Chapter 9: An Invitation in Blood
"Oh? And why should I tell you?" Uchiha Naoki pulled his molten arm free from the corpse, letting it slump to the ground with a final, wet thud. A cold sneer played on his lips. Reveing the secrets of his abilities to an enemy? Only a fool would do that.
He then turned, his gaze sweeping over the surrounding jungle, a fresh wave of killing intent rolling off him. "Since you all covet the bounty on my head, you might as well all stay here permanently."
His Observation Haki had picked up every hidden presence; none of them harbored anything but malicious greed. In that case, there were no innocents here today. No one would be spared.
"Great Eruption!"
A terrifying giant fist of lava, at least ten meters long, shot through the air. The trees in its path were scorched black from the radiant heat alone, as if the area had been instantly transformed into a scorching hell, the air shimmering and making hearts palpitate with desperate fear.
"Not good!"
The hidden onlookers hadn't expected Uchiha Naoki to be so ruthlessly thorough. By the time they thought to retreat, it was far too late.
BOOM!
Where the burning fist landed, everything was annihilated. A massive clearing of utter ruin was carved into the dense jungle, thick, black smoke billowing into the sky. A few brief, cut-off screams echoed, and then silence fell. No one within a hundred-meter radius was left alive.
But Uchiha Naoki did not leave. Instead, he tilted his head, his focus shifting to a specific part of the distant tree line to his left. His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And what about you two? How much longer are you going to just watch?"
Within his Haki's perception, two auras of immense, heart-palpitating power stood out starkly against the void left by the slain.
"Heh. Not very old, but your methods are plenty ruthless. I'm starting to understand why Leader sent me along with the Angel," a deep, raspy voice echoed from the forest. "The Angel coming alone might not have been enough to subdue you."
A hunched figure emerged, clad in the distinctive black cloak with red clouds. A segmented, metallic tail swung behind him with a soft clinking sound. It was Sasori of the Red Sand.
And behind him, descending from the air as if weightless, was a woman with a blue-purple paper flower in her hair. A pair of vast, intricate paper wings fluttered silently on her back, her own black and red cloud cloak flapping gently in the breeze. The 'Angel,' Konan.
"Interesting. I didn't expect to run into you two here," Uchiha Naoki said, his expression shifting to one of extreme playfulness.
Hearing his tone, Konan's eyes narrowed slightly. "From the sound of it, you don't seem very surprised by our arrival."
Uchiha Naoki smiled. "And why should I be?"
Their finding him saved him the trouble of tracking them down himself.
"Enough. Let's get to the point. State your purpose. You didn't just happen to be passing by."
Hearing this, Konan cut straight to the chase. "Uchiha Naoki. Our organization, the Akatsuki, is in need of talents like you. I am here to formally invite you to join us." She paused, studying his reaction. "What is your response?"
To her surprise, Uchiha Naoki's reply was immediate. "Fine. I agree."
Now it was Konan's turn to be taken aback. In her experience, young, powerful prodigies like him, with such fierce methods, were rarely so easily subordinated. Sasori was a prime example. She had anticipated needing to expend significant effort to persuade Uchiha Naoki. She never expected him to agree so readily. Weren't they supposed to first question the Akatsuki's origins, then resist joining, only to be finally "convinced" by a display of overwhelming power? Why was this Uchiha Naoki not following the script at all? She found herself unable to read him.
"What, surprised again?" Naoki grinned, seeing her expression. "Of course, I have a condition."
Konan's brow furrowed slightly. "Name it. But if it's excessive, I cannot agree."
Naoki's gaze shifted to Sasori, a fierce, battling spirit igniting in his eyes. "I wish to fight him. That request shouldn't be too much to ask, should it?"
Konan nodded slowly, then looked toward Sasori with a questioning expression.
"Hmph. Brat, are you treating this old man as your personal training dummy?" Sasori's voice was thick with displeasure from within Hiruko. "You are a very irritating child. Believe me, I could turn you into one of my art pieces. It just so happens I lack a puppet with the Sharingan."
Konan immediately frowned. "Sasori, do not act recklessly."
Sasori merely hummed dismissively twice before Hiruko took a clanking step forward. "Don't worry, I know my limits. However, I must teach him some manners. That look of having everything under control is truly annoying."
Why had he joined the Akatsuki? He had resisted and was ultimately defeated by Konan. This brat in front of him was being far too casual about it. Was he not taking them seriously?
"My, that does sound scary," Uchiha Naoki said, licking his lips. "Come on, then. Let me experience the strength of the genius puppeteer, 'Sasori of the Red Sand.'"
He had almost fully digested the combat experience gained from his Shadow Clone's fight with Uchiha Obito. Now, a powerful opponent like Sasori was exactly what he needed to test and solidify what he had learned.
"Hmph. Then you had better pay attention. This old man is not only a master of puppet art; my poison is also exquisite," Sasori warned through Hiruko. "Your ability is indeed troublesome, making you resistant to blades. But if you think I'm on the same level as those two fools from before, you are making a grave mistake."
Uchiha Naoki's grin widened. "Of course!"
Even if this wasn't the Sasori at his absolute peak from the original timeline, there was no doubt he was a true Kage-level shinobi, a master ninja of the highest order. To underestimate him would be suicide.
"I'm coming!"
His body flushed a deep red in an instant, and he vanished from his spot with a whoosh. Facing an enemy of this caliber, holding back was not an option.
"He's here!"
But Sasori was already reacting, Hiruko's sharp, iron tail stabbing out with blinding speed toward an empty point in the air.
In the next instant, Uchiha Naoki flickered into existence right where the tail was aimed, the cold, sharp point already magnifying rapidly in his vision.
"So fast…!" Naoki's pupils contracted. "Is this… the level of a Kage-level fighter? What desperate insight!"
Fortunately, his active Observation Haki had sensed the threat a fraction of a second earlier. His body immediately began to dissolve into its elemental state.
Shunk!
At the same moment the tail pierced through his dematerializing torso, he threw a punch, blasting a shower of molten rock. "Meteor Fire!"
Seeing this, Sasori actually sounded impressed. "Good!"
He manipulated Hiruko, which tore off its own face-mask, a sealing formula visible within its mouth. "Mechanism: A Thousand Arms Murder!"
With a loud bang, a veritable storm of kunai launched from the seal. They met the hail of magma, many of the projectiles melting, but a significant number, propelled by immense force, shot through the gaps and continued toward Uchiha Naoki's location.
Taking advantage of this distraction, Hiruko retracted its slightly melted tail.
"Poison Mist: Thousand Arms Execution!"
Hiruko's right hand opened, another seal on its palm glowing before erupting. A thick, green poisonous mist immediately billowed out, enveloping the area where Uchiha Naoki stood. The attacks came in a relentless, seamless stream, giving him no room to breathe. The prowess of a Kage-level fighter was on full display.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The sound of kunai striking flesh and ground echoed from within the mist, yet Sasori did not relax his guard in the slightest.
The next moment!
"Hound Dog, Chase the Red Lotus!"
Uchiha Naoki, his form now fully that of a lava-man, burst through the poisonous mist, closing the distance to Hiruko in a flash. He launched a scorching, full-speed punch.
But behind Hiruko, a shield wrapped in thick, visible chakra had already deployed simultaneously, meeting the molten fist with a resonant clang.