And Chiyo had been watching Sasori from the moment they stepped into the cave, her eyes hard with something between grief and fury. Sasori, in turn, let his gaze linger on her more than on anyone else.
Then, without warning, Sasori's voice cut through the tense air.
"Deidara. Go fight somewhere else."
Deidara blinked, caught off guard for a heartbeat, then shrugged with a crooked smile. "Alright, Senior Sasori."
From the palm of his left hand, he tossed a tiny clay bird.
"...Katsu."
The miniature sculpture inflated instantly with a grinding pop of clay, its wings stretching until it became a bird over two meters long. Dust trickled from the cave ceiling as it gave a low, rumbling coo.
Deidara's gaze flicked toward Gaara's limp body, still lying where it had fallen. With a lazy motion, he curled the tail of his clay bird upward and called out, "Hey, blondie—if you've got the guts, follow me. Otherwise…" His smirk sharpened. "…this body's condition might get worse."
He vaulted onto the clay bird's back, and it surged upward with a blast of air, darting toward the cave mouth.
Naruto didn't waste a second. He broke into a sprint, the soles of his sandals scraping stone, and burst into the daylight after him.
Kakashi's single visible eye narrowed. He started forward. "Sakura, stay here. I'll help Na—"
"Don't, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto's voice carried back over the wind, already distant. "Handle things there with Granny Chiyo!"
Kakashi hesitated mid-stride. Naruto's tone wasn't a plea—it was a demand, confident and firm. And he knew from experience that the boy would take it as an insult if his teacher didn't trust him to fight alone.
With a quiet exhale, Kakashi turned back toward Sasori.
Sasori's gaze swept the three before him—Kakashi, Sakura, and Chiyo. His expression was unreadable, but the slight shift of his weight suggested calculation. This wouldn't be a quick fight.
Far ahead, Deidara glanced over his shoulder, expecting a team in pursuit. His smirk deepened when he saw only a single figure bounding through the treetops after him.
"Tch… reckless."
Back in the cave, Chiyo spoke, her voice low. "You're letting your Nine-Tails jinchūriki handle the man who defeated Gaara?" Her tone held disbelief.
Sakura answered without hesitation, "Don't worry, Granny Chiyo. Naruto knows Sage Mode."
Chiyo blinked at that. "Sage Mode…?" Her mind flickered to the records of Senju Hashirama—the First Hokage, famed for a power by that name. She didn't know if it was the same technique, but even its mention carried weight.
Sakura knew she'd revealed more than she should have, but it wasn't just for Chiyo's reassurance. The information was also aimed squarely at the man in front of them: Sasori.
Kakashi lifted his forehead protector, the tomoe of his Sharingan catching the dim light. "Let's make this quick. Naruto will need backup if things turn ugly."
Sasori's gaze lingered on the scarlet eye. "The same Sharingan as Uchiha Itachi… interesting."
—
Naruto raced after Deidara through the canopy, sunlight flashing in rapid intervals between the leaves. He'd insisted Kakashi stay behind for one reason—he didn't want this fight turning into the same mess he remembered from before, with Kakashi ending up bedridden. This time, Yamato wouldn't be leading Team 7 in his place. This time, things would go differently.
Deidara's clay bird soared above the treetops, its wings beating in rhythmic thuds. But he didn't bother to outpace Naruto completely. No—he wanted room. Distance. Enough space to unleash his art.
"This is far enough," Deidara muttered, gripping a handful of white clay. He pressed it into the grinning mouth in his palm. "Let's see you dance, Nine-Tails."
The mouths chewed, molding the clay into shape before spitting out dozens of tiny, spiderlike sculptures.
"Try this on for size! Katsu!"
The swarm of clay spiders rained down, skittering over branches and bark before detonating all at once.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The shockwaves ripped through the forest, splintering trees and sending debris spiraling into the air. Deidara's grin widened. "Hah! You talk big, but you're just like the One-Tail—done in one shot."
But as the smoke curled away, the shape that emerged wasn't a broken body. It was Naruto—completely unharmed, eyes locked on his opponent.
"What—? I know I hit you." Deidara's mind raced. That blast should have shredded him.
Naruto didn't explain. He only flicked his hands into a seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
In a pop of chakra, ten Narutos stood where one had been. Two clones peeled away, darting into opposite directions through the trees. The other eight launched upward in a blur, sandals catching the wind as they aimed for the clay bird.
Deidara scowled. "A boring trick." His hands worked quickly, hurling explosives to wipe them out in a string of concussive bursts.
When the last clone vanished in a puff of smoke, Deidara was smirking again—until he caught sight of the real Naruto below.
The boy's eyes were shut, his hands pressed together, and the air around him seemed to thrum, alive. The flow of natural energy gathered with a weight that made the hairs on Deidara's neck rise.
"Form change…?" Deidara murmured, his smile fading as the realization hit.