On the other side, the scene at the fountain had erupted into chaos in an instant. Naruto's pursuer, Sasori, had dispatched the reckless mercenary with flawless, silent efficiency. In the blink of an eye, Sasori's arm moved like a whisper in the wind, and before anyone could register what had happened, the mercenary fell forward, his body crumpling to the ground with a faint gurgle. No one saw the movement. They only saw the result—the figure splayed on the cobblestones, a silent testament to Sasori's deadly precision.

Naruto barely had time to take in the cold efficiency of the kill. As he spun away from the fountain and sprinted toward the narrow alleyways, he felt the heat of Sasori's pursuit immediately. Sasori wasn't hesitating; he was relentless, weaving through the scattering crowd, undeterred by obstacles or the watching eyes of the fleeing townspeople.

Naruto picked up his pace, slipping into the maze of alleys and leaping up a stack of crates to reach the rooftops. His hands gripped the ledges and railings as he climbed, his muscles coiling with practiced ease as he hauled himself up, his mind focused on reaching the quieter, abandoned parts of town. He vaulted onto a rooftop and darted along the tiles, his eyes scanning for a safe route to shake his pursuer.

But Sasori was there, ever-present, moving with unnerving calm. He vaulted after Naruto with almost preternatural agility, his gaze sharp and unyielding as he kept close behind. He followed Naruto's every move with uncanny accuracy, flowing over obstacles with an almost mechanical precision that made his silent pursuit even more chilling.

As Naruto pressed on, he spotted a warehouse in the distance, its broken windows and decaying walls providing ideal cover. He would have to lead Sasori there and find a way to lose him inside, away from the open streets.

From below, Deidara watched with a sly grin, his gaze flicking between the rooftops as Naruto and Sasori's forms danced across the skyline. "Typical Sasori," he muttered to himself, his amusement clear as he observed the lethal game of cat and mouse. He could barely contain the urge to join in, his fingers itching to create a little chaos of his own, but he stayed back, savoring the anticipation.

Naruto lunged from the last rooftop and caught the ledge of the warehouse, swinging himself down and slipping into the shadows of the building. Sasori's footsteps were almost ghostly as he followed, his movements an eerie contrast to Naruto's hurried silence. Inside the warehouse, Naruto melted into the dim corners, his eyes adjusting to the sparse light filtering in through cracked walls and broken beams.

Sasori stepped inside, his expression composed as he scanned the warehouse with calm, deadly intent. There was no sound save for the faint shuffle of his footfalls as he crept forward, his gaze sharp as a blade, ready to seize upon the smallest flicker of movement. Outside, Deidara stayed on the roof looking down with a gleeful smile as he looked into the warehouse interior.

Deidara leaned over the broken glass roof, his eyes dancing with amusement as he watched the silent, deadly exchange between Naruto and Sasori unfold within the shadows.

"Tell ya what, Sasori," he drawled, his tone laced with a playful menace. "Why don't you focus on our little Akuma here? I'll handle those two pests trailing us."

Without waiting for Sasori's reply, Deidara turned on his heel, slipping soundlessly back toward the entrance. Despite his excitement, his footsteps barely registered on the dusty floor, and he moved with a practiced precision that left no trace of his presence.

Sara pushed herself up from the debris of the broken stall, a sharp ache pulsing through her side where Deidara had struck her. Before she could regain her footing, Sasuke was at her side, his hand gripping her arm to steady her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice low and calm, though his gaze remained coldly focused in the direction Deidara had disappeared.

Sara nodded, brushing off her cloak with a frustrated glare. "I'm fine. He just caught me off guard."

Without missing a beat, Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he spotted the faint outline of Deidara's cloak vanishing into the alleyway ahead, shadowing the direction Sasori and Naruto had taken moments before. "We're moving now. He's headed for them."

They shared a quick look of determination before taking off in pursuit. Dodging through the remnants of the crowd that had scattered during the earlier commotion, they slipped into the maze of narrow alleys and darkened paths, each footfall light and practiced, their breaths measured.

"Stay sharp," Sasuke murmured as he led the way, his senses on high alert. Sara nodded her gaze intent.

The dim warehouse cast deep shadows across the floor as Sara and Sasuke approached, and just in front of the cracked entrance, a figure leaned against the wall with an infuriatingly casual grin. Blonde strands peeked from his hood, and his single exposed eye gleamed with a dark amusement. He casually kneaded a lump of clay between his fingers, rolling it lazily, but the faintest hint of bloodlust flickered behind his smirk.

"Oh, great. More Leaf rats," Deidara sneered, his gaze shifting dismissively over them. "Can't say I expected an entire nest of you out here."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, his expression deadpan as he folded his arms. "I'm surprised they call you a Master Thief when you're doing nothing but running as a washed-up artist playing with dirt"

Deidara's jaw tightened, though he kept his expression amused. "Oh, and I suppose you're the art expert, huh?" His fingers shaped the clay swiftly, forming a bird that he held out mockingly. "Maybe you can appreciate something with real impact."

Sasuke scoffed, his voice low and mocking. "Real impact? Please. You're just another low-tier criminal dressing up in theatrics. If this is all Master Thieves can offer in entertainment, no wonder the Leaf doesn't waste its time."

Deidara's smirk faltered for a moment, and a dangerous gleam sharpened in his eye. He gripped the clay bird tightly, resisting the urge to let it explode right then and there. Instead, he let out a breath, his grin returning, albeit darker.

"Cocky little Leaf brat, aren't you?" he murmured, his tone dangerously low. "Let's see how well that attitude holds up underground."

Before either of them could react, Deidara closed the gap in an instant, his grin widening as he reappeared just inches from their faces. His presence was chilling, an aura of barely contained danger that instantly put both Sara and Sasuke on edge. He loomed over them, fingers idly kneading the clay in his hand as if taunting them with how close he could be without a single defense raised.

"Are you two really part of the Royal Leafs guard?" he sneered, his voice a low, mocking purr. "Pathetic."

He stepped back, eyes glinting with something dark and unhinged as he toyed with the small clay bird in his palm. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it between them, the bird hovering ominously before darting just a few feet away—enough to send an explosion that rocked the ground and flung both of them back.

Dust and debris clouded the air, and as it began to clear, the unmistakable form of a gaping hole in the warehouse floor came into view, leading down into an underground tunnel.

Sasuke brushed the dust from his sleeve, his voice dripping with disdain as he eyed the tunnel. "This guy is no joke, should we pursue this freak?"

Sara shot him a look, frustration, and determination flickering in her gaze. "Well, now we've got no choice, do we?" She tightened her grip on her kunai, glancing down into the dark passage. "Come on. Let's not let him think we're easy targets."

With a shared nod, they both leaped into the tunnel, Deidara's taunts echoing in their minds, urging them forward into the darkness below.

Naruto and Sasori moved in a deliberate circle, each assassin reading the slightest shift in the other's stance, aware that even the smallest movement could mean the difference between life and death. Naruto's thoughts briefly flicked to the source of the explosion he'd heard above—Deidara's unmistakable handiwork, a calculated display meant to draw attention, but perhaps more. His suspicions confirmed that more were closing in, though he couldn't quite place who the "pests" were that Deidara had mentioned. Focus narrowed sharply on the immediate threat, his gaze returned to Sasori's calculating eyes.

"Where is she?" Naruto demanded, his voice a low growl, his grip on the kunai tightening as he tracked Sasori's every movement.

Sasori's gaze remained chillingly empty, barely visible under the shadows. "Who knows," he said in a detached, almost clinical tone. "Perhaps she's been erased."

Naruto clenched his jaw, the knot of anger tightening in his chest. "You're lying."

Sasori's lips barely moved, but the venom in his words was unmistakable. "Whether she lives or not is of no consequence to me. The princess of the Hyuga fetched a high price, but she's hardly worth mentioning now, is she?"

Naruto's anger threatened to slip his control. "You bastard…"

But Sasori merely shrugged, his stance almost nonchalant. "That's rich coming from you. It's irrelevant. You won't be alive much longer either."

Naruto took a deep breath, willing himself into calm focus, even as his blood simmered. He shrugged off his cloak, revealing his lean, powerful frame still covered with faint traces of bandages from his previous fight with Hidan. Carefully, he unwound the last of them, revealing the fully healed shoulder beneath. He dropped his swords with a metallic clang to the ground and drew his kunai, adopting a fighting stance as his eyes glinted cold, his bloodlust now creeping into the air, pressing out like a slow wave. Sasori's empty gaze flickered momentarily, a faint acknowledgment of the predator now in front of him.

For a beat, silence reigned.

And then, they moved.

Naruto lunged, kunai slicing through the air with lethal precision, while Sasori sidestepped gracefully, his form melting into the shadows. The faint glint of steel emerged from his sleeve, barely visible before he struck, needle-like blades hurtling toward Naruto. With impossible speed, Naruto deflected them, his movements efficient and fluid, his focus sharp.

Sasori responded by shifting his own position, his hand flicking with the expertise of someone who had spent years perfecting his craft. He unleashed a wave of nearly invisible threads, the thin filaments aiming to ensnare Naruto. But Naruto moved in a blur, narrowly avoiding the trap, his kunai darting in retaliation. They clashed in close quarters, a deadly dance of thrusts, blocks, and feints that barely gave the eye enough time to follow.

Naruto's fist found an opening, landing a punch squarely against Sasori's ribcage with a force that would have shattered bones. But Sasori merely absorbed the impact, shifting his weight with the blow, his eyes as empty and unfeeling as ever. He retaliated with a hidden blade, slicing through the air in an arc that Naruto barely dodged, the blade nicking his shoulder as he twisted out of range.

Naruto gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with fury. He knew he had to close the distance, to stop Sasori from using his deadly arsenal of hidden weapons. His kunai slashed toward Sasori, grazing the fabric of his cloak, but Sasori was already shifting, his movements ghostlike as he dissolved into the shadows again. From behind, Naruto sensed the slightest shift in the air and ducked, barely avoiding a needle dart aimed directly at his neck.

Sasori was a ghost, vanishing and reappearing with a mastery that left no trail. Naruto knew he was against one of the most skilled assassins he had ever encountered. But he wasn't about to let Sasori get the upper hand. He moved in a blur, pushing his own reflexes to the limit as he weaved through Sasori's relentless strikes, his own movements a blend of speed and precision that tested Sasori's defenses.

Then, suddenly, Sasori switched tactics. His fingers twitched, and several small projectiles—poison-tipped, Naruto could tell—shot toward him. Naruto twisted, managing to evade most of them, but a thin line of blood appeared on his forearm as one grazed his skin. He barely registered the sting as he blocked the next series of attacks, his focus entirely on staying alive and finding an opening.

"Not bad," Sasori murmured, his tone cold and clinical, as though evaluating Naruto's technique. His eyes, still devoid of emotion, took in every movement Naruto made with calculating precision.

Naruto's response was a feral grin. "You're going to need more than a few parlor tricks to take me down."

Sasori's gaze remained unmoved, yet something darker flickered within. With a flick of his wrist, he deployed a new wave of threads, thicker this time, and dripping with a subtle sheen. They lunged at Naruto like vipers, aiming for his limbs to immobilize him. Naruto slashed through them, feeling the weight of each strike, but his resolve never wavered.

He had survived this long for a reason, and if Sasori thought a few poison-laden tricks would end him, he would be sorely disappointed.

Naruto and Sasori moved with deadly intent, each attack met with a block, every feint countered with precision. They fought in silence, their blades and movements the only language between them, a clash of masters with death in every gesture.

Naruto drove forward, his kunai cutting through the air as he aimed a strike at Sasori's chest. Sasori twisted, his form flowing like water as he sidestepped, letting Naruto's blade slice past his shoulder, mere inches from his flesh. Sasori retaliated in an instant, lashing out with his hidden threads, each one deadly sharp, aimed to slice through skin and bone.

Naruto leapt back, narrowly avoiding the glinting threads, his pulse steady, mind clear. He was feeling the rhythm of Sasori's attacks now, the measured, meticulous pace that belied the assassin's cold expertise. His own bloodlust simmered low, controlled, but potent, focused solely on the man before him.

Sasori's empty gaze met Naruto's, unblinking, unaffected, machine in human form. "You're fast," Sasori murmured, flicking his hand as more threads extended from his fingers, weaving a near-invisible net around Naruto, "but this ends soon."

Naruto gave a dark smile, dodging through the maze of threads, deflecting each strike, his movements fluid and precise. He used the threads to his advantage, maneuvering around them to close the gap, kunai flashing in a precise arc toward Sasori's throat. Sasori deflected the blade with a flick of his wrist, his other hand slipping a needle from his cloak that he launched at Naruto's side.

Naruto twisted, feeling the sharp sting as the needle grazed his ribs. Blood seeped slowly, but he ignored the pain, eyes narrowing, fixed on Sasori's every movement. The assassin was giving little away, no sign of weakness, no emotion, just cold, calculated violence. Naruto could sense that Sasori wasn't just skilled—he was tireless, like a machine built for killing, and in that moment, Naruto understood he would have to push himself to the edge to even stand a chance.

With a surge of energy, Naruto charged again, his kunai meeting Sasori's blade in a shower of sparks, the two locking in close quarters. Sasori's eyes glinted, an acknowledgment of the skill Naruto displayed, his voice low and cold. "You won't last, you know."

But before either could press the attack, a sudden, thunderous crash split the air, glass and debris raining down from the far side of the warehouse. Both men instinctively broke apart, their gazes snapping to the source of the disturbance.

There, framed in a halo of dust and shards, was Hidan, his eyes wild with manic glee, scythe held loosely in his hand. He strode into the scene with a swagger, laughter bubbling up as he took in the two figures before him, his bloodlust thickening the air.

"Akuma!"

The voice tore through the room like a jagged blade, sending a chilling wave of bloodlust thick enough to be almost tangible. Both Naruto and Sasori halted mid-motion, immediately aware of the newcomer's aura, which filled every darkened corner of the warehouse. As the dust settled from his explosive entrance, Hidan's wild eyes darted around, zeroing in on the two figures.

"Heeeey! What's going on in here?" he jeered, his tone almost playful as he swung his massive scythe onto his shoulder, his gaze locking onto Naruto with disturbing familiarity. His eyes narrowed as he took in Naruto's healed shoulder, a gleam of annoyance flashing across his manic expression. "HEY! What's the meaning of this! Didn't I make you bleed like a pig not that long ago?"

In an instant, Sasori's fingers twitched, and a razor-thin wire whipped out from his sleeve, slicing clean through Hidan's hand, which dropped to the floor with a wet thud alongside his scythe.

"You're in my way," Sasori said coldly, a twisted grin on his face, his voice devoid of any emotion as he yanked his threads back, ready to strike again. Naruto's eyes flicked to Sasori's hand as it flicked once more, sending a deadly array of threads toward Hidan.

Yet Hidan didn't flinch. He simply glanced down at his severed hand on the floor while dodging without any effort, his face breaking into a deranged grin. Calmly, as though nothing had happened, he bent down, picked up his detached hand, and pressed it back against his wrist. With a sickening squelch, it reattached, and he flexed his fingers as if testing a new glove.

Both Naruto and Sasori exchanged a brief, tense glance, each unsettled in his own way.

"Let me guess," Hidan said, his tone dropping into something darker, more dangerous as his bloodlust grew thicker. "You're Sasori, right?" His gaze shifted to Sasori with almost playful malice, but his eyes held a new intensity as they returned to Naruto. "Akuma is mine."

Sasori shifted, putting a few paces between himself and Hidan, his face a mask of unease for the first time. The air grew thick as the two Master Thieves sized each other up, each recognizing the other's lethal skills. "You're after the bounty as well?" Sasori asked, his voice steady but wary.

"Bounty?" Hidan's head whipped toward him, and both Naruto and Hidan echoed the word in surprise.

Sasori's cold smirk reappeared. "Thieves Landing has put a massive price on Akuma's head." He shrugged, threads twitching in his fingers, ready to strike. "But enough talk. I'll take you both down if I have to."

But Hidan only laughed, his manic cackle echoing through the empty warehouse. "Bounty? I don't give a damn about any bounty!" His face twisted in a gleeful frenzy, eyes narrowing with a sick excitement. "She told me your name, Akuma. She demands your sacrifice!"

Naruto's pulse quickened as he took in Hidan's words, his bloodlust simmering as he realized he was now caught between two unstoppable killers, each with their twisted motivation. Sasori's threads tightened, the glint in his eyes growing sharper, while Hidan raised his scythe, eyes wide and focused, thirsting for blood.

The warehouse fell silent for the briefest of moments, tension thick as all three Master thieves assessed their positions. Naruto held his kunai firm, Sasori's threads glinted under the dim light, and Hidan grinned, his scythe gleaming, anticipating the chaos about to unfold.

Naruto sprang forward first, closing the distance between him and Sasori with lightning speed. His kunai met a flurry of razor-sharp threads that twisted and snapped in precise arcs around him, forcing Naruto to dodge and pivot as he slashed through them, barely managing to deflect the deadly wires. Sasori's movements were meticulous, his eyes devoid of emotion as his threads coiled, darted, and sliced through the air like vipers.

Hidan didn't waste any time. With a gleeful roar, he swung his scythe wide, aiming to cleave through both men in a single strike. Naruto dropped low, the edge of Hidan's blade missing his face by mere inches as he twisted out of the way. Sasori flicked his wrist, and threads tangled around Hidan's scythe, yanking it from his grip and sending it clattering across the room.

"Damn puppet master!" Hidan growled, his bloodlust radiating as he tore through Sasori's threads with pure brute force, snapping them with ease. Before he could retrieve his scythe, however, Naruto took advantage, delivering a swift kick to Hidan's side, sending him stumbling.

Naruto pivoted back to Sasori, who had already anticipated the movement. His eyes gleamed as he maneuvered his threads in a deceptive feint, launching several poison-tipped needles toward Naruto. But Naruto was faster, darting to the side, closing in on Sasori with a precise slash of his kunai, narrowly missing the puppeteer's neck as Sasori slipped out of range.

"Persistent, aren't you?" Sasori sneered, though his brow furrowed, clearly assessing the two-on-one threat he now faced. With a swift motion, Sasori released a series of poison-laced threads, encircling both Naruto and Hidan.

Hidan let out a maniacal laugh, hacking through the threads with a newfound frenzy as his scythe returned to his hand with a yank. "Now this is fun!" he roared, his attacks becoming more chaotic, forcing both Naruto and Sasori to keep on the defensive.

But even in his frenzy, Hidan's wild swings and unpredictable movements seemed to push Sasori back. Naruto noticed this—Sasori's calm demeanor had shifted, his face drawn as Hidan's attacks wore him down, each erratic blow snapping through his delicate threads and exposing the puppeteer to constant risks.

Naruto seized the moment. With fierce determination, he lunged at Sasori, kunai flashing as he aimed for the weak points in Sasori's cloak. Sasori's expression darkened as he took a step back, his movements suddenly more deliberate, and defensive.

Realizing he was outmatched with Hidan's relentless assault and Naruto's agility closing in, Sasori narrowed his eyes and snapped his threads back, retracting them into the shadows. Without a word, he began to retreat, his form vanishing into the darkness of the warehouse, threads curling back around him like a cloak.

"You'll regret this," Sasori's voice echoed, cold and detached. "You'll both fall soon enough."

With that, he was gone, leaving Naruto and Hidan alone, both breathing heavily as they turned to face each other, the sounds of Sasori's retreat fading into the shadows.

As Sasori's shadow finally disappeared into the darkness, Naruto lowered his guard, dropping the kunai from his hand and retrieving his cloak from the ground. Just as he slung it over his shoulders, Hidan's scythe swung into his line of sight, the blade gleaming ominously in the dim light.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Hidan's voice was low, dripping with menace. His bloodlust poured into the room, a thick, choking presence that seemed to demand a fight.

Naruto gave him a steady look, brushing off his shoulders and ignoring the scythe entirely. "Not now, Hidan," he muttered, his tone level. Hidan's reaction was as expected—a dangerous spark lit in his eyes.

"Not now?" Hidan scoffed, his grip on the scythe tightening. "You think I came here for you to just walk away? Pick up your damn sword. Fight me, or so help me, I'll cut you down where you stand!"

Naruto turned away and calmly began to retrieve his weapons, slotting his blades back into their sheaths. Hidan let out a furious roar, his bloodlust flooding outward, and Naruto felt the heat of it spreading across the warehouse, causing the air to go still and tense.

But he kept his focus. "Hinata," he said flatly, "is my priority. She's out there, and Sasori knows where she is."

Hidan's expression shifted, his scythe dropping a fraction as he tried to process the unexpected dismissal. "You're ditching a fight for some random girl?" His tone was disdainful and dismissive, and he sneered. "She's probably de—"

Naruto's eyes snapped to Hidan, cold and intense, a flash of raw fury in his gaze. Hidan faltered for a brief second, the weight of Naruto's look silencing him.

Naruto's gaze drifted back down, frustration tightening his jaw. His fists clenched as he forced his mind back to the single thread connecting him to his goal. Sasori had answers, and if he couldn't find Sasori, he had no way to find Hinata.

"Fine!" Hidan growled, throwing his hands up. "You want her that badly, I'll bring her back myself if it means you'll finally give me the fight I deserve." He set the scythe over his shoulder, stalking past Naruto with a look of pure irritation. "If I find her, you better be ready to sacrifice yourself, you got that?"

Naruto met his gaze coolly and played along. "Sure. Find her, and I'll give you the fight of your life."

Hidan narrowed his eyes, muttering to himself before finally marching off into the night. Naruto watched him go, feeling a sense of relief as Hidan's presence finally faded. Without wasting another second, he exited the warehouse in the opposite direction, intent on catching up to Sasori's trail.

There was no room for error now. Sasori had to be close, and Naruto wasn't about to let him disappear again.

.