V2.C3. Invasion II – Kage Level Fight

Chapter 3: The Invasion II – Kage Level Fight

The chaos of the invasion was a distant roar behind them, muffled by the thick canopy of the forest. Kakashi stood with his team in a relatively quiet corner of the arena, his visible eye scanning the destruction spreading through the village. His voice was calm but carried the weight of authority.

"This is your first A-rank mission since the Land of Waves," he said. "Your objective is simple. Find Sasuke. Retrieve him. Then find a secure location and await further orders."

Naruto's eyes were already tracking the direction Sasuke had gone. His hands were in his pockets. His face was blank. But something behind his eyes was moving, calculating. He had been waiting for this. He had been preparing for this.

Kakashi looked at him directly. His voice lowered, became more pointed.

"Naruto. I'm telling you this specifically." He paused, letting the words settle. "Do not go overboard. There is a lot happening in this village right now, and retrieving Sasuke is all that matters. Do you understand?"

Naruto met his gaze. "I understand."

He did not sound convinced. He sounded like he was saying the words because they were expected of him. Sakura noticed. Shikamaru noticed. Kakashi noticed. But there was no time to press the issue.

Kakashi's hands came together. The seals were fast, each one snapping into place with practiced precision. He pressed his palm to the ground.

"Summoning Jutsu."

Smoke erupted in a thick cloud, white and dense, obscuring the space in front of them. When it cleared, a small dog sat in its place. He was pug-like, with brown fur and a dark brown snout and ears. His paws were pink. He wore a blue vest with a strange seal on it, and a Leaf forehead protector on top of his head.

Pakkun sniffed the air once, then looked up at Kakashi. His voice was gruff but not unfriendly.

"Mission?"

Kakashi nodded. "Track Sasuke. He's pursuing Gaara. The team needs to catch up before something happens."

Pakkun sniffed the ground. He found the scent immediately. His tail wagged once, then he was off, moving faster than a dog his size should have been able to move.

"Follow me," he said.

They moved through the forest at speed. Branch to branch, tree to tree, the wind whipping past their faces. Naruto led, his black outfit blending with the shadows. Sakura followed close behind, her short hair cutting through the air. Shikamaru brought up the rear, his hands in his pockets, his expression bored but his eyes sharp.

Pakkun was ahead of them, his nose to the ground, tracking Sasuke's scent with unerring accuracy.

"Kid's fast," Pakkun muttered, his voice carrying back to them. "He's not slowing down."

Naruto did not answer. He was focused. His eyes were fixed on the path ahead, his body moving with the economy of someone who had done this a thousand times.

Pakkun stopped. His ears twitched. His nose worked the air. He held up a paw.

"Hold up."

The team landed on a thick branch. Naruto's hand went to his kunai. Sakura's eyes scanned the trees. Shikamaru sighed.

"What is it?" Naruto asked.

"Eight," Pakkun said. "No. Nine. Nine of them. Following us."

Sakura's eyes went wide. "Nine? We can't fight nine."

"Then we don't fight them," Shikamaru said. His voice was calm, measured. "We evade."

Naruto shook his head. "They'll catch us. We're moving too fast. They'll track us through the village. They've got numbers. They'll spread out and cut us off."

Pakkun's nose worked the air again. "One of them is further behind the rest. Staggered. They're not all together."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. He was thinking. The wheels were turning behind that lazy exterior. His hand came up to his chin, fingers tapping against his jaw.

"Troublesome," he said.

Naruto looked at him. "What's the plan?"

The team gathered on the branch. The forest was quiet around them, but the distant sounds of the invasion echoed through the trees. Pakkun's ears twitched.

"Nine of them," Pakkun said again. "One lagging behind. The other eight are faster. They'll be on us in a few minutes."

Naruto looked at Sakura. "You have any ideas?"

Sakura shook her head. Her face was pale, but her voice was steady. "I can fight. But nine at once? That's too many, even if I hold them off, they'll get around me."

Pakkun spoke. His voice was practical, almost bored. "If you step on your own footprints and jump into the trees, it'll look like your trail stops. They'll waste time trying to find you again."

Shikamaru was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke. His voice was slow, deliberate.

"That works for a while. But they're not stupid. They'll figure out the trick eventually."

Naruto looked at him. "How long?"

Shikamaru's eyes were half-closed. He was calculating. "Maybe five minutes. Ten if we're lucky."

"Then we don't need to hide for long," Naruto said. "We just need to delay them long enough for the rest of us to get ahead."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you stay behind. You act as a decoy. Buy us time."

Sakura looked at him. "Naruto…"

"He can handle it." Naruto's voice was flat. "He's the best strategist we have. If anyone can delay nine ninja without getting killed, it's him."

Shikamaru's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again. He looked at Naruto like he was trying to decide if this was a joke.

"You're serious."

"I'm serious." Naruto's voice was cold. "It's time for you to step up and show your mettle, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru stared at him for a long moment. The forest was quiet around them. Then he sighed. It was a long, heavy sound.

"Troublesome." He paused. "Fine. But you owe me."

"I'll buy you ramen."

"I don't eat ramen."

"Then I'll find something you do eat."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Go. I'll handle them."

Naruto nodded. He turned. He was gone in a blur of black.

Sakura hesitated. She looked at Shikamaru. Her eyes were worried. "Be careful."

He waved her off. "I'm always careful."

She followed Naruto.

Pakkun looked at Shikamaru. His small dog eyes were surprisingly serious. "You're either very brave or very stupid."

"Probably both," Shikamaru said. "Now get out of here before I change my mind."

Pakkun was gone.

Shikamaru stood alone on the branch. He watched the trees. He waited. The Oto-nin were coming. Nine of them. He could feel them getting closer, the vibration of their footsteps through the wood.

He smiled. It was not a happy smile. It was the smile of someone who had already figured out the shape of the trap.

"Troublesome," he said again.

He reached into his pouch. His fingers found the tags he had prepared. The kunai. The wire. Everything he needed.

"Alright," he said to himself. "Let's see how long I can keep them busy."

He vanished into the shadows.

---

The rooftop of the was wide and flat, covered in light tiles that had weathered decades of rain and sun. The Four Flames Formation crackled around the edges, a barrier of violet energy that cut them off from the chaos below.

The Third Hokage stood at the center of the roof. His old robes fluttered in the hot wind. His hands were clasped behind his back. His face was calm, the face of a man who had faced death many times and had stopped being afraid of it a long time ago.

Orochimaru stood across from him. His pale skin gleamed in the light of the barrier. His yellow eyes were fixed on his former teacher with something that was not quite hatred and not quite respect. It was something older. More complicated.

"The Leaf Village has grown stagnant," Orochimaru said. His voice was soft, almost conversational. "It rots from the inside. The Will of Fire is nothing but a convenient lie that keeps the village docile. You should have chosen a successor years ago. You should have stepped aside."

The Third did not answer immediately. He let the words hang in the air. Then he spoke.

"Perhaps," he said. "But I am still here. And I can still teach my student something new."

Orochimaru smiled. It was not a warm smile. "I doubt that very much."

The Third's hands came together.

The roof tiles rose from the ground around him, lifted by chakra, spinning in the air. He released them in a wave, a storm of stone and clay flying toward Orochimaru. His hands moved again, fingers crossing in a new seal.

"Shadow Shuriken Jutsu."

The tiles multiplied in flight, one becoming two, two becoming four, a barrage of stone projectiles raining down on Orochimaru.

Orochimaru did not move. His hands came together. The seals were fast.

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu."

The fire that came out of his mouth was massive, a roaring orb of orange and red that rushed forward and melted the tiles in midair. The stone turned to liquid, dripping to the ground in molten droplets.

Hiruzen did not let him rest. His hands were already moving again.

"Earth Style: Great Mud River."

The tiles beneath Orochimaru's feet turned to mud, thick and fast-flowing. The ground opened beneath him, pulling him away from the barrage. The tiles passed through the space where he had been standing and clattered against the barrier.

Orochimaru rose from the mud on the other side of the rooftop. He was unharmed. His smile had not wavered.

"Clever," he said. "But not clever enough."

The Third's hands were already moving again. His chakra surged.

"Earth Style: Earth Dragon Bomb."

The mud river beneath Orochimaru's feet rose, twisting, forming the shape of a dragon's head. The mouth opened, and sharp mud projectiles shot toward Orochimaru at high speed.

Orochimaru raised his hands to defend, but the Third was not done.

"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Bomb."

The Third inhaled and breathed a stream of intense fire. The flames struck the mud projectiles, superheating them, turning them into glowing hot, molten lava-like boulders. The barrage was devastating, a storm of fire and earth that filled the air and rained down on Orochimaru's position.

The rooftop cracked. The heat was intense. The barrier flickered under the force of the attack.

When the smoke cleared, Orochimaru was standing in a crater, his robes scorched, his smile gone.

The Third stood across from him, his breathing steady, his hands still extended.

"I told you," the Third said. "I can still teach you something new."

---

Next Time: The Invasion III