Shuo didn't run. He was as unhurried as ever, his steps slow, yet strangely, Temari had to jog to keep up.
"Could you... hurry up?"
Temari panted, her forehead covered in sweat. "Gaara's been taken away! If we're any slower, we won't catch them!"
"I know."
Shuo chewed his candy, without a hint of urgency in his voice. "Which way did they go?"
Temari froze, not quite understanding. "...What?"
"Your brother," Shuo repeated patiently. "Which way did the Sound Ninja take him?"
Only then did Temari snap out of it and hurriedly point east. "That way! It was the Sound Ninja. They ran into the woods to the east!"
Shuo nodded and said nothing more.
The next second, he vanished.
It wasn't the afterimage of someone running. Like light, he disappeared in an instant.
By the time Temari reacted, he was already standing on a rooftop fifty meters away, his back to her, still as unhurried as ever.
Temari stood rooted to the spot, her mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Sai walked past her and lightly patted her arm. "What are you standing around for? Keep up."
The two ran desperately, panting for breath, while Shuo kept stopping and starting ahead of them as though out for a stroll, yet they never caught up.
Every time he stopped, he crouched to examine the traces on the ground-snapped branches, freshly turned damp soil, and a patch of blackened sand.
It was Gaara's sand, already completely dry. They had clearly left at least half an hour ago.
Shuo stood, dusted off his hands, and continued the pursuit.
After about ten minutes, the sounds of fighting came from ahead: the roar of Earth Release, the sharp whistle of kunai through the air, and people's screams, all mingling into a piercing din.