Chapter 31: The Color of Bonds
The wind howled through the rocky canyon, carrying the weight of Naruto's declaration. "I'm going to finish this mission. Once and for all."
Sai stared up at Naruto, the fake smile completely wiped from his face. The terrifying golden pressure of Naruto's Reiatsu pressed down on him, but for the first time, Sai didn't feel fear. He felt a strange, jarring clarity. The logic of Root—that emotions were weaknesses—was crumbling before the undeniable reality of the monster standing in front of him. A monster driven entirely by a bond.
"Well, isn't this a touching reunion."
The voice cut through the tension like a scalpel. The team spun around.
Standing atop a jagged rock formation overlooking their position was Kabuto Yakushi. His left arm was still heavily bandaged and in a sling. His face was pale and beaded with sweat, but his smirk remained arrogant and clinical.
"I expected you to be persistent," Kabuto sneered, adjusting his glasses with his good hand. "But capturing our guest right under our noses? That is simply rude."
Naruto turned, a feral, eager grin spreading across his face. He rested Nozarashi on his shoulder. "Oh good. The snake's leftovers. I didn't get to finish breaking you earlier."
Kabuto flinched, a flicker of genuine fear crossing his eyes as he looked at the massive cleaver. He remembered the bridge. He remembered the overwhelming power that had crushed Orochimaru's strongest form. He knew he couldn't win a fair fight, especially not one-handed.
He looked down at Sai, who was still bound by Yamato's wood.
"Sai," Kabuto barked, leaping down to the canyon floor, keeping a safe distance from Naruto. "Now is your chance. Prove your loyalty to the mission.
He charged his good hand with blue chakra. "Chakra Scalpel."
He moved quickly, slashing through the wooden bindings holding Sai. The wood clattered to the ground.
"Get up," Kabuto ordered, turning his back to Sai to face Team 7. "We're killing them."
Sai stood up slowly, his hand reaching for the tanto on his back.
Kabuto focused entirely on Naruto and Kakashi, assuming his flank was secure. "You've made a mistake coming here. Lord Orochimaru is—"
SHING.
Kabuto froze. His words died in his throat.
A cold steel blade was pressed firmly against his jugular.
He looked down, his eyes widening in shock. It wasn't Naruto. It wasn't Kakashi.
Sai stood behind him, his tanto drawn, the edge biting into the skin of Kabuto's neck.
"W-What are you doing?" Kabuto hissed, his eyes darting to the side. "Have you malfunctioned?"
"No," Sai said. His voice was calm, but it lacked the robotic hollowness it usually held. "I am simply... turning the page."
"You traitor!" Kabuto snarled. He tried to spin, bringing his Chakra Scalpel around to slash Sai.
He didn't make it.
Naruto moved. It was a blur of motion, a flash of golden Reiatsu. He didn't use his sword. He simply stepped inside Kabuto's guard, ignoring the chakra blade, and drove his knee into the medic's stomach.
WHAM.
Kabuto folded like a wet paper towel, bile spewing from his mouth. The impact lifted him off his feet and slammed him into the dirt, gasping for air, his chakra scalpel dissipating into nothing.
"Nice timing," Naruto grunted, looking at Sai with a flicker of approval. "I was about to cut him in half, but this works too."
Yamato immediately stepped forward, hand signs flashing. "Wood Style: Smothering Binding." Thick wooden beams erupted from the rocky ground, encasing the gasping Kabuto in a prison that suppressed his chakra completely.
"Now," Kakashi said, crouching beside the incapacitated medic. "Where is Sasuke?"
Kabuto wheezed, a pained, malicious smile touching his lips. "You're... too late. You'll never..."
"The training hall," Sai interrupted, sheathing his tanto. "He's in the training hall at the deepest level. I can lead you there."
Naruto hefted Nozarashi, the metal gleaming in the sunlight. "Then lead the way, Picture Boy. I'm tired of waiting."
The team moved out, leaving the bound Kabuto behind in the canyon. They re-entered the hideout through the secret entrance, moving quickly through the labyrinthine tunnels.
As they ran, the dynamic shifted. Sai ran beside Naruto, his silence heavy.
"Naruto," Sai said, his voice void of its usual fake cheer.
"What?"
"Why?" Sai asked, looking straight ahead. "Why did you not kill me when you had the chance? Why did you let me keep the book?"
Naruto didn't look at him. His eyes were fixed on the darkness ahead, burning with anticipation.
"Because," Naruto said, his voice rough. "A book without an ending pisses me off."
Sai looked at him, then touched the pouch where the sketchbook rested against his hip. For the first time, a small, genuine smile—not the practiced mask, but a real, confused, human expression—touched his lips.
"I see," Sai murmured.
"We're here," Yamato announced.
Ahead of them, a massive pair of ornate doors loomed at the end of the corridor. The air seeping from beneath them was frigid, carrying a killing intent so sharp it felt like needles on the skin.
Naruto stopped. Yachiru hopped onto his shoulder, her expression eager. "Ooh, Kenny! It feels spooky in there!"
Naruto took a deep breath, savoring the scent of the power waiting on the other side.
"Alright," he whispered, his grin widening into something terrifying. "Knock, knock."
He raised his leg and kicked the doors open.
BOOM.
The wood shattered inward with a thunderous crash, splinters flying like shrapnel.
The room beyond was vast, a cavernous training hall illuminated by flickering torches. And there, standing on a raised platform, looking down at them with eyes that held the cold, regal arrogance of the Uchiha clan, was Sasuke.
"You're loud," Sasuke said, his voice echoing in the silence. He didn't look surprised. He looked bored. "Just like always... Naruto."
Naruto stepped over the debris of the door, Nozarashi scraping against the stone floor, sending up a shower of sparks.
"Yo, Sasuke," Naruto replied. His tone was devoid of the warmth of their youth. It was the growl of a predator who had finally cornered his prey. "Ready to get your ass kicked?"
Tbc