Naruto: The new beginning

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As Deidara began approaching their location, Gaara turned toward the direction of the Village. Naruto, meanwhile, spoke up.

"Then I'll go deal with his partner," he said confidently.

Deidara had a broken arm, low chakra reserves, and limited clay left. Gaara, on the other hand, was freshly recharged with Shukaku's chakra. In Naruto's mind, Gaara could handle things, and it was time for him to face the Red Sand Sasori.

"Wait," Gaara interjected, his tone serious. "If possible, I'd prefer Sand Village to handle that fight. Resolving it ourselves is important for rebuilding the morale and confidence of our people."

"Alright," Naruto relented. "I'll play the role of support. But you know, sometimes the 'support' ends up taking all the glory."

----

The reconnaissance team sent by Kankuro had already located Sasori. It wasn't difficult Sasori had made no effort to hide. He wasn't interested in subtlety, preferring to attract attention and let Deidara finish his job quickly.

Impatience was part of Sasori's nature. He hated waiting. After all, the last time someone had told him to "wait," it had been his parents. He'd waited for them for years, only to be met with silence.

"That idiot Deidara. What's taking him so long?" Sasori muttered, lashing out with his puppet's tail and sending a Sand ninja flying.

Sasori was encased in his puppet body, Hiruko, a humanoid puppet made from a living being. Its thick carapace and retractable stinger gave him a Sasori-like appearance. Poison coated the tip of his tail, gleaming dangerously in the light.

More than a dozen Sand ninjas stood in a defensive line, watching him warily. A few who had rushed in without caution had already fallen, their bodies paralyzed by his poison.

"Deidara's your partner, huh?" Kankuro's voice cut through the tension as he arrived with reinforcements.

The Sand ninja parted, revealing Kankuro flanked by Temari and Chiyo. Thanks to Naruto's intel, they were prepared for the encounter.

Chiyo's expression was complex as she gazed at Sasori. Once her proud grandson, a prodigy who she believed would lead Sunagakure's puppet corps to greatness, he had instead betrayed them.

Temari and Kankuro, meanwhile, studied Sasori carefully. Kankuro, a fellow puppeteer, understood better than most just how dangerous Sasori was.

Sasori's attention, however, was on Chiyo. She was the only person in the world he might still call family. "You're still alive, old woman? I heard you retired long ago."

Chiyo's response was measured. "It's been twenty years since I stepped back, but some things are worth coming out of retirement for."

Sasori sneered. "How sentimental. I assume you've come to hand over the One-Tail's jinchūriki, then?"

Temari gripped her fan, ready to strike, while Kankuro readied his puppet.

Chiyo met Sasori's gaze firmly. "The One-Tail's jinchūriki isn't just anyone. He's the Kazekage of Sunagakure. We will not hand him over."

Sasori's voice dropped, cold and emotionless. "Then I'll just have to take you all. You can join my collection, along with those brats."

As Sasori's tail twitched in preparation to attack, a loud whooshing noise interrupted the standoff.

"Sage Art: Wind Style Rasenshuriken!"

The sharp, whirling sound of Naruto's jutsu filled the air as a spinning, crackling ball of wind chakra flew toward Sasori.

Naruto had taken his time to enter Sage Mode before joining the battle, knowing the advantage it would give him. Now, his Rasenshuriken flew with devastating power, striking Sasori's position with an explosion of chakra.

The compressed wind chakra expanded violently, slicing through everything in its radius. The ground beneath it was shredded into dust, leaving a deep crater surrounded by a swirling khaki mist.

Temari's jaw dropped. "What… what kind of Wind Style is that?!"

Even Chiyo, well-versed in ninjutsu, was stunned. "The son of the Fourth Hokage… what an incredible young man."

Kankuro, along with the Sand ninja in the back, stared in disbelief at the aftermath. "Did we… win?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "There's no way it's that easy. With that much smoke, you think he'd still be standing there?"

Sure enough, as the mist cleared, Sasori was nowhere to be seen.

----

Naruto's Sage Mode perception picked up on subtle movements underground. "He's below us!"

Even without seeing it, Naruto's enhanced senses mapped Sasori's movements. He tracked the puppet master as Sasori extended his tail upward for a surprise attack.

The tail burst from the ground, aiming straight for Naruto.

Naruto dodged effortlessly, watching with curiosity. "It's coated in poison, huh? Looks nasty, but why's it so clean after tunnelling through all that dirt?"

Sasori, undeterred, extended and bent his tail to pursue Naruto. He moved with precision, trying to inject his poison.

Naruto, however, had other plans. Dodging nimbly, he raised his hand and struck. Without touching the tail directly, he sent it flying.

The move left everyone surprised, including Sasori.

Naruto smirked. "Frog Kata natural energy attacks extend beyond the body. You never even touched me."

Kankuro seized the opportunity, sending his Black Ant puppet to engage Sasori's tail. Meanwhile, Temari unleashed a barrage of wind blades, striking with enough force to sound like hammering iron.

"Don't just stand there!" Chiyo barked at the other Sand ninja. "Evacuate the injured—leave this fight to us!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The squad leader nodded, quickly organizing the retreat of their wounded comrades.

Realizing his sneak attack had failed, Sasori emerged from the ground. His Akatsuki robe was torn, revealing parts of Hiruko's puppet body.

Naruto grinned. "Oh, look at you! Your clothes are falling apart. How embarrassing!"

----

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