Chapter 250: Akatsuki Intervenes: The Pursuit of Sand and Jinchūriki
The grand hall of the Land of Wind's Daimyō residence now lay quiet. The smell of fear, expensive wine, and blood slowly mingled in the still air.
Chiba, the chief minister, was drenched in a cold sweat, his elaborate court robes already soaked through. He remained kneeling for a long moment after Akira's figure vanished.
He slowly, cautiously, raised his head.
The Land of Wind... annexed. The Daimyō... executed. Sunagakure... destroyed.
Akira's words, casual yet absolute, had redefined the geopolitical landscape.
Uchiha Akira, however, seemed to foresee his inevitable worries and spoke from the space where he had been moments before.
"You don't have to worry about anything going wrong with the transition."
"I will send Konoha Jōnin to assist your samurai and officials. They will serve as overseers and executors."
"Any trouble you can't solve—any pockets of resistance from the old nobility—they will handle for you. Ruthlessly."
Akira's voice echoed with finality. "Your people just need to go through the motions, cooperate fully, and make sure the transition is completed efficiently and cleanly."
Upon hearing this, Chiba's last trace of concern vanished.
With the Konoha ninja forces, commanded by the terrifying Uchiha Clan, as an unshakeable backing... what was there left to fear?
No matter how much those pathetic Land of Wind nobles and minor lords resisted, could they really withstand a single, lethal squad of Konoha Jōnin? Of course not.
"Yes, sir!" Chiba bowed deeply, his forehead knocking against the marble floor again. "I swear I will not fail Hokage-sama's trust!"
"I will complete the integration of the Land of Wind's civilian and political structure as quickly as possible! Consider the Land of Fire's eastern border secured!"
"Go on."
Uchiha Akira's voice, devoid of emotion, was the last sound Chiba heard before the space warped again, and Akira's presence completely disappeared.
In the empty hall, only Chiba remained, kneeling amidst the carnage.
After a long, reflective moment.
Chiba slowly raised his head. The fear was gone, replaced by a cold, calculating resolve. He had chosen his master. And his master had just handed him a kingdom.
"Someone! Get in here!"
Chiba suddenly stood up, shedding his previous humility and fear. He was now the most powerful man in the Land of Wind.
"Pass on my order! Gather all loyal ministers! Immediately! To the council hall! We have a new nation to build, and a new master to serve!"
"Hurry!"
On the Desert Border, Land of Wind.
The ground stretched endlessly, marked only by dunes and jagged rock formations.
A long, slow, grim procession of several thousand people was moving east, towards the Land of Fire.
Over two thousand Konoha ninja escorted the disarmed, demoralized, and thoroughly defeated Sunagakure captives, the long line stretching for miles, kicking up a pervasive, suffocating cloud of yellow sand.
At the very front of the team, where the command unit moved, Nara Shikaku's brows were tightly furrowed, his expression one of intense focus and frustration.
With so many captives—the remnants of Suna's standing army, mostly Chūnin and Genin—the marching speed was agonizingly slow.
In such an open, exposed desert area, once they encountered any organized enemy resistance, they would immediately become sitting ducks, an easy, tempting target.
Shikaku sighed, a plume of dust entering his lungs. He was calculating the thousands of risks this retreat presented.
Just then.
A Yamanaka Clan ninja responsible for sensory defense, his eyes closed in concentration, his face suddenly turned ashen. He quickly sprinted to Shikaku's side.
"Shikaku-sama! We have a severe situation!"
Shikaku's eyes narrowed. He looked past the young ninja's shoulder, sensing the underlying panic in his chakra signature.
"Speak. Quickly."
"To the southeast, approximately a dozen kilometers away, two extremely high-speed chakra sources have been detected!"
"They're moving incredibly fast! And they are heading straight for us! They are on an intercept course!"
Shikaku's heart sank. This was exactly the kind of complication he had feared.
"Can you determine their strength or identity?"
"Based on their raw chakra output... they are extremely dangerous, Shikaku-sama!" The sensing ninja's forehead was beaded with cold sweat.
"Their signatures are completely foreign. S-rank, possibly. They... they are probably not here with good intentions!"
Shikaku immediately pulled out a tactical map of the region, spreading it across the dusty ground. He quickly calculated the enemy's speed and trajectory.
"Impossible to avoid," he muttered, grinding his teeth.
"Immediately dispatch two heavily armed patrol squads to investigate!" Shikaku commanded. "Send teams led by the most experienced Jōnin!"
"Order them to only conduct deep reconnaissance and provide an early warning! Under no circumstances are they to engage easily or commit to a full fight!"
"Yes!"
Shikaku watched the coordinates on the map, his eyes growing increasingly solemn. At this critical juncture, who could it possibly be?
The remaining forces of Sunagakure? Unlikely. They were shattered, and scattered.
Could it be other Great Ninja Villages, like Iwagakure or Kumogakure, already trying to seize the opportunity and get a piece of the pie?
High in the sky, far above the relentless sun.
Deidara, the blonde bomber, stood proudly on the back of his massive, white, clay giant bird. His eye, narrowed against the desert sun, gazed excitedly at the distant, slow-moving procession below, which resembled a long, vulnerable dragon crawling across the yellow sand.
"Found them!"
"Haha! Uncle Scorpion, I told you they wouldn't get far! The art is always quick to find its audience, yeah!"
From within the massive, grotesque puppet known as Hiruko, a muffled, deep, impatient voice responded.
"Shut up, Deidara. Focus on your flight path."
[Inorin's Note: Hiruko is Sasori's first puppet body, offering excellent defense and weaponry, which he often wears to conceal his true form.]
"Tch, what a boring guy," Deidara pouted, his eyes rolling.
Just then, he saw several small figures below. They broke away from the large group and began rushing towards them at high speed—two small specks of focused chakra.
"Oh? Some little flies are coming to greet the artist, hm?" A playful, cruel smile spread across Deidara's lips.
"Uncle Scorpion, I'll leave this triviality to you. Finish them quickly, or you'll delay me from capturing the Jinchūriki! The One-Tail is far better art!"
Sasori did not answer with words.
Only the terrifying, long steel scorpion tail on Hiruko's back silently uncoiled, rising high into the sky, its metallic tip gleaming with potent neurotoxins.
Below, on the desert floor.
Two Konoha patrol squads, a total of two Jōnin and six Chūnin, were advancing at full speed.
The leading Jōnin was Shōta of the Aburame Clan, his face hidden behind large goggles, his posture tense.
The other Jōnin, a fierce-looking man with a loyal ninken (ninja dog) by his side, said in a deep voice.
"The chakra reaction is coming from up there! Two S-rank signatures, moving fast!" The man was Kiba Inuzuka.
"Be careful, Shōta! The opponent's strength is unknown. We only scout and warn!"
Soon, they clearly saw the massive clay giant bird and the two ominous figures on its back.
Aburame Shōta immediately stopped. He shielded his eyes against the sun and shouted at the sky, his voice amplified by chakra.
"You up ahead! Identify yourselves!"
"This is a Konoha Ninja patrol squad! You have entered a restricted area! Please state your identities and intentions immediately, or we will treat you as hostile!"
His voice carried far on the dry wind.
But the giant clay bird in the sky showed no sign of slowing down. It continued to rush straight towards them, utterly ignoring the warning.
Aburame Shōta's face darkened with cold realization.
"Prepare for battle! They are hostile!"
All the ninja immediately dropped into a battle stance. Kiba Inuzuka and his ninken were already baring their fangs, preparing for their signature clan formation.
"Bastards! How arrogant!" Kiba roared. "Let's see what you can do!"
Just then.
From the giant bird in the sky, a dark shadow shot down with a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch! It was a terrifying blur of motion!
It was Sasori's steel scorpion tail, gleaming with cold metal and poison!
"Kiba! Shōta! Defend!"
Aburame Shōta's pupils constricted. He knew they couldn't dodge.
"Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba roared, instantly merging with his loyal ninken.
"Fang Over Fang!" (Gatenga!)
[Inorin's Note: Fang Over Fang (Gatenga) is a high-speed, powerful combined rotation attack used by the Inuzuka Clan in a two-person formation.]
The man and dog transformed into two rapidly spinning white tornadoes, surging upwards to fiercely collide with the dark, descending shadow!
CLANG!
A piercing, agonizing metallic clash exploded! The sound was deafening, the force immense!
The spinning momentum of the Fang Over Fang was abruptly, violently halted. Kiba and his ninken were flung back by the brutal recoil, landing hard on the ground, rolling in the dust in a sorry, pained heap.
Kiba struggled to his feet, staring at the perfectly intact steel scorpion tail in disbelief.
"How is that possible... What is that thing?! It shattered our jutsu!"
Before Kiba finished speaking, his face suddenly contorted in agony. A burning, numbing sensation rapidly spread from his left arm throughout his entire body!
He looked down and saw a faint, hairline scratch on his arm. The skin around it was already rapidly turning a sickening black and purple, spreading quickly.
"Ugh... it's... poison..."
The neurotoxin contained in the scorpion tail was impossibly potent. Kiba's legs immediately gave out, and he fell to his knees, purple-black blood gushing from his mouth.
Within a few agonizing breaths, the veteran Jōnin had no vital signs.
His nearby ninken let out a mournful, heart-breaking cry, about to pounce to defend his fallen master.
Thump!
The scorpion tail was as fast as lightning. It swung violently and directly smashed the ninken's head to pieces before the animal could even complete its leap.
"KIBA!" Aburame Shōta's goggles were splattered with blood. His eyes, though shielded, were filled with bloodshot horror.
The remaining six Chūnin were even more terrified by the brutal, bloody efficiency of the scene. Their faces were pale, their bodies trembling. In just one single exchange, a Jōnin was poisoned to death, effortlessly annihilated!
"Insect Swarm!" (Mushikui!)
Aburame Shōta roared, fueled by grief and rage, without the slightest hesitation.
Buzz—!
Black parasitic insects swarmed out violently from his sleeves and jacket, instantly forming a surging, defensive black shield in front of the remaining Konoha forces.
"Oh? Bugs? How disgustingly unartistic, mm." Deidara in the sky let out a sneer, his mouth pouch forming a malicious grin.
"Then let my art purify them!"
Deidara flicked his hand, and several small clay spiders, carefully molded and infused with chakra, silently infiltrated the surging insect swarm before detonating.
"Hah!"
BOOM!
A violent, internal explosion erupted in the center of the dense black insect swarm! The violent shockwave instantly tore a huge, smoking gap through the living shield!
Aburame Shōta grunted in pain. His entire body felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Half of his torso was blasted into a bloody, messy pulp, and he flew backward, hitting the forest floor hard!
"Die, fool!"
From Hiruko, Sasori's cold, metallic voice rang out. He had no time for theatrics.
Pfft!
The steel scorpion tail, already coated in blood, easily pierced Aburame Shōta's heart, ending his life instantly.
Immediately after, a fan of poisoned senbon needles was shot out from Hiruko's mouth.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
The remaining six Chūnin, frozen in terror, were all struck by the senbon, their exposed skin rapidly turning a sickly purple-black as the toxins took effect. They collapsed, twitching.
The scorpion tail retracted, its mission complete.
"Resolved," Sasori's muffled voice stated.
Deidara curled his lip in disdain. "Tch. Taking all the fun. You stole my kill, Uncle Scorpion. No flair at all."
Having said that, Deidara pulled out a large chunk of explosive clay from his ninja tool pouch, already molding it into a large bird. They had a Jinchūriki to catch.
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