Chapter 97: The Golden Figure
At this time, Kakashi and the others were already fighting Deidara. The two sides fought fiercely, each using their own techniques, neither willing to give in.
But Deidara's explosive clay was very powerful. It kept bombarding Kakashi and the area around them. Although the Konoha ninja were very agile, dodging like that wasn't a real solution.
Soon, Sakura asked Kakashi worriedly:
"Kakashi-sensei, what should we do now?"
Kakashi frowned, not knowing how to answer.
At that moment, Kakashi had already activated his Sharingan. His red three-tomoe Sharingan spun slowly as he looked solemnly at Deidara and Sasori.
The Konoha team had been entrusted with a heavy mission—to capture the Three-Tails. But as soon as they arrived, they ran into the Akatsuki.
Deidara and Sasori had the same goal as them. When the two sides met, they clashed fiercely.
What made Kakashi most concerned wasn't Deidara, but Sasori, who hadn't moved yet. If it was just Deidara alone, Kakashi could handle him with his strength. But Sasori was standing right there, not even fighting yet.
Kakashi knew that every member of the Akatsuki was extremely powerful. Even though Sasori hadn't made a move yet, his strength was clearly no less than Deidara's. Two Kage-level powerhouses gave Kakashi a headache.
Then Kakashi exhaled and said seriously:
"Kurenai, take Sakura and Hinata to help me hold off Sasori for a while. I'll take care of Deidara quickly and then help you."
Kurenai nodded seriously. She also knew how critical the situation was.
Although Kakashi's voice was very quiet, Deidara and Sasori heard him from not far away. When the two of them heard this, they both snorted coldly, very displeased.
"Do you really think those few women can stop me? I wasn't going to bother fighting, but Deidara, you're taking too long. Hmph. I'm getting impatient," Sasori said coldly.
"Hey, Uncle Sasori, you just don't understand the art of explosions. Only constant explosions can show the most perfect part of art and truly impress them," Deidara said. "But that Kakashi is too arrogant. Does he really think he's my match? Next, I'll show him the pinnacle of art."
Deidara was also very upset and wanted to get serious.
Sasori snorted coldly and ignored Deidara. His cold, emotionless eyes stared at Kurenai and Hinata, making them shiver.
Seeing that both of them were about to attack, Kakashi felt even more troubled. He frowned. But right now, he had no other choice. He could only rely on Kurenai to hold one of them off so he had time to deal with Deidara.
But Deidara's strength wasn't simple. Things wouldn't go as smoothly as Kakashi thought.
After the two sides talked, they began fighting fiercely again.
Kurenai led Hinata and Sakura toward Sasori. Even though they had numbers on their side and endless attack methods, Sasori's strength was far beyond their imagination. No matter how they attacked, they couldn't land a hit on him.
When Kakashi saw that Kurenai and the others had already engaged, he quickly launched his own offensive, trying to end his battle quickly.
Although Kakashi relied on lightning style to counter earth style's elemental disadvantage, barely managing to neutralize several of Deidara's explosive clay attacks, Deidara had come prepared.
Even without his explosive clay, Kakashi couldn't take down Deidara quickly. What's more, Deidara threw out dozens of explosive clay creations at once. Kakashi couldn't neutralize all of them.
Suddenly, everyone from Konoha was at a disadvantage. Even Kakashi, who had just said he would take down Deidara quickly, couldn't gain an advantage. Deidara had started using his real strength, and the power of his explosions grew stronger with each attack. If Kakashi wasn't careful, he would get blown up. It was very dangerous.
Things weren't going as smoothly as Kakashi had thought. Deidara was a Kage-level powerhouse and a member of the Akatsuki. Defeating him quickly was impossible.
What was even more dangerous was Kurenai and the others. Not only were they unable to hurt Sasori, but facing his repeated attacks, they could barely defend themselves.
Sasori seemed to want to prove he was stronger than Deidara and that Kakashi and the others shouldn't underestimate him. So every attack he made was very fierce. Every move was a real killing blow, putting Kurenai and the others in great danger.
Moreover, Sasori's puppet weapons contained deadly poison. Even a scratch would mean being poisoned and in critical danger. Kurenai and the others knew this, so they were extra careful.
But facing the attacks of a Kage-level powerhouse, although Kurenai and the others could defend for a while, they couldn't last long. Their stamina and chakra were rapidly declining and depleting.
Sakura and Hinata were already out of breath after a short time.
This was a real life-or-death battle. Sasori had no intention of holding back at all. Every move was sharp and decisive, aimed at taking their lives.
Seeing that Kurenai and the others were getting tired, Sasori didn't let the opportunity slip. He snorted coldly and resolutely attacked Hinata.
His sharp, purple, poisonous tail suddenly lifted and shot toward Hinata.
Hinata's eyes opened wide. She quickly saw Sasori's movement. Her body shifted slightly, narrowly dodging the puppet's poisonous tail.
But at that moment, Sasori smiled coldly.
Three black thorns suddenly shot out from Sasori's mouth. The black thorns were highly poisonous. They flew through the air like darts, whizzing as they shot toward Hinata.
This was Sasori's true goal. While Hinata was dodging the tail attack, he took the opportunity to fire the poisonous thorns, aiming to take her life directly.
Seeing the black, sharp poisonous thorns flying toward her, Hinata was startled. Panic flashed in her pale white pupils.
When Kurenai saw this, she shouted worriedly:
"Hinata! Watch out! Move!"
But the poisonous thorns were too fast. Hinata had just turned and hadn't regained her balance yet. She couldn't dodge at all.
The thorns were about to hit Hinata's body. At that moment, a cold snort suddenly rang out from above.
Then, a golden figure suddenly appeared in front of Hinata.
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