"Don't let your guard down, Deidara," Sasori said gravely through the puppet.
Not far away, Chiyo looked at Sasori with a complicated expression. As a puppet master herself, she recognized at a glance that Sasori was currently controlling a puppet.
Deidara sneered. "Sasori, I know what I'm doing. Leave this brat to me."
As he spoke, he flicked his right hand. With a hand seal, a twin-winged flying dragon appeared, scooped Gaara's corpse into its mouth, and flew toward the cave entrance. Deidara himself leaped onto its back and looked down at Naruto Uzumaki provocatively. "Want to save your friend? Then follow me."
"Bastard, don't think you can get away!" Naruto roared furiously and chased after him without hesitation.
"Naruto!" Kakashi called out. With no other choice, he followed as well. After all, Deidara was an Akatsuki member, and he could not trust Naruto to pursue him alone.
"Deidara really is as reckless as ever." In the blink of an eye, only three people remained in the cave. Sasori turned the puppet around and looked at Sakura and Chiyo. Of course, in his eyes, there was really only Chiyo.
"It's been a long time, Granny." A deep voice came from within the puppet. "Since you chose to retire, why bother sticking your nose into this?"
Chiyo stepped forward, a smile appearing at the corner of her lips. "I'm an old woman with one foot in the grave, and I didn't want to meddle in such things either. But my beloved grandson is involved in this mission, so I can't just stand by."
Her gaze narrowed slightly. "Sasori, answer me. Why did you leave Sunagakure back then and join a terrifying organization like Akatsuki?"
"..."
Sasori did not answer. The tail behind him, gleaming with a cold light, rose into the