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"According to standard procedure, the Hidden Stone's Tailed Beast should be handled by Deidara and myself, correct?"
Sasori spoke calmly.
Pain nodded.
"Indeed. That was my intention. But I wasn't sure if the two of you would be willing. If you truly are unwilling, I can also assign another pair."
Sasori glanced at Deidara.
"I don't particularly mind either way. I just don't know if this brat Deidara is willing to go."
Deidara answered.
"If Sasori, my senior, is going, then I can go too."
Sasori paused, surprised that Deidara had agreed so quickly. He couldn't help but speak with astonishment.
"What's this? Are you giving up on that C4 thing of yours?"
For a period of time prior, Deidara had been burying his head in tinkering with his C4. Basically, unless it was an absolutely mandatory mission, Deidara wouldn't do it. Just like the last time they captured the Seven-Tails—everyone had been quite interested, except for Deidara alone, who hadn't been interested in the slightest and hadn't spoken a word the entire time.
Sasori, knowing Deidara had no interest, had also stayed silent.
Thus, in Sasori's view, whether or not he himself went on this mission to capture the Five-Tails was irrelevant. But Deidara should have been unwilling to go.
Unexpectedly, Deidara had agreed so quickly.
Deidara grinned and spoke.
"I've pretty much got it finished. Whenever we run into that Uchiha brat, just watch me put on a show, Sasori!"
Sasori sighed. "Do as you please."
Pain also delivered the final verdict.
"In that case, Deidara and Sasori will go and capture the Five-Tails."
Off to the side, Hidan let out a sigh of relief.
"Good thing it's not me. Targets like Jinchuriki that we can't kill are just far too boring."
Pain looked toward Hidan.
"You and Kakuzu continue eliminating the bounty targets on the black market."
"Alright, no problem." Hidan answered casually.
Itachi looked toward Pain.
"Leader, is there anything else? If not, can we disperse?"
Pain nodded. "Mm. Nothing else. Disperse."
As his words fell, the phantom projections vanished one after another. Ultimately, this place returned to silence once more.
******
One month later.
A brawny, muscular man was sprinting through the forest. Atop his head, he wore a red, umbrella-like covering. His entire body was clad in red armor, tightly encasing him and leaving only his eyes and the area around them exposed. Over the armor, he wore a black-gray outer garment.
If one looked closely, beneath that umbrella-like hat, one could see a Hidden Stone forehead protector.
This shinobi's name was Han. He was the Five-Tails Jinchuriki of the Hidden Stone Village.
Among the five great shinobi nations, the Hidden Stone Village placed the least importance on Tailed Beasts. Unable to endure the ostracization and contempt of his fellow villagers, Han had ultimately left the village and set out on his own.
Toward their Jinchuriki's departure, the Hidden Stone Village had shown little reaction, simply allowing Han to leave just like that.
"Having lost the village's protection... is this truly alright?"
The Five-Tails' voice was as gentle as ever. Only, hidden within it, there was now some faint, almost imperceptible resentment.
Massive boulders firmly trapped the Five-Tails' limbs and tail. A cage of stone imprisoned the Five-Tails. As it was now, the Five-Tails could do absolutely nothing except open its mouth to speak and blink its eyes.
Constructed of stone, chain-like restraints shackled the Five-Tails' arms, legs, tail, body, and head.
Compared to the Nine-Tails' seal, the Five-Tails' seal was far, far more restrictive. In fact, a seal like the Five-Tails' was the normal one. The Nine-Tails' type of seal was, on the contrary, the abnormal one.
"Be silent, Five-Tails. I have no need for a Tailed Beast to instruct me on what to do." Han spoke coldly.
The relationship between Han and the Five-Tails could not be called good. Or rather, all Jinchuriki who were not perfect Jinchuriki could never possibly have a good relationship with their Tailed Beast.
Among all the current Jinchuriki, besides Killer B, those with the relatively best relationships with their Tailed Beasts were Gaara and Roshi. Yet even for those two, it wasn't really anything great. In the original story, Gaara's Tailed Beast was extracted very early, and it wasn't until the Fourth Great Ninja War that there were signs of him truly reconciling with the One-Tail. As for Roshi, he only reconciled with the Four-Tails at the very last moment before his death.
The Five-Tails closed its eyes and gave a cold snort.
"I am merely reminding you—be careful not to die. Because if that happens..."
Midway through, the Five-Tails stopped and didn't continue.
Han inquired.
"If that happens, then what? If I die, will you die along with me?"
The Five-Tails kept its eyes closed and sneered.
"Ridiculous. You weak, pathetic humans—what makes you think you can drag us Tailed Beasts down to die with you? If you die, I will simply be freed from this seal. And the moment I am freed... your Hidden Stone will certainly not have a pleasant time."
Even for a Tailed Beast as good-natured as the Five-Tails, it couldn't bear this kind of imprisonment with absolutely no end in sight. Aside from its mouth and eyes, there wasn't a single part of its body that could move. Enduring such days—one year, two years, ten years, a hundred years—no matter who it was, they absolutely couldn't stand it.
Han raised a hand and adjusted his umbrella-like hat.
"You won't have that day, Five-Tails."
Precisely because he was a Jinchuriki, Han understood all too well the immense power of the Tailed Beasts. If the Five-Tails truly broke free, then for the Hidden Stone, even if they could reseal it, they would surely suffer devastating losses.
The Leaf Village's Nine-Tails had rampaged once, and it had cost them a stunningly brilliant Yellow Flash. If the Five-Tails rampaged once... would it cost the Hidden Stone's mightiest pillar—the Third Tsuchikage?
That was absolutely something the Hidden Stone could not accept.
The Hidden Stone could do without the Five-Tails. Without the Four-Tails. Without any single individual. But they absolutely could not do without the Third Tsuchikage.
During the Third Great Ninja War, the Hidden Stone had schemed and successfully killed the Third Raikage. Even so, the Hidden Cloud Village—as hot-tempered as they were—hadn't dared to do anything to the Hidden Stone. It went to show that with the Third Tsuchikage present, the Hidden Stone was definitely a nation that other countries did not wish to provoke.
The Five-Tails gave another cold snort.
"We shall wait and see."
With that, it fell completely silent.
Han gave one last heavy look at the Five-Tails, which had closed its eyes, and then silently withdrew from this sealing space.
Outside.
Han had just withdrawn from the sealing space of his inner world when he immediately heard a voice ring out.
"Detonate!"
BOOM!
A massive explosion suddenly erupted. Han's entire body was engulfed within the blast.
"Hey, Sasori. You see that? Art... is an explosion!"
Standing atop a giant white bird, Deidara laughed as he spoke to Sasori beside him.
Sasori replied flatly. "Deidara... surely you don't think a few explosions of yours can finish off a Tailed Beast's Jinchuriki?"
Deidara paused, then looked down toward the ground.
Down there, much of the smoke kicked up by the explosion had already dispersed. Han stood firmly on the ground, white steam rising from his body. Although many parts of his red armor had been scorched black by the blast, it was clear that Deidara's sudden attack had not brought Han down!
Deidara scratched his head.
"Feels like that uncle didn't take much damage at all. He really is strong. When I saw him as a kid, I never knew he was this strong."
Deidara was from the Hidden Stone. In his childhood, he had indeed met the Five-Tails Jinchuriki, who was also from the Hidden Stone. Of course, they weren't familiar at all—at most, it was a level of having merely "met" each other.
Han raised his head and looked at the giant white bird in the sky.
"Clay... and explosions... I see. So it's you, Deidara."
Although Han wasn't familiar with Deidara, he had heard of the other's reputation. After all, the matter of Deidara—a disciple of the Tsuchikage—betraying and fleeing the village was no small affair in the Hidden Stone.
Placed in the context of the Leaf Village, it would be like Tsunade's disciple Sakura suddenly defecting. While not an earth-shattering event, it could never be considered a minor matter either.
Deidara grinned. He opened his hand, and in an instant, a large swarm of white spiders scattered downward.
"Seems you know me, uncle. As fellow rogue shinobi, consider this a greeting gift from your junior."
The spiders landed all around Han—on the trees, on the ground, everywhere. Then...
"Detonate!"
BOOM!
A resounding, thunderous explosion rang out in unison with Deidara's shout.
All the trees within several meters of the surrounding area were completely razed and flattened.
However, the very moment the explosion occurred, Sasori suddenly barked in a low voice.
"Deidara!"
Deidara froze for a split second and looked at Sasori. The very next moment, Deidara grinned. He understood what Sasori meant.
Several seconds later, the explosions ceased. Only plumes of gray-black smoke continued to rise, and flames flickered here and there, born from the blasts.
There was no movement within the smoke, as if Han had already been subdued.
But...
White steam billowed out in vast quantities!
A figure instantly shot upward from the ground, leaping directly onto Deidara's giant white bird in a single bound. A kick lashed out toward Deidara!
Steam-powered kick!
Han's ability was controlling "steam," earning him the title of "The Steam Shinobi." This ability more or less also borrowed the power of the Five-Tails, making Han's physical strength exceptionally formidable. If Deidara was struck directly by Han's kick, then even if he didn't die, he'd be crippled!
Deidara knew this as well. Watching the kick flying toward him, an uncontrollable panic surfaced on his face. Then, that panic began to rapidly morph and shift, until finally, at the very end, the panic on Deidara's face transformed into a grin!
Han's kick pierced straight through Deidara's chest, right where his heart should be. At this point, Deidara should have been absolutely doomed beyond any doubt. But looking at the eerie smile on Deidara's face, Han finally realized something was wrong.
Deidara's body began gradually turning white. The Sasori beside him also turned white.
These were Clay Clones!
Beneath the giant white bird, the real Deidara and Sasori stood upon a tree branch.
Deidara spoke.
"Thanks, Sasori."
It was Sasori's warning just now that had allowed Deidara to quickly replace himself and Sasori with Clay Clones during the explosion.
Sasori closed his eyes and spoke, his face brimming with impatience.
"You know I don't like waiting. Since you said earlier to let you handle capturing the Five-Tails, then get it done, and fast!"
Deidara grinned. "Yeah, yeah!"
Then, Deidara raised his hand before his mouth.
"Detonate!"
With that single command, the two Clay Clones and the giant white bird exploded simultaneously!
BOOM!!!
It was like a colossal firework blossoming in the sky, radiating intense light and heat in midair.
Deidara laughed triumphantly.
"A point-blank explosion! With this, the Five-Tails Jinchuriki should be as good as captured, right?! Mm! As expected... art is an explosion! Sasori, you should acknowledge my art by now too, shouldn't you?!"
Sasori's eyes suddenly flew wide open. His body rapidly retreated backward. Yet, he still failed to evade.
Wreathed in white steam, Han delivered a single kick that directly sent Sasori's head flying!
Deidara's eyes bulged wide as he watched the Five-Tails Jinchuriki fly past him.
Sasori retreated far into the distance. Several chakra threads extended outward, pulling his head—or rather, Hiruko's head—back and reattaching it. His face dark and grim, he spoke.
"Five-Tails Jinchuriki... your opponent is that clay-playing brat over there. Don't force me to get involved."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Panting heavily in great, heaving gasps, his entire body charred black, Han stared at Sasori's hunched and stooped form.
"A puppet, is it? I miscalculated. I should have attacked that Deidara brat instead."
Deidara looked at Han, now completely scorched black, with astonishment.
"Hey, hey, uncle... aren't you a little too durable? You can still move after all that?"
Pfft...
A faint, subtle sound came. Beneath his mask, Han seemed to have coughed up blood. But clad in that armored mask, no one could know the true situation.
White steam erupted from Han's body. His entire being immediately shot toward Deidara.
Deidara leaped upward, but ultimately couldn't completely evade. A small wave of impact struck his abdomen.
"Cough... cough..."
Han's impact was simply too powerful, directly causing Deidara to cough up several mouthfuls of blood.
Leaping high into the air, Deidara's bloodstained lips curved into a smile. A giant white bird materialized out of nowhere, carrying Deidara aloft.
"As expected of the Five-Tails Jinchuriki... uncle, your taijutsu is really strong. If I keep playing around like this, you might actually turn the tables on me. Alright then, Five-Tails uncle... allow me to give you a grand funeral."
With those words, Deidara, riding his giant white bird, flew straight toward the high altitude.
Seeing this, Sasori directly turned around and began putting distance between himself and this location. He knew exactly what Deidara was about to do.
"That bastard..."
Han watched Deidara fly high into the distance. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't fly. He also didn't attack Sasori. Han had already figured out that Sasori seemed to have no intention of fighting. That being the case, there was no need for him to proactively attack the man and needlessly provoke another powerful enemy.
This was also a characteristic of the Akatsuki. When one member was fighting, the other generally wouldn't interfere.
The sealing space.
The Five-Tails taunted.
"You've sustained very heavy injuries."
Han said grimly. "Five-Tails... I need more of your power!"
The Five-Tails sneered.
"Have you gone mad, or have I? Do you truly think I would lend you more power?"
The Five-Tails' situation was different from the Nine-Tails'. The Nine-Tails lent power because it could hasten its own escape. But when the Five-Tails lent power, it gained absolutely no benefit whatsoever. Under such circumstances, the Tailed Beasts naturally wouldn't lend power to their Jinchuriki for no reason. They were practically praying for their Jinchuriki to hurry up and die so they could be free.
Here, it had to be said that Minato was truly brilliant. When Minato had sealed the Nine-Tails, he had left the Nine-Tails a glimmer of "hope" for escape. This had resulted in the Nine-Tails being extremely proactive in lending Naruto power. Other Tailed Beasts wished for their Jinchuriki's death; the Nine-Tails was terrified that Naruto would die and his next Jinchuriki would seal him up tight once more, leaving no hope for escape.
Therefore, among all the current Tailed Beasts, the only ones who genuinely, from the bottom of their hearts, didn't want their Jinchuriki to die... were probably just the Eight-Tails and the Nine-Tails.
"Heh... true enough."
Han gave a bitter laugh. Through years of training, he had been able to command a portion of the Five-Tails' power. But it was just a small portion. The Five-Tails had never willingly lent him its power. All the Five-Tails' power that Han possessed had been forcibly seized—just like how Naruto in the later part of the original story seized the Nine-Tails' power. It wasn't something the Tailed Beast had given voluntarily.
Meanwhile, outside, in the high sky, Deidara had already prepared everything.
A small clay figurine dropped from his hand, then instantly expanded into a gigantic humanoid figure. Under the pull of gravity, it rapidly plummeted toward the ground!
And directly beneath that humanoid figure... was Han!
Deidara raised his hand, his mouth splitting into a wide grin.
"Uncle... I gave you a greeting gift earlier. Now, it's time for a farewell gift. C3·Number Eighteen! Detonate!"