Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the red-haired youth who had suddenly appeared before him, momentarily dazed. Then, furrowing his brows, he scolded:
"Brat, do you think I'm too old to walk?"
"The village is facing a terrorist organization like Akatsuki, yet you and Minato didn't think to inform me?"
"Why are Chunin involved in hunting down such dangerous rogue ninja?"
"With this arrangement, you're sending them to their deaths!"
"And you—why didn't you stay in the village? Why did you suddenly come here?"
Hiruzen recognized the young man before him—his disciple, Uzumaki Raiden. Not wanting to appear weak in front of his junior, he straightened his posture.
Thinking about how his son had brought Nara Shikamaru and other Chunin to pursue such a formidable enemy, he couldn't help but feel frustrated. Expecting Chunin to handle an opponent even he, the Hokage, struggled against was reckless. If a pursuit was necessary, at the very least, an experienced Anbu team or an elite Jonin squad should have been deployed.
"Uh, sensei, you're asking too many questions at once—I don't even know where to start."
"The order to hunt down Akatsuki came from Minato. You know I've retired."
"As for why I'm here—well, you suddenly disappeared."
"I couldn't sense your chakra in the village, so I expanded my perception. When I saw you here, I rushed over."
Uzumaki Raiden turned his head, grinning, then shifted his gaze to Sasori and Deidara. However, upon hearing Raiden's words, both Sasori and Deidara were stunned, exchanging disbelieving glances. Asuma's mouth opened slightly, at a loss for words, and even Hiruzen narrowed his eyes.
Hiruzen had only been reverse-summoned a few minutes ago, yet this gold exchange point was hundreds of kilometers away from Konoha. For Raiden to arrive in such a short time—his speed could only be described as terrifying.
"He can sense chakra from Konoha Village all the way here, and he made it in just minutes?"
"What kind of training has this guy undergone?!"
"If we were only facing the Third Hokage, the old man and I could still manage."
"But now that this guy is here… If we don't retreat immediately, we're dead!"
Seeing Uzumaki Raiden, Deidara had already decided to escape. He had encountered Raiden before—back when he was closest to death. The terror he felt then had left a lasting scar in his mind, one he never wanted to relive.
Just as Deidara took a small step backward, something sharp pressed against his waist, and a hand landed casually on his shoulder. A voice sounded from behind him.
"Kid, if you don't want to die, don't move."
Deidara's pupils shrank as he turned his head slightly. Moments ago, Uzumaki Raiden had been standing in front of Hiruzen and the others—yet now, he was right beside him.
"When?!"
Deidara barely had time to react before a thick bolt of lightning shot from Raiden's hand, piercing the chest of the distant Sasori. The puppet master, who had been trying to retreat, was intercepted, his puppet body scattering to the ground.
At that moment, a black shadow quickly shot out from Sasori's shattered puppet body. Simultaneously, a swarm of puppets in the sky sprang into action, rushing toward Uzumaki Raiden, Hiruzen Sarutobi, and the others. Hidden weapons and various ninjutsu rained down, with no regard for Deidara's position.
"Hey, hey, old man! I'm still here!"
Even Deidara, normally unfazed by danger, couldn't help but complain as the overwhelming attack bore down on them.
"Puppets? This level of attack is almost insulting."
Showing little interest, Uzumaki Raiden raised his left hand. Behind him, countless streaks of purple lightning crackled before forming into a barrage of lightning arrows. The arrows shot forward, piercing through the puppets, shattering hidden weapons mid-air, and even accurately striking the puppets' cores, reducing them to splinters.
The battlefield filled with the sound of puppets breaking apart. One after another, the puppets collapsed, their fragments scattering across the ground. Even the Third Kazekage puppet, Sasori's prized creation, was obliterated under the relentless lightning storm.
The puppet army that had pushed Hiruzen and Asuma to the brink of defeat had been annihilated in mere moments.
"Sasori, you run pretty fast."
"But do you really think you can escape from me?"
Expanding the range of his Kagura Shingan, Uzumaki Raiden quickly sensed Sasori's presence hundreds of meters away. He patted Deidara's shoulder lightly, a black sealing mark spreading rapidly across Deidara's body. Then, his body transformed into a streak of black lightning, vanishing.
Less than a second later, a deafening crack of thunder erupted in the distance. By the time Deidara processed what had happened, a bolt of black lightning had already returned, materializing into Raiden. In his hand was a strange, column-like creature—pulsating like a heart.
"Raiden, you…"
Hiruzen Sarutobi, finally regaining his composure, looked at Uzumaki Raiden with a serious expression, as if he had something to ask.
However, Raiden didn't give him the chance to speak and interrupted, smiling:
"I just learned a different kind of ninjutsu."
"Don't take it personally."
"No matter what jutsu I master, I am a Konoha ninja and the Fourth Hokage of Konoha."
Raiden casually wrapped the pulsating creature in black sealing marks, then glanced down at the remains of the puppets. Tossing the sealed creature aside, he continued:
"Don't even think about running away. Your life and death are already under my control."
Hiruzen and the others weren't sure who Raiden was addressing, but Sasori knew. The strange creature sank into the wreckage of the puppets, and moments later, a puppet emerged, transforming back into Sasori. He stood in silence, glaring at Raiden.
"You two are my captives now. Don't worry—I won't kill you."
"However, there are things I need to know. Consider this an invitation to Konoha as my guests."
"I hope you won't refuse my hospitality."
Raiden's tone was casual, but in the next second, his killing intent surged, sending a chill down Deidara and Sasori's spines. Neither of them had any deep loyalty to Akatsuki—they had joined simply because Akatsuki recruited strong individuals and allowed them freedom. They had no real allegiance.
Faced with a life-or-death choice, they decided to comply.
"I've already been captured, so whatever you say goes."
"I also want to see what kind of village can raise a monster like you."
Deidara tilted his head slightly, speaking without the slightest hesitation. Sasori remained silent but stepped forward obediently toward Uzumaki Raiden.
"He was subdued so easily? As expected of the Fourth Hokage!"
"Akatsuki's so-called masters are nothing before Lord Raiden."
Seeing the two rogue ninja who had nearly killed him and Hiruzen Sarutobi subdued so effortlessly, Asuma was in shock. He gained a new understanding of Uzumaki Raiden's strength—he had completely transcended the realm of ordinary shinobi. Even the Third Hokage, his own father, was probably far behind Raiden.
"Take these two back to the village. I'll return first."
"You two—I'll be waiting for you in Konoha. If I don't see you there, you'll know the consequences."
Uzumaki Raiden restrained Sasori's movements while speaking, then walked to Hiruzen Sarutobi's side. Glancing at the wounds on Hiruzen's body, he placed a hand on his shoulder, and in an instant, both vanished.
"Is this the Flying Thunder God technique…?"
Asuma, well-versed in ninja history, recognized the legendary jutsu that Uzumaki Raiden had just used, and his heart was shaken. The space-time ninjutsu, once known only to the Second and Fourth Hokages, now had a third user.
Asuma exhaled deeply, trying to collect himself. He sat on the ground for a moment, then stood up, retrieved a scroll, and began collecting the remains of Izumo and Kotetsu. As he sealed away his fallen comrades, his gaze darkened as he looked at Sasori and Deidara.
These two were the ones who had killed Izumo and Kotetsu.
"Hey, hey, don't do anything reckless!"
"I'm the one your Hokage personally asked for. If you kill me, not only will Konoha lose valuable information on Akatsuki, but Uzumaki Raiden will also hold you responsible."
"If you want to blame someone, blame yourself. As a captain, you were too weak to protect your comrades."
"If you were as strong as Uzumaki Raiden, your comrades wouldn't have died."
Deidara, noticing the murderous intent in Asuma's eyes, spoke quickly. He knew that Raiden wouldn't kill them immediately since they were needed for information, but Asuma was another matter. Who knew what he might do, blinded by grief and rage?
Deidara wasn't afraid of death, but dying at the hands of Asuma like this? That would be far too unartistic. Still, he couldn't resist provoking Asuma. After all, in his mind, the reason he and Sasori had lost was because of Uzumaki Raiden, not Asuma. He had no reason to show respect or fear toward the Konoha Jonin.
Hearing Deidara's words, Asuma clenched his fists, his anger boiling, but he took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.
"."
Asuma shot Deidara a cold glance and then ignored him, focusing on retrieving the remains of his fallen comrades. Though he burned with the desire to kill Deidara and Sasori, he couldn't ignore Raiden's orders. He knew how crucial Akatsuki's intel was to Konoha, and his grief wouldn't cloud his judgment.
Seeing Asuma restrain himself, Deidara smirked. His smile carried a deep sense of mockery.
Not long after Uzumaki Raiden departed with Hiruzen Sarutobi, reinforcements from Konoha's other squads finally arrived, along with Nara Shikamaru, who had fled earlier to summon backup.
After a brief exchange, everyone grasped what had transpired. Though they mourned the deaths of Izumo and Kotetsu, they also felt an odd sense of relief. They were grateful that their squads had not been the ones to face such a terrifying enemy. They were also fortunate that Konoha's two Hokages had intervened in time to save Asuma's team.
Had it not been for that, Asuma's team would have been completely wiped out.
When Shikamaru saw Deidara and Sasori, his mind instantly went to Izumo and Kotetsu, who had sacrificed themselves to protect him. His eyes turned red with grief, and without a word, he rushed forward and struck both captives with his fists.
Sasori, being a puppet, felt nothing and remained expressionless as Shikamaru attacked him. But Deidara, made of flesh and blood, roared in anger as he was struck. He cursed and threatened to kill Shikamaru—only to be met with even harsher blows.
The rest of the Konoha shinobi didn't step in to stop Shikamaru. They understood that for someone his age, it was necessary to let out his rage and grief. As long as Deidara and Sasori weren't killed, they let him continue.
Thus, by the time the Konoha forces finally returned to the village with Deidara and Sasori a few days later, Deidara was covered in bruises, and his once-handsome face was nearly unrecognizable.
Uzumaki Raiden didn't concern himself with the fate of Deidara and Sasori after they were brought back. However, news soon spread that both Sunagakure and Iwagakure had learned that Konoha had captured their rogue ninja and sent envoys to negotiate their extradition.
After all, even though Sasori and Deidara were defectors, having Konoha execute them or extract information from them wouldn't reflect well on their home villages.
Minato, as Hokage, had anticipated the arrival of emissaries from both villages and quickly sent the Torture and Interrogation Squad to extract information about Akatsuki. He initially expected resistance from the captives, but to his surprise, Deidara and Sasori had no real loyalty to Akatsuki.
However, the intelligence they provided was no more detailed than what Uzumaki Raiden had already reported. This left Konoha's leadership disappointed, but the interrogation squad was not so easily deterred. Since the two captives couldn't provide useful intel on Akatsuki, they shifted their focus to extracting secrets about Iwagakure and Sunagakure.
Both Deidara and Sasori had been considered prodigies in their respective villages and held valuable knowledge. Sasori, in particular, knew many of Sunagakure's secrets—something Konoha was highly interested in.
Yet, the interrogation took an unexpected turn. Despite their betrayal of their home villages, both Deidara and Sasori refused to reveal any classified information about them.
The Torture and Interrogation Squad eventually enlisted the help of the Yamanaka Clan to probe their minds, but they encountered powerful sealing jutsu embedded deep in their consciousness. These seals blocked access to crucial information, drastically slowing down the interrogation process.
Days later, with little progress in extracting vital intelligence, Sunagakure's emissaries arrived in Konoha.
Leading the delegation were the Fourth Kazekage's children—Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari.
But the most surprising presence in the envoy was an elderly woman—Chiyo, a retired elder of Sunagakure who had long since withdrawn from the village's affairs.
(End of this chapter)