Author's Note: I'd like to give a shout out to FoxBlueReaver for making the first fanart of this fanfic, a really cute picture of Shisui and Shizune. Thanks a lot, pal!
With this chapter, we reach the middle point of the arc (most arcs of shippuden won't be as long as the Kiri Civil War, so don't worry about the story dragging on), which also introduces a few characters from Suna I do like a lot. Enjoy!
Chapter 53
A Failed Rescue...?
or
Delaying Tactics Are Nothing to Sneeze at
…
Sunagakure, Kazekage's State
As the sun started to set in the desert village, Rasa was about conclude a meeting he had with Suna's Council of Elders regarding both the village affairs, and the new treaty with Konoha and Kiri. Tensions were high, since a good deal of the councilors barely tolerated an alliance with their longtime allies of Konoha to begin with, they found the idea of an alliance with one of their worst enemies outrageous.
"I still can't see why you're against this alliance, Chiyo-baasama," the Kazekage told one of the female councilors. "So far, we've gained a lot from it, and it's not even settled."
Chiyo was an elderly woman with black eyes, wrinkled face, and dull lavender hair tied in a bun, with two bangs that framed her face. She has been the most prominent dissident to the idea of an alliance.
"Suna should be strong on its own, not depend on the charity of other villages. Next thing I know you'll replace our proud puppeteering corps with those mechanical abominations from Uzushio," Chiyo scoffed.
"Sister, please, don't insult Kazekage-sama in such a way," another councilor, an elderly man with shadowed eyes and thick grey eyebrows told her. "No Kazekage in his right mind would dismantle Sunagakure's pride and joy."
"No Kazekage in his right mind should make us depend so much on foreign powers, Ebizo," Chiyo told her brother.
Rasa groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Listen, either with or without your support, this alliance will have my approval and will continue until the very end. So just for once, try to make things easier for me and-"
Then, at that moment, a small, goggle-wearing toad carrying a scroll on his back appeared from a cloud of smoke in the middle of the table the Kazekage and the councilors were sitting around. The ninja guarding the room immediately drew out their kunai and other weapons, in any case it was an assassination attempt on the Kazekage or the councilors.
"What's the meaning of this!?" Rasa bellowed.
"Hello there. My name is Kosuke. Are you the Kazekage?" the small toad asked. "Jiraiya-san said that the Kazekage was a man that sucked the joy of living out of you by being in the same room as him, and out of all the people here, you fit the description the best."
"So Jiraiya told you that..." Rasa said, his eye twitching a bit. "Did that white haired idiot send you here? With what purpose?"
"Yes, he did! He said he had an urgent message for you," Kosuke replied before handing the scroll to the Kazekage.
"For your sake, someone better be dying," Rasa fumed as he unfurled the scroll. As he read it, color started to disappear from his face.
"Kazekage-sama?" a councilor asked.
Rasa didn't say anything. He then burst out of the council room, leaving the elders flabbergasted. Running as fast as his legs could carry him, the Kazekage slammed the door of his office open and entered the room. He started rummaging under his desk until he finally found what he was looking for, a hidden switch that revealed a secret compartment.
Opening the compartment, Rasa checked its contents, and his worst fears were confirmed. One of the special compasses designed to track Gaara down was missing.
…
Forests of the Land of Fire, close to the border with the Land of Rivers
At the same time, the group of six decided to make camp and rest for a bit. It was decided that they would be on the move an hour before the sunrise, since they have no time to spare. After a light meal, all of them decided to go to sleep. Kankuro, who still had to repair his puppet, volunteered to make the first watch. Naruto left a clone for him as company, and to help him guard the camp.
For the best part of an hour, the Suna Jonin and the clone stayed silent, the latter watching the former diligently working on his puppet. Then, the Naruto clone decided to break the silence.
"So, how it's going?" the clone asked the hooded ninja.
"Almost done," Kankuro replied, not taking his eyes from the puppet. "Though once all this mess is over and we go back home, I'm going to make Tamotsu even stronger than it was. After that fight with the white haired guy, I have a good assessment of Tamotsu's capabilities and weaknesses."
"Boy, being a puppeteer sounds like it's even more work than I first imagined," the Naruto clone said, scratching the back of his head.
"Make no mistake, it is! But the payoff makes it worth it. Puppeteers are among Suna's most feared ninja for a reason," Kankuro proudly claimed.
"I know. That's why Uzushio tried to take advantage of that," the Naruto clone said.
This drew the hooded ninja's attention, which for the first time took his eyes from Tamotsu, and eyed the Naruto clone. "What? What do you mean?"
"The chakra golems," the clone replied. "Didn't you notice the similarities? Yeah, the Uzumaki Clan saw your puppeteers in action during the First War, and thought that maybe they could take the puppets and improve them."
"How? By making them move autonomous?" Kankuro asked.
The clone nodded. "Ever heard the saying 'the weakest part of a sword it's its wielder'? Well, Uzumaki seal masters worked on that principle. They tried to create a kind of puppet that could move and act on its own, removing the need of having a ninja controlling it all the time," the clone explained. "That way, they could be used to bolster an army's numbers, act as shock troops, defend human ninja, and more."
"Not a bad idea, I must admit," Kankuro said as he went back to work on his puppet.
"Not bad an idea? It was an awesome idea! Hell, I don't even know why you decided to convert those golems into a puppet in the first place," the clone groaned.
Kankuro looked at the clone again, and grinned. "It seems to me that both you and your deceased clansmen forgot another important saying: 'a sword is only as good as the one who wields it'. While it's true that the way your clan designed the golems would impress Monzaemon himself-"
"Who?" Naruto interrupted.
"The inventor of puppet ninjutsu. His puppets were rudimentary for today's standards, but truly works of art in their time," Kankuro explained, before retailing the conversation. "What I mean is, no matter how powerful you make those golems, they will never replace the need of the human element."
"You seem very sure of that," the clone said, crossing his arms.
"Because I am. Tell me, you fought against those golems in Kiri, right?" the blond nodded. "Then answer me this: what was their attack pattern?"
Placing a finger under his chin, the clone tried to remember Naruto's time in Kiri over a year ago. Soon, it came with an answer. "Well, they mostly relied on brute strength. They were big and packed a mean punch. They also had some weapons such as flamethrowers and hidden blades in their arms. Some also had kunai launchers."
"Doesn't sound very sophisticated, does it?" Kankuro asked. "In fact, that's why the golems are so big and bulky. They need to be, in order to compensate for their lack of intelligence and inability to come with complex plans and strategies. You already saw me in action, and saw what puppets are capable of. Do you think a golem could do the same things I can do with my puppets?"
"To be honest...no," the clone admitted in defeat.
Kankuro grinned. "Thought so. But then again, this doesn't mean that I think the golems are worthless. The way they're capable of moving on their own is fascinating, and the supplementary seals are sure something. That's why I'm planning to create a new generation of puppets that will encompass the best of both worlds. It's a work in progress, but I have faith in my abilities."
Naruto nodded. "Hey, Kankuro, might I ask you something?"
"Sure," the puppeteer replied.
"What moved you to become a puppeteer?" Naruto asked. "I mean, it sounds something quite daunting."
"Again, it is," Kankuro replied. "As for what moved to me to take that path...well, I guess the desire to stand out. I think you have siblings, right, Naruto?" Kankuro asked.
The clone nodded. "A brother and a sister. The two of them younger. They're twins, actually."
"So, you're the oldest then," Kankuro said. "Temari was the only girl, and the oldest of the three. Gaara was the youngest, and a Jinchuriki. And there was me, the middle child with nothing that made me stand out. And my father is the Kazekage, so of course everybody had a lot of high expectations placed on us, myself included. When I realized that Ninja Puppeteers are considered among the deadliest and most skilled in our village, I decided to become one.
"Though the more I trained and the better I got, the more I loved it. Eventually my initial motivation faded away, and simply decided to throw myself into what I knew was my calling. Not that I'm not going to enjoy being admired for what I love doing, hehe," the puppeteer admitted.
"Heh, I can relate to that too. At first, I wanted to be Hokage so people would admire me and wouldn't fear me to for being a jinchuriki, you know?" the clone began. "But as I grow up, I'm starting to find better reasons to become Hokage than my own ego. Such as ending all the misery of this world, and bring us closer to a peaceful future."
"Sounds quite nice, even if a bit utopic," Kankuro replied.
"Hey, if we all just do nothing under the excuse that 'it's just an utopia', of course things will never get better!" Naruto protested.
Kankuro chuckled. "Guess you got a point there. I wouldn't have become the ninja I am today if I let the difficulty of being a puppeteer discourage me from being one."
"See? All we need to do is keep trying until things get better," the clone stated.
…
Later, Kankuro finished his shift and went to bed, while Naruto's clone was dispelled. He was then followed by the blonde's real self, Haku, Kurenai, Temari, and lastly, Hinata. The Hyuga spent some time watching alone, until the blonde kunoichi left her sleeping bag, and went to make her company.
"Temari-san? Shouldn't you be sleeping? You already finished your shift," Hinata pointed out.
Temari sighed. "I don't think I'll be able to get anymore sleep. The sun will rise in a couple hours. Plus I'm quite worried for Gaara," Temari said as she checked the compass. The needle still fluttered a little, indicating that Gaara was still alive.
"I know how you feel," Hinata replied. "I have a little sister. If she was in Gaara-san's place...I don't know what I would do. But don't worry, we will save him. Don't doubt about that for a second."
Temari smiled at her weakly. "Thanks. I wish I could have your optimism right now. Though then again, dwelling in worst case scenarios isn't going to be of any help."
"I know. We were once in a similar situation with Naruto-kun. In the end, everything worked out in our favor, though we just barely rescued Naruto-kun from his kidnappers," Hinata recalled.
"Are you talking about that time Orochimaru invaded your village?" Temari asked.
Hinata nodded. "Turns out, it was just a smokescreen to kidnap Naruto-kun and the Hokage's children. Even if we rescued them, it's not that they came out of that unscathed."
Temari chuckled. "No matter how much hell Konoha takes, you guys always manage to endure. My father doesn't want anybody to know this, but he's kind of jealous of you guys, and wished Suna could be as strong as Konoha."
"I'm sure Suna is strong too, Temari-san," Hinata insisted.
Temari chuckled again, though this time it sounded more like a dismissive snort. "Oh please. Come on Hinata, I'm almost an adult, you don't have to lie to me like that. I'm more than aware that our village is the weakest of the Great Five. Hell, we resemble more a minor village than a great one. That's why our father has been determined to the point of obsession of making Suna as strong as possible. He's aware that we managed to survive so long thanks to Konoha's help, and while we appreciate our alliance, it's rather humiliating to think that we're so dependent on others."
"I remember Gaara-san winning the Chunin Exams Finals when they took place in Konoha. I'm sure that that helped to improve your village's reputation," Hinata pointed out.
"It did. For some time. But we can't just hold onto Gaara's victory forever. There are Chunin Exams every year, each with their respective victor," Temari said. "Hell, I'm sure that if we returned to Suna, our medics wouldn't have been able to find a cure for Sasori's poison. Yet you did it in less than a day."
"Well, you can thank Tsunade-sama for that. If she never returned to the village, our medical knowledge and skill wouldn't be nowhere near as advanced. As an apprentice of hers, I can tell you that," Hinata pointed out.
"That's the thing, we don't have a Tsunade of our own to speak of. Which is why our father did everything in his hand to strengthen the village, which culminated into Gaara," Temari replied.
"That's why he was made a jinchuriki?" Hinata asked.
"That's why Gaara exists to begin with," Temari replied, making Hinata look at her quizzically. "Ah, yes, I forgot you didn't even know the whole story. Do you know why Gaara was chosen to be a jinchuriki, despite being the youngest? Did you even wonder why Kankuro and I were passed over?"
"Now that you mention it...no, I never thought about that," Hinata admitted.
"When I was born, my father was already planning to make me the jinchuriki of the One Tail. But lucky me, I wasn't compatible due some chakra type bullshit I don't fully understand to this day," Temari began. "So my parents went for another baby, and turns out, Kankuro wasn't compatible either. Turns out, there were complications during Kankuro's birth. The medics told my father that he shouldn't try for more children, since the risk of our mother not being able to make it was too high. But my father didn't listen to them, Gaara was born, and to my father's joy, he turned out to be compatible. However, the medics turned out to be right, and our mother died shortly after giving birth to him."
"I'm...I'm sorry to hear that, Temari-san. I know how painful losing a parent so young can be," Hinata empathically said. She then adopted a pensive expression, as her gaze shifted from Temari.
"It's okay. It happened a long time ago, and I'm over that already," Temari replied.
"You know, that reminds a bit of how Naruto-kun became a jinchuriki," Hinata began. "You see, the Nine Tails can't be sealed into anyone. As far as we know, only those of the Uzumaki clan can hold it inside them, and Naruto-kun was the only Uzumaki back then."
"Guess that's why Naruto and Gaara clicked so easily. They have similarities not even they're aware of," Temari chuckled.
"However, there's something I don't understand," Hinata said. "Why did the jinchuriki had to be a child of the Kazekage? Did he feel it was morally wrong to pick somebody else?"
Temari let out a mirthless laugh. "My father thinking that something's 'morally wrong', now that's a good one. No, it's not because of that. He wanted the jinchuriki to be somebody close to him, somebody he could mold into a loyal asset to the village. In fact, it's a frequented practice in all Great Villages. I mean, take a look at Naruto," Temari said, as her and Hinata's eyes rested on the blonde's sleeping form. "The man who ended up adopting him became the Hokage. And even if he didn't, his wife could have been a good candidate. You can't chalk that to coincidences."
"I see," was Hinata's answer as she absorbed the information Temari had explained. Other than Naruto, Gaara, and that green haired girl from Taki, Hinata hadn't had much contact with jinchuriki, so she didn't know much about them. She also remembered Yagura, who pretty much removed the middleman and became Mizukage himself.
"But enough talking about them. I think I don't know that much about you. Do you have any goals you want to accomplish?" Temari asked.
Hinata didn't reply. She placed a finger under her chin and started to think. "Well...I want to be a strong ninja, to make my family proud, and one day being able to lead my clan and heal its rift. I like to think I'm getting a little closer to that goal with each day."
"Have you ever thought about having Genin?" Temari asked. "It's mostly Jonin who take them, but some Special Jonin are allowed to do it as well. At least in Suna."
"You'd think I'll make a good sensei?" Hinata asked, a little flushed.
"You look like a patient and kind person, not to mention quite strong. The ideal combination for a Jonin-sensei," Temari said. "At first I was rather reluctant when I was told about it, since I thought it would be like taking care of my little brothers all over again but...it's a rather rewarding experience. Plus the time I spend taking care of said brothers prepared me for the job."
"Where are they now?" Hinata asked.
"They should be in Suna. I left them a training routine for them to do while I was away doing this mission. Hopefully, I'll be able to whip them into shape for the next Chunin Exams in your village," Temari said.
Hinata smiled. "Hanabi-chan, my sister, also plans to enter alongside her team. Maybe her team and yours will clash in the exam?"
Temari grimaced a little, but chuckled. "If your sister is half as good as you are, I hope not for my Genin's sake. But then again, it might be good for them to face some strong opponents."
"Yes. The more prepared they are, the better. I'm sure you want them to get a promotion as soon as possible, but it's better to wait until they're ready," Hinata replied, then she looked downward. "You know, when I was promoted, I felt I wasn't ready for the new rank, since my fighting style still had some rather glaring flaws I was barely able to hide."
"So far, I never noticed any flaw in your fighting style when we fought against those Oto ninja," Temari complimented.
"Because I trained a lot after that. Guilt can be quite the motivator, hehe" Hinata chuckled awkwardly. "You were pretty nice too. You're possibly the strongest kunoichi of my age group I've ever met."
"Thanks. I did train a lot from a very early age in order to become the very best," Temari proudly replied, before she cast her sight down. "Though not as good, given how easily those Akatsuki kicked my butt."
Hinata placed a comforting hand on Temari's shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up for losing against Akatsuki. They're S-Rank criminals for a reason. But don't worry, with our help, you'll be able to pay them back in kind for what they did to both you and your siblings."
Temari smirked confidently, and nodded.
…
Just as they planned, the group of six got up an hour before dawn and continued their journey towards the Land of the Rivers. Much to their relief, the compass still worked, meaning that there was still hope to save Gaara. But given how much time they were forced to spend resting, they knew Gaara could die at any moment.
Hinata kept her Byakugan active at all times, just in case Akatsuki decided to throw more enemies to delay them: It was decided that if such thing happened, only two or three will stay behind to fight, while the rest could continue forward. They couldn't afford to waste anymore time. Fortunately for them, it wasn't the case, as no enemy came to fight them.
An hour after the sun rose, they reached the Land of the Rivers. It was then when Hinata saw something.
"There's a group of ninja ahead of us. They're in front of a cave blocked by a large boulder," Hinata informed her teammates. "I believe it's the Akatsuki hideout."
"Are those guys Akatsuki?" Haku asked.
Hinata shook her head. "All of them are wearing Suna's ninja uniforms and forehead protectors."
"They could be Akatsuki under a transformation, ready to ambush us," Kankuro conjectured.
Hinata shook her head once again. "The Byakugan can see through transformations. They're actual Suna ninja."
Temari let out a sigh. "Even if they're just four, we could use some reinforcements."
The four Konoha ninjas and two Sand Siblings landed in front of the group of four Suna ninja. They were led by an adult woman with purple facial markings and a turban covering her head, a woman Naruto had seen before. Her subordinates were a girl with shoulder length brown hair and black eyes, a boy with short spiky hair and glasses, and a smiling, friendly looking girl with long black hair. The three of them were wearing the standard Sunagakure uniform, with the two young girls also wearing metallic arm guards. The adult woman took a step forward.
"Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama, it's a pleasure to see you're alright," the woman said in a courteous tone.
"As are we, Maki-san. You can thank Konoha for our recovery," Temari told the Jonin.
Maki nodded and turned at the Konoha ninja. "On Suna's behalf, I thank you for your assistance," she then looked at Naruto, and smiled. "Hello again, Naruto-kun. You surely grew a lot since the last time I saw you."
"Hey, I remember you! You were there that time I visited Suna with dad so many years ago!" Naruto said, in realization. "Man, time sure flies..."
Maki nodded before her expression darkened. "It does. I just wish our meeting again was under better circumstances. By the way, these are my students, Matsuri, Mikoshi, and Yukata."
Matsuri and Mikoshi made a polite bow when they were introduced. Yukata happily smiled and waved at the Konoha ninja. Kurenai took a step forward to do the same.
"My name's Kurenai Yuhi. These two are Hinata Hyuga and Haku Yuki. You already know Naruto," Kurenai introduced both herself and her team. "Do not take this the wrong way, but are you the only reinforcements Suna has sent?"
Maki sighed and nodded at the Genjutsu Mistress. "Sadly, yes. Most of our ninja are away doing missions, plus the Council fear that with our jinchuriki abducted, other villages might get some ideas and try to attack us taking advantage of this, so most of the reserve ninja have been put on patrol border duty."
"Guess we'll have to do with what we have," a resigned Temari said. "I presume you found this place with one of the other two compasses?"
"Yes. However, Temari-san, I do bring grave news. One of the compasses was stolen. That's how Akatsuki managed to locate and ambush you," Maki explained.
"Dammit! Our father kept those compasses under his watch himself! Hell, their mere existence was a secret to pretty much everybody sans a few ninjas whose loyalty to Suna was pretty much unquestionable! To think that there was a traitor among them..." Kankuro angrily seethed.
"While the presence of spies in Suna is sure troubling, we have to rescue Gaara-sama as soon as possible," Matsuri spoke up for the first time. "Gaara-sama might not have much time left..."
"Damn right you are!" Naruto agreed, before he looked at the large boulder blocking the entrance. "So, Gaara is behind that rock, right?"
Maki nodded. "Yes. However, the boulder is just part of the problem. It has a seal on it that made it pretty much indestructible."
"And we did use quite a lot of explosives!" Yukata pointed out.
"Hey, I know a lot about seals! Let me take a look, I'm sure I can find a way to disable it," Naruto offered as he walked to the boulder and began to inspect the seal slapped into it.
"Hinata-san, use your Byakugan to scout the area. We need to know Gaara's state, as well as the number of enemies we're going to face. I wouldn't count past more Akatsuki being there besides Deidara and Sasori," Maki told the Hyuga.
Hinata nodded. In an instant, bulged veins appeared around her eyes as her Bloodline Limit came to life. However, when she directed her sight towards the cave, the result wasn't the one the Hyuga was expecting.
"I...I can't see," Hinata muttered. "The seal formed a chakra barrier that obscures my enhanced vision. Sorry."
Kankuro muttered a curse under his breath. "Which means we won't be able to do jack shit until we get rid of that seal first. Naruto, do you think-"
"YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME!" the blond angrily shouted, causing a few nearby birds to fly away scared.
"Naruto? Is there a problem with the seal?" Kurenai asked a bit concerned, as she and the rest of the group got closer to him.
"I know this seal! It's a Five-Seal Barrier!" Naruto explained, his anger coating each word.
"If you know the seal, where's the problem?" Mikoshi asked.
"This is an Uzumaki Seal!" Naruto exclaimed, outraged. "Not just Kiri, but it seems that Akatsuki as well profited from my clan's downfall!" the blond shouted as he punched the seal, to no effect.
Haku placed a comforting hand on the enraged blonde's shoulder. "That's...distressing to hear, Naruto-kun. But right now we have more pressing concerns. We need to know how to disable the seal."
Realizing his teammate was right. Naruto took a deep breath, as he forced himself to calm down. Gaara needed him now.
"Yes. The Five Seal Barrier, as the name implies, is a barrier formed by five seals. One seal is the core, and the others form the barrier around it. I presume this seal here is the core seal. The other four have to be scattered not too far away. Otherwise, the barrier wouldn't work."
"Leave that to me. Byakugan!" Hinata activated her doujutsu once again, and in a few seconds, she managed to find all four seals, since they had a strong chakra signature. "Found them!"
"To disable the barrier, the five seals must be removed at the same time. Otherwise, it won't work," Naruto finished his explanation.
"Well, sounds easy enough!" Yukata happily chirped.
"Too easy, if you ask me," a suspicious Temari said. "Naruto, is there a way for the seals to be booby trapped?"
"I wouldn't count that out. In fact, this seal is almost tailor made to force a group to split in order to disable it," Naruto guessed.
"But, what options do we have then? Is there another way to disable it that doesn't force half of us to split? Our time is running out!" Temari urged, as both her fists clenched.
"I think I can disable it," Naruto stated, as he kneeled down, and unsealed his sealing tools from a scroll.
"How long will you take, Naruto?" Kankuro asked.
"Five minutes, give or take," Naruto confidently stated as he started to work on the seal.
"I'm one of Suna's best seal-masters. I'll lend you a hand," Maki offered as she joined the blond.
"Okay, while Naruto and Maki-san work, the rest of us gather around here and listen to me as I told you about the enemies we're about to face. They're S-Class criminals, so stay sharp," Temari began. "One of them hails from our own village. Sasori of the Red Sands," when those words left her lips, Maki and Mikoshi instantly gasped, while Yukata looked a bit confused.
"Do you guys know him? Because that name doesn't ring any bell," Yukata asked.
Temari sighed. "Yukata, I like you, but you need to pay more attention about important stuff like this."
"Aw, I like you too, Temari-sama!" Yukata happily replied. "So, about this Sasori guy...?"
Temari held back another sigh. "Sasori is the greatest and most dangerous puppet master Suna has ever produced. So far, we don't know what kind of puppets he'll use against us, but expect all of them to be weapons of mass destruction of their own. Also, beware of the bladed weapons and projectiles of his puppets, since they're coated in a deadly poison. Hinata-san, fortunately, made an antidote."
"We weren't able to make much before we left. All I have are three capsules," Hinata said, as she showed the three vials to everybody. "This antidote will not only neutralize the effects of the poison once applied, but it will continue to do so for the next three minutes. However, like Temari-san said, try to be careful."
"The other one is a missing-nin from Iwa named Deidara. He can animate sculptures out of clay and turn said sculptures into deadly explosives. His main method of attack is to drop explosives from above as he flies on an artificial bird made of clay, so long range is our only option. Be careful when dealing with him as well, since this guy alone managed to defeat Gaara," Temari explained.
"Okay, done!" Naruto replied, satisfied with his quick work.
Everybody looked at the seal, and saw that Naruto and Maki had written other seals in a circular pattern around it. True to his word, the blond took less than five minutes.
"Let's hope it works," Maki said.
"We'll see right now," Naruto replied, as he placed a hand on the seal, and pumped chakra into it. "Sealing Art: Void Touch Seal!"
The Five Barrier Seal started to glow in retaliation, followed shortly after by the counter-seal written around it. Naruto removed his hands as both seals started to fight each other. Eventually, the Barrier Seal lost, and it burst into flames.
"Hinata-hime?" Naruto asked, looking at his girlfriend.
Hinata nodded, and activated her Bloodline Limit for the third and last time that day. "Yes, the barrier is down! I can see them! Both Gaara and the Akatsuki! There are only two of them, I believe they're Deidara and Sasori," Hinata informed them. "Gaara's still alive, but just barely!"
"In that case, we need to get rid of this rock as soon as possible!" Matsuri urged.
"It's pretty big, and looks sturdy. How many explosives do you think we'll need?" Mikoshi asked, as he walked closer to inspect the boulder.
Naruto smirked. "We won't need explosives. My girlfriend will be more than enough. Right, hime?" Naruto asked, giving Hinata a knowing look.
Hinata smiled back, nodded, and clenched her fist. Blue chakra flames burst around it, as electricity started to crackle around it for additional power. She took a few step backwards, as she moved her fist back. "You might want to keep some distance."
…
Meanwhile, at the other side of the cave, the Akatsuki continued with the extraction ritual, which was on the home stretch already.
"Our enemies are at the gates of this lair," Zetsu's black half spoke up. "They disabled the barrier, and will break in any second."
"I know. I felt the barrier being dispelled," the low pitched voice of the leader said. "But they're too late, the ritual is almost finished."
"That's not all. The jinchuriki of the Nine Tails is among the rescue group as well," White Zetsu replied. "This could be a golden chance to capture the Nine Tails' other half."
"Indeed. Deidara, Sasori, get ready for the incoming fight. Your enemies outnumber you five to one, but I have faith that won't be a problem," the leader stated.
"You're right, it won't be one. Let them come, their confidence in their superior numbers will make their fall all the sweeter," Sasori replied.
"Aw yeah! With this one, it will be three out of three! Nobody in Akatsuki will beat my perfect record, hn!" Deidara loudly cheered.
"You shouldn't fall prey to overconfidence either, Deidara," Obito pointed out. "This jinchuriki is a prey tougher than most."
Deidara snickered. "Hey, just because you and that snake failed so many times to snatch a single brat, doesn't mean that I'm going to follow your path, haha!"
"I'll keep your words in mind once we see the result of this fight, Deidara," Obito dangerously said.
Suddenly, the boulder blocking the entrance was blown up in thousands of tiny shards.
…
After seeing Hinata's sheer destructive display, all Suna ninja were left with their eyes wide open and their mouths agape.
"Good work, Hinata-hime!" Naruto praised, giving his girlfriend a thumbs up. Hinata giggled in return.
"Everybody, follow me inside! We have to rescue Gaara!" Temari called as she prepared her war fan and rushed inside.
Temari's orders seem to snap the rest of the Suna ninja from their stupor, who nodded and alongside their Konoha allies, broke into the cave. None of them knew what to expect once they got inside, but the image before them wasn't definitely in their minds.
The group of ten saw a massive statue, formed by a head, and two arms with their hands pointing upwards. There were nine eyes on the statue's face, two of them opened. On each hand there was an Akatsuki, but eight of them appeared to be mirages or illusions, with only Deidara and Sasori appearing to be really there.
"Gaara-sama!" Matsuri cried.
It didn't take them long to see Gaara floating in mid air, being held by a mass of chakra coming from the statue's monstrous open mouth. There were wisps of red chakra coming from his mouth and flowing into the statue.
"Gaara-sama...is he...?" Mikoshi stammered.
"He's still alive, but just barely! We need to act now!" Hinata urged the others.
Seeing Gaara in such a state filled Naruto's heart with a rage unlike any other. So this is what the Akatsuki did to Yagura? Harvest his Tailed Beast, then toss him away as if he was an empty husk? He wasn't going to stand for it.
"Hey there, brat, good to see you again, hn!" Deidara said in a mocking tone to Naruto. "Though you came here in vain. You couldn't save Yagura back in Kiri, and you came too late to save this other brat, haha!"
Deidara's taunting didn't improve the blonde's mood. However, Naruto didn't just hate the Akatsuki, since there was something that pushed him to hate something else on top of them. He hated that statue as if it was his natural enemy. If his state of mind was clearer, he would realize that he was experiencing the Nine Tails' feelings. Either way, it was going to work in his favor.
"That statue!" Naruto yelled, his voice sounded a bit deeper. His eyes turned red, and the marks on his cheeks became bolder. "Everybody, focus your attacks on that statue!"
Everybody nodded and those with ranged jutsu started to make hand seals.
"Sickle Weasel Jutsu!"
"Wind Release: Wind Scythe!"
"Fire Release: Dragon Fire Jutsu!"
"Lightning Release: Thunder Fang!"
Temari's gust of wind, Matsuri's wind blade, Yukata's stream of fire and Hinata's lion-shaped lightning blast all flew towards the statue's face, exploding upon making contact. The statue let out an horrifying, bone chilling scream as the chakra field that held Gaara mid air vanished, dropping the jinchuriki down below. Fortunately, Naruto was there to catch his friend.
"The ritual has been interrupted!" the only female Akatsuki worriedly stated.
"It doesn't matter, we sealed most of the One Tail, look!" the leader pointed out. And at that moment, one of the statue's eyes slowly opened.
"Were we too late...?" a disheartened Temari asked.
"No, Gaara is still alive!" Hinata informed the others. "But he won't last much longer unless we get him some medical treatment!"
"In that case, let's take him out of here!" Kankuro stated.
Everybody nodded, and proceeded to rush outside the cave. The leader saw this, and wasn't going to let this happen.
"Sasori, Deidara, don't let them escape! Capture the jinchuriki, kill everybody else!" the Akatsuki leader commanded, as he un-summoned the statue, which disappeared in a poof of smoke.
"I'll cover your exit!" Kurenai said as she made several hand seals. "Earth Release: Multiple Earth Style Walls!"
The Genjutsu Mistress slammed her hands into the ground, and several layers of rock walls emerged from the ground, making the cavren tremble when they slammed against the ceiling, separating the Akatsuki from the retreating Konoha and Suna ninja.
"Well, guess this walls will be a pretty good warm-up for the fight to come," Deidara cheerily said as he prepared some of his bombs. "Which one is the jinchurki, by the way?"
"The angry brat you just taunted," Obito mentioned. "Which by the way, seems that you know each other. Care to explain that?"
"Wait, that brat was the jinchuriki!?" Deidara asked in shock. "He was there when I went to fetch the Mizukage!"
"You had another jinchuriki in your grasp, and you let him go?" Sasori asked, his tone between disappointed and taunting. "Hardly unbelievable."
"Shut it, hn! Should I remind you that I captured two of the three jinchuriki so far? I'm the only one here with a perfect record! Two out of two! And soon, it will be three out of three!"
"We hope you're speaking the truth, Deidara. I'll be waiting your report," the leader said, before his spectral avatar vanished, followed by the avatars of the other seven Akatsuki not being there.
With a well aimed set of explosions, the first wall was down. Deidara then prepared another set of explosive clay figurines, while Sasori started to think about something he didn't pay much attention before.
"So it was true. The jinchuriki's siblings were in that group. How? They should be dead by now. And far from that, they were in good enough condition to fight. How did they manage to create an antidote for my poison? No medic-nin on this world should be able to do that...was Orochimaru right?"
…
Meanwhile, on the shallow river outside the cave, everybody else was gathered around Gaara, lying on the wet floor, with Hinata kneeled before him, healing him as best as he could, Byakugan active.
"How is he? Will you be able to save him?" Kankuro asked, biting his lip.
"I'll try! He's still alive, but his chakra network is quickly breaking down! Even if he still has some traces of Tailed Beast chakra inside his body, the damage caused by the extraction was too much!"
"What can we do, then?" a concerned Temari asked.
Hinata looked at her boyfriend. "Naruto-kun, he needs a chakra transfer!"
"Alright!" the blond nodded and kneeled besides Gaara as well before touching the redhead's midsection and started pouring his own chakra into him.
"Hey, you don't know if you-" Temari was about to ask before Hinata interrupted her.
"Naruto-kun is an universal chakra donor! Besides, with his massive chakra reserves, there won't be a problem for the donor to risk chakra exhaustion!" Hinata quickly replied.
The exchange was brought to a halt by a massive explosion coming from inside the sealed cave, that made the area around it tremble. A wave of dust and dirt was expelled from the cave's mouth, indicating that the Akatsuki had finally broken Kurenai's multiple layered barrier. From the cloud of dust emerged Deidara and Sasori, the former on top of a large clay bird, the latter on foot.
"I don't think we'll be able to run away with those two here," Maki grimly noted. "How much time do you need until Gaara is out of danger?"
"I don't know how long it will take us. As much time as you can!" Hinata pleaded.
Maki nodded, and alongside the rest of the group, prepared for the immediate clash with the Akatsuki.
"I don't know how you two are still alive," Sasori said, his eyes focused on Temari and Kankuro, while he pulled out a scroll from underneath his cloak. "But I'm going to correct that mistake right now."
"Yes! You're about to witness such an epic art display, it will blow you away!" Deidara added with a loud snicker.
And with that horrible, horrible pun, the second clash against Sasori and Deidara began.
Author's Note: This chapter, a bit shorter than usual, was moslty to flesh out Temari and Kankuro's character a bit, which I felt they were rather shortchanged not only in this arc, but in the series as a whole. Hope you enjoyed this little digging into their character and backstories. I really enjoyed the little bodning moment between Hinata and Temari.
Some people guessed that Chiyo would be among the Suna reinforcements, but no, I already stated that she wasn't going to play a major role in this arc as in canon. No, the characters I was talking about were Matsuri and her anime-only teammates Yukata and Mikoshi. It was never shown who their sensei was, so I decided to make Maki, another Suna character I like a lot, to fill that spot, and thus I can kill two birds in one stone.
Thanks a lot to gio08 for betareading this chapter.
So, the climax of the arc begins! While Naruto and Hinata try to save Gaara, the rest have to face Deidara and Sasori. How will the fights be? They will be very different from canon, that's for sure, given that the only one from the original arc still there is Naruto. Tell me your thoughts on this chapter and expectations for the next one in a review! Reviews make me really, really, really happy!
