After arriving in Sunagakure, Uzumaki Reikawa and the others were assigned to a house prepared specifically for them, while Shibi Aburame went to negotiate with Sunagakure's upper ranks.
Uzumaki Reikawa rubbed his nose. He was back again, but this time, he could slowly enjoy Sunagakure's local customs.
Sasuke shook the sand out of his shoes and looked up at the house, scanning the surroundings.
"Sit down for a while. We're here to help this time. As an allied nation, if they still arranged surveillance in matters like this, then they'd be complete failures."
Sasuke thought about it and agreed. Besides, if Sunagakure harbored any ill intentions, they could not afford Konoha's wrath right now. "I'm going out for a bit."
Uzumaki Reikawa did not ask where he was going, merely nodding. After Sasuke left, however, he secretly followed him. Based on Sasuke's personality, if he had guessed correctly, Sasuke was probably planning to challenge Gaara to another one-on-one fight.
After the Chunin Ninja Exams, Gaara had returned to Sunagakure and already advanced to Chunin. He had also taken on an apprentice named Moli. However, after Uchiha Gen's earlier attack, the security around Gaara had become much tighter. Most of the additional guards were sealing specialists, though it was unclear whether they were guarding against potential enemies or guarding against Gaara himself.
As for the Four-Image Celestials, who had previously been knocked unconscious, they had been discovered by Sunagakure ninja while still unconscious and utterly confused, then thrown into prison. All their ninja tools had been confiscated as well, adding a considerable amount of strength to Sunagakure.
"You're saying Akatsuki will attack us and take Gaara away?" Baki was not frightened by the sudden news. Instead, he immediately began considering countermeasures, as well as why Konoha had sent Shibi Aburame and