Returning to Suna was not something Sasori had ever considered himself doing, at least not for quite some time. His home village had already offered all it possibly could for him, and he had taken much more than just their teachings and knowledge before making his leave. Still, as he slowly slunk through the sand on a direct course to the village in question, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. Part of him wondered if he would run into anyone he recognized. He hadn't heard any news of Chiyo dying recently, so there was always the possibility that the old bat was still alive. What a lovely reunion that would be.

The wind picked up, unnaturally so, and the sands seemed to shift in odd ways that he knew meant danger. Had anyone else been sent out here, Sasori doubted they would have been able to find their way to Suna in a timely manner. The way the desert was shifting, as though it was alive, would have steered many astray. If there was ever a clearer warning to not continue, he hadn't seen one. Nevertheless, he pushed on, unbothered by the apparent threat. He was the scorpion of Suna, Sasori of the red sands; there was nothing in this country that posed a threat to him, nothing he couldn't kill and convert into beautiful art. And if by chance he was wrong, well, contingencies were already in place for such an outcome.

"Hey, Sasori. You sure we're still heading in the right direction?"

Sasori grumbled quietly to himself. It would have been beneficial to leave his idiot partner behind. Matters of the sand were dealt with silently and with precision, like true shinobi. Tasteless explosions and flashy jutsu were not needed out here, nor were they appreciated. That being said, Deidara had his uses, and would serve one purpose or another by the days end.

"I know where I am going," Sasori said. "Do not question me again."

Deidara, lounging atop a large clay bird, pouted. "So… you think the Ichibi container will be challenging?" he asked.

"No."

"Oh? So confident? There isn't much information on her since the chunin exams, and she was only a kid back then. Now she's the Kazekage, and the new jinchuuriki of Suna. Kinda makes you wonder how she managed to climb so quickly, doesn't it?"

Sasori ignored him. He for one, knew all too well the inner workings of Suna. They prioritised strength over most things. For the girl, Temari of the sand, to become Kazekage at such a young age, she would need to be extremely powerful in her own right, and at least smart enough to not be manipulated by the elders. Possessing the Ichibi and having mastered control of it to the point where a large majority of wind country was now considered impassible without her direct consent, spoke volumes to her power. Her intellect, however, was still in question, though Sasori knew the girl wasn't a fool. Her alliance with Uzumaki was enough to tell him that. In fact, it was part of the reason he hadn't argued about being the one sent to retrieve the Ichibi from his old home.

All things considered, Sasori had been quite pleased with himself when he had decided to humour Konan, those years ago. Keeping in contact with her after her abdication from Akatsuki was also another point towards his own instincts. Had he not done either, he would have still been blindly following the words of a fool, a false leader. Make no mistake, there had been a time where Sasori considered himself 'loyal to the cause', but those days were long gone. Finding out that Pein, the supposed leader, the self-proclaimed god, was nothing more than another puppet on a string, guided by an unknown hand, had been the final straw for the puppet master. He was no stranger to deception and would admit some level of respect at having been misled, but the whole thing had still left a bad taste in his mouth, so to speak.

No, his days of blindly following Akatsuki were through. For that he owed thanks to Konan, and the Uzumaki by extension. Naruto may not have been the smartest person to deal with, but the boy was strong in his own right, and surprisingly flexible with his morality when it came to achieving his goals. Sasori could respect that in the youth. His own bolstered arsenal of puppets was more than enough proof that Naruto knew how to bargain, and bargain well he did. Should the jinchuuriki fail in his mission to stop the Akatsuki, Sasori would make sure to collect his body and add it to his collection. If he succeeded, then Sasori was comforted in knowing that he was no longer willing to throw his life away for such things.

"Uhh, Sasori… are we there yet?"

He growled. "Be silent," he said sharply. "Just keep your eyes open. The desert is well aware of our presence. It is unlikely that we will even reach Suna before we reach our goal."

"What makes you say that?" Deidara asked.

Sasori stopped. Perhaps he should have just killed the man himself and been done with it. "Because we have been walking in circles, or have you not noticed by now?" The surprised look on the blonde's face was enough. Why did he have to be paired with such an idiot.

"Genjutsu?" Deidara asked, fitting a device over one of his eyes and looking around frantically.

"No, you fool. Look."

The sand shifted again, the wind picking up more. What was once a firm breeze was now an unpleasant wind, peppering them with sand and messing with their eyes, or Deidara's one uncovered eye at least. From an unsuspecting dune, crawled a figure, dusting off the sand from her clothes and hair before hoisting a large fan onto her shoulder and smiling at them. Blonde hair done up in four messy ponytails, battle attire fitting of a Suna kunoichi, and a large gourd hanging on her hip from a harness around her waist.

"Temari of the sand, I presume?" Sasori asked, not that he needed to. Naruto had given him more than enough of a description to know that the woman before him was who he was seeking. He chuckled darkly to himself. She was a beautiful young woman, standing there so confident and proud. What a beautiful puppet she would have made. Such a shame. "Smart girl. Meeting us out here, away from the village. No chance for any collateral."

Temari smirked. "Someone had to be smart. It certainly wasn't going to be your little friend here."

"Oi!"

Sasori continued to chuckle. "Too right you are," he agreed, ignoring another of Deidara's outbursts. "So, am I to believe that Uzumaki gave you the heads up?" She nodded. "Very well then. And my request?"

Temari frowned. "They are waiting up ahead. I'm sure you can find your own way from here without me messing with you any longer," she said, gesturing behind her to the direction of Suna.

"Huh? Sasori, what is she talking about? What request?" Deidara asked, looking between the two dumbly.

"Do not worry yourself with matters not your own," Sasori said coldly. "You need only concern yourself with your own survival. I leave her to you, Deidara, as a test of your so called 'art'. Perhaps you may yet impress me, though I doubt it. Consider this my formal resignation from Akatsuki. If you survive, pray we never meet again."

With his piece said, Sasori shuffled onward. Whether due to surprise, or stupidity, Deidara didn't attempt to stop him. A smart move for him. Sasori wasn't sure if Deidara could take Temari alone, but the bomber certainly wouldn't have survived both Temari and Sasori. Picking one's battles was the first lesson of being a shinobi in the desert.

"Oi, Sasori…"

The puppet master paused to glance back at his former partner. Much to his curiosity, there was no animosity on his face. Instead, the mad bomber grinned wide at him.

"May your art live on forever," Deidara said, offering a respectful nod to the puppet master.

Sasori almost laughed. His main vessel, hidden away within his protective puppet shell, smiled at the ridiculousness of what he was hearing. He supposed, in a twisted way, there was a sense of honour to be shared between those that understood art, no matter the form. Even for monsters and criminals such as them, there had to be some level of humanity to ensure they never lost touch with what art truly was. He grunted, nodding in return. "Die well, Deidara. Make sure the sands never forget you were here."

He turned to Temari and offered her a look of understanding before continuing on his way. Sasori had expected to be double-crossed out here, he had even made preparation for it, so it was a pleasant surprise to find his side of the arrangements being met without issue. Naruto was proving to be rather honest, a rare quality in the world these days.

Now… it was time to see just how far Suna had fallen since his departure. Maybe, just maybe, if they impressed him, he might consider amending his agreement to a more favourable outcome. Time would be the judge of that.

{I}

Jugo had to admit, Fu was a delight to travel with.

"Oh, and there's a type of beetle that shoots boiling stuff out of his butt. Isn't that cool?"

He nodded, a smile on his face that had been there for hours by now. "Do you have one?" he asked curiously.

Fu frowned. "No. Not yet. But I will one-day, I'm sure of it," she said confidently.

Jugo nodded. He didn't doubt her. It went without saying that he was learning a lot about bugs of all varieties. Fu was, to put it simply, a complete nerd for bugs, in an endearing way of course. Whether it was because the Nanabi, Chomei, took an insectoid form, or because Fu herself had grown up living in a tree with only the other bugs that called said tree home to keep her company. Her love for all things creepy and crawling was adorable, and surprisingly infectious. Jugo himself held a high opinion of most animals but had never given much consideration to bugs. Not out of distaste, but more out of a lack of knowledge. That lacking was rapidly being corrected.

"Do you have a favourite?" Jugo asked.

"Um, Duh," Fu said, grinning like an idiot. "Rhinoceros beetle, obviously." She accentuated her statement by patting her stomach and winking knowingly at Jugo.

He shook his head and chuckled. Of course. "Is that what the Nanabi looks like?"

Fu scrunched her face in thought. "Sort of. It's… more of a resemblance. Still cool though, like really cool. I bet Chomei is the coolest of all the bijuu, and not just based on looks either."

Jugo could feel the power inside Fu buzz at the compliment. Well, that was interesting. Let it be known that flattery did indeed work on immortal chakra monsters.

"Oh, and you can call her Chomei too, if you like," Fu said. "She doesn't normally like people knowing her name, but since you already do, she says it feels weird hearing you call her 'the Nanabi' all the time. Up to you."

"Sorry. I was only trying to be polite. I felt it may be a bit too forward to assume familiarity with her so quickly," Jugo said. "Thank you, Chomei, for the honour." Another buzz. Yep, that settled it, Chomei was a complete sucker for flattery.

Jugo took the time to look around. They had been travelling for a few days now, at a leisurely pace admittedly. Getting out of the land of waterfall had been easy, too easy almost. It made Jugo wonder just how little the village cared about its jinchuuriki. Did they not even see Fu as worth keeping for the power of a bijuu alone? Oh well, their loss. They had gone south, travelling along the border of the land of fire and the land of fang, in the hopes of avoiding any confrontation with either. While Jugo was confident that he could handle anyone that tried anything, he wanted to avoid any violence for as long as he could. Besides, the longer the journey, the more time go got to spend getting to know Fu. A win-win in his books.

As it was, they were still making good time. The land of Rice had been simple to cut straight through the middle of. With Orochimaru gone, and Otogakure all but scattered to the wind, there was no real threat to worry about. The land of hot water, where they currently found themselves, was much the same. Yugakure were keepers of the peace more than an actual shinobi village, so Jugo doubted they would try to capture a jinchuuriki. Such an act would only draw too much attention to them. Even still, he kept his guard up and his senses alert. This was a mission after all, and Naruto was counting on him, as was Fu. Nothing would happen to her so long as he could help it.

"So, what are your interests? Got any weird hobbies, or am I alone in the weirdo department?" Fu asked, adjusting the container on her back slightly, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Would you like me to carry that?" Jugo asked, eyeing the large container.

He knew what it was by now, having asked rather bluntly at one point, though he could have figured it out with his senses alone. It seemed Fu's fascination with bugs didn't stop at merely learning all she could about them, it also extended to having a desire to nurture them in some way, collect them. Through Chomei, she could communicate with the insects in a rudimentary sort of way, and over time, she had gathered a sizeable collection of 'friends'. The cylinder on her back acted as a home for these creatures, creating a symbiotic sort of relationship. Fu kept them safe and always made sure they had enough food and water, adding more bugs as she went, and in return, the collective hive would perform small favours. Usually this was nothing more than scouting or tracking, but it still impressed Jugo to no end.

"No," she said, neither gentle nor rude.

Jugo understood. Trust was earned after all. "Hmm, let me think. Hobbies… I like forests. Just sitting in them, listening to nature, feeling everything existing around me –" he smirked "- including all the creepy crawlies. Birds too, they are always fun."

Fu's expression soured. "Birds? Really?"

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said sheepishly. Maybe not best to mention his fondness for an insect eating animal.

The jinchuuriki sighed, a smile on her face. "It's alright. Just a part of nature. No point getting upset about it," she said, her expression turning mischievous for a second. "Though I guess it does make some sense. You did kinda snatch me up, much like a bird would a bug. Did I look tasty, did I?"

Jugo immediately pulled his high collar up a little further, suddenly very thankful for the travel cloak Konan had given him. He could expect this sort of humour from Tayuya, not Fu.

Fu laughed loudly. "Oh man, you should see your face. Priceless."

"I'm sure," he grumbled, though a smile still stayed on his face.

They continued for a while in peace, Fu thankfully not choosing to tease Jugo any further. Unknown to Jugo, this was more due to Chomei's advice than any self-control Fu may have had. It had been too long since Fu had the entertainment of being able to tease a boy. As soon as she was sure it wouldn't blow up in her face, she would jump right back into it. It also helped that Fu thought Jugo was quite cute, and tall, like a tree… Fu liked climbing trees. Anyway…

"Anyone else in your little group who I should know about?" Fu asked. "So far, you've told me about Naruto, Tayuya, and Konan. Including you, that doesn't exactly make for a strong force against a group like Akatsuki. Assuming they are as bad as you say."

Jugo scratched his head. "Well, those are the main ones. We did capture Yugito before I left to find you. Not sure if she's on our side yet or not. She was quite nice though."

"Yugito?"

"The Nibi jinchuuriki," he answered. "There is also Temari. She's the jinchuuriki of the Ichibi, and the Kazekage too. Just be careful mentioning her around Tayuya. I think there's some sort of history. Not sure what though. We did have Utakata, he was the jinchuuriki of the Rokubi. He… Akatsuki got to him. Seiken was sealed away, and Utakata passed. Outside of that, we have kept our numbers small for good reason. The less people that know where we are and what we are doing, the better."

"The Kazekage huh? Damn."

Jugo knew that look. Suna was gaining an interesting reputation under Temari's rule. It seemed such a reputation even travelled to Taki. "Don't worry, she is much nicer than the stories would have you believe. Unless you threaten her village."

Fu smiled sombrely. "Sorry to hear about your friend, Utakata was it? It would have been nice to meet him. Chomei says Seiken was always a big softie deep down. It's a shame they are both gone."

"It's okay. And don't worry, I'm sure once we stop Akatsuki, Naruto will find a way to…"

"Jugo?" Fu looked at him curiously.

Jugo's expression dropped as he turned to stare up the road. "Fu, I need you to run," he said seriously. "Run to lightning country, and no matter what, do not turn back."

Fu furrowed her brow. "What's going on?"

"Well, well, looks like we got caught, Kakuzu. Guess your little hiding jutsu doesn't work for shit."

From up the path strode two men, both tall and imposing in their own way, each adorning a black cloak with red clouds. One of them, the foul mouth, had slicked back silver hair and wielded a large three bladed scythe. The other more silent man of the pair, had his features hidden by a mask and hood, but his inhuman eyes glared at Jugo with a surprising intensity.

How the two Akatsuki members had found them, let alone set up a trap, Jugo didn't know. He was also curious as to how they had hidden themselves from his senses until he was nearly right on top of them. If he got out of this alive, he would have to invest more time in sharpening his skills so as to never be caught off guard again. Jugo stepped forward, putting himself between Fu and the pair. He knew these two Akatsuki members from the information Naruto had gotten from Sasori. The so-called immortals. Kakuzu, a man who had lived long enough to once attempt an assassination of the first Hokage and survive, and Hidan, a strange religious zealot who boasted some form of supposed immortality.

Not exactly the members Jugo wanted to face, especially not when he had someone else's safety to consider.

"Strange. I have felt this kind of chakra before," Kakuzu mused aloud, his eyes never leaving Jugo. "Do not underestimate this one, Hidan."

Hidan snorted. "Oh, fuck off, Kakuzu. Look at him. Sure, he's tall, but he's still just a brat. Don't tell me you're scared?"

"I didn't live as long as I have by taking useless risks. But whatever. Do as you will. I have given you all the warning you deserve. Do not blame me for whatever happens."

Hidan rolled his eyes and pointed his scythe at Jugo with a grin. "Alright then, why don't you be a good boy and hand over that little jinchuuriki shit before I make this really unpleasant for you."

Jugo raised an eyebrow at the man. "You have no intentions of letting me go. I can feel it, all that bloodlust," he said, shaking his head. "No. I'm sorry, but you can't have her. Not so long as I live."

"Haha, well then it's a good thing you won't be alive for much longer."

Hidan rocketed forward at a surprising speed for someone wielding such a large weapon. He raised the scythe above his head, bringing it down hard towards Jugo. What should have been the satisfying sound of metal tearing through flesh was instead replace by the sound of metal digging into… stone? Hidan's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced up at Jugo, the tall boy looking down at him, unphased by the attack. Two of the blades of the scythe were buried in Jugo's shoulder, only there was no blood, and the scythe refused to budge from its place.

"What the fuck?"

Jugo's eyes shifted shade, his skin turning dark as he reached up and grabbed the handle of the scythe. He had hoped Fu would have followed his instruction by now and fled. The last thing he wanted was for her to see this side of him. While he was in control now, there was no guarantee that he would be able to maintain said control against opponents such as these. With one arm he dislodged the weapon from his shoulder, the wounds immediately healing, before rearing his free arm back, his fist morphing into a large piston, and delivering a skull shattering punch to Hidan's face. The man was sent flying back, a cable connected to his scythe pulling the weapon with him as his body skidded along the ground, coming to a stop as a limp bundle of limbs.

"Idiot," Kakuzu mumbled.

"Eat a dick, you dusty old fuck," Hidan shouted, surprisingly. His body twisted back into place as he got back to his feet, his face bloodied and broken, but already healing. He grinned madly at Jugo. "I'm going to enjoy killing you. The tough ones always scream the loudest."

Jugo sighed. Of course, it couldn't be that easy. Now he would be forced to do something he truly didn't want to. Fighting was very much against his more pacifistic desires, killing even more so, but being forced to continue to hurt someone in an attempt to figure out what could kill them, that was a new top of the list of things that made Jugo shudder. That aside, he steeled his resolve and readied himself. His reservations could sit this one out. Fu's life was on the line, Naruto's goal was at risk. For either of those two things Jugo would do what had to be done, but for both at the same time, he would put this pair's claims of immortality to the test.

"Fu, please. Go. I will catch up," he said. As he did, his cloak shifted unnaturally, bulging in strange ways as his body morphed underneath.

"I can help," Fu said, dropping into a stance.

"No. Trust me. I'll be right behind you," Jugo assured her, flashing her a quick grin which, in hindsight, may have looked a tad less reassuring in his current form.

Fu hesitated for a moment, glancing between Jugo and the Akatsuki pair. She frowned deeply, nodding in begrudging agreement. With that Fu took off to the treetops. Kakuzu moved to intercept, but with a strange explosion of power and speed, Jugo cut him off. Kakuzu blocked the punch with his arms, grunting as his bones strained against the strike and he was sent crashing back into a nearby tree. Jugo levelled a hard stare at the missing-nin. With a shrug, he discarded what was left of his cloak, the back of it having been torn to shreds and burnt. Exposing his torso revealed a series of strange tubular growths forming out of his back, each still humming with heat and energy.

"Did you think I was bluffing?" Jugo asked, his tone slightly more aggressive. Control didn't mean unaffected.

He blocked a slash from Hidan, his left arm morphing into a large scythe blade to match the opposing weapon. From the corner of his eye, he saw Kakuzu move to make another attempt at following Fu. Grabbing Hidan by the throat, he lifted him and turned towards the fleeing member, the tubes on his back roaring to life and rocketing him forward. Using Hidan's body as a battering ram, Jugo collided with Kakuzu, slamming the pair through a tree trunk before coming to a stop on a second tree. He grinned madly, an expression that was matched by a laughing Hidan.

There was no room for mistake with Akatsuki. That was one of the few things Naruto had drilled into him early on, Konan too. Its members were all monsters in their own right and had to be treated with as much caution. No one member could be considered an easy opponent, and none could be underestimated in any way. With that in mind, Jugo chose the 'all out' approach. His body drew in more natural energy, growing and shifting in response. The tubes on his back expanded, more joining their numbers. His arms, legs, chest, everything morphed into large canon like tubes, all aimed directly at the two men he currently had pinned to a tree.

He grinned. "Die!"

Jugo's chakra spiked, and in a blinding flash of light, the world around them became nothing but scorching heat.

{I}

Temari waited for Sasori to be a safe distance from her before trying anything. Why, she didn't quite know. By all rights, she should have destroyed the abhorrent puppet master the moment he had set foot in her desert. Sadly, she couldn't, not yet anyway. How Naruto had managed to set up any form of accord with that monster was beyond her. He had though, and she would be lying if she said that deal hadn't been extremely valuable thus far. Considering part of the arrangement came with only a single request from her, one that was actually begged of her by the other involved party, Temari couldn't exactly complain. If Sasori proved himself to be a problem later- once his usefulness ran out -then she would just destroy him then. No skin off her back.

She turned her attention back to Sasori's partner, Deidara, if she recalled correctly. The man hadn't made a move either so far, choosing to rest atop his clay bird calmly. "You seem awfully unbothered by your traitorous partner," Temari said.

Deidara shrugged. "Art is where our true loyalties lie," he said proudly. "Akatsuki is just a means to an end for us. We both understood that. I cannot fault him for putting his art first, just as I would do the same. It shows his devotion to his craft."

"Huh." Temari actually looked a little surprised at that statement. "Don't suppose that means I can convince you to follow in his footsteps? I'm sure you can do your 'art' more freely without having to worry about Akatsuki, and me."

"Oh, but that's the thing," Deidara started, a smile on his face. "Akatsuki is the reason I can perform my art so freely. They give me the opportunity to truly put my art to the test."

Temari clicked her tongue. "I'll take that as a no then." Figures. She sighed, snapping her fan open in preparation. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance."

Deidara smirked, his hands moving into a seal. "Don't worry, I won't. Katsu!"

From beneath Temari, a large explosion erupted, sending sand flying everywhere, though with a notable lack of blood or body parts. He was quick to react to a giant hand of sand reaching for him, manoeuvring his clay bird in a much more agile manner than its size and shape would imply. Temari swirled back into existence atop a nearby dune, fan in hand. With a wide swing, she sent a gale of wind at the bird, knocking it off course and straight towards one of the tendrils of sand that were now attempting to snatch him from the sky. The tendril exploded; the sand reforming just quick enough to keep the chase but not to catch him.

Temari smirked to herself. If explosions were all she had to worry about, then this would be over quicker than she thought. Channelling a large amount of chakra into her fan, she swung it hard, the wind picking up a large amount of sand as it went, which she had also imbued with her chakra. Again and again, she swung her fan, picking up the wind around them to dangerous levels, the desert coming alive at her command. Deidara's advantage came from his flight, so it was time to ruin that advantage.

She jumped, narrowly avoiding another explosion from below the sand. Tucking her open fan beneath her, she rode the shock wave up into the air, the wind she had created catching her and letting her soar higher until she matched Deidara's height. The look on his face was worth using the extra chakra. "Didn't think you were the only one who could fly, did you?" she asked smugly.

Not waiting for a smart assed retort, Temari commanded the sand to continue its onslaught. Internally, she was grateful to have known prior that an explosive user was being sent after her. Had she allowed them to come to the village, there was no telling how much collateral damage there could have been. At least out here she was the only potential victim. Although, with the amount of sand at her disposal, she would be sorely disappointed in herself if she managed to lose here.

A small bird flew straight at her from behind, hitting a wall of sand before exploding. Temari yawned. Her gourd reformed itself at her side and she turned a bored expression to the man. "Is that all you can do?" Oh, that seemed to have struck a nerve.

"You'll see," Deidara yelled, his voice barely carrying over the growing windstorm around them. "I'll show you… art… is an explosion!"

Her sand blocked another bird, this one slightly larger than the last, only for it to explode with less intensity. From it burst multiple small insect shaped clay creatures, all hurled towards her by the blast. Temari brought her arms up quick, her gourd moving to protect her, but it was too slow. The series of explosions happened too close and too quickly, blasting through the thin wall of sand she had managed to form. Temari fell from her fan, twisting mid-air and landing on a tendril of sand, another tendril catching her fan and bring it back to her. She shook her head, ears ringing slightly from the blast. Her skin cracked and clumps of loose sand fell from her arms and face as she glared at Deidara.

"Serves me right," she muttered to herself.

The sand armour repaired itself easily enough, but that had been sloppy on her part. Now he had a decent idea of her speed with the sand. While no slouch, she couldn't boast the same level of proficiency with sand manipulation that Gaara had, not yet. The nature of her seal didn't allow for that, the separation between her and Shukaku being too clear cut. That didn't mean she hadn't figured out a way to overcome that little chink in her armour. Temari ran through several seals, dark markings spreading across the sand that covered her skin. Her eyes went yellow with star-like pupils, the sclera turning black. Chakra surged within her, spreading further out into not only the sand, but the wind as well.

When the people of Suna proudly claimed that their Kage controlled the very desert, they weren't far from the truth.

"Jinchuuriki secret art: Desert Storm."

The wind howled to life. Dunes were pulled into the sky. The sand and the wind were one now. With the storm in play, there was nothing left to do but let nature take over. No amount of chakra could match the true destructive potential of pure nature. The storm took form, circling the two in a giant twisting tornado of death. The all-consuming maw of the desert.

Temari's second skin began to crack and flake off, the dark marking going with it. She smirked as a new voice carried itself effortlessly on the howling wind, noticing the way that Deidara looked at her with confusion. He had heard it too.

"Finally. I've been starving."

{I}

Kakuzu groaned. That had been unexpected. He got to his feet, clothes a little worse for wear, but otherwise he was fine. His earth spear jutsu truly was the greatest in his arsenal for such circumstances. He heard another groan and looked over to Hidan. The murder happy fool was, unsurprisingly, still alive somehow, albeit missing his left arm. A quick glance of the surrounding area showed no sign of the missing limb, leaving Kakuzu to wonder just how good the Jashinist's regenerative abilities were. If the man was so easily rendered useless, then he would simply take his heart and be done with it.

Anyone else recruited to replace Hidan would be an improvement. Anyone.

"What the fuck was that?" Hidan asked.

"How am I supposed to know?" Kakuzu growled. In truth, even his mind was racing trying to figure out what they were up against.

The boy was an unknown element to their plans. Kakuzu had never seen nor heard of someone matching his description or having such unique abilities. At first, he had been curious of the boy's chakra, what with the sensation it evoked in him; far too similar to the feeling he had gotten when fighting Hashirama Senju. Thankfully, or perhaps not, the boy didn't seem to be a wielder of the Mokuton. Whatever the shapeshifting, energy producing abilities the boy possessed were, they were extremely versatile and intriguingly dangerous. He wondered what properties the heart of such an individual could provide him.

"Still alive?" Jugo asked, disappointedly. "When the information said you two were immortal, I thought it was a joke. I suppose there's a hint of truth in there somewhere."

Kakuzu eyed the boy warily. He had grown, standing a bit taller than before, his body having bulked considerably as well. While right now he maintained a more human form, there was no telling what tricks were still waiting to be unveiled. Best not to be arrogant. He dropped what was left of his cloak, revealing his patchwork skin held together with black threads sewing the pieces together. On his back were four masks of varying animal like design. The stitches along his back loosened, his skin peeling open as large masses of black threads spewed out, two of his masks going with them. Lightning and wind. Not the strongest of his available hearts, but easily the best suited for taking down an enemy who already showed incredible physical resilience. The two masses of threads formed themselves into two large entities. The lightning mask took the form of a large deformed bipedal creature, while the wind mask appeared as a four-legged beast with wings.

"Handle him," Kakuzu commanded, glaring at Hidan. "I'll fetch the jinchuuriki."

He moved quickly, already anticipating the attempted interception from the boy. It did come as a surprise, however, when it took the combined efforts of both of his masks and Hidan to physically stop the boy from reaching him. As he put distance between himself and the fight, Kakuzu felt a shiver run up his spine. Whatever similarity he had sensed between the boy and Hashirama Senju didn't sit right with him. Assuring himself that it was nothing to worry about, he continued. The jinchuuriki hadn't heeded its protector's warning, barely getting to a safe distance before stopping. As he closed in on the chakra source, he wondered if all of the jinchuuriki were as stupid as those they had already captured. If they were, then Akatsuki's mission would be completed ahead of schedule, and he could return to his old ways without a care in the world. That would suit him just fine. Time was money after all.

{I}

Deidara was fucked. He knew it, the Kazekage knew it, and hell, even Sasori probably knew it before he left him here to fight by himself. Sure, he had known what to expect when they were sent after the Ichibi. A beast that could control sand and manipulate wind, not exactly a well-kept secret on Suna's part. One might have even thought it would be stupid to attack such a beast, or its vessel at least, in the middle of its home territory. For any normal shinobi, they'd have been right, but Deidara was confident that his skillset and talent as an S-rank missing-nin would help him overcome something as simple as a bit of sand manipulation. Even Sasori had managed to kill one of the previous Kazekage, who used metal sand, and Orochimaru had accomplished much the same not long ago with the fourth Kazekage. There were even rumours of the damned Uzumaki single-handedly leveling the previous Ichibi host. If those three could pull off such things, then surely Deidara could take down a lone jinchuuriki by himself.

That had been a slight… miscalculation.

He leapt from his clay bird, barely avoiding the giant clawed hand of sand that clamped down on his creation before it exploded. The wind pulled him violently through the air until he created another bird to ride on, though even that gave him little advantage inside this storm. The tornado of sand, if you could even call it that, was huge. It encircled an entire section of the desert, locking him in from all sides, leaving only two directions for Deidara to go. Up, where he found he would be quickly followed by Temari and cut down, or down, where the now nearly fully formed Ichibi waited for him, eyes fixated on him hungrily and maw open wide in anticipation. Speaking of, wasn't the bijuu supposed to be inside of the jinchuuriki. Just what the fuck was going on here?

"Shit!"

He continued to evade the ever-spawning tendrils and hands of sand. Between those, and the random blades of wind sent his way, it was all he could do to stay in the air and out of deaths grasp. If he somehow got out of this alive, he was going to hunt down Sasori and destroy at least half of the man's puppet collection for leaving him to die like this. Despite his frustration, Deidara maintained his smirk. It had been so long since anyone had kept him on edge like this in a fight, his defeat at the hands of Itachi notwithstanding. To have someone so readily challenge his art, treating it as more of a nuisance than an actual threat, was exactly what he needed to improve. His hands dug deep into his clay pouches, the mouths on his palms taking greedily from the supply.

Half empty already, damn.

With a wave of his hands, dozens of tiny clay locusts sprung forth into the storm, scattering in the wind without a care. The first one to pop set off a chain reaction, all of them exploding into large clouds of thick black smoke. Deidara used this momentary blinding of the battlefield, changing direction and diving straight for Temari. He didn't understand how she and the Ichibi were working apart from each other, but either way he needed to take them out one at a time. Temari held the skies, so she would go first. The Ichibi would be easy pickings after that, assuming it didn't fall apart once its jinchuuriki fell. As he breached the smoke screen, he smiled at the confident expression on the Kazekage's face. Sand speared his clay mount, prompting him to jump away from it. As it blew up behind him, he was rocketed towards Temari like a missile. A wall of sand put itself between him and her, his hand lashing out and sending a bomb straight at it.

He grinned as the explosion destroyed the sand shield; the fire and debris being swiftly swatted away by Temari's fan. Deidara continued to fly towards her, and now she was wide open. Whatever his plans were once he reached her were quickly forgotten as sand wrapped around him, stopping him dead mere feet before his target but leaving his head exposed. The smug expression on Temari's face almost made him want to laugh.

"Wow, Akatsuki really scraped the bottom of the barrel with you, didn't they?" Temari mocked.

Deidara snorted. "At least I won't have to be scraped into a barrel, unlike you."

"Oh really?"

"Yep." Temari didn't need to wait to find out what trick was up his sleeve, his hair and skin suddenly losing their colour and detail. "Katsu!"

From above Deidara watched the shock flash across Temari's face, her sand reacting quickly to encase his clone. Not fast enough. The explosion shook the storm, blowing a hole in the side of the tornado for a moment. It would have been a good opportunity to escape, had he not had other plans. Seconds went by, and Deidara realised Temari wasn't going to resurface anytime soon. The storm raged on, the giant Tanuki below still eyeing him off as the walls closed in on them. Now was as good a time as any to truly put his art to the test. From a third pouch he produced a large clay sculpture with arms crossed across its body. A specially prepared piece of his art, one that he had intended to use on Suna itself if the opportunity arose, but he would settle for wiping a bijuu off the map. He flew up, as high as the storm would allow, and hugged his creation gently.

"Do your pappa proud," he said, dropping it to the Tanuki below. "Now you'll see. Everyone will see."

The sculpture expanded to an enormous size.

"Art isn't something you can just create and leave for the world to grow bored with."

Its arms began to stretch out as it fell.

"Art isn't something that just anyone can appreciate."

Shukaku, realising what was going on, began forming a bijuu bomb aimed for the clay construct.

"Art is a fleeting moment of beauty that has to be experienced, witnessed, and respected as that which cannot be captured or contained."

The clay sculptures arms reached out completely.

"Art… is an explosion!"

The storm exploded, and on that day, the people of Suna would swear they saw a second sun on the horizon.

{I}

Tayuya woke to a burning sensation on her hand. Sitting up with a hiss, she glared at the seal glowing on her palm, the kanji for 'sand'. Shit. From next to her, Naruto followed much the same, glancing at his own wrist, the kanji for 'tree' glowing on his own palm. The two shared a knowing look before getting up and quickly getting ready. Tayuya pulled on her pants, shoes, and shirt before unclasping her puppet arm and letting it drop to the floor. Whatever was going on, Tayuya knew that she couldn't afford to go into it unprepared.

She unsealed her gauntlet like prosthetic and locked it into place, giving each joint a test before moving on. Tayuya paired this prosthetic with a large pouch strapped to her hip and filled to the brim with various scrolls. Her training with Naruto and Konan had taught her that being a one-trick-pony would most likely get her killed. While she loved genjutsu, and would use it as much as she could, Tayuya wasn't about to overlook her newfound versatility via her prosthetics. While not a puppet master, she could still use some of their tactics and tools to her advantage. With that in mind, Tayuya made sure to pack her 'goody-bag' with a couple extra treats, just in case.

Tayuya flung a travel cloak around her shoulders before glancing to Naruto. "I've got Temari," she said, receiving a nod. Before he could disappear in a flash, a cheesy description that Tayuya still couldn't quite get over, she closed the distance between them and grabbed him roughly by the collar. She pulled him down into a quick kiss, offering him possibly the softest expression anyone had ever gotten from her. "Those fuckers aren't getting another one. I promise."

Naruto smiled. "I know," he said, stealing one more quick peck before stepping away. "Stay safe."

He was gone before she could reply. "You too, idiot," she said softly.

Unlike Naruto, the rest of their little crew couldn't hop and skip across the elemental nations at their whim. Some people had to obey the laws of nature, or at least the laws that related to using a teleportation jutsu with normal human chakra reserves. The others needed help, which came in the form of 'bridges' that Naruto had to painstakingly write and tune to each individual he wished to give said travel ability to. Considering how long and arduous a process that turned out to be, it was seldom used. Even now, there were only about three bridges currently available for Tayuya to jump to. One was here in lightning country, and whether or not it would be left here was still up for debate. The second was hidden away somewhere in fire country, at the behest of Konan, who had been coming and going much more frequently than usual lately. The third, and arguably the most important, was in Suna, tucked away in a private room of the Kazekage's tower.

After what happened with Utakata, Naruto had taken to ensuring everyone was at least somewhat reachable in a reasonable time. The alert seals were the second part of that, letting the team know if anyone was using an abnormal amount of chakra or if their life was at risk. Tayuya hadn't initially cared enough to get one, but after an hour or two of getting puppy dog eyes she relented. She was happy she did so now.

As she made her way to the bridge, the seal on her palm continued to get hotter. Temari must have been in some trouble, and that was saying a lot. Tayuya knew of what Temari was capable of within the land of wind, and for someone to push her in any capacity spelled trouble.

Stepping onto the large sealing array, Tayuya focused her thoughts on where she needed to go. She didn't need Naruto to admit it to know that he had made this system idiot proof. The last thing any of them needed was for one of them to simply cease to exist because their mind wandered when trying to jump somewhere. To use the bridge, you needed to know where the receiving array was located, within reason. If you weren't able to picture it in your mind, then the bridge wouldn't work. Simple as that. Anyone without knowledge of where the bridge could take you, couldn't use it; add onto that a key that Naruto stingily handed out, and you had a safe travel system… for now anyway.

Time froze. The seal lit up, and with it the world twisted and warped around her. Tayuya could feel her stomach lurch at the sensation. Despite her prolonged exposure to the type of jutsu, teleporting just wasn't something she could get used to. She would never understand how Naruto could use it in combat of all things either. The fourth Hokage must have been a mad man to do what he did back in the day. Reality seemed to stretch around her, pulling itself so thin until everything went black. Then, as quickly as everything had vanished, it popped back like a spring, only now Tayuya was standing in an empty room in Suna. Time resumed its flow and Tayuya fought to keep her last meal where it belonged.

Shaking the dizziness from her mind, Tayuya popped a soldier pill in her mouth and swallowed. No amount of sealing mumbo jumbo could make a teleportation jutsu free of charge, and jumping from Lightning to Wind was a long jump, even by Naruto's standards. Marching up through the tower, she made her way to the Kazekage's office, not surprised to find Temari's Sensei waiting. The way he acknowledged her showed that he had been expecting someone.

Things must have been bad.

"Where is she?"

Baki frowned. "There was a large sandstorm raging out in the desert. Reports say that it disappeared with a bright flash. There was a minor shockwave that followed. We have heard nothing yet."

"Scouts?" Tayuya asked.

"The Kazekage gave us strict instructions not to venture into the desert unless absolutely necessary," he said. "… Temari hasn't been seen or heard from since she went out into the desert on her own."

"Fuck." Tayuya looked down at the seal on her palm. It was still glowing, which meant Temari was alive at least. "You coming with?"

Baki smirked. "Naturally."

"Keep up, old man."

{I}

Sasori watched the storm die down from his place sitting atop a sand dune. Who the victor had been, he wasn't sure, and he didn't care enough to venture over and find out. His business with the Akatsuki was finished as far as he was concerned. If they came after him, he would deal with whoever they sent. A pained groan from behind him ripped him from his internal musings. Kankuro, the boy said his name was. The brother of the Kazekage and a budding young puppet master. He lay under the sweltering sun, bloodied and beaten; the remains of several puppets, along with the corpses of several puppeteers, were strewn across the sand around him. At any other time, Sasori would have simply killed the upstart, but he was feeling nostalgic today. Perhaps it was the puppets the boy used, reminding him of his own humble beginnings, or maybe even the old fool that had attempted to assist the boy.

Chiyo had not been given the same mercy. Her body, laid out at his side, was lifeless and at peace. Sasori could have smiled, should have smiled, yet found that he could not. Years of trying to distance himself from his humanity, and what did he have to show for it but a heart that still longed for all that he had lost. Chiyo was dead, and with her the last of his family would join his collection. There was nothing tying him to humanity anymore… nothing, save for his creations. His old puppets, long since discarded as failed projects, lived on in Suna, inspiring the next generation in ways that Sasori had not expected. Kankuro's words had told him as much. And so, perhaps there was time to reconsider some things he had thought set in stone.

Suna would not have him back, not in any capacity that allowed any semblance of freedom, of that, he was sure. Not that he wanted to go back. The village was still just as restrictive as he remembered it. Nothing had changed in that regard. Though maybe there was more it could offer him, more that he could learn, and more that he could teach. His red hair ruffled in the wind, emotionless eyes gazing back to the body at his side, then to the still breathing boy. Chiyo had given her life to protect this Kankuro. Truly an honour that the boy likely didn't fully understand, yet. Sasori peered towards the remains of his own puppets, those of which had been handily defeated by the pair. Art was always the product of inspiration, and Sasori was nothing if not inspired by what had happened here.

He spied a mop of red racing across the sands and sighed. He unsealed a vial of antidote from a scroll, placing it on Kankuro's chest along with a note detailing how best to administer it. Kankuro would survive, he would make sure of it. The boy had much to live up to, whether he liked it or not. He tucked a scroll into the boy's pouch. A parting gift, from sensei to student. Chiyo always had pestered him to take on an apprentice back then, so it seemed only right to give the subject a chance, regardless of the boy's willingness. Who knew, perhaps there was more than one way to make art that lasted through the ages. Time would tell, and he would be there to see the fruits of his labour.

Turning back to the desert, he began following after the hastily moving figures. Sasori would keep his distance, but he would observe closely as to what was to unfold. He had yet to see Tayuya's machinations at work, having only seen bits and pieces of her schematics and ideas. He was curious to say the least. If nothing more, this would be good entertainment for him. Should the worst come to pass, then Sasori would ensure that Tayuya's body wasn't obliterated by Deidara. Respect for a fellow artist aside, there was no point in wasting a perfectly good canvas.

{I}

Jugo could feel his rage bubbling over. How could it not. He was failing his first proper task given to him by Naruto. It had been too long already since Kakuzu had made off in the direction Fu had gone, and with each second that passed Jugo could feel the dread setting in. The worst part of it was that he knew Hidan shouldn't have been able to keep him at bay like this. Hidan couldn't have done this, not alone, but then he wasn't alone. Those two masked creatures, extensions of Kakuzu, were the real problem. While Hidan kept his attention on him by way of some truly impressive taijutsu for a one-armed scythe wielder, the creatures made sure that Jugo couldn't incapacitate Hidan any further. Every opening that could have been taken advantage of was quickly filled by a wind jutsu or made too risky via a lightning jutsu.

Hidan's immortality only made things harder. The creatures had no need to wait for him to be safely out of harm's way, nor did they need to coordinate with the crazed reaper. Jugo had found this out the hard way when he had been pierced by an arrow of lightning that had already skewered Hidan. Dismembering Hidan further also didn't work, as the creatures would simply sew him back together with black threads. His only saving grace was in knowing that the masked creatures were chakra based. Being apart from the main body, they were running on a limited supply. Jugo could sense it, they were weakening with each jutsu used, but it wouldn't be enough. By the time either one ran itself dry, Kakuzu would have Fu, or Jugo would be dead. He needed to speed up the process.

"You're gonna pay for my arm," Hidan yelled.

Jugo tried to tune him out, all the while being careful to block and dodge the erratic slashed aimed for him. Sasori didn't have a great deal of information on Hidan and Kakuzu outside of a very basic rundown of what they were capable of. Jugo knew that for Hidan's ritualistic technique to work, the man needed to ingest some of his blood. Had this been a one-on-one fight, that would have been easy to avoid. He could shift his body at will and regenerate at a rate rapid enough to stop practically any blood loss. The creatures complicated things. There were limits to his regeneration without an external source feeding it. All it would take was one sloppy move and there would be blood at the ready. It was hard to tell if Hidan had realised this, or if he was simply too lost in his own bloodlust to care. Either way, the man continued to attack like a man possessed, never letting up no matter how much damage was inflicted upon him. Did his immortality extend to having unlimited stamina as well?

His arm shifted into a large, curved blade, blocking the scythe yet again. Jugo made to jump back in an attempt to avoid the oncoming lightning jutsu, only for Hidan to use his scythe as a hook to keep him in place. The lightning struck from several directions, piercing Jugo and Hidan indiscriminately. The pain he could handle, electricity coursing through his body and burning everything, but the insane laughter of Hidan was grating on his mind. No sooner did it end, leaving a dull ache through his whole body, did a gale of wind collide against them. The two were sent crashing through the trees, pushed and sliced by cold wind. When he came to a stop, Jugo could only groan as he got to his feet, already feeling the creatures closing in.

"Oh, so you can bleed?" Hidan asked, eyes shimmering with sadistic glee.

Jugo grinned, wounds already closing up, and what little blood there was being absorbed back into his skin. "Don't think that will help you."

Hidan laughed. "I don't need help. I have Jashin's blessing," he said. "It doesn't matter how long it takes; you will bleed for me. Together we will experience the rapture of pain and suffering, and Jashin will delight in your death. It's the inevitable truth. The will of God. Nothing you can do will stop it."

"Right." Where did Akatsuki find this guy? They had to have some standards when it came to their recruitment, didn't they?

The creatures flanked him, and Jugo cursed. This was what he got for wanting to be a pacifist. He knew he should have invested more time into his training outside of senjutsu and sensing. If he survived this, Tayuya was going to give him hell about for weeks, if not months. Were it was only his life in the balance, Jugo might have just let himself die to escape the endless torment from the redhead. But it wasn't just his life. Fu, and even Naruto as well, were both in Akatsuki's sights. If Jugo fell, here and now, these two abominations would soon go after his friends. That could not be allowed to happen.

Jugo took a deep breath, his senses reaching out. His shoulders tensed. Fu was nowhere to be found, and neither was Kakuzu. He reached further. Nothing. How was that possi-

A loud boom, followed by a furious scream, drew his attention upwards, both his and Hidan's eyes widening as they looked up to the sky. Kakuzu was up there, falling to the ground at an impossible speed… no, he was falling towards them specifically, and what was that clinging to him?

"What in the…?"

He didn't have to wait long to see what was going on, Kakuzu closing the distance to the ground at neck-breaking speed until he collided with it. His two masked creatures acted quickly, merging together in an attempt to meet him early and break his fall. It failed. The resulting collision shook the earth, breaking the ground apart and kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust. In the chaos, Jugo swore he saw flashes of burning green chakra.

Jutsu erupted from the dust cloud, wind and fire whipping around madly as streaks of lightning cracked through the air. It all seemed much less controlled than what Jugo had imagined Kakuzu would be like. Then, in one large blast of combined elements, something was sent hurtling out of the chaos. Jugo barely had time to register what it was before he jumped to catch it, coming to a skidding stop with Fu in his arms… at least, he was pretty sure it was still Fu.

"Thanks for the save," Fu said cheerfully, hopping to her feet.

"No problem." Jugo was a little surprised… or maybe confused was a better word.

Fu noticed the way he was staring at her and laughed nervously. "Uhh, this doesn't… freak you out… does it?" she asked.

Fu had, for a lack of a better word, changed. Her arms from the elbow down were covered in an amour like shell, each segmented finger ending in a sharp claw. From her lower back sprouted four orange, insect-like wings, with a pointed tail poking out from under her skirt. Five tails worth of the bijuu's power, he surmised. A strange, armoured headpiece covered her upper face and the top of her head with horn like protrusions. It had protective bug looking shields over her eyes, leaving only her mouth visible, though the beginnings of more armour forming along her jawline and skin was visible. To top it off, Fu was currently shrouded in a cloak of light green chakra. A stark contrast to the blazing red or orange chakra he had associated with the bijuu. Perhaps that was just the Kyuubi then.

"Not at all," he answered, wanting to laugh at the question. Could she see him through that headpiece? Who was he to judge someone on their appearance in his current state. "I thought I told you to run?"

Fu snorted. "What, so we can each die alone? Screw that. If I'm gonna die, I wanna die fighting."

"Don't worry, you will," Kakuzu growled out, landing nearby. His masks had rejoined him, though one was notably missing.

Jugo couldn't sense the fifth chakra presence anywhere nearby, but the enraged look on the man's face helped him figure it out.

"I had hoped to catch you in Taki," Kakuzu started, eyeing Fu. "How perfect it would have been, to strike a blow against those ignorant fools while depriving them of their precious weapon. Or maybe I could have gotten you to unleash the beast within the village itself. Show them the error of their ways in trusting that fool, Hashirama."

"Jeez, are you still holding onto that?" Fu asked. "That happened, like, decades ago. Haven't you found something better to do than mope around? Maybe you should find God, or something."

"Hah! Thank you! I've been trying to tell him this for months," Hidan exclaimed, casually waltzing into the scene as he smiled at Fu. Somehow, this smile seemed oddly genuine. "Almost makes me want to spare your life."

"Hidan…"

"Oh, fuck off. I'm not being serious."

"You guys bicker like an old married couple."

The two men turned murderous glares on Fu.

Jugo shook his head. "Maybe antagonising them isn't the best move right now," he said, receiving only an embarrassed chuckle from the girl.

Things weren't looking good for them no matter what. Hidan was still kicking, and even if Kakuzu had lost one heart in Fu's attack, he still had four more. Jugo had struggled to keep up with only two of them plus Hidan, though apparently Fu had managed to get one over the man himself while possessing three hearts. That only made him realise the worst part of this fight; neither he nor Fu knew how the other fought. Any chances of smooth cooperation were, more or less, not in the cards. Considering who they were fighting, that would be enough of a death sentence. Still, he could make an educated guess and go from there.

"You can fly, right?" he asked Fu, to which she nodded enthusiastically. "Good. Stay out of reach. If things go bad, fly away. Provide support, but don't take any risks. You're what they want, so make sure they don't get you."

Fu frowned but didn't argue. Her wings buzzed to life as she hovered off the ground a little. As the bijuu chakra continued to flow through her, more and more of her skin slowly formed a protective exoskeleton. "You have a plan?"

Jugo shrugged. "It's more of an idea than a plan. No promise it will work."

"Good enough for me," she said, making a hand seal and taking a deep breath.

Without a word, Fu breathed out a large cloud of sparkling dust that flooded the area. Jugo was about to ask what she was doing when the dust shimmered and caught the light of the sun, blinding him and forcing him to close his eyes. He smirked. Good thing he didn't need to see to feel the world around him. He rushed in, heading straight for Kakuzu while Fu shot towards Hidan. It came as no real surprise when he was forced to dodge a beam of lightning. Of course, those creatures were unaffected by something like a blinding light. However, Jugo did notice how slow the lighting moved through the dust compared to normal. Fu's chakra coated the air around them so thickly, that it almost seemed to be fighting against any external chakra within its area.

Jugo heard Kakuzu grumble under his breath, having likely figured out much the same. So long as Fu was in play, the battle was restricted in more ways than one. He sensed Kakuzu's hearts divide, this time into all of the remaining three masked beasts, leaving himself with only one heart in his body. Two went for Fu to backup Hidan and Jugo could only hope that the girl could hold out until he could back her up properly. Closing the distance, he locked Kakuzu into a brawl, all the while trying to clear his mind enough to get a feel for which elemental affinity the remaining hearts possessed. The way Kakuzu seemed to utilise the hearts implied they were a sort of single-function type deal, and that meant they had significant vulnerabilities… hopefully.

'Please let this work.'

{I}

Back on the other side of the continent, Temari was having a miserable time. Her head pounded, ears still ringing from the explosion. Burns across a good portion of her body slowly began to heal as she crawled out of the sand. Regardless of whatever happened today, Temari was glad that she had met Akatsuki out in the desert. Had that bomb gone off anywhere near Suna, or gods forbid, right on top of it, there would likely be nothing left of the village. Though she imagined that had been the plan all along.

She looked around, not finding her fan anywhere nearby. That would be expensive to replace. Pulling a kunai from her pouch, she charged it with wind chakra in preparation. There was no way Deidara had managed to kill himself with his own technique. He was still out here, somewhere, waiting for the perfect moment to…

There!

Her kunai sailed through the air, slicing effortlessly into the ground and whatever she had sensed lurking beneath the sand. Temari jumped away from the resulting explosion, quickly pulling two more kunai out to the ready as she landed. A locust leapt at her, and she cut it straight down the middle, the explosion knocking her off her feet and tumbling back across the sand. Her ultimate defence was no good to her now. Shukaku had used most of what he had left to try deal with the giant bomb, meaning Temari was on her own for the moment. Not the best situation to be in, she had to admit.

A bird swooped down, and this time Temari had the prudence to set it off with a thrown kunai before it got into range. The bomb still kicked up a cloud of dust, which, sadly, was all the distraction Deidara apparently needed. Temari felt the sand at her feet shift before the skittering of far too many legs wrapped up and around her leg. She didn't get a chance to curse before it detonated.

Fire and pain engulfed her, and Temari wondered if she still had a leg after that one. She could barely feel anything at this point. Could a bijuu regrow their jinchuuriki's limbs? That would be really great if it were possible. Temari would pester Shukaku about it later. Right now, she was too tired. Trying to trap Deidara in a sand twister had been a dumb decision. Far too much wasted chakra.

Damn this sand was soft, and so warm, she could just… fuck!

Another explosion sent her tumbling across the sands, coming to a painful stop against a rock. Temari coughed, the taste of blood and smoke filling her mouth. She should have called for help earlier. If Naruto, or anyone really, had been here as backup, maybe she wouldn't be staring death in the face right now. Regrets aside, Temari knew why she had opted to do this alone. If she lost, which she undoubtedly had by now, then it was only her life lost. No innocents, no collateral damage, no chances for Akatsuki to get anything else but her out of this little trip. Her only real regret was not making the bastard bleed for his reward. She was a fucking Kage, dammit. How could she not take at least one of these assholes with her.

"I should thank you, truly," Deidara said, dropping down next to her with a smug smile on his face. "This has been the best test for my art so far. I didn't get to test my creations out on a village, but you provided me enough of a challenge. I have so many new ideas, my brain feels like it's going to burst." He frowned. "Too bad you won't get a chance to see me show them to the world."

Temari winced painfully, trying to say something but her voice was too weak to be heard.

"What's that? Some final words?" Deidara asked, leaning in slightly.

Temari smirked, lifting her hand to point shakily. "Behind you…" She made a sharp 'come hither' gesture with her hand, the sound of metal whirring through the air following.

Deidara wasn't injured, not really, but he was still tired. He had used far more chakra than he had expected in bringing Temari down. As such, he was slower to react than he should have been, dipping out of the way and turning his head in preparation to face whatever was coming for him. Unfortunately, Temari was expecting this, and had aimed accordingly. Deidara sure seemed fond of that eye he had hidden under that strange device, and Temari was a petty bitch when she wanted to be. Metal sliced through flesh, followed by an enraged scream before Temari felt something slam down on her head. As the darkness took over, she smirked.

An eye for an eye and all that.

{I}

Deidara could have killed Temari then and there. Akatsuki be damned. He had taken down a jinchuuriki single handedly, a kage to boot, and all without any significant damage, only to get caught by a cheap shot in her last moments of consciousness. It would have been funny, had she not taken his fucking genjutsu resistant eye. Now he would have to start his training all over again if he ever hoped to put that pompous Uchiha in his place. Fuck. If he didn't know Pein would probably kill him for doing it, he would erase Temari from existence without a second thought.

"You fucking bitch," he spat, kicking her in the stomach. "I hope the extraction hurts. With Sasori gone, it's going to take us longer to pull that stupid beast out of you." He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, carrying her towards his new clay bird. "Whatever. That's what you get for being so tasteless. Maybe if you had some respect for art, I'd try and make things a little-"

"Hey fuck-stain!"

Deidara paused mid step. 'Hidan?' He turned, catching sight of a redhead aiming something at him. "What in the fu-ugh!" His one good eye gazed down in horror as a blade of wind stuck out through his stomach. The man behind him shimmered into existence out of seemingly nowhere. 'Genjutsu…!'

"Release my Kage, Iwa scum," Baki growled from behind him.

Deidara gritted his teeth. Apparently, all those stories about Suna shinobi popping up in the desert like sand rats were true. What a pain. Oh well, an artist never blinked twice at a good opportunity when it presented itself. "Do you happen to know anything about art?" he asked, voice deceivingly calm.

Baki twisted his wind blade ever so slightly. "I know that by the time I'm done with you, the desert will be painted in what's left of you. Now, put. Her. Down."

"Pfft, painting isn't art," Deidara exclaimed, ignoring the man and the pain in his abdomen. "Art… is an explosion!"

{I}

Omake: Home.

(Eighteen months into the time skip.)

"Why the fuck are we out here?"

Tayuya had long gotten used to Naruto and his habit of dragging her around to who the fuck knows where without explaining much. She just didn't have the care to stop complaining about it. In fact, she was almost sure he kept doing it to her because he enjoyed her complaining, as messed up as that sounded. Still, sometimes- like right now for instance -there was good reason to ask questions, regardless of how annoying they may be.

The waves crashed against the islands edge, spraying her with salty water and making her shiver slightly. Weren't they supposed to be in hiding? Surely coming all the way out here didn't work to their advantage. As far as Tayuya was aware, Konan was the only one who ventured outside of water country for the time being, and that was likely due to whatever deal she and Naruto had between them. Tayuya, Naruto, and the other two shitheads who had miraculously joined their numbers, were being much more careful in their movements and activities. Which made this little excursion all the more curious.

Another wave.

"Are you gonna answer me?"

Naruto only smiled at her slightly, sitting atop a large rock with his katana resting in his lap. "You don't feel anything from this place?" he asked softly, gesturing to the collection of islands that scattered the sea.

Tayuya rolled her eyes but took the time to at least look around. Usually, when Naruto was being this cryptic, he was trying to teach her something. Asshole or not, he was proving to be a good teacher. In just over a year, Tayuya had gone from being some sidekick guard of Orochimaru, who could be nearly killed by a genin, to a promising young kunoichi. She had a long way to go still, that much was clear, but the important part was that Tayuya knew Naruto would help her get to where she wanted to be. With Orochimaru there was always the clear-cut reality that he would never allow someone beneath him to become a viable threat. Naruto, stupidly enough, didn't care about that.

Taking a deep breath, Tayuya focused on the sea, the waves that crashes against the islands around them. Naruto had mentioned a few things relating to the Uzumaki clan, from what little he himself knew. Sensing seemed to be something that ran in the clan, so maybe that was the idea here. She reached out, trying to see if perhaps there was something hidden nearby, a test of sorts.

Nothing.

She frowned.

"What am I supposed to be feeling here?" she asked.

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "Nothing, I suppose," he said, chuckling at her expression. "I just wanted to see if maybe you could feel something where I couldn't."

Tayuya crossed her arms. "Thanks for the heads up, dickhead."

"Well, if I had told you beforehand that I was hoping you could feel something, then we both know you would have pretended to, just to mess with me," Naruto said with a knowing smirk.

"…maybe." That was as good as a confession from her. "So, what's this about. You still haven't told me where here is either."

Naruto shrugged. "Not much to tell. This used to be Uzushio. Part of it, at least," he explained. "Some of the islands have ruins still. Most of them are just like this. Quiet little places. Good to clear your mind."

Tayuya quirked an eye at him. "Is this where you run off to all the time? To think?"

"More or less."

"And you brought me out here… why exactly? I'm not exactly good at being quiet," Tayuya said, realising her mistake all too late. The grin on Naruto's face made her face heat up, and it didn't matter if it was in rage or embarrassment because she had more than enough of both right now. "You shut your whore mouth!"

Naruto put his hands up in innocence, doing a terrible job of holding back a laugh. "I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to." Tayuya glared at him. "It was one time, okay. That's it. Nothing special. Certainly not anything worth you dragging me out here for. So, I'll ask again, why the fuck are we here?"

Naruto's expression fell slightly. His eyes held a sombre edge to them as he looked out over the islands. "My mother used to tell me stories, of what this place was like, the clan, everything she remembered from back then," he explained. "I was too young to truly understand the significance of it, and maybe I still am, even now. I think, despite everything, she still looked back at this place as her home, her real home, even after starting over in Konoha. She said this was where the Uzumaki belonged, that it called to them. But…"

Tayuya's own expression softened a little. "You don't feel anything."

"Yeah." He smiled at her. "I've dropped by, at least a few times a year for as long as I've been able to. Guess I always hoped that things would change, that I might feel something eventually. No such luck."

"And you brough me here because of…" Tayuya gestured to her stomach, making a face as she did so. It was never especially pleasant to bring it up, even if the both of them had discussed it at length. Walking around with dead people's organs inside her had been easy enough to ignore when she was under Orochimaru. With Naruto, a living member of the clan said organs had been stolen from, it wasn't quite as easy.

"Because you're the closest thing to a living, breathing Uzumaki as I've been able to find so far, save for myself. I was hoping, if this place didn't feel like home to me, then maybe it would for you."

Tayuya frowned. "Home." The word left a bad taste in her mouth. "Wouldn't know what one of those felt like."

Naruto chuckled. "I guess it was a pretty silly idea." He stood up and stretched a little, walking over to Tayuya. Without a word, he placed his sword in her hands and took a step back.

"Uhh, the fuck?" Tayuya eyed the blade cautiously. It was still as pristine as ever, and a bit heavier than it would appear.

"This sword was my mother's," Naruto began. "Apparently, she didn't make for a very good swordswoman, but the blade itself was a parting gift from the Uzumaki when she was sent to Konoha. I, um, acquired it, among a bunch of other things, from my family home before I left Konoha."

"You're point?"

He smirked. "Well, it came to my attention that I never formally welcomed you into the clan," he said, seeming to take some sadistic joy in Tayuya's horrified expression. "This sword was a gift, intended to ensure my mother never forgot where she came from, where her true home was. I figured it could also be a good gift to remind someone of who they are, what they now belong to. It's yours… if you want it."

Tayuya gawked at him. "Are you insane?!"

"I'd prefer not to answer that."

She held back the urge to punch him in the face. The past year had proven such a thing was only possible when he allowed it. Gods that had been frustrating to come to terms with. "Fucking asshole," she mumbled under her breath, staring at the sword doubtfully. With a heavy sigh, Tayuya considered things carefully, choosing to pointedly ignore the weird fuzzy feeling in her chest. It wasn't every day someone outright asked you to become part of their clan, to which you rightfully shouldn't belong, and offered their dead mother's sword to you as a joining gift. To be completely honest, Tayuya wasn't convinced this wasn't some sort of prank. It wouldn't be above Naruto to pull a stunt like this for his own amusement.

"No," she finally said, holding the sword out to him.

"Hmm?"

Tayuya shook her head. "I don't want your fucking sword. It wasn't made for me, and it's probably cursed by your mother's ghost or some shit." That, and Tayuya didn't want the responsibility of it. She had seen how Naruto cared for the blade. There was no way she could devote that much care to something that she had no attachment to. "Make me something else."

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he took his sword back. "Oh?"

"I'll join your stupid clan, or whatever it is you're trying to do here. But I want my own thing," Tayuya said firmly. "Make me something. Something for me specifically. Then I'll agree."

Naruto laughed softly, shaking his head. "How very… Uzumaki of you," he said. "Fine then. I'll make you something. Any requests?"

Tayuya shrugged. "Surprise me."

He smiled at her warmly and nodded. "Well, I look forward to seeing what becomes of you… Tayuya Uzumaki."

The words sent a shiver up her spine, and Tayuya briefly wondered if it was too late to refuse. Even if she could, she doubted her voice would work right now. Tayuya… Uzumaki. She had a proper name now. A clan, sort of. And an… idiot. Fuck he was an idiot. Why would he trust her enough to do something as stupid as this. He would regret it, most likely, given enough time. Everyone did, eventually. For now, however, Tayuya would try and enjoy the moment, this sensation of finally belonging to something. It was kind of… nice. And no, she was not blushing. Not even a little bit.

"Let's head back," Naruto said, holding out his hand for Tayuya.

Tayuya hesitated, looking back to the crashing waves. "Can I stay here? Just for a little." She needed a break from the misery that was the mist.

Naruto dropped his hand with a smile. "Of course. Let me know when you're ready to come back. You know how." He handed her one of his kunai and took a few steps back, only to pause and turn back to her. "You've gotten much stronger. I did say you were free to do what you wanted when I knew you could take care of yourself. So, whenever you're ready… I'll help you find a home. Somewhere just for you. I promise."

He flashed out of existence, leaving Tayuya to her thoughts and the waves. This time she was blushing, though not at his words or anything quite so simple. Her embarrassment came from the thought that flashed across her mind. A response to his words that Tayuya wouldn't dare speak aloud. She didn't need to know how much shit he would give her if he knew the truth.

'I already found a home… shithead.'

{I}

A/N:

Right so, another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed. Again, I still suck at fight scenes, so this chapter was just a lot of pussyfooting around that. Apologies. Maybe one day I will bother actually reading some fight scenes and learning properly, but for now I still much prefer everything else in a story.

I can kinda feel myself having a lot of fun writing more Jugo and Fu moments. As you can tell, I tweaked Fu a little when it comes to the bijuu cloak. I for one am a big fan of when people give each jinchuuriki a notable difference based on their bijuu. Thought I would give it a try. I'll likely expand on it a little in coming chapters.

Anywho, Akatsuki is moving a little more aggressively, and Naruto is trying to take precautions to keep his interests safe. The Omake was just a thing I quickly slapped together because someone said they would have liked to see how Naruto and Tayuya got a bit closer over the time-skip period. Might expand more on it, might not. We shall see. Either way, Tayuya is now confirmed to have a mushy side, and I am here for it.

The grind continues, and with it goes all my spare time. Hopefully the next chapter isn't too far away for you all.

Reviews have continued to be amazing. Keep them coming. Love it all.

Till next time.

Soul out.