Naruto: The new beginning

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The Sasori couldn't completely avoid the Rasen Shuriken. His Akatsuki cloak, black with red clouds, was torn to shreds, and the reinforced shell of his puppet, Hiruko, bore deep, jagged scratches.

"That kind of powerful ninjutsu… and such a significant chakra level are you the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails?" Sasori's voice came from Hiruko, eerily hoarse and mechanical.

Naruto knew better than to reveal any intelligence during a fight, even if the opponent was stating the obvious.

Instead of answering Sasori's question, he pointed to the scars on Hiruko's back and taunted with a smirk, "Don't you think that puppet looks ugly? And now it's broken."

"You fool." Sasori's tone darkened slightly, clearly irritated by the insult. "You have no understanding of art. Though the Nine-Tails isn't meant to be mine… you'd make a fine addition to my collection."

Naruto shrugged, pulling out a red-and-black robe and draping it over himself. With a confident flick of the hem, he sneered, "If you've got what it takes, come and claim me."

Sasori said nothing more. He simply manipulated Hiruko to open its mouth, unleashing a barrage of hundreds of highly toxic senbon.

The attack was reminiscent of a boss in a bullet-hell game, saturating the battlefield with an overwhelming flurry of projectiles that could make anyone with trypanophobia shudder.

Temari, unfazed by such attacks, unfurled her fan with a determined snap. "Right back at you!" She swung it forcefully, generating a powerful gust of wind.

The storm she created hurled the senbon back toward Hiruko, accompanied by irregular wind blades.

The sharp blades clanged against Hiruko's armour, producing sparks and shallow dents.

Sasori didn't flinch. The reinforced shell of Hiruko withstood the assault without significant damage, though its joints were occasionally protected by its stinger.

Chiyo observed the scene and explained calmly, "Hiruko's shell has been specially reinforced. Ordinary attacks won't penetrate it. We'll need powerful ninjutsu to break through and expose Sasori's true body."

The three fighters instinctively turned their gaze to Naruto, who grinned confidently. "Guess it's up to me," he said, pulling out a specialized kunai. "Maybe I'll end this in one shot."

Temari hesitated. "But what about Gaara's orders—"

"The situation's changed," Naruto interrupted. "If he's trying to capture me, counterattacking is fair game."

Naruto hurled the kunai with tremendous force, forming hand seals in rapid succession. "Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The lone kunai multiplied into thousands, raining down upon Hiruko and saturating the battlefield in a dazzling display.

Despite the spectacle, most attacks proved ineffective, merely clanging against the puppet's shell and dissipating into puffs of smoke.

Sasori mocked the attempt, his voice laced with disdain. "What's the point of this futile attack? It doesn't even scratch me."

But Naruto wasn't done. One kunai, the original, remained unscathed. In an instant, Naruto appeared midair, snatching it with one hand.

With the other, he summoned an enormous Sage Art: Massive Rasengan.

"Ever heard of a technique that comes crashing down from the heavens?" he shouted.

With his golden hair flowing in the wind and the black-and-red cloak fluttering dramatically, Naruto bore a striking resemblance to Minato Namikaze. His stance and technique evoked memories of the Fourth Hokage, even as he brought the Rasengan crashing down upon Hiruko's back.

The Massive Rasengan, infused with Sage Chakra, struck with devastating force. Hiruko's armour cracked and shattered, fragments scattering across the battlefield.

Naruto didn't linger to admire his handiwork. He leapt back instantly not out of arrogance, but caution, knowing Sasori's traps could still be active.

Sure enough, Sasori had already escaped Hiruko and retaliated with a poisonous mist, his movements swift and deliberate.

Naruto frowned, unsure if he had been poisoned. He created several shadow clones, each taking a vial to collect samples.

Some of the clones charged recklessly into the mist, eagerly grabbing poisoned senbon. Others licked the mist-coated air, while a few mimed exaggerated choking fits.

Sasori: "…"

Chiyo: "…"

Temari: "…"

Kankurō: "…"

Naruto sighed. "I figured as much."

As Sasori pondered whether the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki had lost his mind due to the tailed beast's influence, the clones either collapsed from exaggerated laughter or keeled over dramatically. Meanwhile, Naruto analyzed the results.

"Let's see… The shortest clone lasted ten seconds, the longest fifteen. If this were my main body, I'd probably survive a few days in critical condition. Honestly, your poison isn't even as deadly as the stuff in Conan's world."

Sasori said nothing, though his scowl deepened. Silently, he retrieved a scroll and unsealed its contents.

He intended to deliver a speech on art, perhaps about the beauty of permanence through puppetry but lost interest as Naruto's antics irritated him.

Lady Chiyo gasped when Sasori revealed his true form. His youthful appearance shocked her, but it was his fully puppetized body that left her speechless. However, what truly caught everyone's attention was the puppet he summoned next.

"Is that… the Third Kazekage?" Chiyo's voice trembled. "So it was you who…?"

"That's right," Sasori said, a slight smirk on his face. "The Third Kazekage—my greatest masterpiece."

Temari and Kankurō recoiled in shock. Though they'd never met the Third Kazekage, his legacy loomed large over Sunagakure.

Naruto, less affected, silently created a few more shadow clones to prepare for what came next. His eyes flicked toward the four scrolls on Sasori's back. He recognized three Water, Fire, and the Hundred Puppet techniques. But the fourth…?

"Now that's interesting," Naruto muttered.

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