Soon, the battle began.
Naruto, who had the advantage in numbers, launched the first attack.
But he was soon met with a very harsh counterattack.
Whether it was Deidara's clay bombs or Sasuke's Susano'o, his ordinary shadow clones were no match for them.
Even though he tried to find an opportunity to use the Rasengan, he couldn't get close to either of them.
Deidara's surroundings were full of bomb traps.
Sasuke's Susano'o was very sturdy, not giving Naruto any chance to break through.
Instead, Naruto's clone numbers rapidly diminished under their attacks.
This instantly showed that Naruto's strength was the lowest among the three.
This was also expected.
After all, Naruto hadn't yet learned the Sage Mode, which would allow him to overtake on the curve.
Boom!
Bang!
Swish, swish, swish!
Various sounds of battle came, and explosions filled the training ground with dust.
Takumi and the others retreated again and again until they jumped onto the surrounding trees to get a clearer view of the situation.
"The Akatsuki's members are all so strong."
Shikamaru's expression was gloomy. "They're about the same age as us, yet they have this kind of strength."
"If they weren't strong, the Akatsuki wouldn't have let him join."
Hearing Shikamaru's words, Takumi said with a smile, "It's precisely because of their strength that they were chosen to join the Akatsuki. Don't forget, they gathered to capture Tailed Beasts."
"Without corresponding strength, how could they?"
Shikamaru naturally understood this logic, but he couldn't help but lament.
After all, his clan's secret techniques were more skilled in control, not killing.
"By the way, why is this Akatsuki's member here?"
Shikamaru suddenly remembered his original question. "Is he like that Sasori..."
"Your guess is correct."
Takumi nodded, confirming Shikamaru's guess. "Deidara has betrayed the Akatsuki and is now our comrade."
Shikamaru was noncommittal.
After all, Deidara wasn't from the village; it was hard for Shikamaru to convince himself to trust Deidara.
Takumi's ear twitched, and then his figure flickered and disappeared from the spot.
When he reappeared, he was beside an Anbu.
"Has the news about Deidara been passed on to Hokage-sama?"
Takumi asked directly.
"Yes, Takumi-dono."
The Anbu nodded.
"Go tell Hokage-sama that Deidara has betrayed the Akatsuki and has now joined us. Regarding his future, I will discuss it personally with Hokage-sama later."
After speaking, Takumi flickered away again and returned to his previous spot.
Shikamaru glanced at Takumi, who had suddenly appeared, and then continued watching the intense battle below.
Accompanied by the continuous popping sounds of clones disappearing into smoke,
Naruto's clone count vanished at an extremely fast rate.
And this was just the aftermath of the battle between Deidara and Sasuke.
Neither of them took Naruto seriously at all.
"Damn it!"
Knocked back again by the blast's aftermath, Naruto fell awkwardly to the ground.
He had many small wounds on his body, all caused by the aftermath.
With his physique, these minor injuries would quickly heal.
Naruto looked up, his face full of unwillingness as he watched the two fighting.
Deidara rode a clay bird flying in the air; Sasuke activated his half-body Susano'o, combining offense and defense.
Only him, seemingly summoning a large number of clones, was completely useless in a fight of this level.
'When did the gap between me and Sasuke become so large?'
His hands clenched into fists, his sharp nails even piercing his skin.
Blood flowed through his fingers, but he was completely unaware.
"Hmm?"
Takumi turned his gaze to Naruto, who was standing there in a daze.
He felt Naruto was a bit off.
At this moment, Naruto was collecting rent from the tenant inside his body.
This process was very fast.
Takumi suddenly saw red Tailed Beast's Chakra emerge from Naruto's body, like a cloak covering him.
'It seems Naruto is getting serious too.'
'Unfortunately, Naruto is still too immature right now.'
'Or rather, under my influence, Sasuke's progress has been a bit faster.'
There was no helping this.
The direction of the entire Shinobi World had deviated significantly because of Takumi's appearance.
If it followed the normal trajectory, the Akatsuki would officially start capturing Tailed Beasts three years later.
But because of him, the Akatsuki had to advance their plan, exposing themselves too early to the Five Great Nations.
This also completely changed the future of some people.
The biggest change was Sasuke.
Because of Takumi's appearance, Orochimaru didn't place the Cursed Seal on him, and Sasuke didn't defect in pursuit of power.
Moreover, because of Takumi, he obtained the power of the Mangekyo several years early, and even achieved the Eternal Mangekyo in one step.
It could be said that his strength had advanced by leaps and bounds.
But looking at Naruto, at this moment he still only knew Multiple Shadow Clone Technique and Rasengan.
He hadn't yet had the chance to master the crucial Sage Mode.
Jiraiya wasn't by his side at this time and couldn't guide him in special training.
Kakashi wanted to teach but didn't know where to start.
…
Reinforced by the Tailed Beast's Chakra, Naruto's physical abilities went up another level.
He rushed out, heading straight for Sasuke.
But the sturdy Susano'o was not an easily breachable barrier.
As the fight intensified, the situation became increasingly out of control.
"Naruto's state is a bit off."
Shikamaru frowned deeply, his expression serious.
"What is that on Naruto? Red Chakra?"
Kiba pointed curiously at the Chakra Cloak on Naruto and asked.
"That Chakra feels ominous."
Hinata said worriedly.
The Hyuga Clan were exceptional in sensory abilities.
At this distance, she didn't even need to activate her Byakugan to sense the ominous nature of the Tailed Beast's Chakra.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
Takumi turned back and smiled, then continued watching the situation closely.
Naruto, now enhanced, began to vent the powerful strength he had suddenly acquired without restraint.
His fighting style was like a wild beast, completely without order.
This way of fighting, relying on instinct, had both advantages and disadvantages.
But in this situation, the disadvantages outweighed the advantages.
After all, one could fly, and the other had a very strong defensive armor.
Naruto's jumping ability and attack power couldn't hurt either of them.
As the fight went on, Naruto's inner emotions were gradually infected by the Tailed Beast's Chakra, becoming increasingly irritable.
His entire eyes turned bloodshot, and one tail after another sprouted from his Chakra Cloak.
"Three tails already?"
Takumi watched Naruto's transformation and prepared to take control of the situation.
In his impression, with one or two more tails, Naruto would fall into an uncontrollable state.
Then he would attack indiscriminately, unable to distinguish friend from foe.