---
The Akatsuki's Hidden Lair
Inside a dark cave, several cloaked figures stood atop stone pillars.
They were performing the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's sealing ritual.
The captured Two-Tails, Five-Tails, and Seven-Tails were being sealed into the Gedo Statue.
At the same time, Deidara and his partner had returned, dragging along Shukaku's Jinchuriki.
While the ritual continued, this gave Konoha and Sunagakure a small window to counterattack.
---
Sakiya and her group arrived at Sunagakure.
The moment they stepped into the village, they saw a massive crater in the distance.
The surrounding area was nothing but ruins.
Sakura swallowed hard.
"This is… horrible."
A familiar voice interrupted.
"The enemy is incredibly strong!"
An old woman appeared, her sharp gaze sweeping over the Konoha squad.
"But why would Konoha send a bunch of kids? Are you planning to throw them into battle as deadweight?"
Kakashi and Gai frowned, about to respond, when—
A voice chimed in confidently.
"They'll be fine. My Eye of Death will protect them."
The old woman, Chiyo, turned to look at Sakiya.
For a moment, she said nothing.
After all, she had already heard rumors of Sakiya's illusion techniques.
Suddenly, Chiyo coughed, a bit of blood appearing at the corner of her mouth.
"You're injured?" Kakashi asked, alarmed.
Chiyo nodded.
"The one who attacked me… his technique countered mine. I managed to avoid a fatal blow, but I still took some damage."
Kakashi and the others exchanged glances, their gazes shifting to the massive crater in the village.
If Chiyo, an elite puppeteer, had been injured, then their enemies were more dangerous than expected.
Chiyo then pulled out a tattered piece of cloth.
"This was left behind by the enemy."
Kiba's eyes lit up.
"With this, we can track them down!"
He handed the cloth to Akamaru, who sniffed it.
The next second, the large white dog took off running.
"Follow him!" Kiba shouted.
The entire squad immediately gave chase.
Meanwhile, Sakiya sighed as she ran.
"Ugh… another long chase mission. How annoying."
----
Across the desert, through dense jungle—
Eventually, the trail vanished completely.
Akamaru had been following the faint scent left behind, but now, there was nothing.
This didn't necessarily mean the enemy was gone—just that they had reached a critical point.
Then, they encountered something unusual.
A barrier.
It wasn't just any barrier—it had a peculiar effect.
Within it, each person was forced to face an opponent of equal strength.
And the only way to escape?
Defeat yourself.
This kind of technique had little effect on Kakashi and Gai, but for the younger ones, it was a serious trial.
---
Inside the Hidden Lair
Deep within the cave, the Akatsuki members sensed the disturbance.
Pain's eyes narrowed.
"Someone's approaching. Konoha and Suna's forces."
Deidara smirked.
"Oh? They actually tracked us here?"
"Did they break through the barrier?" Sasori asked.
"Not yet," Pain replied.
Deidara's excitement grew.
"Then let's lure them away."
Scorpion nodded.
"We're not part of the sealing ritual, so we can handle them."
Pain gave his command.
"Use the Substitution Clones. Slow them down."
Kisame chuckled.
"I'm in. I've got unfinished business with Konoha's ninja."
Itachi silently nodded, stepping forward as well.
Before they left, Kisame added:
"Be careful of a certain kid from Konoha. She's stronger than she looks."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Everyone remembered how Kisame had returned injured.
"A kid?" Scorpion's interest was piqued.
"Interesting," he murmured.
Deidara grinned.
"Then it's time for them to experience true art."
---
Outside, near the mountain wall, Sakiya found herself staring at a copy of herself.
A mirror image—identical in every way.
She tilted her head, intrigued.
"Whoa… Is this some kind of holographic projection?"
Her copy smirked.
"Holographic? No. I am the Eye of Death."
Then, the clone raised its voice.
"The Crimson Brilliance of Death! The ultimate sin of humanity! Witness it!"
In an instant, the doppelgänger's left eye snapped open, unleashing a blood-red glow.
Sakiya froze, momentarily stunned by the sight.
[Crimson Brilliance? That actually looks… dangerous.]
Without hesitation, she dodged instantly.
Sakiya smirked.
"My turn now!"
Her duplicate nodded seriously, as if following some kind of turn-based battle rule.
Satisfied, Sakiya covered her left eye with one hand and dramatically pointed at her opponent.
"Can you feel it? The breath of death! The weight of fate pulling you under! The end of your existence is near! Face it! The Gaze of Death!"
Her clone clutched her chest, staggering backward with an exaggerated expression of pain.
"Agh...! My Eye of Death... will never yield!" she gasped.
Three seconds passed.
Then, the clone suddenly leapt back up.
"Hmph! With sheer willpower, I've broken your so-called Gaze of Death!"
Sakiya played along, widening her eyes in shock.
"You countered it with willpower alone?! As expected of me—truly impressive!"
----
Meanwhile...
Naruto was struggling, forced into a defensive fight.
Kakashi was also searching for a way to break the barrier.
Everyone was engaged in intense battles, trying to overcome their opponents.
Everyone—except Sakiya.
Her fight looked... strange.
From outside the barrier, Pain could observe what was happening inside. When he saw Sakiya's battle, his confidence wavered.
"What is with this girl's fighting style?"
"How is she even defeating herself? Is this some kind of game?!"
Honestly, if it weren't for everyone else battling normally, Pain might have thought his technique was malfunctioning.
Outside, Kakashi had been carefully analyzing the structure of the barrier.
After a moment, he found the weak point.
He turned to Gai.
"Gai! Step back—I'm bringing this barrier down!"
Gai quickly moved away.
Kakashi took a deep breath.
"Raikiri!"
A surge of lightning erupted in his hand as he plunged it into the barrier's core.
The entire structure began to collapse.
Many of the fighters inside had already won their battles and were able to escape.
The others were still struggling—until their opponents suddenly vanished.
Sakiya sighed, visibly disappointed.
"I didn't even get to finish my fight..."
She clenched her fists.
"I need to train more!"
As the barrier fully dissipated, the hidden landscape was revealed.
A cave entrance loomed ahead.
From inside, two figures stepped out.
Kisame. Uchiha Itachi.
Everyone tensed up.
Chiyo frowned.
"No... it's not them!"
Sasuke, however, had already locked onto Itachi, his emotions surging.
Kisame glanced at Sakiya and immediately frowned.
"If she's here, our clones won't last long."
Itachi nodded.
"We don't need them to."
Weapons were drawn.
Gai stepped forward to face Kisame.
Kakashi and the others blocked Itachi's path.
"You go ahead! We'll hold them off!"
Chiyo nodded and hurried inside.
Sakiya looked at the battlefield, then at the cave.
"Only two clones?" She sighed. "That's no fun."
Without hesitation, she followed Chiyo inside.
___________
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