Boom!
Deidara's eyes widened in disbelief. His vision blurred, body stiffening, and consciousness fading into darkness.
A calm voice echoed behind him. "Too slow. Too weak."
He knew that voice—it belonged to the young man who now stood in front of him. As he lifted his gaze with great effort, his eyes widened in shock. The boy was standing perfectly still, untouched. His clay spiders had passed right through him.
The figure shimmered—an afterimage.
"How... how... how is this possible? An afterimage? But... but... that's...!" Deidara stammered, disbelief written all over his face as his strength left him.
With a final thud, he collapsed.
Kaito shook his head, frustration on his face. "Really now... A bunch of careless fools. I always end up cleaning up the mess."
He lifted Deidara's unconscious body over his shoulder, used his electromagnetic sensing to lock onto Naruto's chakra signature, and disappeared.
…
On a grassy field not far away, Naruto cradled Gaara's lifeless body, tears silently falling down his cheeks. Around him stood Guy, Kakashi, Sakura, Chiyo, and the rest of Team 7. Not far away, Sasori's remains lay in quiet stillness.
Chiyo stepped forward, her wrinkled hands glowing with deep blue chakra. "Enough crying. It's time I used this old technique. Let's consider it my repayment for implanting the One-Tail into Gaara in the first place."
She laid Gaara gently on the ground.
"Grandma Chiyo, what are you doing?" Naruto asked, wiping his face. "Is there still hope?"
"This is a forbidden jutsu I developed—a life transfer technique," Chiyo said softly. "It exchanges my life for another's."
"What?!" Naruto and the others were stunned.
"My life is nearing its end. Trading it to save the Kazekage is a good deal," she said with a serene smile. "You're Naruto Uzumaki, right? Gaara's friend?"
"Yeah!" Naruto nodded firmly. "Gaara and I are best friends!"
"Then place your hands here. I don't have enough chakra left."
Without hesitation, Naruto obeyed. With his help, the forbidden technique proceeded smoothly. Slowly, Gaara's life returned, while Chiyo's ended peacefully.
As the group mourned in silence, a sudden presence caught their attention.
"Yo. Long time no see," Kaito said, casually stepping out of the shadows with Deidara slung over his shoulder.
"Kaito? You're here? Did Grandma Tsunade send you?" Naruto asked in surprise.
Kaito scratched his cheek. "Not quite. I happened to be passing through the Land of Wind on my way to Konoha. Ran into this lot and figured I'd help. Oh, right. Brought him back."
He tossed Deidara onto the ground.
Everyone's expression shifted instantly.
"It's him!" Naruto shouted, eyes blazing.
"But... wasn't he dead?" Guy asked.
Kaito shrugged. "That was a clay clone. The real Deidara was hiding underground."
Naruto's rage flared. "I'm gonna kill him! For Gaara! For Granny Chiyo!"
He reached for his kunai, but Kakashi stopped him.
"Hold on, Naruto." He turned to Kaito. "Is there a reason you didn't kill him?"
Kakashi knew Kaito well enough from their time training together. He was sharp, composed, and deliberate. If he'd spared Deidara, there was a reason.
Kaito folded his arms. "If he hadn't defected from Iwagakure, he would've been the next Tsuchikage."
"What?" Kakashi's eyes widened. "You're serious?"
"Dead serious," Kaito replied. "His teacher is Ohnoki, the Third Tsuchikage himself."
The revelation shocked everyone. Why would someone abandon such a position of power to become a rogue ninja?
"I'm heading back to Konoha. You guys can handle him however you want," Kaito said with a dismissive wave.
"You're leaving already?" Naruto asked.
"I need to check in on someone."
Kakashi, still visibly weak, raised a hand. "Kaito. Do me a favor. Bring me back with you."
Kaito sighed. "Fine."
He hoisted Kakashi onto his back, gave everyone a brief wave, and said, "Catch you later. Kakashi-sensei and I are heading back to Konoha first."
Without waiting for a response, Kaito vanished, leaving behind only the faint shimmer of lightning in the air.
…
High above, the sky burned crimson with the hues of dusk as Kaito appeared at the gates of Konoha with Kakashi.
He nodded to the two guards on duty and carried Kakashi straight to the hospital. Reports could wait until the others returned.
Once Kakashi was safely checked in, Kaito focused on something far more personal. He activated his electromagnetic perception again, searching for familiar chakra signatures.
Only one of the two he sought was in Konoha—Hinata.
His eyes brightened. The next moment, he vanished.
…
Inside a modest home, Hinata knelt on the floor, quietly scrubbing the wooden boards with a damp rag. Her soft features were calm and focused.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Hinata turned her head, startled—then her eyes lit up. "Kaito!" she exclaimed, quickly rising and rushing to him.
He opened his arms, and she threw herself into them. The scent of her lavender shampoo, the warmth of her embrace—it all flooded him with comfort.
"You're back," she whispered.
He held her close, his heart racing. "Yeah... It's been almost a year. Thanks for waiting for me."
Hinata shook her head gently against his chest. "It wasn't hard. I knew you'd come back."
They stood like that for a while, content in the quiet. Eventually, Kaito pulled back slightly and asked, "Where's Ino? I couldn't sense her chakra in the village. Did she go out?"
---