Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
Two shadowy figures moved swiftly toward Sunagakure. Both were wearing black robes, exuding an air of mystery.
These two were none other than Sasuke and the black-robed figure.
"Why didn't you just use that green portal?"
Sasuke was a little confused.
If they use the green portal, they can reach Sunagakure directly, saving a lot of time on the road.
The black-robed figure explained, "The green portal can only lead to places I've been before. Think of it as needing coordinates."
"So that's how it is."
Sasuke nodded in realization, 'It seemed she hadn't had the gate for very long. Otherwise, she would have left her mark across the world by now.'
'There was another possibility… She was still young and hadn't had the opportunity to explore far.'
'After all, if she is the same age as me, she would only be about twelve or thirteen years old. To have such powerful strength, it is estimated that she has spent almost all her time and energy for training.
"Sunagakure is just ahead. Do you want to rest and adjust your state?"
The black-robed figure's words brought Sasuke back to reality.
"A short break sounds good."
Sasuke replied thoughtfully.
After all, Naruto was the one who had brought them together. Even if the goal of this mission was merely to feign an attempt to capture him as part of his revenge plan, Sasuke couldn't afford to lose to Gaara. He still needed to prove his strength.
Letting Gaara looked down at him was not something Sasuke could stomach.
The people Naruto recruited were all strong, but Sasuke had never explicitly compared himself to them. He only measured his abilities against peers like Neji and Gaara. When Sasuke met Neji recently, he found Neji's strength unimpressive. Thus, Gaara became his final benchmark to test himself.
Possessing the Ichibi gave Gaara an inherently high starting point.
Even Sasuke, an Uchiha Clan's genius, had to acknowledge Gaara's capabilities.
After resting for about half an hour, Sasuke stood up, "Alright, let's go."
With that, he darted forward, heading straight for the village entrance instead of sneaking in over the walls.
"Outsiders are not allowed to enter. Please present your credentials."
The Sunagakure's Shinobi guarding the entrance stopped them.
Sasuke replied calmly, "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I'm here to see Gaara. Notify him."
"Uchiha Sasuke? You're the Missing-nin from Konoha?"
The Sunagakure's Shinobi became visibly alarmed. He even drew out his kunai before saying, "Without an appointment, you must leave immediately, or we'll be forced to eliminate you."
Since a series of explosions near the village outskirts, the Sunagakure had been under lockdown.
No outsiders were allowed to enter, let alone Missing-nin.
Seeing that reasoning wouldn't work, Sasuke sighed and prepared to use Genjutsu.
However, at this moment, the sky suddenly darkened.
Looking up, he saw a cloud blocking the sunlight. Unlike normal white clouds, this one was yellow. Standing atop the cloud was none other than Gaara.
"You came at the right time, otherwise, I would've had to make a move."
Sasuke said nonchalantly.
"Follow me."
Gaara controlled the sand cloud to descend, then Sasuke and the black-robed figure climbed aboard.
The sand cloud then carried them straight into the center of Sunagakure, landing directly at the Kazekage's Office.
"What are we doing here?"
Sasuke was a little confused.
Gaara replied calmly, "I'm the newly appointed Kazekage. This is my office. Did you expect me to parade you, a Missing-nin, around the village?"
"Kazekage?"
Sasuke was momentarily surprised before smirking, "Interesting. Defeating you, the Kazekage, would certainly be an even greater testament to my strength."
"Stay put here, will you? Do you even realize how worried Naruto has been about you? Ever since you ran off, he's been sending people everywhere to find you?"
Gaara scolded, his tone carrying a hint of irritation—perhaps mixed with jealousy.
"Gaara, watch out!"
Before Sasuke could respond, two figures rushed into the room.
It was Deidara and Sasori.
"Watch out for what?" Gaara asked, confused.
Sasori said in grave tone, "Just now, the Akatsuki's leader sent out a message: Sasuke has officially joined the Akatsuki. His presence here likely isn't simple."
"What?"
Gaara's brow furrowed deeply.
"Yes, I have joined the Akatsuki, and this time, I came out to capture the Biju."
Sasuke admitted without hesitation. He cast an amused glance at Deidara and Sasori, and said meaningfully, "But I'm curious… what are you two Akatsuki's members doing here?"
'From their interactions, it seemed these two were quite familiar with Gaara.'
'What's going on here?'
"Sasori, what's the big deal with Sasuke joining Akatsuki?"
Gaara asked, still puzzled.
To Gaara, Naruto was the second-in-command of the Akatsuki. Sasuke joining didn't seem like an issue at all. Besides, even if capturing a Biju was the mission, it might just be for show.
Sasori hesitated before explaining, "Gaara, there's something I never told you. Not long ago, the Akatsuki held a meeting. During it, the leader questioned Itachi about whether Naruto had been poisoned to death. Itachi said no. But how did the leader even know about this rumor? The information must have come from Sasuke. It seems likely that Sasuke has misunderstood Naruto and may no longer be on our side."
Hearing this, Gaara instinctively stepped back, putting more distance between himself and Sasuke, "Sasuke, what's going on?"
Sasuke sighed and said, "I always believed Naruto was captured by Itachi. So, when I took away Naruto from him, I found Naruto seemingly poisoned to death and thought he was gone. But after investigating, I realized it was all a misunderstanding. Naruto had staged his own 'death' to awaken my Mangekyo Sharingan."
"But now that Naruto is handling more critical matters, I can't find him. All I can do is focus on my revenge and resolve my personal issues. That's why I joined the Akatsuki."
Originally, Sasuke was a little skeptical about Itachi's words, but the situation in front of him offered more clarity. Gaara was also Naruto's servant, and even Akatsuki's members like Deidara and Sasori seemed to have become allies under Naruto.
"Revenge?"
Gaara's frown deepened.
Sasuke nodded slightly, "I've uncovered the true reason behind the Uchiha Clan's massacre. The culprits were Danzo and the mastermind behind the Akatsuki. I've already taken care of Danzo. To expose the mastermind, I need leverage. His goal is the capture of Biju, so if I can secure them first, I can force him into the open."
"What? You actually killed Danzo?"
Gaara was stunned. The news about Danzo's death came out of Konoha not long ago, but he didn't expect that the culprit was actually Sasuke.
Gaara could never have imagined that Sasuke had become so powerful.
Sasori, on the other hand, picked up on a key detail, "Who is this mastermind you're talking about?"
Sasuke glanced at Gaara, who provided introductions, "The red-haired one is Sasori, and the blond is Deidara. They're trustworthy."
Sasuke nodded slightly and explained, "From my observations, that Pain is merely a puppet. There's someone else pulling the strings from behind the scenes."
"Really?"
Sasori was slightly surprised, but quickly calmed down. As someone who specialized in puppet-making, he had long suspected something was off about Pain. To have his suspicions confirmed was both shocking and validating.
'But who exactly was this mysterious puppeteer?'
'It seems that the Akatsuki's depths were far more unfathomable than I had imagined…'