Escape From Konoha

It was approaching afternoon in the forest, and the cold north wind was still howling. The originally dense trees seemed to have become much emptyer and quieter in this cold weather that could freeze one's heartbeat.

Even the trees were dyed a pale white frost color by the winter chill.

During this season, except for a few wild beasts that are still active outside, most animals will not take the initiative to come out to look for food.

A group of people led by Chiyo were moving rapidly through the forest.

In the blink of an eye, he passed several trees and sprinted forward quickly. Judging from the degree of previous attacks, the enemy's lair must be nearby, and Gaara could be rescued soon.

Just as they were rushing forward, a flash of white came into view.

It was an unknown creature that had never appeared in animal illustrations—a white falcon flying rapidly.

The whole body is dyed white, without any variegation, and it doesn't look like a normal creature at all.

Huinozi, who was running, recognized this white falcon, a clay creation used by Iwagakure rebel ninja Deidara, which had terrifying explosive power.

Knowing the explosive power of this clay creation, Hanoko naturally would not let such an object approach the team. He picked up a chakra needle, attached orange lightning to it, and quickly threw it out.

The chakra needle flew very fast and was about to pierce into the white falcon's body, blocking its ability to explode.

However, the initiative to explode was not in Huonozi's hands from the beginning.

Before the chakra array penetrated into the body of the white falcon, the white falcon let out a high-pitched cry and exploded with a roar.

The fire and smoke suddenly spread on the road in front of the team, blocking their view of the road ahead.

Then there was a whooshing sound.

A large number of thousands of needles were like a heavy rain falling from the sky, blocking the road ahead and shooting at extremely fast speeds. A suffocating sense of oppression swept over them.

"Wood Release·Wood Spindle Wall!"

Tenzo has quick eyes and quick hands, clasping his hands together, the twisted trees burst out of the ground, and then bent further, forming an arched wall in front.

The thumping sound is endless, and countless poisonous books are nailed to the arched wooden wall, which is full of some strange rhythm.

"retreat!"

As if he noticed something, just as Tianzang finished speaking, the others retreated backwards in unison and escaped from under the arched wooden wall.

Bang!

A huge dark shadow fell from the sky.

It was an extremely huge square iron block.

Made of black hard sand iron particles and infused with chakra, the sand iron cube weighs at least thousands of tons. Coupled with the gravity acceleration of falling from the sky, no matter how strong the defense is, it will collapse under this blow. collapse.

If they had not retreated in time, everyone would probably have been crushed into pieces in an instant along with the arched wooden wall.

The person who performed the Sand Iron Technique was an adult man wearing a brown coat and a dull face.

With inorganic eyes and a clear-cut machine mouth, it is obvious that this is not a living person, but a puppet controlled by others.

"Sandaime..."

When Chiyo saw this puppet that looked like an adult male, his eyes were in a trance, as if recalling a period of time in the past. Then he fell silent and his eyes fell on the red-haired boy who slowly walked out from behind the puppet.

Wearing a coat with a black background and red clouds, he raised the five fingers of his right hand and skillfully controlled the third generation Kazekage puppet in front of him with his chakra silk.

"Faded ancient relics can be hung high on the wall and slowly decay. Why do you have to come all the way to die, you damn old woman?"

The corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and although he was smiling, he didn't feel like a human being, but some kind of machine that ran according to a program.

Or maybe it's just like the Third Kazekage he controls, but it still looks like a human 'doll'.

"Of course I want to see my lovely grandson for the last time. After all, I haven't loved you for many years, my good grandson..."

Chiyo sighed.

Xie snorted lightly and emphasized in a slightly unpleasant tone:

"The last time? It seems that you have bought yourself a coffin in advance. But even if you kill you, you will not become a work of art in my hands. After all, you are already a dead old woman."

"Yes, I am already an old woman, but your appearance seems to be fixed twenty years ago, without any change at all. Scorpion, you are indeed..."

Chiyo stared at Scorpio with deep meaning.

"This is the 'eternity' I pursue...a remnant of the old era like you, a work of art that can never be understood."

Anything can fade, except art.

And, as time goes by, it becomes more valuable.

Scorpion pulled the chakra thread, and the third-generation Kazekage puppet also took action, retracting the sand-iron cube that flattened the arched wooden wall from the front, and floating it above his head.

Perhaps because it floated in the air, everyone had a clearer understanding of the sand iron cube, and they were all awe-struck.

If you get hit by this thing, you will definitely die.

"After all, they are just a group of mediocre people. They must not be able to understand the art of the new era. Hmm."

In the sky, Deidara rode the white bird to the other side of the scorpion. His left arm was empty, and only his right arm was still usable.

"Stop talking nonsense there and hand Gaara over quickly!"

As for the so-called art topic, the current situation was urgent, and Naruto didn't want to hear it at all, he just wanted to save people as quickly as possible.

"Nonsense? He seems to be a guy who doesn't understand art."

Deidara raised his eyebrows and looked at Naruto with a look that became unkind.

"After all, your momentary art is too crude and cannot withstand scrutiny. Only eternal art has aesthetic value."

Scorpion said.

"No, Brother Scorpio, although I respect you very much, it is the instantaneous explosion that has aesthetic value. The magnificence of a moment is people's yearning for beauty. On the contrary, eternity will only slowly decay and freeze the beauty. It will make beauty vulgar. Hmm."

Deidara immediately retorted unhappily.

"No, eternity is art."

"No, it's an instant explosion."

Looking at Scorpion and Deidara, who were already quarreling before they started fighting, Tenzo and the others looked even more confused.

The relationship between these two guys is not that good?

If so, maybe you can take advantage of it.

"shut up!"

Naruto yelled in annoyance, which stopped Scorpion and Deidara's argument.

In their sight, they only saw a yellow figure flashing past, and Naruto had already rushed up, running forward with all his strength.

So fast! Deidara was secretly shocked.

He quickly controlled the white bird under his feet, flapped its wings, flew upwards, and put some distance away from Naruto.

Then he spit out two clay balls from the mouth of his right hand and transformed two birds into flying towards Naruto.

Scorpion's reaction was slightly faster than Deidara's. He just twitched his fingers slightly, and the sand-iron cube controlled by the Third Kazekage fell from the sky like a meteorite, hitting Naruto who was sprinting over.

chi chi!

Two chakra needles were quickly shot into the bodies of the two clay birds, preventing them from exploding.

Tian Zang, who was located in the rear area, once again formed a seal.

A large number of trees appeared around Naruto, rising from the ground to form thick wooden pillars supporting upwards.

Boom!

Click!

The thick wooden pillars cracked and sawdust flew away, but due to the large number of wooden pillars carrying the sand and iron cubes, these wooden pillars successfully withstood the pressure of thousands of tons after losing some parts.

Since Deidara was in the sky, Naruto's only target was Scorpion, and he was about to speed up and get in front of Scorpion.

A figure rushed in front of Scorpion even faster, it was the Third Kazekage.

He opened his mouth, and the sand and iron spit out formed a sharp thorn and rushed towards Naruto.

Naruto bent his body backwards, and long black thorns swept across his chest and face.

Naruto raised his hand again.

Click!

He smashed the extended sand iron thorn with one palm and broke it into two pieces.

Then several more long black thorns were ejected from the mouth of the Third Kazekage. Naruto moved backwards, dodging left and right, avoiding these black long thorns rushing towards him one by one.

The Puppet Master is good at quenching poison on weapons.

These sand irons are also highly poisonous and must not be scratched.

"It seems that now is not the best time to argue about art. Brother Scorpio, let's wait until these people are dealt with before we can talk about art. Hmm."

Deidara stood on the back of the white bird and suggested to the scorpion.

Xie glanced at him, his eyes were very cold.

"It's up to you, but don't die."

"This is the right thing for me to say."

Deidara smiled.

The opponent this time is not simple. Even he has to prepare desperately.

As he spoke, the white bird at Deidara's feet turned to the other side and flew away.

Tenzo glanced at Suzaku Nara, Hanoko, and Sai behind him.

He knew that it would be impossible to rescue Gaara without defeating the two guys in front of him.

But if we fight in groups...

"You go over there. I, an old woman, can handle the battle here."

Chiyo walked up, planning to deal with Scorpion alone.

"You are alone..."

Tianzang was slightly startled.

It's not that I look down on Chiyo's strength. As a retired elder of Sunagakure Village, even if he retires and doesn't care about world affairs, his strength is not comparable to that of a ninja.

However, the Scorpion in front of him was also no ordinary ninja. In a short period of time, there was no way to tell the winner.

And over time, with Chiyo's physical strength, I'm afraid...

"I'll stay too. It's still uneasy to let Granny Chiyo stay alone. With my words, it's enough to deal with this guy."

Naruto said suddenly as he stepped back.

He plans to stay and help Chiyo and fight Scorpion.

"But……"

Tenzo seemed hesitant.

"Now is not the time to be muddled. Gaara is right in front of us. We must break through the blockade as soon as possible and defeat them all."

As if sensing Naruto's determination, Tenzo sighed.

He took out a charm from his ninja bag and carefully pressed it into Naruto's hand.

"This is……"

"A charm that suppresses the Nine-Tails Chakra. You have learned the magic now, but you are still unable to control the Nine-Tails Chakra well. For you, this is a potential risk."

Tenzo explained.

Naruto nodded solemnly and put the charm away.

Although he does not think that he is still in a situation where the Nine-Tails chakra is running rampant, the existence of his father Minato is a secret that cannot be revealed to outsiders.

Accepting the talisman can also make Tenzo and others feel at ease.

"Walk."

After greeting Hanoko, Sai, and Suzaku Nara next to him, Tenzo took the lead and chased Deidara.

If you want to deal with Deidara, you can't do without Konoko's Thunder Release and Sai's secret technique.

"Don't always think of a so-called hero who takes on all the pressure to be a hero, stupid senior. Fighting is never a matter of one person."

Before leaving, Hanoko snorted at Naruto, shook her hair, and left after the team.

Naruto felt a little depressed, unable to refute this. Huonoko was right, he was too trusting in the previous battle with Itachi.

If Chiyo hadn't intervened and then launched a sneak attack, it probably wouldn't have been so easy for him to defeat Itachi alone.

The battle of ninjas is not simply a competition of their respective hardware data.

Mastering awareness, experience, and timing in combat are also crucial.

Just like the amount of chakra, it cannot completely determine the strength of a ninja.

Naruto patted his cheek with his hand to bring himself back to reality, then took a deep breath and looked at Scorpion with a cautious look in his eyes.

At that time, Itachi was just a 'substitute' controlled by himself, but Scorpion was different, this was his true body.

In Scorpion's hands, there is also a third-generation Kazekage puppet that can use the blood successor's limited ability.

It is said that the puppet master's multitasking is only a basic ability... This means that he needs to deal with both Scorpion and the Third Kazekage at the same time.

"Speaking of it, Granny Chiyo."

Naruto leaned towards Chiyo.

"What's up?"

"The puppet master's weakness is his body."

Naruto asked.

"Generally speaking."

Chiyo answered the question.

It's no secret that the Puppet Master is not good at fighting.

Therefore, Sunagakure's puppet master will use various techniques to hide his true body, or take various means to protect his true body from interference.

"What I want to ask is, apart from the puppet in front of you, does Scorpion have any other puppets?"

If you want to break through the puppet blockade and attack Scorpion's body, you need to know how many puppet masters there are.

"I'm not particularly clear about this. After all, he has been away from the village for almost twenty years. I don't know much about the puppets he controls."

Except for the destroyed Hirauko and the Third Kazekage in front of him, Chiyo never found out from the intelligence that Scorpion used a third puppet.

However, in order not to disappoint Naruto and to remind Naruto, Chiyo continued:

"But one thing is certain, he himself is also a 'puppet'."

"What?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

Looking at Xie Xie's handsome young face, his eyes were obviously shaken.

The main body...is also a puppet?

"This is the so-called 'human puppet'. A puppet made from living human materials. It can inherit all the techniques of the deceased. The third Kazekage was made into a human puppet by a scorpion."

Chiyo stared closely at the Third Kazekage next to Scorpion, showing a sentimental look.

"Using living people as materials, could this guy also use himself..."

Naruto swallowed. To be honest, this information made Naruto feel a little scared.

It's terrifying to make a puppet out of someone else's corpse, and even use yourself as a test subject...

It's really crazy.

"Well, so after he left Sunagakure, his appearance has not changed. He is still the same as before. I just suspected it before, but now I can officially confirm that he used the 'human puppet' technique on himself."

Chiyo sighed.

Even though they were far away, Xia still heard Chiyo's sigh, and just sneered at Chiyo's sigh.

"This is the 'eternity' that allows you to exist forever. How can a dead old woman with pigtails understand it?"

Chiyo was silent, while Naruto was dissatisfied.

"Hey, after all, Granny Chiyo is also your grandma, don't you feel a little bit ashamed?"

As for the "dead old woman" that Scorpion kept saying, I couldn't hear any respect for my grandmother.

"Human emotions can only make people laugh or cry. Whether it's fear, sadness, or pain, as long as I become a 'doll,' I can't feel it in my heart. In this way, I can enjoy true 'eternity.' "

Scorpion raised his finger, and made himself and the Third Kazekage bend down slightly at the same time, assuming a posture about to attack.

"Asshole, what do you think of human life and feelings?"

"Numbers for calculations, and materials for directing puppet plays!"

The corners of Xie's mouth were slightly raised, revealing what could be called a handsome smile, but there was only indifference and cruelty in his eyes, as if being stared at would freeze his spine.

An emotionless ‘doll’.

"hateful!"

Naruto gritted his teeth, feeling extremely angry at Scorpion's inhumane answer.

"Listen, only ignorant brats can be attached to life and feelings!"

These are all his enemies on the road to pursuing 'eternity'!

Showing a sarcastic smile, Scorpion jumped forward with all his strength, closing the distance between himself and Naruto and Chiyo, and then continued running forward.

The controlled Third Kazekage followed Scorpion on his left side.

The sand-iron cube that was originally pressed against the almost broken wooden pillar also quickly floated upwards, spun around in the air, then adjusted its flight angle and rushed towards the ground where Naruto and Chiyo were.

Not to be outdone, Naruto jumped up and clasped his hands together. The pupils in his eyes suddenly turned into a specially bolded word '一'. The corners of his eyes were also dyed with orange eye shadow, just like the eyes of a toad. Naruto The person suddenly went into immortal mode.

Then, Naruto bent his right elbow, curled up his fingers, and quickly punched the sand iron cube that fell from above.

Boom——

The contact surface between the fist and the sand-iron cube caused invisible ripples in the air, resounding like a yellow bell.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson for Granny Chiyo and wake you up completely!"

Naruto's eyes glared at Scorpion, and he declared in a vow-like tone.

"Dolls don't feel anything."

Whether it is physical pain or psychological pain, this kind of thing has been abandoned by Scorpion twenty years ago.

Therefore, he responded to Naruto neither saltily nor lightly.

The scorpion stirred up the chakra threads, causing the flying Third Kazekage to open his mouth and spit out sand and iron, preparing to create another object to attack Naruto.

On the other side, Chiyo unfolded a scroll with the same dissatisfaction. Under the control of her fingers, two dark figures launched an offensive faster than Scorpion, attacking both sides of Scorpion one from the left and the other from the right.

Scorpion's eyes rolled left and right, then he stopped and kicked back, causing the Third Kazekage to retreat.

The two figures attacking from the left and right sides each swung their ninja swords and slashed into the air.

They are a male and a female puppet, each holding a ninja sword in their hands. The male puppet has red hair like Scorpion. Although his appearance is mature, his face is somewhat similar to Scorpion's.

The female puppet has long brown hair that is unbound by a hairband, and her eyes are kind and gentle, as warm as a mother's.

The two of them wore high-collared and thickened windbreakers, and their mouths made of mechanisms were slightly curved, forming a gentle smile.

Each stroke and stroke seems to be a natural work of art rather than a human being.

"This is……"

Naruto knocked back the sand iron cube and jumped between the two puppets and Chiyo.

Scorpion also stopped attacking, and the expression on his face seemed to be even more indifferent.

It was as if he had seen something unpleasant that made him feel irritated.

"It's these two things..."

Scorpio's tone still lacked much emotion, as if there really were no emotions at all.

"Yes, this is your earliest work - 'Parents'."

Chiyo controlled a puppet with one hand and answered Scorpion's question.

"Parents?" Naruto was shocked and glanced back and forth between the two puppets and Scorpion: "Could it be that they are Scorpion's..."

"At this point, what's the use of taking out this kind of thing? Do you expect me to be merciful? It doesn't exist. I don't need things like parents anymore."

Xia spoke to Chiyo with a mocking tone.

It was as if he had seen a joke that made him extremely funny.

"Really? This is the most cherished 'treasure' in your childhood."

Chiyo said to Scorpion in a coaxing tone.

"The doll has no emotions or feelings. I don't even remember the name of the dead guy. Even my parents are the same."

Scorpion emphasizes this point again.

"In that case, grandma, I will personally help you recall the past and the feeling of being loved by your loved ones again."

A smile appeared on Chiyo's lips, like the smiles on the faces of the two puppets, kind and gentle.

In this 'warm' atmosphere, the two dolls 'Father' and 'Mother' raised their ninja swords, broke through the layers of air blockade, flew off the ground and rushed towards the scorpion with movements that went against the common sense of the human body. , and waved the ninja sword in his hand ruthlessly.

Scorpion ran, controlling the Third Kazekage to rush towards his 'father' and 'mother'.

Two sharp blades fell off the sleeves of the Third Kazekage, and were then held tightly by him.

Scorpion seemed to also know Chiyo's puppet control skills. This time, he no longer controlled with one hand, but used both hands to control the third Kazekage more accurately.

The three figures quickly clashed with each other, and the blades slashed and killed each other. The sound of the collision of iron tools against iron tools was constantly released from the three of them.

Their movements of flipping and swinging their swords have gone beyond the common sense understood by normal ninjas.

Fierce sparks flew between the iron tools, and the slashing of the blades also formed a series of afterimages that could not be seen clearly with the naked eye. All one could hear was the blades colliding with each other, emitting extremely tragic wails.

Figures flew by and a row of trees fell.

The ground is also covered with terrifying marks of criss-crossing blades.

The stones on the roadside were neatly cut by the blade and scattered on the ground.

The killing intent is unleashed wantonly, leaving a mess wherever it goes.

The ground, the sky, the tree trunks, all are battlefields, without exception.

Naruto looked at this extremely exaggerated scene and recalled Kankuro's performance in the Chunin Exams a few years ago. Looking at this scene again, he felt that his understanding of the puppet master needed to be reshaped.

The scenes in front of them seemed as if they were not fighting puppets, but three jounin-level ninjas who were proficient in taijutsu and swordsmanship. Every sword and every move was as fast as lightning and moved like a rabbit, without any cumbersome and unnecessary movements.

Such a smooth and flowing battle seems not to be a fight, but a masterpiece of art.

However, Naruto did not forget his purpose. The Third Kazekage was held back by his 'father' and 'mother', and there was a flaw in the defense of the scorpion body.

Without hesitation, while the opponent's attention was attracted by Chiyo, the Senjutsu chakra in Naruto's legs burst out. After the ground under his feet was crushed by the soles of his feet, Naruto had disappeared from the place.

Scorpion's gaze shifted slightly, and the sand and iron cubes fell from the sky and hit the ground.

There was a boom.

Spraying dust and smoke, and creating a huge crater.

This kind of movement lasted less than a second, and a figure jumped out from his right side, holding a blue chakra ball in his hand and rushing towards him.

Scorpion frowned and kicked to the left, preparing to dodge Naruto's attack.

Naruto was so fast that he didn't have time to think too much and could only rely on his past experience to dodge.

However, the moment he kicked off with his left hand, another figure rushed out, it was from his left side.

Holding an eye-catching chakra ball in his hand, he aimed at his chest and pressed it.

He didn't have time to dodge, and was hit hard by the chakra ball on his chest.

There was no pain, but his body was indeed attacked. His hands controlling the chakra silk began to become unstable, and the spiral airflow also mixed the chakra silk in his hand.

So much so that the Third Kazekage, who was fighting with his 'father' and 'mother', stagnated his body and began to dance randomly, losing control.

good chance!

Chiyo aimed at this opportunity, his eyes flashed, and the gentle smiles still appeared on the faces of his 'father' and 'mother'. He held the handle of the knife with both hands, flashed to both sides of the Third Kazekage, and swung the ninja sword at the same time.

Tsk!

There was no blood splattered and no screams.

The body of the Third Kazekage was instantly divided into three parts under the cutting of the sharp blade. It fell to the ground like broken copper and iron. The parts inside, as well as a large number of poison-quenching hidden weapons and scrolls that had not been used in the future, were scattered. All over the place.

"it's over!"

Naruto's face showed a smile of victory, and the attack of the chakra ball continued, constantly ravaging Scorpion's chest.

However, he soon discovered that the feel was wrong.

The sound isn't right either.

A hole was torn open in the black red cloud coat, revealing a reflective chest that was as white as scorpion jade.

The surface was smooth and traceless, and under the attack of the Rasengan, there was no trace of cracking on it.

Xie lowered his head so that no one could see his expression.

But the awe-inspiring murderous aura made Naruto's hair stand on end for a moment, and his neck felt more like being pricked by needles.

Click!

The sound of the machine starting up.

Scorpion waved his right hand, cutting the air with a frightening cold light.

Naruto hurriedly stepped back and turned his body sideways.

A lock of yellow hair fell neatly.

Naruto rolled out in embarrassment, sweat dripping from his face, and couldn't care less about the missing piece of his hair.

His head was almost split open just now.

The force of the Rasengan that acted on Scorpion's body did not completely dissipate. Scorpion rolled several times on the ground and hit a big tree with a banging sound before it came to a stop.

The trees behind him also vibrated slightly due to the impact of the scorpion's body.

Scorpion stood up, patted the dust on his body, and then raised his head.

The eyes shrouded by the shadow of the hair were very cold.

"The art of shadow clone...I almost forgot that this is your best tactic."

"Even if you praise me, I won't be honored at all."

Naruto smiled softly, stood up from the ground, and patted the dust on his clothes.

Immediately, he looked at Xie's chest, which had been attacked by the Rasengan but was unscathed.

so hard! Naruto only had this idea.

Although it was a doll, it was able to withstand the attack of the Rasengan without any damage, which made Naruto frown with solemnity.

The Rasengan is basically his most powerful attack method.

As a result, they were unable to break through the 'shell' on the opponent's body. For a doll, the opponent's body was too strong.

"It seems that your body has been specially strengthened."

Chiyo came to Naruto's side, controlled the 'father' and 'mother', narrowed his eyes and said.

Xie stretched out his hand to unbutton his coat and answered in an emotionless tone:

"Because I have injected the power of Yin-Yang Escape into this body. Even I myself cannot know what the upper limit of this body will be like. However, after seeing this, you should also know that with just Your strength cannot defeat me. My 'eternity' has no weaknesses!"