"Although I don't know when Konoha got the Fifth Hokage, but since you've said so... Let's roll! You ready?"
Gamabunta leaped forward, then turned around and sprinted towards the southwest corner.
"Ah..." Hinata lost her balance for a moment and fell into Naruto's arms.
Naruto quickly steadied Hinata and happened to hold her slender waist. He thought to himself, "Gamabunta, make it wilder! I can hold steady. Run faster..."
"Want to escape!" One - Tailed Shukaku would never let its opponents leave safely. It wouldn't rest until it squashed this big frog that dared to cross it.
Shukaku moved its short, thick legs, dragging its pot - bellied body and swaying its fat tail as it chased after Gamabunta.
Naruto looked back and said, "Tsk, this chubby dude who only knows Wind Release moves at a snail's pace."
Hinata asked, "Naruto - kun, what kind of monster is that?"
"Um..." Naruto thought hard and didn't know how to explain, so he could only say, "You can take a peek with your Byakugan."
"[Byakugan]!" Hinata activated her Byakugan and immediately saw that the badger - cat monster was actually a huge collection of chakra. That is to say, One - Tailed Shukaku was actually made up of a large amount of chakra.
"..." Hinata was so shocked that she was speechless. It was really an eye - opener for her.
"Gamabunta, stop first. There's no need to rush." Naruto shouted, "I see some Sound Ninjas nearby. Just spit some water and drown 'em."
"Huh? What did you say? Spit?!" Gamabunta got angry, "That's Water Release Jutsu! Iron Cannonball Jutsu! You're the spit!"
In the nearby civilian houses, there were several ninjas from the Sound Ninja Village. They were ordered by Orochimaru to invade Konoha and were now burning, killing, and looting.
The Sound Ninjas were so shocked when they saw Gamabunta that they didn't dare to move. Their combat plan never mentioned there'd be such a huge frog in Konoha.
"Sorry, sorry." Naruto apologized with a smile, "I said the wrong thing. It's Water Release Jutsu! Iron Cannonball Jutsu, right?"
"Humph! I won't argue with you." Gamabunta glanced at the sneaky guys hiding in the civilian houses. Seeing the bodies of innocent civilians lying in the street, it was obvious that they were killed by the Sound Ninjas.
"Water Release! Iron Cannonball Jutsu!" Gamabunta spat out a water column, which directly knocked down the civilian houses and killed all the Sound Ninjas hiding inside.
"One - Tailed Shukaku is catching up. Run quickly." Naruto urged.
"Getting summoned by you is a total headache. Don't bug me with this crap next time."
"Well, Gamabunta, you're the baddest and most reliable boss frog on Mount Myoboku." Naruto quickly flattered, "For a huge deal like this, if I don't come to you, who else on Mount Myoboku can pull it off?"
"Hahaha!" Gamabunta laughed heartily, "I really dig how honest you are, kid."
Then Gamabunta changed his tone and said, "That's enough of the flattering words. If you don't have a better plan, once we hit the southwest corner, you'd better start looking for someone to bury you."
"Don't worry." Naruto said arrogantly, "No one in the ninja world's been born to collect my body yet."
Suddenly, Naruto formed hand seals and shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He conjured more than a dozen shadow clones.
The more than a dozen shadow clones Naruto conjured quickly leaped off Gamabunta's head and swiftly concealed themselves, vanishing from sight.
At this time, Tanzo Shimura was lying in his tatami futon. He suddenly sat up, as if he sensed something approaching.
Two Root members suddenly appeared out of thin air and knelt in front of Tanzo Shimura.
"What's going on?" Tanzo Shimura remained calm.
"The Sand Ninjas and Sound Ninjas have joined forces to invade Konoha. Orochimaru has taken the Third Hokage hostage," reported the Root member.
Orochimaru finally made his move... But could he succeed? I know full well the strength of Hiruzen Sarutobi...
Tanzo Shimura pondered for a moment and then said, "This is the most secluded place in Konoha Village, far from the center of Konoha. Why is there such a commotion outside?"
The Root member said, "It's Naruto Uzumaki..."
"That kid?" Tanzo Shimura's mind conjured up an image of Naruto, the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki of Konoha Village.
Tanzo Shimura couldn't figure it out and quickly asked, "What on earth did Naruto Uzumaki do? Has the seal on the Nine-Tailed Fox been broken?"
Tanzo Shimura voiced his suspicion and felt a pang in his heart. If it were just Orochimaru invading Konoha, there'd be nothing to fear, as the Third Hokage was there.
If the seal on the Nine-Tailed Fox on Naruto was broken, that would be extremely serious. At this time, Konoha was short of talented ninjas, and no one in the village could subdue the fully unleashed Nine-Tailed Fox.
"No, the seal on the Nine-Tailed Fox seems secure," the Root member continued. "Naruto Uzumaki summoned an enormous frog from Mount Myoboku and is coming here."
"Mount Myoboku? A frog?" Tanzo Shimura thought of Jiraiya. Could Jiraiya be up to some scheme? This guy had been away from Konoha for years with no news. Now he suddenly returned, and Orochimaru also came back... Could it be...
Tanzo Shimura then asked, "Do you have any other information?"
"The Tailed Beast Shukaku from Sunagakure is following Naruto Uzumaki and coming here."
This news was like a thunderbolt, shattering Tanzo Shimura's composure completely.
Tanzo Shimura threw off the futon, walked to the clothes rack, and put on a robe. His expression became extremely solemn.
Naruto stood atop Gamabunta's head, facing the wind. He cradled Hinata in his arms, breathed in the fragrance of her hair, watched the flames of war all around, and listened to the battle cries of ninjas from every direction. It was a peculiar feeling.
While others were fighting tooth and nail, Naruto was holding a delicate beauty in his arms. While others were engaged in bloody battles, Naruto was traversing the battlefield.
At Naruto's behest, Gamabunta led the way and successfully lured the One-Tailed Shukaku to the hideout of the secret organization Root.
Naruto patted Gamabunta's head and said, "Boss Frog, thanks for your help today. You can head back to Mount Myoboku. I'll take it from here."
"What?" Gamabunta looked incredulous. Without its help, Naruto couldn't possibly defeat the One-Tailed Shukaku.
"Just you alone? You think you can defeat Shukaku?"
"That's right!" Naruto showed a determined expression.
"Hahaha!" After Gamabunta let out a loud laugh, white smoke billowed from its body as it returned to Mount Myoboku.
Naruto, holding Hinata in his arms, leaped from high in the sky and landed on a rooftop.
"Hinata, hide. You can't be found," Naruto said. After he finished speaking, Hinata quickly found a place to hide.
After arranging for Hinata, Naruto looked into the distance. There, the One - Tailed Shukaku was slowly approaching, dragging its hefty body.
Suddenly, several figures appeared in unison behind Naruto. They all wore masks, were dressed in ninja outfits, and carried various weapons. They were obviously the elite forces of Konoha.
Naruto thought to himself, "Here they are... Tanzo Shimura, I'm here to give you a gift. Come out and take it..."
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