"Kankuro! You're awake! Where's Gaara?!"
Kankuro opened his bleary eyes, slowly sitting up with the help of his sister.
"Uzumaki... Naruto…!"
Kankuro's gaze focused, recognizing the boy before him. He spoke in a weak voice.
"Where was your last battle location? I can have Ninneko track it."
Sasuke bit his thumb, formed a hand seal, and slapped a summoning seal in the air.
Two calico cats with blue eyes were summoned, obediently perching on his shoulders, one on each side.
The Uchiha Clan had a long-standing tradition of forming summoning contracts with Ninneko. Moreover, the tracking abilities of the Ninneko Clan were not inferior to Ninken… it's just these little ones were too difficult to command, hence their reputation wasn't as prominent.
"No need for such trouble!" Kankuro gritted his teeth. "Were my puppets recovered?"
Chiyo glanced at Baki beside her. Upon receiving Chiyo's look, he quickly ran out.
Shortly after, he brought all the puppets recovered from the battlefield into the ward.
Kankuro flicked a finger, Chakra Threads connecting to the broken arm of the Kuroari puppet.
After the broken arm's hand opened, a small piece of torn cloth appeared before everyone.
"There were two enemies. One took Gaara, just track his scent!" Kankuro coughed, clutching his chest. "Even if they split up, it doesn't matter. This is a fragment of clothing from one of the enemies!"
"Truly a Ninja raised in the wind and sand, once they bite, they never let go..."
Sakura crouched before the broken Kuroari arm, picked up the cloth fragment, and handed it to the Ninneko on Sasuke's shoulders.
After sniffing the scent, the two calico cats jumped to the ground, their agile figures flickering as they disappeared, chasing the scent.
"Now we just wait for the Ninneko to return. There should be news soon."
Sasuke walked over to a seat outside the medical room, sitting down and leaning against the rock wall, closing his eyes to rest.
"Kankuro, I have something to ask you!"
Seeing the Konoha's group no longer preoccupied, Chiyo walked to Kankuro's bedside. "Did you really... see Sasori?"
"The one using puppets probably was. The other one, I didn't recognize." He shook his head slightly as Temari helped him lie down.
"The Akatsuki usually operates in pairs of two. Most likely, the other one is Iwagakure's Missing-Nin, Deidara, the disciple of the Third Tsuchikage. He uses Explosion Release from Iwagakure's Explosion Corps."
Sakura, currently writing the mission log, spared a moment to reply, leaving the Sunagakure's Ninja in silence.
'While everyone in the village was in the dark, how come you seem to know everything? Is the Akatsuki hired by Konoha or something?'
"Konoha's intelligence network remains unparalleled in the Ninja World, as always. I wonder what information you might have, and if you could share more, considering our alliance?" Chiyo shamelessly asked, seeking intelligence from Sakura.
With a battle against formidable enemies imminent, there was no time to worry about honor-protecting matters. More preparation meant better odds. Battles between Ninja were often decided by details.
"I've fought the leader of Akatsuki. He possesses the legendary Rinnegan. Moreover, based on our current intelligence gathering on Akatsuki, it's a gathering place for S-rank Missing-Nin from various villages. If their combat power were fully assembled, even present-day Sunagakure probably couldn't withstand them."
Finishing the mission log, Sakura summoned a message-carrying Ninja Hawk used by Konoha's Ninja, tied the letter to it, and sent it off.
"Is that so? It seems to rescue the Fifth Kazekage, we'll need to assemble a significant fighting force!"
Chiyo pondered, turning to Temari. "Temari, gather as many skilled people from the village as you can. After gathering them, have them assemble at the village gate!"
Standing up from beside the ward bed, Temari nodded at Chiyo, then turned and dashed toward Sunagakure's communication center.
Just as Chiyo was about to continue questioning, the sound of creatures using Chakra to move rapidly came from outside.
"Found them!"
Awakened by the Ninneko licking his face, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked at the people in the room.
"Alright, let's move out!"
Naruto rolled up his sleeves, full of motivation.
The group exited the ward, heading toward Sunagakure's main gate. There, the search and rescue team Temari assembled, two Jonin and six Chunin, was already waiting.
"Granny Chiyo, the rest will be left to..."
Temari's words were cut off by a whooshing sound. The newcomer was Baki.
However, he brought bad news with a grim expression. "Temari, the higher-ups order you to immediately take the assembled personnel to the border to prevent Iwagakure and Kumogakure from invading!"
"Are you kidding me? Now is the most precious time to rescue Gaara!" Temari became agitated.
Baki sighed heavily, his spine seeming to bend. "But these are the higher-ups' orders, I..."
"Hmph, still engaging in internal strife even now?" Sasuke snorted, one hand in his pocket, the other resting on his sword.
Sunagakure's higher-ups' actions were too obvious. There were no border incidents when the Kazekage disappeared. Yet, as soon as Chiyo intervened in personnel transfers, suddenly the border became unsafe? Even to fool children, they should at least find a more plausible reason.
Sakura's gaze remained calm. "In other words, Sunagakure doesn't intend to dispatch personnel to participate in the rescue?"
"No, there's still me!" Chiyo took a satchel from Ebizo. "Sunagakure is not without people. I will go with you!"
Having completely recognized the true faces of Sunagakure's current rulers, Chiyo no longer held any expectations for them.
But the young people had not yet fallen. They were the hope upon which the village's future could be entrusted. So, even if her body was decaying, Chiyo still intended to make one last contribution for this village.
"Hahaha, can you still keep up with us, old woman?"
Sakura laughed, the elderly figure reflected in her emerald green eyes showing not a hint of frailty.
Pursing her dry lips, Chiyo's eyes turned sharp. "Don't look down on me, you brat!"
"Then, let's move out!"
…
Meanwhile, at the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Rain.
Inside a dark cave stood a colossal statue with ten eyes, currently opening its mouth wide and raising both hands.
On the fingertip of each of its fingers stood a figure, most of them shimmering with rainbow-colored light, with only two having physical bodies.
"Someone's coming!"
Among them, a man wearing a long robe, with flytrap-like leaves wrapped around both sides of his head, looked up.
"Pursuers from Sunagakure? Let me and Sasori-senpai handle it!"
A blonde youth with a focusing lens over one eye jumped up excitedly.
"Do you know who's coming? It's the one who killed the Fourth Kazekage~"
A person whose face was covered by a swirling mask raised both fists. "Speaking of which, if Deidara-senpai gets killed, can I join the organization then?"
"Hmph, I wouldn't mind changing partners."
A hunchbacked, short man spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Tobi, you bastard!"
Deidara clenched his fist, the mouth in his palm beginning to chew, looking about to jump off the finger.
"Enough, stop fooling around!"
The one standing in the center, Pain, spoke to stop them. "Deidara, return to maintaining the seal!"
Swept by those purple Rinnegan, feeling the coldness in the gaze, Deidara shivered and obediently sat down cross-legged.
"Our current task is to fully extract the Tailed Beast from the Jinchuriki. As for pursuers, someone will intercept them for us."
Pain lifted his head, his gaze seeming to penetrate the mountain, looking into the distance.
"After all, we spent so much money!"