The long-standing hostility with Konoha had taken a dramatic turn. In silence, Konoha had grown stronger, and even its enemies had started to feel the pressure of its progress.
Among them was Chiyo, a senior advisor of Sunagakure. In recent months, she had grown accustomed to the strange developments and innovations in her village—innovations that had all started after their alliance with Konoha. There was no denying it—Sunagakure was thriving like never before.
Much of this prosperity was due to their proximity to Konoha. And the discovery of another world had shaken the entire shinobi community. The fact that Konoha chose to make such a revelation public left Chiyo with nothing but reluctant admiration.
"The generosity of the God of Shinobi truly knows no bounds," she thought.
Now, as they prepared to move out, Chiyo stepped forward and bowed slightly.
"Please allow me to accompany you on the mission to retrieve Gaara. He is the Kazekage of our village, and it wouldn't be right to leave this task entirely to Konoha. Besides…" Her lips curved into a strange smile. "I miss my grandson."
The smile sent chills down the spines of those who truly knew her. It wasn't motherly—it was eerie.
Years ago, Sasori had defected from Sunagakure, yet the village had made little effort to capture him. Many villagers didn't even know that Sasori was responsible for the Third Kazekage's death. His betrayal, while painful, had been quietly swept under the rug.
And now, Chiyo—who once might have forgiven him—found her tolerance reaching its limit. Sasori's alliance with Akatsuki to harm Gaara, the symbol of the village's future, was unforgivable. She could no longer excuse it, even as a grandmother.
Sunagakure had long hovered at the bottom of the Five Great Nations—only Kirigakure shared its struggle. If something were to happen to Gaara, they might not even find a suitable replacement. The village could collapse from within.
"It's fine," Uzumaki Masahiko replied calmly. "If Chiyoko-dono wishes to join, let her. Just remember to keep yourself safe."
Shisui, Itachi, and Neji nodded without question. With the mission underway, Shisui stepped forward.
"Summoning Jutsu!"
In a puff of smoke, a sleek, silver-striped ninja cat appeared, a lightning-shaped scar etched boldly on its forehead.
"Shisui-kun! Long time no see. You finally remembered me?" the cat grinned.
"Lightning, I need your nose. This cloth," Shisui handed him a tattered piece, "was torn from the enemy's cloak. Can you track him?"
Lightning sniffed carefully. "Hmm... Still fresh. I can follow it. Shall we move?"
"Yes," Shisui said firmly. "Let's go."
Neji took the lead, activating his Byakugan. Behind him, the others fell into a fluid formation. Except for Neji, nearly everyone here was Kage-level or beyond.
Even Chiyo, though aged, had once been a legend on the Third Great Ninja War's battlefield.
True to his name, Lightning dashed forward across the desert sands at blinding speed, his pawsteps barely leaving a trace. After a full day's journey, the group reached a craggy region filled with cliffs and natural fortresses.
Neji's eyes sharpened.
"There's a large chakra presence in the cave ahead… no, more than one."
He focused harder. "But the chakra's chaotic… I can't determine who's who from this distance."
Still, he hesitated. While scanning, he'd caught a glimpse of something massive—monstrous even. The chakra was terrifying and eerily familiar.
"It might be the One-Tail… or something close."
Meanwhile, deep in the cave, Yahiko—now the Tendo Path—narrowed his Rinnegan eyes.
"Deidara. Sasori. You two didn't clean up your trail."
"Tch. The Sand shinobi are more stubborn than I thought," Deidara sneered. "Even with Gaara taken, they dare to follow us?"
He didn't look worried. From his perspective, capturing the One-Tail had gone far too smoothly. Sunagakure had almost no real reinforcements.
Yahiko remained expressionless. "You're mistaken. The pursuers are from Konoha. Two Sharingan users. One Byakugan. One with a chakra pool rivaling Kisame."
That finally made Sasori glance up.
Yahiko continued, "Kisame and Jūzō are en route. Stall them if you can—don't underestimate them."
But Deidara was unfazed. "Ha! Uchiha? Reputation only. I'll show them real art!"
"Art is explosion!"
Sasori clicked his tongue. "No. True art is eternal."
"Save the debate," Yahiko cut in. "Lose here, and you jeopardize the entire operation."
"Hah! Me and Sasori? Unbeatable!" Deidara grinned wildly.
Back at the cave entrance, Shisui and the others arrived at the edge of a cliff. A massive boulder sealed the cave, reinforced with chakra lines glowing faintly.
"A barrier," Neji observed.
Uzumaki Masahiko stepped forward, eyes narrowing.
"That's the Five-Seal Barrier. Annoying, but hardly a challenge for someone like me."
Shisui sighed inwardly. This guy's too confident… but he's got the skills to back it up. Masahiko's seniority was almost mythical—older even than Master Xiu Yu.
"Give me three minutes."
Without hesitation, Masahiko began weaving hand signs, forming a massive sealing array that wrapped around the barrier.
This was no ordinary technique. It was a recent creation of the Uzumaki Clan—a large-scale anti-demonic barrier, tailor-made to dismantle low- to mid-tier seal formations.
"Release!" Masahiko shouted.
The glowing lines vanished. The Akatsuki's Five-Seal Barrier shattered instantly, nullified by Masahiko's superior craftsmanship.
"It's down," he declared.
Inside, Deidara and Sasori turned as they felt the shift.
"No good! They're here!" Deidara growled.
"The One-Tail's seal is nearly complete," Yahiko said calmly. "I'll sever the remaining connection. The leftover chakra is irrelevant. Prepare for battle."
He activated the Outer Path technique, severing Gaara's link to the beast. The massive Gedo Statue shimmered, fading from view.
-----------------
Gaara lay on the ground, barely breathing. Deidara and Sasori stood nearby, completely indifferent to whether he lived or died.
"Brother Sasori," Deidara said casually, "have you ever fought an Uchiha? Are they really as powerful as the legends claim?"
"Unfortunately, no," Sasori replied flatly. "I haven't had the chance to face a worthy Uchiha yet..."
Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed as the massive stone sealing the cave's entrance shattered. Figures stepped into the cavern, their presence heavy.
"Looks like company—" Deidara began, but before he could finish, Uchiha Shisui blurred forward in a flicker of speed and snatched Gaara away in an instant.
"That's Shisui... the one known for his instantaneous movement," Sasori muttered. "His reputation doesn't disappoint."
Even with their experience, both Akatsuki members were taken aback by the sheer speed Shisui demonstrated. Among all their previous opponents, none had matched this level of body-flicker mastery.
"Granny Chiyo," Shisui said urgently, kneeling beside Gaara, "his chakra is critically low—barely ten percent remains. But he's still alive. Can you treat him?"
Chiyo hesitated, torn between rushing to Gaara's side and bracing for the battle ahead. "We must act quickly, but... those two won't just let us walk away."
"Don't worry," said Uzumaki Masahiko calmly from behind. "This is no longer our fight. With Shisui and Itachi here, we can observe in peace."
He didn't even consider stepping in. With two Uchiha prodigies on the field, interference would've been an insult to their clan.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique!"
Two voices shouted in unison.
Twin infernos erupted from Shisui and Itachi's positions, their flames surging forward like twin suns crashing into the earth. The coordinated strike carved massive scorch marks into the ground.
Though the Great Fireball Technique was relatively simple and low on chakra consumption, its drawback was obvious—it wasn't fast enough. As expected, Deidara and Sasori dodged with ease.
"Fire Style: Phoenix Fire Technique!"
Dozens of small fireballs scattered through the cave like blazing flower petals, painting the walls with flickers of orange and red. Explosions rang out one after another.
"The cave's collapsing!" someone yelled. "Take cover!"
Smoke filled the air. From a safe distance, Chiyo and Masahiko continued to observe.
"Neji, this fight's beyond your current level. Stay back and learn what you can."
"I understand." Neji nodded. He had seen enough to know that rushing in would only get him killed. The speed of Shisui and Itachi's coordination was beyond anything he'd faced.
Shisui vanished again in a flicker, and Itachi's hands blurred through seals like flowing water.
"Watch it, Deidara!" Sasori barked. "These two aren't normal!"
"I know, I know!" Deidara's eyes gleamed. "But I'll show them what true art looks like!"
He fed clay into the mouths on his palms, chakra surging through the molding process.
" Eight Waves of Needles!"
From within his puppet armor, Sasori launched a barrage of ultra-dense, needle-like projectiles laced with deadly poison. The entire battlefield became a storm of steel.
But neither Itachi nor Shisui was touched. Their Sharingan eyes caught every motion, and their taijutsu skill let them dodge with precision. To them, evading such attacks was second nature.
"Detonating Clay: Little Bird!"
Deidara held a tiny white bird in each hand and launched them at the Uchiha. Chiyo, watching from the sidelines, couldn't help but shout, "Be careful! All his techniques explode!"
The birds zipped forward, but Itachi calmly flicked two shuriken—each one intercepting its target midair. Twin explosions rocked the cave ceiling.
"Tch. Some of my intel must've leaked," Deidara muttered, annoyed. "Well, time for something bigger!"
"Detonating Clay: Giant Bird!"
He summoned a massive clay bird that spread its wings and took to the air, quickly gaining altitude.
"Brother Sasori, want to ride?"
"No. My puppet's not suited for aerial combat," Sasori replied without turning his head.
"Suit yourself. I'll take off, then."
But instead of flying away, Deidara stood motionless.
"Oi, what are you waiting for?" Sasori frowned. "Go! Don't delay my—"
BOOM!
A sudden surge of chakra interrupted him. Deidara, with a twisted grin, whispered, "Art... is an explosion, hm!"
"You're insane—wait... this is a genjutsu!"
Sasori reacted instantly. A thin chakra thread lashed out, attaching to Deidara's body as he pumped his chakra in to disrupt the illusion.
"Snap out of it!"
Deidara blinked. "Brother Sasori? What's happening?"
"You were trapped in an illusion and almost blew us both up! my Puppet—gone!"
As the smoke cleared, Sasori's armor cracked open. His true form emerged—a youthful red-haired boy.
"Huh?! You look younger than me!"
"Idiot. This is a puppet body. Of course it looks younger! And stop distracting me!"
He glanced toward Chiyo, his expression unreadable. Even for someone who had long since discarded emotion, her presence stirred something.
"You turned yourself into a puppet? As expected of Brother Sasori," Deidara mused. "Still, I prefer explosions. That's true art."
"Can you stop saying that now?" Sasori snapped. "And how the hell did one illusion knock you out?"
"I warned you about the Uchiha's genjutsu, didn't I? Now look what happened!"
He summoned another puppet with a loud clatter.
"This one's my masterpiece!"
Shisui's eyes narrowed. "So it was you. You killed the Third Kazekage."
"During the Third Great War," Sasori said coldly, "Sunagakure blamed Konoha for his death… but the truth is, he died by my hand."
Shisui's gaze darkened. "War is always a mask for lies. Just like Master Xiu Yu said... peace is relative, but war—it's eternal."
His voice trembled for a moment. Memories of fallen comrades clouded his thoughts.
But there was no more time for reflection.
"Enough talk," Sasori said. His Sharingan gleamed. "Let's end this. Magnetic Style: Sand Iron Rain!"
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