---
Countless armored monsters were buried under the sand.
Suddenly, a thick fog began to rise from the sea.
Gaara signaled for three flares to be fired, and the flares dispersed the fog, revealing a massive, unfamiliar ship on the water!
The ship's cannons fired upon Sunagakure, targeting the village.
Gaara raised his hands, and a vast amount of yellow sand gathered to form a protective shield.
The cannonballs struck Gaara's sand shield, shattering it instantly.
But no one was harmed.
Gaara watched as the ship tried to flee.
He wanted to control the sand beneath the sea, but he couldn't yet manage it.
Sensing Gaara's intent, Shukaku whispered, "Beg me for help, and I will lend you my strength."
Gaara refused firmly, "No need!"
Angered, Shukaku retorted, "You don't want it? Too bad, I'll give it to you anyway!"
Suddenly, Gaara felt a surge of chakra flood his body. The sand on the seabed condensed into massive claws under his control, crushing the ship in an instant!
"Did you see that?" Shukaku exclaimed excitedly. "This is my power."
Gaara remained silent.
He was still uneasy about his relationship with Shukaku.
---
''Meanwhile, elsewhere...''
In the Land of Waves, Naruto, Sakura, Shikamaru, and Kakashi were on a mission to locate a ferret.
Kakashi explained the details of the mission.
Shikamaru sighed in exasperation, "This is such a drag... Hunting down a ferret? What a hassle."
Kakashi was about to say something when Naruto suddenly spotted the ferret!
"Shh! I see it, everyone!" Naruto whispered to Kakashi and the others. "Watch me!"
Naruto dashed toward the ferret, which seemed unfazed by his presence.
The ferret stood upright, staring directly at Naruto.
Naruto swiftly grabbed the ferret by the neck.
Holding it up triumphantly, he called out to Sakura, "Sakura-chan, how do you like that? Pretty impressive, right?"
Sakura felt a twinge of disgust.
She never appreciated Naruto's attempts to impress her.
Since she was a child, Sakura's mother had instilled in her the belief that as a girl, becoming a powerful ninja was unrealistic. She should instead aim to marry a boy from a prominent family.
When Sakura met Sasuke, she wholeheartedly embraced her mother's words.
Sasuke was handsome, strong, and from a respected clan.
To Sakura, beauty was her weapon to win Sasuke's heart.
So, it was impossible for her to like Naruto.
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at Naruto's antics, feeling his usual sense of weariness.
Kakashi, deep in thought, remembered the instructions from Shikamaru's father, Shikaku, and told the team, "You three handle the mission. I have something else to investigate."
Kakashi was secretly investigating the Gelel's Stone.
After Kakashi left, Naruto, Sakura, and Shikamaru arrived at the edge of a small village in the Land of Waves. Shikamaru looked around, puzzled.
"Why is there not even a trace of life energy in this village, especially in broad daylight?" he wondered.
Before Shikamaru could fully grasp the situation, five undead, armored monsters suddenly surrounded them!
Looking at the undead creatures, Shikamaru sighed deeply. "What a pain..."
---
Sakura attacked one of the undead monsters, landing a powerful punch on its armor and stuffing a paper bomb inside.
"Boom!"
After the explosion, the monster's chest caved in, but it was hollow inside. The creature seemed like... a pottery figure, with its armor's core empty.
Sakura barely had time to process this.
The monster, despite its shattered chest, began to reassemble itself!
"Everyone, be careful!" Sakura shouted. "These monsters can regenerate!"
Suddenly, one of the creatures grabbed Sakura from behind, holding her in a tight grip.
Seeing this, Naruto yelled, "Sakura, I'm coming to save you!"
But the remaining monsters closed in on Naruto, as if they had planned this all along.
No matter what Naruto tried—be it the Shadow Clone Jutsu or Rasengan—nothing could break him free from the monsters' hold.
Desperate, Naruto's eyes instinctively turned into slits, and red chakra began to swirl around him!
"Vermilion Rasengan!"
The Rasengan, infused with the Nine-Tails' chakra, obliterated four of the undead monsters in an instant.
The powerful chakra shattered the monsters into pieces, preventing them from regenerating.
At this critical moment, Naruto had to rely on the Nine-Tails' power to break free.
At this stage, even a small amount of the Nine-Tails' chakra made Naruto incredibly powerful.
In a flash, Naruto was in front of Sakura.
He punched the undead monster holding her, freeing her from its grip.
Just then, a flash of light sliced through the air.
Naruto turned to see a blond boy in silver armor.
The boy smirked at Naruto, giving him a thumbs-up before making a taunting gesture.
Naruto couldn't let that slide.
"Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Dozens of Naruto's clones charged at the blond boy.
The boy touched his chest, and a green light emanated from it, turning his dagger into a long sword.
The sword was enveloped in a green whirlwind.
As the whirlwind swept through, Naruto's clones were instantly dispersed.
When the last clone disappeared, the real Naruto lunged forward!
"Vermilion Rasengan!"
The red Rasengan collided with the boy's green whirlwind, triggering a violent explosion!
The ground beneath them cracked, and the two fell off the edge of a cliff together!
Just as Shikamaru was about to intervene, he heard a massive mechanical sound coming from the village behind him.
Turning around, Shikamaru saw a moving castle!
The gigantic structure creaked as it moved.
"Sakura," Shikamaru said urgently, "You go find Kakashi-sensei to save Naruto. I'll check out this castle!"
With the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, Shikamaru wasn't overly concerned for his safety.
But the situation was spiraling out of their control.
No matter what happened, Shikamaru and Sakura couldn't turn the tide alone.
So the best choice was to find their sensei!
As he ran, Shikamaru couldn't help but think:
Though he hated to admit it, if Sasuke were here, they wouldn't be in this mess.
Kakashi hadn't gone far; they should be able to find him soon.
However, as Sakura searched for Kakashi and left the Land of Waves, she still couldn't find him!
In desperation, Sakura had no choice but to return to Konoha.
She needed to seek help from others!
---
''Back in Konoha...''
Sasuke and Hinata were enjoying a quiet picnic in the forest.
Suddenly, Hinata sensed a familiar chakra.
She activated her Byakugan and said to Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, Sakura's back."
"Is she alone?" Sasuke asked.
Hinata nodded, "Yes, but she seems to be in some kind of trouble. Her chakra is all over the place."
At that moment, Sakura burst into the clearing.
Hinata saw it was Sasuke and heard Sakura exclaim excitedly, "Hinata, Sasuke, Naruto is in trouble!"
Hearing this, Hinata couldn't help but worry about their companion.
Sasuke turned to Sakura and asked her to explain clearly.
Sakura spoke rapidly, mentioning an undead monster, a green mark, yellow hair, and a ferret.
As Sakura finished describing the encounter, Sasuke suddenly realized, "Isn't this related to the Gelel Stone?"
The so-called Lord Haido, who is completely unaware of his limitations, is trying to establish a utopia, relying on the power of the Gelel Stone.
He dreams of creating an ideal country where there is no war, and the strong do not oppress the weak.
Suddenly, Sasuke thought of a comparison that amused him.
Haido wants to build a utopia, just like the Akatsuki organization seeks to establish a peaceful ninja world. Haido desires a world without war, just as the Akatsuki does.
Haido is gathering the Gelel Stone, while the Akatsuki organization is collecting the Tailed Beasts.
Their goals seemed eerily aligned, but Sasuke knew better.
The Akatsuki truly seeks to create a peaceful ninja world, while Haido hides behind the guise of a utopia, delusionally chasing the power of the Gelel Stone.
In that case, Sasuke thought, it's time to show Haido the true strength needed to build such a dream!
Sasuke turned to Sakura and Hinata, "Hinata, take Sakura back to rest. I'll go save Naruto!"
In no time, Sasuke summoned Manda, the giant snake, and rode it toward Amegakure.
Since Konoha and Amegakure were neighboring villages, Sasuke arrived swiftly.
Upon entering Amegakure, Sasuke sought out Nagato.
"Nagato," Sasuke said seriously, "Someone is trying to establish a utopia."
Nagato raised an eyebrow. "A utopia? What do you mean?"
Sasuke explained, "A land without war, where the strong don't oppress the weak."
Nagato's eyes gleamed with interest. "Isn't that exactly what I'm striving for?"
"But what if he starts a war to achieve it?" Sasuke countered.
Nagato was taken aback. "What...?"
Sasuke continued, "The one attempting to build this utopia is called Haido. He possesses an ore known as the Gelel Stone, which holds immense chakra. Haido intends to use this power to control the ninja world. His so-called utopia is merely his delusion. Worse, he has an army of undead soldiers, created through horrific human experiments on children!"
Nagato's fist clenched in anger.
Although the Akatsuki wasn't a benevolent organization, they were following Yahiko's dream, striving for world peace. They worked toward this goal with sincerity and purpose.
But now, someone was using the banner of a utopia to create chaos in the ninja world.
Nagato couldn't allow Yahiko's dream to be tarnished by someone like Haido.
"I need to see the so-called Haido and this Gelel Stone for myself," Nagato declared. "Sasuke, I owe you for this. Do you have any information on Haido?"
Sasuke nodded. "Not much on Haido himself, but he has three subordinates: Kamira, Ranke, and Fugai. They possess transformation abilities."
Nagato fell silent for a moment, pondering the strength of Haido and his followers.
Just to be safe, he decided to take no chances.
He would personally send the Six Paths of Pain to confront Haido.
Kisame would handle Kamira.
Hidan would face Ranke.
Sasori would deal with Fugai.
Every member of the Akatsuki had the strength to defeat a Kage, and Nagato was sending three of them along with the Six Paths of Pain. Haido would soon realize the true meaning of power.
Meanwhile...
Haido remained unaware that the Akatsuki organization had set their sights on him.
If Haido knew he was about to face the Six Paths of Pain, he might abandon his mission out of sheer terror.
Though Haido was familiar with the ninja world, he knew that compared to the chakra within the Gelel Stone, the chakra of the Tailed Beasts was far more powerful and destructive.
But Haido wasn't foolish enough to take on the Tailed Beasts himself. Even the weakest of them, the Three-Tails, would be beyond his reach.
However, the Akatsuki were different. Their sole purpose was to capture the Tailed Beasts, and each member had the ability to do so alone, with the exception of Zetsu, the intelligence agent.
...
Under the cliff, Naruto slowly regained consciousness.
He noticed a blond boy beside him, with a ferret perched on the shoulder of a blonde girl.
Naruto quickly snapped awake. "What the—?! Where did these people come from?!"
As Naruto stirred, the blond boy also woke up.
Both of them had fallen off the cliff and were seriously injured. However, thanks to the Nine-Tails inside him, Naruto's healing was rapid.
As a member of the Uzumaki clan, his vitality and recovery abilities were exceptional.
But the blond boy wasn't as fortunate. Although he recovered quickly, it was nowhere near Naruto's level.
Naruto turned to the boy. "Who are you?!"
The blond boy initially ignored Naruto, but the blonde girl saw potential in Naruto's strength. Perhaps he could help them in their mission to establish a utopia.
"My name is...Temujin," the boy finally replied.
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Why did you attack us?"
Temujin responded with determination, "Because you were in our way. We want to build a utopia, and you're blocking our path!"
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
Naruto considered himself pretty idealistic, but this blond boy seemed even more so.
Temujin, growing more excited, declared, "I will follow Lord Haido to the end, and we will create a utopia without war or oppression! Will you join us?"
Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "No, thanks. I've got my own dream—to become Hokage and protect my friends."
...
Elsewhere, on the northern coast of Sunagakure...
A blonde girl emerged from the wreckage of a shattered ship.
Suddenly, two massive blocks of sand flew toward her!
But the girl remained unfazed. Thunder and lightning crackled around her, deflecting the sand.
This girl was Kamira, one of Haido's followers, with the ability to control lightning.
Just as Gaara was about to attack again, he felt a sudden, terrifying surge of chakra.
A tall figure loomed nearby, his face obscured by a bamboo hat. His mere presence radiated immense power.
"Yo~~~"
---