Then, he turned his gaze to Chiyo. "In that organization, the only one who can control puppets is Sunagakure's Missing-nin, Sasori of the Red Sand."
"It really is him!"
Chiyo's eyes suddenly widened. She had never been able to confirm it for sure.
Because Kankuro only heard a few words from the other party and didn't see his real appearance.
How could she confirm based on words alone?
It might be a trap set by the enemy.
But now, her doubts were confirmed, but another doubt arose.
"How do you know?"
Chiyo questioned Takumi. "At your age, you've probably never seen Sasori in your life. How can you be sure the person you mentioned is Sasori?"
"I heard them addressing each other."
Takumi said calmly while holding Temari. "And I also saw his appearance hidden inside the puppet."
"Red hair, short stature, face like a young boy."
He paused, then continued, "His appearance doesn't quite match his age. It's indeed possible it's not Sasori of the Red Sand."
He knew Sasori had transformed himself into a puppet.
But others didn't know.
So, he slightly modified his certainty at the end.
But these words were enough for Chiyo to confirm.
Incredibly powerful puppetry skills, red hair—all enough to prove that the other party was most likely her grandson, Sasori.
"It really is him!"
Chiyo murmured excitedly, then looked up seriously at Takumi. "Since you've fought Sasori, you should know how strong he is."
"What about the other person traveling with him? How much do you know?"
Chiyo wanted to confirm how much intel Takumi had, and also to confirm if the person he mentioned was the same as the one she heard about.
"You mentioned someone using explosion Ninjutsu."
Takumi said. "That is definitely Iwagakure's Missing-nin, Deidara, no mistake."
"Iwagakure..."
Chiyo's eyes immediately narrowed. She didn't have a good impression of that old man from Iwagakure.
He did a lot of dirty things in secret.
During the war, he frequently made underhanded moves against Sunagakure.
He could be called a despicable old man who would stoop to anything to achieve his goals.
But she quickly shifted her attention.
What Takumi said made her even more certain that among those who attacked Sunagakure, there really was her grandson.
"Alright, since confirmation is done, shouldn't we get down to business?"
Hiruzen said with a chuckle. "Since the enemy is the Akatsuki, Takumi-kun, who has fought them multiple times, is undoubtedly the best choice."
"Takumi-kun, you'll lead this time. As for who to take, you can choose."
He looked at Takumi, his expression very gentle. "Although you just returned, the village needs your help now. I'm sorry to trouble you."
"No trouble."
Takumi shook his head. "For personnel, I recommend Kakashi-senpai's team and Guy-senpai's team."
"Both teams are excellent for assault, reconnaissance, and support."
Takumi said, then pointed at Chiyo. "But I also hope Advisor Chiyo can come along."
"No!"
Baki immediately shook his head. "Chiyo-sama is too old. Long-distance travel is not suitable for her."
"Kid, why do you specifically want me to come along?"
Chiyo narrowed her eyes, hiding her gaze. "Is it because you're dissatisfied with my attitude earlier?"
"Of course not."
Takumi said with a smile. "Advisor Chiyo is a senior after all. As a junior, I naturally wouldn't be dissatisfied."
He completely ignored his earlier direct confrontation with Chiyo.
"The reason I ask Advisor Chiyo to come along is actually because I'm worried about unforeseen circumstances."
His expression was extremely serious.
"Unforeseen circumstances?"
Hiruzen frowned.
He hated unforeseen circumstances. If his most trusted Takumi had an accident, his own life might not last long either.
Since Orochimaru dared to attack Konoha once, he naturally dared to attack a second time.
In fact, Orochimaru had attacked several times, but each time Takumi thwarted him.
If Takumi really had an accident, his own life might not last much longer either.
So, hearing the words "unforeseen circumstances", he instinctively wanted to refuse this request for help.
But seeing that Takumi's expression wasn't too grave, he decided to listen for now.
Confirm the possible accidents before making a decision.
"What unforeseen circumstances?"
Chiyo frowned deeply. "Isn't it enough to just find the people who took Gaara and deal with them?"
"Of course, it's not that simple, Advisor Chiyo."
Takumi shook his head slightly. "As far as I know, the Akatsuki's members gather together for a very special purpose."
"Although I don't know the details yet, their purpose requires collecting Tailed Beasts."
His words immediately made the Sunagakure people's expressions change.
Even Hiruzen's expression became grave.
"Collecting Tailed Beasts? What do they want to do?"
Baki asked in disbelief. "Are they trying to start a war?"
Baki knew very well the power of tailed beasts.
Before Gaara could control Shukaku, Sunagakure often witnessed scenes of Shukaku rampaging.
Each time, it caused great damage.
As an Elite Jonin, he remembered this vividly.
'And this Akatsuki was actually collecting Tailed Beasts!'
'What on earth did they want to do?'
"I don't know their purpose yet, and that's not the key point right now."
Takumi shook his head slightly, then narrowed his eyes. "I think you should know the consequences of forcibly extracting a Tailed Beast from a Jinchuriki's body."
This time,
The Sunagakure people's expressions completely darkened.
Forcibly extracting a Tailed Beast from a Jinchuriki's body has only one outcome.
That is the death of the Jinchuriki.
Such a thing is unacceptable to anyone in Sunagakure.
They had just been saved by Gaara.
Now, Gaara is the most respected person in Sunagakure, bar none.
Because he saved the entire village.
Now,
Takumi tells them that the enemy wants to extract Gaara to death.
How can they tolerate that?
"No time to waste! Let's move immediately!"
Temari grabs Takumi, wanting to set off immediately to rescue Gaara.
But Takumi stops her. "The two of us going alone won't work. We can't track them by ourselves."
Temari understands, but she is still extremely anxious.
"Then, when do we leave?"
She is impatient now. Gaara's life is in danger, and as his sister, how can she endure it?
"I see."
Baki suddenly says with realization, "So Takumi-sama has taken a liking to Chiyo-sama's puppetry skills?"
"Indeed, Chiyo-sama is the strongest puppeteer in the village. She can definitely deal with Sasori."
"But, Sasori is Chiyo-sama's..."
He doesn't finish his sentence.
After all, the fact that Sasori is Chiyo's grandson is not known to many.