[Outside]
They all noticed that the massive boulder blocking the entrance was protected by a seal, a faint glow of chakra pulsing from its surface. Kakashi examined it carefully, his keen eye analyzing the structure of the barrier.
"This particular 'Five Seal Barrier' is created by talismans with 'Kin' written on them, placed in five locations within the vicinity. This one is only one of the five. We have to find the other four first," Kakashi explained, his voice steady and calculated.
Gai cracked his knuckles, his eyes flashing with determination. "Alright, I hear you loud and clear, Kakashi. Neji!" He turned toward the Hyūga prodigy, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Understood. Byakugan!" Neji's voice was confident as his veins bulged around his eyes, his vision expanding beyond the normal spectrum. His gaze swept the area, piercing through rock and foliage with ease.
"Found them," Neji announced, his tone crisp.
He pointed toward four separate locations, marking the positions of the remaining talismans hidden around the terrain.
"Right! If that's the range, we'll use radios to communicate," Gai decided. "Since speed-wise, my team is faster, we'll go ahead, Kakashi." His eyes burned with enthusiasm as he turned to his team. "Alright, Team Gai! Let's go—WITH THE FULL POWER OF YOUTH!" His voice echoed through the air like a battle cry.
In an instant, they vanished. Moving with incredible speed, they scattered in different directions like shadows in the wind, their movements precise, their efficiency unmatched.
Naruto crossed his arms, watching them disappear. 'I've always liked this team over Team 7. Well, mostly because of Gai-sensei and Lee, of course. Other than them, I didn't care for anyone else. Maybe Tenten, occasionally,' he thought, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
Within moments, each member of Team Gai reached their target. Their hands gripped the paper talismans, ready to remove them at a moment's notice.
"Alright, everyone in place! Kakashi, be ready. Go!" Gai shouted through the radio.
In perfect sync, they ripped the talismans off.
At that exact moment, Sakura shot forward like a bullet. Her movements were swift, precise, and filled with raw strength. The air around her seemed to ripple as she closed in on the boulder.
BOOOM!
Her fist connected with the massive rock, sending a deafening explosion through the area. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface before it completely shattered, crumbling into rubble and dust. The sheer force of her punch was enough to shake the ground beneath them.
With the path clear, they wasted no time charging inside.
However, as they rushed through the dimly lit passage, Team Gai suddenly found themselves halted by an unexpected force. Doppelgängers- they were forced into battle, their progress halted.
Back with Naruto and the group as they stepped inside the cavern, the heavy scent of damp stone and lingering chakra filled their lungs. The moment their eyes adjusted to the dim light, the scene before them froze everyone in place.
There—at the far end of the chamber—sat Deidara.
Casually perched atop Gaara's lifeless body.
His legs dangling, posture relaxed as if he were lounging on a bench and not on the corpse of a Kage. To his right stood Sasori, motionless and menacing, and beside him loomed a massive white clay bird—wings folded, its blank eyes staring down like a statue carved for war.
Deidara smirked, tilting his head as he scanned their faces.
"So," he drawled, raising a hand to shade his eyes mockingly, "which one of you is the Jinchūriki?"
Naruto felt his heartbeat spike, but outwardly he didn't move. The others, however, visibly stiffened—the weight of failure sinking in like stones in their stomachs.
They were too late.
Granny Chiyo's face fell as she stepped forward, her voice trembling but steady.
"The extraction is complete… the Kazekage has died."
Sakura's breath hitched. She turned toward Naruto immediately—she expected him to explode, to shout, to let his fury spill out. But instead…
He was calm.
Too calm.
Naruto stood there staring at the Akatsuki duo with a cold, unreadable expression Sakura had never seen on him before. His fists weren't clenched, his jaw wasn't trembling—he was simply watching.
'What are you thinking right now, Naruto?' Sakura wondered, her chest tightening.
Naruto looked at Kakashi. Then at Sakura. Then at Granny Chiyo. His eyes were sharp, focused. Not angry.
Just… determined.
Kakashi exhaled and stepped forward, lifting his forehead protector to uncover the Sharingan. The red glow illuminated his face in the dim cavern light.
"Alright," Kakashi said, voice low and firm, "since it's clear there's no room for conversation… let's get this over with."
Naruto clenched his fists now—chakra surging and crackling faintly around them, like a current ready to burst. His eyes stayed locked on the two Akatsuki members.
Deidara sighed dramatically as he stood up, stretching his arms over his head.
"Man… what a drag. I definitely need something to eat after this."
Then, as if mocking them further, the giant clay bird lowered its head, grabbed Gaara's limp body, and began dragging it upward into its waiting mouth.
Naruto's breath hitched.
Killer intent flickered behind his eyes.
Deidara hopped onto the bird's back.
"Good luck, yeah. Oh—and if you want your precious Kazekage…" He flashed a smirk over his shoulder.
"Come after me, Jinchūriki. Otherwise, he's getting blown to smithereens!"
The bird's wings spread with a powerful flutter, dust swirling around them as it launched upward, taking flight toward the exit tunnel.
Naruto didn't hesitate.
"You guys stay here. Kakashi-sensei—let's go!"
Without waiting, he bolted forward. Kakashi nodded once and followed, both of them sprinting out of the cavern and onto open ground, leaving Sakura and Granny Chiyo face-to-face with Sasori.
Outside, the terrain shifted quickly—they reached a riverbank and dashed across the surface without breaking stride. The water rippled violently beneath their feet.
Above them, Deidara soared on his clay bird, Gaara's body wedged tightly in its jaws.
Naruto's eyes narrowed.
He formed a hand seal.
Poof.
Two shadow clones materialized beside him in bursts of white smoke.
Poof.
The clones immediately matched his pace, their eyes locked upward. Naruto's clones didn't need instructions—they already knew exactly what he was planning.
All two Narutos thrust out their palms, channeling chakra with perfect synchronization. The air around them shifted immediately.
Wind whirled. Water beneath their feet rippled outward in sharp rings.
Their chakra began rotating violently in Naruto's hand, a familiar spiraling core forming—but this time, the nature around it responded with far more intensity. The breeze escalated into a gale, whipping Naruto's hair and cloak as the blue sphere expanded, stretching, sharpening.
Kakashi glanced over—and his eye widened.
He watched as the Rasengan warped, elongated, and exploded outward into a colossal spinning shuriken made entirely of razor-sharp wind. The sound it produced wasn't a hum—it was a high-pitched screech, like thousands of blades grinding against each other.
A monstrous wind pressure surged outward, forcing Kakashi to brace himself.
"This…" he whispered.
On Naruto's palm, the giant wind shuriken spun faster and faster, the edges blurring into white-hot arcs of chakra. Its center pulsed like a miniature storm.
Kakashi's shock was unmistakable.
"Is that a new Rasengan?" he asked, barely able to tear his gaze away from the jutsu.
Naruto smirked at him, eyes locked on Deidara above.
"No," he said, voice steady. "It's even better."
With a powerful twist of his torso, Naruto hurled it.
TO BE CONTINUED