In the original timeline, Deidara had defeated Gaara single-handedly and successfully captured him.
But after listening to Tsunade's account, Richard discovered Deidara hadn't worked alone.
In other words, Deidara and Sasori weren't the only Akatsuki members who had infiltrated Sunagakure.
According to Sunagakure's reports, alongside Deidara with his explosive clay techniques, another shinobi wearing an Akatsuki cloak and a spiral orange mask had participated in the attack on Gaara.
Though Sunagakure couldn't identify this orange-masked ninja, Richard knew immediately who it was.
Obito Uchiha!
The orange-masked ninja Sunagakure had witnessed was none other than Obito Uchiha.
Why had he gone to Sunagakure?
Wasn't Tobi, the persona he was disguising himself as, still not an official Akatsuki member?
Though Obito had disguised himself as Madara Uchiha and secretly controlled Akatsuki from the beginning, only Nagato and Konan knew this truth.
If Richard remembered correctly, in the original timeline, after Deidara and Sasori kidnapped Gaara, Obito (disguised as Tobi) had attempted to take Sasori's position after his death, claiming the ring representing "Gyoku" from his severed hand to officially join Akatsuki.
After considering this development, a theory formed in Richard's mind.
This must be another ripple effect of his arrival in this world.
As for Obito's precise motivation, Richard couldn't be certain.
However, his intuition suggested Obito must have some hidden agenda.
Though Gaara had become the Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure, his current strength wasn't particularly overwhelming.
Even without Obito's intervention, Gaara stood little chance against Deidara and Sasori together.
If they hadn't needed to capture Gaara alive for the One-Tail extraction, Deidara and Sasori could have killed him despite Sunagakure's defenses.
"Do you know something?" Tsunade asked immediately, noticing Richard's slight frown.
Though Richard wasn't affiliated with Akatsuki, he had told her three years ago about battling Pain and acquiring a Rinnegan from him.
"It's nothing. I just recalled something," Richard replied calmly.
Tsunade didn't press further. "If possible, I hope you'll join Kakashi and the others to rescue the Fifth Kazekage Gaara."
"Though Sunagakure and Otogakure attacked Konoha three years ago, Sunagakure was also manipulated and victimized."
"As allies, Konoha cannot ignore their plea."
Richard nodded slowly. "I'll accompany Kakashi and the others to the Land of Wind, but I won't accept commands from either Kakashi or Guy."
"I'll help, but on my own terms."
"If you can accept this condition, I have no objection to the mission."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kakashi replied, "It would be an honor to work alongside Richard-san."
Guy's voice followed, "If Kakashi has no issue with it, neither do I."
Though Guy had limited previous interaction with Richard, he respected his abilities.
Additionally, he harbored a desire to test himself against Richard.
Unfortunately, the right opportunity had never presented itself.
As the captain of Team Three and mentor to Lee, Neji, and Tenten, his schedule remained constantly packed.
Even with Neji's promotion to jonin and both Lee and Tenten advancing to chunin, their workload had only increased rather than diminished.
"If you have no other stipulations, let's depart immediately," Tsunade stated.
Richard nodded without further comment.
Though rescuing Gaara hadn't been part of his original plans, a journey to the Land of Wind wasn't particularly troublesome.
More importantly, he had previously promised Tsunade that in exchange for allowing his private office, he would unconditionally assist her three times within his capabilities.
Tsunade had once asked him to investigate whether Pain planned to attack Konoha, counting as one favor.
However, when Tsunade aided in transplanting the Rinnegan to Yugao Uzuki, he had offered another promise of assistance, effectively canceling out the Pain investigation favor.
In the past three years, Tsunade hadn't requested any further help, meaning he still owed her three favors.
After leaving the Hokage's office, Richard, Kakashi, and the others immediately set out for the Land of Wind.
Unlike Kakashi and the others who traveled on foot, Richard took to the air.
At his full speed, he could reach the Land of Wind within thirty minutes, but he had no intention of racing ahead to rescue Gaara alone.
If Tsunade had wanted him to handle the rescue independently, she wouldn't have assigned Kakashi and the others to the mission.
Since she had deployed Kakashi, Guy, and their teams, this clearly represented more than a simple rescue operation.
This mission required official Konoha shinobi participation. Otherwise, even if Gaara were rescued, Sunagakure would only thank Richard personally, not Konoha as a village.
To accommodate Kakashi and the others, Richard deliberately reduced his flying speed to a pace they could match.
Compared to ordinary civilians, ninja moved impressively fast.
But compared to Richard, even elite jonin like Kakashi and Guy, or talented individuals like Neji and Lee, moved at a pitiful pace.
Even if he increased his speed to merely Mach 1, he would easily leave Kakashi and the others far behind.
Time passed gradually.
After seven or eight hours of continuous travel, Richard descended to an open area ahead of Kakashi and the others.
After maintaining maximum speed for so long, Kakashi's team had depleted a significant portion of their chakra.
Though they could continue, doing so would only further diminish their reserves and stamina.
To ensure optimal combat readiness, they needed rest.
Seeing Richard land, Kakashi and the others also halted.
Without explicit instructions from Kakashi or Guy, Neji, Lee, and the others sat down and began replenishing their depleted chakra and stamina.
Though not fatigued himself, Richard also found a spot to sit and waited patiently.
After resting for fifteen to twenty minutes, they resumed their journey toward the Land of Wind.
Three days later, Sunagakure finally appeared on the horizon.
Throughout these three days, they had spent most of their time traveling, stopping only for brief rest periods.
Richard had initially planned to accompany them the entire way.
However, he eventually grew frustrated with their pace and departed midway, returning briefly to Konoha.
Before leaving, he had given Kakashi a Flying Thunder God kunai, explaining that he would teleport to their location before they reached Sunagakure.
Specifically, he had provided a three-pronged vibranium kunai inscribed with the Flying Thunder God formula.
Like the Fourth Hokage, Richard had eschewed standard kunai design, opting instead for a three-pronged vibranium variant.
Kakashi hadn't questioned his decision.
Though Richard had joined the Gaara rescue mission, he wasn't officially a Konoha shinobi.
Consequently, he wasn't bound by the regulations that governed Konoha ninja.
Moreover, before their departure, he had clearly stated his unwillingness to accept orders from Kakashi or Guy, preferring to act according to his own judgment.
"Richard-san, here's your kunai," Kakashi approached Richard, returning the Flying Thunder God weapon.
Richard nodded, storing the kunai in his system space. "Your father eliminated many Sand elite shinobi during the Second Great Ninja War. There may still be individuals in Sunagakure who harbor resentment toward the White Fang's legacy."
"The hostility between Konoha and Sunagakure belongs to the past," Kakashi responded promptly. "We're allies now. They shouldn't reject our assistance because of my father's actions."
"They shouldn't reject it, perhaps, but some may still harbor animosity toward you personally," Richard added.
Though Kakashi's father had been dead for over two decades, profound hatred—especially for a parent who lost a child—rarely faded with time.
Lady Chiyo served as the perfect example.
Her son and daughter-in-law had been killed by Kakashi's father, Sakumo Hatake.
In the original timeline, upon Kakashi's arrival in Sunagakure, Chiyo had immediately attacked him on sight.
Though she later claimed it was merely a jest, anyone with perception could see she had been entirely serious.
After surveying Sunagakure from a distance, Richard and the party approached the village.
Before they reached the entrance, they attracted the attention of Sunagakure sentries.
However, the guards didn't engage them hostilely.
They had received instructions early that morning to expect Konoha reinforcements and to escort them directly into the village upon arrival.
Though they had never personally encountered Richard's team before, the sentries immediately recognized Richard, Kakashi, and Guy.
Kakashi was renowned throughout the shinobi world as the "Copy Ninja."
Though not as famous as Kakashi, Guy was still recognized as an elite jonin monitored by every major village.
As for Richard...
Known as the "Silver Nightmare," he had become the most notorious S-rank ninja in recent years.
Over the past three years, Richard had defeated every Kage from the Five Great Nations:
Fifth Hokage Tsunade, Fifth Kazekage Gaara, Fifth Mizukage Mei Terumi, Fourth Raikage A, and Third Tsuchikage Onoki.
Beyond the five Kage, he had also bested numerous Jinchūriki:
The Eight-Tails Jinchūriki Killer B and Two-Tails Jinchūriki Yugito Nii from the Hidden Cloud, the Four-Tails Jinchūriki Roshi and Five-Tails Jinchūriki Han from the Hidden Rock, the Six-Tails Jinchūriki Utakata from the Hidden Mist, and the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki Fu from the Hidden Waterfall.
With the exception of Naruto, who contained the Nine-Tails, every living Jinchūriki had fallen to Richard in combat.
His extraordinary record had led many to place him alongside Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, dubbing him "Konoha's Strongest."
After identifying Richard, Kakashi, and Guy at the head of the group, a Sand shinobi immediately approached them.
Following a brief verification confirming they were indeed Konoha's reinforcements, the ninja escorted them into the village, leading them toward the central Kazekage Building.
As they proceeded through the streets, numerous Sand shinobi paused to observe them.
Most Sand ninja hadn't objected to requesting Konoha's assistance.
They had no alternative.
With even the Fifth Kazekage captured, without Konoha's help, Sunagakure lacked the strength to rescue Gaara independently.
Though they could elect a new Kazekage following Gaara's death, no one else in Sunagakure qualified for the position.
Gaara wasn't merely the most talented young shinobi in Sunagakure—he was the village's most powerful ninja outright.
All others fell significantly short of his capabilities.
Shortly thereafter, Richard and the team arrived at the Kazekage Building.
Instead of taking them to the Kazekage's office or meeting chamber, their Sand escort led them to the medical ward within the building.
With Gaara's capture, the retired elders Chiyo and her brother Ebizo had temporarily resumed advisory roles.
Chiyo was currently attempting to treat Kankuro, who had been poisoned during his pursuit of the Akatsuki.
She hadn't particularly supported the village's request for Konoha's assistance.
However, before her brother Ebizo emerged from retirement, Sunagakure had already dispatched their plea to Konoha.
Soon, Richard and his team entered the medical room where Kankuro was being treated.
As Richard had anticipated, when Chiyo spotted Kakashi, she attacked without warning.
Though her assault came suddenly, Kakashi was no easy target and deftly evaded her strike.
Finding herself unable to overcome Kakashi quickly, Chiyo halted her attack. "I didn't expect Tsunade to send such distinguished reinforcements. I assumed she would dispatch only insignificant underlings."
"It seems I underestimated her commitment."
Though long retired, Chiyo immediately recognized Richard, whose reputation had spread throughout the shinobi world in recent years.
She also identified Guy beside Kakashi, acknowledging him as an elite jonin whose taijutsu mastery rivaled Kakashi's own power.
Two elite jonin leading the mission!
Plus Richard, called Konoha's Strongest and known as the Silver Nightmare!
Tsunade's reinforcements had completely exceeded Chiyo's expectations.
Though Richard's team comprised only eight members, their combined strength could easily overwhelm Sunagakure's current forces.
Indeed, Richard alone could potentially devastate the entire village.
Just as Chiyo prepared another remark, Kankuro, lying on the medical bed, suddenly convulsed violently, crying out in agony.
Witnessing his distress, Chiyo immediately moved forward, attempting to alleviate his suffering.
Recognizing the medical emergency, Sakura—the team's only medical ninja—quickly approached the bedside.
After briefly examining Kankuro, she immediately performed the Mystical Palm Technique.
Though Chiyo didn't recognize Sakura, she observed how skillfully the young kunoichi executed the Mystical Palm Technique, noting how Kankuro's pained expression visibly eased as he began to stabilize.
"What is your relationship to Tsunade?" Chiyo asked immediately.