*Cough* *cough* *cough*
Naruto emerged from the underground lake, dragging Sai onto the shore before collapsing flat on his back and spitting out the large amount of water he'd swallowed.
"You alright, bro?"
"... ..."
Frowning, Naruto checked Sai's pulse. He was still breathing.
His eye twitched slightly:
"How come he didn't choke on even a drop of water?"
Sighing, Naruto decided to leave Sai be for now and glanced around the cave where they were trapped.
He created a Shadow Clone and sent it diving into the water to search for an exit.
The sound of the waterfall echoing around him, Naruto felt completely drained and drifted off to sleep.
******
"I'm so screwed, yeah!" Deidara muttered to himself as he flew overhead, desperately searching for any sign that Naruto had survived—but found nothing.
"Deidara, come down."
At the rough voice calling his name, Deidara's face paled slightly.
Looking down, he spotted a stocky figure wearing a long black robe adorned with red clouds and the signature Akatsuki straw hat.
Deidara slowly descended, forcing a nervous smile.
"Big Brother Sasori!"
Sasori stared straight at him.
"I thought you would go after the tailed beast first."
Deidara chuckled.
"Well, I did find him and fought him. He had backup. They put up a decent fight."
Sasori's tone remained calm.
"And then what? Deidara."
The blonde raised his hands defensively.
"Just when I was about to defeat them and begin capturing the beast, they leapt off the cliff and plunged into the whirlpool below."
Sasori stared at Deidara for a moment before sighing.
Deidara watched Sasori turn and walk away.
"Big Brother Sasori, if Leader thinks the beast is dead, he'll rip us apart."
Without ever stopping, Sasori replied:
"Did he really die? Did you actually see his body?"
Deidara shook his head, even though Sasori couldn't see it.
"Then he isn't dead yet…"
******
##Some time later – Underground Cave, Uzushio Village##
Rubbing his eyes, Naruto heard a rhythmic tapping echoing through the cave. He stood up and walked over to Sai.
He gave the other guy a light kick.
"Bro, wake up."
Sai slowly opened his eyes.
"Naruto-senpai, where are we? What's going on?"
Naruto looked around trying to locate the source of the tapping.
"You passed out during our fight with that explosives freak from Akatsuki. I had no choice but to jump into the whirlpool to escape." He gritted his teeth. "What's with that noise?"
Still rubbing his head, Sai pushed himself upright.
"What are you talking about, senpai? What noise?"
"You can't really hear it?"
Naruto gestured around.
"That noise. What is it?"
Sai just shook his head, temporarily setting aside the issue.
"My Shadow Clone found an underwater passage, but we have to hold our breath and swim through. You up for it?"
Sai nodded and stood up.
"No problem. Hey, how long have we been down here anyway?"
Naruto rubbed his head.
"Not sure. How's your chakra holding up?"
Sai exhaled in relief after channeling some chakra.
"At least one soldier pill should get me through."
He took a pill from his pack and swallowed it.
Large chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling into the water.
"...This place is collapsing. Come on, Sai, we need to leave before we're trapped."
A massive boulder plunged into the water.
"Let's move!" Naruto shouted.
He dove into the water, with Sai right behind him.
Naruto led Sai through an underwater tunnel deeper into Uzushio Village.
Eventually, they arrived at another underground pool.
Standing on the water's surface, Naruto and Sai saw the statue from earlier watching them.
Naruto rubbed his forehead.
"How did that thing get down here?"
Sai took out his drawing scroll.
"They're sealed."
Naruto sighed.
Sai turned back toward the statue and sprinted down the corridor.
Naruto's eyes widened.
"Why is it moving so fast down here?"
Naruto and Sai were forced to split apart as the statue now came close enough to nearly crush them underfoot.
It swung its arms wildly, smashing walls and sending more debris crashing down from the ceiling.
They sped up as the cave collapsed around them.
"Is this thing insane? If it keeps going like this, it'll end up buried too!"
Briefly regrouping, Naruto and Sai put some distance between themselves and the statue.
Then they entered a wide-open area with several passageways.
"Hey Sai, how are you with mazes?"
Sai stood still for a moment, watching the approaching statue. Suddenly, he grabbed Naruto and dragged him down a random passage.
After rounding a corner, Sai shoved Naruto against the wall and clamped a hand over his mouth.
Once the footsteps had faded, Sai removed his hand and signaled Naruto to stay quiet.
Naruto whispered,
"What's going on?"
"I think the statue can detect any chakra surges anywhere in Uzushio Village. The walls absorb our chakra and transmit our position to the statue like a kind of radar."
"Wait. So was that platform our only way out?"
Sai shrugged.
"I'm not sure, Naruto-senpai, but it was definitely the most obvious exit we've found so far."
Crouching slightly, Naruto reached down and picked up a dusty old book.
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