The Battle Begins! Naruto vs. Sasori of the Red Sands

"You..." Deva Path Pain was momentarily speechless at these words.

Yet the facts stood before him; at this moment, Deidara was effectively a cripple, having lost all ability to act.

Sasori was also unsure if he could hold his own alone.

The One-Tail, it seemed, could not be taken away after all...

Thinking of this, a surge of fury welled up in Deva Path's eyes, and he spoke coldly: "Nine-Tails... you have truly succeeded in angering me!"

"I'm in Konoha, waiting for you anytime!" Naruto replied with a look of disdain.

How could he, as he was now, fear the so-called Six Paths of Pain?

Except for the Deva Path, the other five paths were simply trash!

After all, the record of Konohamaru solo-killing the Human Path in the original work was still fresh in his mind.

And that Deva Path, the only one with any threat, was merely a bit stronger by virtue of that Shinra Tensei technique.

But with the 5-second cooldown after its use, one has to wonder how many times the Flying Thunder God could kill him!

A speed-type ninja was the natural nemesis of the Deva Path!

This was precisely why, in the original story, the Akatsuki arranged for Team Guy to be away from Konoha during the invasion.

Otherwise, with the speed of Guy's Seventh Gate, he would have been enough to twist all the Pains into pretzels within five seconds!

"Very well... very well indeed!" Deva Path's voice was heavy, and killing intent surged continuously within his Rinnegan.

It had been a long time since he was this angry; clearly, Naruto had successfully provoked his wrath.

Deva Path decided that he must gather the full strength of the Akatsuki organization later to eliminate this troublesome Naruto first!

That's right, the Akatsuki were going to fight a team battle!

And just as the two were exchanging words.

The artistic duo in the sky was falling rapidly.

Although Deidara was a cripple, Sasori could not just wait for death like this...

At this moment.

"Hiss--" A flash of red light flickered in the pupils of the Hiruko that Sasori inhabited, and its right hand suddenly swung, shooting out five chakra threads that instantly coiled around Deidara's limbs.

At the same time, the ghastly face on the back of Hiruko opened its mouth wide, a massive piece of black cloth drifted out, and Sasori's left hand flicked once more.

Five more chakra threads flew out, each pinning a corner of the black cloth, causing it to billow under the wind and form a makeshift parachute!

Then, through a series of maneuvers with the chakra threads, they actually managed to land safely from that height!

Naruto's attention was drawn by this scene, and he couldn't help but praise sincerely: "As expected of Sasori of the Red Sands, his reputation is well-deserved!"

Hiruko retracted the chakra threads, its eyes—devoid of any humanity—turned, and a low voice emerged.

"You... how do you know my name?"

There were not many people in this world who knew his name, and furthermore, he was currently inside Hiruko; logically, it should be impossible to recognize him!

"Guess..." Naruto merely smiled slightly.

Hiruko's gaze tightened, and he then spoke coldly: "I originally did not want to resort to this, but since you have forced us to stay, then I shall let you become my..."

"Art piece!"

As the words fell, in an instant.

"Clack, clack--" Hiruko opened those hideous jaws again, and countless sharp needles shot out from its throat like a rainstorm, roaring toward Naruto in a lethal strike.

Every single needle was coated with Sasori's most potent poison; to touch it was to die!

Just now in the air, these poison needles of Sasori's might have been useless against the non-living Thunderbolt Senbon.

But if used against the living Naruto, even a single graze would surely lead to his demise!

Seeing this, Naruto's lips curled up, revealing a faint smile: "Sasori... you really shouldn't use such crowd-clearing techniques."

As he finished speaking, Naruto waved his right hand lightly.

"Purple Lightning: Universal Thousand Needles!"

"Whoosh--" The power of purple lightning surged forth, and countless Thunderbolt Senbon broke through the air to meet Sasori's poison needles.

The two collided fiercely, intertwining with one another.

For a time, the wailing of metal and lightning rang out intensely.

However, Hiruko's poison needles were physical objects after all, and their quantity was limited.

Even though Naruto had only waved his hand casually, in the end, the poison needles were defeated.

The moment the poison needles dissipated, the remaining senbon had already struck before Hiruko.

"Mere lightning..." A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Hiruko's eyes, and the large metal tail on its back shuddered violently before meeting the swarm of senbon.

The metal tail merely lashed out wantonly, and those Purple Lightning Senbon were all intercepted, though the moment they touched, they transformed into streaks of purple lightning dancing upon the tail.

However, as a puppet, why would he fear the ravages of lightning?

Furthermore, while the Purple Lightning Senbon needles possess immense area-of-effect capabilities for clearing out fodder, their damage output against a Kage-level opponent proves somewhat inadequate.

Deidara only fell victim to the attack because he was countered by an extreme elemental disadvantage and found it difficult to defend while airborne.

Otherwise, any other Kage-level ninja, if focused, would have been able to block that strike.

Seeing this, the Deva Path's Rinnegan flickered.

He seemed to see a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness!

The Deva Path immediately asked Itachi with impatience, "Itachi, what is the situation with Kisame?"

"The battle is still ongoing," Itachi replied at that moment.

Indeed, shortly after Team 7 went to assist Sunagakure, Tsunade hit the jackpot.

Whenever she hits the jackpot, it is never a good sign!

Feeling a sense of panic, Tsunade hurriedly dispatched Team Guy to provide reinforcements.

And just as in the original timeline, Kisame used the Shoten Technique to intercept them.

But without the presence of the "cheat" Naruto, the battle between the two sides naturally did not end so easily; instead, it devolved into a grueling, protracted struggle.

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, the Deva Path's gaze darkened. He had originally intended to have the Kisame clone support Sasori, but that now seemed like a pipe dream.

However, the Deva Path's eyes shifted, and seemingly having made up his mind, he shouted out once more, "Itachi, Kakuzu, Hidan, you are the closest to the Land of Rivers. Head there immediately to support Sasori and Deidara!"

"Understood..." the three replied in unison.

Following that.

The Deva Path's Rinnegan eyes looked toward Hiruko and he spoke, "Sasori, as long as you can hold out for half a day! I shall lead the Pains to descend upon the scene!"

Indeed, the Deva Path had decided to take the field himself!

And as the Deva Path's words faded.

"Whoosh—" All the phantoms within the cave instantly dissipated, and the place returned to a deathly silence.

Admittedly, setting aside when the three of them could arrive.

The Land of Rain and the Land of Rivers were in close proximity; given half a day, the Six Paths of Pain could definitely arrive at that speed!

Hiruko's eyes narrowed at this moment, looking extremely cold. "Half a day? Perhaps by the time the leader arrives, this brat will have already become a fine piece of art..."

"Pfft..." Hearing this, Naruto couldn't help but let out a scoff, his expression turning playful. "They will only see a broken puppet on the ground!"

"How dare you call me a puppet!" Hiruko roared, his rage peaking.

"What else? Does this ugly, unsightly puppet deserve to be called art?" Naruto said dismissively, his tone filled with disdain.

"Very well! I shall make you wail in despair with the beauty of eternity!" Hiruko shouted in anger, his voice growing increasingly hoarse and grating.

And as his words fell.

"Click—" Hiruko opened that dark, gaping maw once more. A pitch-black iron pipe surged from his throat, and after a violent tremor.

The next moment.

"Whoosh—" A massive amount of purple mist erupted from the pipe, surging toward Naruto in the cave like a violent tide. The air it touched seemed to corrode, emitting shrill, agonizing vibrations.

This mist was created from Sasori's most potent poison!

A single whiff would cause the internal organs to ache as if being devoured by ten thousand ants, leading to a complete loss of combat capability!

Furthermore, the victim would die in total despair within three days.

Moreover, if one attempted to use Wind Style to disperse the poison, it would not only be ineffective but would actually accelerate the mist's diffusion through the air!!

Facing such poison, a normal person would have no choice but to flee in terror...

Well... that is, a normal person.

At the same time.

To prevent Naruto from using the Flying Thunder God to close the distance, Sasori had also laid a layer of poison mist around the perimeter, shielding himself in layers.

As for Deidara and Gaara nearby, they would simply be given a secret antidote pill when the time came!

Having finished all this, a cruel light flickered in Hiruko's pupils, followed by a low, mocking laugh.

"Uzumaki Naruto, at this moment, besides fleeing in a pathetic state using your Flying Thunder God, what else can you do?"

"Heh..." Naruto gave a cold laugh, then pulled out several kunai. Chakra surged around his body, and the Flying Thunder God mark instantly appeared on each blade.

Seeing this, Sasori mistakenly assumed that Naruto intended to throw the kunai outside the range of the poison mist to escape using the Flying Thunder God.

However, even as the poison mist drew inches away, Naruto did not move an inch!

"What is he planning?" Sasori was momentarily confused.

Until the poison mist completely engulfed Naruto.

"Cough, cough..." Naruto immediately began to cough violently, his body collapsing limply to the ground. His pupils dilated like dead ash, as if he had been heavily poisoned and was on the verge of death!

Seeing this, Sasori's doubts vanished instantly. He manipulated Hiruko to let out a mocking, hysterical laugh: "Hahahaha... Foolish! To think you would try to tank the poison mist head-on?"

Then.

Hiruko's body shuddered violently as it dashed toward Naruto inside the cave, letting out a series of wicked laughs, "Once I extract the Nine-Tails, I shall turn you into my most perfect work of art!"

"Urgh..." Naruto continued to wail in agony on the ground.

"Hahahahahaha..." Hiruko's laughter grew increasingly unhinged.

Finally, Hiruko stepped into the cave, coming within a hair's breadth of Naruto.

Looking down at the seemingly lifeless Naruto, Hiruko triumphantly whipped its giant, sharp tail forward, its expression arrogant, "The strongest rising star of the new ninja era is nothing more than this..."

However, its words remained unfinished.

In the next moment, a sudden change occurred.

"Snap--" Naruto's right hand suddenly clamped onto Hiruko's sharp tail. His previously unfocused blue eyes instantly sharpened, and his body surged upward, his face wearing an expression of extreme playfulness, "Dummy, I was just fooling you..."

The instant the words fell.

"Whoosh--" Several Flying Thunder God kunai tore through the poisonous mist like meteors, carrying a terrifying pressure of space-time as they slammed toward Hiruko.

In less than 0.05 seconds, the Flying Thunder God kunai reached Hiruko's side.

At such a short distance, who could possibly be faster than the Flying Thunder God!

"Damn it?! Why is my poison having no effect!" Hiruko roared in a mix of shock and fury.

The moment the sound faded.

"Whoosh--"

Black and gold light erupted at its side, and Naruto's figure flashed out from the radiance. His right hand opened, and terrifying chakra gathered in his palm. A Five-Style Rasengan manifested in an instant, pressing down fiercely toward the demon mask on Hiruko's back.

"Show me your true face, and let's fight again!"