## Naruto vs Sasori ##
Naruto's sword was blocked by the iron tail that Sasori extended from within his robe. Naruto struggled against the tail as it continued to extend and swiftly maneuver above his head, attempting to pierce him. Naruto rolled aside and attacked again, but his sword was once more blocked by Sasori's iron tail.
Naruto assumed a defensive stance and glared at Sasori.
Sasori's long robe concealed his body, revealing nothing of any hidden techniques. Could this one man really have destroyed an entire ninja village by himself?
Naruto charged toward Sasori again, attacking from various angles, but each time his strikes were deflected by Sasori's iron tail.
Even with his speed boosted by the Nine-Tails' chakra, Naruto couldn't land a single hit.
[Lightning Release: Needle Threader Jutsu!]
After forming a hand seal, Naruto placed his hand on the ground, and a bolt of lightning shot toward Sasori. Finally, Sasori moved, leaping aside to avoid the current.
Sword in hand, Naruto dashed at Sasori. When Sasori countered with his iron tail, Naruto was ready.
Suddenly, Sasori launched a barrage of senbon from his mouth, rapidly firing them at Naruto.
Naruto quickly rolled away to dodge.
Before Naruto could even think, Sasori attacked with his tail again.
Stomping onto the rubble, Naruto spotted the incoming metallic tail and instantly formed a dual-hand seal:
[Wind Release: Gale Godfist!]
The wind jutsu barely managed to deflect the blades, and Naruto hurriedly lifted his leg to avoid being pierced.
As the Wind Release faded, the tail surged forward once more.
Naruto started darting around Sasori in rapid circles, blurring into motion and leaving behind a crimson trail.
Sasori sighed in frustration, trying to stab him with his tail but missing each time.
[Earth Release: Headhunter Jutsu!]
Suddenly, Naruto appeared behind Sasori, delivering consecutive slashes before landing and sheathing his sword.
Sasori's Akatsuki cloak was torn to shreds and fell to the ground.
"That move might've actually worked... if I were an ordinary person."
A demonic mask burst forth from Sasori's back, from which extended the iron tail.
Seeing this, Naruto broke into a cold sweat:
"What exactly are you? You're not even human anymore!"
Sasori chuckled darkly:
"This is a puppet, brat. Its name is Shimon-Hiruko."
Sasori raised his torpedo-like right arm and launched it toward Naruto. Naruto easily dodged, but that was only the beginning.
The torpedo spun and launched several cylindrical casings. Upon opening, they unleashed a hail of senbon.
Crossing his arms in an X-shape, Naruto shouted:
[Wind Release: Whirlwind Pyramid!]
An instant defensive wall rose up, deflecting all the needles while engulfing the area in dust.
As the dust cleared, Naruto was gone.
******
Naruto crouched inside a crater beyond the battlefield.
A strange squeak drew Naruto's attention as he noticed some oddly colored little mice by his feet.
Curious, Naruto watched them stop before him before transforming into writing. He grinned:
"That crafty Sai—always thinking ahead… and Tamako too."
******
## Meanwhile, Sai and Tamako ##
Tamako looked worried:
"Are you sure Naruto will receive your message about the sword?"
"He'll receive the message, don't worry. Do you think Naruto will actually use that sword?"
Tamako smiled and nodded.
"I'm sure he will."
"Naruto-san always manages to surprise people," Sai said, squinting into the distance. "We're moving out. Hold on tight and stay low, Tamako."
Deidara smirked, fixing his left eye's scope on Sai.
"How convenient that you came straight to us."
Looking at him and Deidara, Tamako asked,
"Sai, who is that?"
Sai unrolled his scroll.
"Thanks to him, we were able to find you, Tamako. Allow me to thank him on your behalf."
[Super Beast Imitating Drawing]
Sai painted bats that launched an assault.
Deidara laughed, molding sculptures from both hands.
"You dare use the same cheap art against me again?!"
His clay birds launched from his palms, crashing into Sai's bats, while others veered around the collision and dove straight toward Sai and Tamako.
"True art is destruction!"
As Tamako screamed, Sai maneuvered his bird to dodge mid-air explosions.
Slicing through the incoming birds, Sai kept flying toward Deidara, using chakra to dodge gracefully this time as he sped up his ink beast.
"You weren't this fast the first time," Deidara shrugged, molding more explosive birds for long-range strikes.
Sai glared, his expression darkening with anger.
[Ink Mist Technique]
He covered his bird and the surrounding area in ink, flying straight toward Deidara.
******
Deidara grinned widely.
"They don't even have to hit you, moron! They're just for tracking you down, yeah!" He formed another hand seal as he shouted, "Explode!"
Before he even finished speaking, Sai jumped off his bird. He plummeted toward the ground as the clay birds exploded above him. Just then, his ink bird swooped down and caught him midair.
The terror etched on Sai's face slowly faded away as he reassuringly patted the head of his bird.
******
Tamako stood where Sai's bird had set her down, watching Sai being rescued just in time by his bird. She clutched her Kobun amulet tightly.
"Sai and Naruto are fighting hard... and I can't do anything to help. My only skill is creating seals." Her eyes suddenly widened with a smile forming on her face. "So what? Seals are the cornerstone of our village! And they're what I'm best at!"
Pulling out some ink from her pocket, she frowned.
"Sai didn't leave me much ink, but it's better than none!" I'll just have to make do with what I've got."
******
##Naruto vs Sasori##
Naruto stepped out solemnly from his hiding spot and drew his sword.
Sasori noticed him.
"I knew you'd eventually come out. You don't seem like the type to back down when things get tough."
Naruto chuckled slightly.
"Tough? You talk like you've already won."
His tone turned firm.
"Sai is my comrade, my brother. He's fighting Deidara to protect me, and I won't let him bear that burden alone just because you're after me. Also, there's Tamako—I won't leave her in danger either. Before, I wasn't strong enough to save someone like her. But not anymore—I won't abandon her just because one enemy is after me."
Naruto lifted the sword before him, its blade pointing skyward, and it began to glow:
"Millennium Blade! Accept it or not, I'm your master—Naruto Uzumaki! Help me take this guy down—this is for our lost home!"
The wind around Naruto intensified, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"I've got no idea how this's supposed to work. Tamako said I have to force my will onto the sword to use it. Alright, let's give it a shot. [Millennium Blade: Materialize!]"
The sword solidified and transformed into gleaming silver armor plates wrapping around Naruto's forearms and ankles. Blades jutted out from either side of his arms, while matching pairs encircled his legs.
Naruto stretched, adjusting to his new gear, then smirked at Sasori.
Sasori scoffed,
"You think a few scraps of metal make you a match for me?"
Naruto shrugged.
"Then watch this!" Naruto unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra and channeled wind chakra into the blades as he charged straight at Sasori. Sasori attacked with his Iron Tail, and Naruto swung his bladed arm to meet it.
Moving rapidly, Naruto transformed into a red, razor-edged buzzsaw. They blurred past each other in the blink of an eye.
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