A massive flash of light swept across the sky and scorched the earth.
"Ah! Patrick!" Naruto shouted excitedly, pointing toward the distant light. "Follow me! We have to find SpongeBob SquarePants!"
Yamato and Hinata, running beside him, exchanged confused glances. "Sponge... what?" Hinata muttered, clearly baffled.
The trio quickly headed toward the explosion site.
"Deidara's done for," Zetsu said as he returned to the Akatsuki base, where members were sealing the Four-Tails Jinchūriki. "He finally sacrificed himself in a huge explosion."
"Oh~" Kisame sighed. "Another one down. I thought he was strong. Who took him out this time? The Nine-Tails or Sasuke?"
"It was Sasuke," Zetsu reported, then added suddenly, "But Sasuke died too."
Itachi's expression stiffened.
"You should thank Deidara, Itachi," Zetsu said with a sly smile. "He got rid of a major threat for you."
Itachi stayed silent, but his stare grew colder.
"It seems you've all forgotten something," Hidan muttered, frowning. "Whatever."
They resumed the sealing of the Four-Tails.
"Sasuke's chakra just vanished!" Karin gasped in shock while gathering intel in a bustling market.
Suigetsu pulled out the scroll Sasuke had given him. The snake pattern on it was fading. "This is..."
Jūgo bolted toward the explosion site in a frenzy.
Suigetsu arrived at a quiet stream and dropped a bit of Sasuke's blood onto the water. "Summoning Technique: Eleventh Summon!"
With a bang, a massive purple snake appeared.
"Huh? Isn't that Orochimaru's Summoning Beast, Manda?" Suigetsu said, puzzled. "But Sasuke summoned it..."
Manda's body was covered in wounds, and Sharingan patterns flickered in its pupils.
From its gaping jaws, Sasuke slowly emerged. The illusion he cast on Manda finally lifted.
"You... used me..." Manda rasped weakly. "I bought a watch last year... You... @#¥%..."
Moments later, Manda's pupils darkened, and he collapsed, dead.
"Ah~ it's dead," Suigetsu said flatly. "That was Orochimaru's strongest summoning creature. Sasuke, be gentler with the small animals."
"We were cutting it close," Sasuke muttered as he stood, his voice dripping with disdain. "No time to think if it was poisonous. Naruto used to drag me to eat strange things when we were kids."
"Found you!" Karin and Jūgo ran up, out of breath. "Scared us to death! Your chakra vanished then popped up here. Was it space-time ninjutsu?"
"He had Manda swallow him, then used a genjutsu to control Manda and perform a Reverse Summoning," Suigetsu explained. "But what happened to you? You look like hell."
"Manda wouldn't shut up. Kept flicking his tongue and got caught in the blast's shockwave during teleportation," Sasuke replied wearily. "Akatsuki's more formidable than expected."
"You're the guy who defeated Orochimaru!" Karin shouted.
"I only defeated a weakened Orochimaru," Sasuke said indifferently. "That's all."
"Pain, he has arrived," Konan reported as she approached the high platform where the Deva Path sat.
Pain stepped forward slowly. "How is Sasuke?"
"Very good," a shadowed figure answered.
"He's using the Sharingan to its fullest potential. He could surpass even Itachi's eyes."
"The next step is awakening the Mangekyō Sharingan and using it to control the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki."
"The time has come. He's made up his mind. He doesn't have much time left."
"So... where is the Nine-Tails?" Pain asked.
"Hold on," the shadowed figure said, his voice low. "As the leader, I must remain hidden."
"Unless we deploy all Six Paths, we won't be able to capture the Nine-Tails," Pain said with a frown.
"Then it's time to attack Konoha," said the black figure, stepping out of the shadows. His masked face revealed one glowing eye – Uchiha Obito.
"We need the other members to hurry up and capture the remaining Tailed Beasts. Quickly! Our goal is near. Soon, everything will return to how it was."
With that, Obito soared into the sky and vanished.
Konoha.
Jiraiya stepped into the Hokage's office.
"Why the rush?" Tsunade asked.
"I found the location of the Akatsuki leader," Jiraiya said calmly.
"What?!" Tsunade shot up. "Where?!"
"Whoa, slow down," Jiraiya grinned. "It's been a while since Naruto left. Let's go out for a drink like old times."
"Idiot!" Tsunade snapped. "I'm Hokage! I can't just go drinking in broad daylight! What about the responsibilities?!"
Izakaya.
"Aha~!" Tsunade downed a bottle of sake and slammed it onto the table.
"You... at least take responsibility for what you say," Jiraiya muttered, watching her with exasperation. "And as a lady, is it really appropriate to chug bottles like that...?"
"Hey, Kiba, are you sure your nose is better than a dog's?" Naruto asked teasingly as the team sped through the woods following Akamaru.
"Shut up, Naruto! The scent is faint! Don't distract me!" Kiba snapped.
Pfft~
Everyone turned to Shino.
"It really is sharper than a dog's," Shino mumbled, holding back laughter.
"I ate something bad last night," he added stiffly.
"Hey, are you sure you're okay?" Karin asked, eyeing Sasuke with concern.
"Don't worry," Sasuke replied. "The legacy of the Uchiha runs deeper than you think. You said multiple chakra signatures are approaching us?"
"Yes," Karin confirmed, face serious. "One of them... it felt like a god."
"A god...?" Sasuke nodded thoughtfully. "Uzumaki Naruto... Alright, we need to move. Jūgo, mark the Akatsuki base on the map. We're leaving."
"Heh~" Suigetsu chuckled. "Whether it's Akatsuki or Konoha, someone must have intel on Itachi. Should we set an ambush?"
Sasuke and Karin both glared at him.
"If you want to die, don't drag us with you!" Karin snapped and stormed off.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!" Suigetsu shouted after her.
The team moved quickly toward the Akatsuki hideout.
"Hey, Jūgo," Karin suddenly said.
"What is it?" he asked, surprised.
"Help me catch more birds. Konoha has ninja who track by scent. I need to mask Sasuke's smell."
She then pulled out Sasuke's discarded shirt, sniffed it, and rubbed it against her face lovingly.
"...Where did you get Sasuke's old clothes?" Jūgo asked, confused.
"T-That's not the point!" Karin stammered, face red. "Change the subject already, you idiot!"
"Not good! Sasuke's scent is moving in all directions!" Kiba reported, sniffing the air.
"If that's true..." Naruto muttered, thinking, "You guys go on ahead. I'll check out something."
"Hey! Naruto, where are you going?!" The others shouted, but Naruto had already disappeared into the woods.
In the dark forest, Naruto treaded carefully.
A black shadow crept behind him.
"Long time no see," Naruto said, a small smile forming.
"Uchiha...!"
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