Sasuke And Orochimaru Retreats - TTBA - 9

"What was that?" Sasuke asked, looking confused.

"Just a little trick," I replied. "But it was enough to surprise you."

"You...!" Sasuke yelled, swinging his sword at me. I stepped back a bit but didn't try to dodge or block it because the sword stopped in midair before it could reach me.

"What... what's going on?" Sasuke asked, stepping back to put some distance between us.

"Why are you stepping back, Sasuke? Are you scared?" I taunted.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he gathered his chakra, his body buzzing with electric energy. Suddenly, he unleashed a powerful wave of lightning, shouting, "Chidori Stream!" as he aimed it straight at me. The air crackled with electricity, and the ground beneath him was scorched from the intense power.

"Naruto...!" Yamato and Sakura called out, their voices filled with worry.

I stood my ground, watching as the electric wave rushed toward me. Just before it could reach me, the energy fizzled out, and the sparks disappeared harmlessly.

Sasuke's eyes widened in disbelief. "What... what's happening?"

I smirked and said, "Weak... weak... weak... This is getting too easy for me." I continued, "You talk about impressing Itachi with this power? You're just pathetic."

"Don't say his name in front of me..." Sasuke replied, his voice tense. "Chidori!" he shouted as he charged at me again. Just as he was about to strike, I caught his hand, and the technique vanished. He looked astonished.

"Once again, pathetic," I said, grabbing his hands and throwing him against one of the walls of the base. He hit the wall hard and fell to the ground from the impact.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouted, her voice filled with concern.

"Sorry! I think I got a little carried away. I was just having fun," I said with a smile.

"Having fun, you say?" Sasuke replied, standing up and activating his Sharingan.

"I was just waiting for you to use those eyes of yours," I remarked.

"Now let's have some real fun!" he declared, pulling out his sword and charging at me, channeling the lightning Chidori through it.

Once again, his attack was stopped, and the lightning faded as I caught the blade. "Not this time," I said, meeting his gaze with my own unguarded eyes.

Sasuke stepped back, preparing to attack once more as I watched him closely.

"Naruto, watch out!" Yamato yelled. I turned to see snakes slithering toward me, forcing me to leap away to safety.

"Are you okay?" Sakura asked, concerned.

"I'm fine!" I answered, spotting Orochimaru on a cliff above. He called his snakes back to him.

"Let's go, Sasuke. It's time to leave," Orochimaru commanded. Sasuke instantly disappeared from his spot and reappeared beside Orochimaru.

"You've gotten really strong, Naruto. Your power amazes me," Orochimaru said. "But we have things to do, so we're leaving."

"Wait..." Sasuke began.

"No, we don't have time for that," Orochimaru interrupted.

"Sasuke, don't go with him!" Sakura screamed, but both Orochimaru and Sasuke vanished into thin air.

We stood there in silence for a moment, realizing he was gone.

"I think they took down my clone too," Yamato said. "Kabuto is gone with them."

We returned to the village empty-handed, having completely failed our mission.

Standing in front of Granny Tsunade in the Hokage's office, Yamato gave a brief report of what had happened.

"I see," she said, taking in the details of our failed mission.

"And...?" she prompted, as we continued to explain.

"And... I was too careless while fighting Sasuke. I didn't notice Orochimaru coming, and because of my foolishness, they got away. Our mission failed," I admitted.

"That's not what I meant. Anyway, as you fought Sasuke, how strong do you think he is?" she asked.

"He's at least as strong as a jonin," I replied.

"I see. You can go for now, but be ready for your next mission," she said. Sakura, Sai, and I left the office.

"I'll head out now, Sakura. Don't worry, we'll bring Sasuke back sooner or later," I reassured her.

She nodded. "See you soon, bye!" I said.

"Bye!" she replied, waving.

After that, I went straight to my apartment, took a bath, and freshened up.

Once I felt rested, I headed out to Ichiraku Ramen for some ramen.

"Old Teuchi!" I called out as I entered the shop.

"Hey, Naruto! Back from your mission already?" Teuchi greeted me.

"Yeah, it was a long mission, and it didn't go well. Anyway, can I get some ramen? I'm really hungry," I said.

"Oh, I was just about to leave. Ayame will take over now. I have some important things to do," he replied as Ayame walked in.

"Hey, Naruto!" Ayame waved, and I waved back.

"I'll be off now. Take care of the shop for a while," Teuchi said.

"Okay!" Ayame replied as Teuchi left the shop.

"So, Naruto, when did you get back from your mission?" she asked.

"Just a few hours ago," I said. "You know how much I need ramen after a mission."

"I know. It won't take long," she said.

After a little while, she brought me a bowl of ramen. "Here you go. It's just like last time."

"Thanks!" I said, and started eating.

"So, how was your mission?" she asked.

"It was alright, nothing special," I replied.

"Not every mission has to be special, you know!" she said with a smile.

"I guess," I said.

"So, when's your next mission?" she asked.

"I don't know. Granny said she'll assign our team to a new mission soon."

"That sounds good," she said.

"Thanks!" I said as I finished eating and paid the bill. "Bye, see you soon," I said as I walked out of the shop also she said bye.

[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]