The air exploded. The giant wind shuriken tore forward like a lightning bolt, spiraling violently, ripping through the river's surface and launching a towering spray of water behind it. The sound was deafening—a violent.
WHHHHRRRRRRRR
It choed across the entire canyon.
Above them, Deidara's smug expression instantly shattered.
The massive wind shuriken was slicing through the sky like a spinning guillotine. The air itself seemed to scream as it ripped past, tearing clouds apart in its path.
For the first time—Deidara wasn't smirking.
The Rasenshuriken closed in at terrifying speed—
BOOOOOOM!
A violent explosion tore through the sky, followed by a shockwave that rippled across the river like a tsunami. The entire cliffside trembled as smoke and debris rained down. Deidara's clay bird detonated into white dust, the blast shredding its wings apart in an instant.
But even amidst the carnage, it held Gaara just long enough to shield him.
As Gaara's body began falling, limp—
"Got you!"
Naruto shot upward with a burst of chakra, catching Gaara mid-drop before landing smoothly on the water's surface, knees bending to absorb the impact.
Ripples spread out from where he touched down, the morning mist swirling around him.
Kakashi landed beside him moments later, eye still glowing red.
"Wow… I'm impressed," he said, breath steady but eyes wide. "Didn't know you could take down an Akatsuki member now."
Naruto didn't look away from the fading smoke.
"Oh, he isn't dead," he said calmly. "I didn't make it powerful enough to kill."
Kakashi nodded… as if casually hearing Naruto say I didn't feel like killing him yet was totally normal.
During his training, Naruto had unlocked the Rasenshuriken far easier than he should have—only because he already understood its "future physics": how wind chakra multiplies, expands, and destabilizes.
He learned to control the destruction level.
Not just how much it hurt his opponent…
but how much it would hurt him.
Originally, the jutsu was nothing short of suicidal.
The Rasenshuriken generated microscopic wind blades that ravaged anything in its radius. But due to the unstable chakra nature, those same blades struck Naruto's arm whenever he used it in base form.
Massive internal cellular damage.
Nerves shredded. Tsunade banned him from ever using it again.
Not to mention he originally used it like a melee attack—charging straight into the explosion. Pure insanity.
But this time? This Naruto? He tamed it. Perfect wind control. Perfect rotational stability, he had made the perfect Jutsu.
Kakashi scanned the cliffs.
"So where is he? I didn't see him after the blast."
Naruto shrugged.
"Probably—"
Both of them instantly flipped their gaze upward.
On a ledge high above, Deidara stood—robes blown apart, hair wild, half his body singed and covered in clay dust. His chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
But the manic grin was back.
"Nice explosion there!!" he shouted, voice cracking. "BUT I LIKE MINE BETTER, YEAH!!"
His insanity echoed through the canyon.
Suddenly—the sunlight vanished.
A massive shadow engulfed Naruto and Kakashi.
They looked up just as a gigantic clay bug dropped from the sky, its wings spreading wide, the seals on its body glowing. White clay dust drifted off it like toxic snow.
Kakashi stepped forward, expression sharpening.
"I'll take care of this."
His Sharingan spun—three tomoe merging, shifting, morphing— Mangekyō.
A wave of pressure exploded around him.
The air warped. The water beneath their feet vibrated.
Kakashi raised his left hand, palm outward, gaze locked onto the descending clay monster.
"Kamui."
Reality itself rippled.
The space around Kakashi's eye distorted—bending inward like a whirlpool forming in midair. A deep, unnatural thrum resonated as a black vortex opened, twisting the air into a spiraling cone of compressed space.
The clay bug's wings flapped violently as the gravity around it warped, dragging it downward into the vortex.
Deidara's eyes widened in shock from above.
"What—!? That jutsu… it's pulling it in?!"
The clay creature screeched as chunks of its body stretched unnaturally, folding and bending as if being erased from existence.
Kakashi gritted his teeth—the technique took a toll, but he held firm.
The vortex tightened.
WHOOM—
The massive clay insect was ripped apart, spiraling into the dimensional rift. Its body crumpled inward and vanished completely, the air cracking like shattering glass as the portal snapped shut.
Silence.
The river stilled. The wind died. Naruto stared, impressed despite the chaos.
"That was… insane, Kakashi-sensei."
Kakashi lowered his headband, closing the Mangekyō as he exhaled sharply.
"It drains a lot of chakra," he admitted. "But it does get the job done."
Above them, Deidara staggered back, still panting, now genuinely rattled.
"What the hell was that eye…?! That wasn't just a simple Sharingan technique!"
Deidara's hands trembled slightly—anger mixing with frustration, panic cutting through his usual arrogant grin. He was about to release another clay creation when—
FWIP.
Naruto suddenly appeared in front of him.
Like a flicker. A blur. A flash of black speed that caught him by surprise.
Deidara's eyes widened in shock.
"Huh—?!"
Naruto leaned forward casually, fist already pulled back.
"Night night."
BAAAAAAM!
His punch cracked across Deidara's jaw with a force that echoed through the entire forest. The shockwave blew leaves off nearby trees as Deidara's head snapped sideways, his whole body lifted clean off the ground.
He shot backward like a firing cannonball.
He smashed through one tree. Then another. Then another.
WHAM!
CRASH!
THUD-THUD-THUD—!
He finally skidded across the ground, carving a trail of dirt before rolling to a stop, limp.
Naruto landed lightly a moment later, scanning the damaged clearing. But as he got closer, his expression fell flat.
The body crumbled.
A clay clone.
"Of course," Naruto muttered, sighing. "Coward."
He turned and sprinted back toward Kakashi—only to find his sensei crouched on one knee, panting heavily. The Mangekyō had taken its toll.
Naruto appeared beside him instantly.
"Kakashi-sensei! You can't move, can you?"
Kakashi shook his head weakly. "That Kamui… used up too much chakra. So yes"
Naruto knelt and lifted him by the arm.
"Don't worry. I've got you."
He hoisted Kakashi over his shoulder while gently carrying Gaara with his other arm. Even Kakashi blinked—surprised at Naruto's sudden strength and balance.
A few minutes later, Gai and his squad arrived in a streak of green and speed, stopping with synchronized precision.
"YOSH! Naruto! Kakashi!" Gai shouted. "We heard explosions—are you alright?!"
Naruto nodded, though his expression was serious.
"Yeah. But… we were too late."
Gai's eyebrows tightened. "Gaara?"
Naruto looked down at the still, pale body he carried.
"The extraction was complete before we got there. And one of the Akatsuki escaped."
Gai gave a slow, heavy nod.
"We will bring him home with honor."
Naruto continued, voice tightening, "I'm not sure how Sakura and Granny Chiyo are doing. We need to hurry."
"Right!" Lee shouted with fiery determination.
Gai moved to Kakashi immediately, lifting him onto his back with ease.
"Leave Kakashi to me, my eternal rival," Gai said solemnly.
Naruto nodded and led the way as they sprinted back toward the cave.
BACK AT THE CAVE
When they arrived, the entrance was nearly buried in fallen stone. The ceiling had collapsed, sealing off most of the interior. But through a narrow opening, they spotted movement.
Sakura sat beside Granny Chiyo, both exhausted but alive. Sasori's puppet fragments lay scattered across the cave floor.
Naruto exhaled in relief.
' Just like the manga… everything went well,' he thought, feeling an odd warmth in his chest.
Sakura looked up, breathless, tired, but safe. Naruto gave her a wink.
A small blush rose on her cheeks before she quickly looked away.
'Why… why did my heart skip a beat?' Sakura wondered, pressing a hand briefly to her chest, confused by her own reaction.
Naruto didn't notice. He was looking at Gaara… and at what came next.
TO BE CONTINUED