The wind swept emptily across the battlefield, carrying a sense of desolation and exhaustion.
Sakura stared in the direction where the figure had disappeared, her lips slightly parted, her mind numb. The two words Logan had spoken before leaving lingered in her thoughts, refusing to fade.
It felt like she had returned to the days when her teacher faced his students… a mix of reluctance and unwillingness to let go.
"What…" Sakura muttered, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Almost at the same time, several hundred meters away, in the forested mountains not far from their location…
Team Guy was still locked in a fierce battle.
They had initially been tasked with dismantling the Five-Seal Barrier, but the moment they tore off the talismans, the trap set by Akatsuki activated. From the ground emerged perfect replicas of themselves.
Four separate locations, nearly identical techniques and habits, even their team leader, Might Guy, was caught off guard and entangled, leaving them unable to break free and assist Team 7.
Whoosh…
A sharp gust of wind brushed past Guy's face as he barely dodged a punch. A low kick followed immediately, forcing him to hastily block.
Suddenly, his opponent's overly aggressive assault left an opening, and Guy seized the chance to counterattack fiercely.
Bang! Two fists collided.
Leaf Whirlwind, Leaf Great Whirlwind, Front Lotus!
Guy seized the offensive momentum and abruptly intensified his rhythm. Yet, his opponent seemed to anticipate his every move.
No matter how he attacked, the enemy responded in kind… sometimes with identical techniques clashing, other times with countermeasures Guy himself was intimately familiar with.
The more he fought, the more his momentum waned.
In the end, the frustration of being unable to exert his full strength left Guy feeling utterly stifled. The slightest lapse in focus, and his flawless opponent would land a solid hit, further fueling his irritation.
'It's so annoying, but I'm Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey!'
Bang!
Thud!
A powerful exchange sent Guy skidding back over a dozen meters as he gasped for breath.
His eyes flickered worriedly toward the distance, though the rocky terrain blocked his view. The concern for the other two battles was one reason he couldn't swiftly defeat his opponent.
Pressing the radio in his ear, Guy asked, "Neji, how's the situation on Sakura's side?"
In another grassy clearing, Neji struggled to fend off his replica, while sparing a moment to glance in Sakura's direction with his Byakugan.
The cost was a sharp pain in his wrist as he was thrown back.
"The Akatsuki's hideout..."
Byakugan's monochromatic vision wavered, and what he saw startled Neji, "Their battle... seems to be over, but there's an extra person now!"
"What?"
"Don't tell me it's another Akatsuki's member."
"Is Sakura okay?"
Lee and Tenten chimed in over the radio.
"Sakura and Sunagakure's Granny Chiyo are fine, though they don't look too good." Neji confirmed carefully, "The extra person isn't making any hostile moves. They just helped Sasori of the Red Sand up and left..."
'No killing intent?' The group relaxed slightly, but Guy frowned in thought, 'So it was a mutual defeat… What's the deal with this extra Akatsuki's member?'
He knew that Kakashi and Naruto went after the explosive-wielding Akatsuki's member, but they're already out of radio range.
Right now, the only ones who could assist were them, but they were stuck dealing with these replicas.
"We need to pick up the pace too!" Guy declared loud. His youthful and passionate energy was instantly reignited as he glared at his expressionless copy.
…
Boom, boom…
Further away, on the open plains, explosions rang out intermittently.
"Heh." Deidara rode atop his giant clay bird, soaring through the sky as he glanced back at the two figures doggedly pursuing him on the ground.
"The Kyubi's Jinchuuriki has been attracted, but there's an extra one… Seems like a minor loss, but no big deal." Occasionally, Deidara tossed down a couple of clay spiders for fun. This is the weakest C1 variety, serving as little more than firecrackers to taunt his pursuers.
"Kakashi-sensei, is it ready yet?" Naruto kept his eyes locked on the enemy flying above, not daring to look away as he asked.
"Almost, just a little longer." Kakashi replied, running alongside him with one hand pressed against his forehead protector, covering his left eye.
Naruto gritted his teeth and continued following the white bird's trajectory. The enemy was carrying Gaara's body, so he could never give up... He just had to trust that Kakashi's so-called 'secret training move' would work.
Suddenly, a flicker of blue-white lightning appeared on the horizon, standing out starkly even under the bright sky.
Within moments, the flashing light faded and vanished. This strange phenomenon went unnoticed by Naruto and Kakashi due to their angle, but Deidara, who is high in the sky, saw it clearly.
The surge of powerful chakra made Deidara pause in surprise. "That's where Sasori-danna was, right?"
Scratching his head, Deidara couldn't shake off his unease. He formed a hand seal with one hand and steered his clay bird to change direction.
Below, the shift in Deidara's movement naturally caught the attention of the two pursuers.
"He's flying back… what's he up to?" Naruto wondered.
Kakashi stopped abruptly on a tree branch and turned around, "Something's wrong over there. Naruto, let's follow."
…
Lush forests stretched endlessly, leaves rustling like waves as a figure darted through them.
After running for what felt like a safe distance, Logan spotted a towering tree, one so thick it would take several people to wrap their arms around it, and leaped onto its sturdy branches.
Controlling his landing to minimize disturbance, he set the young man in his arms down. The young man obediently leaned against the trunk.
"We'll rest here for now. " Logan said.
Sasori remained silent, quietly adjusting into a more comfortable position. Thin beams of sunlight pierced through the dense canopy, dust particles floating faintly within them. The golden light brushed against Sasori's face, and in that moment, he almost looked like a peaceful, ordinary boy.
Compared to the grotesque appearance of Hiruko, this version of Sasori was almost unsettlingly different, 'I'm so shallow. It's just the difference between an otaku and a pretty boy. If I had to choose between an interesting but ugly guy and a boring but handsome one, I'd pick the handsome one every time.'
"You have good taste. To create a puppet body, you also made sure to keep your youthful looks." Logan remarked idly as he sat down too.
Sasori lifted an eyelid and said in indifferent tone, "It's just because I was talented enough. Speaking of which… aren't you surprised to see me like this?"
"Not really." Logan was someone who had known about it for a long time, so of course he was not surprised, "It's nice. Much better than hiding inside that puppet disguise."
Sasori didn't respond, lowering his gaze to the rough bark beneath them, lost in thought.
The atmosphere grew quiet, with the occasional chirp of insects only emphasizing the peacefulness… far removed from the chaos of battle.
Logan pondered the next steps. Now that Sasori was saved, everything was fine. But what about future interactions? The world was vast, and not every action needed a clear purpose. Even adults, who are caught in the mundanity of life, sometimes acted on pure, inexplicable impulses they couldn't even understand themselves.
He needed to leave this place, avoid further entanglement with Akatsuki, and focus on his own goals… his promised meeting with Itachi, and the urgent need to grow stronger after his clash with Pain.
Sasori, with nothing else to do, glanced around before finally speaking up, "The core of my body is damaged. I can patch it up temporarily to move, but full repairs will require returning to my workshop."
"Yeah." Logan nodded, "You lost everything this time, scrolls, puppets, hidden weapons and the like. It's really tough."
Logan thought of something, and he casually slung an arm over Sasori's shoulder, as if they were old friends, "Man, that was really close back there. Honestly, if you'd had my Flying Thunder God's mark, or even just a kunai with the mark, I could've teleported right over. You wouldn't even have gotten hurt."
'I almost forgot about this.' Logan added with a light tone and a pure tone.
"Kunai..."
"That's right." Logan was about to press further when a sudden rustling echoed through trees, layers of leaves shaking as something approached, "Wait a minute."
He stood up sharply and saw a huge black shadow appearing above the forest. He curled his lips when he saw clearly that the person coming was Deidara.
"Yo, hey, everyone's here?" Deidara descended on his clay bird, its considerable weight making even the thick branches dip slightly.
"Sasori-danna, what happened to you?" Deidara was shocked when he saw Sasori's condition.
"Just a minor injury. No need to overreact." Sasori replied coldly.
The blunt, unfriendly response reassured Deidara, as this was the Sasori he knew.
Glancing at Logan, he pieced together what must've happened, "So you didn't finish off those two Kunoichi, huh? No big deal. I'll handle my part."
Without Logan's interference, Sasori's battle could technically be considered a loss. Pain's orders were to 'clean up loose ends', but failing to kill the targets wasn't a serious breach… after all, the Ichibi had already been secured.
Logan pointed at the dopey-looking clay bird and wondered, "Why'd you come back? Did you deal with your opponents?"
"No, I saw something happened on Sasori-danna's side, so I came to check." Deidara said matter-of-factly.
"What about the Kyubi's Jinchuriki?" Logan thought of Naruto and the others, 'Shouldn't Naruto and Kakashi be chasing Deidara? How did he end up here?'
"Still chasing me."
Deidara said casually, "By the way, I accidentally lured an extra person. Can you help me catch the Kyubi's Jinchuuriki?"