Hikariyami strolled through Suna. His thick, hooded cloak hid his features but made him stand out. Even the shinobi were stunned at his choice of attire. No one in their right mind would wear something so warm-looking in the middle of a scorching desert.
Despite the glances and gawks, Hikari continued walking through the village without pause. He stopped only once to gaze at a tiny cactus before continuing on his way. Arriving at a nondescript building, he knocked twice before a man with glasses opened the door and led him inside.
"Jounin-san", he greeted.
"Kagekage-sama", the man replied.
"Now, now. We're friends, remember? Just Hikari will do."
"Then why not call me by my name?"
"You have so many. It is quite difficult to be sure of which one to use."
"Nazonohito will do for now. In any case, are you here because of the boy?"
"Yes", Hikari replied, taking a seat on a nearby chair. "Well, the fox within the boy, anyway."
"What about the Kyuubi?"
"Does he remember?"
"I am still uncertain."
"Hm? Why ever not? You've had months to observe and communicate with him."
"He's been acting as it normally does - training the boy in using Biju chakra, being a general grump, the usual."
"Perhaps I'll have to visit him myself."
Nazonohito nodded, "Yes, I suppose that would be best."
"Alright then, it's decided." Hikari rose from the chair and shook his subordinate's hand, "Thank you for the information, Nazonohito. I shall see you again when it is my time to speak with Kurama."
Nazonohito opened the door, "I hope you have a good day, Hikari."
"And you as well."
As he left the village of Suna, Hikari spotted a very small, very thin line in the distance. 'I hope they make good use of my gifts', he thought. Smiling, he continued on his way back to Mahogakure.
A raging tornado devoured every mote of sand and dust within its vicinity. It ripped those unfortunate enough to not escape in time apart with ease; animals, plants, entire villages disassembled and scattered throughout the expansive desert. The swift, slicing winds rent through everything they touched.
Deidara watched the natural disaster devastate a lone oasis from a safe distance. However, even from so far away, his clay bird struggled against the mighty gale. As a particularly strong gust shook his mount, he was forced to kneel and grip the bird with his own hands.
Beneath him, standing on the desert floor, Sasori fared better against the winds, though the tremendous amount of sand did restrict his puppet's mobility, if only slightly.
The two watched as the tornado abruptly veered towards them, charging at the two shinobi with otherworldly speed. They were torn apart before they could react.
It was fortunate they were only clones.
Zetsu deactivated the Omnisight Jutsu. "They've found it."
"Truly? Are we certain it's not another distraction?", Nagato asked.
"Yes. For a brief moment, I saw its eyes peeking from a small gap in the tornado."
"Can we predict where it is headed?"
"To get revenge on Suna, perhaps", Tobi answered in his true voice, "They have imprisoned and stolen its power for decades. I cannot even begin to fathom the mind of a Biju, but I know that I would certainly not appreciate what was done to it if it was done to me."
"Reasonable. Zetsu, notify Deidara and Sasori of the Ichibi's potential primary target. I want them to engage with the Ichibi."
"Very well", Zetsu replied.
On the horizon, he spotted his target. As he advanced, he saw a small dot approach him from the side. As the dot neared, he could discern its details. It was a gray bird with two humans on it.
Enraged by this interruption, Shukaku spun to face them, while still moving towards his target, wanting to surprise his soon-to-be victims. After a few seconds of walking sideways, he charged towards them.
Deidara watched from the distance as the Ichibi rushed towards his clay constructs. After the tornado of wind and sand engulfed them, he yelled, "Katsu!"
The explosion wasn't as large as he wanted it to be, but the mission would go smoother without interference from Suna. The explosion halted the tornado for just a moment before it grew in intensity.
Shukaku grunted as the flicker of flame barely singed him. Despite the lack of damage, it nonetheless irritated him considerably. He thrashed about in rage before he sensed two familiar signatures. Shukaku shot towards those who he thought he already killed.
Sasori looked on impassively as the Ichibi neared. He opened his puppet's mouth and, when the Biju was close enough, fired multiple senbon coated in a poison given to him by a 'mysterious benefactor', although most of the Akatsuki could guess who that was at this point. That is if what Tobi said was the truth, anyway.
He tested the poison while accompanying Kakuzu on a hunt for a B-Ranked ninja in the Bingo Book. Hidan was, and still is, headless. Because of this, the immortal's body was locked in Hidan's room until his head was located.
The poison was frighteningly efficient. It dissolved the victim's chakra and prevented her from regenerating her chakra. Once there was no longer any chakra in her body, the poison abruptly became highly physically damaging. Extensive analyses of the poison showed it to be a derivative of fluoroantimonic acid with extremely altered properties to make sure it targeted chakra and only affected the intended victim. How such a substance was altered, Sasori did not know.
The poisoned senbon should have been flung around by the tornado's rapid winds, but Sasori designed this particular puppet specifically for dealing with Futon users. The senbon flew too fast for the winds to significantly divert them.
Shukaku felt several painful pinpricks on his body. The pain intensified greatly. It was not long before he fell face-forward and succumbed to unconsciousness.
Deidara and Sasori both watched as the tornado slowly dispersed, revealing the Ichibi's sleeping form.
Sasori was a bit surprised, though not unhappy, to see that the poison could not completely destroy the chakra of a Biju. It would not do for the Ichibi to die.
Deidara examined the Ichibi's body. "It looks different, un. Is it me or is it bigger?"
Sasori replied, "Yes. Much larger than what Zetsu estimated. Then again, he did base his calculations on the position of the eyes in the tornado. We do not exactly know how dense the tornado was nor what position the Ichibi was in."
The Ichibi was titanic. Its distinct markings were darker and more feral-looking. Its eyes were half-lidded, displaying golden orbs flecked with small splotches of a darker yellow. But there was one startling detail that caught both their attention.
Its tail was missing.