No one knew what technique Deidara was preparing to use.
But the tone of his voice… it sounded like he was saying goodbye.
That uneasy feeling made Sasori frown.
Although Sasori didn't agree with Deidara's so-called "art," he had to admit—Deidara's explosions were truly powerful.
If that bastard really had some earth-shattering technique hidden up his sleeve, it wouldn't surprise him at all.
At this distance, Deidara's explosion would definitely affect him.
And right now, Sasori was sealed by the Torii Seal of the Shinigami Gate, unable to move, forced to watch in frustration.
Damn it.
If he really died from Deidara's blast, his brilliant life as an artist would be over in such a ridiculous way.
But at that critical moment, Deidara's emotions were reaching their peak—
Meanwhile, Naruto, wielding a Rasengan, charged straight at Kisame.
Kisame's eyes widened, quickly forming a hand seal. "Is that jutsu aimed at me? Hahaha!"
Deidara had intended to self-destruct—
But when he saw Naruto sprinting past him, not toward him, he froze.
"...Ah?"
Deidara was confused, his boiling blood instantly cooled.
Naruto's figure blurred, closing in on Kisame at lightning speed.
Kisame quickly formed seals, preparing his ultimate move.
The distance between them shrank rapidly—
Kisame unleashed his jutsu, summoning a monstrous water shark bomb that lunged toward Naruto.
Naruto's face remained calm. So this is the jutsu that absorbs chakra, like in the original… Interesting. The principle—similar to Wood Style? No, not quite. But whatever.
The corners of Naruto's mouth lifted slightly—then he vanished.
Kisame's massive shark missed completely, tearing through the forest behind Naruto.
Trees were shredded, waves of sand and debris rising into the air.
But Naruto's real body suddenly appeared—right above Deidara's head.
"What the—?!"
Deidara had just given up on using his ultimate technique when Naruto appeared out of nowhere.
Without hesitation, Naruto drove the Rasengan straight into Deidara's skull.
This Rasengan was as large as a Tailed Beast Bomb, its power overwhelming.
Within seconds, Deidara's consciousness shattered. The explosion lit up the desert like a white aurora, leaving behind a massive crater tens of meters wide.
The yellow sand was blasted away, scattering across the sky.
Deidara lay in the center of the blast, body mangled, life slipping away.
He had no chance to activate his secret technique—his body was too broken.
Even moving a finger was impossible.
"Uzumaki... Naruto…" Deidara rasped, bloodshot eyes glaring. "You… despicable bastard…"
Floating in midair using the Super Light-Weight Rock Technique, Naruto looked down and corrected him coldly,
"It's not despicable—it's smart. You're just too stupid."
It wasn't even Deidara's fault.
He never realized that Naruto had left a Flying Thunder God seal on him earlier.
And Deidara had no idea Naruto could even use that technique.
Without prior awareness, the Flying Thunder God Jutsu is nearly impossible to defend against.
A ninja's offense may be powerful—but their defense is fragile.
Once struck, there's no recovering.
That's what made the technique so deadly.
Naruto had placed his seal on Deidara during their first brief clash.
Then he intentionally acted as if he were focusing on Kisame, just to lower Deidara's guard—
All to stop him from self-destructing and endangering Sunagakure.
It looked like Naruto was attacking eastward, but his true target had always been Deidara.
Now, Deidara's body was broken beyond repair, his life completely gone.
If he were still alive, with that fiery temper of his, he'd never stay silent at Naruto's taunts.
Naruto confirmed Deidara's death, then turned his attention toward Kisame and Uchiha Itachi.
"It's your turn now."
Itachi stayed silent for a few seconds before murmuring to Kisame, "The situation isn't in our favor. We need to retreat."
Kisame's eyes widened. "Retreat? If we run now, both Sasori and Deidara will die!"
"There's no choice," Itachi replied evenly. "Under my Mangekyō, I can see it—Naruto's chakra is at least five times greater than the two of us combined."
Kisame frowned. "I can absorb chakra, but I can't even touch him. He's too fast. Even escaping won't be easy."
"…Then use my chakra," Kisame offered grimly.
Kisame wasn't called the "Tailless Tailed Beast" for nothing.
His chakra reserves were immense—partly because of his Samehada and his own altered physiology.
He wasn't just a human—he was a result of experiments, explaining his shark-like appearance.
Even among Akatsuki, Kisame's chakra far surpassed that of most shinobi—even Itachi's.
Itachi nodded slowly, Mangekyō spinning. "Then we'll have to do it this way."
Their goal had now shifted—from capturing Naruto to simply escaping alive.
Kisame looked up at the golden figure in the sky and muttered bitterly,
"What kind of monster is he?"
He wasn't wrong.
Naruto's current power, boosted by Lightning Release Chakra Mode, Super Light-Weight Rock Technique, and Kurama's chakra, had pushed him to super-Kage-level strength.
To be unable to kill Sasori and Deidara instantly would've been the real surprise.
Itachi didn't hold back any longer. Red chakra erupted from his body, taking shape.
Susanoo rose up—towering, crimson, and terrifying—encasing both him and Kisame.
Kisame stood inside, awestruck. "So this is the legendary Susanoo… It's incredible."
For a fleeting moment, he even imagined they might stand a chance against Naruto.
But that thought quickly vanished.
After all—thinking you can fight back, and thinking she likes you, are both just illusions.
Naruto, facing Susanoo's all-encompassing defense, showed no fear.
He raised his palm.
A terrifying surge of chakra condensed within his hand—black light flickering.
Moments later, a dark sphere appeared, surrounded by a spinning, star-like ring.
Chakra compressed to the limit formed a massive Rasen-Shuriken, enhanced by Kurama's golden chakra.
Since they were battling near Sunagakure, Naruto didn't dare unleash his full power—
even this attack would cause devastating collateral damage.
And yet… this wasn't even his limit.
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