The Avengers of the Uzumaki Family

"Yes, I understand, Hokage-sama. Time is of the essence, let's set off now, Naruto."

Although Shikamaru usually seems very lazy, he can immediately get into the zone when it comes to serious matters, which is a common practice among the Nara clan.

"Oh? Hmm!?"

Just as Naruto was about to say something more...

After bowing to Tsunade, Shikamaru strode outside.

Sasuke and the others have been gone for most of the day. If we don't hurry up and chase after them, it will be too late.

They need to catch up with those ahead of them in the shortest amount of time.

Naruto and Shikamaru left together.

Among the special operations team members they found after quickly circling the village, Choji, Kiba, and Shino were the first people they thought of based on their relationship with them.

Then, Lee and Neji, who were willing to join in, also joined.

The former was simply kind-hearted, while the latter developed a different attitude towards Sasuke purely because he was defeated by Sasuke.

Perhaps "obsession" would be a more appropriate word to describe it.

This is clearly a more luxurious setup than in the original work.

Whether he can successfully retrieve Sasuke in this lifetime remains a big question mark.

And this happened just before the team was about to set off.

Having somehow obtained the information, Sakura Haruno appeared at the village's main gate immediately.

"Naruto-kun, I want to join the team too!"

Sakura looked at Naruto with a determined expression and said.

Just like in the original story, Sakura in this life still has an almost obsessive devotion to Sasuke.

Sasuke's departure is completely unacceptable to Sakura Haruno right now. She is determined to join the team and personally rescue Sasuke.

That's right, it's about saving him. Sakura doesn't believe Sasuke left Konoha willingly.

"Sakura, I will definitely bring Sasuke back. Believe me, just stay in the village."

Naruto looked at Sakura with a determined expression and said.

"No, Naruto, what I mean is..."

Sakura's expression turned anxious, and she was about to say something more when...

"Sakura, Sasuke left last night, and a lot of time has passed since then. We don't know where they are now. We have to go full speed ahead to have any chance of catching up, so..."

Naruto paused, leaving the rest of his sentence unsaid.

But Sakura immediately understood.

Ultimately, it's a gap in strength, a chasm that's clearly laid out before us.

Sakura's expression instantly darkened.

That thought must be let go.

Sakura finally looked at Naruto with a pleading expression and said, "Naruto, please, please bring Sasuke back!"

"Yes, I definitely will, Sakura, it's my promise!"

Naruto raised his right thumb and said with an unprecedentedly serious expression.

And in his mind, he added, 'Not just Sasuke, but Menma too! I'm bringing them all back!'

What Naruto didn't know was...

In this lifetime, his promise will never be fulfilled.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 161 The Face Mackerel Takes Action

The pursuit team has assembled.

They also hurried away.

Based on the distance they had fallen behind and the intelligence on the Sound Four's strength relayed back by the reconnaissance team, the chances of Naruto and his group catching up were slim. However, this was, after all, the Land of Fire, within the sphere of influence of Konoha.

When Tsunade sent Shizune to inform Naruto, Kakashi, and the others.

The orders had already been given in advance, instructing the Konoha ninja in that area to conduct layers of searches and blockades. Although they could not leave the designated area and were truly surrounding and killing the Sound Four, such a state of alert was enough to prevent the Sound Four from taking the shortest straight line and to force them to take a detour.

Moreover, on the necessary paths, it is necessary to choose the most concealed methods possible.

This not only limited the speed of the Sound Four, but also increased the distance they had to travel to leave the Land of Fire.

This gave Naruto's team a chance to catch up.

Otherwise, if they followed the conventional method, whether in the original story or in this life, Naruto, Shikamaru, and their group would have absolutely no chance of catching up.

And it was during this pursuit battle that they launched from both the front and the back.

Kakashi, who lives in the western part of the Land of Fire, also received orders from Tsunade through a special method from Konoha.

"What!? Sasuke has defected!?"

Unlike the 'polite' words used in front of Naruto.

In the message Tsunade passed to Kakashi, she told him very directly the truth about Sasuke's departure from Konoha.

When Kakashi saw this intelligence report, his face was filled with astonishment and shock.

He truly hadn't expected that two people from his seventh class would betray the village one after another, and both of them possessed the most unique identities.

"Kakashi-senpai, this is an urgent order from the Hokage. Please set off immediately."

The Konoha ninja who was responsible for receiving the order at the base and relaying it to Kakashi spoke with a serious expression.

"Okay, I understand. I'll set off immediately. I'll leave the follow-up to this mission to you."

Kakashi nodded emphatically and said.

"Yes!"

After the Konoha ninja nodded in response.

Kakashi also leaped forward, heading rapidly northwards, following the information he received from the village.

If everything goes well.

Kakashi could also reunite with Naruto and the others in some area before the Valley of the End, or, if he's lucky, he might even intercept Sasuke and his group in advance.

These people, who come from different locations, are rapidly converging on a single point.

At the same time.

In the southeastern corner of the Land of Grass, Orochimaru established a secret base.

"Oh? Is it already time?"

Similarly, Menma was assigned her own room and laboratory and was always engrossed in her experiments.

As I heard a familiar voice coming from behind.

Menma paused in his actions, looked up at Karin who was approaching, and raised an eyebrow as he spoke.

"Yes, Menma, it's time to set a date with Orochimaru-san."

Karin, who had just entered, nodded in response.

"That's pretty fast."

Because I've been engrossed in experiments lately, time seems to fly by when I'm completely focused. Thanks to this, Menma has made significant progress in her research on the human body and gained a deeper understanding of it.

Of course, this was largely due to Orochimaru's help.

The truth is, the area that others have been involved in has already reached deep waters, and I am simply following the course that Orochimaru has already paved, proceeding smoothly all the way.

As long as you steer your ship steadily and accurately.

Everything can proceed according to the established goals.

Menma had a premonition that if he could achieve another breakthrough in research and understanding, he could apply it to himself and use external forces to further develop his physical strength. At that time, he might be able to fight against someone of Orochimaru's level without relying on the power of the Nine-Tails.

This is due to both practical needs and genuine personal interest.

Therefore, Menma decided to set a time for Karin to remind her when necessary, so that she wouldn't miss the time.

"We're about to set off. We can't let Orochimaru's important matter be delayed."

Mianma smiled gently and said.

Orochimaru is known for being straightforward. This time, before he even went to carry out the mission, he handed over the necessary reward to Menma, and it even exceeded Menma's expectations. Since Orochimaru was so direct, Menma would definitely have to give him a good return.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come along? Menma, I can still offer a lot of help in terms of perception and healing."

Karin looked at Menma, who was already preparing to leave. Although she had been told this a few days ago, Karin still couldn't help but ask a question at this moment.

One is that they genuinely want to help those above.

Another issue is that she has subconsciously developed a dependency, making Karin reluctant to leave Menma's side too far away. It must be said that even at this point, Karin still doesn't feel any sense of security and always wants to stay by Menma's side.

"Okay, Karin, you don't need to go out this time. There are still a few final auxiliary steps to the experiment here, and I need you to help me complete them so that it won't affect the subsequent progress. Don't worry, it will only take two days at most, and I will definitely be back."

Menma, with a gentle expression, lightly stroked Karin's little head and said softly.

With Karin left alone in Orochimaru's secret base, Menma didn't need to worry about any problems.

This is one of Orochimaru's most important secret bases, and Orochimaru himself is stationed here. Unless this Snake Uncle has made up his mind to break with him, Karin's safety is guaranteed.

"Also, there's Orochimaru. You saw last time that he wasn't in good condition. You should keep an eye on him and see if there are any unusual changes in the next couple of days."

"Okay, I understand, Mianma, don't worry."

Although Karin was disappointed that she couldn't go out with Menma, she still nodded firmly and replied with a determined look.

"Then, I'll set off."

Mianma nodded.

With a flicker of his figure, he left the room and flew rapidly towards a location outside the base.