Even Deidara himself had not noticed. Lost in memories of Sasori, he had unconsciously lowered his altitude while riding his Clay Bird high through the sky. That spelled trouble. He never would have imagined that Kakashi and the others had actually caught up after defeating the doubles of Itachi and Kisame sent by the Akatsuki.
Beating Itachi had left Kakashi feeling rather full of himself. Back then, you took me down with a single glare. Today was different-I could fight you fifty-fifty. Now that was progress. Leave a man alone for three days, and you had to see him in a whole new light. Of course, Kakashi had no idea that had been a double.
Leading the team, Kakashi happened to run into the brothers Meihui and Naruto. The moment he saw Meihui, he was stunned. Hadn't they said Meihui was dead? Wasn't he standing right here, perfectly fine? Seriously, that Jiraiya had lied.
But this was no time to catch up. Kakashi asked which direction Deidara had fled, had Pakkun the dog pinpoint his location, and went straight after him. Meihui, who had been planning to rest, got dragged back to work.
During the pursuit, Naruto finally found his chance and cornered Meihui with a barrage of questions.
He chattered on and on, making an unbearable racket. Helpless, Meihui could only say, "Little brother, I know you have a lot to say to me. I'll explain everything. You've had a rough time all these days."
At Meihui's words, Naruto burst into tears. He remembered everything he had done because of his big brother's disappearance, the pain he had endured, and how he had forced himself to become cold. It had been exhausting. But now his big brother was still alive, and all that suffering no longer mattered.
Watching Naruto