"Did you put him under a genjutsu? I don't recall Yura taking orders from anyone other than me after regaining his memory."
Seeing Yura obediently moving the rocking chair, Sasori's Hiruko puppet flashed a subtle red glow in its eyes as he questioned Kirito.
"Don't sweat the small stuff," Kirito replied nonchalantly, then turned to Deidara. "Deidara, it's all up to you now."
"Brother Kirito, just sit back and enjoy the show. Hm!" Deidara said confidently.
At that moment, Yura returned quickly, bowing slightly. "Lord Sasori, Lord Kirito, Lord Deidara, everything is ready. Please follow me."
Soon, the three followed Yura through the Sky Narrow Gorge and entered Sunagakure.
From their elevated position, they had a full view of the entire village.
Gazing at the densely packed ochre-colored buildings, Deidara couldn't help but sigh.
"Architecturally, this village is quite artistic. But precisely because of that, it's even more worth destroying. Hm."
"Brother Kirito, Brother Sasori, just sit back and enjoy," Deidara said, reaching into the clay pouch at his waist. He bit off a piece of clay with his palm's mouth, infused it with chakra, and began kneading it into a bird.
Forming a hand seal, the clay bird suddenly expanded.
Deidara leaped onto its back, and the giant bird spread its wings, flapping as it ascended into the sky. Moments later, it became a mere black speck in the vast blue sky.
"Now we just need to watch," Kirito said as he lay back in his rocking chair.
Sasori glanced at him, sighed, and then turned to Yura. "Yura, there's nothing else for you to do here. Leave now."
"Yes, Lord Sasori." Yura bowed and swiftly disappeared into the shadows at the village entrance.
With their eyes locked on Sunagakure, Sasori and Kirito waited for Deidara to begin the attack.
At the same time.
Inside the Hokage's Office.
Naruto had just returned to Konoha when he learned that Sasuke had defected, abducted by Orochimaru's subordinates shortly after he and Jiraiya left for training.
Rushing into Tsunade's office, he slammed his hands on the desk.
"Granny Tsunade, is it true?! Did Sasuke really get taken by Orochimaru's men?!"
Sakura, now a full-fledged medical ninja, entered behind him, followed by Shikamaru and Temari, who had been discussing the upcoming Chunin Exams between Konoha and Sunagakure. Jiraiya, standing near the wall, watched silently.
"It seems you already know," Tsunade sighed, noticing that the people who entered were all involved in Sasuke's retrieval mission three years ago.
She sighed deeply before telling them the truth.
When Naruto heard that Tsunade had sent a rescue squad, sought assistance from Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro, and that they had successfully eliminated the Sound Four, yet Sasuke still escaped, he fell silent.
He clenched his fists, blaming himself for not being there.
If I had been there, I definitely would have brought Sasuke back.
Shikamaru lowered his head, full of guilt, knowing that his mistakes as a leader had left Neji and Choji gravely injured, nearly costing them their lives.
Jiraiya, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, observed Naruto, recalling his own bond with Orochimaru. This guy must be feeling awful right now.
Temari remained quiet, but her gaze softened. No one knew what she was thinking as she looked at Naruto—the person who had changed Gaara's life forever.
Sakura, on the other hand, couldn't hold back her tears. The pain of losing Sasuke hit her once again, just like it had three years ago.
However, she had matured.
Wiping away her tears, she looked toward Naruto, whose shoulders trembled slightly, his head half-lowered, his face hidden beneath shadows.
Just as she was about to comfort him, Naruto suddenly raised his head, clenched his fist, and shouted:
"I've made up my mind! No matter what, I will bring Sasuke back to the village!"
"This is my ninja way!"
With that, he stretched out his right hand, raised his thumb, and flashed a confident grin at everyone.
A wave of energy swept through the room.
The previously heavy atmosphere suddenly lifted, as if a fire had been rekindled in their hearts.
Even Tsunade smiled faintly.
Only Chinatsu, standing behind her mother, remained unimpressed. She rolled her eyes and thought to herself, So this is what Father meant by 'Talk no Jutsu'? How boring.
"Alright, now's the time to see how much you've improved," Tsunade declared, breaking the moment. "And Sakura, this applies to you too. This test will determine your future as shinobi."
"A test?" Naruto and Sakura exchanged confused looks.
Tsunade leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "I specifically held off giving him missions these past few days just so he could prepare for this. Your opponent is—"
At that moment, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Tsunade said.
The door creaked open, revealing Shizune and a young woman with red hair.
"Tsunade-sama, I brought Karin as you requested," Shizune announced.
"Thank you for your hard work," Tsunade nodded.
Naruto's eyes widened in confusion.
"Sister Shizune… and, um… who is…?" He tilted his head, clearly puzzled.
Although Naruto had met Karin when he and Jiraiya went to find Tsunade, he had been too busy training his Rasengan to really pay attention to her.
Now, seeing her again, he was completely lost.
Sakura let out a sigh and explained patiently.
"This is Karin Uzumaki. Her mother was kidnapped, and she was forced to participate in the Chunin Exams representing Kusagakure with us. Later, Lady Tsunade saved her, took her in as a disciple, and she officially became a Konoha shinobi. She's currently a Jonin, like Neji."
She then turned to Naruto, squinting in annoyance.
"You seriously don't remember her? You two met when you and Jiraiya-sama went to invite my mom to become Hokage!"
Karin smiled and greeted him. "Hello, Naruto."
"H-Huh?!" Naruto gasped.
His eyes darted between the cute, timid girl he vaguely remembered and the confident woman in front of him now.
Karin had changed dramatically—her signature red hair was now longer and slightly messy. Her red eyes gleamed behind a pair of glasses that made her look both intellectual and slightly mischievous.
She wore a form-fitting purple top that exposed her midriff, paired with black hot pants, stockings, and ninja sandals.
Compared to the innocent-looking girl from three years ago… something about her just felt different.
For some reason, Naruto wasn't sure if she looked better or worse than before.
(End of this chapter)