The wedding was over. Once everyone had tidied up, they prepared to head home.
Xuanhui suddenly reached out and caught the hem of Hatake Sakumo's clothes.
"Uncle Sakumo, go get your blade. I need you for something."
Hatake Sakumo was puzzled, but seeing Xuanhui's serious expression, he took him home anyway.
Orochimaru followed them as well. He had planned to go to the Laboratory with Xuanhui from the start.
While Hatake Sakumo was inside getting his blade, Xuanhui closed his eyes and entered Sensory Mode.
"There really is a powerful, unfamiliar chakra presence in the woods to the northwest!"
Seeing Xuanhui close his eyes, Orochimaru held back the question on the tip of his tongue.
Only after Hatake Sakumo came out did Orochimaru ask.
"Did something happen?"
"One of Uncle Sakumo's enemies is here."
"Huh?"
Hatake Sakumo really wanted to know how Xuanhui knew, but this was too important, so he left the question unasked.
"Kakuzu's chakra is following him closely.
Looks like experience really does count..."
The three headed northwest, leaped over the wall, and soon encountered Sasori of the Red Sands coming toward them.
Incredulous bewilderment showed on Sasori's boyish face!
"Konoha ninja? How could my movements have been exposed?"
Seeing that they had met, Kakuzu hid in the woods behind him.
"You're Sasori of the Red Sands, Chiyo's grandson, aren't you?"
Xuanhui's words brought understanding to both Sakumo and Orochimaru.
Now they understood what he meant by an enemy.
So Sakumo was his enemy! The man who had killed his parents, no less!
Sasori of the Red Sands was about to flee when a single sentence from Xuanhui stopped him.
"This is Hatake Sakumo. You two can talk now."
Sasori stopped dead. His body trembled slightly, and he turned around with an unusually stiff motion.
There was