Man of the world.

Chapter two: Headway

xXx

Before a decision had been reached, Sasori had paced back and forth ceaselessly across the length of their hideout.

"Danna, if you want my input-"

"I don't."

Deidara huffed, but didn't take it personally. He could finally see it, the tempestuous gleam in Sasori's eyes that promised something very exciting was bubbling beneath the surface.

It was the first time that Deidara could see true emotion in Sasori, and he liked it.

Sasori had set Hiruko aside, he looked much smaller, much kinder than his infamous persona, and were it not for the time he'd already spent with Sasori, Deidara would have thought him to be quite young and gentle.

He was anything but.

He was not mysterious in that he hid information from those he interacted with, or that the air surrounding him suggested an underlining intention; it was that, so calculated was he with all he said and did, he seemed so set and immovable in his decisions and actions, yet Deidara never felt for a moment that his partner was predictable.

From the moment Orochimaru set his plans into motion he had been tagged for death, and finally Sasori would have his deeply desired vengeance.

Sasori was mulling over the potential consequences for straying from the task at hand and tracking down Orochimaru on his own, and if it would be considered treason.

Neither of the two knew when their courier would arrive and what the importance of their mission was, but he risked jeopardizing what very well could be a small window or one off chance to track down the rogue Sannin if he did nothing to seize the opportunity.

Just when Deidara was feeling a niggle of irritation, Sasori stopped and turned to him.

"We can't wait, we need to act on this information immediately. If circumstances were different I would suggest you stay behind, but I'm not naïve, I will need you."

A broad grin spread across Deidara's lips.

"You just tell me where to go and what to do."

xXx

It was as though they were never there. In a very short time their possessions had been cleared out, and behind them they left a trigger based Jutsu for the Akatsuki that would come for them. It was usually utilized as a floor-trap that unleashed a devastating Genjutsu, but Sasori had spent a long time tweaking it for recon purposes.

It was intentionally obvious. The idea was that if it were to be stumbled upon by the wrong person, it would be dispelled and seen as little more than a moderate level trap and the information contained would be eliminated.

The Akatsuki relied on this system heavily, as communication was risky and rare.

What he left behind was a simple silhouette of himself, detailing Kabuto's message and Orochimaru's location.

He had settled on his hatred towards the Sannin, being far greater than his loyalty to the Akatsuki.
There was electricity in the air as they made their way south-west towards the unforgiving desert that stretched across the Land of Wind. They had not yet hit the border when Deidara spoke up with some concern.

"Do you sense it too?"

Once again, a third party had arrived unannounced and unexpected, to disrupt their best laid plans.

Sasori gave a soft nod. His eyebrows furrowed, but his focus was unwavering. He did not suspect a threat, he was simply displeased with the interruption.
A rustle and the disturbance of the trees above alerted them to the unorthodox presence of many red eyes peering down at them, black feathers blended seamlessly into the cover of leaves and darkness, like shadows with intentions.

"Itachi, I see it's you they sent."

Deidara knew well that if he spoke his disdain would get the better of him, and he'd be inclined to say something that could upset Sasori's chances of pursuing Orochimaru.

With his presence known, his raven spies took to the skies and circled above them before amassing before the two Shinobi and taking Itachi's form.
It was clear that Itachi was the courier, though whether the timing of his arrival worked for or against them was not yet apparent.

"You've been instructed to wait for my arrival, I trust the reason for your sudden departure is justified."

"Kabuto Yakushi came to me with some very valuable information."

The three stood together, tense and rigid. Deidara knew well that somewhere in the back of Sasori's mind a clock was ticking, and Itachi's arrival was a large inconvenience.

"Regarding Orochimaru?"

"Yes."

Itachi seemed to think about this for a moment.

"Pein is already aware that you've abandoned your assignment. I can relay this information to him, however, that does not mean he approves."
Sasori knew what this meant; they were expected to wait for his word.
"We don't have time to discuss this, Deidara and I need to move now if we want to find him."

His tone was flat but his eyes were alive and wide. Deidara stayed silent, but stood beside Sasori, arms to his side and eyes narrowed in irritation. He was ready to speak, but intelligent enough to not.

"It's not your decision to make. The partnership between the two of you so far has been vexing to say the least, this is an opportunity for you both to prove your loyalty as well as your worth to the organization."
For a moment it seemed Sasori had nothing more to say, and then he spoke.

"We will continue forward, and if Pein's word is to retreat and continue on with our mission, we will gladly oblige. Until then, stay out of our way."

It was a risk that payed off. Itachi handed them each a scroll.
"These are your supplies. Stick closer to the West and do not proceed past the border until I have given word."

With that said, he left the two, alone again with nothing but themselves and uneasy silence.

"Danna, what happens if he doesn't approve?"
"I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

xXx

Before setting off they opened their scrolls and released the Jutsu that held food, water, a top up of small weapons such as smoke bombs, shuriken and kunai, and food pills. There was a map that had Iwagakure marked as their next location; once home to Deidara before he abandoned his people on ill terms.

It was no secret the Tsuchikage, Onoki, was one of the Akatsuki's larger clients, yet the connection had not yet been made between Deidara and the Akatsuki.
He had naively been under the impression that Pein would keep his association secret.

"This mission seems to be quite troublesome, we need to move as far south as possible to put some distance between us and Iwagakure. Pein should be forced to assign another team and allow us to proceed."

Without a doubt it would be difficult to approach with Deidara in tow, the two would most likely separate, albeit temporarily, and though this would suit him just fine, Sasori knew this put them both at risk, and there was no doubt the other members of the Akatsuki did too.

"I like the sound of that plan! Have you got one for Orochimaru?"
"Not as such."

Quirking his brow, Deidara turned to face his partner with a curious look on his face.

"I'll use Hiruko, and the Third and his Iron Sand technique. The rest can't be planned. As you said, Orochimaru is an unpredictable opponent. We need to take that same approach."

A smirk graced Deidara's lips. For the first time they could agree, and he chose to consider it the beginning of an effective and merciless team.

xXx

Until dawn they walked, the remainder of the day they were predominantly silent, save for the occasional gushing of a lively stream, or the gaudy sing-song of birds above.

When the sun began to sink into the mauve and gold sky, the two of them found an open space to set up for the evening.
They had discussed continuing through, into the night, but it was wisest to preserve energy. For Orochimaru was not their only enemy; those few who had learned of the Akatsuki were determined to put an end to the organization.
Though information on their precise intentions were limited, all of it's members were notorious, with a heavy commission to whoever took their head first.

In these moments where they set up camp for the evening, albeit temporarily, and took a moment to rest, were critical for Sasori. Not one to lose focus, he quite often forgot to breathe in his surroundings and be thankful for another day he had lived.
This time however, there was no rest. Sasori had been insistent on setting traps and securing their location.

"We can never fully trust Kabuto, after all, Orochimaru has selected him as his closest confidant. You're naive if you think we're safe."
"Don't you trust in yourself?"
Deidara was lazy, and every minute they spent setting up and taking precaution, was a minute wasted.
Sasori, as egotistical as he was, could see through the flattery.

"Baka. I'd rather be unnecessarily cautious than over confident and wrong. There's a reason I'm not dead yet, and it's the only reason you're still alive as well."

As time had passed, Deidara had become desensitized to the insults. It was a part of Sasori's nature, and it suited him fine.
For all the things that drove the two of them towards the brink of sheer frustration, the thing that kept them from it, was how well they worked together, and how well they understood the limitations of their patience.

"All I'm saying Danna, is you're getting a little paranoid."

Sasori said nothing else and Deidara was happy enough to humor him. They worked for some time before finally, the sun had sunk deep beneath the sky, and the only light came from the moon high above them and the fire crackling beside them.
The sat across from each other, and simply enjoyed the isolation.

"We'll be passing by Sunagakure soon, does that concern you Sasori?"

It had been on his mind since Kabuto had mentioned the land of Wind, and it bothered him that Sasori was not willing to admit he was overwhelmed.
And why shouldn't he be?
Orochimaru, his home village, these were all the demons he'd run from, and he was facing them head on.
Deidara simply hoped that Sasori was of a clear, and sound mind.

"Why should I be concerned? The people of the Sand are not worth worrying about."

The dying flames of the fire before them seemed to dance in Sasori's eyes, tinting them a lively amber. Wild and wide they were, Deidara could not draw his own away from them.

"I just want to know that you're prepared. I don't want to die in a battle where I have nothing to fight for and nothing to gain."

Finally, in a fleeting display of pleasure, Sasori smirked.

"Is it you who's concerned, Deidara-Kun?"

After all, they'd yet to battle alongside each other. Trust in each others capabilities had not yet been formed.

"Hm. Be that way, Danna, but like it or not we're stuck together, and my life is worth more to me than yours. Just remember that."

But Sasori didn't need to, because he couldn't help but think to himself that Deidara hadn't backed out yet.
With that said, Deidara retired and Sasori's shift officially began.

He chose a spot above the ground on a low hanging branch from a arakashi tree. Below him Deidara slept, and he basked in the sight.
The night air was still, and silent. All felt calm, and so did he.

He could see that he and his partner were not so far removed from each other, as he initially had concluded.

In Deidara's heart he could sense a hatred that lived within himself. He found comfort and familiarity in this partnership, something he'd never known before.
When all was said and done, his puppets did not make for intelligent conversation. Though, Deidara didn't exactly either. However, he was conversation none the less, and Sasori found him very interesting.

The simplicity in watching on as the world around him slept, brought great peace to him, and he thought of Deidara, and of Orochimaru, and of Sunagakure.

xXx

At some point during the night Deidara was startled awake by a firm hand grasping his shoulder and shaking him awake.

He thought, when he looked up and saw Sasori above him, that it was his turn to take watch for the night, but the fire was out and he could hear something in the far distance.
Branches cracking beneath fast approaching feet.

"Deidara, we're leaving."

Sasori took his blanket from him and seemed to have already gathered their necessities, ready to run from whatever seemed to have him shaken.

Wasting no time, Deidara was on his feet, and he wrapped his cloak around him before following Sasori swiftly and far away from their make-shift camp.

All that remained was the unlit fire place and a few items they'd left behind.

"What's going on?"
"Be silent until I say so."

Was it Orochimaru? He believed not, for Sasori surely would be prepared enough to retaliate, not flee.
A chill ran down his spine and shook him. He almost wasn't sure he wanted to know who it was.

When it seemed they had run until they reached the end of the earth, Sasori came to an abrupt halt, and motioned for Deidara to do the same.

"We were being tracked, potentially from the start, most likely still are."
"By who?"
"The Leaf's Jiraiya, of the legendary Sannin. A part of Orochimaru's squad before they disbanded and Orochimaru left the village. He had ANBU with him."

At this stage the Akatsuki had kept a low profile as nothing more than muscle for hire.
Pein had stressed the importance of keeping invisible footprints as they traversed back and forth between the five nations. As S rank criminals though, it was simply inevitable they'd generate some attention.

"Will he still be tracking us?"
"I think so. We have the advantage of being some distance ahead, but it won't be long before they catch up."
"What do we do now?"

He had stepped into Hiruko already, and the atmosphere felt heavy. He put some thought into his next move, and then spoke.

"We continue forward. Orochimaru will be of far greater interest to him than we are. At the least, Jiraiya will be distracted and forget about us, providing us with a moment to escape, at the most, the two of them kill each other and we retreat until there's only one left to pick off. Then we make a move."

There was no going back. There was still some distance to travel, but now, the taste of danger was right on the tip of his tongue.

"I'm right behind you boss, just lead the way."

xXx