## Naruto and Yugito — Two Hours Later ##
Yugito sat with a flushed face. She had taken off her top and turned her back to Naruto.
"Are you done yet, Naruto-kun? This is awkward, and the ink is freezing."
Naruto had drawn a central formation on Yugito's back that matched the one on his own chest.
He set the brush aside, studied his work, and nodded in satisfaction. Then he cut open his palm and placed a prepared sealing talisman onto her back.
"There, I used my own ink. It should be more effective."
"Why?" Yugito asked.
Naruto slowly formed hand seals as he continued:
"My blood is an extremely effective medium for sealing techniques, so I mixed it into the ink. Sealing Technique: Stored Chakra Transmission." After finishing the hand seals, Naruto clapped his hands and then placed them on the seal on Yugito's back.
The seal glowed and shifted from the area over Yugito's heart to the circular formation on her back. The talisman began to shine.
From that moment, the small circular formation on Yugito's back glowed and disappeared until the formation over her heart began to glow. The light lasted briefly before vanishing completely—the seal was gone.
Naruto peeled the blank sealing talisman from Yugito's back.
"There. You can put your shirt back on now."
Yugito pulled her top back on and shook her hair away from her face.
"Thank you. I feel like I've regained all my chakra."
Naruto smiled.
"I only brought one talisman, so try not to deplete your chakra again, okay?"
Yugito nodded.
Naruto packed up his supplies, returned the scroll to his pocket, slung his sword onto his back, and got ready to leave.
Suddenly, Yugito seized his arm, yanked him closer, and kissed him.
Breaking the kiss, Yugito stroked Naruto's cheek.
"This time, we won't lose."
Naruto nodded and squeezed her hand.
"If things go wrong, you run—make a break straight for Kumogakure as fast as you can, understand? If I fall, you leave immediately. Don't try to save me. Don't fight them."
Yugito wanted to argue but simply sighed.
"All right, Naruto-kun. I'll run."
Naruto nodded once more.
"Good. Now let's finish this."
******
Hidan shoved aside some loose rocks while Kakuzu scanned the area calmly.
"You sure they're here?"
Kakuzu shot his partner a scathing glare.
"If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have come. I sensed his scout shadow clones. That means they're nearby."
Hidan took his amulet from around his neck, closed his eyes, and began to pray.
[Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!]
A pair of hands shot up and grabbed Hidan's ankle, pulling him beneath the hard rock, leaving only his neck exposed.
Naruto erupted from the ground and pulled his sword from his back.
Suddenly, a series of black threads shot toward him. He leapt away just in time, watching the lines pierce through the rock.
Black threads shot from Kakuzu's sleeves, pursuing Naruto, trying to draw him away from Hidan.
When Kakuzu attacked Naruto, a hole appeared in the ground, and Yugito leaped out, kicking toward Kakuzu's head, but he easily dodged it.
After returning to the ground, Yugito threw a series of shuriken at him, and Kakuzu jumped into the air to evade them.
[Wind Release: Gale Palm!]
The gust released by Naruto altered the trajectory of the shuriken thrown by Yugito, sending them flying above Kakuzu.
Yugito formed several hand seals:
[Lightning Release: Lightning Shuriken!]
Lightning bolts shot down from the shuriken flying overhead toward Kakuzu, but he managed to dodge each strike.
He recognized the jutsu Naruto had used in the desert before, but Yugito's version was different—far more deadly.
Hidan struggled desperately, twisting his body to break free, but the ground didn't budge. It wasn't soil—it was solid rock.
Kakuzu endured Yugito's lightning technique, then rushed toward her and grabbed her throat.
Yugito clutched his outstretched arm, feeling her breath growing weaker.
Naruto tried to stab him with his sword. Kakuzu sidestepped, kicked Naruto, who blocked with his blade, only to be sent flying dozens of meters away.
Still trapped in Kakuzu's chokehold, Yugito transformed into smoke, and Kakuzu found himself gripping Naruto's neck instead.
Naruto swung his sword and severed Kakuzu's arm, freeing himself—but saw that the arm quickly reconnected.
Yugito caught her breath behind a rock, shielded by two of Naruto's Shadow Clones.
She gently touched her neck, tracing the bruise Kakuzu had left.
Kakuzu shook his head:
"Listen, kid. We've wasted too much time already. How about this—you let us take her, and we'll spare you for now."
Naruto's eyes remained firm:
"You either take both of us, or none at all. Either way, there's going to be a fight. I won't let you take her."
"Fine," Kakuzu said.
His skin turned black as he lunged forward with a punch toward Naruto.
Naruto dodged the punch, charged at Kakuzu, and swung his sword, which Kakuzu blocked.
Naruto growled and tried to yank his sword free from Kakuzu's grip.
Naruto channeled lightning chakra into his hand.
However, when Kakuzu heard the crackling sound, he immediately released Naruto, distancing himself and falling back near the trapped Hidan.
Naruto moved to Yugito's side.
Kakuzu narrowed his eyes at Naruto, weaving his black threads through the rocks around Hidan's head and loosening them.
"Ouch! You stabbed me, damn it!"
Suddenly, Kakuzu yanked Hidan free.
"Shut up, Hidan. I'm done with these brats. Let's finish them off now."
Hidan licked his lips eagerly, pulling out his three-bladed scythe and charging at Naruto.
After landing one blow, Hidan raised his scythe to block a series of shuriken thrown by Yugito.
Taking advantage of the opening, Naruto drove his sword into Hidan's foot, pinning him in place, then drove a kunai into his other foot, immobilizing him.
Hidan struck back, sending Naruto flying with the pole end of the scythe.
Growling under his breath, Naruto grabbed Hidan's arm and punched him repeatedly with his other hand.
Kakuzu quickly kicked Naruto aside, rescuing Hidan.
Kakuzu ripped the sword and kunai from Hidan's feet and flung them aside.
"Remember to think before attacking."
Hidan spat blood from his mouth and shifted his jaw.
"Shut up, Kakuzu! That brat can't kill me. He's just wasting his time."
Naruto returned to Yugito's side.
"Are you feeling better, Yugito-chan?"
"It's sore here," she said, gesturing to her ribs. "But I'm okay. How about you?"
Rubbing his waist, Naruto replied, "Why does Kakuzu hit so hard? Feels like getting clobbered with a hammer."
One of Naruto's clones peeked out from behind a boulder, face drained of color.
"Boss! Run!"
Naruto scooped Yugito into his arms and bolted with her.
The place they had been standing exploded into flames as a massive fireball smashed into it.
After setting Yugito down, Naruto turned and saw Kakuzu had summoned a masked creature—it looked different from the one he had fought in the desert.
"Can you use some Two-Tails chakra?" Naruto asked.
Yugito nodded.
"I can, but only a little."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "That's enough then. You become faster when using Two-Tails chakra, right?"
"Of course, Naruto-kun."
"Let's go!" Naruto shouted, drawing on Nine-Tails' chakra.
A chakra tail sprouted from his back.
Yugito was surrounded by a blue aura that looked like flickering blue fire.
Both jinchuriki radiated huge waves of chakra as they formed hand seals in unison.
[Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bullet Jutsu!]
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