Deidara

Not far from the battlefield.

In a deserted corner.

A giant pitcher plant suddenly sprouted from the ground.

"Looks like they're fighting fiercely..." The pitcher plant opened, revealing a strange, half-black, half-white figure inside. Gazing into the distance at the deafening collision of the fireball and the Water Release beast, a sinister smile spread across his face. "Oh dear, if you're not careful and get caught in it, you're doomed!"

You guessed right, this person is none other than Jue, one of Xiao's scouts.

"However, it seems something unexpected has happened," he said to himself, "The person fighting Brother Sasori isn't Orochimaru..."

"Never mind, let's tell Deidara first!"

Smack

After he finished talking to himself, he seemed to sink into the earth, making a strange sound like something falling into water.

"Secret Technique - Mayfly Technique!"

As a life form proliferating from Hashirama Cells, it possesses all the characteristics of a plant. Using special Secret Technique, it can merge its physical body with the root systems of plants in the earth, allowing it to move at high speed through the land.

This technique of stealth, buried deep underground, can almost completely conceal one's own presence.

However, considering that the two people in the battle might be sensitive to Chakra, he cautiously avoided getting too close to the battlefield, worried about exposing himself to Sakura's senses.

Deidara was waiting nearby and quickly found him.

"So, is there any news, hmm?" The young man with long bangs asked as he saw Jue emerge from the ground.

He sat on a rock, with a large white bird crouching behind him.

He glanced at Jue, then continued to focus his gaze on the clay figurine in his palm.

"That's right, the fight has started, but..." Zetsu said with a half-smile, his eerie appearance making it difficult to discern his expression, "... the opponent isn't Orochimaru."

Deidara stood up, his feet planted on a rock. "Hmm? What's going on... No, that spy might have betrayed him and joined Orochimaru, so can we lure Orochimaru out?"

"Yes..." Zetsu replied, half-exposed, "But the first to arrive were Konoha ninjas."

The first person Deidara thought of when he thought of Konoha ninjas was the one he disliked the most in Akatsuki—the man with cold, crimson eyes.

Uchiha Itachi.

Deidara loathed the man's indifferent expression; Itachi's detached gaze held a disdain for his art, a profound insult to him.

The blond youth's expression immediately turned cold.

"Hmm... the people of Konoha, they're quick!" Deidara sneered. "But they're all a bunch of annoying guys, from Orochimaru to Itachi..."

By the last two sentences, it was already at the volume of talking to oneself.

I didn't hear the last sentence clearly, but I did hear him ask again, "Aren't all the people of Konoha dead yet?"

"They're fighting fiercely!" Zetsu chuckled, his expression much more obvious this time. "The opponent is that girl who gave Kakuzu a hard time last time, and Mr. Sasori is having a real headache with her! She shattered Mr. Sasori's puppet with a single punch. Oh, right, what's her name again?"

"It's Sakura! And Kakuzu is different from that Kakuzu guy, he's much stronger than Kakuzu! Sasori's art will never be defeated, you idiot!" Deidara's forehead veins bulged as he rushed up to Zetsu and gave him a hard flick on the forehead. "Hmm, although I prefer an instantaneous explosion to eternity."

"Ouch!" Jue rubbed his head, grumbling, "By the way, you should go get it checked out!"

"Idiot, Brother Sasori doesn't need support!" Deidara sat down again, mocking Zetsu. "You have terrible judgment... Even among Akatsuki, Brother Sasori is an outstanding powerhouse. He can handle that kind of enemy. I'll just wait for him here!"

"..." He remained completely silent.

He just--

Stare.

Staring blankly at Deidara, Deidara quickly became uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Hey, what are you still doing here watching me?"

He was uneasy, pointing his finger at the sky and shouting loudly.

"Damn it, you're staring at me with that weird look, it's killing all my artistic inspiration! Get out of here!"

Deidara's unwavering attitude infuriated him, his eyebrows furrowing and his teeth clenched in anger.

"You bastard, you're deliberately trying to provoke me, aren't you? My patience is about to explode! Hmm!"

Deidara yelled in frustration, throwing all the clay animals in his hands at once.

"Aaaaaah! I'm going to blow you up! Drink!"

Deidara's mouth twisted with rage.

"I'm so angry! If you're so tough, why don't you come and hide in the ground!"

With no other option, Deidara raised his hands in surrender.

"Hmph! Hmph! You bastard...! Damn it, I'm going to Scorpion's side, okay?! Stop staring at me, I can't find any inspiration!"

Deidara, panting heavily, supported himself on his knees as he looked at Zetsu, who had emerged from the ground again, and said with a headache.

"You agreed to this, we didn't force you!" Jue said innocently.

Deidara's lips twitched, and he flipped onto the giant white bird, instantly disappearing from the scene.

"Huh! Why didn't I think of flying through the air to dodge that jerk?" This guy realized he'd made a fool of himself again...

The large-scale clash of Ninjutsu attracted the attention of everyone except Zetsu, who had been lurking underground.

Not far from the Land of Rivers, a mixed ninja team—comprising ninjas from Konoha and Sand shinobi —was advancing along the coded path left by Shino.

The orange-haired ninja walking at the front suddenly stopped.

He looked into the distance with a knowing gaze.

The Forehead Protector he was wearing indicated that he was a Konoha ninja.

The squad leader following closely behind him raised his right hand, gesturing for a halt. "Any discoveries, Hoshino Uo?"

"A very intense Chakra reaction..." Hoshino Uo frowned deeply, "Right in front of the mark Shino left!"

He closed his eyes, listened carefully for a while, and added, "It's two powerful Ninjutsu colliding. The power is astonishing; it can be sensed from this far away!"

How strong is it?

"A single strike would be enough to completely destroy the village we just passed by..." Hoshino Uo said solemnly.

A ninja wearing Sand shinobi Forehead Protector approached and asked, "Can you tell who the two fighters are?"

"Sure! One should be Sakura Haruno, a ninja from our village, and the other is a completely unfamiliar Chakra, but it's incredibly strong!" Yu said.

"He is missing-nin from our Sand shinobi, a former master puppeteer, Sasori of the Red Sand." The sensory ninja from the Sand shinobi said coldly. Sasori was a household name in their generation!

"After Sasori left the village, he became even stronger. He once single-handedly destroyed a country, and his strength even surpassed that of a typical 'Kage' level ninja!"

Several people gasped in shock.

"Sasori of the Red Sand? I heard he's even stronger than the Kazekage...!"

"It was him! How are we going to deal with such a powerful enemy?"

The Sand shinobi were in an uproar, whispering among themselves.

If it were a regular enemy, they would have five or six Special Jonin and Chunin, plus two Jonin captains, enough to handle them.

However, against an opponent like Sasori, who Chunin, no matter how many there are, are just cannon fodder; even Jonin have to band together to fight against ninjas of this level.

Of course, the simplest way to fight against Kage Level ninja.

It means that our side also has teammates of this level.

For example, the power of the Tailed Beast.

So, first the Konoha ninjas, then the Sand shinobi hesitated for a moment, and then all turned their attention to the last person in the group, the red-haired boy.

Jinchūriki Gaara.

Suspicion, vigilance, wariness... and even hopeful and expectant gazes were all focused on him.

The only thing in the team capable of fighting against Kage Level opponent is Shukaku's power. No matter how much they once loathed or hated this blood-stained monster, now they must rely on him.

"Gaara..." the captain said hesitantly, a little embarrassed, "We..."

He's the Jinchūriki and had been Gaara the cold shoulder the whole way, but now Gaara.

It's like a clichéd scene of a show-off getting slapped in the face, where the villain who has been bullying the protagonist all along is now forced to humbly beg for his help.

Gaara thought he would laugh, or he would cry, but he didn't. He simply looked calmly into his captain's eyes and said, "I understand. I will..."

He glanced at the people present, and some lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

These are the ninjas of Sunagakure, the people Gaara yearns for recognition from. The evil deeds he committed have now become the deepest prejudices of his comrades, making it nearly impossible for him to gain their approval and friendship.

"I will protect you."

Gaara firmly.

He knew how difficult this path of self-redemption would be, and this was only the beginning.

Gaara has finally taken his first step on the path to becoming the beloved Kazekage.

(Minimum guaranteed 1/.)

(Working hard on writing, hoping to add more chapters today!)

(Wishing [Writing and Learning] a successful surgery!) 1089