On a gently sloping sand dune, a figure in a green flak jacket carefully moved.
Jounin are strong; every jounin is a core pillar of their respective ninja village, standing at the apex of the village's military forces with outstanding wisdom, benevolence, and courage.
But at the same time, jounin are also weak.
Sensing the immense battle raging ahead, Asuma knew clearly that if he were to face any one of the three individuals involved, his only option would be to flee for his life.
"Konoha S-rank missing-nin Uchiha Itachi; Kirigakure S-rank missing-nin Hoshigaki Kisame, wielder of the Seven Ninja Swords' Samehada; and… Konoha's perfect Jinchuriki, Uzumaki Naruto."
Slaughterer of the Uchiha clan, the ninja world's number one clan; assassinated the Fourth Mizukage and escaped unscathed; single-handedly coerced four great ninja villages into issuing peace declarations…
Asuma felt his heart pound wildly.
His current act of observing the battle was no different from dancing on a knife's edge; the slightest misstep would mean death.
But compared to the intelligence he was about to obtain, facing this risk was worth it.
Why are Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame wearing matching uniforms?
Does this mean they are members of the same organization?
What kind of organization would dare to accept S-rank missing-nin wanted by the Five Great Ninja Villages?
And what are their objectives?
More importantly, why are they fighting Uzumaki Naruto, the controller of the Dragon Heritage organization?
Does this imply some unknown connection between the two organizations?
"Itachi-san, is there a way to move the battlefield to that lake?" Kisame asked in a low voice.
He was a Water Release ninja; fighting in the desert severely restricted him.
"…" Uchiha Itachi struggled to open his blood-filled eyes. After locking onto the lake Kisame mentioned, his uniquely patterned Mangekyo Sharingan spun rapidly.
"In a moment, leave this area marked by Flying Thunder God formulas at top speed."
"Understood!" Kisame quickly formed hand seals.
Crack~
The fissures on the red skeleton gradually widened under Naruto's frenzied attacks.
VMMM!!
Feeling it was about time, Naruto furiously poured Wind Release chakra into his blade. The originally slender blade, enveloped in a massive amount of chakra, became almost as large as Samehada.
Without needing to swing it, the high-speed cutting power of the Wind Release chakra directly carved out two visible shockwaves around the blade.
Riiip!
Augmented by Naruto's high-speed movement, a piercing tearing sound echoed wherever Kusabimaru passed.
Asuma, in the distance, instinctively covered his ears. If he continued to listen, he seriously suspected his eardrums would be 'torn apart' by this terrifying noise.
The outer layer of Wind Release chakra on Kusabimaru, under Naruto's control, precisely struck the fissures on the red skeleton.
In an instant, like a bone cleaver chopping through pork ribs, the demonic red skeleton was hacked with a massive gash.
Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame, hidden beneath the Susanoo, seemed to have become fish in a barrel, with nowhere to escape.
But suddenly, a large amount of blood flowed from the corners of Itachi's eyes.
Recalling the previous experience, Naruto's heart tensed. Kusabimaru, which had been slashing horizontally, was slightly raised, and its door-panel-like outer layer of Wind Release chakra became his best shield.
Fwoosh!
Sure enough, an eerie black flame ignited on the chakra outer layer.
"Kisame!" Uchiha Itachi raised his right hand in a sword seal. The moment the red skeleton completely vanished, he swiftly activated the Body Flicker Technique and disappeared from within the Flying Thunder God array.
Kisame followed close behind.
Naruto appeared where the two had vanished. With a light wave of his right hand, the outer layer of Wind Release chakra, comparable in volume to a jounin's total chakra reserves, was flung onto the yellow sand.
After the Wind Release chakra was completely burned away, the black flames also slowly extinguished.
It won't disappear until its target is burned to ashes… Meaning, if hit by these black flames, one must either cut off the burning part or… wait to be reduced to cinders.
After finding a way to deal with these black flames, Naruto's tense heart relaxed slightly.
Using the Flying Thunder God, he collected the scattered Flying Thunder God kunai from the ground at top speed and quickly pursued the two.
He had used up quite a few Flying Thunder God kunai during this period; his personal stock was running low.
Without enough Flying Thunder God kunai to form an array, Naruto wasn't very confident in taking on two Kage-level powerhouses by himself.
"Sand Coffin."
Feeling the grasping sensation from the sand, Gaara focused his will. A large amount of chakra followed, completely enveloping Sasori's small figure.
To avoid missing the opportunity, Gaara slammed his hands together. Two waves of yellow sand, like ocean waves, closed in from both sides, smashing the enemy heavily into the ground.
"Sand Waterfall Quicksand!"
Rumble! The flowing sand suddenly sank, and the surroundings fell silent.
Gaara hadn't even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief when Shukaku's anxious voice appeared in his mind.
"Watch out below!"
Hearing this, Gaara instinctively formed a hand of sand beneath him.
The sand hand had just begun to take shape when it was sliced in half by a sharp blade. After cutting through the sand hand, the blade's momentum didn't decrease.
Schlick!
A cut appeared on Gaara's face, and countless fragments scattered from his Armor of Sand, which was condensed from sand and stone.
"So many defenses," a clear voice sounded.
Gaara winced in pain and looked intently. He saw a red-haired, handsome youth slowly retracting his attack stance.
Swish… His feet carved two tracks in the yellow sand as he stopped. Gaara glanced sideways and saw a clear, fresh bloody gash on his left cheek.
"You're poisoned! Get out of here first!" Shukaku's voice sounded in his mind.
"The main Suna forces have also withdrawn. Continuing to fight now is meaningless."
"I know," Gaara said.
"Hurry up! My chakra can't help you resist it for too long!" Sensing Gaara's condition, Shukaku's tone was unprecedentedly anxious.
"I hear you're succeeding as the Fifth Kazekage," the red-haired man spoke.
Although his tone was completely different from before, the identical attack style indicated that this handsome youth was indeed Sasori, who had just fought him.
"Has Chiyo stopped meddling in affairs?"
"You, who were once Sunagakure's star of the future, why did you choose to defect? The position of Kazekage should have been yours," Gaara asked.
"Meaningless," Sasori said flatly.
"Hmm?"
"So what if one becomes Kazekage? Human life is fragile, incredibly fragile. Even a noble Kazekage, when faced with assassination, is as vulnerable as an ant."
Gaara's brow furrowed slightly. He felt that Sasori's words weren't that simple.
"Gaara, let me take over!" Shukaku suddenly said.
Gaara didn't understand, but he still relinquished control of his consciousness. Shukaku instantly took over his body.
"Sand Waterfall Quicksand!" Shukaku, controlling Gaara's body, suddenly pressed his hands onto the yellow sand.
A sky-obscuring wave of yellow sand slammed heavily forward.
Slightly raising his head, Sasori's expression remained unchanged as he leaped lightly backward.
"You're poisoned and you're not running? Did your brain get bashed in?" Shukaku, controlling Gaara's body, ran backward, disappearing into the yellow sand in a puff of smoke.
"Naruto, help! Gaara's poisoned!"