Not far outside Sunagakure's encampment, two figures were gradually approaching.
One tall, one short, but both wore black cloaks with red clouds.
"This job's going to pay pretty well," Kakuzu was in a good mood. The leader often found them lucrative missions.
This time, they were even going to control the battlefield, maximizing profit.
Sasori usually spoke through Hiruko, his voice always lifeless.
But today, he actually seemed a little interested, "Heh, to control the battlefield, just the two of us might not be enough."
Kakuzu said casually, "Our job is just to draw out the enemy's top fighters."
"The rest of the organization will take over."
Sasori paused a moment before asking, "Is the leader going to act?"
"The leader didn't say, but probably. After all—"
"Who goes there?"
The two of them swaggered up to the Sunagakure encampment.
Naturally, the guards weren't blind, and immediately shouted to halt them.
Kakuzu broke off his words.
Toward employers, he was still polite enough. He spoke to the Sunagakure sentry, "Go tell Chiyo, the people she's waiting for have arrived."
The sentries exchanged a doubtful look, but one quickly ran off to report.
After all, these men had walked up openly. It didn't look like they were here to attack.
Soon, Chiyo arrived with Pakura, Maki trailing beside them.
When Chiyo saw Hiruko, her pupils shrank sharply.
Even though she had mentally prepared, her heart was far from calm.
Sasori, inside Hiruko, showed no change. The outer puppet had no expression.
But Maki also recognized him. After all, no one in Sunagakure could fail to recognize Hiruko.
Maki didn't say anything aloud, only shifted his gaze back and forth between Chiyo and Sasori.
Sasori was, after all, a rogue ninja from Sunagakure. Normally, he should be captured or hunted down.
But now, he was here as a helper from Akatsuki. That was different.
At this time, Sunagakure still didn't know that the disappearance of the Third Kazekage had been Sasori's doing.
Otherwise, they would have already swarmed him.
A rogue ninja was one thing. But a rogue ninja who had killed the Third Kazekage was another.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage had directly sparked the Third Great Ninja War.
Without a Kazekage, Sunagakure had been beaten back again and again.
It was only thanks to their geographical advantage, and the fact that Kumo's jinchuriki had gone to fight Iwagakure and Konoha, that Sunagakure hadn't been destroyed.
The disappearance of the Third Kazekage was one of the most crucial events in the history of the ninja world.
Sasori of course knew how important that was, so he hadn't intended to use it in this mission.
Seeing Sasori silent, Chiyo calmed her own feelings, and spoke, "Both of you, please follow me."
Kakuzu glanced at Sasori and Chiyo, then followed Chiyo into the command tent where the sand table was laid out.
Chiyo turned to Maki, "We'll discuss attack details. You may leave."
Maki answered without changing expression, and left.
Though he was sent by Rasa to supervise, command authority lay with Chiyo.
If she sent her out, there was nothing she could do.
In truth, if they won this battle, everything would be fine. But if Sunagakure didn't profit, there would be plenty of trouble later.
Maki could only keep her head down and wait for the fighting to be over.
———
"So it's you after all. Sasori."
Once inside the tent, Chiyo spoke first.
Sasori, manipulating Hiruko, let out a hoarse laugh, "Looks like you haven't retired after all."
Chiyo's expression didn't change, "Not yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the chance to see you."
Sasori snorted coldly, "Too bad I've waited too long. I don't want to see you anymore."
For a brief moment, Chiyo's face dimmed. Then she recovered as if nothing had happened.
She didn't continue speaking to Sasori, but turned directly to Kakuzu, "How are you planning to move? How should we cooperate?"
Kakuzu, seeing the reunion finished, picked up the conversation, "You just need to hand over all the intel you've gathered. No need for you to assist."
"Fine," Chiyo didn't waste words.
After all, Sunagakure wouldn't be losing anything. So she explained in full detail Iwagakure's personnel deployment and their defensive works.
Kakuzu's attention stayed firmly on the sand table.
But Sasori stole a few glances at Chiyo.
Although he did it discreetly, he couldn't hide it from her.
The Sasori of now was still very different from six years later.
At least his emotional detachment wasn't as severe yet. He still had plenty of his own feelings.
Though outwardly cold toward Chiyo, deep inside, he still felt strongly about his grandmother.
Love was there, and hate was there too.
But this time, he came with a mission, and couldn't be distracted.
So he only stole a few quiet looks.
But Chiyo, compared to how he remembered her, had aged far too much.
It didn't look like just ten-odd years had passed. But twenty, thirty.
Kakuzu finished absorbing all the detailed intel.
"We've got the information. Leave the rest to us."
After a final word to Chiyo, Kakuzu left with Sasori.
Chiyo gazed at Sasori's retreating back, her eyes filled with guilt, attachment, but not with hatred.
'I really want to see your true face now.'
———
[The Land of Fire]
A village not far from Konoha.
The surrounding fields were full of medicinal herbs, all planted for treating external injuries.
Since external wounds were what ninjas suffered most often, these medicines never lacked buyers.
And being close to Konoha, the area was relatively safe.
Over time, this had grown into a village.
On the west side of the village, there was a house fenced off with plow stakes.
The yard was filled with herbs drying in the sun.
An orange-haired man with a cold expression, and a woman with pale blue-purple hair, were gathering the herbs together.
These two were Konan and Pain, while Nagato was inside the house.
For the past two years, they had lived in seclusion here.
While Nagato recovered his body, they also dried herbs.
Although they weren't short on food or drink, one still needed to do something.
As children, they had gathered herbs before. Now, they did it again. Nostalgic for the past, calmed their hearts.
After his fixed idea of himself as a god had been shattered, Nagato's mental state had not been good.
It had taken more than two years of recuperation for him to gradually recognize himself again.
Konan took out a storage scroll and sealed away all the herbs.
The herbs might not even be worth as much as the scroll itself.
But since they had dried them themselves, the meaning was different.
"Have you decided, Nagato?", After sealing the herbs, Konan turned to ask Pain.
Pain nodded, then went inside to push out Nagato's wooden wheelchair.
"I've decided."
"This is our only chance."
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