Sasori was a peculiar individual, a rather pure yet abnormal human. He couldn't be simply classified as good or evil.
His mind was warped, but he was pure in his motives. Such people are hard to deceive, but once you manage to do so, they would gladly work for you, even in death.
If Naruto had still been weak at this point, he would have tried to craft a perfect dream for Sasori using his reanimated parents, coaxing him into working for him.
But unfortunately, Naruto was no longer weak, and he had no interest in recruiting subordinates.
Among the Akatsuki, only Nagato and Uchiha Itachi posed any real threat to him. Sasori, on the other hand, had lost his meaning of existence, and the only fitting end for him was death.
After smashing Hiruko to pieces with one punch, Sasori's true form was revealed. Unfortunately for him, he was now facing the Kusanagi Sword.
With a decisive thrust, Naruto pierced Sasori's core, ignoring the approaching curved blade. Swiftly switching positions using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he stabbed Sasori again from an unexpected angle, his sword slicing into Sasori's body.
Without hesitation, Naruto struck, and with a loud crash, Sasori's core, a jar-like container, was knocked from his body.
However, this Sasori was merely a puppet from using Shapeshifting Technique. With a puff of white smoke, the body on the ground transformed into that of an unfamiliar man. The Chakra Sasori attached to the man dissipated instantly, and the real Sasori, who is in the cave, lost 30% of his Chakra.
Naruto turned to glance at Kisame, who was locked in an intense battle with the Shodaime and Nidaime Kazekage. Unfortunately for Kisame, he was unable to absorb any Chakra from the undead that were summoned with Impure World Reincarnation.
Naruto threw two invisible Flying Thunder God kunai, switched positions twice, and then landed a powerful kick that shattered Kisame's chest. With a puff of smoke, the body lying on the ground was also not Kisame's real form.
After just a glance, Naruto stretched out his hand and used Lava Release to destroy the two corpses. Then, leading the four Impure World Reincarnation undead, he strode boldly toward the cave where the Akatsuki was extracting the Ichibi from Gaara.
…
Inside the cave.
Sasori slowly regained consciousness and then said in a calm voice, "I failed."
Not long after, Kisame also came to and let out a sinister grin, showing no signs of defeat, "Sorry, Itachi-san's brother is too strong."
The Sealing Technique, Phantom Dragon Nine Consuming Seals, continued to extract Ichibi from Gaara's body. He let out unconscious screams of pain as the Akatsuki worked to transfer Ichibi's Chakra into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path.
Once one of the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path's nine eyes fully opened, it means that the Sealing Technique is completed.
"Stop wasting time." Konan, who had remained silent in a corner, finally spoke up, "There is a seal at the door, no one can get in for the time being."
"Speed up the sealing!"
Normally, Konan wouldn't involve herself in such operations, but after Kakuzu and Hidan were defeated by Naruto, the Akatsuki had plunged into an economic crisis.
Just maintaining the organization's daily operations had become a struggle, let alone recruiting new members. The candidates they had considered were all underwhelming, which had caused delays until now.
With no one else to take on the responsibility, Konan had personally stepped in the place of Kakuzu and Hidan, and tried her best to maintain the Sealing Technique.
On the other hand, the most lazy employee, Uchiha Itachi, is obviously very capable, but he is unwilling to do more for the organization. He followed the principle of doing exactly as much as he was paid for, nothing more.
From beginning until now, Itachi had been absentmindedly maintaining the Sealing Technique.
After hearing Konan say that she wanted to speed up the sealing process, Itachi increased his Chakra output slightly, though this 'increase' was only compared to his previous slacking state.
"The two puppets have been used up, but the Sealing Technique is almost complete." Pain said, "The Sealing Technique at the entrance should be able to hold the enemy for a while longer. We have time if we quicken the pace."
At this moment, Naruto had arrived at his destination.
The midday sun streamed down through the trees, casting a warm glow through the forest.
Before him lay a small ravine, with a wide river flowing through it. On one side of the river, a large red torii gate stood, partially obscuring the entrance to a cave sealed by a massive stone boulder.
A small seal tag was affixed to the large rock at the entrance of the cave, swaying gently in the wind facing the sunlight.
Naruto leaped down and touched the seal tag.
"Five-Seal Barrier, huh? The tags are placed in five locations, and they all need to be removed simultaneously to break the seal." Naruto muttered to himself. Then, without hesitation, he tore off the seal tag.
Just as the barrier began to retaliate, Naruto stretched out his hand and shouted, "Four Symbols Seal!"
A merciless black vortex appeared, swallowing the retaliating barrier whole. When it came to sealing techniques, nothing could beat the overwhelming power of Naruto's Four Symbols Seal, which is a gift from the system itself.
The Four Symbols Seal was designed to trap evil forces using the cycle of the four cardinal beasts. It is a powerful Sealing Technique that served as the foundation for sealing Kyubi and even for techniques like the Dead Demon Consuming Seal.
In addition, since it is given to him by the system, it must be a top-quality product.
The Four Symbols Seal in Naruto's hand had long surpassed the realm of ordinary Sealing Techniques. Not only does it have an independent seal space like Kamui, it may also be a product of the system's direct magical modification based on the Kyubi's prison cell.
In short, the Four Symbols Seal was incredibly powerful and is his ultimate trump card.
"Not good! The barrier's been broken!" Konan suddenly raised her head.
Pain clearly realized the gravity of the situation as well, as he lifted his gaze toward the cave's entrance. The others followed suit, while Uchiha Itachi cast a faint glance in the same direction.
The silence did not last for two seconds. With a loud boom, the cave entrance was kicked open.
The several-ton boulder at the entrance flew like a ball, carrying with it tremendous force as it hurtled towards the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, where the Sealing Technique was being performed.
Sasori acted decisively, and the poison stinger on the back of Hiruko directly shot out towards the boulder.
With a loud bang, the boulder shattered into pieces, raining down like a storm of rocks.
A beam of light pierced through the now-exposed entrance, striking the walls of the cave like a blade.
Although Sasori used Hiruko's stinger to break the boulder, he took some backlash and groaned in pain. The Chakra line linked to his Sealing Technique quivered, making the already unstable Sealing Technique even more fragile.