Chapter 82: Is That You, Minato Namikaze?!
Iwagakure – Tsuchikage's Office
Ōnoki stared at the stack of papers in his hand, frustration clearly written across his face.
"Why can't Deidara just behave for once?"
There was no doubt about Deidara's talent or capabilities, but his attitude—always reckless, always troublesome—gave Ōnoki endless headaches.
He'd been forced to send the kid out of the village to reflect on his actions, hoping he'd settle down. But instead of quiet reflection, Deidara had run wild like an untamed beast, causing more chaos than ever.
The documents in Ōnoki's hands detailed all sorts of messes Deidara had stirred up recently.
"If you love blowing stuff up so much, why not blow up some old mine shafts? At least that'd be helpful!"
Ōnoki tossed the papers aside with a grimace. He couldn't bear to read another line.
"Tsuchikage-sama…"
Just then, a deep and honest voice rang out.
It was Akatsuchi, large and broad-shouldered, jogging into the office. The sight gave Ōnoki a start.
"What is it? Don't tell me it's Kurotsuchi! If she's here, tell her I'm not around. I'm very busy!"
Kurotsuchi was his precious granddaughter—and quite the handful.
She'd grown up alongside Deidara and trained with him since they were kids. Unsurprisingly, she didn't take it well when Ōnoki exiled him from the village and had since made a habit of coming by to nag him about it.
"It's not Kurotsuchi, Tsuchikage-sama," Akatsuchi replied, shaking his head earnestly. "She's still training. But this is related to Deidara… it's from the ANBU."
"Don't tell me that brat's caused trouble again?"
A metaphorical tic mark popped on Ōnoki's forehead. His fists clenched with irritation.
"If only he were more like you—calm and steady…"
Ōnoki had personally mentored three disciples: Akatsuchi, Deidara, and Kurotsuchi. Kurotsuchi acted as a bridge between the two extremes—while she got along with both, Deidara and Akatsuchi rarely saw eye to eye.
Where Akatsuchi was grounded and dependable, Deidara was unpredictable and wild. They constantly clashed, not least because Akatsuchi disapproved of Deidara's obsession with explosions, while Deidara thought Akatsuchi couldn't appreciate his "art."
"Tsuchikage-sama, according to the ANBU report…"
Akatsuchi's voice turned unusually serious, catching Ōnoki off guard.
"The ANBU tailing Deidara have all gone dark. No contact."
"All of them?" Ōnoki shot to his feet—nearly throwing his back out in the process.
"What happened? Deidara may be crazy, but he wouldn't take out his own allies. Is someone targeting him?"
"I don't know. I came straight here after receiving the intel."
"What about backup?"
"I—"
"Never mind. I get it."
Ōnoki sighed and shook his head at Akatsuchi's hesitant expression.
"You're too cautious. In a situation like this, you need to act decisively. This is the Land of Earth—and we're talking about Deidara."
He turned to the window and shoved it open, stepping up onto the ledge.
"Tsuchikage-sama, you're going personally?!"
"What else would I do?"
With a sharp grunt, Ōnoki began to float into the air and soared out of the office.
"Tell Kurotsuchi to behave and have Kitsuchi watch over things. I want to see who exactly has the guts to mess with one of my disciples!"
---
Borderlands
On the other side of the border, Pain stood with Kakuzu, Hidan, and Konan, his voice low and commanding.
"Everyone's here? Then let's move."
"Wait a sec… something's off," Hidan muttered, looking around, puzzled.
Before he could finish the thought, Kakuzu cut him off.
"Shut up. Just focus on the mission and stop running your mouth."
"Tch. Buzzkill."
Hidan glared at Kakuzu but didn't argue further. What was the point? The guy was practically unkillable. Not worth the effort.
Still, as much as he preferred praying to Jashin-sama and performing his rituals, he'd only recently joined Akatsuki. He figured he should at least contribute for now.
Pain didn't waste more words. Once Hidan and Kakuzu quieted down, he bolted forward, Konan taking to the skies beside him. Kakuzu and Hidan followed, glancing at each other before leaping after them.
"Tch. Heading to the Land of Earth, huh? Hope I can find some good sacrifices on the way."
Hidan couldn't help muttering, while Kakuzu ignored him—though he, too, was lost in thought.
"This is such a pain… I still haven't replaced the hearts I lost last time, and now we're heading into more chaos."
Finding suitable hearts was no easy task—especially those compatible with his jutsu. He could only hope things wouldn't spiral too far out of control.
"That damn brat… what a headache."
---
Elsewhere, on the Border
Inside a sealed carriage, Nagato sat slumped and pale, murmuring softly.
"They've moved. Maintain distance and follow."
His voice was weak, his chakra drained from years of feeding the Gedo Statue. It took a toll, but he never regretted his choices.
"Nagato, this time might be dangerous. Be careful," Konan's voice called in from outside the carriage.
Given Nagato's condition, Konan stayed behind to guard him personally while a paper clone joined the main squad.
"Especially if Jiraiya-sensei appears… I'm worried."
"I know. I'll avoid confrontation if I can," Nagato nodded.
Now wasn't the time for battle—for him, or for Akatsuki as a whole.
"But Jiraiya's pursuit is relentless. Thankfully, he hasn't discovered the secrets of the Land of Rain yet. We'll need to be more discreet from here on."
Jiraiya's sudden appearance had thrown a wrench into everything. And despite his confidence in his own power, Nagato knew full well—
Defeating someone and killing them were two very different things.
Even leaving emotion aside, most high-level shinobi had their own unique means of escape. He could defeat someone like Orochimaru—but killing him outright was another matter entirely.
The best strategy against a powerful ninja… is a siege.
Perhaps that's the only way to truly bring one down.
Both Amegakure and Iwagakure had mobilized, and meanwhile, at this desolate temple near the border, three pairs of combatants were already locked in fierce battle.
"Raikiri!"
Kakashi's right hand crackled with lightning as he shot toward Uchiha Itachi. Just as the strike was about to land, Itachi tilted his body slightly, narrowly avoiding the attack.
At the same time, he grabbed Kakashi's arm—his Sharingan began to spin.
Genjutsu erupted instantly.
But something was wrong.
In the illusion world, Kakashi was already engulfed in flames.
It wasn't the real one!
Boom—!
Kakashi suddenly burst from the ground beside Itachi, Raikiri once again aimed straight at him.
"Your genjutsu won't work on me."
As he spoke, Kakashi's clone shattered into lightning, surging across Itachi's body.
"A lightning clone, huh?"
Itachi remained calm. At the moment Kakashi struck him, his body dissolved into smoke—
A shadow clone.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
Itachi reappeared to the side, hands already forming seals. A massive fireball roared toward Kakashi.
Boom—!
The deafening explosion forced Kakashi to vanish from sight—
But Itachi spun around instinctively.
The real Kakashi was already coming at him again!
"This is troublesome…"
Itachi cursed inwardly.
Kakashi's skills and battle tactics were formidable—
Especially now, with that Sharingan evolving and constantly countering his genjutsu.
"Worse, I just used Susanoo… my eyes are straining."
Kakashi may have been somewhat exhausted, but Itachi wasn't in great shape either.
Kitagawa Gen had messed him up earlier, and now he had no choice but to push forward.
"What exactly is your organization after?"
While Kakashi and Itachi danced their deadly chess match, Jiraiya and Kisame's fight was far more direct.
Neither of them lacked chakra—
And neither held back.
"Sorry, that's classified."
Kisame dodged Jiraiya's strike and sneered coldly.
"I'm a shinobi. I don't share secrets lightly. Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"
"Tch, stubborn bastard."
Jiraiya cursed under his breath, but he couldn't help but be impressed.
In a dry area with no water, pulling off a Water Dragon like that…?
"His chakra reserves are ridiculous. And that sword—it absorbs chakra too. This guy's a real headache."
With that thought, Jiraiya quickly completed a seal.
"Fire Style: Giant Flame Bullet!"
A blazing inferno surged toward the water dragon, steam exploding as fire clashed with water. Mist filled the air—but Jiraiya didn't pause.
He scanned the surroundings—then formed another seal.
"Now! Ninja Art: Wild Lion's Mane Jutsu!"
Just then, Kisame's Samehada slashed downward from behind—
But Jiraiya's hair suddenly extended and coiled around Kisame's wrists and legs.
"Damn…"
Kisame grunted, changing the sword's direction mid-swing to slice through Jiraiya's hair.
He was beyond annoyed. Running into Konoha again? Just his luck.
And he wasn't the only one frustrated.
Sasori, right now, was on the verge of snapping.
"Fast, strong, Flying Thunder God, and excellent with a blade—and worst of all, immune to my poison!"
Hidden among the puppets of Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets, Sasori's mood was sinking fast.
He had prepared based on Kakuzu's intel—
But this kid was way more trouble than expected.
That strange 'Lightning Release Chakra Mode'—
Its heat burned through and dispersed the poison.
It reminded him of the time Konan recruited him.
She used exploding tags to blast apart the poison and burn it away—this kid's method was eerily similar.
"Looks like you're out of tricks."
Kitagawa Gen, bathed in violet lightning, stood among the countless puppets and suddenly spoke.
"I'll admit, your poison's impressive… but it doesn't work on me.
And your puppets can't keep up."
"Cocky brat."
Sasori grumbled, still annoyed by the matchup.
"I underestimated you, yes. But how long can you last?"
"I can leave whenever I want. I'm just here for intel, after all."
Gen shrugged, reaching into his ninja pouch.
"And honestly, I've got a pretty good idea why you're here… for Deidara, right?"
Sasori raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Gen smiled.
"No need to deny it. I've run into Kisame, and Hidan too… so I figured it out."
"Still, aren't you guys working with Iwagakure?
Doing this won't piss off Onoki?"
Sasori stayed silent, but the truth was clear—
If they weren't worried, they wouldn't be sneaking around.
"But that's your problem. Explain it to them yourselves."
Gen suddenly smiled, holding a scroll.
"Friendly warning: everyone's arrived.
So it's about time I head out—
But before that..."
As he spoke, Gen ripped the scroll—
Dozens of kunai burst out in all directions.
"Flying Thunder God!?"
Sasori immediately braced himself.
If he could block or dodge all of them, he'd be fine—
And he'd prepared his poison.
Win or lose, he'd fight to the end!
But just as the kunai soared—
Gen raised a single hand.
A spark of chakra surged.
"Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
"What—!?"
In an instant, dozens of kunai multiplied into hundreds.
Sasori froze.
Were they all marked with Flying Thunder God?
Or just some?
There was no time to think.
Gen's purple lightning flared brighter—
Then he vanished.
BOOM—!
BOOM—!
BOOM—!
He flashed like a ghost across the battlefield.
Wherever he appeared, explosions echoed.
Sasori's puppets were wiped out almost instantly.
"No!"
Sasori's heart pounded.
He had tried to shield himself with puppets—
But there were just too many kunai.
Watching Gen warp from point to point, feeling the crushing chakra and seeing his puppets shattered—
Sasori finally understood how Onoki felt when Minato wiped out fifty Iwa-nin in a flash.
"You—are you the Yellow Flash?!"
And just as his last puppets were about to be destroyed—
A roar thundered from the sky.
"What the—?"
Everyone froze.
A pillar of blinding white light slammed down from above, aiming straight at Sasori!
He was stunned. He barely had time to react as the beam pierced through his final puppets and shredded his iron sand defense like paper.
"Shinra Tensei!"
A new figure appeared—arms outstretched as a wave of energy erupted forth.
WOOOM—!
The two forces collided—
The world turned white.
Thunder shook the skies.
The ground cracked open.
Mountains trembled and rocks crumbled.
A thick cloud of smoke mushroomed upward like a nuclear blast.
Far away from the epicenter, Gen, Jiraiya, and Kakashi reappeared.
Jiraiya stared at the explosion in stunned disbelief.
"No way… no way…"