324 They are coming

"I didn't expect you to recognize me at the first glance Gaara." Yami said as he took off his hand over Gaara's shoulder and sat on one of the chairs at the table.

(Suggest a good pic for teenage Yami...I am trying to find one but it might take a few days)

"Those blue eyes are not something a person can forget. Especially when they turn red...you seemed to have changed a lot...not just physically but even your personality." Gaara said as he sat beside Yami.

"Yea...I guess that is something that happened for the better. As for you , you look the same but your temper has totally changed." Yami complimented.

"Someone taught me to cherish those that are close to me and do everything in my power to keep them safe." Gaara said. He didn't name the person but Yami knew that Gaara was talking about Naruto.

"It is good that you have started taking my warning seriously. I wonder if the help from the hidden leaf has left the village." Yami said as he looked outside the window thinking.

"Is it true? The threat? Don't tell me that to get information about the organization, you joined the Akatsuki" Gaara said as he looked at Yami.

Yami raised his eyebrows as he heard that and asked "Why would you even think about something this ridiculous??"

Gaara who normally had a stone-like expression on his face looked away a little and said "I heard that you went inside the Mizukage faction as a prisoner to get information and to cripple them from the inside and I thought that since your brother..."

Gaara was speaking but then he stopped because he felt that he might be crossing a line by bringing Itachi into the topic.

"I see...Lady Tsunade has shared plenty of information with you. She truly regards the hidden sand as an ally." Yami said and stood back up.

"Yes she does and so do I. Since you are here then I presume that you have a way to stop it from happening." Gaara asked.

Yami nodded subtly and said "Yes but the casualties will be high because you and the elders see this as you being in the center of the fortress but the Akatsuki sees you surrounded by thousands of weaknesses. They could leverage the lives of the people present here and take the chance to kidnap you."

Gaara knew what Yami was saying was right so he asked "Are you suggesting that I give myself up to them? I don't know what they plan to do with the tailed beast."

"That is one solution to this problem but the chances of you getting killed are higher in this case." Yami shrugged. Yami had raked his brain on this issue months before and even made sure that the attack will happen. He had one of his bats follow Yura at all times and keep an eye on him. Just a few days ago when he finished his training and left the cave, he entered the hidden leaf in disguise and approached Yura. Using his genjutsu, he found out the latest instructions that were given to this sand shinobi.

"I do understand that victory comes at a cost but I don't want the cost to be the lives of my people or the stability of the village." Gaara said. He then continued "I will fight the Akatsuki farther from the hidden sand and at that time the only thing I request from you is to protect the village."

"Watch out for the fireworks." Yami said and disappeared into a puff of smoke.

At the same time, Yami was sitting in a hotel diner where he received all the memories of the clone. A smile appeared on his face as he was drinking the soup in front of him. Right now he was disguised as a middle-aged merchant.

'After learning sage mode it feels like the cloudiness in my head has disappeared completely. Everything looks so simple to me and I can think of things from a wider viewpoint.' Yami thought.

Since he had come to this world, he had made many changes but he always tried to keep them as less as possible. That was because he didn't want the future to deviate more than the original or the upper hand that he had with the knowledge of the future would disappear.

'I have already made so many changes that things are bound to be different. I no longer care much about the future I have seen in the anime rather I prefer to create my own. It may put the lives of people who are unharmed in the anime in danger but I can't walk on eggshells anymore. Things may change but Gaara's shitty Hairstyle didn't.' Yami thought as he picked up the bowl and finished the soup in the bowl.

"Hooo...now that was one good soup. Would hate to get it destroyed by Deidara's bomb." Yami muttered and got up.

A few seconds later came out of the restaurant and headed toward the main gate. It was already afternoon now and due to the intense heat, not many people were out on the streets. Yami went in a quiet alley and then lifted his hand and said "Go and get my sword and other things. I don't know if Sasuke even returned to the village or not so track my own blood that is on my scroll seals. If Sasuke is carrying it wherever he goes then just pointing at his own will make him understand what you mean."

After Yami finished speaking he kept staring at his arm and the next second, 2 eyes appeared on it and then a shadow leaped from his arm and disappeared into the shadows.

Yami didn't act surprised by any of this and left the alley. Yami then came out of the shadows but this time with a changed face and clothes. He now looked like a 30 year old man with suna shinobi clothes.

As he reached the main gate, one of the shinobis stationed there looked at him and said "It seems like you have started feeling well now Nobu. You have been sick for the past few days."

"Yes...I started feeling well and then I heard that the border forces were increased so I got curious and came to work." Yami said.

"Yes...border security is heightened for the moment and no one knows why. Though I heard that it may be due to the sand monsters that come during a sand storm. Well, its good that you came. Go and take your post." The shinobi said and let Yami pass.

The real Nobu was now at the bottom of the sea. While traveling, Yami saw that the real Nobu was extorting villagers in the name of keeping their villages safe. Yami already wanted an alternate identity to move around in the hidden sand so he ask him the basic things using his genjutsu and then killed him. Yami didn't think that writing his deeds onto a piece of paper and putting it in a complaint box was going to work.

As Yami entered he saw that Yura was assigning people to work at different posts. After waiting for a few minutes, it was Yami's chance to get a post and luckily the post that Yura gave him wasn't far from the main gate. and the tent where Yura was going to sit.

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Border of the Land of Wind & Land of Rain(Same time)

2 figures wearing a red and black Akatsuki cape were walking at a steady pace. One of them was short and was walking quietly while the other one had blonde hair and was constantly talking while looking around.

"After waiting for so much time, at last we get to go now." the blonde said.

The short one didn't even look at him and said in a gruff voice "Deidara...if you don't stop being annoying then I will turn you into a puppet."

Diedara dismissed what his partner said and continued talking "Don't be like that Sasori. You should be happy that you are going to your village. I am impatient as to when I will get to go to my village and show my art to everyone."

"After the death of Itachi Uchiha, the orders were canceled and we were told to stay low until a new member is found. I don't want the same thing to happen to us." Sasori said.

"Aww...does that mean you care for me?" Deidara said in a sweet tone trying to get Sasori all riled up.

"Never...I'd rather kill you myself than anyone else have the fun of doing it. But I don't like to waste time which is why I have to go with you. Like Kisame, I can't be kept waiting for a new partner." Sasori said as he suddenly stopped and stood under a tree.

"Huh? What are you doing? You just said that you don't want to be late and now you have stopped?" Deidara asked to which Sasori pointed in a direction and said "To avoid repeating Itachi's mistake, we will be attacking the villages with 2 teams. This means a total of 4 people will go to kidnap every Jinchuriki. The other team is coming."

Just then even Deidara heard the sound of 2 people walking toward them and looked in the direction they were coming from.

(Who are the 2 other Akatsuki members? How will Gaara defeat them? Will Yami interefere? Ans to all your questions are posted in my P@treon)

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Link in the synopsis as well.