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"What's going on?"
A flurry of question marks appeared in sasori's mind as he suddenly stepped forward, reaching out and yanking the telescope right off Deidara's face.
"sasori, if you wanted it, you could have just asked. Why be so rough? It's not like I was refusing you. Now my ear is throbbing!"
Deidara rubbed his ear; the telescope had been hanging from it, and the sudden yank left it stinging.
"Enough whining!"
Sasori ignored Deidara's complaints, putting the telescope to his eyes and looking down.
Figures were moving through the forest.
At the forefront was the one who struck fear into everyone in the Akatsuki organization: the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju.
A distance behind Hashirama were another group of people.
Among them was their current target, Gaara, the One-Tail Jinchuriki.
Also present were…
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi!
The Third Tsuchikage, Onoki!
"…"
sasori silently removed the telescope and tossed it back to Deidara. His face, now a puppet's, showed no emotion, but inside, he was in turmoil.
How is this supposed to work?
Just the First Hokage alone is beyond what they can handle!
And now there are two more Kage!
sasori could recognize these three; as for Gaara and the Mizukage, Mei Terumi, he had dismissed them.
"sasori, what should we do? Should we still proceed?"
Deidara stared at sasori's face. Although he knew this face wouldn't show any expression, he still couldn't help but look for some hint of what was going on.
"Go in and seek death?"
sasori responded coldly, then shook his head and said, "The mission is no longer feasible. We're heading back to the Rain Country!"
"Alright."
Deidara nodded immediately. This matched his own thoughts perfectly. The moment he saw Hashirama Senju, he lost the will to fight.
If they charged in now…
To be precise, it wouldn't be a battle.
It would be seeking punishment!
They had barely survived last time, but he wasn't sure they'd be so lucky again.
"Deidara, I didn't realize you were so afraid of death. I thought your art was all about embracing death!"
sasori noticed Deidara's relieved expression and immediately teased him as the giant bird turned around.
The atmosphere was too awkward!
Even sasori wanted to change the subject.
He had never before faced an impossible mission!
For a moment, sasori felt a twinge of sympathy for Kakuzu, who had been assigned the task of assassinating the First Hokage.
Was the person who issued this mission personally holding a grudge against Kakuzu?
"Afraid of death?"
Deidara sneered, shaking his head dismissively. "What I believe in is brief brilliance; my ultimate art is just like that."
"I don't see that. If you're so scared, I could always turn you into a puppet," sasori continued to tease.
"I don't want to be a puppet. Whether I live or die, I'm telling you again, I'm not afraid of death!" Deidara shuddered at the thought of becoming a puppet, unable to accept the idea.
"Then why are you so scared?"
sasori cast a long, scrutinizing look at Deidara. At this point, teasing his companion was the only thing that somewhat eased his own discomfort.
Since becoming a ninja, he had never faced an impossible mission. Even tasks that were sure to result in death, he had dared to undertake. But now…
To forcefully continue this mission would be equivalent to seeking death with no value at all.
"I'm afraid that before I die, I won't even get to use my ultimate art!"
Deidara's eyes widened as he answered.
This was the most critical point!
The core of the matter!
Deidara might not know how long he'll live, but he was acutely aware of how he wanted to die.
That was with his ultimate art!
Others might be uncertain about their end or how they would meet their demise.
But Deidara was very clear about it.
However…
When facing Hashirama Senju, Deidara felt an indescribable sense of helplessness. He felt he might not even have the chance to unleash his ultimate art.
Let alone, he doubted it would have any effect even if he did manage to use it!
"I see."
sasori nodded, instantly understanding Deidara's thoughts. Although their styles of art were different, their pursuit was the same: the pursuit of art.
Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage.
Clearly, this person could destroy all of their art!
…
Hashirama charged ahead, in a state of impurer world reincarnation. He was impervious to hunger or fatigue, able to advance as he pleased.
His dark eyes glanced up unobtrusively.
He saw a tiny white bird gradually disappearing into the sky.
A slight smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Interesting."
Hashirama couldn't see who was on the giant bird, but he didn't need to guess. He knew it must be Deidara and sasori.
It seemed the Akatsuki had begun their operation.
The plan to capture the tailed beasts was starting with the One-Tail Jinchuriki!
For now, this plan didn't need to be completed!
Hashirama already had his own plans. The Akatsuki's mission could actually be combined with other tasks; multiple tasks could be completed together.
The only prerequisite for this…
Was to clear the current task space.
Complete all the ongoing missions.
The Five Kage Summit.
It was an inevitable event!
As Hashirama Senju thought about this, he increased his speed even further, leaping between branches with greater agility.
This left the Kage trailing behind in misery.
The First Hokage was moving too fast!
The others could no longer keep up!
Leading the struggle were the four Kage.
Hiruzen Sarutobi and Onoki, due to their age, were clearly struggling.
Onoki was somewhat better off, as he was seated in Akatsuchi's basket, while Sarutobi was relying entirely on his own legs to keep up.
Gaara, burdened by his heavy gourd and not particularly strong in physical combat, was already panting heavily.
Mei Terumi, on the other hand, appeared the most composed among them. However, having always been based in the Mist Village, she had never endured such prolonged, high-speed travel and was already quite fatigued.
In comparison…
Mei Terumi was just the tallest among a group of short individuals.
As for those accompanying the four Kage,
Akatsuchi's large frame meant that rapid movement drained his energy significantly more than normal, especially with an elderly person on his back.
Maki, in his prime, didn't seem as beleaguered.
Aoi had it tougher; having just had his eyes removed and now running at high speed, he felt faint from blood loss.
Even Tsunade, nominally following the Third Hokage, was exhausted from the constant jostling of the enormous vehicle she was in.
However,
Despite the hardship,
No one dared to ask the First Hokage to slow down.
Everyone gritted their teeth and pushed through.
Among the four Kage, two were elderly, having served as Kage for decades, while the other two were newly appointed. At this moment, all of them understood the true essence of being a ninja.
Even the mighty Kage
Must endure!
"You're so slow! Pick up the pace! Otherwise, when will we ever reach the Cloud Village?"
At that moment, Hashirama's voice rang out from the front, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
(End of Chapter)