A mushroom cloud of flames slowly rose, illuminating the entire Sand Village in a fiery glow.
As the flames dissipated, another shocking scene unfolded. A massive ball of sand, almost covering most of the village, appeared out of nowhere.
Gaara had exhausted almost all of his chakra to protect Sunagakure.
Although he saved the village, this left him vulnerable. Deidara seized the opportunity, using pre-prepared clay bombs to launch a surprise attack. Forced to defend, Gaara unknowingly trapped Deidara's explosives within his sand, leading to his downfall.
The result was inevitable. Due to extreme chakra depletion, Gaara's Sand Armor failed to fully shield him from the explosion, leaving him critically injured.
The Sunagakure shinobi, led by Maki, who had been observing the battle from below, finally reacted.
They launched giant crossbow bolts wrapped with explosive tags at Deidara in the air.
However, it only caused minor trouble for him.
Gaara, using the last of his strength, moved the massive sand barrier away from the village before collapsing.
Deidara took advantage of the situation, capturing Gaara and flying towards the Sky Narrow Gorge at high speed.
"It was truly a spectacular battle, a visual feast worth watching," Kirito remarked.
As he watched Deidara's clay bird approaching, he unfurled his Purple Cloud Wings, flapped them once, and soared into the sky.
"Ah, Brother Kirito!"
Deidara was startled by the sudden appearance of a black silhouette in the sky.
However, when he recognized it as Kirito, he let out a sigh of relief.
Suspended mid-air, the two exchanged glances.
Kirito praised him generously, "Well done, Deidara. That giant clay bomb was truly artistic. But you were careless and lost an arm. I'll find you a replacement later."
Deidara's face flushed red. "I'm sorry for embarrassing myself, Brother Kirito. By the way, what are those purple wings behind you?"
Kirito raised an eyebrow, pointing at his Purple Cloud Wings, and casually made up a lie. "Oh, this? It's just a secret technique I developed when I was bored."
"Alright, let's move. If we delay any longer, Sunagakure's forces will catch up."
Kirito then flew towards Sky Narrow Gorge, with Deidara following closely behind.
Finally, they landed in front of Sasori.
Sasori glanced at Kirito's Purple Cloud Wings, curiosity flashing in his eyes. However, he remained silent, shifting his gaze to Deidara instead.
Stretching out his Hiruko puppet's tail, he swung it at Deidara.
"You're too slow. I told you not to make me wait too long," Sasori scolded.
Deidara narrowly dodged the strike, chuckling, "You can't blame me for this. This Kazekage kid is actually quite strong. If you don't believe me, ask Brother Kirito."
Kirito nodded. "I can confirm that. Compared to three years ago, Gaara has grown significantly stronger. He's worthy of the title Kazekage."
Since Kirito acknowledged it, Sasori had nothing more to say. He sighed. "Let's go. I've set up traps for our escape route, and the leader is waiting."
As they spoke, the three of them put on their wind chime hats and made their way towards the River Country stronghold.
Shortly after they left, a furious roar erupted from Sunagakure behind them.
At the same time, Kirito sensed a messenger eagle flying out of the village, heading towards Konoha.
Meanwhile, Kankuro had left Sunagakure as well. He led a pursuit team and was closing in on their location.
Kirito paused, glancing back at Sunagakure.
"What's wrong, Brother Kirito?" Deidara and Sasori stopped as well, turning to look at him.
Kirito shook his head. "Nothing. I just sensed someone interesting chasing us."
Deidara's eyes lit up with interest. "Oh? Someone actually dares to chase us? Are they looking for death?"
Sasori narrowed his eyes. "Who is it?"
Kirito chuckled. "Your descendant, the One-Tail Jinchūriki's older brother—Kankuro. It looks like he inherited your three signature puppets."
"Hmph. Interesting. I didn't expect to meet a cute little junior." Sasori's interest was piqued. "Kirito, Deidara, you two go ahead. I want to play with this cute junior for a while."
"Then I'll leave him to you," Kirito smirked.
Flapping his wings, he shot off at high speed, disappearing towards River Country in the blink of an eye.
Watching Kirito vanish, Deidara felt a pang of envy. "Brother Kirito's secret technique is faster than my clay bird… Hmm."
He turned to Sasori. "Brother Sasori, don't take too long. I'll go after Brother Kirito first."
Saying that, Deidara jumped onto his clay bird and sped off in the same direction.
The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten,
Kakashi was summoned to the Hokage's Office.
Tsunade sat behind her desk, her expression grim.
"This is the situation," she said. "Sunagakure was attacked by Akatsuki, and the Kazekage was abducted. They've formally requested our help. Since we have more intel on Akatsuki than they do, we need to decide our next move."
Kakashi fell silent for a moment, then scratched his head. "Three years ago, we signed an alliance with Sunagakure. When Sasuke defected, they sent help for us. We have no reason to ignore them. Besides, if Naruto finds out…"
"That's exactly why I only called you here." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "Naruto and Gaara are both Jinchūriki. I understand his feelings. But Akatsuki is no joke. I can't risk Konoha shinobi just for Sunagakure."
"I can go alone," Kakashi offered.
"You may be the best candidate," Tsunade admitted, sighing. "But you've faced Akatsuki before. You know how powerful they are. Based on footprints at the scene, there are three Akatsuki members involved, not just one."
"In other words, your Team 7 will likely have to face three Akatsuki members at once. Are you confident you can handle it?"
Tsunade leaned forward, her expression serious.
If only he was here, she thought to herself. If her little man returned, she wouldn't feel like a headless chicken scrambling for a plan.
Kakashi hesitated. He wanted to save Gaara, but…
Could he really take on three Akatsuki members?
Not to mention, if they ran into Fujiwara Kirito, their entire team could be wiped out instantly.
Just as the tension in the room thickened, a clear, childish voice rang out.
The office door swung open, and Chinatsu walked in.
"If you're not confident, then let me join the rescue team."
(End of this chapter)