Birthday Barely Over, Akatsuki Attacks

"Happy birthday, you two. I don't have any gifts, though..."

Izuna watched as the brothers divided up this portion of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Only then did he come over and reach out to pat the two little ones on the head, able to offer them nothing more than verbal birthday wishes.

He was a spirit. Aside from occasionally being able to use a tiny bit of genjutsu, there was nothing else he could do.

"Having you here with us is already the best gift..."

A Luo looked up at Izuna. He genuinely felt warmly toward this ancestor who had suddenly appeared and then stayed with them ever since.

From their first meeting until now, Izuna had always worked hard to teach him and Sasuke, using what little knowledge and ability he possessed to protect them as they grew.

"That sure is nice to hear. If I could hear Sasuke call me 'Ancestor' too, I'd be even happier!"

As Izuna laughed, he suddenly looked at Sasuke and deliberately brought it up again.

A Luo did not mind and called him Ancestor at every turn.

But Sasuke never called him that. He did not even use a respectful term for an elder, which only made Izuna enjoy teasing Sasuke more.

The less Sasuke called him that, the more Izuna referred to himself that way...

And, as expected, he got to see Sasuke's puffed-cheeked glare.

"Hmph!"

Sasuke raised a hand and stroked the kitten pendant. He was in a good mood, but that did not stop him from glaring at this elder who had died young.

He would never admit that this was some ancestor!

That shameless old man had once actually planned to teach him how to court girls. He said that once Sasuke grew up a little, he should go find lots of pretty girls and then have...

If he had the nerve, why did he not say that in front of A Luo?!

He was only picking on Sasuke because Sasuke could not hit him. Hmph!

"Sasuke, ignore him. We've already opened the gifts, so go back and lie down now. I'll stay here and return tomorrow morning. Teacher Orochimaru said Elder Chiyo of Sand Village has some skill in treatment and detoxification. He plans to take us there to have a look. Maybe we can learn some healing-type ninjutsu methods..."

A Luo stopped the elder and the youngster before they could start arguing again. Sitting beside Sasuke, he pressed Sasuke's soul back into place.

Then he leaned against Sasuke and told him about what had happened recently, as well as why they were going to Sand Village.

The brothers' birthday passed amid gifts and each other's company.

When dawn broke, A Luo left Konoha and returned to his body.

Yet the moment he came back, he saw yellow sand swirling across the sky. A layer of protective barrier surrounded him.

Beyond the barrier, white clay spiders crawled over the sand.

"Teacher Orochimaru, is this the place you said had no ninjas?"

A Luo looked at Orochimaru, who was maintaining the barrier, then at Kimimaro, who was holding his body to prevent any sudden problems. With a helpless gaze, he slowly stood up.

He had only gone home to celebrate a birthday with Sasuke. How had he happened to run into Akatsuki members here—and four of them at once?!

There was Deidara, throwing clay spiders; Sasori of the Red Sand, wearing a puppet shell; Hidan, carrying a scythe and watching the show; and Kakuzu, standing nearby and apparently calculating something.

"Get ready. We're leaving!"

Orochimaru was relieved to see A Luo wake up.

In a one-on-one fight, he truly had nothing to worry about now. But there were four of them, and he definitely could not handle them all.

So they would leave when it was time to leave. Sand Village could be visited anytime; there was no need to expose his own people to danger.

"Let's say hello before we go. Teacher Orochimaru, I won't go outside..."

The instant A Luo said he wanted to say hello, Orochimaru shot him a glare.

Only after he promised not to go out did Orochimaru nod in satisfaction.

When there was a mischievous child at home who loved taking risks every day, even Orochimaru had to stay on guard.

"It's fine, it's fine. Handsome blond big brother out there, stop for a moment!"

The moment A Luo called him big brother, Deidara froze.

Orochimaru and Kimimaro exchanged a look and sighed in perfect unison.

The nicer the words sounded, the more likely there was something fishy going on!

"Cute little brother, are you saying I'm handsome?"

Deidara controlled his clay bird to descend and stood outside the barrier. He winked one eye at A Luo and flashed a broad smile.

He called him a handsome big brother. This kid had good taste!

"Yes! Big brother, you're so handsome, so why come to a place like this? The wind and sand here are terrible for your skin. Let me see... I have some sunscreen and anti-dryness skincare products researched by my teacher. Since you're so handsome, I'll sell them to you at half price. How about it?"

A Luo rummaged through the bag on his back and took out a small glass bottle.

The contents really could keep skin from cracking from dryness, but it was actually one of Orochimaru's failed research products. A Luo had suggested that it could be exchanged for money, so they had brought along some samples.

Originally, he had thought that since his identity was that of a wealthy merchant's young master, he ought to have some interest in business. He could use these to advertise a little. If they really opened up a market and made money, they could use it to build Sound Village!

"Huh? Sun... sunscreen and anti-dryness... skincare products?"

Deidara felt that this kid was messing with him.

Although Orochimaru was currently dressed as a Sand Village ninja, everyone knew who that guy was.

This child was Orochimaru's disciple, and also Itachi Uchiha's younger brother. That was no longer a secret within Akatsuki.

It was said that in order to fight Orochimaru over this child, Itachi Uchiha practically lived at Orochimaru's place and only returned to Rain Village after a long time...

And now, something researched by Orochimaru...

Skincare products?

Were they sure they were skincare products, not something that would poison someone to death the moment it was smeared on their face?

"It's real. I want to make money, so I had Teacher help research some things that could earn money. We came to Sand Village this time to promote these skincare products. I brought lots of them..."

Seeing that Deidara did not believe him, A Luo sat down near the edge of the barrier, took off his backpack, and began pulling things out.

Skincare products, sunscreen, moisturizers, whitening products...

Every time he took one out, he introduced it to Deidara with a highly professional air.

After more than ten bottles and jars, A Luo finally finished introducing them all.

"How much can these things sell for?"

As someone who loved money, after hearing the child's introduction, Kakuzu looked at those bottles and jars as though he were looking at money laid out before him.

"Each one only sells for a few tens of thousands of ryo. They're very cheap..."

A Luo took out a price list from his backpack. After looking it over himself, he held it up with the side bearing words facing outward so Deidara and Hidan could both see it.

Each portion of every kind only cost a few tens of thousands, the price of just dozens of bowls of ramen.