Chapter 9
It has been two days since Gaara had been captured by the Akatsuki…
To Nomasaki, they have been the longest two days of her life.
She hasn't been allowed to leave the village to save him on her own.
She had to wait for given orders…
That evening, a squad of Konoha ninja had arrived in the village.
The pink-haired medical ninja had healed Kankuro from his battle with Sasori.
Completely neutralizing the poison in his system.
Saving his life.
"As soon as Sakura finishes," Naruto said. "We move out!"
"Rein it in a bit, Naruto." Kakashi replied, sternly.
As Naruto sat in the hall with Kakashi, he closed his eyes for a moment.
To relax himself.
"The answer is no! You're not going out after Gaara-sama on your own!"
"I'm a jonin-level shinobi! I can take care of myself!"
Curiously, Naruto peered down the hall.
There, he had seen Baki speaking with a girl he had never seen before.
Wearing a blue kimono-like dress, the girl stood argumentatively in front of Baki.
"You're a capable kunoichi, but you're no match for the Akatsuki." Baki argued. "You must wait until a pursuit squad is assembled!"
Nomasaki's eyes glistened with her forming tears.
Out of frustration and sadness.
"But by then it will already be too late!" She shot back. "I'm a tracker-ninja! I can use my jutsu to find him, and-"
"Those enemies came into the village single-handedly and defeated Gaara-sama!" Baki yelled at her. "Do you really think you have a chance against them?!"
Nomasaki bit her tongue.
Flinching.
Baki was right.
"If you go after them, you'll only end up like Kankuro…" Baki stated.
Turning towards the open emergency room.
She followed his gaze and seen Kankuro being treated.
From the noxious poison that nearly killed him.
If it were not for the Konoha shinobi.
Submitting to the argument, Nomasaki turned back and lowered her head.
Looking down at the floor with sad eyes.
There was silence.
"In the meantime," Baki began. "We need all of our shinobi to stay in the village in case of an ambush."
She looked up to him.
"Our Kazekage is gone, leaving us vulnerable for attack."
With that being said, he walked over to Kakashi and Naruto.
"It's getting late. You'll need a place to spend the night."
"We have no time to rest!" Naruto objected. "We have to go and rescue Gaara!"
From hearing Gaara's name mentioned, Nomasaki listened to their conversation.
"Naruto, saving Gaara is our top priority right now, but we need rest." Kakashi spoke. "We've been travelling nonstop for days. Any more and we'll out-do ourselves."
Baki nodded.
Then, turned to Nomasaki, who was still in the hallway.
"Nomasaki!" He commanded.
Quietly, she walked over.
"Y-Yes, sir?"
"Show the Konoha shinobi to their rooms."
Nomasaki nodded.
"Yes, sir." She spoke, silently.
She turned to Naruto and Kakashi.
Naruto glanced at her, curiously.
"Please, follow me." She spoke.
"So who are you anyway?" Naruto asked, curiously.
Looking at her light purple eyes as they walked down the winding hall.
-Those eyes… I've never seen eyes like those before…-
"Yamamori Nomasaki." She answered. "I'm the Kazekage's assistant."
"The Yamamori clan," Kakashi spoke. "I can honestly say, I haven't met one in a long time. Not since my days in the ANBU."
Nomasaki's eyes closed halfway.
"Many wars were fought using the clan in the past, causing them to be feared and shunned by others." She began. "In old times, if we of the clan were discovered by our enemies, they would have us killed or hunted for bounty. Since then, all Yamamori had kept their bloodline a secret, and scattered themselves across the lands. I'm from Yamagakure, where we originally came from. However, the village was destroyed by bandits… so I ended up here."
"I see." Kakashi nodded.
"So you're the Kazekage's assistant?" Naruto asked. "Gaara's assistant?"
Nomasaki nodded.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Yes, I am." She replied, softly. "I have been his assistant for almost a full year now, since the day he became Kazekage."
"So I take it you know Gaara pretty well, huh?" Naruto pressed, narrowing his blue eyes.
Nomasaki's eyes widened for a moment.
Then, saddened.
She paused.
"Yes…" She said, quietly. "I do."
With a slight creak, she opened the door.
There were two beds inside.
"These will be your rooms."
"Thank you." Kakashi nodded.
"And if I can make a request,"
Slightly surprised, the Konoha ninja turned to her.
She looked upon them with a serious yet pleading glance.
She looked pained.
"Please, save Gaara. For our village's sake."
Naruto chuckled, smiling.
"Of course we will!" He promised. "We'll save him! You can count on us!"
Smiling softly, she nodded.
"Thank you." She said, quietly.
"Nomasaki! Report immediately!"
It was Baki's voice.
Jolting, she turned.
"Y-Yes, sir!"
And she started on her way.
Could this be her call to save Gaara?
It just could be.
She began to feel a rush of determination.
She thought to herself.
-Uzumaki Naruto… I can see why Gaara has taken a liking to you… you give people hope…-
Two days passed…
That afternoon…
After defeating Sasori and Deidara…
In a grassy field in the Land of Rivers, they stood.
Team Kakashi and Team Guy.
Konoha shinobi.
Watching as Sakura used her medical ninjutsu on the Kazekage's cold body.
But it was no use.
He was unresponsive.
"Sakura," Naruto spoke, concerned.
Sakura's hand slowly lifted off Gaara's cold chest.
She closed her eyes.
Shaking her head.
It was too late.
Gaara was dead.
There was no way they could save him.
He was gone.
Naruto's blue eyes closed halfway.
Sadly looking at the body of his friend.
Slightly opening her green eyes, Sakura stood and walked over to Chiyo's side.
Gritting his teeth, tears began to stream from Naruto's eyes.
Dripping off his chin.
One by one.
"Why Gaara?" He sobbed. "Why always Gaara?"
His fists clenched.
"If he dies like this…! He's Kazekage! He's just became Kazekage!"
"Calm down," Chiyo spoke, quietly. "Uzumaki Naruto…"
Naruto spun around at her.
"Shut up!" He cried out.
Tears streaming down his face.
Never-ending.
"If you Sand ninja hadn't put that monster in Gaara, none of this would've happened!" He spat.
Sobs cutting through his voice.
"Did you ever even consider what Gaara thought?! Did you ever even ask?!"
He held his head down.
Trying to shield his oncoming tears with his arm.
"You call him a jinchuriki host! Who are you to decide that fate for someone else?!"
Submitting to his grief, he sobbed.
Sakura's eyes closed halfway.
In sympathy.
"Naruto…" She murmured.
"I couldn't save Sasuke, I can't save Gaara…" Naruto sobbed. "For three years, I've trained like crazy… but
nothing has changed!"
Narrowing her elderly eyes, Chiyo walked over to Gaara's body.
Without a second thought, she placed her hands on his chest.
A strong blue aura of chakra surrounded them.
Sakura's eyes widened.
Shocked.
"G-Granny Chiyo!" She stammered. "That jutsu-"
Chiyo glanced at her.
Smiling.
Sakura's eyes saddened.
"What's she doing?" Naruto asked, surprised.
Kakashi and Guy recognized the chakra.
"That's," Guy started.
"Yeah…" Kakashi finished.
"What are you doing?!" Naruto demanded.
With a serious look on her face, Sakura turned to him.
"She's going to bring Gaara back." She answered, sternly.
Naruto's eyes widened.
Was it really possible?
"Bring back… to life?" He stammered. "Can she really do that?"
"Only Granny Chiyo can use this jutsu…" Sakura said, quietly.
While observing Chiyo's jutsu, Neiji activated his Byakugan.
Scanning the elderly woman's chakra flow.
Kakashi's Sharingan could see it, too.
It was a resurrection jutsu.
Chiyo's hand's pulsed.
Weak from her battle with Sasori.
The blue aura of chakra suddenly got smaller.
Weaker.
"No!" She panted. "Not enough chakra…"
"Please, use my chakra." Naruto spoke.
Surprised, Chiyo turned to him.
"Is that possible, Granny?" Naruto asked, anxiously.
For a moment, the elderly woman closed her eyes.
When she opened them, there was a sense of determination in them.
"Place your hands on mine." She said.
And so he did.
Suddenly, the aura grew larger.
It had strength now.
"In this world created by frivolous old people," Chiyo started. "I'm glad that new souls like you have come
along."
Surprised, Naruto looked up to her.
"Up until now, everything I've done was wrong." She began. "But I think at the very end… I'll finally be able
to do something right."
A soft smile appeared on her aged face.
"Konoha and Suna… May their future be something different than our time…"
With fading eyes, she looked at Naruto.
"Naruto, you know Gaara's pain… Gaara also knows your pain… Please… look after Gaara…"
Closing his eyes, Naruto envisioned his friends.
The ones who saved him from loneliness as a jinchuriki…
"…Gaara …Gaara!"
–…Who…? Who is he calling…?- Gaara thought to himself, as he began to slowly flicker his eyes open.
His eyes gave in to the black.
He could see nothing.
Nothing but a dark, empty void.
His eyes closed.
Suddenly, his light turquoise eyes widened as he had felt someone touch his shoulder.
The darkness fled.
In surprise, he turned his head back to see the one who awakened him from his sleep.
He saw Naruto, whose ocean blue eyes were closed halfway.
Naruto gently smiled at him.
"…Gaara…" He spoke, quietly.
"Naruto…" Gaara said.
His light turquoise eyes widened in surprise to see him.
When he looked around himself, he was greatly surprised of the sight.
Surrounding him on the grassy field was nearly a hundred Sand ninja.
His villagers.
"What is this?"
Happily, Naruto smiled.
"We all came running," He replied. "To your rescue!"
He chuckled.
"You had us worried!"
"You sure did!"
When Naruto and Gaara turned, they saw Kankuro.
"You caused us a ton of grief, little brother." Kankuro said, a grin on his face.
Temari smirked to herself for a moment.
"Don't act so superior." She sighed. "Gaara is Kazekage! Shut all your mouths. You brats!"
Kankuro glared at his older sister.
Annoyed.
Temari leaned in closer to her younger brother.
"Gaara, how are you feeling?" She asked, concerned.
Slowly, Gaara tried to stand.
But he could not.
He did not have the strength.
"You shouldn't move so suddenly." Temari said. "Your body hasn't fully recovered from the resurrection jutsu yet."
Gaara slumped back down.
To save his strength.
"Gaara,"
Surprised from the soft voice, Gaara turned.
He saw Nomasaki standing there in the crowd.
Her lilac eyes glistening with tears.
"Nomasaki," Gaara spoke. "You…-"
To his surprise, Nomasaki embraced him.
Burying her face into his shoulder.
Muffling her tears of joy.
"I missed you…!" She whispered. "So much…!"
Tears cutting through her soft voice.
Gaara's eyes widened in surprise from her gentle embrace.
And unknown to him, a faint trace of red appeared on his pale face.
Was it a blush?
No one was really quite sure.
When Naruto saw them, he smiled.
Kankuro smirked at them.
The Kazekage was saved.
He was alive.
Suddenly, Nomasaki's senses jolted.
"Wait," She said, as she let go of him. "Your chakra! I can't sense Shukaku anymore."
Gaara's eyes slightly widened for a moment.
Her words surprising him.
"That's right." He said, as he realized what happened. "The Akatsuki… they took it, and it… killed me."
This shocked her.
Her eyes filled with concern.
"Are you… alright?" She asked. "Can you still use the sand?"
Looking at his hands, he watched as he opened and closed his palms.
"I'm not certain, but… that can come later." He stated. "I'm… still surprised I'm here right now."
His chakra felt different to her.
The burgeoning presence of Shukaku couldn't be felt at all.
Its threatening presence absent.
It really was taken.
His chakra felt warm and secure to her now.
It was his chakra alone.
The Sand ninja in the crowd rejoiced.
Glad to see their leader was safe…
