Team Kakashi

On the training ground, Tsunade said, "I have witnessed your strength. Now, where do you plan to go?"

Naruto and Sakura were both full of questions. Naruto asked, "Where are we going?" At that moment, a figure flashed and appeared in front of them.

Naruto and Sakura saw the newcomer and immediately called out, "Kakashi-sensei!"

Tsunade said, "Kakashi, you've arrived."

Kakashi said, "Oops, sorry I'm late. Are you done fighting?"

Tsunade said seriously, "Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, from now on, the three of you will form Team Kakashi."

Naruto asked, "Um, what does 'um' mean?"

Kakashi said, "In other words, from now on, I will be a teammate to complete missions together, not a teacher and student."

Naruto smiled upon hearing this and said, "Kakashi-sensei, I understand."

Suddenly, Naruto's stomach growled. Everyone looked at Naruto, and Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, saying, "I'm hungry."

Naruto looked around at everyone and said, "Let's go to Ichiraku Ramen together. It's been so long since I've had Ichiraku Ramen, I really miss it."

So, Uzumaki Hane, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sakura went to Ichiraku Ramen together.

The Sasori of the Red Sand positioned precisely in a blind spot of the poisonous needles, surrounded by them, yet it remained completely unharmed.

Kankuro frowned, thinking to himself, "How could he have dodged my poison needle? Is it just a coincidence? Never mind, the most important thing now is to save Gaara." With a flick of his hands, the Crow once again swooped down towards Deidara in the sky.

Sasori of the Red Sand said, "I told you your opponent is me." With a flick of his tail, he instantly struck the Crow in front of him, knocking Crow to the ground. At that moment, Black Ant leaped over the tail and rushed onto the giant bird carrying Deidara.

Deidara swung a white spider from his hand, which exploded in front of Black Ant, sending Black Ant flying and crashing heavily to the ground.

Sasori of the Red Sand flicked his tail and rushed in front of Kankuro. Bang! The Ibuse blocked Kankuro's path, raising a shield on its back to block the scorpion's tail.

Kankuro moved his hands slightly, and with a series of clattering sounds, the two puppets quickly rose to their feet. One rushed towards Sasori of the Red Sand, and the other towards Deidara. Sasori of the Red Sand swung his tail rapidly, instantly wrapping around the Crow and dragging Crow towards the Black Ant. With a bang, the two puppets collided and rolled several times on the ground.

Sasori of the Red Sand said impatiently, "I've told you so many times, your opponent is me." He then said to Deidara, "You should leave too, don't get in the way."

Deidara said, "Brother Sasori, I'll be going now." He then rode away on his giant bird, carrying Gaara.

Seeing this, Kankuro was about to give chase when Sasori of the Red Sand flicked his tail, blocking Kankuro's path.

Kankuro looked at Sasori of the Red Sand, calmed himself down, and thought to himself, "It seems I have no choice but to defeat this guy first, and then chase after him to rescue Gaara."

Kankuro said to Sasori of the Red Sand, "Watch my Puppet Performance, take this!" The Crow and Black Ant quickly circled Sasori of the Red Sand, faster and faster, until only afterimages remained.

Suddenly, the Crow opened its beak and shot dozens of Senbon needles at the Sasori of the Red Sand. The Sasori of the Red Sand Scorpion swung its tail, but failed to block all the Senbon. Swish, swish, the Sasori of the Red Sand's trench coat was slashed with more than a dozen wounds, making it look tattered.

The Sasori of the Red Sand slashed its tail against the trench coat it was wearing a few times, tearing it off and revealing the puppet's true form underneath.

Kankuro frowned, a look of shock on his face. He had clearly seen through the secret of the Sasori of the Red Sand puppet. Kankuro asked, "Who are you?"

Sasori of the Red Sand said, "I don't like waiting. Let's finish this now." He flicked his tail and charged towards Kankuro.

Kankuro controlled the Ibuse's shield to block the scorpion's tail attack.

Kankuro said, "The Ibuse possesses a terrifying defense; it can withstand an attack with the force of tens of thousands of tons."

"Although the defense is indeed very strong, it still has weaknesses," said the Sasori of the Red Sand. He lashed out with his tail, smashing the shield away with a bang.

Kankuro exclaimed in surprise, "How could you possibly discover Sanshoha's weakness?"

Sasori of the Red Sand said, "I know the weaknesses of not only the Ibuse, but also the Crow and the Black Ant." With a rapid flick of its tail, bang, crack, crack, the Crow and the Black Ant were scattered into countless parts.

Immediately afterward, Sasori's tail rushed in front of Kankuro. Kankuro was in shock and caught off guard. He was stabbed in the chest by Sasori's tail and hung up.

Kankuro looked at the scorpion tail on his chest and asked, "Who exactly are you?"

The Sasori of the Red Sand said, "Who am I? The Ibuse, the Crow, the Black Ant —I created them all."

Kankuro's eyes narrowed, and he said in shock, "You... you are Sasori of the Red Sand, whom the puppet army called a genius maker?"

Sasori of the Red Sand said, "I never thought I'd be able to fight a junior who possesses a puppet I created. It's been a long time since I've felt this way." With a flick of his tail, Sasori threw Kankuro to the ground.

Kankuro twitched his fingers slightly, and the puppet parts on the ground flew up, revealing their sharp blades. They quickly flew towards Sasori of the Red Sand of the Sasori of the Red Sand tail lashed out continuously, blocking all the incoming parts.

Kankuro's hands moved slightly, and the parts quickly returned to his front, intending to reassemble the puppet. Suddenly, Kankuro's entire body went numb, and he collapsed to the ground. The puppet also disintegrated and fell to the ground. Kankuro's whole body began to ache intensely. Enduring the pain, he barely managed to lift his head, looking at the purple liquid on the scorpion's tail, and thought to himself, "Could it be what happened earlier...?"

Sasori of the Red Sand said, "It seems the poison has begun to spread. Oh well, you only have three days anyway. After three days, you'll surely die. I'll let you go this time." Then he turned and slowly walked away.

Kankuro's vision gradually blurred, and he eventually lost consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, several figures appeared in front of Kankuro; they were the reinforcements who had come to rescue Gaara.

Seeing Kankuro lying on the ground, the leading Jonin checked him over and said, "Kankuro has been poisoned. You all hurry and chase after them. I'll take Kankuro back to the village for treatment. Remember, don't fight them rashly." After saying that, he carefully prepared to stabilize the poison in Kankuro's body before taking Kankuro back to the village for treatment.

The other three Jonin replied in unison, "Yes." Their figures flashed, and they continued to chase after Sasori of the Red Sand and Deidara in the direction they had gone.

After the other Jonin left, the Jonin led Kankuro and quickly headed towards the village.