The Seawater Desalination Base at Sea Mountain Cliff in the Land of Wind.
Although Sasori and Deidara had attacked it once before, the Hidden Sand Village's electric baton tactics had completely countered Deidara's explosive clay.
Their attack had accomplished very little, leaving only a few bombed areas, all of which had now been repaired.
The poison on Sasori of the Red Sands' puppets, however, had been troublesome.
No one had died, but seventeen people would be unable to fight for a while.
After learning everything he could about Elder Chiyo and Sasori's past, Itachi shut himself in his tent to write and sketch.
Still, he had come to help, so the Hidden Sand Village made no demands of him.
At most, they were curious about what he was doing.
Only Chiyo had enough experience to guess that Itachi might be preparing to use genjutsu against Sasori.
She had told Itachi everything she could. What he chose to do with it was not her concern.
Chiyo had considered the possibility that Sasori would return, but she had never expected him to come back so soon.
Only a single day had passed.
The tent flap was suddenly thrown open.
"Elder Chiyo! Sasori and Deidara are here!"
Above the Sea Mountain Cliff base, the Clay Bird's wings sliced through the clouds.
Sasori stood on the bird's back, looking down at the white hemispherical devices below. But his gaze lingered on them for only a moment before shifting to the tents on the base's perimeter and the Hidden Sand Village troops gathering there.
More precisely, his gaze fixed on the old woman standing at the very front.
Chiyo stood in front of the tents, her head raised as she watched the figure standing on the Clay Bird in the sky.
With Hiruko shattered,