Disclaimer: This should have been up a week ago. Oops?
Arc 2:
Chapter 19: After the Kazekage!
Their arrival at Suna had not been a pleasant one.
"Kankurō!" Temari, Sakura, and Sarada ran into the room and threw their bags to the floor, rushing straight to the examination table.
Kakashi watched them from the threshold, trying to give them room to work in, when all of a sudden the old woman who was in the room charged at him, her fists raised. "Damn you!" She yelled at him. "Get ready to defend or die!"
Before he could react, Naruto made a hand seal and created a few clones. One of them had stopped the woman's fist while another tried to catch her leg, only for her to kick him in the face, causing his clone to dispel. She jumped away with surprising agility for her age.
"What do you think you're doing, attacking Kakashi-sensei like that?" Naruto asked her angrily. "You wrinkly old prune!"
"I haven't forgotten what you did," the woman looked at Kakashi with smoldering anger in her eyes. "I have waited for this day, White Fang of Konoha! The day I wreak vengeance on you, for what you did to my son!"
"Eh, no, no!" Kakashi raised his hands to show he was not armed. "You see-"
"That's enough talk!" She didn't listen. She was about to attack when another old man stood in front of her and raised his hand. "Take a closer look at the man, Neechan,"
"Huh?" The woman glared at Kakashi, who laughed nervously and tried to look as unthreatening as possible.
"There's indeed a resemblance, but this one is not the White Fang," the old man said.
"Hello," Kakashi waved to the woman.
"Besides, as you know, the White Fang of Konoha died long ago," the man continued, and Kakashi almost winced. "Remember? When you heard the news, you wept in frustration because you wouldn't be able to have your vengeance." The woman narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, examining him. "Isn't that so, Neechan?"
"Oh, well," she said in a happy old lady voice, startling all of them with the sudden change of her demeanor. "Nevermind." She laughed full-heartedly. Her laugh was cut short, however, when Kankurō started struggling against the medics, sweating profusely.
"Here, let us take a look at him," Sakura said as she tied her hair. Sarada nodded and did the same, leaning over Kankurō.
"Yes, please," Temari asked of them, not removing her concerned gaze from her brother.
Sakura turned to the room of people wearing varying expressions of worry and concern while Sarada checked Kankurō's temperature. "Listen, it might help if you all clear out and give us some room."
"You got it, Sakura-chan," Naruto said as they started walking out of the room, leaving the two girls with the young man writhing in pain.
Sakura checked Kankurō's pupils using a small flashlight from her pocket. Meanwhile, Sarada read over the medical chart. "He was poisoned," she informed Sakura. "It seems he has been in this declining state for almost three full days. They gave him sedatives."
Sakura nodded and inserted two fingers into Kankurō's mouth, taking out a spit sample.
"What are you-" one of the medics in the room tensed. "Who are you?"
"We're Konohagakure medical shinobi," Sakura answered and Sarada pushed her glasses up her nose, checking Kankurō's pulse by placing her head on his bandaged chest and listening to his heartbeat.
"We're definitely dealing with a heavy, metal-based toxin," Sarada informed Sakura. The intense rhythmic tapping was one of the things Sarada's mother had taught her to recognize from a young age. In hindsight, perhaps it was because of what happened to Kankurō that Future Sakura was so strict when it came to recognizing poisons. Clearing her head from those thoughts, Sarada focused back on the heartbeat. It was too fast for her liking, making her frown in concern.
"The kind that destroys muscle tissue?" Sakura asked her. They didn't run into poisons like that too often.
Sarada nodded. "Seems so," she said as she lifted her head from his chest. "It's destroying the integrity of the cells."
"You're able to learn all that, in one look?" The medics of Suna sounded shocked, but Sarada didn't have time to be proud of herself.
"According to his chart," Sarada looked at the clipboard in her hands. "It seems that the cardiac muscle will be weakened to the point where the heart will collapse and cease functioning altogether. It's doubtful we'll be able to come up with an antidote in time."
"What are you saying?!" Temari snapped angrily in misplaced panic, her brow creased in worry as she stared down the two medics."There's nothing you can do?"
Sakura and Sarada looked at her in understanding before looking at each other. Sarada had a determined look in her eyes, and Sakura nodded. "We're gonna need a few things, and we'll need them quickly." She told the medics. "This is gonna be pretty crude but, it's the only option we have."
Sarada tied her hair up as well, adjusting her glasses. The medics went to get the things Sakura wrote down for them while they got ready for the procedure.
"Are you ready for this?" She asked Sarada. The girl nodded, stretching her arms. "We can do this," Sarada said confidently.
The medics came back with large pots filled with the medicinal herb water and placed them on either side of Kankurō. Two next to Sakura, two next to Sarada. They both placed their hands on the water at the same time, preparing to start.
"Hold him down and don't let him move," Sakura told the other medics firmly. "This part of the procedure is not going to be easy for him."
"Alright," Temari positioned herself near Kankurō's head, holding it down while the other medics grabbed his other limbs.
Sakura and Sarada extracted water bubbles from the pots, both of the bubbles glued to their palms. They held the substance steadily above his chest.
"Ready?" Sakura asked Sarada.
"Ready." She answered.
"Here goes," Sakura inserted the bubble into Kankurō's chest, and he started screaming in pain, his body thrusting up off the table. The medics struggled as they held him down, his thrashing making it harder to keep his back pinned to the table. Sarada took her cue and inserted another bubble to his abdomen, his piercing scream from the intense pain sending chills down their spines. He managed to break the medics hold, shooting up into a sitting position.
"You need to hold him down!" Sarada ordered, pushing Kankurō down with her free hand and maintaining the pressure until the medics grabbed him again.
Gotta pour my chakra into his body, Sakura tried to concentrate despite the screams of pain. She focused past the painful sounds Kankuro couldn't hold in and allowed the bubble to sink into the joint between his shoulder and his arm, straight into his heart. She could feel how the muscle was slowly weakening. "Sarada," she said warningly to the girl.
"I got it," Sarada answered, sinking her bubble into his bloodstream.
Purge the toxins from his cells and force it to the surface, Sakura tried to picture the toxin floating up and being sucked into the bubble. Draw it into the bubble, and extract it!
She moved her hand up and pulled out the bubble, this time with remnants of the poison in it. On the table's other side, Sarada did the same, but quicker. Unlike Sakura who was dealing with the delicate heart organ, Sarada had to move quickly or the kidneys would have collapsed from the poison. She moved her hands in an almost hypnotic way, but Sakura didn't look away from her mission.
"What's that?" Temari looked at the bubble in Sakura's hand. "Is that the poison?"
Sakura didn't answer, making quick eye contact with Sarada, who nodded. She counted to three in her hand before completely taking out the bubbles simultaneously with Sarada.
The moved the bubbles into empty pots and went back to work. "Another!" Sakura commanded.
"Right!" The medics nodded and replaced the medicinal waters on both sides.
Sarada was already inserting the bubble again when she froze.
"What is it?" Sakura stopped her hand before she inserted the bubble on her side.
"The poison," Sarada frowned. "I can't find it."
"What do you mean, you can't find it?" Temari asked in a panic.
"It's because it became to thin. I can't feel it," Sarada explained.
"That's not good," Sakura clenched her teeth. "If it's in his bloodstream, it can get to his heart, fast."
"I know," Sarada nodded. "If only I could see it-" she suddenly raised her head as if she had an idea.
"Do you have anything?" Sakura asked her, noticing the determined look in her eyes.
"I might," Sarada said unconfidently. "But I need you all to close your eyes."
"What?" Temari asked her in anger. "This is no time for jokes!"
"It's not a joke," Sarada's expression became surer and surer. "I need you all to close your eyes."
The medics looked at Sakura, waiting to see what she decided. Sakura looked at Sarada, who gave her a pleading look. Nodding, she closed her eyes. She didn't see what happened next, but it seemed as though all the others closed their eyes too.
She heard Sarada breathe deeply before there was a sudden spike of chakra from her. It was subtle, but Sakura had a feeling she felt it before somewhere. Opening her eyes to a crack, she saw Sarada leaned over Kankurō's body and scan it up close. Suddenly, she stopped over the area just below his ribs and moved her bubble over there. Sakura tried to see what Sarada was doing but didn't want to risk opening her eyes more than the tiny crack she already opened. Sarada inserted the bubble, making Kankurō scream and struggle. "Hold him down!" She yelled, and they all did so with their eyes closed. Kankurō continued to scream for a couple of moments before Sarada extracted the bubble again, pulling out the poison that got away. Sakura sighed in relief once Kankurō stopped struggling and was about to open her eyes completely when she saw it.
A flash of red in Sarada's eyes.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now," Sarada told them all, and Sakura opened her eyes fully, still trying to understand what she saw.
It was probably just Sarada's red glasses reflecting the light in the room.
"It's your turn," Sarada told Sakura as she dumped the poison in the bowl. Sakura nodded and expelled all thoughts not about her patient away, focusing on extracting the rest of the poison.
They might be able to save him after all.
Naruto sat outside the room with Kakashi, Boruto, Himawari, and the old people.
Suddenly, a question popped in his mind. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?"
"Hm?" Kakashi hummed while reading his book.
"Who the heck is this White Fang of Konoha that got the old lady so angry?" He asked his sensei. "Got any ideas?"
"Ah, that's a tricky one," Kakashi sighed and closed his book. "How to put it… he was, well in a word, he was my father." Kakashi said reluctantly.
"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.
"Y-you're the… the orphan son of the White Fang?" The old lady asked in shock.
"Yeah," Kakashi rubbed the back of his head.
"Who was this White Fang guy?" Himawari asked Boruto, both of them sitting on the floor against the wall in front of the bench.
"He was a great shinobi of the village," Boruto explained to her, their conversation attracting the attention of the four people on the bench. "He died a long time ago, though."
"Oh," Himawari looked up at Kakashi apologetically. "Sorry, Kakashi-sensei."
"It's okay," Kakashi smiled at her. "No harm done."
Himawari nodded and looked at him, noticing the book in his hand. "Is that Make Out Tactics?" She asked him.
"It is," Kakashi blinked in surprise. "Do you know it?"
"Mhm," Himawari nodded, staring at the cover intensely. "Nobody would tell me what's it about, though."
"Oh," Kakashi coughed. "Well…"
"Hima," Boruto cut him off abruptly. "Want to go look for something to eat?"
"Eh?" Himawari tilted her head. "But you ate before we arrived," she reminded her brother while he got up.
"I'm hungry again," he offered her his hand and helped her get up. "Let's go."
"Alright…" Himawari looked confused.
Boruto turned to look at Naruto and Kakashi. "We'll be back in a bit," he told them. And Kakashi nodded. "Don't go too far, you two."
Himawari sent one last confused glance at them before Boruto lead her away into the halls. Next to Naruto, Kakashi sighed in relief. "Phew," the masked jōnin said. "I don't know what I would've done if I had to explain the book to her."
Naruto narrowed his eyes at his sensei. "You really are a pervert, huh Sensei?"
Sakura moved towards the door, opening it to see the small group of ninja standing outside. Kakashi asked concerned, seeing how tired Sakura looked, "How did it go?"
Sakura wiped her forehead, sighing in relief. She smiled at them. "We removed most of the poison," she told them while Sarada wiped her hands with a cloth. "I believe that ought to put him out of any immediate danger."
The rest of the medics sighed in relief as well. Kankurō now laid quietly on the table, sleeping more soundly. It had been a few hours since she and Sarada started the procedure, and it was almost noon now.
Naruto and Kakashi walked into the room behind her. "Way to go, Sakura-chan!" Naruto praised her. She shook her head. "I couldn't have done it without Sarada-san," she turned to the other medic, who was untying her hair.
Sarada smiled at her. "You didn't need me," she said. "I just helped speed up the process a bit, that's all."
Temari walked back until she hit the wall, and then collapsed against it, sinking to the floor. She rested a hand on her heart and breathed in and out.
"He's not completely out of the woods yet," Sakura said, making sure everybody was listening. "Now then, we have to quickly put together an antidote for the traces of toxin still remaining in his body."
"I see," the shinobi she remembered was Kankurō and Temari's sensei nodded. "Anything you need, don't hesitate to ask."
"Well," Sakura locked eyes with Sarada, who was wiping Kankurō's forehead with a damp cloth. "First I'll need a list of all the medicinal herbs that you have in this village."
"Yes, at once," one of the medics left quickly to retrieve that for her.
"And we should change these bandages for new ones," she told the other medic, who nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
"I'll need an IV drip set up, stat," she pointed on the device in the corner and Sarada nodded. "I got it," she said.
"Oh, and be sure to set up a small portion of the toxin we extracted for examination," she told the last medic. "I'll be needing it later."
She untied her hair and took off her headband, freeing her hair. "You remind me of the old Slug Queen, Tsunade." The old woman from before told her. "Isn't it strange, you turning up in our village like this?"
"Well, after all," Sakura re-tied her headband. "Tsunade-sama is our teacher." She gestured at Sarada who was setting up the IV. "Both of us. And it was by her order that we came here." She smiled.
"Here's that list of medicinal herbs," one of the medics handed the paper to her.
"Good, thank you very much." She thanked him and looked it over.
"Baki-dono, a reply from Konoha," the messenger left the scroll in Baki's hands and left.
"Thank you," Baki scanned the contents before giving it to Kakashi. "It's from your Hokage."
Kakashi took it from him and read it. "From Grandma Tsunade?" Naruto asked. "What'd she say?"
"She says that Team Guy is on its way here to back us up," Kakashi told Naruto, Boruto, and Himawari.
"Neji-niisan's team?" Himawari asked eagerly, looking up at Kakashi from her spot against the wall.
Niisan? Kakashi wondered. "Yes," he nodded, handing Naruto the scroll. "I didn't realize you knew them."
"She doesn't," Boruto said from his spot on the bench, where he sat with his arms crossed over his chest. "She only knows Neji," he glared at his sister. Who blinked and then laughed nervously, rubbing her neck.
Interesting, Kakashi noted to inquire more later.
In the meantime, Naruto laughed cheerfully as he read the scroll. "I can't wait to see how much they've all changed," he looked up from the page. "I hear even Neji's been made a jōnin."
Clenching his fist, Naruto looked up. "Well, all right!" He yelled. "No sense waiting around for them to get here. Let's go after the Akatsuki right now!" He started running down the hall.
"Okay, but which way are you going?" Kakashi decided to entertain Naruto. "Do you even know where they are?" His questions made Naruto stop mid-step. Behind them, Boruto groaned and facepalmed, while Himawari giggled.
"If you don't mind my asking," Kakashi turned to Baki. "What have been the results so far of the attempts to peruse the Akatsuki?"
Baki turned to look at Kankurō. "First Kankurō went after them by himself, and you see what happened to him." Boruto and Himawari walked closer to them, all of them looking at the injured Suna shinobi. "Then, we dispatched a tracking unit in pursuit, but as of yet, we haven't heard back from them." He explained. "And there's another problem," Baki continued with the somewhat depressing report. "We believe that, well, it appears that Captain Yūra, one of our Council of Advisors, has gone missing. We don't even know if he's alive."
"So you're saying you've completely lost track of the Akatsuki," Kakashi summarized.
"Yes," Baki said in a gruff voice. "We have."
"Baki-dono!" One of the medics has called Baki from the room. "Kankurō had regained consciousness."
They all stepped into the room, making sure to keep a well-enough distance to give Kankurō the space he needed.
"Kankurō, are you alright?" Temari hovered over her brother, her face and voice filled with concern.
"Temari," Kankurō spoke with a hoarse voice, one that hasn't been used in a while. "You're back already."
"I heard the village was in trouble," Temari mentioned dismissively.
"I'm sorry," Kankurō whispered. "To be such a bother…"
"Shut up," Temari shushed him. "Don't be ridiculous."
Kakashi looked at Baki. "Can you lead me to where Kankurō's fight with the Akatsuki took place?" He asked the man. Baki glanced at him with a questioning look and Kakashi explained. "I'm known for having a pretty good nose for tracking. If even the slightest trace of their scent remains on the scene…"
"There's no need for that," Kankurō stopped Kakashi. He tried to get up, his arms barely holding his weight. "Where are my puppets? I assume that my puppets were recovered, right?"
Soon afterward, the puppet Kankurō had asked for was gently placed on the floor, almost all of it broken to pieces.
"One fought with me," Kankurō explained, wincing every few seconds with every move he made. "While the other carried Gaara away." He looked at Kakashi. "You might be able to follow Gaara's scent, but you can definitely track the one I fought. I made sure of it." He made some noises of discomfort as he moved to point at the hand of the broken puppet. "You see?" He pointed. "I've got his scent right here." The hand broke down, revealing a piece of dark cloth. "The last thing I did was make sure I got a scrap of his clothing."
Kakashi crouched down and picked up the cloth. "Even in defeat you went down fighting," Kakashi commented. "Just what I'd expect from a Suna shinobi."
Kankurō smirked, before grabbing his bandaged chest and groaning in pain. Temari sprung to his aid. "Kankurō, what is it?"
Kankurō looked away from her at Naruto and Boruto, who were standing side by side in front of his bed. "Am I seeing double…?" He asked in confusion. "Because I'm pretty sure there aren't two Naruto Uzumaki."
"No," Temari shook her head. "Only one. He came all the way from Konoha to help us."
"Hey there," Naruto smiled at Kankurō.
Kakashi made some quick hand seals and hit the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!" Out of the cloud of smoke appeared eight dogs with the Konoha headband tied to them. "At your service, eight Ninja Hounds."
"Hey, Pakkun!" Naruto greeted the small dog on top of the largest one. But his greeting was soon drowned away by an excited squeal from behind him. Himawari looked at all the dogs with sparkling eyes. Running past everyone, she knelt down next to the dogs and smiled, giving them her hand to smell. The largest dog sniffed her for a moment before pushing its head under her hand, urging her to pet him. Himawari giggled as she hugged his massive body, burying her head in its fur. Kakashi sent a look to Boruto, who just shrugged.
"Alright, alright, let's skip the reunion," Kakashi tried to ignore the girl currently making the hounds he trained for years into mindless pets who were addicted to belly rubs. "I need you guys to get on this right away." He waved the piece of cloth in his hand in front of the dogs. They all turned from Himawari and focused on sniffing the cloth closely. "Find out which way he went, okay?" Kakashi tasked them.
"Kakashi-sensei," Himawari interrupted him, looking up from the dogs surrounding her. "Can I go with them?"
"Hima?" Boruto sounded concerned.
"That depends," Kakashi said, getting up. "Do you have any tracking skills?"
"Yes, I do," Himawari said, her happy expression turning serious in a blink of an eye. Kakashi nodded. "Alright, you can go."
"Thank you!" Himawari smiled. She jumped to her feet and turned to her brother, giving him a swift hug. "See you later, Onii-chan!"
"Hold up, Hima-"
"It's going to be okay, Onii-chan!" Himawari reassured him, patting his arm.
"Be careful," Boruto cautioned her, pursing his lips worriedly.
"Go on then," Kakashi ordered them. The eight dogs and Himawari moved out, their footsteps fading quickly down the hall.
Pakkun stayed behind for a moment. "We'll let you know when we find something." He told Kakashi before moving out as well.
"They won't let us down," Naruto said, watching them leave.
"If they got Hima with them, they'll find the Akatsuki in no time," Boruto said confidently, though his gaze didn't leave the spot where Himawari stood a moment ago and his brow was furrowed.
"Okay!" Naruto stretched. "We move out as soon as Pakkun and his pack gets back. So I say we start getting ready!" He took a step towards the door, prompting Kakashi to grab him by the collar of his jacket.
"Not so fast, Naruto," Kakashi stopped him. But before he could say anything else, the elderly people who were there before entered the room.
"Kankurō," the elder woman said.
Kankurō looked at them in surprise. "Chiyo-sama? Ebizo-sama? You're here?"
"There's something we must know and only you can tell us," Chiyo looked at Kankurō with a grim expression. "Am I correct in thinking that one of your opponents, the one you fought, was Sasōri?"
Kankurō averted his gaze from them, looking down instead.
"Well, speak up, Kankurō," Ebizo urged him.
"Yes," Kankurō sighed. "Sasōri of the Red Sand. He told me so himself."
"Sasōri of the Red Sand, huh?" Kakashi repeated the vaguely familiar name. "I get the feeling you know something about these Akatsuki. Will you tell us?"
It was already nightfall when Sakura and Saradafinally rushed in with the antidote. Sakura immediately poured one for Kankurō and forced him to drink it. "That's right, drink it all."
Once he finished the cup, they waited to see what would happen to him next. He breathed in deeply before starting to cough violently, clearing his throat.
"There," Sakura sighed in relief. "You should be alright now. Just lay back and rest. And don't move around until the numbness passes."
Baki turned to Naruto. "All of you are going to need to rest as well after your journey," he said. "We've prepared rooms for you."
"But, but we've gotta go after Gaara!" Naruto protested.
"Thanks," Kakashi said. "We'll take you up on your offer."
Naruto turned to complain, but Kakashi gave him a hard look. "We may have to travel far and fast tomorrow," he told the blonde.
Naruto closed his mouth and looked down, knowing he can't argue with that. "Okay, you win."
"Naruto," Kankurō called him. Naruto turned to him. "Save my little brother, will you?"
"Don't worry, I will." Naruto smiled. "After all, I'm gonna be Hokage someday! And for now, the Kazekage can just owe me one."
Himawari and Pakkun ran through the forest the scent was leading them to, the moon already high in the sky.
Himawari jumped above the dog, who needed to be close to the ground. Her hair was whipping around her because of the wind, getting into her face once in a while. But she let it.
The Akatsuki… she was pretty sure she had heard that name before. When she was young, her grandfather used to tell her stories about when her mother and father were young. He might have mentioned them a couple of times, too.
"We're close," Pakkun informed her. She nodded, activating her Byakugan. Now with a full 360-degree view, she could see everything in a few miles radius.
"There's a river up ahead!" She told the hound. A few moments later, they arrived at a cliff. She landed next to Pakkun, who sniffed the ground. "So," he said. "They're in there."
Himawari turned her gaze to the boulder he was looking at. It was large and completely blocked out the entrance to the cave behind it. When she tried to look beyond it, her vision became distorted and her eyes hurt, making her wince.
"If we get any closer we might be spotted," Pakkun cautioned.
"Let's go back then," Himawari deactivated her dōjutsu and felt the veins near her eyes to reside.
Pakkun nodded and turned back, running ahead of her. Himawari gave one last look to the ominous-looking boulder before heading after the hound.
Something about it just didn't feel right.
There was a knock on the guys' door, so Boruto went to answer it. Apparently, Sarada had something she wanted to talk to him about, so they both went out for a bit.
Naruto watched them speaking outside the building from the window in the room. "Do you think Boruto's worried about Himawari?" He asked Kakashi.
"It's the older sibling's job to worry about their younger siblings," Kakashi answered, not looking up from his book. "But Himawari is a kunoichi, so I'm sure she'll be fine."
"Yeah, I guess," Naruto nodded as he settled into his bed. He stared at the wall for a few moments before turning to Kakashi again. "When do you think they'll be back?"
"Pakkun and Himawari?" Kakashi placed down his book and crossed his arms in thought. "I don't know, hopefully, they'd be here by morning."
Naruto hummed in understanding and went back to staring at the wall, allowing Kakashi to return to his beloved book.
The door opened and Boruto stepped in, taking off his jacket as he walked and throwing it on his bed. He untied his headband and threw it on top of the jacket, rubbing his forehead.
"Hey, Boruto?" Naruto called the other blonde.
"Yeah?" Boruto dropped face-down on his bed, the mattress making a squeaking sound as the old springs took on the weight of the teen.
"Are you worried about Himawari?"
Boruto blinked at Naruto before smiling slightly, seeming tired. "I'm not really worried, to be honest. Hima's pretty strong, and she can take of herself." He turned on his back, placing his head on the pillow and looking at the ceiling before letting out a chuckle. "If I was worried about anything, its what will happen to the Akatsuki if they try to fight her."
"Is she really strong?" Naruto asked. He couldn't picture the girl being able to take on the Akatsuki when Kakashi himself couldn't.
"Oh yeah," Boruto chuckled again, placing his arms under his head. "Once, I accidentally ripped her stuffed bear in half, and she got so angry she tried to kill me."
"Wait, seriously?" Naruto straightened his back as he stared at Boruto incredulously.
"Uh-huh," Boruto laughed. "Dad tried to stop her, but she knocked him out with one strike."
Naruto winced. "Ouch," he said in sympathy for the man.
"I think his ego was more bruised, to be honest," Boruto commented with a fond smirk. "After all, Hima was only three years old at the time."
"She was three?!" Naruto nearly choked. "Amazing…"
"But, I guess…" Boruto said more quietly, his smirk subsiding. "I am a bit worried about her."
"How come?" Naruto tilted his head. "It sounds like she can take care of herself."
"Yeah, but she's still my little sister. And I guess I'll always be a little worried about her." Boruto turned on his side to look at Naruto.
"Alright, you two," Kakashi closed his book, cutting the conversation. "We have a long day tomorrow, so it's better if you got some sleep now while you can."
"Right," Naruto said, settling back into the bed.
"Night," Boruto mumbled, already deep under the covers. Kakashi turned off the light and settled in himself.
Naruto laid awake, thinking about what Boruto said. Even if Himawari could take care of herself, he was still worried about her.
But why?
Everything around him was white, and he couldn't hear anything except the cries of a baby.
A woman with black hair and a blurry face handed him the crying baby, saying something he didn't hear. He held the baby in his arms carefully, feeling like it was something that could be broken. Like glass.
Once in his arms, the baby had stopped fussing, settling into his arms and relaxing. It was a baby girl, with a tuft of black hair, and… two whisker marks?
She was really cute, and she slept soundly in his arms. He felt his heart expand as he watched her breathe tiny breaths, the blankets she was wrapped in rising up and down. Adorable.
He smiled, holding her closer. The movement made her open her eyes for a moment, looking at him with two clear blue eyes and giggling, the sound so cute he felt his heart explode. She then closed her eyes again, her head leaning against his chest. He felt his breath hitch, watching her sleep so soundly and looking safe. He wanted to always keep her that way. Safe and sound, protected from anything bad.
And he knew that as long as he could, he will.
His eyes teared up a little and he smiled, the baby in his arms felt like a little angel.
Naruto's little princess.
Naruto woke up on the floor, having fallen off his bed face-first. "Ow, that hurt my head…" he rubbed his head sleepily.
"Oh, Naruto, you're up."
"Huh?" Naruto turned to see the talking pug sitting in Kakashi's bed. "Hey, Pakkun!"
"Alright," Kakashi nodded at the hound. "Better get moving."
"I'll see you around, Naruto," Pakkun jumped off the bed and out of the window.
Naruto managed to climb up back to his bed and look out the window just in time to see Pakkun join up with Himawari, who was waiting outside. Both of them turned away from the inn and headed out to the entrance of the village.
"He's leaving with Himawari again?" Naruto asked Kakashi.
"Yes," his sensei stretched. "Apparently they made quite the team last night, so she offered to go with him again."
"Wait a second!" Naruto looked back at Kakashi. "Does this mean we know where the Akatsuki is hiding out?"
"Yup," Kakashi tied his kunai holster to his leg. "Get ready, 'cause we're moving out."
Naruto nodded, his mood shifting to serious. "Wait," he looked around. "Where's Boruto?"
"He's already up," Kakashi explained. "He went to greet Himawari earlier.
"Seems we'll be working in conjunction with a team from Suna," Kakashi briefed them. "As soon as they're here, we'll head out."
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Temari apologized. She and a group of four other Suna shinobi looked armed and ready to go.
"If that's everybody," Kakashi nodded.
"Ok-ay!" Naruto stretched. "There's no time to waste! Let's get this show on the road!"
"Wait!" Baki landed in front of them. "Temari, you and your group are to stay here and patrol the perimeter."
"Are you kidding me or what?" Temari looked incredulous.
"Orders. From above." Was Baki's answer. "If word gets out that the Kazekage is missing, our enemies might use this opportunity to launch an attack on the village."
Boruto watched the fight unfold between the Suna shinobi, but couldn't really pretend he cared. His thoughts were preoccupied with Himawari, and their conversation earlier.
"I'll be fine, Onii-chan," she told him as they parted from the hug her engulfed her in a moment earlier in an attempt to assure himself of her safety.
"I know that, but the Akatsuki are dangerous." Boruto didn't like the fact she needed to leave again so soon. She never even slept since they got to Suna.
She smiled at him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it reassuringly. "It's just a small mission, I'll be back before you know it."
He hoped she was right. Because if something were to happen to his sister…
"Boruto, are you okay?" Sarada whisper-asked him.
He looked at her and nodded. "I'm fine. Just want to get going already."
The sooner they rescue the Kazekage, the sooner he could go check on his sister.
Naruto and the group, now including one old lady, stood before the entrance to Suna.
"Alright," Kakashi said. "We'll head out on our own then."
"Thank you," Baki said. "I'll try to convince the Council to change its mind."
"Don't worry," Temari looked confident. "We'll catch up with you."
"Ha," Naruto broadened his shoulders. "By the time you can catch up with us, we'll already have rescued Gaara!'"
"We'll see you soon," Sakura told her.
They turned and started running to the desert, Boruto, Naruto, and Kakashi on one side, Sakura, Sarada, and Chiyo on the other.
They were going after the Kazekage.
Author's note: so you might not know this, but all the chapters of the arc so far have been written by me in a single week. I was bored. Sue me.
Now, if you feel like I'm not focusing on our time travelers enough, it is true. They still need to grow closer with the others to have a big impact on the story, but we're getting there. If you feel like Sarada hadn't been getting enough screen time (metaphorically) that's because I'm building up to something here. If you're a good Naruto veteran and remember this arc you're probably aware of what I'm talking about.
Also, Himawari going with Pakkun has a purpose. Everything I write the characters does have a purpose. I'm a purposeful person.
A few things to note: I don't plan on abandoning this story until it's completed, seeing as I already have a sort of idea on how it's going to end. It might take me a while to update it from time to time, but I plan on finishing it and giving it my all in the process. This was really supposed to be updated last week because I'm trying to update at least twice a month for now. Thank you for your patience.
Please don't forget to review! Any comment, question, or note you have is very much welcomed here.
Thank you for reading!
Beta Reader: AgretseBug, who thought she sent me the doc about a week ago when she actually didn't.