Chapter 122: Kabuto’s Fate

Disclaimer: Naruto and all of its characters belong to Shueisha and Masashi Kishimoto. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 122: Kabuto's Fate

Kabuto didn't have much time to think about his next move. Escaping into the ground would be a bad idea. The violent shaking beneath him told him the next attack was coming from underground.

He needed to escape in a different manner. Substitution was another option, but he hadn't prepared anything beforehand. His confidence in regenerating from anything Naruto could throw at him had been absolute.

A kunai appeared in his hand, and he threw it immediately with the intention to use it as a replacement.

"Come on!" he cried.

For a moment, Kabuto felt a glimmer of hope when the kunai passed the red circle.

But that hope was quickly shattered as he watched the kunai disintegrate in an instant.

"Nooo!" he screamed.

Then he heard Naruto's voice one last time, coming from behind him.

"Flames of the Heavenly Furnace."

A blinding flash enveloped Kabuto, and then... everything went dark.

A massive column of crimson flames erupted from the ground, surrounding Naruto and rising high into the sky.

Gamabunta quickly took Tsunade away from the fire, while Orochimaru used his summon as a shield to protect himself from the intense heat.

"Naruto!" Tsunade's voice was filled with worry, but the flames obscured her view.

The fire surged higher and higher, reaching up to the clouds. It stayed like that for several seconds before dying out, having consumed all its fuel.

When the flames finally dissipated, they all stared at the scorched ground where Naruto and Kabuto had been moments ago.

Only one figure remained, standing atop a mound of black rock surrounded by a large crater. The fire had erased everything in its path.

"Kabuto..." Orochimaru muttered.

Tsunade jumped down from Gamabunta and rushed toward Naruto, calling his name.

Naruto appeared dazed after the technique, but he snapped out of it when she called for him.

"I'm fine..." he assured her, noticing the worry in her eyes. "Just a bit spent."

That technique had drained five tails' worth of chakra, which was an immense amount that would take the demon fox a long time to regenerate.

'Maybe it was a bit premature to use that, but I couldn't risk Kabuto surviving, even if it meant showing Orochimaru one of my tricks,' Naruto thought.

His instincts told him Kabuto was too dangerous to leave alive. There was something unsettling in Kabuto's eyes...an unwavering ambition, one he had seen before, willing to burn the world down to achieve its goals.

'No... I did the right thing... he reminded me too much of... It doesn't matter anymore.' His past was behind him, but he had to learn from his mistakes and avoid repeating them.

Naruto's eyes shifted to Orochimaru.

The Sannin had lost his snake summon, having used it as a shield, but he remained unharmed aside from his already crippled arms.

Orochimaru didn't say a word, simply watching Naruto with an unreadable expression.

'I don't sense any bloodlust from him,' Naruto observed. He considered his options if Orochimaru decided to attack, but it didn't seem like that was about to happen.

Instead, Orochimaru seemed deep in thought.

"There they are!"

"Lady Tsunade!"

Jiraiya and Shizune finally caught up to them, their voices approaching quickly.

Both Naruto and Tsunade took their eyes off Orochimaru for only a second, but when they looked back, he was gone.

"He left..." Tsunade remarked. "He must have sensed Jiraiya approaching long before we did."

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune noticed the blood on Tsunade's clothes and panicked. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, just a few cuts... What happened to you two?!" Tsunade exclaimed, seeing that Shizune was even bloodier, and Jiraiya looked equally dirty.

"So Orochimaru's gone, huh?" Jiraiya glanced around until he spotted Naruto, still standing on the remains of his technique. "What did you do this time?"

Naruto pointed at Tsunade. "Your job, apparently. See?, I got her back."

"Don't give me that! Do you have any idea the mess you left us in?!" Jiraiya snapped, his frustration clear. It had been a long time since he'd been this angry.

"Yes... those men kept coming after us. We had no choice but to kill many of them until they finally gave up." Shizune shuddered at the memory. She was a healer at heart and hated killing, even if it was necessary.

"So, what's the story here?" Jiraiya asked, glancing toward the giant toad. "You even got Gamabunta involved?"

"Better ask them," Gamabunta grumbled. "I've got other things to do." The Toad Lord did not wish to get more involved in this than necessary. Not when Orochimaru and his Snake Clan were part of it. So with that, Gamabunta vanished in a puff of smoke, but not before reminding Naruto about his promise.

"I've gotta say..." Naruto jumped out of the crater. "That toad's a bit too obsessed with alcohol."

"Aren't you going to ask us about the men chasing us?" Shizune asked.

"No."

"Huh? Seriously?! We went through a lot of trouble, you know!" Shizune cried in disbelief. This was his own mess.

"We should get going. The trip back to Konoha is a long one. You'll have plenty of time to share stories," Naruto said as he began to walk away.

"Hold on, who said I'm going back there?" Tsunade huffed.

"Are you going to break your word too? That might be the last good thing you have," Naruto shot back without holding anything back.

"Naruto! Don't talk to her like that. And she's got plenty of good things left..." Jiraiya said, his gaze lingering on her chest.

After smacking the pervert on the head, Tsunade approached Naruto with a frown.

"I didn't say I was breaking my word. But you shouldn't make assumptions. And you should speak to your Hokage with more respect."

"You're not my Hokage, though," Naruto pointed out.

"Lady Tsunade, are you going to take the offer, then?" Shizune asked, her voice filled with hope. She would love nothing more than to stop running around the country, visiting every gambling house.

"We'll see... I need to talk with the elders first." Tsunade had a mischievous glint in her eyes that Shizune recognized immediately.

"Oh no, what are you going to ask for?" Shizune said with dread.

"Nothing! I just want to see how much they want me there... hehe."

Jiraiya walked up to Naruto's side.

"So... what actually happened with Orochimaru and Kabuto?"

"Let's see..." Naruto began to recount the events as they walked.

"Hold on, can't we stop in the city for a few hours at least?" Shizune pleaded. "I want a bath!" She was covered in grime.

"If we go back to the city looking like this... we'll get arrested," Tsunade pointed out. They were all covered in blood.

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