(Nagato's POV)
-Nagato, the Two-Tails, has been found. He's in the same city as Sasori and Deidara. - Obito's voice came from behind his orange, single-eyed mask, his Sharingan staring at the red-haired man with his head down. Nagato raised his head slightly, his Rinnegan focused on "Madara".
-I understand... well, in any case, the plan is about to begin, I'll let Deidara and Sasori take over.- Nagato looked away, gazing upwards, as if his eyes could pierce the gray walls and reach the rainy sky outside.
-And what about the seven tails?- Obito asked calmly.
-Let Kakuzu go. He killed another partner. If he wants to act alone, let's see if he can manage it.- Nagato let out a soft snort, If it weren't for the fact that Kakuzu is basically the financier of Akatsuki, Nagato would have already settled the score with him.
-Oh... what if he fails?- Obito asked, more curious than worried.
-Hmm... put Kisame and Itachi on standby.- Nagato shrugged.
-Shall we attack Oto's territory?- Obito asked, frowning. -Kakuzu still refuses to go there.
Nagato let out a weak, almost mocking, but more bored chuckle. -Let him attack when they get to Taki, near home his guard will drop.
Obito said nothing more, his body began to be swallowed by the Kamui vortex before disappearing completely.
Nagato's eyes flickered to where Obito had gone for a moment, before looking up again.
Up there, on the Deva Path, Yahiko sat atop a statue with a Steampunk vibe, also looking upwards, with the rain falling on him.
//-//
(Snake Clone's POV)
The Snake Clone observed the entire situation unfold, and the following day, through the Akatsuki rings, the two "Artists" had already been informed of their new mission.
So, when Yugito left, Sasori and Deidara quickly pursued her.
Werewolf Zetsu's senses were not weak, so he sensed he was being followed, but he didn't let anything show.
The Snake Clone followed from a distance, and he wasn't the only one, White/Black Zetsu was also there, as was Obito.
It was very interesting, but the Snake Clone transformed into Wraith, keeping his distance. He had already tested it and discovered that Sasuke could see him in his Wraith state, although he saw more of a human outline than actually seeing him. This already illustrated that the Mangekyo Sharingan could see his spiritual form, so he stayed away from Obito.
"Yugito" finally stopped in a clearing, turning to face her pursuers who were no longer hiding.
She looked at Deidara and Sasori with a cautious expression.
-Who are you?! Why are you chasing me?- She asked calmly, though feigning innocence.
It made sense, if normal Yugito were running away, she would be surprised not to see the Oto ninjas chasing her, but a pair with black cloaks with red clouds, as well as scratched Hitai-ates, clearly rogue ninjas.
-Who are we? That's not important. Hn! - Deidara smiled, pulling back the sleeves of his cloak, and putting his hand in his clay pocket. -Hey, Sasori no Danna, leave her to me.
Sasori huffed, annoyed, but didn't bother to complain, he simply stood there and said. -Don't make me wait too long, Deidara.
Deidara smiled and said. -Don't worry, it won't take long.
Yugito assumed a fighting stance, a smile slowly appearing on her face as her nails lengthened and she leaned into a feline position. The mouths on Deidara's hands opened, revealing the white clay pouches he carried at his waist.
The two sides went into a war of words without saying anything more.
-Whoever you are, you'll regret messing with me.- Yugito said, the ribbon holding her hair tore as blue, flame-like chakra flooded her, her features becoming increasingly feline.
She didn't transform completely, only the chakra condensed around her. She advanced so fast that most couldn't keep up. Before Deidara's shocked eyes, he tried to dodge, but Yugito's long, chakra-covered fingernails got there first, cutting Deidara in two!
Yugito's smile widened. -Don't mess with me! You idiots!
She was ready to attack Sasori, but in the next moment, both halves of Deidara turned white as they rapidly expanded.
In the air, already on a giant clay bird, Deidara grinned. -Hey, that was faster than I thought, Katsu!
A huge explosion sent Yugito flying. She screamed, the pain of being hit by an explosion at point-blank range was considerable, but she still managed to adjust in mid-air. Her clothes were slightly damaged, but Matatabi's chakra layer protected her from further harm, her regeneration already working on her organs.
Deidara raised an eyebrow. -Hey, you're pretty resilient! Hn! But it's not over yet!
He raised his fingers again, in a one-handed seal, and from Yugito's legs, two centipedes climbed up, trying to trap her.
Yugito didn't stand still, enduring the pain, she jumped up, trying to avoid being caught, but at that moment, several clay birds with two wings flew straight towards her, cutting off her escape route. In mid-air, she couldn't even dodge.
-It's over! Die! Katsu!- Deidara yelled, as dozens of birds collided with Yugito in mid-air. A massive explosion sent the wind blazing, forcing Sasori to duck his head to prevent his hat from flying away.
-Hahaha! Is that all a Jinchuuriki is?! That was pretty easy, you see? That's true art, Sasori no Danna! Hn! - Deidara laughed happily, leaning on his clay bird, ready to land.
But at that moment, a colossal roar followed, Deidara stopped, and from the cloud of dust, a giant paw of blue flames pointed directly at him.
- "Too fast!" - That was all Deidara could think, all he could see was the claw approaching him at high speed.
Baam~
A loud, hollow crashing sound followed, Deidara was still staring, his eyes wide, his clay bird trying to stabilize itself against the wind generated by the collision.
In front of Deidara, a puppet with black hair wearing a brown cloak appeared, raising both arms, but a wall of iron sand prevented the claw from advancing.
Matatabi appeared in all its glory, still pushing its paw against the wall.
Sasori let out a soft snort. -Deidara, I told you to hurry up.
-Hey, that was a close one, I almost got torn to pieces!- Deidara didn't seem to care much, as the clay bird flew higher.
The iron sand didn't remain still like a shield, but surged toward Matatabi, who let out a roar and dodged, leaping back and focusing his eyes on Sasori.
The oppressive chakra of the tailed beast made the pair stop taking things lightly, they joined forces, and the fight quickly intensified again.