"Raikage-sama, why won't you let me go?"
Inside Kumogakure, Darui looked at the Fourth Raikage with a disgruntled expression.
A few days ago, their Anbu had intercepted some unexpected intelligence.
Reports suggested that Akatsuki might be operating in the Land of Wind, and Konohagakure had already dispatched a team to head there.
What's more, one of the team members was none other than the Fourth Raikage's sworn enemy!
The Raikage's defeat and the loss of his arm were humiliations that weighed heavily on all of Kumogakure.
Thus, without hesitation, the village assembled an elite team to either disrupt the mission or find an opportunity to deal with the Konoha shinobi.
Naturally, Darui wanted to get involved, but the Raikage had refused to let him go.
"What's the point of you getting involved?"
The Fourth Raikage shot Darui an annoyed glance.
"Troi leading the team is enough. You going won't make a difference. You'd be better off spending more time training your Storm Release."
"Hmph."
Though Darui was still unhappy, the Raikage had already stood up, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.
"Enough. Go train. I'm off to check on Killer Bee.
Also, keep this in mind: Kitagawa Minamoto doesn't just know the Flying Thunder God Technique; he's also mastered a unique form of purple lightning.
That technique is no weaker than my father's Black Lightning. If you can incorporate something like that into your Storm Release, then you might have a chance to surpass him.
Even I find him troublesome to deal with now!"
"Tch."
Darui didn't argue further. He knew how powerful the Third Raikage's Black Lightning was, but mastering it wasn't easy.
He had made some progress, but he hadn't fully grasped it yet—partly due to his own laziness.
Still, hearing this sparked a bit of interest in him.
"This is so annoying. Konoha's people are here again. Could it be that Danzō Shimura is really that capable?"
Under the scorching sun of the Land of Wind, Hidan trudged through the desert, grumbling as he went.
"And seriously, how did you even survive in this godforsaken place before?"
Sasori of the Red Sand glanced at Hidan, too preoccupied with his own thoughts to respond. He was busy contemplating the issue of Konoha.
"And to make matters worse, that damned snake is in the Land of Wind too. How unlucky can we get?"
"Either way, it's obvious we're being used as bait."
Kakuzu, clearly displeased, voiced his frustrations. He wasn't blind to what was happening.
"I think we should tread carefully. Even if someone guarantees our safety, fighting Kitagawa Minamoto is no joke.
We don't know what other tricks that brat has up his sleeve. Whatever happens, we need to figure out his capabilities this time."
"Carefully?"
Sasori gave Kakuzu a peculiar look, remaining silent for a long moment before finally speaking.
"Fine. We can give it a try. I have some contacts in Sunagakure. I've lost too many puppets recently and can't afford any more losses."
"I'm only short on a few things, but I can manage."
Kakuzu revealed a bit about his situation, while Hidan scoffed dismissively.
"What's there to be afraid of? Just charge in and chop him up! I'm not scared of him!"
"..."
Sasori and Kakuzu exchanged a knowing glance and chose to ignore Hidan.
This lunatic had never truly experienced the threat posed by Kitagawa Minamoto.
"If only we had a strong Wind Release user, that would solve a lot of problems," Kakuzu lamented, shaking his head.
Hearing this, Sasori furrowed his brow and hesitated before speaking.
"I might have a conflict with you on that. I also need a strong Wind Release user to make a puppet."
"Is that so?"
Kakuzu frowned, pondering for a moment before cautiously asking,
"When you make human puppets, do you need to preserve the internal organs?"
"Not really. Do you only need the organs?"
Sasori was momentarily taken aback but responded with equal restraint.
After a brief silence, Kakuzu nodded.
"Looks like we can work together after all."
"Indeed. Let's cooperate."
And just like that, their mutual disdain dissipated in an instant.
For shinobi, keeping secrets was second nature, so they rarely knew exactly what the other wanted.
But now, it seemed they had found common ground.
"Bunch of lunatics."
Watching the interaction between Sasori and Kakuzu, Hidan was utterly baffled.
He couldn't understand what was going on between the two and didn't care enough to ask. Instead, he turned his attention to another matter.
"Hey, hey, hey! Are you even listening to me? Who the hell is this Danzō Shimura? How does he keep finding out our intel?"
"Just a sewer rat," Kakuzu sneered, his disdain evident.
Sasori nodded in agreement.
"He's known as the 'Darkness of the Shinobi World,' but in reality, he's just a second-rate figure. That said..."
"What?"
"Apparently, he's a Wind Release user. And he's been a formidable ninja for quite some time."
"Ha! I was just joking earlier. Don't take it seriously!"
Back in Sunagakure, Chiyo awkwardly laughed as she addressed Kakashi and his team.
She seemed like a senile old woman who had made an innocent mistake, but her eyes kept darting toward the blade at her neck.
Her fists clenched involuntarily as she thought,
"This sword... It really is White Fang's blade!"
She hadn't even seen what had happened. In the blink of an eye, a blade was at her throat.
The sheer speed was unbelievable, even in hindsight. All she knew was that it was the boy who had acted.
"Who is this kid?
Why haven't I heard of him before?
Has Konoha produced another genius?"
"Minamoto, this is just a misunderstanding. Let it go," Kakashi said, his deadpan expression unchanging as he addressed his student.
Though he felt somewhat awkward about his student's actions, it wasn't the first time he'd encountered such situations.
"Speaking of which, Sasori of the Red Sand did the same thing. He mistook us too."
Hearing this, Chiyo felt her blood pressure spike.
"Exactly. Attacking me on sight—no sense of reason whatsoever."
Kitagawa Minamoto sheathed his blade and nodded.
"By the way, do I really look that much like your father, Kakashi-sensei?"
"..."
Now it was Kakashi's turn to feel uncomfortable, while Guy stood to the side, quietly amused.
Not one for handling such matters, Guy left it to Kakashi to sort out.
"Alright, enough of that. Let's focus on the intel," Kakashi said, glaring at Minamoto before turning back to Chiyo.
"What have you found? That organization is extremely dangerous, as you must know. If we're to get information on Sasori, we can't hold anything back."
"I may not like you Konoha shinobi, but I'm not foolish," Chiyo replied with a cold snort.
"Unfortunately, we haven't found much yet. The Land of Wind is vast. If they're hiding here, finding them won't be easy."
She paused, then added with a hint of self-deprecation,
"In fact, it might be harder to find someone here than in the Land of Fire."
The endless desert, with its shifting sands and frequent windstorms, made tracking nearly impossible.
Even those who lived here struggled with such conditions, let alone outsiders.
"It seems we have a difficult task ahead," Kakashi muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.
"If we don't work together, finding them will be nearly impossible."
"I've already sent people to search. We'll be notified if there's any news," Chiyo replied, shaking her head.
"For now, why don't you come to Sunagakure and rest? We can plan further from there."
(End of Chapter)
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