Chapter 941 Depression

Trembling slightly, Naruto slowly raised his head, his eyes full of determination replacing the previous depression. "Sasuke, I know you must have your reasons, no matter what, I will definitely bring you back." He clenched his fists and swore secretly.

At this moment, a shadow suddenly flashed outside the window. Naruto became alert and asked loudly, "Who?" Only to see Kakashi appear at the door. "Naruto, I knew you wouldn't give up so easily." Kakashi walked in and said. Naruto's eyes lit up, "Kakashi, do you also believe that Sasuke didn't do it on purpose?" Kakashi nodded, "Sasuke's behavior is indeed strange. I suspect someone is controlling him or has some special purpose behind him.

I plan to investigate secretly, but you have to take good care of your injuries during this period. Only when you recover your strength can you better face the next things. "Naruto nodded heavily after hearing this, "Teacher, don't worry, I will get better as soon as possible." At this time, Naruto's heart rekindled hope. He knew that the road to finding Sasuke was full of difficulties and obstacles, but he would never back down.

Just as Kakashi was about to leave, there was a sudden noise outside. Kakashi and Naruto looked at each other and immediately rushed out to check the situation. Several mysterious people appeared in the village. They were wearing black cloaks and their faces could not be seen clearly. The leader said in a low voice: "Uzumaki Naruto, today is the day you die."

Kakashi stood in front of Naruto and looked at him vigilantly, "Who are you? Why do you want to attack Naruto?" The mysterious man sneered, "We are here on the orders of Orochimaru. He was the one who planned Uchiha Sasuke's betrayal of Konoha. Naruto is the biggest obstacle, so he must be eliminated." Hearing this, Naruto was furious, "So it was Orochimaru who did it. I must defeat him and bring Sasuke back." Kakashi whispered to Naruto, "Naruto, you are still injured, find a chance to hide first." However, Naruto shook his head stubbornly, "Teacher, I won't run away anymore, I will fight them to the end." As he said that, a strong fighting spirit broke out in Naruto, ready to meet the upcoming battle.

Kakashi knew Naruto's stubborn character, so he had no choice but to fight the enemy together. The mysterious men attacked at the same time, and Kakashi quickly formed a seal and used earth escape to build a wall to resist. Naruto ignored the pain, concentrated his chakra and used the shadow clone technique, rushing towards the mysterious men's camp.

One of the mysterious people threw out several talismans, which instantly turned into flames and swept towards Naruto. Seeing this, Kakashi used water escape to put out the fire and took the opportunity to attack close to him, scratching one of them. However, these mysterious people cooperated well and quickly counterattacked, temporarily suppressing Kakashi.

Naruto dodged the attacks with his strong will, and found the right moment to punch a mysterious man in the abdomen. At this time, other ninjas in the village also came to support. Seeing that the situation was not good, the mysterious people shouted, "Retreat!" and disappeared in an instant.

Although Naruto was exhausted, his eyes were more determined, "Orochimaru, no matter what conspiracy you have, I will crush it and bring Sasuke back." Kakashi patted his shoulder, "Let's go, go back and heal your wounds first, there will be tough battles to fight later." So everyone returned to the village, and Naruto began to actively recuperate his injuries, preparing to embark on a journey to find Sasuke.

After a few days of recuperation, Naruto's injuries were no longer serious. That day, he went to the woods outside the village to practice alone. While he was concentrating, he suddenly felt a familiar breath. Naruto turned around and saw Sasuke standing on a tree branch not far away.

"Sasuke, why are you back?" Naruto was surprised and happy.

"Hmph, I just came back to take a look." Sasuke jumped off the branch with an indifferent look on his face.

"Orochimaru didn't do anything to you, did he?" Naruto asked with concern.

"Don't worry about it." Sasuke turned his head away.

At this time, many Anbu ninjas rushed out from all directions. "Uchiha Sasuke, you betrayed Konoha, come back with us to face trial." The Anbu ninjas shouted.

"I won't go back." Sasuke drew his sword.

Naruto quickly stood in the middle, "Everyone, don't worry, Sasuke must have his reasons."

"Naruto, get out of the way, this is Konoha's business." The Anbu remained unmoved.

Sasuke looked at Naruto, then at the Anbu, "Naruto, next time we meet we will be enemies." After that, he used ninjutsu to create smoke and escaped in the chaos. Naruto looked at the direction where Sasuke left, feeling mixed emotions. He knew that there was still a long way to go to find Sasuke.

Naruto gritted his teeth and secretly made up his mind to untie Sasuke's knot. He turned to find Tsunade and asked for permission to go alone to find Sasuke and persuade him to return to Konoha. Tsunade hesitated again and again, but finally agreed. Naruto set out on the road to pursue Sasuke. Along the way, he kept asking about Sasuke's whereabouts. Finally, he found Sasuke in a remote valley. When Sasuke saw Naruto, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes and then his face turned cold. Naruto sincerely told about the changes in Konoha and his companions' longing for him. Sasuke was touched in his heart, but he still said firmly that he had nothing to do with Konoha anymore. Just when the two were deadlocked, Orochimaru suddenly appeared. He laughed at Naruto for overestimating his own abilities and tried to control Sasuke again. Naruto resisted Orochimaru's attack with all his strength, protecting Sasuke while persuading him to get rid of Orochimaru's control. Sasuke looked at Naruto who was fighting hard, and recalled their friendship in the past, and his eyes gradually changed. At the critical moment, Sasuke broke free from Orochimaru's partial control and assisted Naruto in fighting Orochimaru. Orochimaru did not expect Sasuke to resist, and was at a disadvantage for a while, and finally fled in disgrace. Sasuke looked at Naruto and whispered, "I will consider whether to return to Konoha." Naruto smiled, knowing that he was one step closer to success.

Naruto was happy but also reminded Sasuke: "Orochimaru will not give up, we have to be careful." Sasuke nodded. Then, the two decided to find a safe place to rest and adjust. They came to a cave, Sasuke sat down against the wall, closed his eyes and thought. Naruto set up a simple early warning device at the entrance of the cave.

Not long after, Sasuke opened his eyes and said, "Naruto, I have always envied your persistence. I also care about Konoha in my heart, but hatred has blinded me for too long." Naruto smiled and responded, "As long as you are willing to come back."

Suddenly, there was a strange noise outside the cave. The two men were alert, and saw a group of snakes coming. "Orochimaru is here again." Sasuke frowned. The snakes dispersed, and Orochimaru walked out of them, sneering: "Sasuke, do you think you can get rid of me easily? None of you can escape today."

Naruto rushed towards Orochimaru first, followed by Sasuke. Naruto used the newly learned ninjutsu to restrain Orochimaru, while Sasuke looked for a flaw to deliver a fatal blow. Although Orochimaru was strong, they gradually lost to him under the combined efforts of the two. In the end, Orochimaru was seriously injured and fled.

Sasuke looked at Naruto and said, "I think I should go back to Konoha. After all, that's my home." Naruto cheered and the two of them set out on the journey home side by side.