Chapter 97: A Pleasure to Work With You, Gentlemen

"You're a member of the Akatsuki?" Temari gasped. By now, the Akatsuki's actions had become widely known, almost infamous.

"That's right," Deidara nodded casually.

"Could you take us to see Sasori-sama? Please!" Temari bowed deeply in earnest.

"Why?"

"Since the fall of Sunagakure, we've been like trees with no roots. Even our father, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, has vanished."

"To survive, we've had no choice but to accept Danzō's terms, living under Konoha's shadow."

"But if it's Sasori-sama, with his strength, he could surely help us!"

"Please!" Temari bowed again, her sincerity growing even stronger.

Sunagakure's collapse had unfolded in two parts. On one front, Rasa and the shinobi forces had been defeated by Konoha, with only a handful of survivors disappearing along with the Kazekage. On the other, Sunagakure itself had been ambushed by Iwagakure. The attack had been so sudden, and the village's defenses so weak, that the entire population fell into the hands of Iwagakure as prisoners.

Later, during Konoha's counteroffensive against Iwagakure, they drove the Rock shinobi out of the Land of Wind. However, the survivors of Sunagakure merely traded one captor for another, becoming Konoha's prisoners instead.

That's why the "Sand Siblings" were here now. As orphans of Sunagakure, they were effectively Danzō's assets. Even their participation in the upcoming Chūnin Exams under the Sunagakure name was merely a ploy by Danzō to bolster his influence.

"But Sasori killed your previous Kazekage," Deidara pointed out. "Wouldn't you see him as just another enemy?"

"We have no other choice," Temari replied bitterly.

To Deidara's surprise, Gaara stepped forward, his expression far softer than the ferocious one Deidara remembered. Bowing his head, Gaara said,

"Please."

This tone… nothing like the bloodthirsty Gaara from before.

Oh, right—his One-Tail had already been extracted. Deidara suddenly remembered the earlier incident, recalling that he'd been present when it happened.

Wait a second… why is Gaara alive?

And now that he thought about it—why is Rasa alive?

Deidara frowned, perplexed. But clearly, now wasn't the time to get answers.

Whatever. It's just Rasa. What's he going to do, overthrow the world? Not worth worrying about.

"Please!" Another bow—this time from Kankurō. Seeing his siblings' resolve, he couldn't help but follow suit, moved by their determination.

"Fine. Follow me. But I'll tell you this right now," Deidara said, turning. "If you're planning to rebuild Sunagakure, Sasori won't agree. There's no way he'll go along with something like that."

"However, if you're just looking for a place to stay, I can arrange that immediately. Come to Amegakure. That's all you need to do."

Deidara turned to leave but paused at the sharp glare from Kurotsuchi.

"Kurotsuchi, what's with the look?" he asked, puzzled.

"Deidara, don't you think leading them there is something a clone could handle?" she said sweetly, her eyes glinting with menace.

"Oh! Right, right!" Deidara quickly complied, creating a clay clone to guide the group to Sasori.

Just as Deidara and Kurotsuchi were about to resume their stroll, an unexpected interruption arrived.

"Wait!"

Sasuke, ever the brooding figure, stepped forward, his expression cold.

"What's your deal?" Kurotsuchi asked, glancing at him.

Sasuke, true to form as the master of silent intensity, ignored her and focused on Deidara.

"You're in the same organization as Itachi, aren't you?"

"That's right," Deidara confirmed.

"Tell me everything you know about him," Sasuke demanded, his tone frosty.

Deidara held out a hand.

"What are you doing?" Naruto asked, confused.

"Information isn't free," Deidara said matter-of-factly.

Sasuke scowled, his irritation plain. Deidara wagged a finger.

"Don't even think about trying to take it by force. Right now, I could handle you with just one finger."

"Damn it! Don't underestimate me!" Naruto charged forward impulsively.

In seconds, he was sent tumbling back.

"Ow!" Naruto groaned, picking himself up.

"Shadow Clo—"

Sakura yanked him back by the collar. "Idiot! He's Akatsuki—an S-rank missing-nin. Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

S-rank missing-nin.

Though her words were directed at Naruto, they hit Sasuke hard. Even Kakashi, a seasoned Jonin, had admitted he couldn't hold a candle to Itachi. And Sasuke wasn't even a Chūnin yet.

"How much?" Sasuke asked finally.

"One hundred million ryō," Deidara replied smoothly.

"W-What?!" Naruto exploded. "That's insane! We barely earn a thousand ryō per D-rank mission! That's…" He trailed off, struggling to calculate.

"Idiot," Sakura sighed. "That's 10,000 D-rank missions. At four per day, it'd take over 700 days, nearly two years."

Naruto blinked, dumbfounded.

Deidara ignored their squabble and turned back to Sasuke. "This is a bargain, you know. Information on Itachi is worth every ryō."

Sasuke hesitated. "I don't have that much."

"No problem. I've got a solution ready for you," Deidara grinned, pulling out a contract. "Sign this."

"What's this?" Sasuke frowned.

"Simple. You're selling me your likeness and image rights for five million ryō. I'll use your image for movies, books, whatever. Don't worry—it won't interrupt your training. Transformation Jutsu will handle the acting."

Sasuke stared at the paper, unsure. It sounded wrong, but also… not wrong?

"What's the matter? You're always ranting about revenge, but you can't sacrifice a little for it?" Deidara taunted.

"Hmph! I'll kill him, no matter what!" Sasuke signed without another word.

"Still short five million," Deidara said, feigning a thoughtful expression. "No problem. Your blond teammate can sign the same deal."

Naruto, of course, immediately grabbed the pen.

"If it's for Sasuke, then I'm in!"

Deidara pocketed both contracts, beaming.

"A pleasure doing business with you both."

----------------

Pls Drop some Power Stones

Fanfic is finished on Patreon (241 chapters in total.) 

Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)