As they neared their destination, Sasori, who had remained silent the whole time, walked up to Anyo and said, "Kurotsuchi, I'll head off first. You can show them around."
Anyo asked, puzzled, "Why? Has something happened in the village?"
"No, it's mainly my parents." Sasori gave a helpless, wry smile. "My clone already went back to the village with them. Since it was a puppet, they saw through it right away and thought I'd abandoned my flesh-and-blood body to pursue the art of puppetry. No matter how I explained it, they only believed me on the surface. In reality, the two of them hid away and cried in silence. Even Grandmother Chiyo's explanation didn't help, so I need to hurry over and prove what I said."
Such was the love of parents everywhere. Anyo hurriedly said, "Then go on. This time, the three of you can truly be reunited as a family."
Sasori said sincerely, "Kurotsuchi, thank you. Otherwise, I really might have abandoned this body back then."
Anyo replied with a smile, "Like I said, there's no need for thanks between us."
After Sasori left, the airship slowly descended.
Ōnoki couldn't spare the time to lecture Deidara and was the first to step off the airship. As soon as he reached Sunagakure's entrance, a cool breeze washed over him, refreshing his mind and spirit.
"How is this possible?" Ōnoki exclaimed in surprise. "This is a desert. By all rights, it should be scorching hot."
Without waiting for the others, Ōnoki lifted his feet off the ground and flew through Sunagakure's gates.
The pristine white buildings before him were hard to believe. The air smelled fresh, and there was not the slightest trace of the sandstorms that had once swept through from time to time. What shocked him most were