In Kisame's eyes, if even he and Itachi together couldn't handle Akira, then there probably weren't many people in the Akatsuki who could beat him one-on-one.
Maybe only their unfathomable leader, Pain, had the strength to truly fight him.
And if Akira, Jiraiya, and Tsunade ever teamed up, that would basically be an upgraded version of the new Three Sannin, maybe even more terrifying than the original trio.
Because as far as Kisame was concerned, both Jiraiya and Akira were clearly stronger in actual combat than Orochimaru.
With Konoha now stacked with that much top-tier power, trying to kidnap Naruto by force was no different from reaching into a tiger's jaws.
Itachi Uchiha lifted his eyes toward the gloomy sky and said nothing more, his gaze too deep to read.
At the same time, Akira had already led the group straight into the dark cave.
The instant they stepped inside, Naruto's sharp eyes locked onto a sight that made his vision go red.
Deidara was sitting casually on Gaara's body as if it were a chair.
That single image blew apart what little reason Naruto had left.
"You bastard!! You're actually sitting on Gaara! Get off him!"
Not only did Deidara stay where he was, he even spread his hands in mock innocence. "Why are you so worked up? It's just a corpse. He's already dead, so what's the problem with using him as a seat?"
That line was like throwing a lit match into a powder keg.
"I'll kill you!!!"
A violently surging red chakra burst out of Naruto's body in an instant.
Seeing that, Deidara actually laughed. "Now I get what Itachi meant. This guy really does think like a single-celled organism."
Standing behind Deidara, Sasori's gaze passed over the others and fixed directly on Chiyo.
By now Naruto had completely lost control. His pupils had narrowed into vertical slits like a beast's, thick crimson chakra cloaked his body, and tails were already beginning to take shape behind him.
Kakashi's heart tightened at once.
Not good.
He flashed to Naruto's side and shouted, "Naruto! Calm down! Don't let your anger take over!"
The words made Naruto hesitate for just a split second, but they weren't enough to suppress the raging Nine-Tails chakra.
The stone floor beneath Naruto's feet shattered outward in spiderweb cracks, and within several meters, loose rubble was crushed into dust by the violent pressure wave of chakra alone.
That was the terrifying thing about the Nine-Tails' chakra. It was packed with hatred and savagery on a level the other Tailed Beasts simply didn't match.
This was the first time Akira had felt the aura of a rampaging Nine-Tails from this close.
It really was powerful. Just the chakra spilling out at this level already surpassed the limits of most jonin.
Cold sweat beaded on Kakashi's forehead. His hand had already gone to his equipment pouch, hesitating over whether to use the suppression tag Jiraiya had given him.
Then a hand landed on Naruto's shoulder.
Akira walked over calmly, his expression steady, and pressed down slightly with his palm.
The raging red chakra, which had been erupting wildly only moments before, instantly receded like a retreating tide.
Inside Naruto, the Nine-Tails itself reacted as if struck by lightning. A tyrannical foreign chakra crashed directly into the seal-space and slammed the fox's outstretched claw back where it came from.
In the next instant, Akira's consciousness stepped directly into Naruto's inner world.
The place was still the same dim, damp sewer. The enormous iron cage still stood there, and the paper seal with the character for seal remained stuck to it.
Naruto's consciousness had snapped awake as well. Seeing Akira suddenly appear beside him, he was so shocked he could barely close his mouth.
"Akira? How are you here? This is my..."
By all rights, this was his mental space. No one except him and the Nine-Tails should have been able to enter.
Akira ignored Naruto's disbelief and instead studied the giant creature behind the bars with open curiosity. "So this is the legendary Nine-Tailed Fox. You do look pretty impressive."
The Nine-Tails fixed one enormous eye on Akira, bared its fangs, and let out a low growl. "Human brat, who gave you permission to trespass in my domain?"
In truth, the Nine-Tails was panicking.
The pressure coming off this human was suffocating.
The chakra inside this kid felt like an endless sea, and there was somehow several times more of it than the Nine-Tails itself possessed.
That made no sense at all.
Even the Sage of Six Paths had only reached that level after becoming the Ten-Tails' host.
But this boy was clearly just a human. He wasn't the Ten-Tails' host, and he didn't seem to have the Rinnegan either, so where in the world had this much chakra come from?
He was more monstrous than a monster.
Looking at the bristling fox, Akira chuckled softly. "Don't be so hostile. I only came in for a look around."
Then he turned toward Naruto at his side. "You nearly got swallowed whole by your anger just now, didn't you? The Nine-Tails' chakra is useful, sure, but only if you can control it. It's been three years. You still haven't brought this beast to heel?"