----
Deidara looked at the bird beneath his feet with distaste. To others, it might have appeared lifelike, but to him, it was riddled with imperfections far from artistic.
It was all Kisame's fault for failing to restrain the Six-Tails, leading to his misfortune.
Maybe he should just use this defective piece to blow that shark-faced bastard to smithereens. A mischievous smirk slowly crept onto Deidara's face.
As the Mist ninja closed in, Kisame ignored Deidara's complaints and simply grinned. "Looks like it's about time we retreat."
"Huh? But we haven't captured the Six-Tails yet," Deidara retorted.
Kisame gestured toward the squad captain, who was retreating with the unconscious Utakata. "Doesn't look like it'll be easy to take him. Besides, with all the chakra we've gathered, it's enough."
Glancing at Samehada, who was showing signs of indigestion, Deidara understood the situation. He quickly crafted a new, larger clay bird for Kisame to board.
As Kisame stepped onto it, he smirked. "You're not planning to blow this one up while I'm on it, are you?"
"Believe it or not, I just might, you bastard!" Deidara roared before jumping onto the bird himself. If Kisame weren't so injured, he would have made him swim back instead.
The two of them ascended into the sky, soaring away. Meanwhile, the defective clay bird dove downward, detonating before the Mist ninja's Lightning Release attacks could reach it.
However, it had been too far from the group effectively nothing more than a glorified firework.
"Defective products really aren't worth trusting, hm," Deidara clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He then turned to Kisame, eyeing him suspiciously. "Those guys didn't seem too tough. Hey, don't tell me you hesitated because they used to be your comrades?"
"Who knows?" Kisame glanced back at the battlefield before quietly reclining on the bird's back. 'Someone like me, whose hands are drenched in the blood of his comrades, probably won't have a good end…'
After Deidara and Kisame left, the Mist leadership quickly organized rescue efforts for the injured. Two squads were sent to track them, though they didn't hold much hope at that speed, catching up was unlikely.
As a result, patrols around the village were increased. This was how Ichigen happened to encounter the returning Mizukage and his entourage.
Upon hearing Ichigen's account of the attack, the expressions of those present darkened. The fact that just two individuals had dared to attack the village filled them with both fury at their audacity and relief that it hadn't been Pain himself.
Yagura parted his lips slightly. "So that's what happened… Ao, he…"
A heavy silence settled over the group. Yagura didn't continue speaking, but the ship beneath them picked up speed.
---
Upon returning to Kirigakure, Yagura was met with devastation. Though cleanup efforts were already underway, restoring the village to its former state would take time.
That was the least of his worries, though. What truly pained him were the fallen shinobi and the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.
Deidara's destructive power was terrifying. If he hadn't been worried about killing Utakata, the Hidden Mist might have ended up in a state as bad as the Hidden Cloud.
Perhaps he should have taken Utakata along with him earlier that way, at least the village wouldn't have suffered this much damage.
"Mizukage-sama…" Mei Terumi called out with concern. She knew that ever since breaking free from manipulation, Yagura had been wracked with guilt, blaming himself for all of the village's suffering. Seeing the village in ruins now would only deepen that wound.
"I'm fine." Yagura took a deep breath before instructing, "Start compiling the casualty report and prepare for the funerals."
The squad captain, who had come to greet them upon their return, reported, "The list has already been delivered to the office, and the memorial service is being arranged."
Yagura nodded. "What's Utakata's condition?"
"He's still unconscious. His student, Hotaru, is watching over him," the captain replied.
Yagura sighed. "I'll check on him first. After the memorial, Zabuza and I will visit the Daimyō. Mei, you'll stay behind and oversee the village's preparations. This debt must be repaid we will make Akatsuki answer for this!"
"Yes, sir!"
---
Leaving Kirigakure's affairs aside for now, Naruto had already embarked on his journey to the Daimyō's residence alongside Minato.
Since they were still within the Land of Fire, Minato only brought his Shadow Guard. Kakashi and the others remained in Konoha, tending to their respective duties whether it be battle preparations or well-earned rest.
As for Naruto, he had insisted on tagging along, eager to see more of the world. He was particularly curious about this figure one who wielded great political power despite having little combat ability.
He also wondered since the Twelve Guardian Ninja had disbanded and Konoha hadn't assigned any new bodyguards, why had no one attempted to assassinate the Daimyō?
"Dad, how many times have you met the Daimyō?" Naruto asked.
Minato thought for a moment before replying, "Once before I became Hokage, once after the Third Shinobi War ended, and once after that Chūnin Exam incident."
"So basically, only when something big happens?" Naruto pressed.
"Not exactly. We report to the Daimyō about the village's mission revenue roughly every three months, and at the end of the year, we provide a detailed breakdown of our ninja forces. The Daimyō needs to stay informed about our military strength to allocate funding accordingly. But most of this is handled through written reports."
"Oh, I get it. It's like quarterly reports, year-end summaries, and budget applications," Naruto mused.
"That's one way to put it." Minato chuckled. "I like those terms let's call them that from now on."
Uh… Naruto felt like his dad was focusing on the wrong part of the conversation. He tried again, "So what kind of person is the Daimyō?"
"That's hard to say. My impression of him is that he's quite easygoing maybe because Konoha and the Daimyō's office have always had a good relationship," Minato replied. "He doesn't interfere much in the village's affairs and always provides funding without hesitation. A generous, hands-off investor who wouldn't like that?"
The departed Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, would have wept in envy. If only the Land of Wind's Daimyō had been even half as generous, he wouldn't have had to gamble his life away.
The Capital of Fire wasn't too far from Konoha. At their travel speed, they departed in the morning and arrived by the afternoon.
The city was bustling with activity, though it had a different aesthetic from Konoha. The streets were wider, and the buildings stood taller, giving it a much more modernized? Feel compared to Konoha.
However, horse-drawn carriages still dominated the streets. The era of automobiles seemed like a distant dream.
Naruto had visited the capital before during missions he had even sneaked off with both Hyūga sisters for a day of fun.
Of course, he had genuinely wanted to take Hinata along, while Hanabi had simply clung to her sister, throwing a tantrum until he gave in.
This wasn't the first time it had happened. Naruto had no choice but to appease Hanabi with delicious treats before escorting her back.
He wasn't sure if it was because both he and Hinata had spoiled her too much, but lately, the little girl had grown increasingly gluttonous.
Whenever she saw Naruto, she practically drooled, treating him like her personal food supplier.
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