Naruto showed a thoughtful expression. "This question… is quite complicated. My patience doesn't allow me to explain it to you."
"Tsk~ It's strange for that shark-faced guy to sneak attack me."
As he spoke, Naruto noticed Kisame forming hand seals—preparing a sneak attack.
A massive shark made of water shot out, jaws wide open, aiming straight for him.
Naruto tilted his body mid-air, easily dodging the attack.
The water shark continued on its trajectory, slamming into a nearby building.
Boom!
The structure was torn apart and collapsed instantly.
Naruto frowned, visibly annoyed. "Damn it, I liked that hot spring."
His days living in Sunagakure had been pleasant so far—
No one disturbed him, no one watched him too closely, and there were even beautiful girls taking care of him.
To avoid further destruction, Naruto turned and flew in the direction Rasa had gone, not saying another word.
Seeing this, Kisame smirked. He thought Naruto was running away out of fear.
"Hah! Uzumaki Naruto!" Kisame shouted mockingly, following behind. "Didn't you defeat Shukaku? What's this? You scared now?"
But such childish provocation had zero effect on Naruto.
Ever since awakening his memories, his temperament had become calm and steady.
Things that once angered him no longer mattered as much.
Kisame's taunting rolled right off him.
Uchiha Itachi, watching from behind, quickly understood Naruto's actions.
He realized that Naruto was trying to prevent Sunagakure from suffering more damage.
That confirmed Itachi's suspicion—
Uzumaki Naruto had completely betrayed Konoha… and joined Sunagakure!
Otherwise, how could one explain his actions?
He had helped strengthen the One-Tail Jinchūriki's seal.
He had used Wood Style to restore parts of the village—
anyone with eyes could see that.
Most importantly, a genius like Naruto had his own pride.
Yet, faced with Kisame's attacks, he swallowed his pride and retreated—
just to protect Sunagakure from further harm.
All of this proved one thing: Naruto had become one of Sunagakure's own.
Itachi knew how vital a Jinchūriki was to Konoha's balance.
And since his illness had mostly been cured by Orochimaru's treatments…
"It seems," he muttered quietly, "we'll need to take this seriously."
…
Naruto followed Rasa's trail, leading Kisame and Itachi out of Sunagakure.
They arrived in a vast desert jungle—
the same place Naruto had been using to train his Wood Style.
Up in the sky, Rasa was locked in fierce combat with Deidara.
Meanwhile, Sasori had taken Gaara and was retreating rapidly into the distance.
Naruto noticed Sasori growing farther away and muttered, "Kurama, lend me your power."
Kurama didn't waste time—he immediately flooded Naruto with his chakra.
In an instant, a brilliant golden aura burst forth from Naruto's body.
Tailed Beast Mode!
And then—
"Lightning Style Armor!"
It was the first time Naruto had ever used this jutsu.
At that moment, his body blazed with intertwining blue and gold light—
he looked like a Super Saiyan descending from the heavens.
Lightning Style Armor.
Ultra Light-Weight Rock Technique.
Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
Each ability alone offered terrifying speed in the original series.
But now, all three were combined—
enhanced even further by Naruto's mastery of the Flying Thunder God Technique.
In this state, Naruto's speed was beyond human comprehension.
Sasori, carrying Gaara, suddenly felt a chilling sense of danger.
He glanced back—
and saw a golden figure streaking toward him at blinding speed.
The roaring shockwave tore through the air,
and Sasori's eyes widened in disbelief.
Before he could react—
BOOM!
A golden flash pierced through his puppet body like lightning ripping the night apart.
Crack!
Boom!!
Sasori's puppet shell shattered to pieces, revealing his true form inside.
And Gaara was already safely cradled in Naruto's arms.
Hovering in the air, Naruto held Gaara with one hand while forming a seal with the other.
He smirked. "Don't leave in such a hurry~ You've already come this far—why not stay a little longer?"
Sasori's eyes narrowed. He sensed danger and tried to move—
but thick roots of Wood Style burst from the ground, binding him tightly.
His wrist rotated, and a black metal tube extended from it.
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted, burning through the wooden restraints—
but before he could escape, several Myojin Gates slammed down from above!
The immense sealing force pinned him instantly.
Sasori couldn't move. His chakra flow solidified—
even control over his puppets was cut off.
His chakra was being drained rapidly into the Myojin Gates.
With Sasori sealed, Naruto turned his attention back to Rasa's battle.
At that point, Rasa was already struggling to hold out.
Rasa's power—how to put it…
He was strong, no doubt.
After all, the density of his gold dust far surpassed ordinary sand.
Being able to control it freely made him deadlier than the average sand user.
But the real problem was—
Deidara's agility.
He could fly and bombard Rasa with winged clay bombs from above.
That put Rasa at a disadvantage.
And with Kisame and Itachi nearby, Rasa had to remain cautious.
If not for those two threats, he likely could've beaten Deidara with time.
After all, he was an experienced Kage-level veteran.
Even if Deidara was troublesome, Rasa could've eventually subdued him.
But now, the situation was different.
Seeing Rasa pressured from all sides, Naruto acted immediately.
He left a Flying Thunder God mark on the ground—
then teleported Gaara back to Sunagakure for safety.
When Naruto returned—less than a second had passed.
Fully powered, he charged straight at Deidara.
Sensing danger, Deidara turned and only caught a glimpse of gold—
Then came the pain.
A sharp, searing agony tore through his chest.
He looked down and saw a gaping hole, blood gushing out uncontrollably.
"What… what the hell is this speed?" Deidara gasped.
In the next instant, he saw Naruto raise his hand overhead.
A massive, swirling Wind Style sphere formed—
its destructive energy howling with terrifying force.
"Crap…" Deidara's pupils shrank. "If that hits me, I'm dead—no question about it!"
He had only two options.
Ask for help from Kisame…
or from Itachi.
But Kisame likely wouldn't save him.
And he despised Itachi too much to ever beg him for help.
Grinding his teeth, Deidara screamed, "Uzumaki Naruto! You brat! Hmm!"
"Why are you so full of yourself?! I'll show you what true art is!! HMM!!"
He tore off his Akatsuki cloak, revealing his scarred, clay-filled body.
Eyes blazing with madness, he shouted toward Sasori in the distance,
"Master Sasori! Watch closely! This… this is true art! YEAH!!"
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