The medics at the hospital had brought her and Chiyo into a separated room to inject the antidotes and tend to their wounds. They had a hard time separating Naruto and Lee from Sakura, but the two finally gave in when the threats became more aggressive. Threatening to refuse their treatment worked immediately. Neither wanted to harm Sakura, so they stood back, waiting in the visitors area, as she and the granny were taken away.

A few hours after their treatment, the two women were able to control their bodies again. They were still weak, but at least they could move freely once more . Testing her fingers and other limbs, Sakura sat up on the bed and stretched out her legs to make sure she could feel everything again. Pleased with the result, she stood up to test her balance and walked a few steps towards the doctors. The Suna hospital had done a great job in replicating the dose she had created, and made enough doses to cure similar injuries caused by this type of poison immediately from now on.

Sakura silently commented in her head how well her other injuries had been treated. They were mainly deep scratches and bruises, since Sasori had tried to avoid her and sent his puppets after her. She shivered, as she wondered how much more damage a direct hit would have dealt. All that was left from this fight were her sore muscles and the mess her hair had become. The injuries were reduced to thin red lines covering her body. It was clear to see that the staff had done a great job tending to her.

Beaming with pride, Sakura praised them for their fast and precise implementation of her recipe. The poison was complex, and the antidote even more so to manufacture, so it wasn't unpretentious that they had accomplished the task and on top of that made it in time. Their faces radiated with happiness about her acknowledgement. They knew she had trained under Tsunade, one of the top medics in the world, so it meant a lot to be praised by her student. Although, soon after their expressions shadowed again.

"Elder Chiyo, Lady Haruno - we're sorry, but we desperately need your help. Now. Lord Kazekage-sama seems to be in a really bad state, which is beyond our knowledge. Please, examine him right now," one of them requested. The badge on his arm showed his status - the Head Medic in whole Suna. His eyes were hopeful, but within his voice was fear. The other medical assistants nodded in agreement. Sakura wondered what state they were talking about, especially since the best doctor in the whole country cared for them instead of their Kazekage, who was the top priority in every way.

Her eyes narrowed as she remembered something Naruto had mumbled on their way here. It had been something about Gaara's death. If he was right, she had no idea what they were talking about. Did they really think this was a state that could be cured?

She looked at the old lady in shock, who nodded to the medics. "Bring me to him, fast!" she commanded with a biting voice. No one in the hospital had told them before about Gaara's exact state. There was no data about him and no word about it after leaving the room. They had probably tried several things by themself first, not wanting to disturb the two because of their injuries. Asking them for help meant, this was beyond Suna's medical knowledge, but the absence of records about his medical state was weird.

The doctors of Sunagakure were second in knowledge only to Konoha, which might be due to Tsunade and the rules she had enforced, which led to more training in the medical field. Not only Konoha, but the whole world had slowly started to focus more on healing techniques. Sakura hoped she could help them somehow with their current problem. Maybe it was another poison that faked a death state. Gaara was her friend, and the precious leader of a hidden village, so she would do everything within her power to save him.

"What can you tell me about the state he's in?" she asked a second time, as she quickly followed them through the transitions of the hospital. "We.. ehm… we're not really allowed to talk about this here," the head medic of them stuttered. He was obviously trying to avoid the question.

The pinkette heard how Chiyo took in a sharp breath at the response. "What's wrong?", she asked her, curious if she had missed something. Maybe Suna had some kind of secret language only the elder understood. Though, when she didn't get an answer, Sakura sighed, and decided not to press the topic further for now. She was sure she would find out as soon as she would see Gaara.

The head medic stopped in front of a door. Guards glared at Sakura. By now they were quite far from the main hospital complex, far enough to be out of sight of the commoners. It was a locked room, which he unlocked to let the two in. "Knock twice if you need something. A guard will wait by the door and bring you whatever you might need," he explained, before he closed the door behind the two women.

Sakura stared at the door. She couldn't understand what was going on, or why everyone was so very secretive when it was them who had asked her for help. She gulped, then moved her body to face her companion. The old lady's eyes were narrowed to mere slits, lips pressed together to a slim line.

"You know, Sakura, they had to be silent to keep this situation a secret from the villagers as long as possible." She took a deep breath and collected herself, before she went on with her explanation. Sakura already felt chills running down her spine. This couldn't be something good, and it seemed like she was the only one that still didn't understand what was going on.

"As you know, our Kazekage was a jinchuuriki for the one tailed beast. A Bijuu and his host are bound for a lifetime. Extraction isn't possible without killing the human vessel." Sakura nodded. She had gathered bits and pieces about this topic wherever she could as to understand Naruto and his body better. They were teammates, so she wanted to be able to heal him the best way possible if he ever needed it.

"I have a bad feeling about this." The old lady's words ripped Sakura from her train of thought. If Chiyo was worried, it had to be serious.

The words hammered in Sakura's head. Jinjuriki, like Naruto. That was nothing new, but bound together for a lifetime? So if Akatsuki really had extracted the Shukaku - did that mean Gaara was dead?

—

The body was put on an operation table. All around it was medical gear and lamps that illuminated the room to be as bright as daylight. The walls were made of green tiles, perfect for a quick cleaning. Shelves were filled with every piece that could be needed. Sakura doubted there was a better suited room in the whole country to treat a person. It seemed to be especially prepared for treating the Kazekage. Like personal chambers he had a personal medical room. If she needed any gear to help him, it would be right here.

Closer inspection of Gaara wasn't necessary to answer most of her questions. Even though his body was less harmed than hers had been, he clearly was no longer alive. No breath, no heartbeat. Nothing. For the first time in her life, she saw wounds on his body and imperfections in his clothing. It was ripped apart and burned on several ends from explosions. The dark red cloth had turned black spotwise. Bruises and scratches plastered his body where it was uncovered. Even his red hair looked messier than ever from all the blood and dust.

Usually his ultimate defense made of sand would protect him at any time, but he had given up on it to protect the village. A place he loved so much. It pained Sakura to see him this way. He had given his life to the people of Suna. His feelings had been so strong. Gaara had become a great leader despite everything they had done to him years ago. No matter what lies they might have told him, he had build himself a place to stay and fought for it until his last breath. And even if it meant his life, he had won. It was one of the greatest sacrifices she had ever encountered.

Sakura froze, and her knees weakened. Yet she managed to regain control before they gave in completely. Shaking, she gripped his hand and squeezed it in hers without thinking. Long ago she had feared, even hated him, but now she felt nothing except overwhelming sadness and respect. Tears began to run down her face as she realized what had happened. They were too late. Now, and already when they opposed the two Akatsuki members in the cave. Her fight had been useless. She was useless.

Her medical skills were spotless, but she was no necromancer.

There was no way to bring him back from the dead.

Suna had officially lost it's fifth Kazekage.

She winced as Chiyo gently touched her shoulder. The older smirked, then turned around and shooed every guard and doctor but Sakura out of the room, closing the doors and locking them from the inside.

Still sobbing Sakura wondered what the elder was up to. It seemed like she wanted to examine Gaara in a more private circumstance. But there was nothing worth looking at. As if any of them were able to change this situation. It didn't make sense to her. His state was clear to see, there was no use in an examination. Sakura knew this truth was hard to swallow, even more for a resident of this city that had spent way more time with Gaara than she had. On the other hand there was no use in holding on to the dead, ignoring reality. Sakura's eyes followed the elder's actions closely. Chiyo must have known this. Yet every move, and every step showed anything but sadness. Still she didn't seem down at all, just busy.

Chiyo drew closer again and loosened Sakura's hands from her dead friend. Until now Sakura had squeezed his hand so hard, her own hand was hurting. Staring deep into her eyes, Chiyo explained "Sakura, I do need your help. He does. But before we do this, you need to know one thing." She chuckled quietly before she went on. Her eyes had a playful shine to them.

"I bet this is nothing Tsunade knows about," she said with a toothy grin before she squeezed Sakura's hand and placed it over her heart. Sakura could feel it beating if nothing was wrong here. The old lady seemed to calm to her, especially in this situation.

"This is a forbidden technique. We can take a part of our life force - " she pressed the hand stronger towards her chest and then slowly moved it to Gaara's chest " - and give it to him, to save his life. Usually, this would kill the executing shinobi. That's why we both have to work together in this. And we will need others, too."

Sakura's mouth opened and closed, but no sound left it. She struggled with the new information. Never in her life had she used a forbidden jutsu before. Tsunade had taught her how to use the Chakra reserves she stored in the crystal shape on her forehead, but also reminded her of the dangers of forbidden techniques. Mostly they ended with death or souls bound to the god of death, which had the same effect.

All her concentration was focused on what she just heard. A way to transfer live. The possibility to bring people back from the dead. It sounded too good to be true. The negative aspects must be enormous. Death seemed like a fair price. The whole concept made so much sense, yet she had never heard or read about it. Had no one ever tried it? Were there more negative aspects Chiyo hadn't told her about? Questions kept on filling her mind and she demanded answers.

"So we both give him only a part of our lifeforce and don't die in the process, right? What do I have to do?" she asked. A slight motivation crept up inside her mixed with fear. Maybe there was a chance to save him. If there was, she wouldn't hesitate a second to take it. There was no shinobi in Suna as capable and committed as Gaara in Suna. Losing him would greatly harm the allied country. She had to help. As long as no one got hurt, nobody would have to know about this.

"Wait here. We need more people. Otherwise, it would eat away too much of your life," she turned away from Sakura towards the door but stopped and grinned at her once more. "You'd be dead at the age of thirty otherwise." Sakura gulped. So this technique really managed to work with life force directly. Now there were no more questions as to why it was labeled a forbidden technique.

She waited as Chiyo knocked on the door and explained she needed as many volunteers here as possible within twenty minutes. In addition, she told them to line up, grab each other by their hands and sit down comfortably. The last bit left Sakura wondering again. She demanded everyone's eyes to be shut. The guards ran to fulfill their new duties and Chiyo nodded. She seemed pleased as she slowly came back to Sakura.

"Let's put him on the ground first. This will take a while and I can't stand the whole time," the grey-haired ordered, lifting his body from the operation table with Sakura's help. By the time the guards came back with an uncountable number of people, the two were done with their task and clothed in medical equipment. Chiyo gave some last orders before she came back in. One of the doors was open now and two lines of people sat on the ground, barely any space between them. Sakura couldn't see how many people participated, but it seemed to be endless. Only guards were close enough to be inside the room. Everyone had closed their eyes, waiting for orders from the elder.

"Now get yourself into a relaxed position, take the hand of the persons next to you into yours. Sakura, you take his and one of the guards," she made a sign towards Gaara for explanation. Sakura quickly grabbed his hand and held it tightly.

"We'll build a circle like that. All you have to do is relax and lend me your strength. I can do the rest." The elder stopped her explanation when she realised Sakura had an endless amount of questions plastered all over her face. Before the pink haired got to ask any, Chiyo shook her head.

"It's better if you don't know exactly what I'm doing. I don't want you to get in trouble for the crimes of an old hag like me, you know." An encouraging smirk appeared on her face. The last words had been so quiet only Sakura could understand. This time the lady didn't even laugh. She was serious for once.

The thought of giving a part of her lifeforce away made Sakura anxious. She didn't get the chance to ask what exactly it meant, and she was too afraid to do so during the process. Messing up the procedure by disturbing Chiyo's concentrated state was not within her intentions. It took a while before something else happened.

The people sat quietly on the ground with their eyes closed and holding their neighbours hands. No one dared to speak or open their eyes. Without being told what was going on they had came, because the guards told them it was for Gaara's sake. Sakura envied him for the trust these people gave him. She prayed to all gods she knew, for this procedure would work. She begged for him to breathe again.

The guard next to her twitched a little. She could feel it as he squeezed her hand as if something had surprised him. Sakura had to fight of the daring wish to open her eyes and see what was happening. Yet she sat as still as possible, waiting anxiously for whatever was going to happen to her, wondering if she would feel anything when it happened.

Suddenly the air around her began to buzz like in a thunderstorm. As if electricity was in the air. She could feel how an unknown force slowly streamed into her body from the connected hand. It moved upwards her arm, leaving a tickling feeling wherever it passed. Up her arm and shoulder towards her chest, then gently touching her heart. It became a weird, unpleasant feeling from this point. Her heart began to race, fighting against the unknown power inside her.

Sakura tensed at the feeling. Chiyo had not said anything about this pain. She wondered whether this was part of the process or not but decided to not ask for now. As soon as she relaxed a little, the pain was gone and the force fused with her heart. It felt surprisingly good, as if she had more power than ever. Sakura felt like a kid again with endless energy and strength.

It lasted only a few seconds before it felt as if her heart was ripped apart. She could still feel the energy inside her, now with a piece of herself. The parts became one and slowly flew through her body towards the hand that touched the dead. With another tickle it moved along her arm, lingered a while on her palm that touched Gaara before it slid outside of her. She couldn't control her curiosity any longer. She opened her eyes a little and peeked.

A dark red lightning surrounded her hand and Gaara's, then it disappeared into his skin. She realised this must have been the energy Chiyo had been talking about. Life force. Somehow she could feel the lifeforce making its way to his heart. It moved even slower than it had through her body. She wondered if the dead cells reduced the speed. Not knowing anything about the technique irritated her but also gained her curiosity. It seemed so simple. Was it really so easy to bring somebody back to life?

Sakura watched quietly but couldn't see any differences on the outside. The only indication was the reddish thing she could feel inside Gaara, when she closed her eyes. Following the feeling further was tempting, but she didn't dare to do so. Chiyo had told her not to do anything, so she would keep her word. There might be dangers she didn't even knew of. Maybe the elder would explain the technique to her, if she asked her in privacy. Sakura felt the strong urge to learn more about it, for the endless possibilities in medical use.

Some of her hair strands had loosened from her high ponytail and fell into her face, but she had to endure their tickling for now. She could see the dust and blood that stained them, some leftovers of her fight. She thought about how much she needed a shower after this, or a hot bath and something to eat before she'd get herself some rest. The sun might be up by now, which meant she was awake for more than twenty-four hours. She remembered the exhausted faces of her friends. They must be just as tired as herself. She hoped they took their time to recover themselves, instead of waiting for her in the visitors' area.

Thoughts began to flood her mind. Pictures of the fight tortured her again, reawakening the fear. Sasori was still alive, and somewhere out there, lurking in the shadows. Who knew what he was up to right now. He'd probably seek revenge for his dead partner. The message had been clear. He threatened her not to tell anyone about him surviving their fight. He had even prepared the battlefield to make it look like he had died there. Nobody would be prepared if he were to strike back on them. But warning them and risking the consequences was not an option either. For now, she couldn't find an answer to what she should do about this.

Soon after, Chiyo opened her eyes and let go of Gaara's hand. Following her steps, Sakura loosened her hand and helped her to put him back on the operating table. By now the guards had made sure the room was empty again and the people that had helped before were gone.

The Kazekage's complexion seemed a little more healthy by now and his breathing had returned, yet not as strong as she wanted it to be. The heartbeat was just as weak, but existent. She couldn't believe it. It seemed like he really lived again. They had brought him back from the dead.

Tears began to fill her eyes as she realised what had just happened. Overjoyed she threw her arms around Chiyo in a hug, sobbing in happiness and disbelief. The old one giggled, patting her back in return. "Thanks for your help. I couldn't have done it by myself. But this has to stay our secret." She winked at Sakura, who swore to herself to never tell anybody what had happened in this room.

"Of course!", Sakura exclaimed in consent, which got her a shushing sound and rolling eyes. After drying her tears, they examined Gaara once more. He was able to speak again and both were pleased with the results. He was still weak, but the Suna medics should be able to do the rest.

There was nothing more to do for Sakura. Gaara just made her promise him to come back later for a report and checkup. After all the hours of fighting and fear she left him to Chiyo and the other medics. She really needed a shower and a bed now.

Welcome to chapter three!
I hope you enjoyed the story so far. By now there is still no sign of Sasori but he will return. I promise.
Another part I really didn't understand in canon Naruto - I don't think Chiyo had to die. And I need her for later parts of the story so for now I saved her life.

What do you think about it? Was Chiyo's death really necessary in canon?

Oh and I love reviews, thanks for the last ones!

-Amsally