke smirked one last time before turning and flickering away in an instant. Naruto, his eyes now red, roared, "SASUKE!" and dashed after him. However, before Naruto could close the gap, Kimimaro swiftly moved in front of him again, blocking his path.

Goro, seeing the interference, lunged forward, throwing a punch at Kimimaro with his fist infused with chakra. Kimimaro attempted to counter with his bone defenses, but Goro's chakra-enhanced punch crushed through the bones with ease. The punch landed squarely on Kimimaro, sending him tumbling across the ground.

"Go, Naruto!" Goro shouted, taking advantage of the moment.

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He flickered after Sasuke, his form disappearing as he pursued his teammate.

Kimimaro wiped the blood from his lip, his expression calm. He slowly stood back up, his eyes locked onto Goro. "You're skilled," he admitted, "but even if you're stronger than me, I must keep you here for Lord Orochimaru's sake. I can't let you catch up to Sasuke."

Bones began to sprout from Kimimaro's torso and back, forming a jagged rib cage around him.

"Shikamaru," Goro said, his voice firm, "this is dangerous. You already did your job. Head back."

Shikamaru opened his mouth to protest, clearly torn, but Goro cut him off with a steely glare. "Head back."

The sharpness in Goro's voice made Shikamaru pause. He thought it over, his mind calculating the risks. "My brain tells me I won't be able to keep up... but my heart doesn't want to leave. He's right, though… I won't be of much help here. This battle is above my pay grade... I need to use my skills elsewhere," Shikamaru thought.

With a reluctant sigh, Shikamaru turned back. "I'll go help look for Kiba and provide him backup," he said, his voice filled with resignation.

Goro nodded, a smirk briefly crossing his face as he thought, 'Kiba, huh? My clone has already handled that situation. Sakon and Ukon are dead, and Kiba's passed out.'

As Shikamaru left, Goro returned his focus to Kimimaro. 'He's practically a dead person walking. I've just got to get him to exert himself, and he'll die… It's just a matter of time.'

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Reminder: For a Triple Release next Monday, we need to hit 1000 powerstones by Sunday. This story's continuation depends on your support—so don't forget to give the story powerstones! Next Goal: 1000 Powerstones!