Naruto: Cultivating to Immortality

Chapter 347 The Divided Battlefield

At that critical moment, Naruto Uzumaki leaned forward slightly, like a cheetah poised to pounce with overwhelming force. However, at this crucial instant, a figure appeared like lightning, instantly beside Naruto and grabbing his arm tightly. It was Kakashi Hatake!

This battle-hardened and experienced ninja has always been seen as a symbol of calm and rationality. He always maintains extraordinary composure in the face of any crisis or challenge. At this moment, he knows that Naruto's burning anger might blind him, causing him to fall into a carefully laid trap. Therefore, he must not allow Naruto to lose his judgment due to anger.

Kakashi's gaze was firm and sharp, like two razor-sharp swords piercing straight at Naruto. He spoke in a deep, powerful voice, "Naruto, don't be impulsive! We must think calmly and find out the enemy's true purpose." His words were like a stabilizing force, gradually calming the previously agitated Naruto.

Reminded by Kakashi, Naruto took a deep breath, struggling to control his surging emotions. He knew he carried an important mission and couldn't afford to be easily provoked. Only by maintaining a clear mind could he see through the enemy's schemes and find a way to defeat them.

Deidara's sharp, hawk-like eyes were fixed on Naruto Uzumaki, who was being held back tightly. A slight, enigmatic smile played on his lips. His heated argument with Sasori of the Red Sand abruptly ceased, as if the entire world had frozen in that instant.

Immediately afterward, Deidara slowly rose from Gaara's lifeless body, his movements seemingly casual yet exuding an indescribable arrogance. He appeared completely oblivious to his surroundings, even deliberately raising his foot to forcefully kick Gaara's paper-white face. Every action, every detail, was filled with contempt and disdain for his enemy.

After doing all this, Deidara turned his gaze back to Naruto, his eyes flashing with undisguised provocation. He grinned, revealing a row of clean, white teeth, his smile growing increasingly arrogant. This smile seemed to declare to Naruto, "No matter how you struggle, you can't escape my grasp!" At the same time, an invisible pressure emanated from Deidara, making everyone present feel an unprecedented tension.

Deidara abruptly turned his head, his eyes gleaming with fervent excitement. He stared intently at Sasori, his voice trembling slightly with elation as he said, "Brother Sasori! Let me, your humble servant, confront that legendary Nine-Tailed Fox! Hehehe... I'm confident that with my artistic prowess, I can completely subdue this powerful tailed beast! As for those insignificant minions, I'll leave them all to you, the exceptionally strong and experienced Brother Sasori! With your intervention, they'll be utterly powerless and surrender obediently! Hahahaha..." With that, Deidara let out a wild and confident laugh, as if he could already envision his glorious victory over the Nine-Tailed Fox.

At the same time, Sasori nodded expressionlessly, indicating his approval of Deidara's proposal.

A smug smile appeared on Deidara's face, his sharp eyes fixed on his opponent. Upon hearing his opponent's agreement, he acted swiftly and without hesitation. With a flick of his right hand, a delicate, pure white clay bird model flew from his grasp and landed on the ground.

Immediately afterward, Deidara's hands moved rapidly, forming hand seals as if he were performing some ancient and powerful ninjutsu. With his movements, the originally small and cute white clay bird began to undergo an astonishing transformation! Its body expanded and grew at a visible speed, transforming into a colossal creature in the blink of an eye, opening its blood-red maw and swallowing Gaara's body whole.

The people present were clearly caught off guard by this sudden turn of events, and were momentarily stunned. However, before they could react, the giant white clay bird had already pounced on Gaara like a hungry tiger, swallowing him whole and disappearing into its terrifying maw.

Having accomplished all this, Deidara leaped lightly, landing steadily on the broad back of the white clay bird. He looked down at the creature below, his eyes revealing an indescribable confidence and pride. At that moment, he was like a master controlling everything, then he rode the clay bird at breakneck speed towards the cave entrance. He circled around the cave entrance, clearly continuing to provoke Naruto.

Naruto Uzumaki, who had been tightly held by Kakashi Hatake, suddenly seemed to be stimulated by something. His azure eyes rapidly turned crimson, and this crimson spread at a visible speed, instantly dyeing his entire eyeballs blood red. Then, an even more astonishing change occurred: Naruto's eyes began to distort and deform, his pupils contracting and dilating until they transformed into a pair of wild and ferocious beastly eyes!

At this moment, Naruto seemed to have completely lost his mind, and a powerful and violent force erupted from his body. With a sudden burst of strength, he actually managed to break free from Kakashi Hatake's restraints. Then, without hesitation, he turned around and ran towards the cave entrance like a ferocious beast, his speed astonishing, leaving only a blurry afterimage in his wake.

Sasuke Uchiha's eyes were resolute and unwavering as he dashed off like lightning, giving chase. Meanwhile, Kakashi Hatake slowly shifted his gaze to Granny Chiyo, a hint of worry and doubt in his eyes. However, when he noticed Chiyo's slight nod, he immediately understood. Chiyo nodded at him with a calm and confident air, as if to say, "Don't worry, I'll handle things here. Go and support Sasuke!" This simple gesture and exchange of glances told Kakashi that Chiyo possessed the ability and determination to hold the line. Without further delay, Kakashi turned swiftly, transforming into a gust of wind, and raced after Sasuke, giving him his all to provide crucial support.

Kakashi Hatake's eyes were fixed intently on the scene before him. He knew the situation was urgent and that support needed to be obtained as soon as possible. Without hesitation, he quickly pressed the sophisticated and advanced communicator to his ear and gripped it tightly in his hand. After his fingers deftly pressed a few buttons, the communicator emitted a soft buzzing sound, indicating that a connection had been successfully established with Kaiban.

"Hey! Guy?" Kakashi said in a low voice, his tone revealing a hint of anxiety and anticipation. He knew that time was of the essence, and if they couldn't get reinforcements from Guy's team in time, this battle might become extremely difficult or even irreversible.

Kakashi believed that with Guyban's strength and speed, completing the task of tearing off the barrier talisman shouldn't take too long. Moreover, once the barrier was broken, they could quickly return to support the main battlefield and fight alongside Granny Chiyo against the powerful enemy. Thinking of this, Kakashi felt slightly more at ease, as if he could see the dawn of victory gradually appearing. However, he also understood that war was full of variables, and anything could happen. Therefore, even with Guyban's aid plan, he dared not let his guard down, remaining highly vigilant and prepared to deal with any potential crisis.

However, at that very moment, an unexpected situation arose on Kaiban's side! The planned reinforcements failed to arrive on time, and this sudden turn of events caused Kakashi Hatake's heart to sink slightly. He instantly realized that they were probably also in trouble, making it impossible for them to lend a helping hand.

Faced with this dire situation, Kakashi knew time was of the essence and there was no room for hesitation. Despite the perilous circumstances, his immediate priority was to reach Naruto and Sasuke at lightning speed and provide them with crucial assistance. After all, these two young men were still quite inexperienced and lacked sufficient life experience, making them easy targets for enemy schemes. A single misstep could lead to utter destruction. Therefore, no matter what dangers lay ahead, Kakashi had to do everything in his power to ensure their safety.

Hyuga Kanan stood in a distant corner, his sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, silently observing the scene before him. At this moment, a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the battlefield; every breath seemed to freeze.

Jianan was secretly surprised. He had thought the battle would be extremely fierce and difficult, but he hadn't expected the Akatsuki to divide the battlefield so easily. They skillfully used tactics and acted swiftly and decisively, effectively splitting the Konoha rescue team into several parts.

Seeing this, Hyuga Kanan frowned. He knew this situation was extremely disadvantageous for Konoha; their scattered forces would struggle to mount an effective resistance, and communication between them would be severely hampered. This made it easy for Konoha to find themselves on the defensive.

However, despite the unfavorable situation for Konoha, Hyuga Kanan remained unconcerned. Instead, his brow furrowed slightly, and his eyes gleamed. As an outsider, he had no intention of abandoning the Akatsuki's trail.

Hyuga Kanan began to carefully analyze the Akatsuki's tactical layout and consider how to break the stalemate. He knew that to determine the Akatsuki's future whereabouts, he needed to find and utilize the members most likely to retreat. At the same time, he needed to observe the close coordination between the Konoha teams and see how they devised a more rational battle plan.