Land of Lightning.
Rorin had already been waiting at the border of the Land of Lightning for nearly two days, yet there was still no sign of Deidara. Bored out of his mind, he could only pass the time doing push-ups.
"197...198...199...200." Sweat covered Rorin's forehead, while a Shadow Clone nearby monitored everything in real time.
Just as Rorin finished 200 push-ups and 300 sit-ups, the Shadow Clone beside him suddenly vanished. The corner of Rorin's lips curled upward slightly.
So he's finally here? Didn't expect Deidara to fly this slowly.
After arriving in the Land of Lightning, Deidara grew talkative, glancing around from the sky. When he had contacted Kakuzu earlier, Kakuzu had only told him to come to the Land of Lightning, without giving any details on how to find them. Eventually, Deidara found a secluded spot and began contacting Kakuzu.
After a brief sensing, Kakuzu's phantom appeared before Deidara.
"Kakuzu-senpai, I've already arrived in the Land of Lightning. How do I find you?" Deidara asked excitedly.
"Oh, you've arrived already? Then tell me your location. I'll come find you," Kakuzu replied coldly.
Deidara immediately told Kakuzu his position, and Rorin—who had been eavesdropping on everything—learned the information as well and quickly rushed toward Deidara's location.
An hour later, Rorin stopped about one kilometer away from Deidara's hiding place, standing atop a tree and activating his Byakugan to observe the situation.
Two hours later, Kakuzu appeared within Rorin's field of vision. Unfortunately, Hidan hadn't come this time, which left Rorin feeling a bit disappointed.
Kakuzu strolled into the cave where Deidara was hiding. Deidara, who had been sitting on a rock, jumped up excitedly.
"You're finally here!"
Kakuzu simply nodded slightly and beckoned to him.
"Come here. Let me take a good look at you."
Deidara obediently stepped forward. After all, he needed Kakuzu's help.
What followed was Kakuzu giving Deidara a thorough "lesson of love." Watching Deidara lying on the ground, bruised and battered, Kakuzu felt much more satisfied and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Beating someone in person really feels better. Beating him as a phantom just wasn't satisfying enough—so he had deliberately lured Deidara here.
Meanwhile, Deidara slowly crawled up from the ground, utterly confused. He stared intensely at Kakuzu, hoping for an explanation.
Kakuzu ignored his gaze and slowly approached him.
This made Deidara instinctively take a few steps back in fear.
Looking down at him, Kakuzu asked calmly, "Where's your hand? Take it out. I'll reattach it for you."
"Huh? Oh." Deidara looked confused as he pulled out his severed hand.
Immediately, thread-like strands emerged from Kakuzu's body. After some manipulation, he stitched Deidara's hand back on.
Sitting on the ground, Deidara stared at the crude stitching method and suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity. Then, in an instant, he understood!
With the job done, Kakuzu turned and left the cave, leaving Deidara sitting there in a daze.
Outside, Rorin—who had witnessed everything—felt puzzled. Why did Kakuzu suddenly beat up Deidara?
Wait… Rorin recalled that Kakuzu had once bought a black cloak and red fabric from his shop. Combining that with Deidara's reckless complaint that night, Rorin instantly figured it out too.
"Hahaha!" Rorin couldn't help but laugh out loud.
After seeing Kakuzu leave the cave, Rorin regained his composure and quietly followed him.
Inside the cave, Deidara rubbed his face and slowly stood up, letting out a deep sigh. He had only himself to blame for talking too much.
Deidara summoned his clay bird and also left the Land of Lightning, preparing to return to the Land of Wind to find Sasori.
...
Hidden Sand Village.
Inside a hospital room, Yura's eyelids trembled before he slowly opened his eyes with difficulty.
The medical ninja attending him was overjoyed upon seeing him wake up.
"He's awake! Yura-sama is awake! Quick, go inform the Kazekage-sama!"
Moments later, Gaara arrived at Yura's hospital room. Upon seeing him, Yura slightly bowed.
"Kazekage-sama."
Gaara walked to Yura's bedside and steadied him.
"You're injured. There's no need for formalities."
Yura looked up gratefully. At that moment, Baki also entered from outside.
Baki asked with concern,
"How are you feeling, Yura?"
Yura smiled faintly.
"Thank you for your concern. I'm no longer in serious condition."
Gaara silently observed Yura before asking,
"Yura, what happened? How did you end up so severely injured? What exactly happened that night?"
Hearing this, Yura met Gaara's gaze and said sincerely,
"That night, we were patrolling at the gate when two people suddenly appeared. They were wearing black cloaks embroidered with red clouds. One of them claimed to be Sasori of the Red Sand."
At the mention of Sasori's name, Baki froze for a moment before falling into deep thought.
"And then?" Gaara asked calmly.
"Then Sasori of the Red Sand attacked us directly. We fought back with everything we had, but the enemy was far too strong. Aside from me, all my comrades were killed."
As Yura spoke, tears streamed down his face.
Gaara and Baki remained silent for a long time.
Then Yura seemed to remember something. He pulled out a scroll from his clothes and handed it to Gaara.
"Kazekage-sama, I managed to seize this from the enemy during the battle."
Gaara opened the scroll and began reading. His brows quickly furrowed. After finishing, he handed it to Baki.
After reading it, Baki also frowned.
"Kazekage-sama, this matter is quite important. I believe we should convene a meeting to discuss it."
Gaara nodded lightly and left Yura's hospital room.
A quarter of an hour later, in the Hidden Sand conference room, the elders had all gathered. Gaara sat at the center, hands clasped against his forehead, his gaze deep as he pondered something.
The door slowly opened. Baki entered, followed by Chiyo and Ebizō.
The Sand Village's higher-ups greeted the two elders. Noticing their arrival, Gaara stood up.
Not only was Chiyo highly respected, she was also his savior, so Gaara naturally showed her great respect.
"This old woman came today mainly because I heard there's news about my dear grandson," Chiyo said with narrowed eyes.
Gaara nodded. He was already aware that Sasoriwas her grandson, so her presence at the meeting did not surprise him.
Once everyone had arrived, Gaara gestured to Baki, who understood and unrolled the scroll in his hand.
"This is crucial intelligence obtained by Yura during his battle with the enemy—Sasori of the Red Sand!"