After Kakashi returned to the team, he said nothing about his brief departure, merely continuing to lead Team Seven as they escorted the merchant caravan onward.
Another two days passed. The caravan had reached the border region where the Land of Fire to the north met the Land of Grass and the Land of Waterfalls.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, after the caravan had finished breakfast, they began to pack their belongings, preparing to continue their journey. In a small grove of trees several tens of meters away from the caravan's encampment, Naruto and Sasuke were each hidden in separate locations, vigilantly monitoring their surroundings for any signs of trouble.
Suddenly, a disturbance from the east caught the attention of both boys. Naruto and Sasuke immediately turned their gazes in that direction. Far off, they could see a figure, not very tall, stumbling towards them. It appeared this person was also carrying someone on their back.
A flicker of puzzlement in their eyes, Naruto and Sasuke both simultaneously leaped into action, their figures blurring as they rushed towards the approaching individual.
Swoosh, swoosh~
With two sharp sounds of air being cut, Naruto and Sasuke landed in front of the person, blocking their path. As they drew closer, they could finally see clearly that the person carrying another on their back was a young man. His face and body were covered in numerous cuts and bruises, and his clothes were stained with a considerable amount of dirt and grime. The person he was carrying on his back was a young girl with short, teal-colored hair.
These two were none other than Shiboku, the son of Takigakure's leader Shibuki, and Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki.
Two days prior, the Akatsuki's "Art Duo," Sasori and Deidara, had attacked Takigakure. Under Deidara's relentless barrage of explosions, the entirety of Takigakure had been virtually annihilated. A large number of Takigakure ninja had either been killed in the blasts or eliminated by Sasori's puppets. Faced with two overwhelmingly powerful and seemingly invincible enemies, the leader of Takigakure, Shibuki, had ingested the medicinal pills provided by Tatsuya and the village's Hero Water. Relying on the immense surge of power granted by the Hero Water for a short period, Shibuki had managed to create an opening for Shiboku and Fu to escape.
After a desperate and arduous battle, Shiboku and Fu had finally managed to break free. However, Fu, the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki, had sustained grievous injuries during the fierce fighting and had fallen into a deep coma. Throughout their escape, Shiboku had been forced to carry the unconscious Fu on his own.
"What do you want?" Shiboku asked, his voice wary as he looked at Naruto and Sasuke, who had suddenly appeared before him. However, before Naruto or Sasuke could answer, Shiboku's gaze fell upon the Konoha symbols on their forehead protectors. He immediately asked, his voice hopeful, "Are you Konoha ninja?"
"That's right," Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a quick glance, then Sasuke spoke, his voice low and serious. "Who are you? And why are you here?"
Hearing their affirmative answer, the wary look on Shiboku's face eased slightly. However, he still didn't answer Sasuke's question directly. Instead, he asked again, his voice urgent, "Do you know Tatsuya Akimichi from Konoha Village?"
Hearing Shiboku mention this name, both Naruto and Sasuke's expressions immediately turned somewhat strange. Sasuke's face showed a mixture of suspicion and heightened vigilance. Naruto's face, on the other hand, lit up with excitement and pride, as if it were a great honor for someone to know his teacher, Tatsuya Akimichi.
Before Sasuke could reply, Naruto eagerly interjected, "Of course, we know him! Tatsuya Akimichi is our teacher!"
The moment Naruto's words fell, Sasuke's expression immediately soured, a look of annoyance flashing across his face. He shot Naruto an irritated glare. Seeing Sasuke's pointed look, Naruto finally seemed to come to his senses, realizing his previous behavior had been somewhat foolish. An embarrassed, sheepish grin spread across his face.
Watching the reactions of Naruto and Sasuke, Shiboku's face visibly relaxed, and he quickly said, his voice filled with a desperate urgency, "That's wonderful! I am Shiboku, son of Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure. Our village was attacked by Akatsuki. Before my father… before he fell, he told me to come and seek refuge with Lord Tatsuya Akimichi of Konoha Village. Can you please take me to him?" After speaking, Shiboku looked at Naruto and Sasuke with an expression of earnest anticipation.
Takigakure was usually isolated from the rest of the world, and Shiboku, as the son of the leader Shibuki, had little experience dealing with outsiders or navigating complex situations. Coupled with the recent traumatic experience of witnessing his village's destruction, Shiboku's mind was still in a tense and unstable state. That was why, the moment Naruto had blurted out that Tatsuya was his teacher, Shiboku had completely let down his guard.
Akatsuki! Takigakure was attacked by Akatsuki! Hearing Shiboku's words, both Naruto and Sasuke's expressions immediately turned grave. Even as inexperienced Genin, they had heard of Akatsuki, the powerful rogue ninja organization that had once forced the Five Great Shinobi Villages to join forces against them. It was rumored that every member of Akatsuki possessed strength comparable to that of a Kage.
Both Naruto and Sasuke were proud individuals. But even with their pride, facing the formidable Akatsuki, they dared not be careless in the slightest. Looking at Shiboku's expectant face, both Naruto and Sasuke hesitated. How could the two of them easily agree to such a significant request? Besides, they currently had their own mission to complete.
Yet, looking at Shiboku, who had just suffered such a terrible ordeal, and the unconscious girl on his back, neither Naruto nor Sasuke, who had yet to be truly exposed to the harshest cruelties of the ninja world, could bring themselves to refuse his desperate plea.
Swoosh~
Just as the two of them were struggling with this dilemma, the sound of air being cut sounded beside them. A figure flickered, and Kakashi appeared at their side.
"Kakashi-sensei!" Seeing Kakashi, both Naruto and Sasuke felt a great sense of relief wash over them.
"You two head back for now. I'll handle things here," Kakashi said, his gaze assessing Shiboku and Fu for a moment, then he waved his hand dismissively at Naruto and Sasuke.
Hearing this, the two boys silently glanced at Shiboku, then turned and departed.
A quarter of an hour later, Kakashi returned to the caravan's encampment. The team resumed their journey.
"Kakashi-sensei, what happened to Shiboku and his friend?" After the team had traveled some distance, Naruto finally couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer and asked. Beside him, Sasuke also subtly perked up his ears, wanting to hear Kakashi's answer.
Kakashi glanced at Naruto and said indifferently, "I've already given them directions to Konoha. They will make their own way to the village."
Naruto looked somewhat worried. "But… that companion on Shiboku's back was clearly seriously injured. Will they be able to make it to the village safely?"
Kakashi replied, "Don't worry. I've already fed her a Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pill. That should be enough to sustain her until she reaches the village." As he spoke, a subtle, knowing glint flashed in Kakashi's visible eye. Just now, when he had examined the girl, he had discovered that she was, in fact, Takigakure's Seven-Tails Jinchuriki! Now that Takigakure has fallen… perhaps having them seek refuge in Konoha isn't such a bad idea after all. The only troublesome aspect was that these two seemed to have been targeted by Akatsuki. Well, Kakashi mused, that particular problem can be left for Tatsuya to worry about.
More than ten kilometers away, over a dry, barren wasteland, a giant clay bird soared through the sky, carrying Sasori and Deidara. At this moment, neither Sasori nor Deidara was in a particularly good mood. Their assault on Takigakure… the Seven-Tails Jinchuriki and some kid had actually managed to escape from their grasp! This infuriated both Sasori and Deidara greatly. The organization's first mission after re-emerging could not be botched by them like this! They absolutely had to capture those two.
Thinking back to the incredible power Shibuki, the leader of Takigakure, had unleashed before his death, both Akatsuki members felt a slight chill.