According to the anime's established setting, traveling from Konoha to Sunagakure at a ninja's running speed would normally take two to three days.
Yet Uchiha Rokuro's Susanoo completed the journey in just three hours.
When the hundred-meter-tall Complete Body Susanoo descended at the gates of Sunagakure, the Sand shinobi on guard stiffened instantly. Many instinctively stepped back, their legs trembling.
"Uchiha Rokuro—what business do you have in our Sunagakure?"
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stepped forward, clad in his ceremonial robes. Several high-ranking Sand shinobi followed behind him, including Maki, as well as his two children—Kankurō and Temari.
Rokuro made no move to dispel Susanoo, gazing down at them from above.
"I've received intelligence that Akatsuki has begun capturing the Tailed Beasts. Is your village's One-Tail still here?"
"Hmph. That's our internal affair. Konoha has no right to interfere," Rasa snapped.
Seeing that Rokuro still maintained Susanoo, Rasa's irritation flared. Golden sand gathered beneath his feet, lifting him until he stood level with Susanoo's head—eye to eye with Rokuro.
A trace of displeasure crossed Rokuro's face.
"Kazekage-sama, this is not the time to worry about appearances. I can sense that many shinobi in your village have weakened chakra—you yourself are injured as well. Akatsuki has already been here. More importantly…"
His gaze sharpened.
"I can no longer sense the One-Tail's chakra. The Jinchūriki has already been taken, hasn't he?"
"Even if that's true, this is still Sunagakure's internal matter. We don't need—"
"Rasa," Rokuro interrupted coldly, "do you think I came all this way to trade polite evasions with you? Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a penalty. Since the One-Tail Jinchūriki was captured, you must have dispatched trackers. Share the intelligence. Now."
Rasa's expression darkened. His fists clenched, joints cracking audibly. Around him, Sand shinobi drew their kunai. Temari raised her fan; Kankurō activated his puppets.
Their killing intent was sharp—but fear lingered unmistakably in every face.
In the original timeline, even the Five Kage had nearly wet themselves when facing a Complete Susanoo. These chūnin and jōnin were no exception.
If Rokuro wished, destroying a Sunagakure already half-crippled by Akatsuki would take little effort.
Although Rasa had avoided Orochimaru's scheme due to Rokuro's interference and survived, his later performance in the Fourth Shinobi War—where Gaara defeated him in a single move—proved he was among the weakest of all Kage-level fighters.
Rokuro had already confirmed through sensory techniques: even in chakra reserves alone, Rasa fell far short of Naruto. In a real fight, Naruto and the other two together could likely kill him—let alone Rokuro himself.
Rasa was no sensor-type ninja, but as a Kage, he wasn't blind. He knew full well that if a battle broke out, Sunagakure would suffer catastrophic losses.
"Rest assured," Rokuro said flatly. "I have zero interest in Tailed Beast power—especially not the weakest one. Tell me which direction Akatsuki fled, and I'll pursue them immediately."
Unwilling but realistic, Rasa finally relented.
"This is the intelligence we gathered. Akatsuki attacked two nights ago—two members. Their profiles are included."
Rokuro caught the scroll Rasa tossed over, scanned it briefly—then Susanoo's massive wings spread wide.
A violent gale erupted, sandstorming the village gate as the colossal figure shot straight into the sky, vanishing in moments.
"…That speed," Rasa muttered darkly. "Using that terrifying power just for travel? Does Susanoo really have no side effects at all?"
He descended back to the ground as several Sand elders rushed over.
"Kazekage-sama, should we dispatch an elite squad to follow?"
Rasa sighed.
"Useless. Even our best would only be—throwing their lives away. If Uchiha Rokuro truly has no interest in the One-Tail, Gaara will be returned. If not… even I personally couldn't stop it. We wait."
As he turned to leave, an elderly Sand shinobi rushed over in panic.
"Kazekage-sama! Elder Chiyo has secretly left the village!"
"Hmph. That old woman couldn't hold back after all," Rasa sneered. "Figures—it concerns her precious grandson. But even if she returns, her reputation will be ruined."
By now, Susanoo had flown over ten kilometers.
Rokuro raised his hand and pointed.
"Neji. Focus on this direction. Notify me immediately if you detect anything."
"Understood."
Neji activated his Byakugan. His eyes, pure and flawless as white jade, took in everything—the desert grasses, buried scorpions, even rattlesnakes hidden beneath the sand.
If Deidara and Sasori hadn't already been gone for two days—and if the desert environment hadn't erased most traces—there would have been no need to ask Sunagakure at all. Neji alone could have found them.
"Honestly," Naruto complained, hands behind his head, "why was the Kazekage acting so unwilling? We're obviously here to help!"
Sasuke snorted.
"Idiot. You really don't get it? Sunagakure clearly took a huge loss. Their Kazekage was injured—an absolute humiliation for any village. Failing to recover their Jinchūriki is already shameful. Needing outsiders' help? That's humiliation piled on humiliation."
"So pride matters more than a Jinchūriki's life?" Naruto shot back.
As a Jinchūriki himself, Naruto couldn't accept that—especially knowing Gaara was Rasa's son.
At that moment, Rokuro tossed Rasa's intelligence scroll over. Sasuke caught it, skimmed it, and chuckled before passing it to Naruto.
Naruto stared at it for a long time.
"What's so funny, bastard?"
"You seriously don't know Sunagakure's specialty?" Sasuke scoffed. "Look at Akatsuki's techniques."
"One uses explosion jutsu—Sand thinks it's Earth Release. The other fights with puppets. What's wrong with that?"
"Puppet techniques are unique to Sunagakure," Sasuke said coldly. "Meaning one of the Akatsuki members is a Sand defector. Their own traitor captured their own Jinchūriki. No wonder the Kazekage was so evasive—that's beyond embarrassing."
Rokuro's voice followed.
"And more than that—being able to massacre enemies inside Sunagakure using puppets isn't something an ordinary puppeteer can do. As far as I know, the strongest puppeteer there is Elder Chiyo—the First Kazekage's wife. Her status is equivalent to Uzumaki Mito in Konoha."
Naruto knew of Uzumaki Mito. The comparison made Chiyo's position immediately clear.
"And second only to her," Rokuro continued, "is her grandson—Sasori of the Red Sand. Both can control dozens of puppets simultaneously and create even more powerful human puppets."
"What's a human puppet?" Sasuke asked bluntly.
"A puppet made from a ninja's corpse," Rokuro replied calmly. "They're stronger—and more importantly, they can retain the deceased's jutsu, even their kekkei genkai. For example, Sasuke—if you were turned into a human puppet, it could fight using the Sharingan. A roundabout way of stealing Uchiha power."
"…That kind of jutsu actually exists?" Sasuke froze. Naruto felt a chill as well.
"Wait," Naruto said suddenly. "The report says that puppeteer once used a puppet capable of Magnet Release. Is that a human puppet?"
Rokuro nodded.
"Magnet Release is a kekkei genkai. In Sunagakure's history, only one person used iron sand—the Third Kazekage. And he vanished without a trace. Now think."
Even Naruto connected the dots.
"Akatsuki's puppeteer killed the Third Kazekage… and turned him into a human puppet. And only two people can do that—Chiyo and Sasori. Chiyo's still in the village, so it must've been Sasori."
"The First Kazekage's grandson killing the Third Kazekage…" Sasuke sneered. "No wonder Rasa looked like he swallowed a cactus."
Naruto sighed.
"I heard the One-Tail Jinchūriki is the Kazekage's son. This is… seriously complicated."
Just then—
"Found traces!"
Neji's shout cut off the conversation. Everyone turned toward him as he pointed sharply in one direction. Uchiha Rokuro reacted at once, steering Susanoo to surge forward at full speed.
As they flew, Rokuro issued instructions to his three disciples.
"Judging from the intelligence on these two, once the fight begins, we'll most likely be forcibly split apart. When that happens, no matter who you're facing, fight with the same intensity you use when sparring against me. The three of you must work together and cover one another—do not think you can take them down alone."
He paused briefly, then his tone hardened.
"And one more thing… don't harbor any foolish thoughts about merely injuring them or capturing them alive. From the very beginning, fight with the intent to kill. Do you understand?"
The three answered in unison.
"Yes!"
Susanoo cut through the air like lightning, soon arriving at a vast stretch of Yardang landforms.
The term Yardang originates from a Turkic word meaning "small hills of the Gobi."
In geological terms, it refers to ridges carved out of desert terrain by relentless winds.
Such places symbolize death and desolation—no water, no vegetation, not even animals.
But precisely because of that, they are rarely visited, making them ideal temporary hiding spots.
Inside a cave within one of the Yardangs, Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara were resting.
Beneath Deidara's foot lay a corpse.
It was the body of a young boy—still a minor. On the left side of his forehead was the kanji "愛" (Love).
He was none other than the One-Tail Jinchūriki—Gaara.
"Someone's coming. Their chakra is extremely powerful."
Sasori's voice echoed from within Hiruko. Deidara, on the other hand, leaned forward eagerly, peering outside.
"Sand's pursuit force? They're faster than I expected."
"Sunagakure does still have capable shinobi," Sasori replied coolly, "but this chakra doesn't feel like hers. Most likely reinforcements from another village."
"Another village?" Deidara frowned. "At a time like this, the other Akatsuki teams should already be making their moves. Those villages shouldn't have the manpower to spare…"
In an instant, both of them reached the same conclusion.
"It's Konoha," Deidara grinned. "Their response really is quick. The leader planned to leave Konoha for last, but they came knocking themselves. Looks like trouble—hmm~"
"Konoha isn't foolish," Sasori said coldly. "If they've already deduced Uchiha Obito's identity, then our plan wouldn't escape them either. Deidara, this fight won't be easy. Try not to die."
Deidara jumped to his feet excitedly, planting one foot squarely on Gaara's corpse.
"Art is an explosion! As long as I can create the most dazzling art, whether I live or die doesn't matter at all—hmm~"
"Hmph. Only what lasts forever can be called art," Sasori retorted. "Your fleeting brilliance is nothing but a momentary illusion."
When belief itself was at stake, the two argued briefly—until four figures appeared at the cave entrance.
The moment Deidara and Sasori saw the seven-pointed star Mangekyō Sharingan in Uchiha Rokuro's eyes, they immediately understood who they were facing.
"Heh, looks like we really hit the jackpot," Deidara chuckled. "Didn't expect to run into the most troublesome opponent of all. Sasori-bro, seems like we'll actually have to go all out this time."
"Just take care of yourself," Sasori replied flatly. "If you get injured, I won't turn back to save you."
"Heh, same here—hmm~"
The Akatsuki cloaks with red clouds already made their identities unmistakable—let alone Hiruko, which was obviously a puppet at first glance.
"That's Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchūriki," Neji reported after activating his Byakugan. "There's no chakra left in his body. Even the Tailed Beast is gone. We're too late."
Before Rokuro could speak, Naruto suddenly exploded in rage.
"Take your foot off him, you bastard!"
Naruto's eyes turned crimson as he roared at Deidara. At the same time, blazing red Nine-Tails chakra erupted from his body, forming a tailed-beast cloak around him.
"A Nine-Tails Jinchūriki?" Deidara laughed. "So Konoha even sent out their Jinchūriki. Aren't you afraid that's like sending a lamb into a tiger's den? Hmm~"
Uchiha Rokuro stared at him coldly.
"You think you're capable of that?"
Seeing Deidara still trampling Gaara's body, Naruto—himself a Jinchūriki—felt an overwhelming surge of fury. In an instant, he transformed into his Four-Tails state, flashing in front of Deidara and slashing toward his face with a claw.
Deidara leapt backward, forming seals with one hand at the same time.
"So you want his corpse that badly? Then let me give you a proper gift—explode!"
A blinding flash erupted from Gaara's body.
The next instant, a violent explosion detonated, its raging flames instantly engulfing Naruto!
END OF CHAPTER
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