29 chapter 25~ part 1

~~Rewritten~~

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Naruto and Sakura walked at a normal pace, crossing the deep forest. 

It was still morning since they had left the village. 'It's going to be a long trip,' Naruto said to himself while enjoying nature.

Sakura walked several steps behind him, her gaze locked onto his back.  It was the same attire Naruto had worn when he first arrived in Konoha. Sensing her fixed gaze, Naruto turned to her and asked, 'Do you want to say something?"

"Ah... no, nothing," Sakura replied softly, her emerald eyes reflecting a swirl of unspoken questions. She had wanted to ask him various things, but as she observed Naruto now, she found herself hesitating. His demeanor and the way he carried himself spoke volumes, and she sensed that pushing too hard might yield answers she wasn't ready to hear.

Two days later they both arrived at their location at the border of the land of water.

As the night enveloped them, they remained a considerable distance from the coast. The Land of Water lay encircled by the vast expanse of the ocean.

Drawing closer to the coast, they recalled the information they had received earlier.

According to their intel, the Three-Tails was said to appear along the ocean's edge.

Naruto and Sakura, their senses heightened, both heard the distinct 'clang' sound as they approached the coast.

Cautiously, they hid among the thick bushes and peered ahead.

Emerging from their concealed vantage point, they witnessed a fierce battle unfolding before them.

Several Kiri ninjas clashed with two figures. These men wore identical attire—a long, ominous black cloak adorned with the menacing red cloud pattern of the Akatsuki.

Naruto's brows furrowed as he recognized the ominous attire.

Thoughts raced through his mind, and he couldn't help but wonder, "What are they doing here?"

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In the meantime, they both had disposed of the Kiri ninjas easily, one of them with blond hair, using clay to denote bombs, and the other man was a puppeteer with short height.

"Deidara and Sasori" Naruot muttered in a low voice, 'Maybe they came here to find out about the soon-appearing beast," Naruto thinks to himself.

Sakura couldn't conceal her shock as she witnessed the ease with which the two men in front of her disposed of the Kiri ninjas.

These opponents were no pushovers; they were at least Jonin level.

What was supposed to be a straightforward information-gathering mission had taken an unexpected and dangerous turn.

How had they stumbled upon not one, but two S-rank ninjas?

Lost in her thoughts, Sakura made an inadvertent noise, her surprise giving her presence away.

Deidara and Sasori looked in their direction, Sasori threw a kunai at Bushess, Seeing the kunai was approaching both Naruto and Sakura jumped out for their hiding spot.

Naruto glanced at Sakura because her inadvertent noise had exposed their presence.

He knew that facing two S-rank ninjas at the same time was a formidable challenge.

If he had been alone, he might have managed to confront or escape from one, but with Sakura beside him, their situation had become much more difficult to handle.

Naruto and Sakura both landed in front of them. They looked at each other.

Sasori took out a small poster from his pocket and looked at it and then at Naruto.

"It's the nine tails jinchuriki" Sasori speaks.

"Hehe, today's our lucky day," Deidara spoke cheerfully. "First, we discover the location of the Three-Tails, and now the Nine-Tailed Jinchuriki appears right before us."

He was confident that this stroke of fortune was on their side. If they could capture the Nine-Tails here, their leader would be pleased, and one of their crucial tasks would be accomplished.

"Oh... so you want to capture me," Naruto responded defiantly. "But I'm not sure if you have the qualifications for that."

Even in this dire situation, Naruto couldn't let others underestimate him; it stung his pride deeply.

Hearing his remark, both Deidara and Sasori turned their attention toward him.

"Let us show you if we have the qualifications to capture you or not, brat," Sasori declared.

Naruto remained silent; he knew that the moment he appeared in front of them, a confrontation was inevitable.

Deidara was the first to take action. A small clay bird shot toward Naruto at incredible speed.

Naruto leaped toward them with agility, closing the gap swiftly.

Suddenly, the clay bird entered his field of vision, right in front of his face, and a deafening explosion ensued.

Sakura screamed in horror when she saw Naruto engulfed by the explosion. As the smoke and dust settled, there was no trace of him.

"This was too easy, but something feels off," Sasori remarked to Deidara.

Suddenly, Naruto reappeared before them, unscathed. "You know, you surprised me," he said to Deidara. "I didn't expect your clay birds to be so fast."

Fighting two S-rank ninjas was no walk in the park, and he was reminded that this was not easy but a real-life battle.

In this world, many secrets lay deeply hidden, unseen by most. Fighting two S-rank ninjas was far from child's play.

Without a response to Naruto's words, Sasori extended his hand.

Thousands of senbon needles, coated in Sasori's deadly spatial poison, shot out with remarkable speed. The attack was long-reaching and covered a wide area.

Naruto swiftly dodged every single senbon with remarkable speed, some of them deflecting off his chakra-coated hand.

As he glanced back, he noticed Sakura's horrified expression.

She had been caught off guard by the wide-range attack and had nowhere to run. Attempting to escape would only result in the senbon hitting her.

Naruto glanced at Sakura, witnessing the senbons closing in on her rapidly.

Realizing she was about to be struck by the deadly needles,

Naruto extended his hand and, with a flick of his fingers, appeared in front of Sakura. Swiftly, he drew two kunai and infused them with his chakra, causing them to glow red.

As his bloodline purification took effect, his chakra transformed into a vibrant red hue.

Naruto coated his two kunai with his chakra, skillfully applying shape manipulation techniques. Not many shinobi possessed the ability to coat their kunai with chakra; this was a technique mainly taught to samurai.

Samurais could extend this concept to their entire swords, allowing them to cut through any ninjutsu, depending on their chakra output and mastery of chakra shape manipulation.

For Naruto, who had mastered the Rasengan, the pinnacle of shape manipulation, this task came easily. Coating a weapon with nature transformation was a different skill altogether, but one he had honed to perfection.

Naruto appeared in front of Sakura, his two kunai started to glow red after coating his chakra, and he looked at Sakura. "Weak, how long do you hide behind me," naruto spoke in a low voice, only heard by her.

Naruto twisted his body as he witnessed thousands of senbon needles rapidly approaching. He lifted his hands, preparing himself for the imminent onslaught.

Beneath the moonlit night sky, his movements were a dance of grace and precision. Each time he deflected a needle, a crimson arc painted the air. Naruto's motions were a breathtaking display, and the tranquil night only enhanced their beauty.

In Naruto's perspective, true mastery over a technique meant executing it with flawless and mesmerizing elegance.

Sakura watched, her gaze fixed on his back, captivated by his movements. The way he effortlessly deflected every needle was a mesmerizing and perfect spectacle in her eyes.

Naruto activated his Mind's Eye of Kagura and extended his senses across the battlefield, casting his perception wide. The beach offered no stones or objects, only sand and water, but that was sufficient for him.

After skillfully deflecting the barrage of poisonous needles, Naruto turned his attention to their assailants.

With a grin, he taunted, "How do you like my art?"

As the battle unfolded, Naruto found himself increasingly enjoying the encounter.

Without waiting for their response, he declared, "Let's get to the real fight."

With a mere flick of his fingers, he disappeared from view, leaving behind only swirling grains of sand suspended in the air.

Behind Sasori, the sand surrounding him vanished, and Naruto materialized, clutching a Rasengan in his hand.

With a swift motion, he shattered the outer puppet that had concealed Sasori.

Startled by Naruto's speed and his adept use of the substitution jutsu, Sasori leaped away.

As he distanced himself from the battlefield, he revealed his true self, appearing significantly younger compared to his previous puppet-like visage.