Kurotsuchi closed the door to her room, stripped into her underclothes, and collapsed onto her bed. She felt mentally exhausted, more so than usual. For eight straight years, she had been acting cheerful around the village, like nothing had happened that day. In truth, her heart ached. It longed for her brother(in title only) to return to her side. This feeling made Kurotsuchi sick to her stomach. Even Akatsuchi had put the past behind him, so why couldn't she? Kurotsuchi was surprised to find herself crying again. She knew that she shouldn't be. She was the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. She shouldn't cry for rogue ninja. In truth, her mask was becoming tedious. She wanted to tell someone, anyone who would listen, but she knew it was only a fairy tail. The Old Fence Sitter was too damned stubborn for his own good, as was her father, and Akatsuchi would only tell the Tsuchikage, like a good little lap dog. Kurotsuchi really hated that about him. He was loyal to a fault.
"Kurotsuchi?" spoke a gruff, old voice behind her door. Looked like the old fart had come to speak with her after all.
"W-what is it?" she asked in her cheerful facade, wiping the tears from her eyes and covering herself with her covers. "Come in!" The door opened to reveal the Tsuchikage, Onoki the Old Fence Sitter and the head of authority for Iwagakure, levitating a good two feet off the ground to compensate for his stature. He was incredibly short, maybe three feet tall. He had a large red nose that was strikingly similar to Akatsuchi's. He wore a green and yellow coat over the standard Iwagakure ninja attire(although it was shrunken significantly for his size). His wide-brimmed brown and white hat symbolizing his authority rested on his head.
"I just came to see how you were doing. It is the anniversary of Deidara's betrayal, after all. We're all worried about you."
"Oh yeah..." Kurotsuchi now understood why she was so exhausted. She must have realized the date subconsciously. She never liked to think about it on purpose. "I'm okay, gramps. I don't mourn those who betray our village."
"I'm glad to hear it. Good night."
"G'night." After her reply, Onoki closed the door, leaving Kurotsuchi in the darkness. She hugged her knees to her chest and sobbed softly in the darkness. Sometime during her misery, she had fallen asleep. She dreamed of the life she spent with her nii-san. She remembered how they both trained under Onoki, how they'd always played and sparred with each other. In her dreams, she was smiling genuinely, something she never did anymore.
"Kurotsuchi!" Akatsuchi burst into Kurotsuchi's room, alarmed and excited. Kurotsuchi jumped to her feet in shock.
"What?! What is it?!"
"It's Deidara! The Sand village said they spotted him! They-" Akatsuchi's sentence was cut short as the sight before him registered in his mind. He began to blush. Kurotsuchi then realized she was still only in her underwear.
"AIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEE!" She screamed. "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!" With every "OUT," Kurotsuchi threw a random object from her room. Akatsuchi finally scurried out of the room when he was hit by her bedside table.
Kurotsuchi grumpily joined her grandfather and Akatsuchi in the meeting hall. Akatsuchi never met her gaze.
"Our information has revealed," the Tsuchikage began, "Deidara was responsible for kidnapping the Kazekage of the Village Hidden in the Sand: Gaara of the Desert."
"He kidnapped the Kazekage?!" asked Akatsuchi, stunned. "Why?"
"The Kazekage is the Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed beast." answered the Tsuchikage. "The Akatsuki are targeting them."
"Then what do we do?" asked Kurotsuchi.
"We're going after him." replied the old man. "He's been sighted heading towards the Tenchi Bridge. We move immediately."
"Yes sir!" the two jonin replied in unison. Feelings swirled within Kurotsuchi. Among them was hope. Hope that she could finally see her nii-san again, but with hope came despair. They might have to fight him, a thought that tore Kurotsuchi up inside.
"Why the hell are we heading this way?" groaned Deidara. "The hideout's the OTHER way."
"I have a spy working for Orochimaru," replied Sasori in an irritated tone. He spoke slowly, as if he thought Deidara was too dense to understand. "I'm meeting him at the Tenchi Bridge to exchange information, and I hate to keep people waiting. We're late as it is. Besides..." Deidara began to detect a tone of amusement from his partner. "I slipped the Nine-Tails' friend some information about it, setting up the perfect opportunity for us to grab him."
Deidara and Sasori silently entered the forest in front of the Tenchi Bridge.
"Be sure to circle around." whispered Sasori. "You never know who could be waiting, and I don't want to run into the Jinchuriki too early." The pair reached the edge of the forest and was about to step onto the bridge when something caught Deidara's attention.
"Ah, I see. You're controlling Hiruko from here to keep yourself out of harm's way?" he asked his partner.
"No..." replied Sasori. "I only had one spare Hiruko, and please look to your left." Deidara turned his head towards his partner. "I'm still in it." Deidara mentally face-palmed.
"Then who the hell is that?" Sasori raised his hand, a signal that told Deidara to shut up. On the bridge, the "Hiruko" was approaching a man in a blue hooded robe. Deidara couldn't make out his face at all, but could tell he was Sasori's contact. The scene that played out before him was unexpected and chaotic. It began with the appearance of Orochimaru, the mysterious and, admittedly terrifying, leader of the Sound Village. He had been an Akatsuki member, but left before Deidara was recruited. His ebony hair, which contrasted against his chalk-white skin, blew intimidatingly in the breeze.
Next, Sasori's contact cut apart the "Hiruko" with a blade made of chakra, revealing a man with spiked brown hair garbed in the usual Konoha ninja outfit, a green vest over black pants. Once his cover was blown, three other Leaf ninja leapt to his assistance. One was wearing a bright orange and black jacket, with blond spiky hair. Deidara couldn't understand how the hell this kid could call himself a ninja with such a ridiculous outfit. He knew this kid personally after he tried to kill him: Naruto Uzumaki, the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki. Next to him was a girl with bright pink hair wearing a red sleeveless shirt and what resembled black bike shorts. He couldn't remember her name, but he knew she was the "pink one" Sasori had referred to earlier. The third kid was a mystery, much like the man in the Hiruko copy. He had black straight hair, a miraculous change from the ridiculous hairdos of the other Leaf ninja he had seen before. His shirt revealed his midriff, and his skin was incredibly pale, almost as white as Orochimaru's.
"This is getting interesting..." muttered Deidara. "What do we do, my man?"
"We wait." replied Sasori. Deidara returned his attention to the confrontation below. Their conversation had (not to Deidara's surprise) made the nine-tails brat angry at the pair before him. Red chakra began to leak out of the boy, forming a cloak in the shape of a fox. Once the cloak obtained four tails, it completely consumed him, turning him into a monstrous red blur of murderous intent. Deidara had seen a reaction like this before. Jinchuriki tended to do that when they got angry. In a flash, the jinchuriki and Orochimaru took their fight to the other side of the ravine.
"Not to interrupt, gramps," spoke Kurotsuchi, "but how are we going to find nii- er, Deidara?"
"He was stated to be within this area." replied Onoki. "Scouts from Sand and Leaf are what offer the eye reports. Perhaps we should scatter and cover more ground." At that moment, a large red flash exploded from a forest not too far from the team's position.
"Or maybe he's over there." stated Akatsuchi.
"It's worth a shot." said Onoki. "Let's go!"
After a few minutes, Sasori gave Deidara the all-clear. "The danger has passed." remarked Sasori. "We move now."
"Alright my ma-" a large force impacted Deidara, knocking him into the ravine. Shit! thought Deidara. We were followed?! Deidara quickly molded an owl and activated it, taking him into the air. He hovered above the ravine, facing his old mentor: Onoki, the 3rd Tsuchikage. Once their gazes met, sparks immediately flew. "The hell are you doing here, old man?"
"We acquired information on your whereabouts from Sand and Leaf," replied Onoki. "You certainly run away a lot, don't you, coward?" Deidara could feel the flames of hate ignite within him.
"I never expected to meet you here, gramps!" replied Deidara. "I thought you'd sit on your ass, nice and cozy, while other people did your dirty work, hmm!"
"There's another thing I can't stand about you," snarled Onoki. "Your damned verbal tick. I, as your former sensei, am dragging you back to the Stone village. Now."
"You can try, old fart." Deidara threw his clay bird he had been molding during their conversation at his former mentor. "Ha!" The bird exploded in a shower of flames and clay. When the smoke cleared, a stone golem was shielding Onoki from the attack.
"Close, but no cigar." remarked Onoki.
"So, you're using my old team against me, Fence Sitter?" asked Deidara. "You sure know where to hit low, hmm." A shadow appeared behind Deidara. Akatsuchi's golems could move incredibly fast for their incredible bulk. Deidara swiftly leaped off his sculpture and detonated it, destroying the golem. From above, the Tsuchikage rushed down at him, cloaking his fist in stone. His punch landed before Deidara could mold another sculpture. The blow knocked the wind out of Deidara's lungs. His fall gave him enough time to recover and form another bird. He landed on it, inches from the water below. "This is gonna be tougher than I thought..." growled Deidara.
Sasori simply looked on as his partner was knocked into the ravine. Knowing that he could handle himself, Sasori walked into the open. Before the jonin or black-haired boy could react, Hiruko's scorpion tail slammed into their chests. The impact forced them into nearby rocks. Sasori let a smile form on his lips as the pink girl stared at him in horror. As much as he wanted to crush her, Sasori was far more displeased with his former associate. He simply walked past the girl and approached the terrified, bespeckled boy.
"Kabuto Yakushi..." spoke Sasori, not once letting any emotion slip into his voice. "You can imagine that I am displeased."
"N-no, lord Sasori," protested the boy, pathetically. "It's not what it looked like! I knew it was a fake. I only wanted to ensure Orochimaru's trust."
"I see." reassured Sasori. "Then give me the information you've gathered. Quickly."
"R-right!" Kabuto grinned at his rouse's evident success. "Orochimaru is planning on using Sasuke Uchiha, a rogue ninja from Konoha, as his next vessel. He's growing stronger with each passing day, and Orochimaru believes that he is the finest vessel that he can acquire." Sasori only nodded, taking in the information.
"So his body's on the verge of decaying?" asked Sasori. Kabuto nodded. "My thanks." Hiruko's tail, in a flash, was before Kabuto's neck. "Now you may die, traitor."
"Wh-what do you mean, Lord Sasori?!"
"You could not have known it was a fake that stepped onto the bridge. You intended to kill me."
"Of course I knew!" reassured Kabuto. "I can easily tell the real you apart from fakes."
"Can you?" With that, Sasori opened the hatch on Hiruko's back and stepped out. Kabuto's face turned pale as he realized that no words could save him now. "Can you really?" Sasori asked again with a psychotic grin. He adopted a fighting stance.
"No, please!" cried Kabuto. "Give me another chance!"
"No." replied Sasori, disgusted. "You're constantly late. I hate waiting."
Deidara swiftly dodged the attacks Onoki sent his way. He was beginning to tire, but showed no signs of giving up. If he let up for even a moment, he was done for.
"It's time for me to get serious!" shouted Deidara. He leapt off his owl and detonated it near the Tsuchikage. The geezer(of course) managed to avoid it, but the distraction allowed Deidara enough time to mold his C2. "Observe my true art, old man! Hmm!" With a flourish, Deidara activated his creation, landing on the gargantuan dragon's back. The trees around him shuffled with each beat of C2's wings.
"It's bigger than before..." marveled Onoki. Deidara grinned as part of the dragon's tail was absorbed by the creation. From C2's mouth launched two other dragons. The floating old man could barely dodge the explosions in time. As the old man neared a wall, a clay clone wrapped around him. "What the hell?!"
"You honestly thought all those wasted creations were for show?" asked Deidara. "Their main purpose was to spread enough clay to create clay clones." It registered to Onoki that he hadn't received support from Akatsuchi in a while.
"Akatsuchi! I need assistance!"
"You won't be getting any, old man." From within the cliffside emerged a clay clone, covering Akatsuchi's mouth and keeping him bound. "I know how to beat them, sensei." Deidara spat the word "sensei" at Onoki. "It wasn't your best idea to bring him along." Deidara quickly weaved the handsigns to detonate the clay. "See you in the next world, old man!"
"Lava Style: Quicklime Congealing Jutsu!" A blob of liquid stone destroyed C2's wing, causing it to plummet towards the river below. Another blob impacted the falling Deidara in the chest, forcing him to the cliffside. The substance immediately solidified, keeping Deidara in place. Deidara should've figured she'd be here.
"Nice shot, Kurotsuchi..." growled Deidara.
"You're coming back with us, nii-san." commanded Kurotsuchi. Deidara couldn't let himself be captured by them. He wouldn't let himself go back to a place that scorned his art.
"Nah," replied Deidara. "I don't think so. C2!" On command, the dragon launched a sculpture at the cliffside before it fell into the water. The cliffside shattered from the resulting explosion. Kurotsuchi lost her balance and fell into the ravine below, as did the bound Deidara. The shock wave caused the clay clones to release their captives as they were crushed under the rubble.
"KUROTSUCHI!" called out the Tsuchikage as he tried to fly after her, but Akatsuchi stopped him with a golem as he grasped the cliff side for dear life.
"It's too dangerous! She'll be fine! I know it!" shouted Akatsuchi. The Stone village pair could only watch as the cliff collapsed into the ravine, along with Deidara and Kurotsuchi.
Sasori's attention was drawn to the collapsing cliff. The brief distraction allowed Kabuto to activate a chakra blade and slash at Sasori. Without turning his head or batting an eyelash, Sasori sent a stream of water from the holes on his palms(yeah, he could do that) into Kabuto's chest, knocking him back.
"Looks like Deidara got desperate." observed Sasori, calmly. Kabuto attempted to flee the unwinnable battle to join his master, but the bladed rope in Sasori's stomach compartment(he had that too) wrapped around his ankle and pulled him off his feet. "Where do you think you're going?" In an act of desperation, Kabuto opened a scroll at his belt, summoning ten walking corpses. Sasori mentally swapped out his hydro pump for his flamethrower. Flames erupted from his hands, melting the boy's minions. When the flames fully consumed the zombies, Sasori saw that Kabuto had ran away.
"Damn coward." snarled Sasori. He let his lips form a wicked grin as he turned to the girl in red. "You keep staring at me. Have we met?" Sasori climbed into his Hiruko and walked away from the bridge, leaving the pink girl frozen in terror. He knew that he had to locate his foolish partner, but he rather disliked swimming. With knowledge of where the river led, Sasori began his march to find Deidara.
