Attack on the Akatsuki Hideout

At the border of the Land of Rivers, a dried-up riverbed lay exposed beneath the scorching sun.

Three figures raced across the cracked earth, kicking up trails of yellow sand.

Based on the information Kankuro had provided, Chenshu Senju had tracked the trail here with Kakashi and Naruto.

"Gaara! Hang in there!" Naruto shouted himself hoarse as he ran.

The kid's stamina was simply a mystery. His throat had gone ragged from all that yelling, yet he had not slowed down in the slightest.

Chenshu Senju could not even be bothered to roll his eyes anymore.

I'm cracking up.

Was all that Nine-Tails chakra being used to power his vocal cords?

They followed the riverbed onward as the terrain ahead gradually narrowed, with towering cliffs on both sides blocking their view.

Soon, they reached the end of the riverbed.

The path ahead was completely blocked by a steep rock wall.

Across the riverbed stood a massive stone cave entrance.

A huge boulder covered in strange runes sealed the entrance tightly, with a talisman bearing the character "Seal" affixed to its center.

"This is it!" Naruto's eyes lit up, and he leaped straight across the dry riverbed.

His hands rapidly formed seals, and a high-speed spinning ball of blue chakra instantly gathered in his right palm.

Violent currents of air swept up the sand and stones on the ground.

"Open up!"

Naruto raised the Rasengan and smashed it viciously into the boulder.

"Wait, Naruto!" Kakashi cried out in alarm, immediately trying to stop him.

But it was already too late.

The blue Rasengan slammed heavily into the surface of the boulder.

There was no sound of stone shattering as expected.

Visible ripples spread across the boulder's surface, followed by a sudden eruption of immense rebounding force.

"Bang!"

Naruto spun through the