Kazuto started to rise, but Shinichi stopped him.
"I'll get it. They're here for me."
His parents exchanged a glance but did not ask anything. Shinichi left the table, walked to the entrance, and opened the door.
A masked Anbu stood outside with his head lowered. "Shinichi-sama."
He handed over a scroll with both hands. Shinichi took it and quickly read through the report.
The Akatsuki had begun moving. One team was heading to Sunagakure for Gaara, while another had been sent to Kumogakure for Yugito Nii and Killer B. The final part concerned Konoha.
Pain was preparing to attack the village.
Shinichi closed the scroll. "Does Lady Tsunade know?"
The Anbu hesitated before answering. "Not yet. When we found Hokage-sama, she and Jiraiya-sama were at an izakaya. They were both drunk, so the Intelligence Division sent the report to you first."
After a moment of silence, Shinichi nodded. "Understood. The information is important, but everything stays as usual for now. You may leave."
The Anbu bowed and disappeared into the night.
Shinichi remained at the doorway with the scroll in his hand. The report had come from Itachi, so there was no need to doubt it. The Akatsuki had finally begun to move.
Behind him, the light from the dining room was still warm, and his family was still waiting at the table.
Shinichi looked toward the village outside.
"Then let's enjoy this peace before the storm."
...
At the same time, far from Konoha, the Akatsuki was already on the move.
In the desert of the Land of Wind, two figures moved across the sand. Sasori was in front, hidden inside Hiruko as the puppet crawled forward at an unhurried pace. Its scorpion tail dragged through the sand, leaving a long trail behind it.
Behind him, Deidara lay on a clay bird with his hands behind his head. After watching Hiruko crawl for a while, he finally lost patience.
"Sasori, can't you hurry up? At this speed, when are we supposed to reach Sunagakure?"
Hiruko did not stop. "What's the rush?"
"How can I not be in a rush?" Deidara sat up. "Hidan and Kakuzu are moving too. If that idiot gets his target before us, he'll never shut up about it. No way. I'm not letting him beat me."
"The Land of Wind is closer to Rain," Sasori replied. "They have to cross Konoha's territory, then pass through the Land of Hot Springs, the Land of Frost, and several smaller countries. Their route is at least twice as long."
Deidara thought about it for a moment, and some of his irritation faded. "Oh... right. So we're already ahead."
Then he frowned again. "But if Sunagakure holds us up, they could still catch up."
Hiruko's scorpion tail rose slightly. "There will be no accidents."
Deidara looked at the raised tail and grinned. "True. You're from Sunagakure, and an S-rank rogue ninja on top of that. You know this place better than anyone."
The mouths in his palms shifted as they chewed the clay inside. "And with my art, Sunagakure won't be a problem."
Sasori did not answer. Hiruko continued across the sand, and behind them, the wind slowly covered the trail they had left.
By the time night fell, they had reached the top of a dune. The desert had turned cold under the moonlight, and ahead of them stood a village surrounded by high walls.
Sunagakure.
Deidara narrowed his eyes at the village. "Finally."
He looked at the wall and smiled. "It looks sturdy, but a wall won't stop me."
To him, the wall barely mattered. Even if he did not blow it apart, he could simply fly over it, and tonight even that was unnecessary. The village gate had already been opened a crack. Several bodies lay on the ground outside it, and a Sunagakure ninja in a tactical vest stood near the entrance, waiting quietly in the shadow of the wall.
Hiruko stopped near the gate. "Well done, Yura."
Yura stepped forward and lowered his head. "Lord Sasori."
"Where is the Kazekage?"
"The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, usually works late into the night at the Kazekage Building," Yura replied. "He should still be there."
Deidara grinned. "Still working? Perfect. Saves me the trouble of looking for him elsewhere."
He turned to Sasori. "Let me handle this one."
If Sasori captured the One-Tail himself, Hidan would definitely use it against Deidara later. He could already hear that bastard saying he had only followed along and watched while Sasori did all the work.
Deidara was not giving him that chance.
He reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out a lump of white clay. The clay twisted in his palm and quickly expanded into a large bird.
Deidara jumped onto its back. The bird spread its wings and rose into the night sky, crossing Sunagakure's walls.
Sasori watched him fly toward the village.
"Then don't make me wait too long," he said. "...I hate waiting."
Deidara's clay bird flew over Sunagakure's rooftops in the dark. Most houses were quiet, and only a few lights were still on below.
A moment later, he reached the Kazekage Building. The bird folded its wings, and Deidara dropped onto the roof with a grin.
"Infiltration successful..."
He stopped halfway.
The night wind blew across the roof, lifting his hair. Across from him, Gaara stood with his arms crossed, the mark for "love" carved into his forehead and his pale green eyes fixed on the intruder.
Deidara clicked his tongue. "...So I was discovered."
Only then did he think back to what Yura had said. Gaara worked late at the Kazekage Building every night, but that did not mean he would be easy to catch off guard.
"This is as far as you go," Gaara said.
Sand surged across the roof from every direction. Deidara's surprise lasted only a moment before he laughed and reached for his clay.
He jumped back onto his bird. "Hm... interesting."
Outside the village, Sasori waited near the gate as explosions roared from inside Sunagakure. Orange flashes lit up the night sky, faded for a while, then burst out again even brighter.
Hiruko's scorpion tail swept slowly through the sand.
"Too slow."
After the last explosion, the village gradually fell quiet. A clay bird soon flew back from Sunagakure, with Deidara standing on its back, his one sleeve hanging empty. Gaara was caught in the bird's tail, unconscious.
The bird landed beside Hiruko. Deidara jumped down and grinned. "Sasori, did I make you wait long?"
Sasori looked at his empty sleeve. "You were slow."
"Maybe," Deidara said, still grinning. "But I caught the One-Tail."
Hiruko turned toward the desert. "That's enough. Let's go before Sunagakure's pursuit squad arrives."
Deidara followed with the captured Gaara, while Yura slipped out from the shadows behind them. The three figures left the gate behind and headed into the desert...