It was a bright, sunny afternoon. The summer sunlight flowed like liquid notes, washing away the lingering traces of melancholy.
"Found it!"
Deidara called out, and a school of white fish‑shaped constructs rose from the lake, lifting up a somewhat damaged human‑shaped puppet.
Before Deidara even needed to do anything, the Regenerative Core in his hand instantly shot out threads of chakra and slipped right into the puppet's body on its own.
Though several parts were damaged, this was the body Sasori had grown attached to and could not bring himself to abandon — which was exactly why Deidara had come here to retrieve it.
A short while later, more puppets clad in red robes were hauled up from the depths, and Sasori proceeded to seal them back into his scrolls one by one.
Only when the heavily damaged Third Kazekage puppet was brought up did Sasori signal Deidara to stop.
"Look at it — it's falling apart. Can it still be used?" Deidara asked, stepping closer with curiosity.
Sasori shook his head. "You don't understand. As long as the core of a human puppet remains intact, every other part can be replaced as needed."
As if to prove his point, the Third Kazekage puppet raised its only remaining functional arm and unleashed Magnet Release: Iron Sand.
Seeing this, Deidara fell silent. He had never encountered another puppet with such strange and formidable abilities.
"This mission failed — the responsibility lies entirely with me. I will take full accountability when we return."
Sasori would not say it out loud, but Deidara had risked everything to rescue him, and he could not simply ignore that act of loyalty.
"Not a chance. I've already made my own promises to that man."
Deidara refused to let Sasori bear the blame alone. If they were partners, then they shared both success and failure.
"The terms he proposed — our leader will never agree to them," Sasori said coldly.
"Then let him refuse. Worst case, I'll just join the Cult of the Evil God instead. Heh, they've offered me something I can't turn down. Want to come along too, Sasori‑san?"
Deidara rested his hands behind his head, a blade of grass dangling casually from his mouth. His tone was relaxed and carefree.
"Don't be ridiculous. If you defect, the leader will hunt you down without mercy."
"I know that. But I can always run away, right? Before I joined Akatsuki, there was that guy Orochimaru who left the organization too — and he's still on the loose, hasn't been caught yet."
"Never speak that name in front of me. If that repulsive snake hadn't fled so quickly, I would have crushed him long ago."
"All right, all right — no more Orochimaru. But tell me, Sasori‑san… if the organization ordered you to come after me, would you really do it?"
"What do you think?"
"Tch — boring. I almost regret saving you now. You're breaking my heart."
"Then try to look a little more heartbroken. Someone who didn't know better would think I'd already turned you into one of my puppets."
"Hahaha, that's a good one! Hey, Sasori‑san — if I were turned into a puppet, do you think I'd be the strongest one you ever made?"
"I don't know about the strongest, but you'd definitely be the most talkative."
"…You're the one talking more than usual today! It feels different now that you're not hiding inside Hiruko's shell. Is it just because I'm not used to seeing your real form?"
"Silence. Keep babbling and I really will turn you into a puppet."
About ten seconds of quiet passed before Deidara could not hold back any longer. "You still haven't answered my question."
"Why answer something that will never happen?"
"What do you mean? You said yourself the leader won't agree to the terms."
"Idiot."
Sasori cursed him once, then refused to speak another word no matter how Deidara pressed him.
Half an hour later, Deidara suddenly burst out laughing, as if a lightbulb had finally gone off in his head.
"So that's how it is! I get it now. Don't worry — if it comes to that, I'll make sure you're taken care of."
"Idiot. Foolish idiot."
Sasori grumbled, but Deidara just kept laughing, unfazed. Eventually, his amusement grew so annoying that Sasori nearly lost his temper and stabbed the man full of poisoned needles.
But just as Deidara would brave any danger to save Sasori, if Deidara ever chose to leave Akatsuki over this, Sasori would never stay behind alone.
If his partner was gone, the question Deidara had asked simply ceased to exist. After all, neither of them had joined Akatsuki for the grand promises Pain had laid out.
Art — that was what truly mattered.
Several days later, Tsunade's worst fears became reality.
Following the direction Jiraiya had taken when he left, she tracked her way forward — and soon found clear signs of a fierce battle.
Worse still, lying not far away was the crystal pendant necklace she had given Jiraiya.
Knowing him as she did, she was certain he would never abandon something so precious. Which meant the situation back then must have been dire.
Something has happened!
Tsunade's heart sank.
Rustle… rustle…
A sudden noise from the bushes drew both Tsunade's and Shizune's attention.
A large, bright‑red toad with a pair of goggles around its neck hopped out.
"Kosuke?"
Tsunade hesitated for a moment before calling out the toad's name.
"Lady Tsunade?! It really is you — thank goodness!"
The toad, Kosuke, hopped forward excitedly. He had once served as the messenger between Mount Myōboku and Konoha, so Tsunade recognized him instantly.
"What are you doing here? Where is Jiraiya? Did something happen to him?" Tsunade asked urgently.
Kosuke nodded quickly. "Several days ago, Jiraiya was ambushed and attacked by two powerful enemies. He barely managed to escape back to Mount Myōboku, carrying a boy named Naruto with him. But he suffered severe injuries and has been unconscious ever since. From time to time, he keeps muttering about a necklace. Great Sage Fukasaku thought it must be important, so he sent me to find it."
Tsunade gripped the pendant tightly in her hand. "I have it right here. I need to go to Mount Myōboku to see Jiraiya myself."
"Excellent — but wait just a moment. Let me go back first and report to the Great Toad Sage."
"Go ahead. Hurry."
The Three Great Sage Lands were not places anyone could enter freely. As anxious as she was, Tsunade had no choice but to wait.
Before long, Kosuke returned, bringing with him the Gourd Toad. True to its name, its body was shaped exactly like a large gourd, its mouth sealed with a cork — but inside lay a protective barrier capable of holding living beings.
This was the only way to smuggle Tsunade and Shizune into the mountain, since neither of them had signed a summoning contract with the toads.
Without wasting time, Tsunade and Shizune stepped inside the barrier.
When they emerged again, they found themselves standing within the sacred grounds of Mount Myōboku.
"Tsunade — thank goodness you're here. I can rest easier now. Little Jiraiya is in your hands."
Shima had been waiting for them. As soon as she saw Tsunade, she led her straight to where the unconscious Jiraiya lay.
With Tsunade's legendary medical skills, everyone was confident Jiraiya would pull through.
____________________
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