Having said that, Grandma Chiyo sighed.
Morkel frowned. "Gaara tried so hard to protect the village, yet the Sand Shinobi refuse to send help for his rescue. How heartless..."
Up ahead, Might Guy clapped his hands. "What are you dawdling for? Youth is not meant to be wasted. Let's get going!"
With that, a team of nine embarked on their journey to the Land of Rivers.
As they approached the border, a strange plant-like creature, resembling a pitcher plant, emerged from the ground, watching them from a distance.
Inside a Cave in the Land of Rivers
A massive stone statue with nine closed eyes loomed in the darkness. Its mouth opened slightly, sucking in traces of pure Tailed Beast Chakra.
Suspended in mid-air opposite the statue, Gaara's body hung lifelessly as the Shukaku was gradually extracted from him. A Jinchūriki cannot survive without their Tailed Beast.
Across from the statue, a massive stone hand reached upward. Each of its fingers emitted a glowing light, displaying strange characters: Zero, Blue, White, Red, Pig, Jade, Three, South, North.
Ten figures stood atop the glowing fingers, though only two were physically present—Deidara and Sasori. The others were mere projections.
"There were supposed to be ten of us," Sasori muttered. "But that traitor Orochimaru took the Sora ring when he left. Now we are one short."
"We will deal with him in time," said the man standing on the Zero finger. His eyes, a series of eerie concentric circles, glowed faintly in the dim light.
Another figure, identified as Hai, spoke. "The Konoha ninjas are approaching the border."
The leader of Akatsuki, standing on Zero, turned to the others. "It will take some time to extract the Tailed Beast. Who will intercept them?"
Kisame, standing on the South finger, chuckled. "Might Guy is coming this time? I'll go. I've been wanting to face him again."
Itachi, standing on Red, added, "It's not just Guy. That red-haired boy will be there too."
At the mention of the red-haired boy, Kisame fell silent.
Three years ago, he had accompanied Biwa Jūzō to Konoha to capture the Nine-Tails, only to encounter that same boy. If he hadn't fled quickly, he might be in a Konoha prison right now.
Another voice chimed in. "That red-haired kid—is he really as strong as the rumors say? I don't believe it! I want to see for myself!"
Yet another voice added, "Hidan, the Elephant Reincarnation Technique won't preserve your immortality. Without that, how long can you really last?"
Hidan scoffed but had no response.
The leader of Akatsuki, standing on Zero, mused, "Is that boy really as dangerous as you say? What a pity it's not the right time yet. Otherwise, I'd like to meet him."
After a brief discussion, Akatsuki decided to send four members using the Elephant Reincarnation Technique. The fact that they were sending four instead of the usual two showed how seriously they were taking Morkel as a threat.
The Border of the Land of Rivers
Morkel and his group stopped as two Akatsuki members appeared in front of them, clad in black cloaks adorned with red clouds.
Morkel turned to Kakashi. "Teacher, do you recognize these two?"
Kakashi shook his head. "No, but even if they're not as infamous as Uchiha Itachi, we can't underestimate anyone in Akatsuki."
Morkel studied them carefully, his brow furrowing. "There's something wrong with their chakra... it's unstable and chaotic."
Ignoring the odd chakra signatures, Might Guy stepped forward and held out a hand to stop Lee and Tenten. "This is your first encounter with Akatsuki. Step back. Kakashi and I will handle it."
"But, Sensei! We want to help!" Lee protested.
"Lee! Observation is also a form of learning!"
Realizing the wisdom in Guy's words, Lee nodded. "Understood, Sensei! I will watch closely!"
Neji, however, had his own concerns. "They told us to stand back, but what is Morkel doing over there?"
Everyone turned to look at Morkel.
He was gathering chakra in his hands, forming an enormous Fūma Shuriken—one so massive that it radiated overwhelming power.
Might Guy wiped sweat from his forehead. "Everyone, retreat! The damage radius of that jutsu is going to be massive!"
Kakashi and the others had already backed away before Guy could even warn them. After retreating about 500 meters, Sakura called out, "Is this far enough?"
Morkel estimated the blast radius and nodded. "Should be fine, but you might want to back up a little more. I haven't tested this technique many times."
Kakashi and the others immediately retreated another 200 meters.
Neji looked incredulous. "Is it really that extreme?"
Tenten chuckled. "Don't forget, this guy once summoned a massive wooden Buddha during the Chūnin Exams..."
Realization dawned on Neji, and he quickly backed away. "That makes sense!"
Meanwhile, Hidan, holding his sickle, sneered. "Are Konoha ninjas cowards now? We haven't even attacked, and they're already running."
Kakuzu, however, wasn't fooled. He narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you notice? They left someone behind."
Hidan scoffed. "How much trouble can one kid cause?"
Kakuzu sighed. "Look at his red hair. That's Morkel—the one Akatsuki warned us about. The kid who defeated Uchiha Itachi and Kisame in battle."
Hidan's grin widened. "So he's that strong? I should try recruiting him into the Jashin faith!"
He struck a dramatic pose. "Hey, kid! You've got talent! Ever consider worshipping Jashin?"
Morkel smirked. "Sure. Eat this meatball, and I'll join you."
Then, he hurled the massive Chakra Shuriken.
At the same moment, he vanished, reappearing next to Naruto and the others via the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Hidan laughed. "A small chakra ball? That won't scare me—"
His words were cut short by Kakuzu's alarmed expression.
"This chakra... this is bad!"
Kakuzu grabbed Hidan and bolted.
A split second later, the Chakra Shuriken struck the ground.
A blinding white light engulfed the area.
From miles away, the villagers of Kawagoe saw what appeared to be a second sun rising over the mountains.
Then—BOOM!
The explosion obliterated the landscape. The shockwave flattened an entire mountain range.
Morkel's allies could only stare in stunned silence.
Even Grandma Chiyo felt lightheaded. "Has Sand Village fallen this far behind Konoha?"
As the smoke cleared, they approached the blast site.
A massive crater, like a meteor impact zone, scarred the earth. The ground was scorched, still flickering with embers.
Kakashi shook his head in disbelief. "The blast radius was at least a thousand meters."
Naruto, eyes wide with excitement, turned to Morkel. "Teach me that jutsu!"
Morkel shrugged. "You can't. Your chakra is single-attribute. My shuriken uses Wind, Fire, and Lightning Chakra combined."
Naruto pouted. "What's it called?"
"Multi-Tun Shuriken. Simple and direct, right?"
Kakashi sighed. "You seriously need to work on naming your jutsu..."
Meanwhile, Neji searched the crater. "No sign of their bodies."
Morkel scratched his head. "I might've overdone it... Fire burned them, Wind scattered the remains... yeah, no way to find anything."
Guy's team shuddered.
A built-in funeral service. No urn needed.
Chiyo trembled. "The Sand made the right choice... We must remain on good terms with Konoha."
And so, the team pressed forward.