Chapter 66. Good Evening, Little Brother!
---
"You're here!"
"I'm here!"
"You shouldn't have come!"
"Boss Yuto, can you not act like this?" Kyusuke said, looking at the overly dramatic Yuto with a growing headache. If Yuto weren't grilling skewers under the awning, he might have looked a bit like a spy making covert contact. But now...
The aroma filled the air.
And Kyusuke was hungry!
"This sets the mood, doesn't it? Haha," Yuto chuckled awkwardly and kept grilling. "But honestly, the stuff grilled out here isn't as good as at Yuto BBQ. Come on! Let's eat together."
"Grilled salamander? That stuff's poisonous." Kyusuke sat down, picking up a skewer with a surprised look. "Did you prepare it properly?"
"It's been handled." Yuto nodded, casually eating one himself before asking, "So, tell me, what brings you here all of a sudden?"
After a moment of silence, Kyusuke's expression darkened. "It's time. We need to close the net!"
"???" Close what net?
Everyone looked at Kyusuke in confusion.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Kyusuke looked at Yahiko, whose face mirrored the others' confusion, and clutched his head in frustration. "You were the ones who told me to keep an eye on that Suna ninja!"
"Oh, you mean Sasori?" Yuto finally caught on, nodding in realization. "He's actually planning a breakout?"
Now he remembered.
For a mix of reasons, Sasori had infiltrated the Land of Rain and been captured. Unable to decide what to do with him, they'd sent him to the mines temporarily.
After all, he was still a talent.
Yahiko had seemed to want to recruit him, hoping to use [love] to win him over and convince him to craft mining tools for the Land of Rain. That's why Kyusuke had been assigned to monitor him.
But over the past few days… Yuto had been preoccupied with the Hanzo of the Salamander situation and had completely forgotten about it.
"Yes! He's planning a jailbreak and has pulled in other ninjas. Including me, there are seven of us in total." Kyusuke's lips twitched in frustration.
And yet...
Everyone had forgotten.
He was the only one diligently playing the spy?
With a helpless sigh, Kyusuke angrily bit into another grilled salamander skewer. "Should we send ninjas now to capture them all?" he grumbled before adding indignantly, "Honestly, just send someone to beat them up. If they don't listen, keep beating them! Beat them until they do!"
"Violence is the wrong approach. We're a legitimate organization; we must use [love]!"
"Then what's the plan now?"
"I heard Sasori's making something that can dig through steel, mud, stone, and even barriers?"
"That's what he said."
"As expected, demand is the primary driving force of productivity!"
"So…" Kyusuke nodded knowingly and chuckled mischievously. "I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on the other ninjas trying to escape. I'll never—"
Before he could finish—
An Akatsuki member burst in, saying, "Numbers 9522, 9523, 9524, 9525, 9526, and 9527 have requested an audience with the leader. They claim it's something very important."
"???" Yahiko blinked, stunned, and turned to the Akatsuki ninja in confusion.
Numbers?
Weren't those the prisoners?
What could they possibly want with him?
Moreover—
Yuto, puzzled, stroked his chin and muttered, "Numbers 2 to 7 have something to say, but where's 1? Why isn't 1 here? Could it be that they're talking about something involving 1?"
As he spoke, he turned to look at Kyusuke, whose face was dark with frustration. Yuto furrowed his brows. "What's wrong? Didn't clean the salamander toxins properly?"
"1 is me!" Kyusuke growled, his expression grim.
"…"
The group fell silent.
They seemed to understand now.
"So, those six…"
"Yes," Kyusuke said with a heavy sigh, his face the picture of exasperation. "Those six are the ones planning the jailbreak!"
"…"
…
A few days later.
Sasori's lips curved slightly as he looked at the completed Drill Mole before him.
With this tool, even with his chakra flow hindered, he could dig a secret tunnel and quietly escape from this place.
He had to admit, it was thanks to those fools. If they hadn't helped gather materials, it would've taken much longer to finish.
Of course...
The surveillance here was ridiculously lax!
He had hidden so much metal and stone without being discovered, and even spent every night secretly assembling the Drill Mole. Yet, none of them noticed.
How laughable!
In the end, they were just a group of wandering ninjas with decent abilities and nothing more.
Sasori glanced at the floor, then at the barrier surrounding him.
Now, all he needed to do was wait for nightfall.
When the time came, he would act under the cover of darkness.
Earlier, he had sent word to the others. Once they escaped, those captured fools would serve as bait, drawing attention away from him.
What a pity.
The seal on his body... He would need to find a way to deal with it once he got out. And his puppets—why hadn't those guys handed them over to Sunagakure?
Was it because they lacked information and couldn't guess their importance, or... did they simply want to keep them for themselves?
Sasori wasn't sure either.
But no matter what, he would reclaim his belongings when the time came!
For now, escaping came first. Then, he would remove the seal and deal with them once his chakra was restored.
Over the past few days...
He had gathered plenty of information!
At this moment, Sasori closed his eyes calmly, as if simply waiting for the right time.
As for the other six people... Their gazes held varying degrees of nervousness. But fearing that others might notice, they too feigned calmness.
Only Kyusuke...
Good grief!
Wasn't that guy, Sasori, the real spy here?
Lying in his cell with a pained expression, Kyusuke muttered to himself, "What's the point of all this?"
Soon...
Night fell.
After everyone had gone to sleep, Sasori began using the Drill Mole to signal the other six. In no time, the seven of them were gathered together.
Sasori gave them a brief, dispassionate glance, then began controlling the Drill Mole to dig downwards. "Follow me!"
This was the closest exit.
All they had to do was dig forward, then turn right... In about an hour, they would be free.
Before long, a tunnel big enough for a person to fit through was formed.
Sasori, saying nothing, climbed in without hesitation. There was no need to talk to them anymore. Once he escaped, they would have served their purpose.
They would be bait, nothing more, to draw attention away from him.
One after another, the others silently followed him into the tunnel, their expressions blank.
This plan is solid.
When the time came...
[Using these seven as proof of my loyalty will definitely earn the leader's trust!] thought six of them in unison.
These guys...
They were ordinary people, moved by the leader's ideals.
I too want to realize the dream of peace in the Land of Rain!
One after another.
One after another.
All of them entered the tunnel.
Kyusuke, trailing at the end, quietly followed along.
At this point...
His role was done. He had no more use.
The leader and the others were probably already waiting outside.
After an unknown amount of time...
Sasori sneered. He sensed the people behind him and calculated in his mind. He knew.
He had arrived at the place he planned.
All that was left was to have the Drill Mole break through the surface. Once he emerged... he would create enough noise to draw their attention!
So...
Quickly regaining his composure, he emotionlessly controlled the Drill Mole to dig upwards.
After a while...
Light!
Through the small hole, Sasori gazed at the starry night sky outside. The moon was shining, and stars were scattered across the heavens.
Finally, he was out!
Without hesitation, Sasori poked his head out, taking a deep breath of fresh air and said calmly, "Tonight's revenge—"
But before he could finish—
Suddenly, it felt darker than it should, as if something was blocking his view.
A tree?
He frowned slightly, instinctively looking up.
And then—
A head of orange hair. A head of red hair. A head of black hair. Three smiling faces were looking down at him.
"Good evening, little brother!"
"..."
Sasori froze, his eye twitching slightly. He composed himself, nodded calmly, and replied, "Good evening."
It seemed this time his plan had failed!