After some time as we continued our search, we suddenly saw a huge light coming from a far distance, which seemed like a blast.
"What do you think is happening?" Hinata asked.
"It looks like an explosion," I said. "Let's go and check it out!" I added to Hinata. She nodded, and together with the ninja hound dog, we started moving towards the direction of the explosion.
[Scene Change: Finally reaching the site of the explosion]
"Everyone is already here!" I exclaimed as I saw Kakashi-sensei, Sakura, and others standing near a massive crater that seemed to have been created by the blast.
"Naruto, Hinata! You both made it!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Yeah, what happened here?" I asked, looking around.
"It seems Sasuke was here just before we arrived!" Sakura replied.
"Hold on a second..." I said, trying to sense the chakra in the area. "It does seem that way, but..."
"Yes, there are several other scents too," Kiba interjected. "That's what you were going to say, right?"
"Exactly, it looks like there were two other people here. I recognize one of them, but..." I paused, piecing together the details in my mind.
"Looking at this crate, it's clear that a huge battle took place here," Shino remarked, observing the scene.
"I thought so. One of the other scents is familiar to me; it matches one I detected back in the city. Sasuke isn't traveling alone anymore. He has three companions with him, likely his allies," one of the ninja hounds beside Sakura added.
"What are you thinking, Naruto?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his brow furrowed in thought.
"He was here, but how did he escape?" I wondered aloud.
"He must have tricked you, or maybe you were in too much of a rush to rescue Gaara, which allowed him to slip away," Kakashi-sensei explained, noticing the confused looks on everyone's faces.
"Who are you guys talking about?" Sakura asked, clearly puzzled.
"Yeah, it seems we're missing some important information here," Kiba chimed in.
"It does look that way!" Shino agreed.
"It's the Akatsuki member who Naruto faced during the mission to rescue the Kazekage. It's Deidara!" Kakashi-sensei revealed.
"Anyway, thinking about it won't change the past, Naruto. We all make mistakes, and we have to move forward," Captain Yamato advised.
"Exactly, now we need to concentrate on the task at hand," Sakura agreed.
"I can sense Sasuke's chakra from here. It feels like he used some kind of transportation jutsu to escape just before the explosion," I added.
"You can sense him? Then let's go after him!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Naruto's right! I made My sense of smell is sharper than a dog's, and I think I've got Sasuke's scent," Kiba chimed in.
"Then let's head toward the place where you can sense his chakra," Sakura suggested.
"Right, we shouldn't waste any time," Captain Yamato agreed. Everyone nodded in agreement, and we started moving in the direction of the chakra signature.
As we made our way, I suddenly picked up on another chakra nearby, one that didn't belong to our team. It felt unfamiliar, yet there was something strangely familiar about it.
"Kiba!" I called out, catching his attention. "You keep guiding the team. I need to take care of something quickly; it won't take long."
"Where are you going!?" Kakashi-sensei asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
"I'll explain later!" I replied, and with that, I teleported toward the mysterious chakra signature, making sure to conceal my own presence as I moved.
I teleported from one tree to another, leaping through the branches until I finally spotted it—the familiar black cloak adorned with red clouds. It was the unmistakable attire of the Akatsuki.
There, standing confidently in that cloak, was a figure who turned to face me. His two Sharingan eyes glowed intensely as he looked at me. "Naruto Uzumaki!" he proclaimed, his voice steady as he turned fully toward me.
"Itachi Uchiha. It's nice to see you again after all this time," I replied, an unexpected mix of emotions swirling within me.
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[A.N.: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed the story, please drop some Powerstones—they would really help! And feel free to leave a review and add this to your library!]