Naruto turned toward Tamako, who looked around in confusion.
"Lord Naruto, what's wrong?"
Naruto's eyes widened. *Surely she sensed the danger?* She could handle sealing techniques—you must be a ninja, right?
"Tamako, what level are you at?"
"I'm not a registered ninja, Lord Naruto. I only received basic training, and my focus has always been on seal creation. I'm not very familiar with other ninjutsu."
Naruto quickly created over a dozen shadow clones and sent them to stand beside Tamako.
"Protect her, no matter what happens!"
Turning back to Sai, he said, "Let's move this fight elsewhere."
Sai nodded, and both disappeared using the Body Flicker Technique.
Tamako tried to chase after them, but the shadow clones blocked her path.
"I can't let you chase after Boss Naruto, Tamako. This place is about to get too dangerous."
Elsewhere in the village, Naruto drew his sword with a clear metallic ring.
Sai took out his scroll.
Suddenly, both were caught in a fiery explosion. Deidara laughed from a distance:
"Here we go again! How's your strategy going, oh... I shouldn't have killed the jinchuriki."
An ink snake wrapped around Deidara and bound him. As he struggled to break free, a sword pierced through his chest. Naruto sneered, twisting the blade deeper.
Deidara morphed into a clay clone and detonated himself.
As Naruto landed, Sai came to his side:
"So he has his own clone technique."
Naruto looked around:
"Where is he now?"
Sai didn't respond. He began painting on his scroll, and snakes emerged from it, diving underground.
Moments later, Deidara surfaced far away from the two, firing clay bombs at the snakes.
Naruto charged swiftly toward Deidara. The bomber dodged the golden-haired youth's sword thrust. However, when Naruto spun for another strike, Deidara placed a small clay spider on his back. Deidara jumped away and made the hand seal to detonate it.
Naruto crashed to the ground, biting down through the pain. His eyes flickered red as Nine-Tails' chakra surged out, a single chakra tail forming behind him.
[Nine-Tails Transformation]
Roaring in fury, Naruto lunged forward, both hands gripping his sword.
Deidara still had a clay bird in his hand. He expanded it instantly and soared into the air, dodging Naruto's attack. Naruto angrily leaped skyward, slashing at Deidara's mount. Deidara blanched, quickly molding another clay spider and hurling it at Naruto.
This time, the explosion knocked him down again.
As he landed, realization hit: "Sai! He's heading for Tamako! Intercept him!"
Sai nodded, immediately taking flight on his ink hawk while Naruto continued pursuing.
******
A sudden guttural voice startled Tamako. Clones formed a protective circle around her, but most were felled instantly by kunai from unseen angles.
"Who's attacking us?" Tamako tightly gripped her Kobun charm.
One of the front clones said,
"I don't know, Tamako. Could be Deidara's partner."
"You'd better start running."
The voice spoke again.
A clone drew its sword from behind:
"We won't let you lay a hand on Tamako."
Tamako's eyes went wide at the sight of the emblem on the blade.
Suddenly, a volley of senbon flew in and struck both the clone and Tamako. The two vanished into smoke.
"I told you not to hurt Tamako," Naruto's voice came from a distance. Wrapped in the Nine-Tails' chakra, he clutched Tamako tightly.
Sai's ink bird landed beside Naruto, and Naruto placed Tamako on its back. "It'll be okay, Tamako," he said, turning to Sai. "Take her away. She'll be safer with you. I'll handle the enemy. You go stop Deidara. Don't forget—find a way to disable his arms."
Sai gave a firm nod. "Understood. Good luck, Senior."
Then he soared into the sky with Tamako, leaving Naruto alone among the ruins.
Naruto faced his opponent and drew his sword:
"You must be Deidara's partner. You're both tough, but today you die far from home."
The opponent's guttural laugh sent shivers down Naruto's spine. The Nine-Tails' chakra made him extremely aggressive. He forced himself not to rush in recklessly like he had against Deidara.
The man said:
"To be honest, this is your home. And I won't kill you—I'll haul your body away and rip out your demon… then you'll die."
"Haha. You really are funny." Naruto crouched low. "I don't care because I'm going to kill you."
His opponent sighed:
"Tell me, how did you escape from Deidara?"
"That doesn't matter. Who the hell are you anyway?"
"Judging from how you shouted at me and gripped your weapon, I think you've already guessed."
Naruto bared his teeth:
"You're right—I know. I just wanted to hear it from your mouth."
"Fine. I am Sasori of the Red Sand."
Naruto grinned. "Just as I suspected." Then he disappeared in a flash of crimson light. "Die!" He teleported in front of Sasori and swung his sword down.
******
(With Sai and Tamako)
"I have to return to Lord Uzumaki!" Tamako clung tightly to Sai's ink bird, afraid of falling. "There's something vital I need to tell him!"
Sai remained alert to Deidara's movements:
"Senior Naruto told me to get you out. He plans to use the Nine-Tails' chakra. If we go back to him, we'll also be harmed."
Tamako insisted:
"Lord Uzumaki needs to know something—about his sword!"
Sai glanced back at her:
"His sword? The one he took from the vault? Why didn't you tell him earlier?"
Tamako frowned:
"I didn't notice he had taken that sword at first. But when I saw the clone draw it, I noticed the emblem on the blade and realized what he had taken. How did he even get it?"
Sai recalled the moment Naruto obtained the sword:
"He pulled it off the wall. That activated the passage that led us to you. So what kind of sword is it?"
Tamako straightened herself on the bird:
"That's the Millennium Blade—it's a sacred heirloom of Uzushio Village."
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