Mirror
of Beyond: part X: Separation
Gaara made it a point not to see Neji while he was in the hospital. Part of him felt bad for not doing more to see one of his saviors, but as Neji had been unconscious much of the time, Gaara felt it was a forgivable offense. In fact, even after Neji made a full recovery, Gaara still saw very little of him, since he was usually busy taking care of matters related to his village. He knew that Neji had been briefed on the entire situation by now, but Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku hadn't seen him either. Neji, too, was a busy young man. He was, after all, one of the most powerful people Gaara knew in this world… his own world.
Many of the Konoha allies had pulled out and returned home as full defense of Suna was returned to Gaara and the members of The Sand. Perhaps because Tsunade, Konoha's leader, was interested in the research opportunities associated with the mysterious gateway, she allowed teams that Gaara was familiar with to remain. Gaara knew that she also saw the dangers in having doubles of some of history's most dangerous ninja. She was also, of course, very wary about the two new Uchiha who had arrived.
It was a bright, breezy afternoon when Kakashi sat down with Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku for a little chat. He knew things needed to be said that had been avoided until now. They sat outside at a small restaurant, eating on the patio.
"I need to tell you some things in the event that we can't return you home," Kakashi said. "We will do everything in our power to get you through that gateway, but there are a few things you must know."
The others nodded and listened intently. Kakashi smiled slightly. His own Sasuke had never listened so intently. It was almost unnerving.
"First of all," Kakashi said, "I know you said things are bad for you at home, but there would be complications if you stay. Gaara said he is looking in to finding a solution that would be best, however. I don't know what that means, but I trust him."
"It's probably best if we return home anyway," Itachi said. "We don't know the specifics of this gateway."
"Precisely," Kakashi nodded with a kind smile. "Next," he lifted his forehead protector that always covered one of his eyes. Sasuke's jaw nearly hit the table. "In this world, you'll see very few eyes like this," Kakashi said solemnly. "This used to belong to a ninja named Uchiha Obito."
"…Used to…" Itachi whispered in shock as Kakashi replaced the forehead protector over his eye.
"Years ago, when our Sasuke was just entering the academy, the Uchiha Itachi of his world slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan," Kakashi said. "Of the last survivors most popularly known to the ninja world are Sasuke and Itachi. While the two of you are close, these two couldn't be farther apart. Our Sasuke left Konoha years ago and joined with Orochimaru to gain the power to kill our Itachi, who long ago joined up with an organization known as the Akatsuki."
Without knowing what he was doing Itachi rose his hand slowly, indicating that he needed Kakashi to pause. He lowered his hand and stared at the table in front of him. He looked completely drained.
"Itachi," Kakashi said gently.
Itachi shook his head slowly. "I'm a monster in either world," he said softly. "In the other one… all those people…. At the time I --" he put his hand up to his forehead. "What the hell is wrong with me?"
"Itachi," Kakashi said. "You are a completely different person than --"
"I killed the entire Hyuuga clan in our world!" Itachi said.
"They were helping to destroy Konoha and all other neighboring villages," Haku chimed in. "Itachi, you thought you were doing the right thing. It may have been in the heat of the moment, and you may have been a… little… carried away, but --"
"No!" Itachi said firmly, in a state of somewhat controlled panic. "I see it now. The basic elements are the same. This world is only slightly parallel. Why else would I make the same mistakes?"
"You are not the same as him!" Kakashi said loudly, silencing them all. "A cold-hearted killer with merciless eyes, cruel intentions, and who has tortured and twisted his only brother. THAT is our Itachi. Not you." Kakashi motioned to Sasuke, who sat processing the loss of this world's entire clan. "If you were anything like the Itachi of this world, your Sasuke would be filled with hatred right now." He sat back in his chair. "Sasuke was my student, and one of the most talented people I've ever known. But it came at the price of darkening his soul."
Itachi was still breathing heavily, unable to adjust. All of his years of training couldn't prepare him to face his own demons like this.
"I should continue," Kakashi said, "To get it all out in the open." He waited, but no one protested. "Haku," Kakashi said sadly. "Your other self is dead. From what I can tell he was much like you. Kind, calm, pure to his core. But I didn't know him long. He was my enemy on the battlefield, though we didn't hate each other. As much as it pains me to say it, I'm the one who took his life."
Haku sat there calmly. "Wow," he said before smiling. "He must have been really tough if you needed to get involved Kakashi." He smiled even more brightly. "You did what you had to."
Kakashi nodded, a bit relieved at Haku's response. "I don't think Gaara knows," he said. "He mentioned wanting to know what you were like in this world. I didn't tell him. I leave that issue to you."
Haku nodded and glanced to the other two. The two brothers were in a complete state of shock.
There was more to tell them, but Kakashi wouldn't continue. He and the others of this world had decided not to tell the three young men everything they knew about the demon behind the door. There was no easy way to say that they had come into being because a demon had dreamed them up, if that was indeed the case. But to Kakashi it hardly mattered, because they could not be undreamed. But to them, this was their existence. This was everything.
It was hours before the three young men were finished talking to Kakashi. Of course, much of that time was spent trying to calm Itachi and Sasuke down. Itachi was so good with his emotions that he had to be encouraged not to hide them and to let them out. Kakashi pointed out that something this heavy would weigh on him too much if he wasn't more willing to talk about things.
After their long talk, they were led to the Kazekage's main study. When they walked in, they were all surprised to see Gaara sitting there in blue robes, a mountain of paperwork at his desk.
"It's always like this," Gaara said with a calm expression. "I didn't miss it."
"Gaara," Haku smiled. "I still can't believe it. Well, I always believed you, but seeing you here… as the Kazekage! You're amazing!"
"The strongest ninja in your village?" Itachi said with a smile. "What an honor."
"We never would have known it while you were in our world!" Sasuke blurted out without thinking. Itachi elbowed him in the ribs.
"You're right," Gaara said with a slight smile. "You couldn't have known while I was there. I was being drained of all my chakra."
"By what?" Haku asked, walking over to the window to look outside.
Gaara was silent for a moment. "Hard to say," he said finally.
Kakashi nodded slightly to him in approval, and left the room.
"We're seeing so many familiar faces," Sasuke said, watching Kakashi leave. "I know it isn't possible, but I would have liked to see Konoha."
"It's a very nice looking village," Gaara said.
"Who is the Hokage?" Itachi asked.
"One of the Sannin," Gaara said. When Itachi looked horrified he clarified himself. "Not Orochimaru. It is Tsunade. She is a strong a capable leader. She is also a valued ally."
There was a knock on the door and Gaara called to the person to enter, thinking that Kakashi had forgotten something. But instead he received quite the surprise.
Stepping inside, in the cream-colored attire that looked like that of a warrior monk, was Hyuuga Neji. His long, dark hair contrasted his light skin and uniform, and most of all, his strong, white eyes that had a silvery shine in the sunlight of the room. He walked inside, tall, strong, and dignified. His forehead protector covered the seal on his forehead, though had it not been there he might have worn that seal without shame. Though Itachi, Sasuke, and Haku had seen his double in their own world, it took them a while to realize who they were looking at.
Neji closed the door behind him and bowed respectfully. "Lord Gaara," he said, in a clear voice. "It is good to see you well. And I see our guests from the other world are here. I'm very sorry to intrude, but I only wanted to speak briefly with you about the gateway. It can wait until later, however." He bowed again and slowly walked towards the door. "It is of no urgent importance. I will return another time."
"Wait," Gaara said, standing slowly.
Neji took his hand from the doorknob and slowly turned around. Gaara suddenly realized that he had no idea why he would keep him here. But curiosity was practically bursting from the others.
"Amazing…" Haku gasped.
"He's a shinobi!" Sasuke pointed like a kid looking at a fantastic toy in a shop. "Itachi look!"
"I see him Sasuke," Itachi smiled. "I'm only five feet away."
Gaara saw the faint smile that formed at one side of Neji's mouth, but it vanished immediately. "A pleasure to meet you all," Neji said.
"Amazing…" Haku repeated.
When Gaara looked at Itachi he saw that Itachi looked many times more relaxed than he had when he first entered the room. Perhaps seeing this version of Neji made him realize that the people between this world and the next really were completely different people, and not destined for the same fates or mistakes.
"I'm sorry, Neji," Gaara said. "I would like to speak to them a little while longer. However, if we could speak later…"
"I understand," Neji nodded before bowing again and leaving the room.
"Amazing…" Haku said.
"Is he strong?" Sasuke asked.
Gaara would have laughed if he were the sort. "I wouldn't want to fight him," Gaara said.
"But you're the Kazekage," Sasuke grinned.
"Neji was the first and only one to be promoted to Jounin of all of the teams around our age group in Konoha," Gaara explained. "He has self-taught himself the most powerful techniques of his clan and is probably currently one of the most powerful people in his village. His entire team is composed of taijutsu experts, and trust me when I say that you wouldn't want to fight any of them either." He walked over to the window to stare outside with Haku. "Had we not briefed him on the situation about all of you, you might already be dead. It only takes one hit from him to kill you, and he is faster than everyone in his room."
"You know a lot about him," Haku said.
"Of course," Gaara answered. "Years ago I was supposed to kill him and many others during our Chuunin exams. I learned quite a bit about him then." He stared at the sparkling sands outside.
"You have siblings," Itachi mentioned, pointing to a picture.
"Temari and Kankurou," Gaara nodded. "My father and mother are dead. These two are my only family."
"What exactly are your powers?" Sasuke asked. "To make it this far at your age… how did you manage that?"
"It's a long story," Gaara said. "But I'm sure you'll see my power soon. Some of our attackers are persistent."
"I wonder if us being here is what's causing the disturbance," Haku said, looking out over the desert in the direction of the door. "I wonder if that world needs us, simply because we are a part of it."
Gaara blinked and looked off in the same direction. He realized then how hard it would be if he were forced to say goodbye.
As the sun was setting, Neji returned. Gaara, who was tired of his stuffy office, led him upstairs and outside to observe the desert in the setting sun. They stood facing the direction of the gateway, which still had waves and tendrils of uncontrollable chakra swirling around it off in the distance.
"You can see it clearly?" Gaara asked. "Without activating your ability… you see it from here?"
"As clear as I see you," Neji said gazing into the distance.
A comfortable silence passed between then, and a warm breeze blew past. The sand seemed to glow and sparkle, and the horizon caught fire under the setting sun.
As the warming breeze blew, strands of Neji's long, dark, silky hair caught in the wind and brushed the side of Gaara's hand, which was grasping the railing. Gaara had a brief, guilty memory of grabbing a handful of hair so similar to this and claiming the lips of one so much like him and yet so completely different. But now Gaara couldn't figure out how he could find them similar in the least. Here, with this Neji, he felt a strong, unwavering presence.
Neji's pale hand grasped the railing in front of him and Gaara's mind started to work harder than he wanted at the sight of it. That hand was dangerous. This Neji, unlike the other, was dangerous. With that hand… no… with one finger on that hand, this Neji could kill. And death would be instant. But when he killed you, with his speed and grace and strength, you would die a beautiful death. Gaara nearly winced. Thinking of Neji as dangerous should have made it easier to distance himself. But then Neji still became something beautiful.
Gaara realized that he had placed himself in a bad position. When he was working he felt fulfilled and content. It was hard work to lead and protect an entire village, but he enjoyed it. He liked being needed by others. He thought of little else but his village. But when he was behind the door he learned that he needed to think of himself as well. He needed to just be Gaara. And just-Gaara couldn't get his mind off of the young man standing next to him.
"Neji," Gaara said softly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw that calm face turn towards him. "Why did you go so far to save me?"
"We all wanted you back," Neji said. "You're important to people. Your village needs you."
Gaara never really knew how to be anything but straightforward. "When I was in that other world, I would see things on this side of the door in my dreams," he said. "I was always standing on top of that door, but no one could see me. I realized that those weren't dreams at all, but reality that I couldn't interact with. This is how I came to know that my village was in danger."
Neji slowly turned to gaze out over the desert again. Gaara felt that something he said was affecting him.
"Almost every time I was here in spirit, I saw you there," Gaara said finally. "You were nearly killed." He let the breeze comb through his reddish brown hair for a brief moment before turning back to the desert. "I thank you," he said.
Gaara's ears were well trained to know the wind, and he heard a sound that would be imperceptible to others. A slight breath escaped Neji's lips, as though he wanted to say something important. But that breath was quickly extinguished, and the words held back… perhaps forever. Instead he said, "I'm just glad to see you well, Lord Gaara."
The formality in Neji's voice… the distance in it… although expected from someone who hardly knew him, was a prick to Gaara's heart. It pricked in the same place he felt a prick many, many years ago, when he found out Yashamaru didn't love him. Circumstances were different of course. Gaara didn't love Neji… because he didn't know that kind of love. Not yet. And Yashamaru was family, so it was a different sort of love anyway. But the disappointment pricked him in the same way. Perhaps what he wanted from both of them was complete acceptance and trust without reason. Yashamaru had been his uncle, so he had naively believed as a child that he would connect with him. And Gaara felt a connection with Neji for reasons he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was because they had been connected through Neji's life force more than once. But when it came to giving unwavering friendship, Yashamaru had already failed in that and was now dead because of it. And Neji was too distant to fail in it.
But there was one thing Gaara was sure of as well. Neji was incapable of that kind of betrayal. Neji lived amongst the oddest people Gaara had ever encountered and had been unflinchingly loyal to them. Gaara knew of this from Lee, who he occasionally kept contact with. Neji was a good person. Gaara didn't know if he could say the same about himself. There was too much in his past for that.
"This will sound crazy," Neji said, staring off towards the ruins, "But when that creature pierced me I felt something."
Gaara turned to him curiously.
"It was painful, and vast," Neji said. "If I weren't mistaken, I'd say it was loneliness."
Gaara blinked and looked back at the dunes, though his mind was working. "Do you think it is searching for something to make it less lonely now?"
"That, I'm not sure of," Neji said. "It could really mean to feed or kill. But it isn't happy." He paused for a short time. "I thought you'd understand if I told you," he said softly. "It's not exactly something you put on a formal report."
Gaara glanced to Neji, whose hair was obscuring his face somewhat. "Thank you," Gaara nodded. "I understand." He then thought he saw the veins rise up around Neji's eyes for a brief moment before they relaxed again.
"Temari," Neji said softly.
Gaara didn't understand until Temari climbed the stairs that led her outside to them.
"Gaara," she said. "We found something."
Both young men turned, and Gaara felt long, stray strands of Neji's hair touch his face and hand along with the breeze. Temari held up a dusty text.
"The door has to be sealed from both sides," she said. "Otherwise the beast inside must be drawn out and killed."
"But if we kill it…" Neji began.
"That entire world dies with it," Gaara finished.
"And not only that," Temari said solemnly. "There is no guarantee that those who enter to seal it will return. And, it gets worse." She sighed deeply. "The door that you must close on the other side is the actual, physical door that separates us from the beast. In other words, the demon must be kept contained and docile long enough for us to see the door on the other side without being drawn into the beast's dream world."
"Anyone who enters that door falls asleep and enters the beast's dream, in a manner of speaking," Neji said softly. "But there must be a way to forcibly wake yourself up," he mused, looking out into the distance.
He never told them that that he had seen Sasuke exiting the door, his body and mind fully intact, so easily. He could only guess that Sasuke's Sharingan allowed him to see the correct path to enter and exit other dimensions easily, including this beast's dream. In terms of detail, Neji's eyes were technically stronger, but the level of detail he could perceive was working against him now, making everything too bright and strong for him to handle. And bringing Sasuke up now would set off a full-scale investigation that would most likely worry everyone needlessly.
"Do you have any idea how to contain this demon?" Neji asked, returning his focus to Temari.
"I'm still researching," Temari said softly. "But it appears…" she hesitated. "It appears as though it requires us to put it inside someone."
Gaara's eyes widened slightly. "No," he murmured.
"Gaara," Temari said, putting a hand on his shoulder gently. "The village is in danger now."
"You're asking me to do to someone else what made my life a living hell," he said, staring into her eyes fiercely. It had been a long time since she had seen him so upset.
"I'll do it," Neji said firmly. "You have nothing to fear if it's me," he said.
Gaara looked at him, barely containing his resentment at the situation. "Nothing to fear?"
"There are people who would never shun me for it," Neji said, staring down below at the figures of his teammates, unaware of him. "People I know who understand," he said, smirking down at Naruto's figure. "And even in the worst case scenario," he turned back to them, his eyes solemn. "Someone in my family can kill me if something goes wrong and I lose myself."
Gaara's eyes slowly went to Neji's forehead protector, which covered the seal on his forehead. If activated by Neji's head family, he'd be killed in a matter of minutes. He shook his head slowly.
"You don't know what it feels like," Gaara said. "I'll do it."
"You can't, Lord Kazekage," Neji said serenely. "You've suffered enough, and now you have a village to lead." He smiled reassuringly. "Trust in me."
Gaara realized that as nice as diplomacy was, it was also very time-consuming and complicated. A formal request had to be sent to Konoha asking Tsunade's permission to allow members of Konoha to join a team that was to travel beyond the gateway. Another formal request had to be sent to Lord Hiashi, head of the Hyuuga clan, requesting that his highly talented nephew Neji be allowed to join said team and possibly become a host for a demon. Then, due to the joint nature of the mission, team leaders had to be decided upon, and the rest of the team would have to swear to be loyal to those leaders, regardless of their village of origin. Naturally, this process was talking days and days to finish.
"We shouldn't need to send a large team if you think about it," Kankurou mentioned. "Haku, Sasuke Two, and Itachi Two will be going back through the door also. They count, right?"
"Of course," Gaara said. "But they would only be able to do so much before they figure out what we are hiding from them. We can't tell them that they are part of a demon's dream world."
"Does it really matter if we tell them?" Kankurou said seriously. "It's not as though they can be undreamed."
"But at what point were they created?" Gaara said, deep in his thoughts. "At what point were their memories and pasts fabrications? I can't let them suffer thinking about these things."
"Gaara," Temari said, looking up from her paperwork. "Hiashi of the Hyuuga clan has responded. The letter just arrived. Hinata is forbidden from entering because in the event that anything goes wrong her ability can't be sealed. But he expresses confidence in Neji's abilities and grants Neji permission to do whatever he wishes."
"But is it wise to put Neji on the away team?" Kankurou sighed, running his hand through his hair. "He's the only one who can see the people who cross over."
"He's also the only one with a chakra system stable enough to contain the energy of something this large," Temari commented.
Gaara winced slightly. He still hated that option. "If we seal something inside of Neji, then we couldn't just keep it there. It will have a negative effect on his body. Vessel sealing techniques are unreliable and unstable."
"We wouldn't be keeping it inside of him," Temari said firmly. "It's a last resort, Gaara, I promise."
Gaara sat completely still, his eyes closed in thought. Suddenly, in the distance, warning bells started to sound. Gaara stood quickly as he heard the hurried footsteps from outside the window. Something had set his village into motion, and his strongest fighters were now on the move.
"Lord Gaara!" an attendent breathed, opening the door to the Kazekage study. "Several dead bodies found," he panted. "Word of invaders in the village."
Gaara slung his large sand gourd over his back and ran outside. He arrived right in time to see Kakashi being taken into custody.
"What is the meaning of this?" Gaara demanded.
"It's alright Gaara," Kakashi nodded. "We would do the same in our own village."
"There is only one invader noted in several accounts," said a man who was helping to arrest Kakashi. "Someone with Sharingan."
Kakashi was pulled to sit against the nearest building. When Gaara's eyes adjusted to the chaos all around him he focused on Itachi there as well. The two were being heavily guarded.
"This still leaves a few suspects," Kankurou said softly to Gaara. "They are still looking for Sasuke Two… and…"
"The Uchiha from this world," Gaara agreed.
"Witnesses indicate one person," a surveillance ninja was whispering nearby.
"Gaara!" Kankurou said, pointing up towards the tops of the buildings.
Gaara looked up, and to his shock he saw a very familiar person standing there, covered in blood.
"Obito…" Gaara blinked. "Of course, there must be an Obito for this world. That must be him…."
"Gaara!" Haku yelled, running up to him. "Gaara! It's not Obito! Not anymore!"
"Not the one we know," Gaara nodded.
"No, you don't understand," Haku said, putting his hands on Gaara's shoulders. "That was the Uchiha Obito from my world, Gaara. The reason he didn't come with us when we ran from Konoha is because his body was possessed by Orochimaru. He is no longer the Obito you knew."
Gaara shook his head, unwilling to believe. "There must be a second Obito. This could be him."
"That isn't possible, Gaara," Haku said gently. He glanced over to Kakashi, then back to Gaara. "Kakashi's Sharingan eye once belonged to the Uchiha Obito of this world. It started out much the same in both worlds, with them as teammates. But now--"
Gaara suddenly stiffened and gently moved Haku out of his way. He stared up towards Obito, his eyes wide. "It's true then," Gaara whispered, noting that a second person had joined Obito at the top of the building. With white hair and pale skin and pale eyes, Gaara remembered that cold gaze. He turned his head and met Lee's eyes. They knew who that was.
"Kimimaro," Gaara said. "In this world, he's dead. It must be true then." He clenched his fists in anger. "Obito, I'm sorry," he murmured to himself.
"So let me get this straight," Kankurou blurted out, reminding them that he was there. "Orochimaru is in our village?!"
No sooner had the words left Kankurou's mouth that he noticed the sand around Gaara's feet starting to swirl. People started to scatter in every direction at the sand's slight movement. They knew that when Gaara started to fight, it would be life threatening to be anywhere where the heavy, harsh sand might crush them.
But then Gaara froze an narrowed his eyes.
"Hostages…" he muttered.
Hyuuga Hinata from Gaara's own world, and Sasuke from the alternate world were there with Kimimaro and Orochimaru. Gaara wasn't sure how they had been threatened, but they weren't making a move to escape. And both were clearly afraid.
"We'll be taking the hostages," Orochimaru smirked down at him, still in Obito's form.
Gaara glared, and suddenly a swirling sandstorm rose up, circling the village and leaving no chance for escape. The size of the storm was immense, circling the entire massive sand village in a perfect circle. Orochimaru seemed utterly surprised and confused until he focused on Gaara again when his new Sharingan eyes.
"I see," Orochimaru smirked. "You really are the Kazekage," he chuckled, noting the chakra emanating from Gaara's body to control the swirling sand. "Fortunately for us, we were just leaving," he smirked.
Suddenly, a large snake, many stories high, rose up from behind Orochimaru, it's mouth opened wide. Kimimaro yanked Sasuke with him and Orochimaru firmly pulled Hinata until all four were standing in the snakes mouth. Then it disappeared.
Gaara stared at the blank spot on top of the building for a moment before he realized what was happening.
"Get to the door!" he ordered. "He's using the snake as a transport. Someone will summon the snake again at the gateway and they'll make their escape. Stay outside of the chakra's range!"
The sand storm around the village started to dissipate. At his order dozens of ninja sprang into action, running through the streets and finally exiting the village at top speed. But Gaara saw the two who were moving before the order was given. Itachi and Neji, using the commotion as cover, had gotten a head start. Itachi to save his brother, Neji to save his cousin. To Gaara's horror, he realized that they wouldn't stop until they reached Orochimaru. And then four people with the strongest bloodline limits in the world would be in Orochimaru's filthy hands.
Gaara was running at top speed and suddenly felt someone's presence right next to him. He turned to see Haku, who was just as determined as him to reach the gateway. But when they arrived, teams were already restraining Neji and Itachi from going any further. Neji was easier to calm, with Gai and Kakashi assuring their fellow Jounin that something would be done. But Itachi was livid. Even Chouji and Kiba from Konoha were having a rough time holding him down.
The white, snake-like chakra was hungrily searching and swirling at the doorway. More of it was visible than ever before. The creature was restless. Gaara looked around and was pleased to see that Naruto was keeping a safe distance.
"They made it through," Haku sighed, frustrated.
Gaara narrowed his eyes. An S-ranked criminal with the power to cross between both worlds, and Gaara had no idea how. But one thing was certain: His village was now under Orochimaru's threat. This gateway was in his territory, and he trusted no one else to take care of it.
Gaara walked over to Kankurou and Temari, who were standing with members of his counsel.
"I'm taking a team," Gaara informed them. "And we're leaving as soon as possible."
"Gaara!" Kankurou said, aghast. "That's irresponsible! You have a village to lead."
"And I have a village to protect!" Gaara replied. "I can't sit here and lose team after team while waiting for Orochimaru to bring an army into the village. I need to know what's going on at every second when it comes to his actions. I'm not going to fail, Kankurou."
Temari sighed deeply. "Who will go?" she asked. "And how will we get you out?"
"Haku and Itachi will be returning with me," he said firmly. "And from our side of the gateway, Neji."
"With the four of you it's basically a standard team with an added team leader," Temari nodded. "And then Hinata and Sasuke will join, so it's good that you're keeping the number of people from this side low."
"And it will be harder to recall us if I send anymore," Gaara said solemnly. "A large team is not ideal for this if we want to get home."
"That still leaves the issue of how you're getting out," Kankurou said.
"We'll contact the Hyuuga clan," Kakashi said, walking up behind them. "Leave it to us."
"Then inform Neji and Itachi," Gaara said. "We're moving out."
Neji had returned to the village and arrived at the door again with his pack in record time. Even with his speed he was still being trailed by members of Gaara's counsel and well as Kakashi and Gai, getting political issues out of the way. In front of witnesses from both villages, Gaara was temporarily given control of Neji in order to assure that the two remained in a stable relationship for their mission.
"This isn't necessary," Gai muttered to Kakashi. "Neji is never disobedient. He'll listen to Gaara if I ask him to."
"You know he has to go through the motions," Kakashi muttered back. "All Jounin have to do things like this. We'd have to do it if we were going."
"…And keep in mind that to disobey the Kazekage will be considered an act of war," ranted one of the Sand advisors.
"I understand," Neji replied mechanically as he stood staring at the door.
"We're going," Gaara said, trying to spare Neji from his advisors, who he knew could be savage.
Neji nodded and he and a very solemn looking Itachi and amazingly calm Haku walked out onto the door with Gaara in an area where the chakra was somewhat calm. Suddenly they were all grabbed and pulled into very tight hugs.
"Good luck guys," Naruto's shadow clones said in unison, each of the chakra-filled four clones holding on to a member of the party. In seconds, the demon chakra exploded through the door, pulling the four with it in an effort to get Naruto. From a safe distance, Naruto released his clones and felt them disappear, and the team was on its own.
---To Be Continued---