In the following days, they depart for Fire's Edge, an area where the offending man had his encounter with the three-tailed beast.
Rin's intuition leads to his questionable motive, an element she wishes to never revisit. Deidara, however, decides against her presentiment.
"Controversial information is still information, hm," he says firmly.
But his nonsensical way of thinking brings forth an ambush that is neither calculated nor analysed.
Deidara is hit first, but his retaliation sends a group of sand ninjas into an open area where it is one versus six.
Rin and Tobi are left behind to deal with three leaf ninjas.
The forward ninja, who appears to be the captain, is watching Rin with an unusual frozen-like expression.
"Sana, what's the matter?" his comrade asks.
"She's not wearing the Akatsuki attire, she might not be an enemy," the third comrade says.
"We can't be sure of that. She was conversing with the Akatsuki member before," the second comrade replies, "Sana, what should we do?"
The captain, known as Sana, continues his scrutiny from a distance.
"Aren't you…I thought you were…"
His tone is a perfect mimic of the increasing animosity that surfaces his bewildered features.
"To think that you could betray us like this," he continues bitterly.
At his seal, Sana releases a powerful energy that generates an enormous fissure in the ground.
With incredible deftness, Rin times his chakra's movement with exact precision. She removes herself from the crumbling ground and narrowly evades a mass of exploding kunais.
In movement, she takes the third ninja by the scruff of his neck and throws him at the still spinning weapons.
"Takaru! Shit! He's down! Shuu be careful she is stronger than I thought," Sana cries.
"We need to trap her," Shuu says, and he extracts a long black string from his pocket, "Speaking of which, where is the masked one? I swear there was another Akatsuki member."
Shuu stares carefully, his frantic expression simmers ever so close to the surface of his composure.
"I don't see him around. Just keep your guard up," Sana replies.
"I'll get you with this," Shuu says.
The strings surround him and he disappears. Yet unbeknownst to him, Rin can see through the technique.
Her speed is an expedient strategy in all cases of battling, and with such ability, she can evade the most treacherous of attacks.
When she vanishes from her position and reappears behind Shuu, the interval is between two and three seconds. One hit to the head and he falls, unconscious.
"H-How did you see through Shuu's attacks?" Sana says waveringly.
"I can sense chakra. How it moves, when it is about to move, where it is. Your comrade, he attached his chakra to those strings didn't he? That is how the invisibility works. I can sense all that. You cannot hide anything from me," Rin answers discordantly.
She surveys his perplexed expression. Feelings and emotions can give away a ninja's next move.
"Why didn't you just kill him then?" he glances down at Shuu's comatose body.
"There is no need to when he cannot do anything. He is just as much of a threat to me as if he were dead," she replies offhandedly.
"That doesn't mean I'll let you off, traitor," he sends another fissure to the ground.
Traitor?
"This again?"
But she does not anticipate the blistering sounds of a thousand kunais. They eject from the earth and catch her ankle in the midst of an explosion.
"How…"
"We set this trap up long before you arrived. You may be able to sense our chakras but you cannot sense hidden inanimate objects," Sana answers, "by the way didn't I tell you? Those kunais are laced with an odourless poison."
Her vision blurs and her world spins in a hasty whirlwind of escalating agony.
"Time to finish you off, traitor!" Sana shrieks.
He sends a hurling kunai in her direction. And as it jets past, her body involuntarily jerks to the side. The weapon explodes and she is sent flying back into a large jagged rock. At this rate, she will die if she hits it.
In mid-air, she coerces her body to the right, but the poison locks her muscles in place and paralyses her entirety.
Without further thought, she relents to the situation.
Bracing in anticipation, the impact she expects does not coincide with the warmth that encircles her. Someone is gripping her arms with such tremendous force, she is unable to tell whether it is the explosion's impact or whether the person is deliberate in their hold.
They skid to a halt only mere inches from the rock's sharp surface.
At the sudden realisation, she glances up to a familiar aura that surrounds the person - Tobi.
"T-thanks," she says weakly.
It may be her gratitude but he abruptly releases her.
"I saved you because you are of use to us," he replies slowly.
There is a malicious undertone to his comment, yet considering his obnoxious attitude, she is genuinely surprised by his sudden act to help her.
Grudgingly she begins the painful process of extracting poison from her injured ankle.
"Heh! You're one sneaky bastard aren't you, hm?" Deidara says, and he kicks Sana's lifeless body.
"Senpai! You're alive!" Tobi calls.
"Dammit Tobi! Stave that attitude for someone else," Deidara yells.
He shoves his partner to the side, then fixates his gaze on Rin.
"What happened to you?"
"Nothing big. Just a small cut that is all," she answers airily.
"Get up then we need to go."
At the comment, she makes a feeble attempt to stand. But her knees give way and she collapses to the ground.
"You two go ahead first, I'll come after I've reduced the swelling in my ankle," she calls to the backs of her teammates.
Unexpectedly, Deidara turns.
"Tobi, go help her out."
"What?" Tobi yelps.
"I said go help her out. She can't walk in that condition. She'll only slow us down, and I am not waiting for her to come after us, hm."
"That's her problem I don't want to do it."
"For someone who does nothing in battle, you ought to make yourself useful, hm."
Tobi makes a straggling noise that indicates resignation.
"Put your left arm around me," he mutters.
Tentatively, she complies.
"Thanks."
"I'm not doing this for you."