Just as Kakashi and Sakura were about to be pierced by thousands of needles...
"Clang."
The sound of a sword unsheathing rang out. A flash of white light appeared, and the blade's aura, accompanied by a fierce gust of wind, swept through the poison needles. It not only dispersed all the incoming needles, but the blade's momentum still carried forward, striking toward Sasori's puppet body.
Sasori dodged sideways, his eyes fixed on the sword in Kakashi's hand. He said coldly, almost mockingly, "The White Fang Blade… Kakashi Hatake, the White Fang's son. What a twist of fate—bringing us face to face."
After learning that Kakashi was facing him with the White Fang Blade—the very sword that killed his parents—Sasori had given up on revenge. He only killed the Third Kazekage during the Third Battle and used the poison mist from his puppet to indirectly aid Sunagakure in attacking Konoha, never taking direct action.
But giving up didn't mean he held no resentment. Seeing Kakashi now wielding that sword, the hatred buried deep within him since childhood unconsciously surged up.
Kakashi, hoping to extract intelligence, did not press the advantage. Instead, he asked, "Do we have any history between us?"
"During the Second Battle, my parents were killed by that blade in your hands. Today, you will die."
Without hesitation, Sasori abandoned his disguise. His Hiruko puppet split open directly, and from it emerged a puppet nearly identical to his true self. His handsome and eerie face exposed, he simultaneously unfurled five scrolls in his hands.
The five elemental chakras activated—fire exploded, water surged, wind tore, lightning pierced, and earth weighed down. A powerful, overwhelming force engulfed the two opponents. The entire cave trembled under this massive chakra pressure, nearly collapsing, and Sakura's face showed unmistakable despair.
"Don't be afraid."
Kakashi shielded Sakura behind him, lifting the forehead protector to reveal the Sharingan hidden beneath. The Three Tomoe within began to rotate, and instantly transformed into the Mangekyō.
"Kamui."
Originating from Kakashi's position, space began to twist, spiraling as it absorbed all five massive ninjutsu attacks into another dimension.
The cave, which had nearly been completely destroyed, became calm again, leaving only Kakashi's heavy breathing behind.
Deidara's eyes stayed fixed on Hakuto. Just when he thought she'd be blown to pieces and disappear into dust,
A brilliant blue lightning surged from her entire body. The electricity covered her in an extremely short time, and she coldly shouted, "[Lightning Field]."
A rare defensive ninjutsu developed by Anya, she had learned it during her two and a half years in Konoha and further improved it. The lightning-formed armor wasn't as indestructible as the Three Leizi, but it was highly resilient, required relatively little chakra and physical strain, and was highly practical.
An electric barrier enveloped Hakuto's body completely. Curved streams of blue lightning swirled around her, forming vivid arcs that crackled with energy, continuously rotating and neutralizing Deidara's C4-style explosives into duds, causing no reaction at all.
Staring blankly at Hakuto, who was still glowing with lightning, Deidara involuntarily revealed a look of enchantment in his eyes, whispering, "So beautiful."
Immediately after, a wave of shame and anger surged through Deidara. "No… Nothing's beauty can surpass my art. I'll prove it with my art of explosion."
The moment Deidara landed, he summoned another bird-shaped clay creature.
Learning from his previous defeat, Deidara reduced the size of his clay bird, making it more agile and harder to lock onto in midair.
Hakuto warned Naruto and Lee below, "Don't approach this area. His abilities are dangerous—believe me, I can beat him."
With those words, the two opponents began their second round of battle.
Hakuto drew a purple arrow and launched her attack first. [Splitting Arrow]!
"Tried the same trick again, huh?"
A serious-looking Deidara scoffed coldly. He stretched out both hands, and large amounts of clay spewed from the mouths on his palms. The clay transformed into birds that flew straight toward Hakuto.
Along the way, the birds expanded continuously while flying.
Just as the arrow and birds were about to collide, the arrow suddenly split into many smaller arrows. Their flight paths changed dramatically, curving through the air like multiple arcs, locking onto airborne Deidara.
"Splitting, huh? Bring it on."
Midair, Deidara's birds also divided, resembling hunting falcons chasing prey as they pursued the arrows.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions thundered one after another. Continuous collision sounds rang out as arrows met birds—an even match emerged.
Hakuto's expression grew sharply focused. This opponent was dangerous with diverse attack methods and immense destructive power. It was time for her to get serious. No dragging this out—this would end with a single shot.
A transparent arrow appeared in her hand. She nocked it onto her bowstring, holding her breath and focusing completely. Her Sharingan remained calm and steady, locking tightly onto Deidara. Before the arrow even left the bow, radiant brilliance lit up within its clarity, reflecting sunset hues from her eyes. Beams of light poured in from the sky and earth, like the soft glow of twilight, lighting up the world below.
The arrow rested upon the string. Two fingers gripped its end firmly, pulling back the bow with precision aimed at Deidara. In the final moment, she closed her eyes, preparing to release.
Then, a voice echoed in her mind: "Don't kill him."
Hakuto shivered slightly, her aim deviating just a bit. And then the arrow flew.
Light flared and dimmed. Somehow, the arrow vanished without a trace.
Still confused about what had happened, Deidara felt a sharp pain in his chest. A powerful force flipped him over completely—man and bird tumbled midair before plummeting like a free-falling body into the raging stream below, sinking silently into the lake water until nothing remained visible.
Having fired that arrow, Hakuto gasped for breath, her entire body weak and unable to pursue further.
"How is that possible?"
Obito, who witnessed everything, trembled visibly. The look in his eyes was filled with shock—it wasn't ordinary archery; it was spatial force. Once locked on by the arrow, there was no escape—the target couldn't dodge.
How old could she be, yet somehow she managed to carry two burdens dragging her down and push Deidara, Akatsuki's genius, to the brink of helplessness. At this moment, Obito started rethinking his earlier threats toward Anya.
"I think I've won this fight."
Anya wasn't the least surprised by this outcome. During her long stay in Konoha without going out, aside from scribbling a bit, most of her time had been spent training Hakuto. Without exaggeration, among everyone Anya had met so far, no one's talent could rival Hakuto's. Her progress was obvious day by day, her strength visibly growing by the hour. Moreover, her abilities had natural advantages against Deidara's techniques. From the beginning, this battle's victory had been predetermined.
Obito came to his senses and reminded her, "Don't forget, there's still another fight going on."
Anya sighed, "Too bad—they don't stand a chance."
Inside the cave, various puppet remains were scattered everywhere. Kakashi lay on the ground, clearly having lost all fighting capability. Yet he never let go of the White Fang Blade. Judging from his rising chest, he remained in critical condition.
"A Chakra Blade? Cutting the puppet's threads and engaging in close combat—truly the natural enemy of a puppet master. Now I finally understand how my parents were defeated." As Sasori finished speaking, the last puppet in the cave shattered into pieces.
Seeing the brutal battle finally end, Sakura hurried to Kakashi, her hand glowing with green chakra as she exclaimed, "Master, you've been poisoned! Let me use the [Antidote Technique] on you!"
Thus, the Akatsuki duo of Deidara and Sasori were utterly defeated.
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