A Numbers Battle? Then Won't My Thousand Shadow Clones Blow You Up?

Naruto finished speaking, his right hand surging with terrifying momentum as he reached straight for Sasori.

"Damn it! So fast!" Sasori's face drained of color. He danced his hands, whipping the chakra threads he had been using to control his puppets toward Naruto while leaping backward in a desperate retreat.

Rip! Naruto infused Wind Style chakra into his wrist; with a single swipe, those chakra threads were severed as easily as tofu.

Watching Sasori's panicked, disheveled retreat, Naruto chose not to press his advantage.

Instead, his gaze locked onto the ground.

Because of Sasori's withdrawal, the figures of Deidara and Gaara were now completely exposed.

"Wuwuwu..." Deidara's eyes were vacant, his mind muddled by the relentless erosion of the Purple Lightning and Sasori's poison mist.

Naruto crouched down, gently placing his hands on the two of them, then spoke to Sasori with a mocking smirk.

"What's the matter? Don't you want your teammate and the Jinchuriki anymore?!"

"You..." Sasori's eyes turned blood-red, his face twisted in fury.

"Looks like you really don't want them! Then they belong to me." Naruto's lips curled into a faint, nonchalant smile.

As the words fell, the next instant.

Whoosh— Naruto and the two others vanished from the spot, accompanied by a violent ripple in space-time.

However, after only a fleeting moment, Naruto reappeared.

But.

By now, Deidara and Gaara had vanished as if they had evaporated into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

Konoha, Hokage Building.

"Jiraiya, why do I feel so uneasy? Could something have happened to them on this mission..." Tsunade asked, her face filled with worry as they walked down the corridor outside the office.

"Relax! As long as Naruto is there, there won't be any casualties, at the very least!" Jiraiya comforted her from the side.

"Fine!" Tsunade sighed helplessly, and as the two reached the office, she slowly pushed open the door.

In an instant.

Jiraiya and Tsunade's pupils contracted sharply, and they froze in place.

Because, right now.

Lying on the Hokage's desk were two people—one with yellow hair and one with red hair—it was incredibly bizarre!

"Abba abba..." The yellow-haired one was even muttering something unintelligible, drool spilling from his mouth.

"No way..." Tsunade finally snapped out of her shock. She didn't recognize the yellow-haired one, but she knew the red-haired one all too well!

Wasn't this the Kazekage from the neighboring village, the Gaara who had been captured by the Akatsuki!

"No... who on earth put Gaara and this yellow-haired guy on my desk!"

Land of Rivers, battlefield.

Sasori stared at the ground where the two had disappeared, extreme rage surging in his heart as he roared at Naruto.

"Damn you! Uzumaki Naruto, where did you take them!"

He didn't care about losing the One-Tail; he could just capture it again next time.

But he could not tolerate losing Deidara!

Although Deidara and Sasori were constantly bickering, each holding their own unique artistic philosophy, it was precisely because of this that Sasori's art continued to improve under the stimulation of Deidara's different style!

Therefore, while Sasori never said it aloud, deep down he quite admired Deidara, even regarding him as a titan of the ninja world's art scene!

Now that Deidara had been taken away by Naruto, his fate unknown, it was no wonder Sasori was so enraged.

"Heh..." Naruto's lips curled into a mocking smile. He beckoned to Sasori with his finger, taunting, "Beat me, and I'll tell you!"

Seeing Naruto's provocative demeanor, Sasori's fury reached its peak. He said with chilling coldness, "Uzumaki Naruto! This time, I won't hold back just because the organization wants to capture a living Jinchuriki. I am going to erase you completely!"

As the words fell, the next instant.

Whoosh! Sasori violently tore off his Akatsuki cloak and flung it into the air, revealing a body that had been completely turned into a puppet.

The body lacked the pulse of flesh and blood, possessing only a mechanical aesthetic. The chakra core in his chest glowed with a dazzling light, and the four scrolls on his back radiated a terrifying aura!

Sasori of the Red Sands: Full Power Form!

Naruto watched this scene and finally revealed an excited smile: "Now, things are finally getting interesting!"

"Die!" Sasori's pupils stared coldly at Naruto as he raised his hands, palms aimed at him.

Click! A black tube emerged from the center of each palm, and at the same time, the first scroll on Sasori's back flared with light.

Sasori's face was twisted, looking like a demon from hell as he bellowed.

"Fire Style: Flame Prison Dance!"

The next moment.

"Roar—" The iron pipe in Sasori's palm lit up instantly, spewing a monstrous flame that surged toward Naruto like a ferocious fire dragon, claws bared and fangs exposed.

The heat of those flames was so scorching that it felt as if it could burn the entire world to ash!

This was a peerless fire stored within Sasori's scroll, its power far surpassing common Fire Style ninjutsu like the Fireball Jutsu; it was truly unstoppable!

Seeing this, Naruto's eyes flickered, and he smiled as he spoke, "Fire Style? It just so happens I haven't used this move in a long time!"

As he finished speaking, Naruto quickly formed hand seals.

Poof! Smoke exploded beside him, and two Shadow Clones emerged instantly. The original Naruto stood among them, forming a neat row.

Immediately after.

BOOM—!

Terrifying chakra erupted from the three Narutos, soaring into the sky. Their cheeks puffed out violently, as if some immense power was about to burst forth.

Then, a deafening roar shook the air.

"Fire Style: Goemon!"

In the next instant.

The Narutos each displayed their unique talents: one blew wind like a wind god, one spat fire like a fire dragon, and one sprayed oil like an oil well!

The three complemented each other perfectly, like a match made in heaven, weaving together frantically.

In a flash.

Rumble—!

A terrifying sea of oil manifested in the air, radiating a suffocating heat. Like a ferocious beast, it carried the momentum to swallow the heavens and earth as it surged toward Sasori's fire!

Wherever it passed, nothing remained!!!

Unlike Jiraiya, Naruto, who now mastered all five elements, could execute this shocking technique with just his Shadow Clones.

He could even pull it off with ease, just like this, without even needing Sage Mode!

Though its power might be slightly inferior to one enhanced by sage energy, it was still hellish enough!

"This kind of Fire Style..." Sasori frowned, sensing the danger. The first scroll on his back flickered, and the flames grew even more terrifying.

The two scorching Fire Style techniques collided with a roar.

Unfortunately, the moment they clashed.

Sasori's flames were instantly submerged by the tidal wave of burning oil, leaving him with no room to counter.

"Roar, roar, roar—" The oil wave maintained its speed, swallowing the flames while charging straight toward Sasori's position.

"How can this be?" Sasori's face was filled with astonishment.

However, the situation was critical. Seeing his fire fail, another scroll behind Sasori flickered, and a high-pressure water jet blasted from the iron pipe, slamming into the oil wave.

Unfortunately, the water jet was like a stone dropped into the ocean, proving futile and only serving to make the oil wave's momentum even more ferocious!

"Damn it..." Sasori cursed in frustration as he realized both water and fire were useless.

But the sea of oil, like the maw of a demon, was about to swallow him whole.

Whoosh! Sasori hurriedly controlled the hook on his chest to fire toward a nearby mound, pulling his body away.

Only then did he narrowly escape the clutches of the oil sea.

Slap— Sasori covered his right eye with one hand, his expression dark and twisted as he spoke, "To think you would push me to this point... But from this moment on, there will be no more accidents!"

As he finished, Sasori's wrist trembled, and a third scroll on his back was pulled out by chakra threads.

Then, it slowly unfurled before him.

Suddenly, the next moment!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! A hundred red figures shot out from the scroll, hovering in the void.

Each one had a hideous face, like a demon crawled out of hell; they were all puppets!

The atmosphere at the scene instantly turned heavy!

At the same time, countless chakra threads erupted from Sasori's chest, surging into the air to tightly connect with these red puppets.

Sasori covered his face with his right hand again, his pupils flashing with absolute killing intent as he spoke arrogantly, "This is a ninjutsu capable of destroying a small nation! Prepare to listen to your own wails!"

"Puppet Technique: Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!"

As he finished.

Click, clack!

The hundred terrifying puppets let out roars like evil spirits, eerie and strange, before tearing through the air and charging toward Naruto!

Seeing this, a trace of helplessness flashed in Naruto's eyes as he spoke.

"A numbers game? Don't you know that what I'm best at is..."

"The Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu?"

As he spoke, Naruto formed hand seals.

Poof, poof, poof! Terrifying smoke exploded across the scene, completely enveloping Sasori's puppets.

Following that, a thousand Narutos, each holding a Rasengan, appeared like gods!