Rosuto Rakuen (Lost Paradise)
XXV. Don't Leave Me Behind
By: Datenshi No Uzumaki (aka Kat Lee V)

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"Tsunade-sama, it's Gaara-kun!" The blonde Hokage stood up from her seat. Sakura and Naruto's heads shot up.

Then at the door stood the familiar white-eyed ex-Hyuuga. Neji narrowed his eyes. "What about Gaara?" His voice was dangerously low.

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There were only a few Soldiers in the room, and Naruto recognized them all. Ino and her Shugorei were there. Of course Sakura and her Shugorei were also present. Neji was also in the room with an unreadable expression. Kakashi, Sasuke's old sensei, was there, along with the new acquaintance of Maito Gai (Lee and Neji's old sensei).

The blonde sat in the back corner, listening intently, as the Hokage sat on her big comfy chair behind her desk. The blonde woman look stressed with worry written all over her face. The elder Seibyou Soldiers stood at one side, while the younger generation of Soldiers stood at the other side. They stood in a line, but Naruto hid at the back.

"I've called you all here to relate to you of urgent news, regarding Konoha's Soldiers, Senmin, Namikaze Gaara and Shugorei, Rock Lee." She opened her cinnamon eyes and peered at the Soldiers. "Twelve hours ago, we have received message from Rock Lee that they were attacked, after completing their mission near Sunagakure. It was also mentioned that their attackers were none other than members of Akatsuki."

Sakura widened her eyes and gasped. She had a hand on her mouth in shock. Tsunade closed her eyes, frowning. "In the message… it was said that… Namikaze Gaara… was taken by the Akatsuki."

Naruto stood up from his seat in alarm. "WHAT? Then we have to go and get him back! If they are going to try and extract Shukaku from Gaara-nii… then he'll…" Neji clenched his hand into a tight fist, but his face held no emotion.

The Godaime looked up at her nephew. "That is why I am sending the present soldiers in this room to find the Akatsuki, and get back Namikaze Gaara." She glanced at the soldiers. "You are to leave here at 1600 hours. That is 20 minutes to gather the things you need, and head out to Suna. There will be some Suna Soldiers that will assist you in this mission, for they know the geography of their country. Also, there are already some Suna Soldiers sent out in search for Akatsuki's hideout. Hatake Kakashi, you are the leader of this mission. If anything were to happen to Heisei Hatake, then Heisei Maito Gai will take over." Neji frowned deeply. The others nodded, understanding their directive. "Good… now go and get prepared. More info of your mission will be sent to you in your ComLink." Then the Soldiers turned around to walk out the office.

"Naruto, you stay here." The blonde boy blinked, and turned to face his aunt. All the people in the room were gone, save for the two blondes.

"Obasan?"

Tsunade stood up from her chair, and turned around to face the window. "Naruto… you're not going with them in their mission."

Blue eyes widened. "What? Why not?" He shouted with anger. "He's my brother!"

"I know that, but you are not setting a foot out of this city, you understand?" The blonde woman's voice was raised.

"No I don't! Why can't I go and help them?" Naruto protested.

Tsunade turned around, her eyes hard and cold, with a frown set on her lips. "Why?" She stood up from her chair, and leaned on her desk, with her arms on it for support. "Because you're without your Shugorei. And that last little adventure you had nearly got captured! I can't risk you going out there without sufficient protection and let Akatsuki take you." Tsunade nearly shouted. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but his aunt spoke first.

"Naruto, you have to understand that this is the only way to protect you from getting captured from Akatsuki or from Orochimaru. If that were to happen, the worst possible outcome will befall on this world." The blonde woman sighed heavily, and placed a hand on her temple. Falling back down in her chair. "Plus… Your Shugorei are out of commission… there will be no one to protect you from another episode with Akatsuki, or Oto Soldiers." Naruto frowned. "Not that I'm saying you are weak, Naruto, nor do I doubt Kyuubi's powers. It's just I would feel better if I know you are here safe in Konoha. Do not worry so much about Gaara-kun, for I know he is stronger than you think. Trust in the others that they will retrieve him safe and sound."

The blonde boy bowed his head, not looking up at his father's sister. Without a word, the boy turned around and left the room. Tsunade sighed, and fell back into her chair. "May all the Gods watch over my brother's children. I do not know what to do anymore with Naruto… he's just as stubborn as his parents. Please… please guide him to the right direction… keep him safe."

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"Akatsuki has two headquarters. If they were spotted near Suna, then they're location would be in the south mountain ranges of the Earth Country. It usually takes about two weeks for all members of Akatsuki to gather to do the ceremony in extracting the Biju."

'Two weeks, huh?' Blue eyes looked up at the starry sky. 'Don't worry Gaara-nii… I'll save you, like all those times you've done for me. It's my turn to protect you.'

"Naruto-kun… I understand why you want to do this, but it's too dangerous. If you are ever in trouble, then summon me. I'll be sure to protect you, even though I'm not in my full strength."

A smile. "Do not worry, Itachi. Just promise me… You'll watch over Sasuke." The older Uchiha nodded. Naruto smiled at his Shugorei, and then turned to the younger Uchiha. He was still unconscious.

Naruto's eyes fell, seeing how the older teen was paler than usual. The blonde took Sasuke's hand into his, and gave it a soft squeeze. The blonde bent over, his lips near the sleeping teen's ear. "I'm sorry Sasuke that you can't come with me, but I know in my heart you'll still be there beside me, always protecting me. That is why I ask of you, to give me your strength, even though you are still in this condition. I promise I'll come back for you, and then, you'll have to wake up. If you're not, then I'll just kick your ass until you do." The blonde pulled back and grinned cheekily. Then the boy gave a small peck on the raven-haired teen's lips.

Naruto shivered slightly, and then pressed the tiny fox closer to his chest. Kurama sighed. 'Kit… maybe you should tell the others you are on this craft. I don't want you to get sick sleeping in the cold.' The blonde waved a hand, pulling his cloak around them. "It's okay… It's not that cold. I'll wait until we land at Suna to reveal my presence. Sakura-neechan is going to be so mad at me, and would beat the stuffing out of me for disobeying Tsunade-obasan. But then again, she knew I wasn't going to listen to her anyways." The tiny red fox shook her head.

Soon there was comfortable warmth radiating from the tiny fox. Naruto smiled as he pulled the warm animal close to him. "Thank you Kurama." He then snuggled the fluffy fox, and closed his eyes. 'I hope Sasuke and Itachi are okay… Please Gods, watch over them.'

There was a sound of the cabin door being opened. Naruto shrunk back, hoping that this person wouldn't see him. The figure walked close to the rails, and stared at the night sky. Naruto widened his eyes, recognizing it as Neji. 'Poor Neji-nii… I bet he's really hurting inside knowing that his wife is in danger…'

'He is distressed because he's afraid that he might be too late in rescuing your brother. After all, it's been already a little over 24 hours since the distress call.' Kurama said. 'We got around two weeks until Akatsuki can gather and extract Shukaku from Gaara-niisan.'

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"What the hell are you doing here?" An angry voice screeched. Being jerked from his spot, Naruto was thrown into the air, screaming in surprise. Then he was tossed to the side, and he groaned in pain. He looked up while rubbing his head. Beside him, Kurama was hissing in anger from being rudely awakened. Naruto widened his eyes seeing his angry sister looking down at him.

"N-Neechan…" His voice was shaking in fright. "…Um… Surprise?"

The pink haired girl grabbed the collar of her baby brother's shirt, and lifted him up. "Why are you here? Tsunade-obasan distinctly order for you not to come with us on this mission. What's worse is that you have no Shugorei to be able to defend yourself! You're such an idiot!" She shouted.

Naruto winced lightly. "I'm sorry… but I had to come, Neechan… Niisan needs me." He bowed his head, closing his blue eyes.

"Just let him tag along." The Namikaze siblings turned their heads to see Sai casually leaning on the wall, with his arms crossed. "Chibi-chan here is able to protect himself, even without his Shugorei. He has Kyuubi with him."

The fox glared at the teen. 'It's Kyuubi-sama to you, you girly-boy!' Naruto held in his laugh at the fox's insult to Sai. "Plus, Naruto-kun knows well not to fight battles he knows that he isn't able to fight." Sai looked at the blonde carefully with this strange look in his eyes. 'Meaning, I'll just be in the way and be a burden.' The blonde turned his head away and frowned.

Sakura sighed, and pulled her baby brother up from the ground. She then led the blonde into the cabins to let the boy eat breakfast. Looks like she had to inform their leader of this mission of the stowaway they found on the aerocraft.

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They've reached Suna early in the morning, and were making their way to the Kazekage tower. Naruto looked around the big city, seeing how different it was from Konoha. The houses and buildings were built from sun-baked bricks, and their building shape was more dome-like in structure, unlike the building back at Konoha. From a distance, he could see the high walls that protected the desert city. Swirling around the city was a heavy sandstorm that doubled the defense on the city. The Kage tower in Suna was the tallest structure, but not as tall at the Hokage Tower.

Sakura turned around and grabbed her brother's wrist. "Come on, we're going to the hospital."

Naruto turned his head and watched as the group was walking away towards the Kazekage tower. "But aren't we going to the meeting with them with the Kazekage?"

The pink haired girl waved a hand. "It's okay. I'll know what will happen from my Shugorei. Plus, I really want to see how Lee-kun is doing. I heard something horrible happened, and I want to be there to help him." She blushed lightly.

The blonde smiled at his sister's dedication to the Shugorei of his brother. "Okay, let's go see Fuzzy Brows." That response earned him a whack on the head from his sister.

They reached the hospital, and found the room where the boy was resting. Sakura rushed into the room, and immediately went by the dark haired teen's side. She took his hand into hers, and watched him. Lee stirred and opened his dark eyes to see the smiling pink haired beauty. "…Am… am I in heaven…?" He whispered hoarsely.

Naruto chuckled at the line, and just walked over to the other side of the teen. "No… but if you were, you wouldn't really want to see her hideous face in front of yours." Sakura growled and threw the closest object at the boy. Naruto barely dodged it, staring at the girl with wide eyes. 'What the heck is Tsunade-obasan teaching her?' He turned his head slightly and saw the hole Sakura created by throwing the object. Kurama shuddered on the blonde's lap. 'I wouldn't want to get her angry….'

Sakura looked down at the dark haired teen, with a soft smile on her face. "Lee-kun… We came here as fast as we could when we heard the news. Are you okay?"

The pink haired girl helped the teen sit up in the bed. "No… I'm not really… I failed as a Shugorei, and broke the trust of my partner…" Lee said in a low tone.

Sakura's expression fell, and placed a comforting hand on the teen's shoulder. "No… it's okay, Lee-kun. You didn't fail Gaara-nii. There is still a chance for you to save him. And I don't think Neji-nii is mad at you. He won't blame you."

Lee shook his head. "No… he is mad at me. He trusted me in protecting our Senmin, but I let Akatsuki take him. I'm a failure."

There was a slap that shocked both the dark haired and pink haired teens. They looked up at the frowning blonde at the other side of the bed. "Don't say you're a failure. No Senmin would ever like to hear their Shugorei say that about themselves. And it's not your fault that Gaara-nii got caught. I'm sure you fought as hard as you could to protect him, but let's admit that Akatsuki is just stronger than we anticipated." The blonde looked at the older teen with hard blue eyes. "We can still be able to save Gaara-nii. We have less than two weeks to find him and get him back from those damned Akatsuki."

Sakura smiled at her baby brother. 'No…' She shook her head. 'He's no longer a baby anymore…'

"So just leave it all to me! I'll bring Gaara-nii back!" Naruto exclaimed, pumping his arm into the air. Lee cheered on, "Yosh!" Sakura sighed, and shook her head. 'Okay… maybe Naruto didn't grow up that much…' She laughed to herself.

After an hour, talking to the injured teen, the door suddenly opened, and the occupants in the room looked up to see who it was. One was a tall female, with sandy blonde hair up in two pairs of pigtails. She was dressed in the similar fashion the city of Suna has, and behind was what looks like a giant folded fan. She smirked and raised her chin. "Well, well, well, it looks like Naru-chan is here too."

The other person was a strange young man, with a painted face, wearing a black jumpsuit. There were also three big scrolls being carried on his back. He waved a hand. "It's been a while."

Naruto blinked his eyes, and tilted his head to the side. "…Eh? W-who are you guys?"

Sakura stared at the boy with wide eyes. "I can't believe you forgot about Temari-neechan and Kankuro-niisan."

The blonde boy blinked and then recognition over came him. "Neechan!" The blonde leaped into the air and threw himself at the older blonde into a tight hug.

Temari laughed, hugging the boy back. "Whoa there, Naru-chan. You're going to crush me."

Kankuro laughed and patted the young teen's head. "Looks like you're still a shorty, Chibi-chan."

Naruto looked up at them and pouted. "Hey! I grew! I'm finally taller than Sakura-neechan!" Then he blinked his eyes. "Um… why are they here?" He turned to his sister.

Sakura sighed. "They are our cousins you know. Their dad and our Kaa-san are first cousins from the Uzumaki Clan. Seeing as they are family, they came from this world. All our relatives are from this world. It's just most of Uzumaki Clan moved to the other world, remember?" The pink haired girl glanced at her cousins. "It turns out this is their mother's hometown, and she was the daughter of the previous Kazekage here. Their father took over as Suna's Kazekage after she passed away." Temari nodded her head in conformation, with a slight sadness in her eyes.

The eldest female placed a hand on her hip, slightly tilting her head to the side. "So, it looks like we're coming with you to go and retrieve Tanaku-kun." Naruto snickered at the name his cousin gave his brother.

"You are?" Sakura asked in surprise. "Well, that's great. I guess we do need a lot of help, considering we're going to be facing Akatsuki, a group full of Ranshin (Nuke-nin)."

Kankuro smirked. "You know we would do anything for our family."

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They all stood at the base of the mountain ranges. Behind the Konoha Soldiers were a few Suna Soldiers, headed by the son and daughter of the Kazekage. Naruto stood all the way in the back, pouting because his sister made him stay at the back. 'I can't believe I have to be back up! Why can't I be in the front line?'

'In case you haven't noticed, you don't have your Shugorei with you. You may be strong with or without them, but it would be much safer if you have your Guardians.' Kurama said, watching out for her kit.

Kakashi turned his head slightly to the Suna Soldiers. "Okay, your teams will take the east side. We'll head to the west and head north. Make sure your communicators are on. If you encounter Akatsuki, don't fight, but escape if you can. We don't want any casualties, until we find Namikaze Gaara." Everyone nodded, and the Suna Soldiers sped out of sight.

Sakura grabbed Naruto wrist. "Let's go." Sai transformed into his animal form, and the size of Kurama grew to that of the black panther. Naruto hopped on to the Kitsune's back, with Kakashi behind him, while Sakura and Hinata were on Sai. The two large animals dashed forward, heading to the north direction. The other Konoha soldiers went to the right.

All around there were only rocks and more rocks. Naruto was getting ticked that they couldn't find any entrance to the supposed base of the Akatsuki. There was a vibration in his pocket and he took out his ComLink. 'Itachi!' He pressed a few buttons and a message popped up.

How are you Naruto-kun? Sasuke and I are doing well, though he has not awakened yet. I hope that you haven't gotten in trouble yet. Though we are far, I can still feel your distress, Naruto-kun. Judging that there is no message of your progress, you haven't found the Akatsuki base yet. That's understandable, for it is hidden behind genjutsu. Don't worry. I have sent you a map of the region, and pinpointed the area where the genjutsu is.

Naruto smiled to himself. 'Itachi is always thinking of me.' He gave a small chuckle.

Please be careful Naruto-kun. Like I told you, it will take about two weeks until all Akatsuki members gather to do the extracting ceremony. Fighting each member will be difficult, for they are powerful Ranshin. I made sure to send a file of brief information on the members that I know of. There are two that I haven't gotten info on, the Leader and the new member that has replaced Orochimaru. For sure by now they have found a replacement for me, but I already have his information down, thanks to some inside sources of mine. Like I said, be careful, and don't be afraid to call for my help. I'll be sure to be there in no time flat. Don't worry, I'm still watching over Otouto. He's still unconscious, but I promise that he'll wake once you're here.

Uchiha Itachi

The blonde looked up from his ComLink and glanced behind to see Kakashi peering over his shoulder. Naruto already knew that the gray haired man was informed about the whereabouts of the Akatsuki. He watched as the man tugged on to the microphone of the communicator, and telling the others that they knew where the location of the base was. Naruto thought ahead and sent out the map of the headquarters. Kakashi looked towards the pink haired Shugorei. "Let's go ahead, Sakura. Let Hinata use her Byakugan." The man said.

Naruto's sister nodded, and dashed a head on Sai's panther form. The blonde knew how well Sakura and her team was with genjutsus, seeing as Hinata has the Byakugan and was taught by the genjutsu specialist, Yuuhi Kurenai. Once they reached the barrier, Sakura raised her hand up, and shouted, "KAI!" There was a large cracking sound, and then the genjutsu exploded. The group had to shield their eyes, as the barrier was like glass. They could already tell that whoever put up that barrier was really powerful, to have the genjutsu react that way when it was dispelled. They widened their eyes at the sight of the opening of the cave. There were already minions of Akatsuki standing guard, and scrambling to tell them that intruders have made it past their barrier.

The soldiers of Konoha jumped off their ride, and went into an attacking stance to fight the in coming Akatsuki. "We'll do our best to not waste chakra. Our main focus is in finding Gaara, and destroying the base. These are no the main members of Akatsuki, so don't waste that much chakra on them." Kakashi said. The teens nodded.

Then Kakashi with Sakura's Shugorei charged at the Akatsuki. Naruto and Sakura stood behind, unleashing their controlled elements at the ones that ran passed the front line fighters. Kurama was fighting beside her charge, ripping to shreds the Akatsuki that dared to get five feet close to the blonde teen. There was a giant gust of wind that blew down the next wave of Akatsuki that ran out of the entrance.

Naruto and Sakura turned their heads and saw Temari and her team running forward into the fight. The older female smirked. "Don't worry about these losers. Let us take care of them."

The Namikaze siblings turned their heads as they saw a giant puppet slash its way through the Akatsuki. "Yeah. Go on ahead and find that red head brat."

Then a person ran past the siblings, and they recognized the person as Neji. "Let's go Sakura, Naruto." The two nodded, and ran into the entrance with the rest of the Konoha Soldiers. As they ran, they went into a formation. Naruto stayed behind with Sakura, her Shugorei and Neji. The two senior Seibyou were at the front while Ino and her Shugorei ran in the center. They ran into more lower classes Akatsuki, as they went deeper into the dark fortress.

Naruto pulled out his ComLink and smiled as thanks for Itachi sending a map of the base. 'He's always one step ahead.' 'He is a prodigy after all, and your Shugorei. He knows how you think.' Kurama replied, running closely beside the blonde. "The ceremony room is at the deepest parts of this base." The blonde said to the group. "If you follow my lead, you won't be lost in this maze." He said, while staring at the ComLink. There were dots on the screen indicating where they were, and where the location of the rescue team was. "Kakashi, you need to turn left at the fork."

"Roger."

"Wah! There are Akatsuki from the left of where we are."

"Where are they coming from?"

"Don't complain, young Soldiers! Just keeping fighting with your burning flames of youth! Yosh!"

"Troublesome…"

The blonde smiled to himself, and glanced at the ex-Hyuuga running beside him. Neji held an empty expression, causing the blonde to frown. He looked up to see Sakura ahead with her Shugorei in front of her. 'The Tanaku boy is still alive. If he were dead by now, White-Eyes wouldn't be functioning this well.'

Naruto blinked his eyes, slightly tilting his head. 'Why is that?' He questioned.

'In wedding ceremonies of humans, their bond would be cemented. Their connection is dangerous, to the point that if their other half dies, and then a part of their soul dies with them. That is why marriage among humans is very trifling, especially married Senmin-Shugorei partners. Their bond becomes so strong that they are able to receive the same injuries as their spouse.' Kurama glanced at the white-eyed male. 'He's really good in hiding his pain. I won't be surprised that if you were to check on the two, they will have the same exact injuries.' Naruto slightly widened his eyes and glanced at Neji.

"Kakashi-san, there is a door to the right of your location. Break through, and descend to the next lower level." Naruto said on the communicator. He looked up in time to watch as the older teens knocked out five lower Akatsuki members.

Sakura looked around. "Hopefully that was all of them here." She looked up at the group. "Let's go catch up to the rest." They all nodded and ran through the caves with Naruto's guidance. 'Please wait for us Gaara-nii.' The twin sister thought.

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"With this many low level Akatsuki, you'd think that they are already starting the ceremony." Sai murmured, as he ran ahead.

Hinata frowned slight, and squeezed her fist close to her chest. "You think that too?" She looked behind to see her twin brother. Her expression fell, but she shook it away. "If this is true, then we must hurry."

"Whoa!"

"AH!"

Naruto's head shot up, his eyes widened. "What happened?"

"There is a strong force field around the chamber. We can't get through."

"Oh shit, there are more Akatsuki."

"Your guess was right… All of the members are already here."

Sakura clenched her hands tightly. "Come on, let's hurry!" They all nodded and rushed with all their speed to the lowest chamber in the base. When they reached the big open area where the other Konoha Soldiers were, they saw more Akatsuki lackeys. Sakura let out a battle cry, before pounding her fist to the ground. The ground shook violently, and opened up. The Konoha Soldiers jumped out of the girl's attack, letting the Akatsuki members get caught in it. The pink haired girl then rushed forward with her Shugorei behind her. Neji followed after her towards the entrance way.

The girl looked up and felt the strong aura that was blocking their entrance. She growled and pounded on the invisible barrier. "Damn it! Gaara-nii! Hold on!" She shouted.

Naruto bit his lip, and stared as the nine Akatsuki members gathered. There on the floor laid the still form of his brother. 'Gaara-nii…' He narrowed his eyes, and took in a deep breath. He pressed his hand on the barrier and closed his eyes. Then the blonde flared in red chakra that whipped around widely. Sakura, her Shugorei and Neji jumped back in surprise. "Naruto-"

Kurama watched with pride at her kit. 'The barrier can't be broken down, unless it's of the chakra of a demon.' She glanced at the pink haired girl that housed the two-tailed cat. 'She should help as well.'

"Sakura… to break the barrier… we have to let out the chakra of the Biju within us." The blonde whispered, concentrating his power.

The pink haired girl held her breath, and then mimicked the actions of her baby brother. Soon both Namikazes were flaring with red chakra. It pushed back the Konoha Soldiers from its demonic aura. They watched, as there was a flicker of light from the barrier. Then it burst into flames at a certain spot, melting it away.

"We have to hurry. They are breaking through the barrier, un."

"Shut up and concentrate on the jutsu."

There was a giant flare of power that surged from the room, nearly knocking down the Namikaze siblings. Following it was a loud piecing scream of agony that vibrated from the walls. Neji's eyes widened, as he fell to his knees, in pain. Hinata cried out to her brother. "Neji-niisan!" She quickly went down to his side, holding him as support. "Neji-niisan!"

Sai frowned. "They have started the extraction."

Sakura looked at the blonde. "Naruto…" The blonde was concentrating really hard. 'Kurama…' 'Just hold on, kit. You're almost through!'

Ino watched with tears in her eyes, hearing the pained howls from the chamber. It was like he was being tortured, and that pain was being reflected at the teen's Shugorei. She knelt down at the other side of the pale eyed teen, and rested a hand on his forehead. Soon, Neji's eyes rolled back, and passed out. Hinata looked up at the blonde with wide eyes. "Don't worry… I only casted a sleeping jutsu. It would hopefully ease the pain he's feeling from his Senmin."

The pale eyed girl stared down at her twin. "I'll watch over him, so that you can go save Gaara." The blonde told the younger woman. Hinata nodded, and looked up to see the there was a big enough hole to allow them to enter the chamber.

Sakura looked to the side. "Hurry and go in there!" She shouted above the agonizing screams. There were tears coursing down from her teal eyes. Kakashi, Gai, Hinata, Sai, Chouji and Shikamaru all ran into the chamber. When Naruto and Sakura let go of their red chakra, the barrier slowly came back up again. Naruto narrowed his eyes and ran past the barrier with Kurama in tow. "Naruto, you idiot! You can't fight them alone!" Sakura shouted, but the barrier close and the pink haired girl couldn't reach her brother.

"I'm sorry Sakura-nee, but I have to do this." Then the blonde ran after the other Konoha Soldiers.

The pink haired girl growled in frustration. 'If you die, I'm going to raise you from the dead and beat you to death!' She then turned her head to see Ino and Neji to the side. Sakura went up to her brother-in-law, and placed a hand on his forehead. The pale man's face was contorted with pain. "Don't worry Neji-nii… we'll get back your koi." She wiped away a few of her tears from her face.

Then his eyes opened wide. The two females were taken back. Ino was shocked. "What? But the jutsu I cast was supposed to make him unconscious…"

The ex-Hyuuga sat up, and staggered in standing up. "No! Neji-nii what are you doing?"

"He's calling me…" He panted. "He needs me…" The teen winced in pain, and he started to cough out blood. Both girls stared with widened eyes.

"No, Neji-kun, you must stay down. You're in so much pain. You can't function right in this condition." Ino tried to push him back down.

Sakura had tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stand the screams and the weak state the white-eyed teen was in. "Please, Neji-nii. Everything will be all right. Just trust in the others that they will save Gaara-nii."

The raven-haired teen sat up, and closed his eyes. Then he suddenly disappeared, shocking both girls. They ran to the invisible barrier and saw the ex-Hyuuga standing in front of them. "Neji!" Sakura slammed a fist on the barrier. "Don't!"

They watched as the older teen staggered his way to the source of blinding light. Blood was trailing behind him. Sakura shook her head. 'No, I can't loose them all! Please Gods, protect them. Bring them back to me!'

A battle broke out between the main Akatsuki members and the Soldiers of Konoha. Naruto watched, as his friends were not fairing well against the members. He stood behind, trying to find an opening to get to his brother. Kurama was in front of him, protecting him with her crimson chakra. From time to time, he would release his wind element to protect his friends from fatal blows.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure slowly making its way to where Gaara was. His blue eyes widened when he recognized the figure to be Neji. 'Kurama!' The tiny fox nodded, and unleashed a powerful wave of her power, pushing back the Akatsuki that was near them. The two ran towards Neji.

"I won't let you get close to Shukaku, un." The blonde looked up and saw three clay birds speeding to his direction. Kurama jumped in front of the boy, and swiped her little paw. Then a big red claw created by her chakra, easily disintegrated the birds. 'Hurry and go to them. I'll be there in a second.' Naruto nodded, and ran.

Kurama ran behind, unleashing her burning powers to protect her kit. She stopped at the center, and turned around to see three Akatsuki members nearing her. "Isn't this fortunate, to have the Kyuubi no Kitsune here?"

"After we captured Shukaku, we can go after the Kyuubi."

"Oh what fun this would be, un."

The fox laughed to herself. 'Pesky insects should be crushed.' She jumped into the air and barked three times. Giant red fox heads appears and was rushing towards the three Akatsuki members. They all dodged into separate directions, but the attacked followed each one of them. They frowned, knowing fully well how strong the Kyuubi could be.

"Neji-nii!" The blonde ran up to the older teen, and caught him before he fell. "Neji-nii…"

"…I must… save him…" The white-eyed teen panted.

Naruto's expression fell. "…Neji-nii… You're hurt… Let me do it."

Pain filled eyes looked into big blue ones, and a little hope flashed within the white ones. "…Hurry… I can't feel him anymore…" The blonde squeezed the older teen, and let him sit on the ground.

Naruto stood up, and narrowed his eyes. There were only three people continuing with the extraction. The blonde guessed the leader was one of them. He looked up and stared at the scary monument that loomed over the now still figure of his brother. He clenched his fist, and ran forward.

Sakura widened her eyes. "Naruto! You idiot!" The pink haired teen screamed.

The blonde gathered his wind element into his hand, concentrating his power into it. 'If I destroy that statue… then they won't be able to take Shukaku from Niisan.'

The two other Akatsuki members saw the blonde coming towards them with an attack. They frowned and jumped away to stop the boy from getting near the vessel of the one tailed raccoon. Two blasts of fire comes sailing towards the two Akatsuki. They did their best to block it, only allowing the blonde to run passed them, and jumping into the air. Naruto drew back his arm. 'I have to save Niisan!' "Rasen-"

A hand grabbed hold of his wrist, and squeezed hard. Naruto cried out in pain as he felt his wrist being snapped in two. The attack in his hand dissolved. The blonde looked up with widened eyes to see the shadowed face of the leader. Naruto looked down to see that he was dangling in the air, being held by the wrist.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, seeing her brother being caught.

Naruto was pulled closer to the Leader, not able to see his face clearly. "It's not your time yet, Kyuubi no Kitsune…" The man said in a low tone. Then with his other free hand, he raised an arm.

There was a large shockwave that pushed everyone back in the room, even the Akatsuki members. The only one standing was the Leader, still holding Naruto in mid air by his broken wrist.

The body of Gaara rose from the ground, surrounded by a dark aura. Then that dark aura moved away from the body, letting the red head fall back to the ground. The dark aura moved up towards the raised hand of the Leader. He was chuckling in a low manner that sent shivers down the blonde's back. He watched as the dark aura formed into a ball, and was absorbed into the man's hand. Naruto's eyes widened.

"Now it's your turn."

'Not when I'm still here!' Kurama roar, as a little fox could, and unleashed a powerful attack towards the man. Naruto was released from the hold, and went falling down. But the boy was safely caught, before he hit ground. He looked up and saw the recognizable masked silver haired man.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi asked.

The blonde didn't reply, as he scrambled out of the man's hold. He saw Sakura running into the room, as the barrier was released. The blonde ran after his sister, and they both went towards their brother. When they got there, they found Neji, cradling the body close to him. His back was facing them. The two stopped a few feet from the couple, and stood there with silent tears streaming down their faces. 'Gaara…'

Sakura took a step forward, and reached out a shaky hand. "Neji-nii…"

"I failed… I failed as a Shugorei… and a husband…" The two heard him whisper. Their hearts clenched.

Naruto took a few steps forward, but was swept off his feet. Both Sakura and Naruto looked up with widened eyes as five Akatsuki members surrounded them. "How fortunate… two more jinchuriki, un."

The blonde closed his eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling from his eyes. 'No! This can't end this way. Gaara-nii… Sasuke…' "No! STAY AWAY!"

A strong force and blinding light pushed the five back from the blonde and his sister. When they all opened their eyes, the Konoha Soldiers widened their eyes in shock. There standing in front of the blonde was the recognizable younger Uchiha. His eyes were blaring red, and the commas in his eyes were spinning dangerously. Sakura could only stare speechless.

Naruto was standing behind the Uchiha, his hands clutching tightly to the back of the teen's shirt, as he cried. "…Sasuke… Niisan… They…" He buried his face into the back of the raven-haired teen.

With a wave of his hand, the younger Uchiha glowed in a violet aura. The room started to shake, as the teen's chakra was growing stronger. Everyone in the room was being pushed back by the strong force. Then the raven-haired teen went into a rampage, kicking and punching the members with speed that they couldn't catch up with. There were sounds of bones cracking, and flesh tearing with the katana the teen had in his hand. Blood spilt everywhere. When they were all lying there on the ground, panting and injured, Sasuke stood there, expressionless.

The Konoha Soldiers watched with wide eyes at the scene. 'Sasuke... when have you grown this strong?' Thought Kakashi, staring at his old pupil.

Sasuke turned around, and held the blond that stood behind him closely. 'Don't cry…' He snapped open his crimson eyes, and looked at where the Akatsuki were. The members froze by the intensity of his glare. With one hand, he raised it at their direction and unleashed a powerful attack towards them. It sailed towards them with great speed that they were barely able to dodge. There were high walls of fire by the trail it left behind between the caster and the Akatsuki.

"This isn't good…"

"We shall retreat, and come after the last two some other time." The nine then vanished in a swirl of dust.

The place was shaking violently. The Konoha Soldiers that were still present were gathering together. "It's going to collapse." Chouji said.

"We need to get out of here now!" cried out Ino.

Hinata stared at her silent twin. "Niisan…"

Kakashi stood in front of the ex-Hyuuga. "Come on. I'll take him for you."

Neji looked up at the man and glared at him. "No." He hissed. Kakashi stood up and took a step back. He watched as the raven-haired teen rose from the ground, and picked up the red head in a bridal style. The others could only watch, as the teen disappeared with his 'wife'.

Hinata and Sakura clutched into one another, for comfort. Sai placed his hands on the two, and they disappeared. Ino and her team went a head, while the two Seibyou took one last glance at the blonde and his Shugorei. Naruto was tightly holding on to Sasuke, crying hard. There was a little mew, and the raven-haired teen reached out his hand towards the tiny fox. Then when he closed his eyes, they disappeared from the dark and dreary cave.

0000000

"He reminds me so much of my grandson, by just looking at him." The old woman, Chiyo, said.

Sakura glanced at the old woman. Chiyo was one of the elders of Suna, and the greatest puppet maker in the world. She stood outside the hospital room, watching the white-eyed teen never letting go of the hand of the still body of Gaara. "I think I've already lived my life."

The pink haired girl blinked her eyes in confusion. "Chiyo-obaasama?"

The old woman looked at the young woman and smiled. "A life for a life they say…" She turned around and looked at the Suna Soldier that stood posted near the door. "Bring the body there, and make sure everything is ready." The Soldier nodded, and disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Sakura blinked her teal eyes, still confused. 'What? What's going on?'

0000000

The doors opened, and the people gathered outside all looked up to see the solemn faces of the Suna Soldiers. The Konoha Soldiers that stood outside waited patiently, and they widened their eyes as they saw the last Soldier walk out with the small old woman in his arms. Sakura rushed to the still form of the woman. "Chiyo-obaasama!" She looked up at the Soldier that carried her. "She didn't… did she?"

Temari came out the room, a sad expression on her face. She went up to her pink haired cousins, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Her last words were, 'She has faith in our generation, and she has no doubt Ten'yo would save this world.'" Naruto blinked his eyes. Temari bowed her head. "She said, she has lived her life full of regrets, and Gaara, knowing his fate since he was born, should have the second chance in life… This is her last wish..." Sakura widened her eyes and ran into the room. Naruto quickly followed behind. The rest of the Konoha Soldiers stayed behind, letting the Namikaze siblings and Neji, who was already inside of the room, have their own time together.

When the two ran into the faintly lighted room, they saw the ex-Hyuuga tightly embracing the now sitting up red head Namikaze. Sakura let her tears of joy fall. She reached out her hand to her baby brother, and squeezed the younger teen's hand. "Gaara-nii…"

The couple pulled apart, and turned to see the two younger teens. Neji gave a small smile, and stood up. He nodded to them, and walked out the room. Sakura quickly ran to her twin's side, tightly embracing him. "I'm so happy… that you are… still here… with us." She cried, her tears falling on to her twin's shoulder.

Gaara returned the hug. "I'm grateful… for given this chance… to live life again…" He whispered. "I just couldn't… leave… Yuka-chan… Neji… Sakura… and Naruto…" The blonde fell on his knees right next to his older siblings, and wrapped his arms around them. 'I pray to all Gods… please help give me the strength to not lose anyone precious to me ever again…'

0000000

When they got back home, Naruto and Sasuke headed straight to the hospital. Upon opening the door, they were greeted with the frowning expression of the older Uchiha. The two froze at the door, feeling uneasy under the stare. Itachi was sitting on the bed, with his arms crossed, and one leg crossed over the other. His one crimson eye was narrowed dangerously, while the other was still wrapped in bandages.

Sasuke's eye twitched slightly. "Um… Anki…?"

"Here I was, staying behind because the last I heard, my Otouto was in a critical condition and wouldn't be awakened for some time, recovering." There was a glint in the older teen's eye that made the other two squirm a little. Itachi uncrossed his arms and legs, standing up from the bed. "The next thing I know, I got news that my Otouto disappeared. No here you are…" He loomed over the two with his arms crossed.

Naruto stepped in front of the younger Uchiha. "Sorry! I know when you told me that if I were in trouble, I would summon you. But I couldn't think straight, and Sasuke just… appeared! But look! He's all healed!" The blonde exclaimed.

Itachi stared at the blonde, then at Sasuke. He sighed and plopped a hand on top of the blonde. "At least you're back safe and sound. Both of you." Naruto beamed at the older teen.

Sasuke watched the two. Then his eyes softened as he saw the bandages around the older Uchiha's left eye. Itachi felt his brother's gaze, and looked up at him. "I don't need your sympathy. Worry more on your Chibi boyfriend." Itachi replied, standing up straight. Naruto blushed, holding in a retort. "It's okay… not able to use one eye doesn't mean I can't be a Guardian anymore. It's just one little bump on the road that I have to get through."

Naruto tugged on the older Uchiha's hand. "We'll get through it together, right? We are a team!" The twins gave a small smile at their Senmin.

Itachi glanced at his brother, as the two started to argue over little things. 'It seems like their bond is stronger than anyone would have thought. It's like their bond goes far beyond that of a married couple... Naruto was able to summon Sasuke unconsciously, and heal him faster than a Kitoushi (Healear) would.' He glanced over at the pouting blonde. 'It's all coming true… that means the time is coming…'

0000000

A sigh emitted from the blonde Godaime. "I may not like this, but all the other Soldiers are out right now." Tsunade swiveled her chair around, and tossed a scroll at the blonde teen. Naruto caught it and blinked his eyes. "A mission… but I'm giving you three weeks to report back here to Konoha, you got it?"

The blonde, with his two Shugorei and Kurama behind him, nodded, and bowed respectfully. The Uchiha twins exited the room with Kurama in tow, leaving the two blondes behind. Naruto looked up at his Aunt. "Tsunade-obasan…?"

"You don't need me to tell you many times to be careful." She looked up, straight into his blue eyes. "But please… don't think you can always do things on your own, Naruto. There are many people that you haven't noticed that would do anything to help you at any time. Don't be afraid in asking for our help, okay?"

Naruto's eyes slightly widened, and then his expression softened. "Yes, Obasan…" He bowed and turned around.

"Oh, and one more thing." Naruto looked over his shoulder. "When you come back, I'll no longer be the Hokage of Konoha." Tsunade gave a smirk, Naruto's eyes once again wide. The blonde grinned, and nodded. He then waved at his aunt, and the doors to the Hokage's office closed.

0000000

((And I'll just leave it at that…

I'M SO SORRY EVERYONE! I can' believe that I left you all with no update for almost a month! I'm horrible! I blame my old computer and my college! Finals are coming, and I've been very busy with late work. My stupid old computer died, and the file for this chapter was in it, so I had to start over. I finally bought myself a laptop… that took a lot of my allowance that I saved. I'm so sorry! I hope you can forgive me, and still read this fic! Looks like I have to start redoing the other chapters of my other fics. Spring Break is just around the corner for me. Hopefully then I'll be able to catch up in updating my fics.

What there to say about this chapter? Well it's a horrible remake of the whole Gaara got abducted by Akatsuki and died part in the time jump. Not that much excitement has really happened. I think I got a writers block, which is also horrible. Since the 'final battle' is coming closer, it means it's almost the end for this fic, the same with the Aoginozomi Amanohara. Yeah, I need to continue with that too. Anyways, it looks like I didn't forget about Temari and Kankuro. I was undecided if they should still be in the story, since they only showed up for a short time at the beginning. Then I was thinking, their dad has red hair, and I described Naruto's mom having red hair, so that's how they are related. I wasn't really sure on how Gaara was going to be revived, even though it was different in the Manga… so this sort of has a little spoiler for the time jump.

I don't know what else to say. Man, I have a terrible cold. I can't breath and my head hurts. Sorry again to all the readers out there! I hope this chapter meets your satisfaction as an apology. Thanks to all the wonderful reviewers! You guys made my day! I hope to get more reviews for this chapter as well. I try as hard as I can to get another chapter up sometime next weekend, if I can. I have finals… so that will be hard to juggle around with my schedule. So I'll catch you all later! Questions, suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please review!))

EDIT 2013: Fixed a few things and made some corrections