Kakuzu retreated, forming a Snake hand seal. His skin turned almost pitch-black.
[Earth Release: Earth Spear!]
Naruto swung his sword at Kakuzu, caught off guard as he blocked the strike with his forearm. Then Kakuzu rushed forward and punched Naruto square in the face, sending him hurtling through the air.
Kakuzu returned to where Hidan's head lay and picked it up.
Didn't I tell you to work on your speed, you idiot, instead of wasting time praying to your so-called 'god'?
Hidan's head froze in shock for three seconds before snarling and snapping at Kakuzu.
Shut up, you godless traitor! Thanks to Lord Jashin's blessing, I'm immortal!
Kakuzu strode back toward where Hidan's body lay.
What a hassle.
Just shut up and stitch me back already! I'll tear that brat apart! Hidan roared.
Not quite, buddy. He's the one tearing you apart.
Naruto canceled his transformation, creating more than twenty Shadow Clones that spread out, circling around the spot where Kakuzu had driven him back.
Naruto carefully concealed himself and peeked over a sand dune. He nearly jumped out of his skin at what he saw—Hidan's head had been reattached to his body and was already talking again.
Naruto created another Shadow Clone to send updates to the rest.
Kakuzu had just finished reattaching Hidan's head.
Suddenly, a hail of shuriken shot through the sky.
[Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!]
The number of shuriken overhead multiplied instantly, blotting out the sun.
Kakuzu muttered,
Move, Hidan!
One of Naruto's clones shouted, [Lightning Release: Lightning Shuriken!]
Each shuriken streaked downward crackling with lightning chakra.
Kakuzu skillfully dodged every strike.
Hidan took multiple hits but only cursed, suffering no fatal wounds.
Naruto's clones dispelled, leaving him standing alone again.
Alright then, here we go.
Naruto dashed quickly from his hiding place.
The Wind Mask burst from the earth nearby and lunged toward him, slamming into Naruto with explosive force and launching him into the air.
Grinning, Hidan licked his blade hungrily and leapt upward with his scythe raised, meeting the falling Naruto midair.
C'mon, brat! I've been waitin' for ya!
Then keep waitin', 'cause here comes—[Wind Release: Gale Blast!]
Naruto slammed his foot into the ground, and an invisible blast erupted beneath him, shooting him high into the air.
In midair, Naruto formed several hand seals and clenched both fists.
[Wind Release: Wind God's Fist!]
Naruto struck Hidan hard, driving him violently into the ground and kicking up a massive sandstorm.
But then the mask attacked Naruto again, slamming him forcefully back down and releasing a powerful gust.
Got yourself a nice little plan all on your own, huh? Kakuzu jeered, rushing toward the plummeting Naruto.
Enhanced with Earth Release, Kakuzu threw a punch that connected solidly with Naruto.
Naruto bounced around like a pinball, hit repeatedly without ever touching the ground for thirty seconds.
As he crashed into the ground, a powerful hand seized him.
Turning around, Naruto saw a familiar pair of green eyes framed by dark rings, and a wild burst of red hair.
******
Back at the stadium, everyone's gaze snapped toward a sudden storm brewing on the horizon.
"The weather in the desert is so strange…" said Kurotsuchi. "I'm glad we live in the mountains."
A faint sneer appeared on Onoki's face.
"This year's exams are truly crazy, huh?"
Tsunade gave a dry laugh.
"You're not wrong."
******
Naruto grinned with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth.
"Gaara, I never thought I'd be happy about being caught by your sand."
Gaara arched one nonexistent brow.
Naruto sighed.
"It's okay. Just let me go."
Gaara sent him tumbling to the ground.
"How about a softer landing next time?"
Gaara stared emotionlessly at the two opponents before him.
"So they're Akatsuki members?"
Naruto nodded.
"Yeah. If we lose, get ready for your soul and tailed beast to be ripped out."
"We won't lose here, Naruto."
Naruto unsheathed his blade once more.
"And where does this sudden confidence come from? Because you're Kazekage?"
A slight smirk touched Gaara's lips.
"Tell me, Naruto… Where exactly are we now?"
"What's with the dumb question? In Sunagakure... the desert... sand?" Naruto gave a smug smile. "Sand!"
On the battlefield, Naruto and Gaara stood side by side, facing Nagare and Hidan.
Kakuzu weighed their odds internally. Originally they had come for the Nine-Tails jinchuriki, but unexpectedly found themselves at a disadvantage within Gaara's territory. Meanwhile, Hidan had been severely beaten by Naruto. Kakuzu realized that capturing Naruto was almost impossible now.
Hidan tightened his grip on his scythe. Though filled with fighting spirit, his instincts told him the timing wasn't right. He asked Kakuzu,
"What now? The original plan went well, but with things like this, we can't take them both on at once."
Kakuzu nodded in agreement.
"That's true. But perhaps we can gather some intel. Ever since that blond brat defeated Sasori, we've had no solid intel."
Hidan sneered.
"Do whatever you want."
Then suddenly he screamed and charged toward Naruto and Gaara.
Gaara blocked the attack with his sand, beginning to have it coil around Hidan's arm.
Gaara raised his hand and clenched it into a fist:
[Desert Funeral!]
Hidan's arm instantly crushed, blood sprayed everywhere, and Hidan cried out painfully.
Kakuzu tried attacking Gaara from the flank, but was blocked by the sand and could only retreat quickly.
At that moment, Kakuzu's mask attacked from a blind spot.
Naruto formed a Rasengan, swirling his hand around it while injecting Wind Chakra into it.
Naruto directly met Kakuzu's mask head-on, crashing into it. The Rasengan infused with Wind Chakra tore through Kakuzu's body, destroying the mask.
Hidan clutched his severed arm as Kakuzu retreated to his side, calmly observing before saying,
"I think we've gathered enough intel. We need to report to Leader about the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki's danger."
He called out loud enough for both Naruto and Gaara to hear:
"Until next time."
Gaara raised his hand.
"Not so fast!"
He enveloped their bodies in sand, and suddenly noticed the cold, knowing smirk spreading across Hidan's face.
"Sorry, guys. I'll be seeing you soon enough."
Sand completely covered their faces.
Gaara tightened his fists:
[Desert Funeral Coffin!]
The sand imploded, spraying blood everywhere, before returning to the gourd.
"What a joke. This is an S-rank rogue ninja?"
Naruto approached the bodies, frowning:
"These aren't the same two we fought earlier, Gaara."
Gaara also looked surprised. He walked over and confirmed after a closer look:
"You're right. These aren't the same two. What kind of Transformation Jutsu could be this convincing?"
******
Not far away, Hidan and Kakuzu rose from meditation, ready to return to base.
Hidan brushed himself off:
"Using those guys was a good idea, too bad it didn't work out."
Kakuzu cracked his neck:
"No choice for it. My chakra's nearly drained. Without me, your replacement wouldn't have lasted long anyway. Let's go report back to Leader."
"What a waste of time." Hidan scoffed. "We should wipe out a couple villages on the way back to kill some time."
******
As Naruto and Gaara collected the two bodies, preparing to return to Sunagakure, a man in the distance watched with wide, furious eyes, his red Sharingan blazing with rage.
"Hehehe… So how's that sit with you, Sasuke-kun? We didn't come here so you could fight Naruto, did we? Or maybe having the Kazekage around made you hold back? I'm right here beside you after all."
"Hmph." Sasuke coldly replied, then turned to leave. "He couldn't even take down those two."
"You wouldn't stand a chance against them either." Kabuto pushed his glasses up, matching Sasuke's glare.
Kabuto looked toward Orochimaru and asked:
"Why don't we strike now, Lord Orochimaru?"
"The Akatsuki are troublesome for me too, and Naruto is a threat as well. Let them play around for now."
"What about Sasuke?"
"We both know he's still no match for Naruto right now, but in a few months, that'll no longer be a problem."
With that, Orochimaru walked in the direction Sasuke had left.
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