Naruto: I Became Orochimaru's Apprentice-Chapter 34: Konoha Crush

The Chunin Exam Finals had turned into a battlefield.

Flames, smoke, and screams filled the stadium as Konoha was attacked from within. Orochimaru's forces—Sand and Sound ninja—descended upon the arena like a swarm of locusts, throwing the once-proud village into disarray.

At the center of it all, Gaara's transformation had begun.

His sand twisted and churned as he lost control, his body warping slowly into the monstrous form of Shukaku. His mind was unraveling, and all that remained was the beast's thirst for destruction.

Naruto prepared the summoning jutsu.

"I need a miracle to save this place."

He readied his chakra.

"This is bad," he muttered.

But before he could make a move—

A shadow flickered in front of him.

"You're not going anywhere, Naruto."

Naruto's head snapped up to see Teriyaki standing in his path, his kunai raised.

"Teriyaki?"

His body radiated an ominous chakra, the Cursed Seal burning at his neck.

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Teriyaki, what the hell are you doing?! We need to stop Gaara!"

Teriyaki's face was unreadable, but inside, his heart was pounding.

He didn't want to do this but just a few moments ago Orochimaru had spoken to him telepathically.

"If you betray me, Teriyaki-kun..." Orochimaru's voice echoed in his mind. "I will kill you. There is no escape. Charge at Naruto now and stop him or else I will make sure you die."

And so, Teriyaki was forced to do his bidding and thus intercept Naruto.

Naruto clenched his fists. "Teriyaki, you don't have to do this!"

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Teriyaki's grip on his kunai tightened. If he refused, Orochimaru would kill him.

But if he fought, he'd be hurting the very people he admired when he had read the manga, the good guys

Naruto took a step forward.

"I'm not letting you stop me."

Teriyaki's eyes darkened.

"Then I have no choice."

Teriyaki vanished in a blur with the body flicker technique.

Naruto barely had time to react as a kunai slashed toward his throat. He blocked it with his own blade, sparks flying between them.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Three Narutos surrounded Teriyaki, rushing him from all sides.

Teriyaki flipped backward, avoiding two clones before delivering a devastating roundhouse kick that dispersed another into smoke.

"This flexibility- It makes doing acrobatic movements so simple." Teriyaki said smugly. However inside he felt terrible, he was stopping Naruto from stopping Gaara which could lead to people getting hurt.

He landed on his feet, racing through hand seals.

"Water Style: Wild water wave!"

A powerful surge of water burst from his mouth, rushing toward Naruto like a flood.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

Naruto summoned a string of clones to lift him up and away, avoiding the wave as it crashed into the stadium walls, tearing through the stone.

But Teriyaki was already moving.

He appeared mid-air behind Naruto, kunai aimed for his back. He had never gone so far with the body flicker technique.

"Gotcha."

But before he could strike—

Naruto twisted mid-air and punched him square in the face.

Teriyaki crashed into the ground, hard.

Naruto landed, panting. "I'm not gonna let you stop me, Teriyaki."

Teriyaki gritted his teeth.

He had to fight. He had to obey.

But everything inside him screamed to stop.

Meanwhile, a fight between the strongest was taking place.

Inside the Kage Booth, the battle between Hiruzen Sarutobi and Orochimaru raged on.

The Sound Four's barrier had trapped them within, leaving no escape. Orochimaru had summoned dead hokage in order to take Hiruzen down.

"I planned to use these for later, but I can't stop now!" Orochimaru grinned.

Orochimaru then laughed as the First and Second Hokage attacked, their dead eyes void of emotion.

Hiruzen blocked a strike from Tobirama's water blade, barely dodging a swipe from Hashirama's wooden tendrils.

"Orochimaru, you monster! These are heroes, you are destroying their legacy and bodies!"

Orochimaru smirked. "Come now, Sensei. You're old. Just die already. Don't make this harder than it has to be. Your boy, Naruto, can't save you either."

Hiruzen gritted his teeth. He couldn't hold back.

He clasped his hands together.

"Fire Breath Jutsu."

The moment he performed the jutsu, a fire consumed the booth.

Orochimaru's eyes widened slightly. He felt smoke brush past his ears.

"So, you really will try to kill me... Hiruzen."

"Of course, you want to destroy the village that I am Hokage of!"

Hiruzen charged in.

Orochimaru's eyes went blank, a feeling of shock ran through his body.

"Eh? Why do I feel so weak? Is this, pity I feel? You are walking into your own death, you should surrender old man."

Hiruzen's resolve hardened.

"If I must die to stop you, so be it."

Back in the stadium, Gaara's body was being slowly enveloped by Shukaku's sand.

His partial-monstrous form towered over Konoha, his wild laughter echoing through the battlefield.

"I AM FREE!" Shukaku roared.

Naruto roared out in anger.

"I have to stop him... but Teriyaki—!"

Teriyaki stood in his way once more, panting.

"Why are you still stopping me?!" Naruto yelled.

Teriyaki's hands shook.

He didn't want to do this.

He couldn't.

But Orochimaru's voice rang in his head:

"Disobey me, and you will die."

He couldn't escape this fate.

Or could he?

For the first time, he questioned it.

His mind flashed to Sasuke, broken in the dirt, being led into a path of manipulation. To Naruto, who refused to give up throughout the entire manga despite all his hardships.

To himself, who had been no more than Orochimaru's pawn at this point.

He took a deep breath.

And then—he made his decision.

Teriyaki lowered his kunai.

Naruto's eyes widened. "You're..."

Teriyaki looked at the battlefield. The village burning. Orochimaru's cruel grin in the distance.

The heroes of Konoha fighting for their lives.

And he chose.

"Save Konoha, Naruto. I'll deal with whatever's coming my way by mself."

He turned—and aimed his hand straight at Gaara.

Naruto blinked. "What?!"

Teriyaki jumped high, flipping through hand seals.

"Water Style: Water Maw!"

A whirlpool of water crashed into Gaara's partially changed body, slowing his transformation.

Naruto's eyes lit up with realization.

"You're helping me?!"

Teriyaki smirked weakly. "I owe you and Sasuke that much, for saving me in the forest and for putting up with Orochimaru's actions. Plus, it's about time I defied him."

Naruto grinned. "Then let's end this!"

Together, Naruto and Teriyaki ran towards Shukaku, Gaara could barely be seen inside him.

Naruto summoned every ounce of chakra.

"TAKE THIS!"

Naruto summoned Gamabunta, the giant toad.

It instantly understood the situation and readied it's punch alongside Naurto.

Naruto leaped forward, fist cocked back, Gamabunta mirroed his action—ready to punch Gaara awake.

And Teriyaki, beside him, let out a final roar—

"WATER STYLE: Water Maw!"

A massive vortex of water and chakra spiraled toward Gaara, empowered by Teriyaki's secretly seething curse mark, hitting at the same moment as—

Naruto and Gamabunta's punch.

BOOM!

The battlefield erupted.

Shukaku was hurt, but there was a problem.

He was still breathing, and now even more riled up for destruction.