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I'm Searching For A Girlfriend In Jujutsu Kaisen: 17 Tales Of The Ninja World 4
🕑 Added 2025-06-12 22:21:59 +0000 UTC## Hidden Cave -
The abandoned cave reeked of dampness and decay, its walls slick with moisture that had accumulated over years of neglect. The cave was small and well-concealed, tucked between two large boulders with an entrance barely wide enough for one person. The slowly disappearing sunlight shine through the entrance, casting light on two figures hunched over what looked like a grotesque medical procedure.
"Hey, be careful with that. It hurts," Hidan complained, his voice strained as another thick black thread pierced through his torn shoulder.
"Sit still," Kakuzu barked, his fingers working with practiced precision despite his obvious irritation. "If you thrash around again, I'll rip your head off—again."
"Oh shut up," Hidan snapped, wincing as the needle pulled through muscle and sinew. "It's not like I'm dying here. Just hurry the hell up!"
Kakuzu's movements were methodical, almost mechanical, as he reconnected tendons and sealed wounds with his Earth Grudge Fear threads. The process was grotesque but efficient—something he'd grown disturbingly accustomed to over their partnership.
"There," Kakuzu said finally, pulling the last stitch tight. "Try not to fall apart again in the next five minutes."
Hidan flexed his newly reattached arm, testing the range of motion. "Ah, finally. I thought you'd never take me out of that damn bag."
"I was seriously considering leaving you in there," Kakuzu replied as he stood, readjusting his cloak. "Unfortunately, the plan couldn't keep up with the changes. The Konoha shinobi we fought before are here."
Hidan's eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Including the one with that annoying jutsu?" His head snapped in Kakuzu's direction. "Hehe, if it isn't my lucky day. And here I thought I wouldn't get the chance to get revenge on that brat anytime soon."
He reached for his triple-bladed scythe, hefting its familiar weight. "I'll make sure I dismember him piece by piece like he did to me."
"Knock it off," Kakuzu growled, his voice carrying a dangerous edge. "I didn't stitch you back together just to watch you mess everything up again. No games this time, Hidan, or I'll dismember you myself."
Hidan paused, recognizing the seriousness in his partner's tone. "Okay, okay, just saying." He swung the scythe over his shoulder, securing it to his back. "So what's the plan?"
"Avoid and evade."
"Huh? That's boring."
"It's necessary," Kakuzu replied curtly. "I have no intention of getting into another direct confrontation. They used division tactics last time—we can do the same."
Hidan was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with a wide grin. "I like how you're thinking. Go on."
"There's an abandoned Akatsuki base not far from here. That's where we make our move." Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with calculated malice. "All we have to do is lure them in separately. You lead them into the base. I'll have one of my masks detonate the entire underground area and let it collapse. Then I'll send a clone to dig you out so you can assist me with dealing with the survivors."
Hidan's grin faltered slightly, his eyebrows narrowing. "Hey! You aren't planning to leave me for dead, are you?"
Kakuzu's visible features morphed into an expression of pure annoyance and impatience. "Enough already. If I wanted you dead, I'd do it myself. I'm not cowardly enough to trick you into it." His voice carried conviction born of pragmatism. "Make no mistake—our near loss was partly due to Kakashi of the Sharingan and that special jutsu of the Nine-Tails. One is dead and the other is absent. As long as you can keep your head attached to your shoulders, this will be easy."
Kakuzu snorted dismissively. "We have the advantage this time."
"Hmph. Alright, fine. I'll trust you this time, Kakuzu," Hidan said as he stretched, working out the stiffness in his recently reattached limbs. The prolonged dismemberment had left him feeling like a rusty machine.
"Can we go already? They're catching up," Kakuzu said without waiting for a reply, turning and heading toward the cave entrance.
"I'm all in," Hidan laughed, his features twisting into an expression of anticipation and bloodlust. "This is gonna be fun."
---
**HIDDEN LEAF VILLAGE -
The Hokage's office felt suffocating despite its spacious dimensions. Rain continued its relentless assault against the windows, each droplet seeming to echo the weight of recent losses. Tsunade sat behind her desk, paperwork scattered before her, but her attention was fixed on the gray sky beyond the glass.
Shizune worked quietly at a side table, organizing medical reports and mission assignments. The silence between them was comfortable but heavy with unspoken concerns.
A sharp knock interrupted their quiet routine.
"Enter," Tsunade called without turning from the window.
An ANBU operative materialized in the center of the room, dropping to one knee. "Lady Hokage. Urgent report."
Something in the operative's tone made Tsunade's spine stiffen. She turned slowly, her golden eyes already narrowing with suspicion. "What is it? What happened?"
"Naruto Uzumaki has escaped."
The words hit the room like a physical blow. Shizune's hands froze over her paperwork, and Tsunade's expression darkened immediately.
"What do you mean 'escaped'?" Tsunade's voice was dangerously quiet.
"He's gone from the hospital, Lady Hokage. We discovered his absence during the routine check."
Tsunade was already moving, her chair scraping against the floor as she stood. "Show me. Now."
The journey to the hospital took only minutes, but it felt like hours. Tsunade's mind raced through possibilities, each worse than the last. When they reached Naruto's assigned room, she found exactly what she'd feared.
Empty bed. Open window. And the lingering traces of dissipating chakra that could only mean one thing.
"How could you let this happen?" Tsunade's voice was controlled, but the air around her seemed to crackle with barely contained fury.
The hospital staff and ANBU guards knelt before her, heads bowed in shame. "Forgive us, Lady Hokage. We didn't realize he was missing until he turned into a cloud of smoke."
Tsunade's eye twitched as understanding dawned. "A shadow clone... this whole time?"
The implications hit her like a sledgehammer. While they'd been treating his injuries, monitoring his recovery, keeping him safe and contained, the real Naruto had been free to do exactly what she'd tried to prevent.
"Damn you, Naruto..." she growled under her breath. "Why don't you ever listen?"
One of the kneeling ANBU looked up cautiously. "Lady Hokage, your orders?"
Tsunade closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to center herself. When she opened them again, her expression was one of grim determination mixed with barely controlled panic.
"Send out search parties immediately," she commanded, her voice carrying across the room with absolute authority. "Find Naruto Uzumaki and bring him back to the Hidden Leaf. Use whatever resources necessary."
Meanwhile,
The forest blurred past Naruto as he leaped from branch to branch, his chakra-enhanced speed carrying him through the canopy like a golden streak. His breathing was steady despite the pace—months of intense training with Jiraiya had built his endurance to extraordinary levels.
But it wasn't physical conditioning driving him now. It was something much more powerful.
'Kakashi-sensei...'
The memory of his teacher's final moments played on repeat in his mind. The way Kakashi had smiled even as his strength faded. The calm acceptance in his visible eye. The quiet pride in his voice when he'd told Naruto he believed in him.
'No. I won't let it end like this.'
Naruto pushed harder.
The trail left by Team Guy wasn't difficult to follow. Might Guy had never been subtle, and the path of broken branches and displaced earth might as well have been a highway marker.
'They're heading toward the Land of Fire's northern border,' Naruto realized. 'That must be where those bastards were last spotted.'
His jaw clenched with determination. Orders or no orders, he wouldn't let his friends face those monsters alone. Not after what they'd done to Kakashi. Not after what they'd done to Ino.
The wind tore through his orange and black jacket as he pushed his speed to the limit.
'Kakashi-sensei... Ino...'
His blue eyes blazed with conviction and pain. 'I won't let your sacrifices be in vain. I'll avenge you both, no matter what it takes!'
Ahead, the forest grew darker as storm clouds gathered. The scent of rain hung heavy in the air, promising another
downpour.
Naruto didn't slow down. If anything, he pushed harder. Quickly disappearing into the dense vegetation.
---
