Hey, what do you mean by "destroying the Leaf Village"?
I mean today's Leaf Village!
Today's Leaf Village...?!
That means, Lady Tsunade will...!
- You're right... - What?
Your story doesn't add up.
I know Sai's boss used to oppose Old Man Third Hokage,
but why do they have to destroy the Leaf Village...
or do something to Grandma Tsunade?
Did you forget, Naruto?
Lady Tsunade used to be a favorite pupil of the Third.
Besides that, the current regime of the Leaf Village
was initiated by the Fifth Hokage, Lady Tsunade,
and it obviously complies with the wishes of the Third.
Undoubtedly Danzo is not happy about this...
but most of the people in the village support the current regime,
so the regime can't be changed easily.
The only way to change the regime is...
to cause an earth-shaking event in the village.
An event like...
the "The Destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village" that Orochimaru set up.
The destruction of the Hidden Leaf Village...!
Danzo may be thinking about conspiring with Orochimaru
and making him attack Leaf Village one more time...
in order to force Lady Tsunade from the position of Hokage...
So, you're saying they want to destroy Leaf Village...
- just because of that?! - It's not only because of that!
He wants to build his ideal village after destroying the regime...
and return to center stage as Hokage.
The reason why Danzo went into action at this late date is...
...because he sees it's been three years since the last attack,
so there has been enough time for Orochimaru...
to fully regain his forces.
I think that's also part of it.
Or he may have thought Orochimaru is more cautious now
because of the failure of the last attack.
If he acts now, he thinks the negotiations with Orochimaru...
will get under way easily.
That means he's going to propose cooperation from the village, right?
Yes...
Wait a minute... You mean Sai's secret mission is...
Perhaps...
The Consequences of Betrayal
You mean, Sai's top secret mission...
...is probably to earn Orochimaru's trust
and serve as a liaison between Danzo and Orochimaru.
He thought the odds of him running into Orochimaru...
would be high if he was in our group.
That can't be...!
If that's the case...
then we might have to get rid of Sai.
Get rid of him?
Lord Orochimaru.
I know.
It appears we're being followed.
Is he simply following us, or is someone making him do that?
What should we do?
One way or the other...
I'm afraid we're going to need a corpse.
Right, Kabuto?
Get rid of...
...Sai?
No matter how you look at it, that's too hasty...
Now, my clone is following them,
but there's no way of knowing what's gonna happen...
We're gonna get on their trail right away.
- But... - Okay!
Let's go...!
What the...?
Naruto!
Naruto! Are you all right?
He hasn't fully recovered yet from the damage he suffered earlier...
Captain Yamato...
Sakura, we better get going...
I know we should catch up right now. But...
But...with Naruto's condition being like this...
In that case, we'll leave him.
Leave him? How could he say such a thing...?!
He should have enough strength left...
to get back to the village on his own.
Kakashi Sensei would never talk that way...!
Sakura...
I'll...be...all right...
I can make it...
Naruto!
Sakura, I know what you're trying to say.
On top of that, I've teamed up with Kakashi in the Anbu Black Ops Unit before...
I also know the kind of person he is.
It's true that I'm filling in for Kakashi.
But, I'm not Kakashi.
I'm sorry, but I just can't say,
"I won't let you get hurt," with a laugh.
I won't let my comrades die.
You're no longer apprentice Ninja in need of protection,
but Shinobi shouldering the future of the Leaf Village...
who will have to eventually surpass Kakashi.
Compassion and co-dependence aren't the same thing!
If we give up now, it'll end in failure.
If we don't follow now,
we're never going to catch Orochimaru.
There is no second chance with Orochimaru.
Sakura...
Yeah.
It's time to get moving now.
Naruto, what are you going to do?
Of course...
I'm going!
Naruto!
I'm okay...
If I went back to the village now...
I wouldn't know why I came this far.
Naruto...
Fine, but... if you slow us down,
we have to leave you behind, do you understand?
Okay!
Then, let's go!
That's!
You've sure done it... Orochimaru...
Naruto!
Sakura!
Sakura...
Are you all right, Sakura!
That wound is...
Chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox must have entered...
through the wound like poison...
This can't easily be healed even with a skilled medical Ninjutsu.
That's why...
That's why I'm even more surprised
that Naruto has been able to endure that Chakra.
This...
This...was done by Orochimaru.
Well, it hurts only a little, so... I'm okay.
Don't push yourself too hard, Sakura.
I got it...
Let's take a little break.
Sakura is our team's only Medical Ninja...
In other words, she is a key cog in the success of our mission.
I'm all right. If we don't leave now...
even you said...
I'm sorry...but I just can't say,
"I won't let you get hurt." with a laugh.
You're no longer apprentice Ninja in need of protection,
but Shinobi shouldering the future of the Leaf Village...
who will have to eventually surpass Kakashi.
Compassion and co-dependence aren't the same thing!
It's true what I said,
but they also say that "haste is from the devil."
I mean, there is a difference between hurrying and recklessness.
I agree!
Captain Yamato is right!
You are the only Medical Ninja in our group
with monstrous strength...
So, you're the precious cog...
I told you that you don't need to add "monstrous strength"!
- What, what?! - Shut up!
I'm just complimenting your...
O-Okay, okay... I apologize!
Naruto!
Since Sai's out, you'll be my partner for the battle.
Let's decide on our collaboration patterns while we have time.
Can you come over here for a bit?
Got it.
They stopped the chase... I wonder if it went well...
Perhaps...
At any rate...
you did a fine job, as usual, Kabuto...
I've created countless dead bodies since I've been with you...
It might have been a little wasteful, though...
Even so, it's better to be cautious.
Oh.
I got a good idea, Lord Orochimaru.
How about having him help out our experiments?
I think he'll have lots of free time...
besides serving as a liaison with Danzo...
Hmm... do as you please.
A fake body, just as I thought...
Most likely this Jutsu was done by Kabuto...
Sure enough, this wound is slow to heal...
the best I can do is to ease the pain...
This is far enough...
We're gonna do it here?
Yes...
But, first...!
One moment, my Wood Clone has just contacted me.
Yes... That's right...
There's an unnatural and subtle stitching in the head...
He's done a perfect job, it's not noticeable at first glance.
If we didn't prepare for this,
we would have been fooled completely...
Amazing that they've already discovered that we've been tailing them.
I was confident, but...
we have to be even more cautious from now on...
Since we're dealing with Orochimaru...
we can't be too careful.
Captain Yamato!
Ah yes, I'm done with my errand.
All right! So, what are we gonna do first?
But before that... There's something I need to tell you.
The one who hurt Sakura was...
you, Naruto.
Hey Sakura, is that the picture book that belonged to Sai?
Yes, it is.
I'm wondering what's in the book?
Don't ask me.
Hmm, it seems there're no words or dialogue, though.
Well, even if we see what's inside, I bet It's not good at all.
I'm hoping this book gives some information leading to Sai...
Come to think of it, Sai cherishes this book, doesn't he?
He also said it's his older brother's book.
Hey, don't you think the facing pages are a little creepy?
Next Time: "The Unfinished Page"