Su Ye and Kakashi followed the marks of the Flying Thunder God Kunai, reaching Sunagakure in less than half an hour. The moment they landed, the acrid smell of smoke hit them. The streets were lined with collapsed buildings, and Sunagakure shinobi were carrying the wounded to safety. In the distance, the Kazekage Building had been reduced to rubble by Clay Bombs.
"Over there!" Kakashi's Sharingan swept quickly across the battlefield, pointing toward the desert to the northwest. Two surges of violent chakra were raging there: one was Shukaku's sand-nature chakra, while the other carried the explosive aura of Deidara's clay.
The two rushed at full speed. As they crossed the dunes, the sight before them made their eyes widen: Gaara had undergone Complete Tailed Beast Transformation, and half of Shukaku's body had emerged from beneath the sand. A massive claw formed of yellow sand was swiping at Deidara, while Sasori controlled the Hiruko puppet from behind a distant rock. The puppet's tail stinger was wrapped in poisonous threads, quietly aiming for an opening in Gaara's defenses.
"Deidara, quit playing around and finish this quickly!" Sasori's voice came from Hiruko's mouth. Its tail stinger shot out, and the poisonous threads coiled around Shukaku's left leg like snakes.
But Deidara laughed wildly in the air. "Art is an Explosion! What fun is there in ending things so soon?" He formed Hand Seals, and the mouth on his chest spat out a Clay Bomb. "C3-18!"
The enormous bomb plummeted toward Shukaku. Seeing this, Su Ye immediately used Heavenly Hand Power, switching places with the Clay Bird beneath Deidara's feet! Caught off guard, Deidara lost his balance and plunged toward the desert. Su Ye caught the C3 bomb just before it exploded, then used the Rinne Sharingan to open a small Kamui Dimension and tossed it inside. The explosion boomed within the dimension, leaving the ground untouched.
"Who?!" Deidara steadied himself. When he saw the pale purple Tomoe in Su Ye's eyes, his expression changed drastically. "The Rinnegan? You're the brat who destroyed our base last time!"
Kakashi seized the chance to circle around to Sasori's flank, Chidori gathering in his palm. "Su Ye, I'll hold Sasori off. Stop Deidara from getting near Gaara!" Before he had even finished speaking, Hiruko's tail stinger abruptly turned, its poisonous threads stabbing straight at Kakashi's heart. Kakashi used his Sharingan to predict their path, dodging sideways as he struck the puppet's shell with Chidori. The blow left only a shallow scratch.
"It's useless. Hiruko's shell is made from the core material used in the Performance of a Hundred Puppets." Sasori's voice was full of disdain. The puppet's arm suddenly split open, sending countless poisoned needles flying toward Kakashi.
On the other side, seeing that Su Ye could manipulate Kamui, Deidara immediately changed tactics. He quickly molded more than a dozen Clay Spiders with his hands. "C4: Garuda!" The spiders hit the ground and transformed into countless nanoscale clay particles, which the desert wind carried toward Su Ye. "All it takes is one particle. Your body will explode from the inside!"
Su Ye's Rinne Sharingan let him clearly see the particles' paths. He took a deep breath and unleashed Limbo's power. Three black shadows separated from his body, taking positions to the east, south, and west. The black chakra gathering in their hands formed a barrier, keeping all the clay particles out. "Deidara, your art is useless against me."
Deidara flew into a rage. He abruptly pulled the bandage off his head, revealing the Sharingan on his forehead, given to him by Obito. "Then I'll show you what real art is!" He poured all his chakra into the clay, preparing to unleash his final self-destructing jutsu.
Just then, the desert shook violently, and Gaara's transformed body began to waver. At some point, Sasori had circled behind Shukaku. Hiruko's arm had pierced the back of Gaara's neck, and Chakra Threads were forcibly extracting Shukaku's soul! "The Tailed Beast extraction has begun. You're too late," Sasori said smugly. "Just ten more minutes, and Shukaku will become the Akatsuki's power."
Su Ye's heart clenched with worry. He could feel Gaara's life force rapidly fading. Suddenly, he looked at Deidara and gave a cold smile. "Deidara, didn't you want to see whose art was stronger? How about we go somewhere and settle it?" As he spoke, he used the Rinne Sharingan to open a Kamui passageway to a distant valley. "There's no one else there. You can blow things up to your heart's content."
Deidara's competitive spirit was roused. Without a second thought, he followed Su Ye into the Kamui passageway. Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief and immediately focused all his strength on attacking Sasori's puppet. "Su Ye has drawn Deidara away. We have to stop the Tailed Beast extraction as soon as possible!"
Su Ye and Deidara landed in the valley. Deidara was just about to use a jutsu when he realized an invisible force had locked down the surrounding space. It was the restraining power of Limbo. "You tricked me?" Deidara roared, only to find that he couldn't move.
Su Ye walked up to him, the light of the Rinne Sharingan blazing. "Deidara, tell me the real reason Obito sent you to capture the Tailed Beasts. And who's the Akatsuki's next target?"
Deidara clenched his teeth and refused to talk, even at the cost of his life. With no other choice, Su Ye temporarily bound him with chakra chains, then turned and ran back toward the desert. He had to help Kakashi save Gaara before the ten minutes were up.
When he returned to the battlefield, the sight made his heart tighten. Kakashi was trapped by Sasori's Performance of a Hundred Puppets, with poisoned needles covering his body. Gaara lay collapsed on the ground, Shukaku's chakra rapidly draining from him, while the container in Sasori's hand was almost full of Tailed Beast Chakra.
"Stop!" Su Ye roared, using Heavenly Hand Power to teleport behind Sasori. His black sword thrust straight at Sasori's heart. Sasori hurriedly controlled his puppets to block the attack, but the sword cut through three of their arms. Taking advantage of the opening, Su Ye snatched the container from Sasori's hand and used the Rinne Sharingan to channel the Tailed Beast Chakra inside back into Gaara's body.
Sasori's expression finally changed. "You can control Tailed Beast Chakra..." He was just about to unleash his final killing move when hurried footsteps sounded in the distance. Elder Chiyo of Sunagakure had arrived with a rescue team.
"Sasori, you traitor! Today, I'll avenge Sunagakure's shinobi!" Elder Chiyo's voice was filled with sorrow and anger. She began forming Hand Seals, preparing to use the forbidden jutsu One's Own Life Reincarnation.
Knowing the battle was lost, Sasori looked at Su Ye, then at Elder Chiyo. A complicated emotion flickered in his eyes. At last, he controlled his puppets and fled into the depths of the desert. Deidara also broke free in the confusion, and flew off into the sky with Sasori on a Clay Bird.
Su Ye and Kakashi immediately rushed to Gaara's side. Gaara had lost consciousness, and his breathing was faint. Elder Chiyo crouched down and examined him. Her expression turned grave. "Most of the Tailed Beast has been extracted. He has only an hour left to live, unless someone uses One's Own Life Reincarnation to extend his life."
Seeing the resolve in Elder Chiyo's eyes, Su Ye spoke up. "Granny, there's no need to trouble yourself." He poured the chakra of his Rinne Sharingan into Gaara's body, enveloping him in a pale purple light. "My Rinnegan can repair damaged souls. Maybe I can save his life."
As the chakra flowed into him, Gaara's fingers twitched slightly, and his breathing gradually steadied. Elder Chiyo and Kakashi both looked delighted, but Su Ye furrowed his brow. He could sense an even more powerful chakra rapidly approaching in the distant sky. It was Obito's presence.
Obito clearly wouldn't let this go. An even greater crisis was quietly drawing near.
Before you continue