The Land of Earth.
On a small road leading to Iwagakure.
Sasori oiled his arm.
As he spoke to Deidara beside him.
"Little Deidara, give me a detailed rundown of Iwagakure."
Deidara fiddled with his black... clay and replied somewhat distractedly.
"Sasori, do we really need to be this cautious, hmm?"
"We completed our last operation easily enough, didn't we?"
Sasori's voice, produced by the friction of metal, sounded quite grave.
"This operation is nothing like the last one. We need to be extra careful."
"Neither 'Two Scales' nor the 'Steam Ninja' is someone those powerhouses in Sunagakure could compare to."
The Third Tsuchikage, Ōnoki of Both Scales.
He possessed the power of Dust Release, a kekkei tōta that surpassed kekkei genkai.
[Kekkei tōta: a release technique produced by combining three Chakra Nature Transformations.]
Among the strongest fighters alive, Ōnoki could rank in the top ten at the very least.
And the target of their trip, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki—Han.
He, too, was renowned throughout the shinobi world, respectfully known as the "Steam Ninja."
Those two alone would be difficult enough to deal with.
Not to mention the ninja forces permanently stationed in Iwagakure.
The slightest lapse on this trip could leave the two of them with their heads separated from their bodies!
Of course, losing their heads was no big deal for them anyway.
Sensing Sasori's seriousness.
Deidara grew serious as well.
"Since you put it that way, Sasori, let me think it over, hmm!"
After carefully searching his memories for a while.
Deidara began explaining Iwagakure's situation to Sasori, reciting the details as though listing his own treasures.
"..."
"..."
As a native of Iwagakure and a former student of the current Tsuchikage.
Deidara undoubtedly knew a great deal about Iwagakure.
He even knew some of its