Chapter 161:
No one would have ever guessed that beneath the Namikaze estate lay a secret base belonging to the Masked Fox Spirit Hero—and that the rogue Konoha ninja, Orochimaru, was currently hiding out there.
"Orochimaru, I need you to upgrade my Fox Armor."
Hearing the voice behind him, Orochimaru—deeply immersed in his research—lifted his pale face.
"…Upgrading the Fox Armor is no problem. All it takes is ramping up the output to extract even more chakra from the Nine Tails. But are you sure your body can handle that kind of power?"
"That's not your concern, Orochimaru. Just know this—I'll be watching you. If you dare pull anything in Konoha again, I'll personally make sure you end up in the village prison."
The only reason Naruto had allowed Orochimaru to remain was because of his scientific expertise.
Orochimaru chuckled, entirely unfazed by Naruto's hostile tone. "Very well. By tomorrow, your Fox Armor will be fully upgraded."
"I need it tonight. You'd better hurry, Orochimaru."
…
"Gentlemen, it's a pleasure to see you again."
"Clown, Lord Danzō has agreed to your terms. When are you going to eliminate the Masked Fox Spirit Hero?" Yamato looked at the insincere Sasuke standing before him.
"Right now."
"You'd better not be playing us, Clown. You know full well the price of deceiving Lord Danzō."
Night had fallen over Konoha.
The red glow of the Fox Spirit Hero's armor pierced the darkness blanketing the village.
"Shikamaru, what's going on?"
Naruto—now clad in the newly-upgraded Fox Armor, glowing with a vivid crimson sheen—appeared atop the security headquarters.
"If you're asking that, it means you still don't know…" Shikamaru replied. "See for yourself, Fox Spirit Hero."
It was a video clip.
The Clown appeared in the video. Beside him was a dying, innocent Konoha villager, bound and dressed in a cheap imitation of the Fox Spirit Hero costume.
"…Do you like the Fox Spirit Hero?"
"N-No… not really…" the trembling hostage stammered.
"Not really? Why not?" Sasuke laughed eerily. "He's so much fun—why wouldn't you like him?"
He grabbed the hostage by the hair, his mocking tone twisting into anger. "Why don't you like him, huh? Why not?!"
After his laughter and rage subsided, Sasuke's expression turned disturbingly calm.
"That was wrong of me. I shouldn't have lost my temper." He gently touched the hostage's cheek. "Useless anger solves nothing, right? I'm sure many in Konoha feel the same way you do. So I'm going to hold a grand game to change the villagers' perception of the Fox Spirit Hero. You'll help me with that, won't you?"
Driven by survival instinct, the hostage nodded desperately.
"Good… good…" Sasuke murmured, slowly driving a shuriken into the hostage's stomach. "Your death will be the greatest contribution to my game."
The camera finally zoomed in on Sasuke's face. "See that, Fox Spirit Hero? This is a game you must play. The rules are simple. Every day, I'll randomly kill a Konoha villager—maybe more than one. I'll keep going until the Fox Spirit Hero removes his mask and surrenders to me. Starting tonight. Starting now. I'm a man of my word—I always follow through."
The video ended with Sasuke's maniacal laughter.
"Fox Spirit Hero, public sentiment in the village is turning against you. If we don't capture the Clown soon…" Shikamaru trailed off.
"I understand."
As Naruto's words fell, he vanished, leaving Shikamaru standing alone in the wind.
"Kakashi, patch me into the village's surveillance system. I need Clown's location," Naruto said from inside his Foxmobile, speaking into the intercom.
"Got it, sir. Are you heading out to face him?"
"Mm." Fox Spirit Hero nodded. "You always need an appetizer before the main course."
Due to various circumstances, Sasuke had never studied under Kakashi or Orochimaru. As a result, the only power he could wield was the genjutsu of his three-tomoe Sharingan.
While genjutsu from the Sharingan was troublesome for most, the Fox Spirit Hero—empowered by the Nine Tails' chakra—could easily resist it.
"One more thing, sir," Kakashi added, "the Hyūga Clan has invited you to a banquet tomorrow."
"Konoha's strongest clan inviting Konoha's wealthiest conglomerate… Got it, Kakashi."
An abandoned warehouse.
Pitch black.
Relying on the sensory functions built into his Fox Armor, Naruto was able to detect everything inside.
There was only one person.
"Clown."
"Fox Spirit Hero."
The manic Sasuke and the composed Naruto stared each other down in the darkness of the warehouse.
"I've come to throw you in prison, Clown," Naruto said, slowly advancing.
"I didn't expect you to show up so quickly, Fox Spirit Hero. Looks like you're just as eager to play this game as I am." Sasuke backed up step by step. "You'd better stop right there, Fox Spirit Hero. Your foot just triggered a switch."
"What is it, Clown?" Fox Spirit Hero stopped, wary.
"A simple sensor. When pressed and then released, it activates a trap that kills one of the war orphans in Konoha." As Sasuke spoke, he walked until he stood about ten steps away from Naruto. "Of course, I also have another switch here. Pressing it will kill a genius student at the Konoha Ninja Academy."
"What are you trying to do, Clown?!"
"It's time to choose, Fox Spirit Hero—only one lives. Do you defeat me to save the academy student, or stand still to save the orphan? Don't worry, no one will know what you decide. You can blame it all on me. Oh, and just a heads-up—you've got ten seconds. I'm only waiting ten seconds."
Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasuke could clearly sense the ominous power radiating from the armor Naruto wore.
The Clown was the first enemy Naruto had faced of this kind.
Not very strong—but incredibly vile.
"…Sorry. I'm saving both!"
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