"We'll hold them off in a moment. You go rescue Yugito Nii," Kakashi whispered as he quietly moved beside Samui.
"No need..." Samui naturally knew how difficult that would be. She frowned, about to say something.
Besides, unless something unexpected had happened, Yugito Nii was probably already dead—she had originally planned to check after everyone had defeated the Akatsuki once and for all.
"The sooner we rescue her, the better Yugito Nii's chances of survival. Until we know for certain, it's too early to draw conclusions, isn't it?"
At those words, Samui, who had been about to object, felt as though he had touched on her deepest feelings. Her lips parted, but nothing came out. For that moment, emotion gained a slight edge over reason.
Samui stared at Kakashi in a slight daze and unconsciously murmured a very soft "Mm." Even so, reason kept telling her this was not the best choice.
But—Shizune was Tsunade's student. Maybe she really could...
Meanwhile, Deidara seemed rather unhappy with Uzumaki Reikawa's assessment. "By your reckoning, you're saying those two brats are worth a Jonin?"
After all, becoming a Jonin was no simple matter. Both skill and experience were essential. If two Chunin could simply be traded for one Jonin like that, there would not have been so few people who reached the rank in the vast Ninja World.
"...You're actually only a few years older than they are," Uzumaki Reikawa pointed out dryly.
Deidara's face immediately flushed, though whether from embarrassment or anger was hard to tell.
Although Deidara was the youngest member of the Akatsuki, he had already attained Kage-level strength at such a young age. His talent spoke for itself.
Yet precisely because he was young, seniority was something of a sore spot.
"Hmph!" His embarrassment seemingly turning to anger, Deidara