I do not own Naruto Shippuden or any of the characters.
8
Gaara stepped out of cover and looked up.
A single cultist floated above them, a pair of massive cord masses acting as wings and two more as a pair of massive arms, each about twenty feet long and able to grow or shrink as needed.
"Why have you come?" Gaara asked. "We will bring the Priestess tomorrow."
The cultist swiped at Gaara, and the arm extended, crashing along the ground for a dozen yards before reaching Gaara. When the dust settled, Gaara was still exactly where he was with part of a cracked sand dome over him and a sand platform under his feet.
"I see," Gaara growled. "For me. You aren't the first."
Gaara raised his hand and a massive wall of sand shot past, crashing into the cultist. As the dust settled, Gaara's eyes widened. The cultist's wings had shielded it completely. Cords suddenly shot out of the ground under Gaara and Gaara leapt skyward as the cords exploded through the sand that had moved to shield him.
"So powerful," Gaara growled. "Then I don't need to waste energy on Sand Armor."
Gaara held his hand out to his side, all the sand leaving his body and forming Shukaku's Pike in his hand. Gaara spun it twice then leapt off his sand platform and over more cords. They swung around at him but he smashed them aside with the pike. More shot at him and he began to spin, expertly defending himself with the pike until the cultist flew straight at threw a massive cord punch at him and Gaara spun out of the way. It hit his gourd and the gourd exploded into sand, encasing the hand and attaching itself to the ground. When the cultist flew past Gaara, Gaara ducked under a wing, the pike laid across his back and carving a gash into the cultist's side. Gaara stood and turned in time for a wall of cords to crash into him as it exploded out of the cultist's wound. Gaara flipped and spun through the air, crashing down hard and looked up at the cultist. Cords now extended from most of its back, forming one massive tail of cords in place of his wings.
"Not a good sign," Gaara growled, standing and raising the pike. "Time to end this."
Gaara hurled it and sand shot up along both sides, blocking the Cultist's attempt to stop it, barely. Then, the pike exploded into the tail, blasting a hole in it and barely missing the cultist. Gaara narrowed his eyes as the cultist roared in rage, sounding every bit like the monster he looked like.
"Very Well," Gaara sighed. "It would seem meeting you away from the village was wise after all."
He crossed his arms and sand shuriken as wide at the points as Gaara was tall began to shoot out of the ground around Gaara and at the cultist. The cultist began to zip around avoiding them and Gaara adjusted his aim accordingly. Finally, a shuriken split the cultist diagonally. It crashed to the ground and Gaara waited. The ground below Gaara suddenly exploded skyward, launching him for the second time, Gaara using more sand to block the cords. It worked long enough for Gaara to crash down in the sand, then they continued at him. At the last second, a johyo wrapped around them, barely pulling them off course and saving Gaara.
"No," Gaara breathed, jumping up and looking toward the johyo's owner. "Matsuri. Why are you here? I met him out here so you couldn't be caught up in this."
"I won't let you be hurt," Matsuri stated.
Just then, the johyo snapped and the cords blasted across the ground in front of them both. Matsuri creamed and Gaara spun, firing a Sand shuriken at the newly restored and airborne cultist. The cultist moved his arm up into the way and the shuriken froze, Matsuri's unconscious face visible among the cords.
"Matsuri!" Gaara shouted as the shuriken crumbled.
"Be careful what you do next Kazekage," the cultist warned. "Her life depends on it."
Gaara raised his hand, his entire body trembling with rage and conflicting emotions. He knew that the cultist had to be stopped, but even as sand rose up around the cultist, he knew he wouldn't be able to sacrifice Matsuri. The sand fell as Gaara's will broke and his arm dropped to his side.
"Good," the cultist sneered. "Bring the Priestess and you may see this bitch again."
And then, a wall of sand shot up, blasting Gaara and launching him away. Gaara sat up, staring in disbelieving shock at where the cultist had been. The cultist had left after using whatever he had used to throw sand at Gaara. After all, he couldn't have control over the sand. That was impossible.
Gaara returned to the village quickly and reached Naruto's hotel room at the same time as Naruto finished putting his gear on.
"You can't stop me this time," Naruto stated.
"We're leaving now," Gaara snarled, rage in his voice. "I will save Matsuri."
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