The group jumped down to the river below. Suigetsu plunged in, feeling relieved to have nice cold water surround him. The fluid brushing against his sweaty skin was extremely refreshing, and he swam around it in gleefully. He looked around, expecting to see the others swimming their way towards the boulder, but didn't see anybody. To his surprise, everyone was standing above the water, having focused their chakra on their feet.

The teen surfaced and took a gulf of air. "You guys could've told me that you weren't going to swim-" Kagura turned to him with a deathly glare, which immediately silenced him.

"Be quite you asswipe. The enemy is right behind this rock." She whispered threateningly. Chiyo was observing the rock carefully, brushing her fingers against it. Strange waves seemed to brush up from where her fingers touched. She looked up at the boulder and saw a paper seal that said 'forbidden'.

"I see." She whispered. It's a five-seal barrier, huh?" Sasuke looked at her questioningly.

"Five-seal barrier?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Indeed. You see, a five-seal barrier is created by forming five seals with the word 'forbidden' on them, and placing them in an area. One of the seals in here in front of us, while four others must be scattered nearby." She pointed up at the seal accordingly. Her eyes moved to Kagura, who nodded and started forming hand seals.

"Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" In a cloud of smoke, Kagura had created three other clones of herself. They all started running in different directions, speaking while running. "If we find a barrier, we'll send up a signal."

"Very good. On my signal, we must all remove the seals simultaneously. If we do not, the barrier will remain in place. Suigetsu watched the woman and her three clones disappear in the distance. Using Kage Bushin required a large amount of chakra. Just how much chakra did she have?

"Chiyo-baasama," Tanaku spoke as he approached the boulder. "If you would allow me, I could destroy the boulder with my glass techniques, causing enough confusing for the rest of you to ambush the Akatsuki members and seize Gaara." The black-haired teen reached for a scroll in his robes.

Suigetsu raised his hand in objection. "I have a better idea!" he exclaimed loudly. The three of them all looked at him. Sasuke had an expression of annoyance in his face, while the other two didn't show it as much. The teen was confused, and looked around. "What? Is there an enemy nearby?"

"The only enemy would be you for shouting so much when we're supposed to execute a surprise attack, usuratonkachi." Sasuke muttered. Suigetsu blushed and scratched his head, mouthing an apology.

"Well, if you do have an idea, please say it quietly." Chiyo said sternly. Suigetsu nodded, and began to speak.

"I could break through the boulder myself, and hydrate myself so that I move with the river waves from the impact. When the waves crash inside the cavern, I could trap the Akatsuki members and pull in Gaara like a tide without them knowing what or who hit them. " The other three took in his plan in their minds, playing it over, and eventually nodded.

"I never expected you to be the strategic type, Suigetsu." Sasuke spoke. Suigetsu blushed and looked away, muttered 'thanks' feebly. Apparently his newborn lusts were making him a little fanboy again. Fuck life.

Suddenly, a flare shot up in the distance. Then another. Then another one. They all waited, watching for the final flare. Tanaku jumped onto the boulder and positioned on the seal. "Let's see if your strategy ends up working."

The final flare shot up. Chiyo pulled out a flare gun and fired it into the sky. A burst of orange illuminated their faces as Tanaku yanked off the seal. Suigetsu started running towards the boulder, his fist raised.

"Suiton: Gōsuiwan no Jutsu!" Suigetsu's muscles on his raised arm expanded dramatically, and in seconds his arm was bigger than his whole body. The presence of water beneath him allowed him to expand himself more efficiently than when him and Sasuke had fought Sasori in the desert.

His fist rammed into the giant rock, which cracked and collapsed on itself. The smaller debris falling into the river caused massive waves, which Suigetsu merged into. Sasuke and Tanaku jumped from their positions into the cavern along the sides. Chiyo followed Sasuke, and noticed that there were only two Akatsuki members in the cave.

"Only two?" she thought to herself. "And Gaara…is that?" she noticed that they were sitting on a corpse. The corpse was, to her shock, the Kazekage himself. "We're too late."

Suigetsu's water wave rose up and rapidly approached Deidara and Sasori, who were comfortably sitting on Gaara's cold body. Deidara, whose eyebrow rose at the wave, hopped on a clay bird, which then picked up Gaara in its mouth. He dug his hands into his clay pouches and molded a few birds.

"This must be that water boy, un!" Deidara shouted to Sasori. He raised his hands and threw four clay birds. The objects collided with the water wave and detonated, divering it into two waves that moved toward Sasuke and the others.

Suigetsu materialized out of the waves as the smoke cleared. The blast from the clay bombs had made him lose control of the wave, which the other three barely dodged. The water receded into thin puddles as the force Suigetsu had used subsided.

Chiyo stood with Sasuke and Suigetsu, while Sunamaru was on the other side of them. She had eye contact with Sasori, who seemed to be glaring at her. "Sasori…" she whispered to herself.

"So, this is it, huh?" Deidara chuckled loudly. "Three kids and an old geezer? This won't be much fun, un." Deidara began molding clay in his hands. "Against me and Sasori no Danna, you'll be no match for our art, un!" Sasori looked over at his partner, and gave a snort of dissatisfaction.

"Did you say our art? What makes you think my art could be compared to yours so equally?" The bulky man started to laugh eerily, his abysmal voice echoing off the cave walls. "Don't get cocky, Deidara."

"This might make you mad but, an artist's passion starts to dull if they don't seek further stimulation, Sasori no Danna." Deidara began. "With my art alongside you as backup, they'll be dead meat, un."

"What are you talking about?" Sasori sounded clearly annoyed. "You call those pointless explosions art, and think that they could possibly take a lead role alongside my own? I won't say it again. Don't get cocky, Deidara." The two looked at eachother, and suddenly began arguing.

"It seems you don't understand what true art is."

"I could say the same of you, Danna."

"Art is eternal beauty."

"No, art is fleeting."

"Do you want to make me angry?"

Suddenly, Tanaku pulled a foldable giant shuriken from his robe. He unfolded it, and hurled it at the two. Suigetsu bit his lip in anticipation as it came closer and closer to them. It was the perfect chance to take them out and then retrieve Gaara.

Clank.

The shuriken was deflected by Sasori's tail and jammed into a nearby wall. "That's why I told you it would probably make you mad, un." Suigetsu had complete surprise on his face. Sasori had deflected the shuriken without even looking at it.

"So his puppet skills are as I thought." Tanaku muttered to himself, grinding his teeth.

"You know what happens when I get angry, don't you?" Sasori's tail was positioned threateningly at Deidara. "What do you think, Deidara?" The air was extremely tense around the two.

The blonde smirked to himself and pulled his palms out of his pouches. In them were several dragonflies. "Art to me is an explosion!" He threw the dragonflies at Tanaku, who dodged them. Deidara's clay bird started to swallow Gaara's body, and fly away. "It's a far cry from your stupid little puppet shows, un!"

Sasori's tail extended towards Deidara, but the bird was too fast, and was flying out of the cavern. Tanaku recovered from the impact of the dragonflies next to him and started to pursue. "Sasuke! Help me retrieve Gaara!" He shouted.

Suigetsu made an unconscious whine of disapproval and grabbed onto Sasuke, which provoked the teen to shake him off without a second thought and follow Tanaku. Did he really want to avoid intimacy so much that he would abandon him in the midst of battle like this?

"Don't be disappointed, Suigetsu." Sasuke called. "If I find Itachi on Deidara's trail, you know the signal." The Uchiha darted out of the cave with Tanaku, chasing after Deidara and Gaara. Soon enough their footsteps were too far away to hear.

The mist nin was silent. Sasuke had actually parted with him to find Itachi. While it was to be expect, he wished they could've fought together. What if Sasuke couldn't send the signal in time? What if Itachi captured him? He would never see his lover again, and it would all be because he was too clingy.

"Fucking Deidara, always acting on impulses…" The sound of Sasori's voice jolted the teen back to reality. He was still with Chiyo, and a powerful Akatsuki member was still with him also.

He looked over at the woman, who was still having a staring contect with the Akatsuki member. Suigetsu started to tense. This Sasori was strong enough to take on both him and Sasuke without any real effort. If all he had was an old lady as his teammate…he wouldn't stand much of a chance.

"I'd heard you'd retired long ago." Sasori spoke, his head slightly tilted.

"I suddenly wanted to see my grandson's face again." Grandson? This was her grandson? Now things were worse. The mist nin was suddenly in the middle of a family feud. Suigetsu clenched his fists. Damnit. Why couldn't he have been paired with Sasuke instead?

"Suigetsu," Chiyo suddenly spoke in a calm tone. "don't worry. I'm here with you. Don't think you have to face him by yourself." She started to walk towards Sasori. The white-haired teen sighed. If anything, he wished that instead the old lady decided to dismiss him and fight Sasori alone. But what did she mean by don't worry? What could a medical ninja do against a machine-like high class missing nin?

The clanking of metal brought Suigetsu to reality again as he saw that she had pulled out multiple kunai and was somehow levitating them above the air. After observing them a bit, he realized that they were connected to her fingers by thin chakra threads.

"Sōshūjin!" She released the threads and the kunai rocketed towards Sasori. However, his tail curved and knocked them away without any sign of effort.

"What a stupid-" Suigetsu stopped talking when the kunai twirled in the air and shot back at Sasori, slicing up his Akatsuki cloak and falling to the ground. They vibrated slightly on the dirt before falling limp, and Sasori stood unfazed.

Shit. That actually wasn't a stupid technique.

"If you're going to defy me, I guess I have no choice." Sasori grumbled. His tail raised upward and, to the teen's surprise, sliced up the rest of his cloak to reveal a strange mechanical body. One of his arms had a strange metal cylinder, he was actually laying on his stomach, his joints were visibly connected like separate pieces, and he had a giant red mask on his back from which the scorpion tail came from.

"Why don't you join my collection, along with that little kid, Chiyo-baa?" His following cackle sent immense chills up Suigetsu's spine.

My favorite fight is about to begin! :D

Suigetsu: Why do I get stuck with the grandma?

Sasuke: Miss me, don't you?

Me: Why do you only stop being an asshole in my Author Notes, Sasuke?

Sasuke: Because I can.

Suigetsu: D;

Next chapter will be so fun to write!