Chapter 21: Akatsuki

                                    

                                          


                          
Two figures trekked across the vast desert known as the Land of Wind  as they approached the border. The two figures were donning cloaks with  the trademark red clouds of the Akatsuki. These two were Deidara and  Sasori. Above the two figures was an owl carrying a male with red hair.  The male captured inside the owl was Suna's Kazekage, Gaara.
                          
"That boy would have killed you if not for my intervention." said Sasori as he and Deidara continued to walk.
                          
(Flashback: Earlier that day)
                          
Deidara  crashed into the ground roughly with several burn marks and a few  broken bones as Gaara came to land several feet away in the clearing  with him. Sand began to swirl around Deidara as Gaara looked upon him  with a stoic expression.
                          
"This is the end for you." said  Gaara as the sand continued swirling around Deidara. Gaara was the first  to notice Deidara flying over his village on his clay bird. Gaara  spotted it easily due to the fact that that type of bird Deidara created  did not inhabit Suna. After a long aerial fight against the dangerous  bomber, Gaara managed to finally capture him with his sand. Before Gaara  could crush him though, Deidara detonated a bomb to escape the prison  and was sent careening out of the village walls. Gaara followed him to  finish him off.
                          
"Shit." said Deidara as the sand was  beginning to cover his upper body. Deidara was running low on chakra and  not to mention the fact that Gaara was incredibly strong and left him  no ability to fend off the sand by covering parts of his body he'd need  to even attempt an escape. Before the sand could reach his entire upper  body, it was sent away by a shroud of..Iron Sand?
                          
"I told  you not to make me wait." came the voice of Sasori standing next to  what appeared to be a Puppet version of Sunagakure's Sandaime Kazekage (Third Wind Shadow). "Then you almost die. Forget going solo, we'll take him together."
                          
Deidara  dug his hands into his pouch as the puppet of the Sandaime floated  beside Sasori ominously. Despite Gaara's calm outward expression, on the  inside he knew that this was an unfavorable match up. His hands were  already full against Deidara. And now added to the mix was a puppet  master utilizing a puppet of Suna's strongest kage that wielded the  strongest Kekkai Genkai of Suna, it just didn't bode well for the young  kage.
                          
Despite the circumstances, Gaara still prepared to face off against the two S-rank shinobis.
                          
(Flashback End)
                          
Deidara  merely chuckled as they continued to walk across the desert with the  Kazekage in tow above them. "Well he is the Kage of his village. Even  though Suna is considered the weakest, a Kage is a Kage. Don't forget  that he houses the Ichibi while fighting in the sand. Mmmm. I think me  and my art did pretty well despite the circumstances." said Deidara.  "How long til we get to the sealing area? We're finally out of the  sand."
                          
"It shouldn't be too long, by sunrise we should be there.  Remember though, it'll take us at least 3 days to finish the sealing.  Let's hurry. I don't like making people wait." said Sasori.
                          
(In Konoha, the next morning)
                          
Tsunade sat at her desk  with Sakura behind her as they looked over paperwork. Just as Tsunade  prepared to sign the final document, Shizune burst through the doors  with a note in her hand.
                          
"Tsunade-sama!" shouted Shizune  frantically as she handed Tsunade the note. "Suna was invaded by the  Akatsuki and Gaara was taken hostage."
                          
"Gaara was defeated first  then was seen being abducted by Sasori of the Red Sands and Deidara from  Iwagakure, based off Kankuro's viewpoint. He went after the two but was  defeated by Sasori and left poisoned." said Tsunade. "They must have  struck after Naruto left as there is no way he'd let something like that  happen while he was still there. We have to get a hold of him somehow."