[Chapter Size: 1400 Words.]
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On Blue Island, Sasuke submerged himself in the natural hot spring, washing away the exhaustion of battle. Nearby, Orochimaru, dressed in a loose white yukata, sat on a rock beside the spring, gazing at the blue moonlight above.
As Sasuke poured water over his shoulders, he asked, "You promised to deliver Sasori's message to Granny Chiyo. Are you really going to keep your word?"
Orochimaru: "Of course. Kabuto has already taken care of it. He used to be a spy in the Hidden Sand Village, so handling something like this is second nature to him..."
Sasuke: "Is that so? About my second opponent..."
"Whoosh!"
Before he could finish speaking, a dark vortex spiraled into existence.
Orochimaru turned his head. "Is it done?"
But Kabuto's expression was grim. "I'm sorry, Lord Orochimaru, but the matter regarding Granny Chiyo may have to wait."
Orochimaru narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"
Kabuto's tone grew serious. "I just received a report from our northern spies, Deidara of the Akatsuki and an unidentified masked member have been spotted near the northern base!"
Orochimaru's mind raced. "A masked Akatsuki member? Has Obito stepped into the spotlight earlier than expected? It seems Sasuke-kun killing Sasori has altered the course of the Akatsuki's plans."
"Splash!"
Sasuke abruptly stopped washing. "The northern fortress. I remember Jūgo is there!"
Kabuto adjusted his glasses. "Not just Jūgo, Karin and Suigetsu are there as well. After all, the Cursed Seal remains a key research project for Lord Orochimaru, so the base is heavily guarded..."
Orochimaru's voice dropped. "There's always a delay between witnessing an event and reporting it. I fear that by now, the northern fortress has already..."
"Swoosh!"
Sasuke bolted out of the water, throwing on his clothes in a rush, so quickly that he didn't even bother drying himself.
Orochimaru: "You're going?"
After equipping his Kusanagi blade, Sasuke answered, "They're my comrades. I can't just stand by and watch them die."
Kabuto: "Fortunately, the northern fortress also has a deadly safeguard in place..."
Orochimaru leaped from the rock, landing beside Kabuto. "Let's move…"
…
As the three emerged from the Vortex, the so-called fortress was nothing more than smoldering ruins. The aftermath of a violent explosion had reshaped the entire landscape.
Orochimaru: "This destruction, it's Deidara's C3?"
Kabuto: "Damn it we're a step too late."
Sasuke: "Karin has unparalleled sensory abilities, there's no way she wouldn't detect an enemy of this level approaching. If she knew she couldn't win, she would have fled. That's her style."
"Then let's use the sensory ability of the Second Hokage, sealed within the Death God's belly, to confirm it!"
Without hesitation, Orochimaru raised two fingers, unlocking his advanced sensory abilities.
Like Naruto's Sage Mode in later generations, Orochimaru's perception spread across an immense range, revealing all chakra signatures within it.
"Karin is still alive. She's hiding in the forest, 20 kilometers to the west. She's deliberately suppressing her chakra. Deidara and Obito are hovering above, searching for her..."
Sasuke's expression darkened. "What about Jūgo and Suigetsu?"
Orochimaru lowered his hands, shook his head, and sighed. "I can't sense their chakra at all..."
"..."
Sasuke clenched his fists. He already knew what that meant.
His heart ached.
"There's no time to waste, we have to save Karin!"
…
Riding atop his C2 Dragon, Deidara scanned the area through the miniature scope in his left eye, searching for any sign of red hair.
Beside him, Tobi, waving his arms animatedly, chimed in, "Senior's explosion art is truly magnificent! With a single boom, the entire base was sent flying!"
Deidara smirked, satisfied. "Hmph. Naturally. When it comes to demolishing fortresses, no one in the Akatsuki does it better than me! By the way, did you take care of those two who escaped?"
Tobi gave a dramatic thumbs-up. "Hehe… Senior, don't underestimate me! I may not look it, but I'm quite capable too!"
Deidara scoffed. "You've got a long way to go, brat."
Tobi thumped his chest with pride. "I'll definitely follow in the footsteps of my seniors and strive to become a full-fledged Akatsuki member as soon as possible!"
Despite multiple sweeps of the area, there was still no sign of Karin.
Deidara grew irritated. "Tch, damn it! Where the hell did that red-haired woman go?! Hurry up and show yourself, I'll even give you a front-row seat to my art!"
Hidden beneath the swaying treetops, Karin pressed her back against a thick trunk. Through the gaps in the leaves, she watched the massive clay dragon hovering above.
Her heart pounded. "Damn it, that explosive maniac! He just won't give up! Where did Orochimaru even find this disaster of a person?!"
She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
"Forget it, I can't risk staying here any longer."
Deidara reached into the ninja tool pouch on his waist. The mouths on his palms eagerly chewed the clay.
"I'll use C3 again to wipe out that woman along with this entire forest. That should do it!"
Soon, a grotesque, postmodern clay doll took shape in his hands once more.
Turning his palm downward, Deidara released the doll. He then formed a hand seal with two fingers, and the doll instantly expanded in size.
"C3?"
When Karin saw it, her mind went blank.
Gripping her head in terror, she screamed in despair. "Why? I don't want to die in a place like this! Somebody, save me!"
"Karin."
At that moment, a calm voice called out from above.
"Huh?"
Karin instinctively looked up. A young man in white stood atop the tree above her.
"Whoosh!"
A gust of wind swept through the forest, and as the figure's presence fully registered, a deep sense of familiarity jolted her back to reality.
The images overlapped in her mind.
"You, you're!!!"
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to save you."
Sasuke reached for his Kusanagi blade.
Karin: "That's a bomb!! You'll die too, run!!!"
Sasuke: "Don't worry. I won't die."
"Crackle!"
Lightning surged across the Kusanagi, and with a single slash, the bolt shot toward the falling clay doll.
Lightning Release: Heavenly Blade!
Explosive clay is weak against lightning.
Except for Deidara's final self-destruction, every other one of his techniques had become nothing more than child's play to Sasuke.
At this point, Deidara wasn't even worthy of being Sasuke's training dummy.
"Art is an explosion…!!!"
The moment Deidara shouted, Sasuke's lightning strike pierced C3, neutralizing the detonation and splitting the doll in two.
"WHAT?!"
Through the shattered remains, Deidara caught sight of the boy standing in the trees.
"That brat, he knows the greatest weakness of my Explosive Art! Who the hell is he?!"
Tobi: "Uchiha Sasuke."
Deidara was so stunned, he barely registered the sudden seriousness in Tobi's tone.
"Uchiha Sasuke, the man who killed old man Sasori?! No wonder, those eyes, the Sharingan. That same damn look as Itachi! Staring down at my art like it's nothing! Damn it! I'll kill him right here!!"
"Click!"
Once again, Deidara reached for his ninja tool pouch.
Karin: "Watch out! He's attacking again!!!"
"Enough."
"CHIIIIRP!"
Sasuke's eyes instantly shifted: Mangekyō Sharingan!
"BOOM!"
In an instant, the Susanoo manifested.
A massive, black-flamed arrow was drawn against its bowstring.
Deidara's eyes widened in horror. "W-What, is that!?"
Blaze Release: Susanoo Kagutsuchi
"THWANG!"
The black-flamed arrow tore through the sky, carrying a searing heatwave.
Deidara: "Oh no!!!"
Beneath his mask, Obito's eyes darkened as he observed. "I'm truly surprised. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, who would have believed he had grown this powerful in such a short time?"
"FWOOSH!"
The arrow struck Deidara's massive clay dragon, igniting it on impact.
"BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!"
A chain of violent explosions erupted.
By the time the smoke cleared, there was no trace of Deidara or Tobi in the sky.
"Hmph."
Sasuke's Mangekyō Sharingan faded. He brought a hand to his eyes as his vision blurred.
"My ocular power, it still hasn't fully recovered from my battle with Sasori."
"Are you okay?" Karin's worried voice came from behind him.
"I'm fine..."
Sasuke subtly pushed her hand off his shoulder.
At that moment, Orochimaru and Kabuto arrived before them.
Kabuto: "Is it over?"
"Swish!"
Sasuke slid his Kusanagi blade back into its sheath.
In a low voice, he answered, "With Obito around, Deidara won't die so easily. Take Karin back to Blue Island. We can settle this score later…"
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