--
"Bring Gaara back!" Kankurō shouted, his voice laced with fury. "Otherwise, I'll kill you using the ultimate puppet technique developed by the genius of the Sand—Sasori of the Red Sand!"
Deidara and Sasori: "…"
"…Sometimes I really question my own decisions," Sasori muttered under his breath.
"Puppet Technique?" Sasori repeated dryly.
Deidara smirked and spun around, leaping onto his massive clay bird. "Then I'll be going first!"
"Don't even think about escaping!" Kankurō roared, flinging his left hand forward. One of his puppets launched straight toward Deidara. "Crow!"
Sasori rolled his eyes. A moment later, a long, segmented scorpion tail shot out from the back of his puppet body—Hiruko—and smashed the Crow puppet down with a swift strike.
"What—!?" Kankurō gasped in disbelief.
Sasori slowly removed his bamboo hat, revealing his youthful face and red hair. "I hate waiting on others, and I hate being made to wait even more," he said with cold detachment. "So I'll deal with you quickly."
"It… it matched Crow's speed…" Kankurō whispered in shock.
"As easy as swatting a dead fly," Sasori sneered.
"I remember now!" Deidara interrupted cheerfully. "The Jinchūriki has a few siblings, right? One of them's a puppet user—probably this guy. What was his name again… Kantaro? No, Kanhachiro? Hmmm… Yoshi? Eight Chickens?!"
"…It's Kankurō, you bastard!" Kankurō shouted, his face twitching with frustration.
Infuriated, he waved his hand again. The entangled Crow puppet disassembled mid-air and dropped out of the scorpion tail's grasp. Chakra threads snapped back into place as it reassembled and lunged toward Deidara once more.
"Didn't I say your opponent is me?" Sasori growled, flicking his tail again to swat Crow down effortlessly. "Quit getting in the way, Deidara."
"Damn it—Sasori!" Kankurō cursed, just as Hiruko's scorpion tail whipped toward him. "Guess I'll have to eliminate this weakling before we go after Gaara…"
"You're really unlucky," Deidara muttered from above, watching Kankurō from his bird. "There's probably no worse matchup for you than Sasori."
"Then watch closely!" Kankurō declared. "Witness my puppet play!"
Crow and Black Ant simultaneously sprang to life, moving in perfect synchronization as they circled around Hiruko like hunting beasts.
Sasori shook his head with disdain. "The times have changed, kid."
"Quit trying to act mysterious!" Kankurō spat, smirking as he commanded Crow to unleash a flurry of kunai.
Sasori slapped them aside with Hiruko's tail, unfazed. "Not bad. But…"
The ground beneath Hiruko shifted—Black Ant burst out from below and locked onto him, lifting the large puppet body into the air.
"You didn't even notice the vanished Black Ant," Kankurō grinned. "Too late now!"
The Black Ant opened its mechanical abdomen, sealing Hiruko inside. Crow disassembled and transformed into a dozen sharpened blades aimed straight at Black Ant's stomach.
"Take this—Black Secret Technique: Machine One Shot!" Kankurō yelled.
The blades drove into Black Ant's core, piercing deep.
"Hmph! So much for your era," Kankurō laughed darkly.
But a trickle of sand began pouring out from the seams of Black Ant. Kankurō's grin froze.
"…A Sand Clone?" he muttered, stunned. "When the hell—?!"
A sinister voice answered him from behind.
"You're too impatient. That's why I said… the times have changed."
Sasori's true body, still concealed within Hiruko, emerged from a sandpit behind him. Kankurō barely had time to turn before he heard the terrifying sound of mechanical joints clattering.
Hiruko's shell split open as dozens of black iron tubes burst forth, launching toward him like missiles.
"Black Secret Technique: Death Barrage!"
Kankurō: "…MMP!"
---
Meanwhile, in Konohagakure — The Hokage's Office
At the mission desk, Shizune and Iruka stared at a newly delivered communication scroll in horror.
"How could this be?!"
"No way!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
Tsunade frowned deeply, her brow furrowed. "The Kazekage… was taken by the Akatsuki?"
"Yes!" Kakashi confirmed grimly. "Naruto and Temari already rushed ahead to Sunagakure. He asked us to report this to you, Lady Hokage!"
"The mission for Team Kakashi is hereby canceled," Tsunade declared firmly. "You're now reassigned—head to Sunagakure immediately. Get information, send a report back to Konoha, and assist the Sand according to their instructions. As for Naruto…"
She paused for a moment, contemplating.
"He will act independently. I'll send reinforcements later."
"But Naruto…" Sakura said uncertainly.
Tsunade smirked. "Don't worry about him. Even if the rest of you die—he won't."
Kakashi and Sakura: "…"
"Now, move out!"
Tsunade waved her hand, signaling the immediate deployment.
Then she muttered under her breath, "…MMP! I meant go out the door!"
---
Somewhere in the Desert
"You're skilled," Sasori remarked coldly, watching the collapsed Kankurō. "But you chose the wrong opponent."
He walked toward Kankurō, surveying him with disdain.
"Surprised I knew your puppet techniques?" he asked, smirking. "Because the puppets you use were made by one of my subordinates—pathetic."
Sasori's voice softened in reflection. "It's been a while… I didn't expect to fight a cute junior using puppets I crafted myself. What a nostalgic battle."
Kankurō gritted his teeth and used up the last of his chakra to launch the broken arm of a puppet, severing Hiruko's scarf and grabbing it with a trembling hand.
Then, he collapsed.
"You clearly have nothing left but pain," Sasori said. "Since you're so desperate to live, I'll spare you."
He pulled back the scorpion tail and turned away. "But if that poison in you doesn't kill you soon… I'll send you to meet the Sage of Six Paths myself."
With that, Sasori stepped over the unconscious Kankurō and vanished into the dunes.
---
Elsewhere in the desert…
"Gaara…" Temari muttered, clinging to Naruto, her anxiety intensifying.
Naruto smiled gently at her. "Don't worry. It's not a big deal. I'm here."
After all, worst case? Chiyo dies again. And if it really comes down to it, they'll drag Gaara back using the Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique.
Naruto? Not panicking.
He picked up the pace, carrying Temari on his back, and soon, the gates of Sunagakure appeared on the horizon.
---
At the entrance of Sunagakure
"Possible traps ahead!" Baki warned. "Everyone, stay alert!"
"I hope the tracking squad found Kankurō…" he muttered worriedly.
Suddenly, a voice called from above the stone barricade.
"Yo! You building roads this early in the morning?"
"Who?!" Baki spun around—and saw Naruto, standing on the stone ledge, Temari on his back.
Blushing, Temari quickly jumped down.
"Baki-sensei, how's Gaara?" she asked, breathless.
Baki's expression turned grave. "Kankurō chased after the enemy. Reinforcements followed. The Kazekage's current status… is unknown."
He hesitated.
"What is it?" Temari frowned.
Baki pointed silently toward the administrative building.
Temari clenched her fists. "Those bastards…"
"What's going on?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes.
---
Inside the Sunagakure Council Chamber
"Young fool!" barked one councilman, slamming his hand on the table. "Now is not the time to discuss a new Kazekage!"
Opposite him, an older advisor calmly replied, "We must prepare for all outcomes. Planning ahead is essential."
"Shouldn't retrieving the current Kazekage be our top priority?!" the younger one protested.
"The safety of the village is paramount," the elder said, devoid of emotion. "We don't have the strength to waste."
Boom!
The doors were kicked open with force.
"Who dares?!" the council shouted, startled.
Naruto and Temari entered.
Temari snapped, "You don't even know if the Fifth Kazekage is alive, and you're already picking replacements?! Do you have no shame?!"
The elder sneered. "How rude for the daughter of the former Kazekage. Barging into a high-level council meeting—hmph! All the more reason a new Kazekage must be chosen!"
"You—!" Temari growled.
Naruto raised his hand to stop her and stepped forward.
"With all due respect," he said flatly, his eyes deadly serious, "if you can't even protect your own Kazekage…"
"…then your village doesn't deserve to exist."
BOOM!!
A wave of pure killing intent—Conqueror's Haki—erupted from Naruto, slamming into every council member like a tidal wave.
The room fell silent.
And in that silence… the future of Sunagakure trembled.
---
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