43. Back after writing a Yuurei does historical math in a decidedly more historical version of present day Konoha. An Iruka takes Sakura AU mini chapter, head over to Links if that interests you! But beyond that, here, a quick interlude.


"Danna, if I ran away, would you stop me, un?" His partner allows those careless words to fall from his lips, thrown over his shoulder with the wind that blows his blond hair back.

"I wouldn't bother," Sasori replies curtly, "The organisation can deal with that problem." Hiruko alters his voice as usual, still, he's barely accustomed to the rough tone in which he speaks to Deidara.

Truth be told, it's been a long time since he found someone quite so serious about their craft. Perhaps Deidara is secretly composed of clay and ready to explode into the ultimate 'art' as he calls it. Sasori toys with that idea and finds it not too impossible, seeing as how he's managed to convert himself into a human puppet.

He's not perfect, yet.

"What if I gave you this bird and left, un." Deidara is looking at him, certain and eyes unwavering.

"You're serious," Sasori makes a statement rather than a question.

Deidara looks back to steer his clay bird, "Sort of un. But who knows, maybe Konan has sent Itachi ahead of us."

The puppetmaster frowns from inside Hiruko. "What do you mean?"

His partner only shrugs. "She chased me out to follow you, you know, un. Some cryptic shit about art being eternal but humans not being so. If that wasn't omnious, then I don't know what is, un."

Sasori feels the pieces above his eyes shifting upwards slightly in response to his growing curiosity. "It is possible, of course. We haven't heard of Itachi since the Konoha Crush, but there is an active Leaf team in Suna right now. The Kyuubi is present, so it is possible he will retrieve the Kyuubi during the chaos of our kidnapping."

"She didn't tell you, huh."

Sasori notes again, like all the other times that Hiruko cannot raise its painted eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Deidara 'tch's and tosses his ponytail over his shoulder. "I figured she would have told you or something. Guess not, un."

A rumble of a laugh escapes him, before he replies simply that, "Konan would not trust me to catch you."

At the slightest appearance of Sunakagure's walls, their bird dips into a gentle descent, hiding among the sand dunes.

"Come, follow my lead. Go west and we will have the cave for the night."

Without a retort, his partner follows: this sign of their evolving relationship and complex choice to trust in each other.

"What, another secret hideout only loyal members know of?" Or, perhaps he thought too soon.

"The Sand base I contributed as the member who knows these great dunes best. I would expect you have one too, if we were to flee towards Iwa."

There's an odd look in Deidara's eyes. Something that says he regrets. Regretting is a human thing to do, and Sasori is trying to do away with those. So he convinces himself that he too, wants this.


It was a great stroke of luck, that there, on the outskirts of the village, they located part of the Konoha team. The Jonin sensei, former ANBU, Hatake Kakashi and his Uchiha student, practising the former's signature move.

"That is a nasty lightning release, close-range technique. The Hatake family and their lightning affinity, something to be cautious of."

Danna's voice is a touch too warm at that moment and Deidara almost slips in the circling pattern of their bird. "You're speaking from experience, un."

"Of course. I lost my parents to the White Fang."

He's quiet for a moment before diverting their clay bird away, back towards the rocky mountains of the roosting great hawks. Their cover for the day, modelled after the likeness of the birds in Sasori's childhood memories, only much bigger.

"You know, we can just screw the mission and kill him, un. If you liked, un, I could drop a C3 and that would be the end of it."

He swears he sees a quirk to his partner's cheeks, which is odd given that the hanging cloth mask obscures his view of Sasori from the nose down. "Why, you won't offer me a C4 for a petty revenge?"

Not to mention, he doubts Sasori bothered with such realism in his shell puppet.

Deidara rolls his eyes. "My C3 took me a whole day to craft. I'd need more clay than I'm carrying now to make you a C4, un."

"The plan is for you to drop it in full view of the village. In such a case, then it would be a waste to put your art out over an ancient feud."

"I don't know about Kazekages, but usually, in the face of any massive attack, the Kage is supposed to be the first responder, un. If we just happen to wipe out the Hatake and Uchiha while we make our opening move, ain't mean that our plan is fallen through. We can turn around right now and make the drop, un."

Sasori shakes his head and that's left as it is. Their original plan of attacking just before sunrise remains unchanged – the Ichibi's host is known for his insomnia.

"Change the shape of the bird after we do another round. Once the sun sets, moonlight on the white will reveal our ruse, regardless of what shape your clay bird is."

"As you like it, un," his voice promising the potential to change at the drop of the proverbial hat. If his man changed his mind in the next seven hours, they would have the chance to make an early drop. Perhaps then, he would also have that chance to leave.

It distresses him to think that the organisation placed Sasori with him to prevent his defection, but perhaps it is more the thought that Sasori may well kill him if he actually attempted to leave.

Contrary to everything that he has said, Deidara knows full and well that Sasori would stand to lose if he was seen as having let his partner run off. The organisation would not treat him lightly.

As much as he loathes to admit, Deidara is… fond of Sasori. He's fond in the way one would be of the person who has, indirectly or otherwise, saved him in the line of battle.

Ninjas have no need for warm blood and yet, here he is, barring Hidan's extremist interpretations, attached to his partner who is not exactly human.

On off days, Deidara wonders if Sasori can even still feel, and if he can, what the puppetman would think of these emotions.


As everyone in the globe has felt the knock-on effects of the coronavirus currently still spreading, I wanted to be able to offer a little bit to the community stuck at home under lockdown or similar circumstances.

Oddly enough, this is not the POV I originally planned to write, but I guess suddenly Deidara called out to me in this time of being alone and more isolated from my physical community.

It's not long, but I hope these thousand words might cross the oceans between us and bring you some entertainment at home. In the same spirit, maybe I am extemporising, but because of it, I promise that Deidara will get his freedom.

Expect another chapter by the end of the month :')

In a time like this, I think maybe writing sad things and tragedies may not be the best for us, as a community at large. After everything that has happened, we crossed the 600 favourite mark sometimes recently and I never noticed until tonight. So, thank you all for coming by and for staying.

Things so far have been a bit chaotic, let me know how you all are doing all over the world.

Wishing everyone the best,

Kayo.