The three siblings were ordered to pursue.
It was after that mission.
She, Kankuro, and Gaara, met that man...the man with an unfathomable aura, named Di Yan.
The specific details of their conversation were already a bit hazy to her.
She only remembered that the man's face always carried an unsettling smile, as if he could see through people's hearts.
He seemed...exceptionally interested in Gaara.
And from that day on.
Temari vaguely felt that.
Gaara had undergone some subtle changes.
He became even more silent than before.
Occasionally, he would ponder alone, and deep within his eyes, something inexpressible seemed to be hidden.
Even after that time.
Gaara was actually able to control Ichibi, which was simply inconceivable...until recently.
Gaara suddenly overruled all objections.
And resolutely initiated this war.
A terrible thought uncontrollably crept into Temari's mind:
Could Gaara's abnormal decision...be related to Di Yan?
This thought sent shivers down her spine.
If that were truly the case.
Then Sunagakure's current "victory"...
might just be the beginning of a larger, more sinister conspiracy, manipulated by someone!
She looked towards Konoha, her heart filled with conflict and anxiety.
She both hoped Sunagakure would win.
And feared the terrible price that might be hidden behind this victory.
"Gaara...what on earth...is wrong with you?"
Temari clutched the three-star fan in her hand, muttering softly.
Her voice was drowned out by the clamor of the battlefield.
Leaving only endless worry...On the other side.
The eastern part of the Land of Fire, a rugged, rarely visited coastline.
The salty sea breeze carried its unique fishy scent.
Constantly blowing against the steep cliffs and black reefs.
Rolling up layers of white waves, repeatedly crashing against the shore.
Emitting a dull and eternal roar.
On this desolate and magnificent coastline, two figures stood silently on two massive reefs.
They were both dressed in black windbreakers embroidered with red clouds.
That distinct feature marked them as belonging to that infamous organization...Akatsuki.
One of them, with a face as ferocious as a shark.
Carried a huge, strange weapon wrapped in bandages on his back.
It was the Hidden Mist Village's rogue ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki.
He bared his teeth, revealing sharp fangs.
Seeming a bit impatient with the long silence, he spoke in a deep, booming voice:
"Itachi-san, we've been at this godforsaken beach for almost half a month, haven't we?"
"The mission list doesn't have this one. What exactly are we waiting for?"
"Enjoying the sea view? I'm already sick of this stuff back in Hidden Mist Village."
Standing slightly ahead of him was a slender young man with a calm, unruffled expression.
He had short black hair and equally deep eyes.
Two deep nasolabial folds on his cheeks made him appear exceptionally mature and serene.
It was Uchiha Itachi.
Hearing Kisame's complaint, Uchiha Itachi's gaze remained calmly fixed on the vast, endless ocean where the sea met the sky.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke in his characteristic, emotionless, calm tone:
"Because across this sea is the Land of Water, it is Hidden Mist Village."
Kisame's shark-like face showed an even more puzzled expression, and he roughly pressed on:
"So? What about Hidden Mist Village?"
"Isn't the organization's main target now the Tailed Beasts? What does this broken Village have to do with it?"
"Could Pain be looking for new recruits again?"
Uchiha Itachi slowly shook his head.
The sea breeze ruffled the hair on his forehead.
"I don't know." His answer was so concise it was frustrating, "It's just...a voice in my heart tells me to guard this place."
He frowned slightly, seemingly unable to fully comprehend this inexplicable urge himself, and added:
"Perhaps...I'm guarding Hidden Mist Village."
"To prevent certain things...or certain people, from coming by sea."
His tone carried a subtle hint of etherealness and uncertainty.
As if this did not stem from clear instructions or intelligence.
But rather from a deeper, almost intuitive premonition.
Kisame Hoshigaki tilted his head and looked at Itachi's perpetually unchanging ice-cold face, then pursed his lips.
Although he was bloodthirsty and direct in his thinking.
He also knew that his partner's mind was as deep as the sea.
Many times, his actions had their own reasons, even if those reasons sounded incredibly mysterious.
"Tsk, I really don't understand you."
Kisame shifted Samehada on his back, "Never mind, the organization doesn't have any urgent missions recently anyway."
"Sasori and Deidara's group seems to be busy with something else."
"Hidan and Kakuzu are off earning money in some corner, who knows where. So staying put is fine, it's quiet."
He asked no more questions, and mimicking Itachi, he crossed his arms.
And cast his gaze upon the vast and unknown ocean.
However, the glint in his small eyes was more of boredom and anticipation of slaughter.
Rather than the deep contemplation in Itachi's eyes.
The waves still tirelessly crashed against the shore.
Uchiha Itachi stood silently, as if he had become part of the reef.
His Sharingan, which could see through countless genjutsu and conspiracies.
Now seemed to want to pierce through the distant sea horizon.
Staying here was a decision he made based on an indescribable sense of crisis.
But in a trance, a man's figure seemed to flash before his eyes...Back in Konoha.
Di Yan looked down at Kakashi, who was in disbelief and despair due to his severe injuries and betrayal.
He then scanned the surroundings.
0 · Seeking fresh flowers --- Those Konoha villagers who were horrified but dared not act rashly due to Might Guy's defection and Kakashi's instant defeat.
Of course, this included Tsunade, whose face was pale.
He seemed to find the struggle and despair before him quite interesting, and with a condescending tone, he said to Kakashi:
"Kakashi Hatake, known as Konoha's number one technician, Sharingan Kakashi...is quite interesting."
"How about it, are you interested in joining me, like Might Guy, and working for me?"
"I can give you a future with more prospects than you have in Konoha."
Kakashi lay on the ground, the intense Pain and Chakra disruption making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
Blood continuously gushed from the wound in his abdomen and from his mouth.
He didn't answer, only gasped with difficulty.
Extremely complex light flickered in his visible, dead-fish-like eye.
Pain, anger, unwillingness, and...a hint of final resolve!
Just as Di Yan thought he had given up resistance.
Or was considering surrender at that very moment.
Kakashi's left eye, which had always been covered by his forehead protector, suddenly opened!
Within the eye socket, it was not an ordinary eye.
But a Mangekyo Sharingan, equally crimson, with a unique three-tomoe pattern!
"Now!"
Kakashi used his last ounce of strength and will.
Frantically activated the Sharingan that Obito had given him.
Targeting Di Yan, who was within arm's reach!
He had never even considered surrendering.