NOTAKING
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Chapter 28
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 10:50:36 +0000 UTCThe next morning, the air was thick with tension as Gai and his team stood outside the Akatsuki's hideout, ready to face whatever awaited them. Their stances were firm, expressions hardened. They had arrived earlier, eager to get started.
A few minutes later, Travis and the others landed nearby, stepping into the clearing. The moment they did, Gai turned to Kakashi, his arms crossed.
"You're late, Ka…kashi," he said, his voice laced with exaggerated disappointment.
Kakashi let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "Ah, well, we ran into a bit of trouble on the way here," he admitted.
Lee, standing beside his sensei, beamed with excitement the moment he spotted familiar faces.
"Naruto! Sakura!" he shouted enthusiastically, giving a thumbs-up.
Naruto barely acknowledged him, his eyes already locked on the entrance to the cave. His agitation was palpable—he was done waiting.
Sakura managed a small smile. "You guys are one step ahead of us, I guess."
Lee tilted his head, then turned his gaze to Travis and the old woman standing beside them. "Who’s that guy? And the old lady?"
Sakura introduced them. "That’s Travis, a new ninja in the Leaf. And this is Lady Chiyo, an adviser from the Sand."
Lee studied Travis with curiosity. "A new ninja? You must be strong if you're traveling with Kakashi-sensei’s team!"
Travis smirked but said nothing.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, the Akatsuki members gathered in their eerie holographic forms, their figures flickering through a long-distance jutsu that connected them. It was almost amusing—like a twisted version of a modern-day Zoom meeting.
Pain, their leader, sat at the head of the group, his expression unreadable as he gazed at the assembled figures. "They've arrived," he announced, his voice calm but firm. "And they've brought the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki with them."
Deidara grinned. "Heh, perfect. I’ve been wanting to test my art against a Jinchūriki."
"Sasori," Pain continued, turning his gaze to the masked puppet master. "You and Deidara will handle them. Capture the Jinchūriki alive."
Sasori nodded. "Understood."
Then, he turned toward Itachi. "Since you've faced him before, what should we be careful about?"
Itachi’s expression remained unreadable. "He's reckless. He will be the first to charge in."
Sasori waited for more, but Itachi simply vanished from the transmission, leaving only silence in his wake.
"Tch. How typical," Deidara muttered, clicking his tongue in annoyance.
As the conversation ended, the massive Gedō Statue disappeared, leaving behind nothing but the dim glow of the cave’s torches.
[Outside]
They all noticed that the massive boulder blocking the entrance was protected by a seal, a faint glow of chakra pulsing from its surface. Kakashi examined it carefully, his keen eye analyzing the structure of the barrier.
"This particular 'Five Seal Barrier' is created by talismans with 'Kin' written on them, placed in five locations within the vicinity. This one is only one of the five. We have to find the other four first," Kakashi explained, his voice steady and calculated.
Gai cracked his knuckles, his eyes flashing with determination. "Alright, I hear you loud and clear, Kakashi. Neji!" He turned toward the Hyūga prodigy, his tone sharp and commanding.
"Understood. Byakugan!" Neji’s voice was confident as his veins bulged around his eyes, his vision expanding beyond the normal spectrum. His gaze swept the area, piercing through rock and foliage with ease.
"Found them," Neji announced, his tone crisp. He pointed toward four separate locations, marking the positions of the remaining talismans hidden around the terrain.
"Right! If that's the range, we'll use radios to communicate," Gai decided. "Since speed-wise, my team is faster, we'll go ahead, Kakashi." His eyes burned with enthusiasm as he turned to his team. "Alright, Team Gai! Let's go—WITH THE FULL POWER OF YOUTH!" His voice echoed through the air like a battle cry.
In an instant, they vanished. Moving with incredible speed, they scattered in different directions like shadows in the wind, their movements precise, their efficiency unmatched.
Travis crossed his arms, watching them disappear. 'I've always liked this team over Team 7. Well, mostly because of Gai-sensei and Lee, of course. Other than them, I didn’t care for anyone else. Maybe Tenten, occasionally,' he thought, a small smirk tugging at his lips.
Within moments, each member of Team Gai reached their target. Their hands gripped the paper talismans, ready to remove them at a moment’s notice.
"Alright, everyone in place! Kakashi, be ready. Go!" Gai shouted through the radio.
In perfect sync, they ripped the talismans off.
At that exact moment, Sakura shot forward like a bullet. Her movements were swift, precise, and filled with raw strength. The air around her seemed to ripple as she closed in on the boulder.
BOOOM!
Her fist connected with the massive rock, sending a deafening explosion through the area. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface before it completely shattered, crumbling into rubble and dust. The sheer force of her punch was enough to shake the ground beneath them.
With the path clear, they wasted no time charging inside.
However, as they rushed through the dimly lit passage, Team Gai suddenly found themselves halted by an unexpected force. Barriers, doppelgängers—whatever it was, they were forced into battle, their progress halted.
Meanwhile, inside the hideout, Naruto’s gaze locked onto a chilling sight—Deidara perched atop Gaara’s lifeless body, as if mocking them.
The moment Naruto processed the scene, something inside him snapped. His breath hitched, his heart pounded against his ribs, and his vision blurred with unfiltered rage.
His bright blue eyes darkened into a deep crimson. His whisker marks thickened, his canines sharpened, and a dangerous energy began to radiate off him. His fingers curled into fists so tight his nails dug into his skin.
"You bastard!! I'll smash you into pieces!!" Naruto roared, his voice filled with venom.
Deidara barely reacted, his expression relaxed as he tilted his head slightly, observing the enraged Jinchūriki with mild amusement.
"Hmm? I guess that's him," Deidara mused, glancing at the towering clay bird beside him.
Naruto’s eyes darted to Gaara’s lifeless form. His chest tightened, and his anger deepened into something more—grief.
"Get off him!! Gaara, get up!!" His voice cracked, raw with emotion.
Deidara let out a chuckle, his lips curving into a smirk. "Oh, you don’t get it already? He’s well and truly dead... yeah." His tone was light, almost playful, as if Gaara’s death meant nothing.
Naruto’s breath came out ragged. His irises slitted like a fox’s, his transformation progressing as the Nine-Tails’ chakra swirled violently inside him. His body trembled—not with fear, but with barely restrained fury. His nails sharpened, his lips curled back in a snarl, and a low growl rumbled from deep within his chest.
His mind screamed for revenge. He wanted to tear Deidara apart with his bare hands. He wanted to make him suffer.
He bolted forward, instincts taking over, but before he could even get close, Kakashi appeared in a flash, gripping Naruto’s shoulder with an iron hold.
"Calm down, Naruto. They’ll kill you if you rush in without thinking," Kakashi warned, his voice firm yet calm.
Naruto’s body tensed, but his breathing remained erratic. His eyes stayed locked onto Deidara, barely listening.
Deidara chuckled, reaching into his clay pouch. "Oh, he seems to want to take this one back. Well, that makes things better." He turned to his partner. "Sasori, I’ll deal with the Jinchūriki."
Without another word, the massive clay bird beside him moved, its mouth opening and swallowing Gaara’s body whole. Deidara leaped onto its back, settling himself comfortably.
"See ya, Sasori," he called casually, his bird flapping its enormous wings before soaring into the air.
The moment Naruto saw Gaara being taken away, his rage exploded again.
"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi called out, but it was too late. Naruto took off at full speed, his mind solely focused on one thing—getting Gaara back.
"Sakura, Travis! I’ll go after him!" Kakashi announced before dashing after Naruto.
Travis stood still, his expression neutral. He had no intention of interfering. After all, these fights were necessary for character development.
"Sakura, I’m sure you can handle this. I’ll sit back," he said simply.
Sakura nodded, though she was slightly caught off guard by his nonchalant attitude.
"Okay," she responded.
Beside her, Lady Chiyo leaned in, whispering something into her ear. Whatever she said made Sakura’s eyes widen slightly in shock, but she quickly composed herself and gave a firm nod.
"Let’s do that. If you think it’ll work," she thought.
Meanwhile, Travis simply sat down on a chair he created, completely at ease as the chaos unfolded before him.
'I’ll wake up when they’re done,' he thought, crossing his arms and settling in to watch the battle unfold.
TO BE CONTINUED 
