"I got this," Anko shouts, sniping the nake's high head with six Fma Shuriken she not only ignites in flames, but quickly clones into twelve projectile weapons, then twenty-four with, "Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
With Anko distracting it and leading it away, Naruto utilizes the moment of respite to create a large Rasengan with Kybi chakra. He then follows the large snake as it attacks Anko, waiting for the perfect opportunity, until he pulls up short.
Stopping on top of a half-downed thick branch, Naruto receives the memories of Sasuke forcibly dispelling his clones, and he can't help but curse, "that idiot!"
Naruto is about to leave Anko with his single tailed clone when the woman shrieks before gripping desperately between shoulder and neck.
It's an opening Manda easily takes advantage of to feed, opening its hissing mouth wide for its small meal only to choke and shriek its own cry of pain as Naruto slams his large Rasengan into the grand summon's slithering spine.
Despite the thick scales of its hide Naruto is effectively drilling through, the blond keeps up the intensity until it dispels.
As the thick smoke evaporates, a heaving Naruto regresses to his feral, red-eyed strength as he leaps to Anko's side.
Though she's on her knees in tremendous pain, gripping at her curse mark while holding in her scream, Naruto has to get to Sasuke before Orochimaru does or he'll suffer the same curse.
Naruto sends his remaining single-tailed clone to try and find Orochimaru or Sasuke to either fight off or save, respectively.
Naruto is growing more tired, not that he would consider resting, but he wanted to stay alert until they've finished the second test and a steadily building fatigue won't help him.
Carrying Anko in his arms bridal style, moved his forearm too near her seal, so he had to carry her piggyback style as he raced through the air, retracing his clones direction.
'Hey,' Naruto hears Naru-nii greet. 'How's everything?'
'Hey, Naru-nii,' Naruto thinks as he jumps from branch to branch. While he's relaying some of what he knows to his future counterpart, a cache of memories interrupts his thoughts, and Naruto curses, "fuck!"
'What,' Naru-nii asks as Anko winces in pain asking, "what is it?"
"We're too late," Naruto sorrowfully tells them. After traveling for another twenty minutes, they find Sasuke unconscious with the seal on the back base of his neck.
'Hey, listen,' Naru-nii slowly starts. 'I'll save my strength so we can talk later but, remember, we only wanted to try and spare him the pain of it. He'll survive this, so don't beat yourself up about it.'
The single-tailed clone reverts to red eyes and feral blond hair before lifting Sasuke's unconscious body onto his shoulders, wrapping his arms securely around Sasuke's dangling right arm and leg.
In either instance, they're both sure Naruto isn't the long-range sensor type and are justified when Naruto starts tearing up and mewls pathetically, holding in his want to cry.
Sakura rushes to him, checking him over with her Iry-ninjutsu as she asks, "what is it?" And Ino asks, "what's wrong?"
Naruto whimpers his answer, "uuuuhh, Karin-chan's family and they bit her mother to death!"
"Karin-chan?"
"Death?"
Pressed and understanding the specifics of Kage Bunshin as well as knowing the details behind Mizuki's defeat, Anko's certain Naruto is telling her the truth. "We need to go," she tells the genin before turning to Naruto.
"Tell your clones to meet us at the tower." After creating and dispelling a clone, they sprint through the trees for nearly three and a half hours in the night until they finally reach the tower.
The group of exhausted ninja break the seal of one of the tower's many double doors and enter a large lit entrance chamber. The two-story expanse has two overhead walkways made of concrete with a framed banner hanging on the wood and concrete wall.
Reading the words on the banner is a familiar orange-clad blond and an unknown redhead with glasses.
Shikamaru, Chji, Sakura and especially Ino are stunned when Naruto breaks away from them and rushes across the room to the red-headed girl with glasses standing next to a Naruto clone with three scrolls in his hands, and lifts her entire frame in a big bear hug.
"Not again," they hear the girl bemoans, though pleased.
"Uh, Naruto," Ino starts, wondering to herself why there always has to be a rival. 'I'm not even sure about him yet and there's already another girl in the way!' her thoughts yell, mirroring her bewilderment. Ino attempts to ask as politely as possible, "who is that?"
"Ah," Naruto calls out setting Karin down. "Ji-chan, Kakashi-sensei, and Asuma-sensei are here," Naruto informs them.
Naruto's clone hands Shikamaru an earth scroll when a team of Anbu, Kakashi, Asuma, and the Hokage rush into the room. Anko picks up an unconscious Sasuke, telling Sakura, "you did good keeping his temperature down and assist his healing. We'll take it from here."
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