Sakura gave a firm nod, fighting spirit burning in her eyes.
Beside her, Naruto was already as anxious as a cat on hot coals. His mind was full of Gaara's safety, and if he could have punched straight through the mountain himself, he probably would have tried.
A few minutes later, the signal came over the radio that Guy and the others were in position. Kakashi, clinging to the boulder like a gecko, already had one hand poised at the edge of the seal tag.
Then came the synchronized countdown through the comms.
At the exact same instant, all five tore away the barrier tags in their hands.
The moment the seal was broken, Kakashi flipped backward and landed lightly on the ground.
Sakura, who had already been coiled and ready to spring, let out a roar and charged the boulder again.
"Damn it!!!"
Hearing that trademark battle cry full of raw fury, Akira couldn't help the black lines dropping across his forehead.
Every time this girl put her strength behind a strike, she had to yell like that. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was charging up some kind of rage meter.
Then again, considering her teacher was the notoriously hot-tempered Tsunade, the sudden shift in style made perfect sense.
She had clearly inherited Tsunade's true style, right down to that savage edge she put into every blow.
Looks like Tsunade really has been putting her through hell in training.
Sakura leaped high, and that seemingly slender fist, wrapped in terrifying air pressure, crashed straight into the center of the boulder.
Boom—!!!
RUMBLE—!!!
This time, stripped of the barrier's protection, the enormous rock was as fragile as tofu.
Her monstrous strength blasted straight through the stone's interior. Spiderweb cracks spread wildly through it, and then, with a deafening explosion, the entire boulder blew apart into a storm of shattered rock.
The ground shook like a miniature earthquake, the violent tremor making even the others lose their footing for a moment.
A sharp gleam flashed in Chiyo's clouded old eyes as she murmured under her breath, "That really is the Slug Princess's monster strength. This girl's no simple case."
Deep in the darkness of the cave ahead, several Akatsuki members had actually already completed the extraction ritual for the One-Tail.
Deidara sat casually atop Gaara's cold body, wearing an amused expression as he looked at Itachi Uchiha beside him.
"Hey, Itachi, which one's the famous Nine-Tails host? Since they're coming anyway, why don't we just snatch him too while we're at it?"
Before the words had fully left his mouth, Itachi's cold voice cut in.
"You two should worry about staying alive first. With that monster Akira around, trying to take the Nine-Tails is nothing but wishful thinking."
Inside Hiruko, Sasori let out a dry, rasping laugh.
"That Akira really is a problem," he said. "But it's not completely impossible. If we can find a way to pull him away, taking the Nine-Tails brat is still doable."
Itachi fell silent.
In truth, he had no desire at all to see Deidara lay a hand on Naruto.
At that moment, their leader Nagato spoke through the Astral Projection Jutsu.
"Tell them the identifying traits."
Itachi had no way to refuse a direct order. After a faint sigh, he said, "When they come in, the first loudmouth charging in and yelling like an idiot will be the one you're looking for."
Deidara blinked, clearly not expecting something that bizarre to count as an identification method.
Itachi had no interest in elaborating. Once they met face-to-face, Deidara would understand soon enough.
Nagato apparently decided they'd exchanged enough information and coldly gave the order:
"That's enough. Disperse. Sasori, Deidara, if you can't win, don't force it. As long as you stay alive, there'll be other chances. Don't throw your lives away here."
His meaning was obvious. The Akatsuki's strategic priority still wasn't the Nine-Tails.
There was an order to capturing the Tailed Beasts. They had only just secured the One-Tail. The Nine-Tails would come much later, so there was no reason to make pointless sacrifices now.
Itachi gave one last long look toward the collapsing cave entrance, and then his form slowly faded into the darkness.
Somewhere in an unknown forest in the ninja world, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki abruptly opened their eyes as their consciousness returned to their real bodies.
Kisame rolled his stiff neck and bared his shark-like grin.
"That Akira guy really is a monster, huh? Last time, I was this close to being ruined by him. If Samehada hadn't blocked a few of those hits for me, there'd be grass growing over my grave by now."
Ever since that clash, Akira had planted a deep shadow inside Kisame's mind.
That kind of overwhelming gap in strength had made him feel fear for the first time.
Akira was not the sort of opponent ordinary shinobi could bury under numbers alone.
This time even Itachi, a genius among geniuses, had come up short against him. Sure, he'd only been carrying thirty percent chakra and hadn't even been able to use the Mangekyo, but the defeat had still been absurdly clean.
Even from far away, Kisame could still remember the suffocating pressure.
Leaning against a tree trunk, Itachi said nothing for a long moment. What concerned him wasn't Akira's strength itself, but what sort of effect that unpredictable variable would have on Sasuke... and on Konoha.
Still, considering Akira's current position as the Hokage's personal guard, his loyalty to the village was probably not in question.
In response to Kisame's remark, Itachi finally gave his calm assessment.
"His strength is already on par with the legendary Sannin. In some respects, he may even surpass them."
Kisame hoisted Samehada onto his shoulder and gave a bitter chuckle.
"The last time we met, he was already Kage-class. Who knows how far he's gone since then. If he's really stronger than that old pervert Jiraiya, then taking the Nine-Tails is going to be nearly impossible."
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