Naruto: Drop System

Using his red-eye illusion to conceal himself, Yagyu quickly arrived at the Valley of the End to witness the battle that would once again mark the rekindling of the fateful conflict between Asura and Indra's reincarnations.

At this point in the battle, Uchiha Sasuke held the absolute advantage.

This was due to Sasuke's Sharingan having evolved into the three-tomoe form, which is a major turning point for the Sharingan. Not only does it unlock genjutsu and hypnotic abilities, but it also greatly enhances his insight and copying abilities.

With his Sharingan at the three-tomoe stage, Sasuke's already flawless foundational skills became even more refined. As a result, Naruto, whose techniques were far less polished, was no match for him, even with the boost from the Nine-Tails' chakra.

Naruto's numerous Shadow Clones were no more than fragile balloons, popping with a single strike.

Just as Sasuke, in a dominating position, defeated Naruto and threw him into the lake, preparing to leave, a sudden explosion of water erupted from the lake.

A dark and ominous energy emerged, causing Sasuke's expression to change dramatically.

The defeated Naruto reappeared on the surface of the lake, now enveloped in the red chakra of the Nine-Tails once again. However, this time, unlike before when only the red chakra surrounded him, Naruto's entire body was covered in a translucent red cloak of chakra, with a single red tail formed behind him, making him crouch on all fours like a fox.

"Naruto, you..." Sasuke muttered as he stared at Naruto, whose whiskers had thickened, his eyes turned into red slitted pupils, and fangs protruding from his snarling mouth. Sasuke suddenly recalled overhearing the villagers' whispers about Naruto when they were younger.

Demon Fox... So Naruto, you really are a 'monster'!

As if responding to Naruto, the cursed mark on Sasuke's neck began to burn, and the black patterns quickly spread across his body, turning his skin a dark brown color.

This was the second stage of the Heaven Curse Mark, a more advanced form than the Earth Curse Mark.

"Rasengan!" Naruto shouted.

"Chidori!" Sasuke responded.

In his Tailed Beast Cloak form, Naruto clashed with Sasuke in his second stage of the curse mark, igniting a series of explosions and splashes across the lake.

In the end, one of them wielded a spiraling blue ball of energy, while the other held a crackling blue-white bolt of lightning, both colliding to form a black sphere of energy.

Boom!

A massive explosion followed, though it didn't damage the statues of Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara, nor did it lead to any loss of limbs.

Ultimately, Sasuke remained conscious and won the battle.

Dragging Naruto's unconscious body to the shore, Sasuke took one last deep look at the boy who, despite their similarities, evoked an unexplainable sense of kinship. Then, stumbling, Sasuke left the Valley of the End.

Yagyu, watching Sasuke's retreating back, did not move to stop him. This was the moment he had been waiting for.

With a single hand seal, Yagyu created a Wood Clone beside him, concealing it with his red-eye illusion as it silently followed Sasuke.

As for Yagyu's main body, he began to make his way back the way he came.

He didn't take Naruto with him, knowing that his Kagura Mind's Eye had already detected Kakashi Hatake's chakra signature approaching. Like his sensei, Kakashi had arrived late at this crucial moment.

By the time Kakashi arrived, Sasuke had already been picked up by Kabuto.

Upon returning to the forest, Yagyu quickly located Hinata and the others using his sensory abilities.

At this point, the girls had already finished their battle.

Tayuya, even after entering her Cursed Seal Level 2, was unable to defeat Karin. Facing the combined might of Temari, Hinata, and Tenten, she didn't stand a chance.

Tayuya lay lifeless on the ground, covered in wounds and pierced by numerous ninja tools. Around her lay countless trees with smooth, clean cuts—evidence of Temari's handiwork.

Among the group, Temari was currently the strongest. Her powerful wind techniques, which required no hand seals, were unmatched—even Karin was no match for her.

"Yagyu, you're back!" Ino, who had spent the whole battle on the sidelines, admiring the strength of Karin and the others, immediately rushed into Yagyu's arms, as energetic and affectionate as ever.

"Ah… I'm glad to see you all are safe," Yagyu said, smiling as he patted Ino on the head, using his height advantage to gently praise her. "You all did a great job."

"Hehe… It was all thanks to Karin and the others," Ino stuck out her tongue sheepishly. "Sakura and I were too weak. We were lucky not to slow Karin down."

"That's not true. Ino, you and Sakura helped a lot," Karin walked over, shaking her head. "If it wasn't for you two disrupting her chakra flow, I would've been caught in her genjutsu."

"Alright, enough with the modesty," Yagyu laughed as he ruffled Ino's and Karin's hair. "When we get back, I'll teach you some new jutsu. Next time you face opponents like this, it won't be so difficult."

"Really? That's awesome!" Ino's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she jumped up and down in Yagyu's arms, hugging him tightly.

While Ino was excited about learning new jutsu, what thrilled her more was the prospect of training with Yagyu again. Ever since graduating in March, it had been difficult for her and Sakura to even see Yagyu, let alone train with him. The last time they spent so much time together was when Konoha's mission system was down.

Now, both Ino and Sakura longed for the days back at the ninja academy, when they could always be with Yagyu, whether it was during class, after school, or on holidays.

"Thank you for helping us, Temari," Yagyu said, gently pushing Ino aside as he approached Temari with a warm smile of gratitude.

"There's no need to thank me. I should be thanking you instead," Temari replied, a little taken aback, and quickly returned the gesture.

What she was grateful for was Yagyu sparing her during the Chunin Exams. Thinking back, she couldn't help but feel a chill.

It was only after witnessing Yagyu's Wood Clone that she fully realized how terrifying his power and intelligence were.

Wood Style was a legendary Bloodline Limit and a symbol of Konoha itself.

Anyone who awakened the Wood Style would not only become famous in Konoha but also in the entire ninja world.

Clearly, Yagyu hadn't just awakened the Wood Style.

But in the information that Temari and Kankuro had gathered after the first exam, Yagyu had only been described as a genius civilian.

It wasn't until the preliminary matches that he revealed his astonishing chakra reserves and mastery of Water Style, leading to speculation that he might be a descendant of the Senju Clan.

Yet, during the final exam in front of all the spectators, he didn't display his Wood Style at all.

Then, after the war began, Yagyu didn't take part in the battle at all. He even stopped his teammates from killing Kankuro, predicting the outcome of the war before it had ended.

Now that the granddaughter of the First Hokage had taken up the mantle as the Fifth Hokage, Yagyu no longer concealed his abilities, revealing his Wood Style Bloodline Limit in front of her, an outsider.

He's so young!

This person, Temari thought, is someone we can never make an enemy of.

At the same time, Temari couldn't help but feel a growing curiosity about Yagyu.

What had he gone through to be so capable of patience and restraint at such a young age?

Yagyu had no idea what Temari was thinking. If he had known, he would have been impressed by the Sand Princess.

It was remarkable that she had deduced so much with only a few pieces of information.

After exchanging pleasantries with Temari, Yagyu led the girls to the other battlefields.

By this time, the battle on Gaara and Shikamaru's side had already ended as well.

Unlike the original storyline, where the six-man squad was assisted by Gaara's team, this time the rescue effort included Konoha's strongest new generation squads, Team 8 and Team 3, as well as Gaara's siblings.

Even with their Cursed Seal Level 2 forms, the Sound Four were no match for them.

"You look rough, Shikamaru," Yagyu teased when he arrived at the battlefield and saw Shikamaru slumped on the ground, exhausted. He hadn't rested for a whole day, and if it weren't for the rations pills, Kidomaru would have killed him by now.

"Thank goodness you arrived in time. I almost thought my ninja career was over," Shikamaru responded, too tired to argue.

Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly asked, "By the way, how's Choji?"

"It's not looking good. Choji took the third pill," Yagyu said with a serious expression. "My clone reported that he and Lee are already heading back to the village. Only Lady Tsunade can save him now."

Shikamaru's face went pale, and he looked ashamed. "It's all my fault. I'm too weak."

In that moment, Shikamaru found himself hating his usual laziness.

If he had trained in his family's secret techniques from a young age, perhaps things would have been different now.

Yagyu didn't offer words of comfort.

This mission to retrieve Sasuke would bring growth to Choji, Shikamaru, and Naruto—a rare and valuable transformation.

After healing Shikamaru's wounds, Yagyu finished just as Kakashi arrived, carrying Naruto and accompanied by Gaara.

"Sorry, everyone. My student caused you all a lot of trouble," Kakashi said as he apologized to Yagyu and the others.

"Kakashi-sensei, did you manage to catch Sasuke?" Sakura quickly asked. "Was he kidnapped by Orochimaru's men, or was he tricked?"

Kakashi and Naruto, now awake, both looked down, their eyes filled with sorrow.

"I'll report everything to Lady Hokage. You all did well," Kakashi said, seemingly reluctant to say more, not wanting to tell them that Sasuke had willingly defected.

But his attitude gave them all the answer they needed.

It wasn't that Sasuke had been kidnapped—he had chosen to join Orochimaru.

Sakura's expression became confused and uncertain.

With Sasuke gone, did that mean Team 7 would disband?

And if the team disbanded, would Kakashi no longer be her sensei? Would she still be able to go on missions?

If she couldn't go on missions, would she be forced to become a medical ninja and work at Konoha Hospital?

At that moment, everyone in Team 7 felt lost.

Under the leadership of Kakashi, Yagyu, and Shikamaru, the entire group began their journey back to Konoha, having failed to retrieve Sasuke.

After leaving the forest, they bid farewell to Gaara and his siblings, thanking them once again for their assistance.

The help from Gaara and his siblings had greatly improved their image among Konoha's new generation, with many even developing a fondness for them.

By the afternoon, Yagyu and the others finally returned to Konoha.

As soon as they entered the village, Shikamaru rushed to the hospital, eager to check on Choji's condition.

Naruto was also taken to the hospital by Kakashi. Although the Nine-Tails was already healing his physical wounds, the battle with Sasuke had left a deep emotional scar.

Naruto now needed time to rest and recover.

Watching their departing figures, Sakura was feeling down. She rarely did this, but she tugged on Yagyu's sleeve, her voice uncertain as she asked, "Yagyu, I feel like I couldn't help at all. What should I do now?"

Yagyu gently stroked Sakura's pink hair, his face full of affection as he reassured her. "Don't think too much about it. Sasuke is burdened with deep hatred, and he's willing to pay any price to avenge the Uchiha Clan. His resolve isn't something you can stop.

If you feel weak, then work hard and train. I'll teach you all some powerful new jutsu."

"…Alright," Sakura nodded firmly, her eyes suddenly filled with determination.

Sasuke's departure, combined with the looks in Naruto's and Kakashi's eyes, had deeply impacted the girl, who had now built strong bonds with her teammates.

Sakura, who had previously lacked a strong desire for power and only trained to earn Yagyu's praise, now yearned for strength.

If she had been as strong as Karin or that woman from the Sand Village, she wouldn't have been a burden to Naruto and Sasuke. Perhaps she could have helped Naruto bring Sasuke back!

Seeing this transformation in Sakura, Yagyu smiled with satisfaction.

This meant that the confident and bold "Sakura" was about to be born.

The original four flowers of Konoha were all distinct.

But Yagyu's arrival had altered their destinies, causing Hinata and Sakura to develop similar attributes. Even Ino was only different from them in being more bold and passionate.

Only after graduation had Hinata, Sakura, and Ino begun their transformations, becoming both like and unlike their original selves.

Hinata, for example, was completely different in her regular demeanor compared to her combat state.

Sakura, who had yet to awaken her second personality, was now about to bid farewell to her old self and take her first step toward her transformation.

And once Ino grew stronger, she would undoubtedly change as well.

Together with Karin, the four girls were each becoming unique in their own ways.

Filled with new motivation, Yagyu was ready to train them into the individuals he envisioned.

But for now, he had more important matters to attend to.

A slight smile played on Yagyu's lips, and a flash of red glinted briefly in his eyes.

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