The lining around the scroll glowed a deep lavender before a cloud of smoke shrouded Sasori's body, obscuring it from view. Sakura gripped the handle of her kunai tightly with her face one of complete focus. The sound of leather crunching could be heard as her fingers tightened and untightened. Once the cloud dispersed, it revealed Sasori in a crouched position with one arm outstretched while the other was placed in front of him. Strangely enough, a third hand was placed underneath the outstretched arm, but wooden. It was connected to the body of a black-haired puppet with long, shaggy black hair and piercing golden eyes. It had a sandy-colored cloak draped over its body. The Akatsuki member smirked upon seeing his grandmother's knowing expression.

"So that's where his body went," she said in a matter-of-fact voice. Tenten quirked an eyebrow to this and questioned Chiyo as to what she was referring to. Chiyo, shaking her head, nodded her head towards the menacing looking puppet and stated, "That's the third Kazekage." Tenten and Sakura's eyes widened a slight fraction before narrowing. Sakura tilted her head in the woman's direction without taking her eyes off of her opponent.

"How is that possible?" she asked. Her answer was likely to be given at another time as she had to dodge a missile in the form of the Third Kazekage flying towards her at great speeds. Blades sprouted out from the puppet's left sleeve coated with a viscous liquid that hissed when it made contact with the ground. With subtle finger movements by the puppet master, the Third Kazekage slashed through Sakura with little difficulty, only to be replaced with a shower of pebbles as the girl replaced herself at the last moment with a large boulder. Right underneath the elbow of the puppet, a crouched Sakura sprung up and with a rising snap kick severed the puppet's arm, ridding it of its dangerous weaponry. Sasori's face remained impassive as the pinkette glared at him. Suddenly, a hand emerged from the left sleeve and attempted to strike her in the face but it was easily deflected by a thrown kunai.

With the wave of a hand, the sides of the puppet's left arm opened up and released a near infinite stream of wooden arms. Sakura then had to deftly use a series of back handsprings to avoid the coming arms that emerged from the puppet's sleeves and got out of range right in time as several of the wooden appendages dug into the ground with great force. Her feet skidded across the dirt ground and she reached for another kunai in her pouch as she stood next to Tenten.

The bun-haired girl, who watched the scene in a state of amazement quickly regained her bearings and clutched her own throwing knives. She looked down at her hands with a lost expression.

She moved with so much grace and confidence... can I really even match up to that?

"Tenten!" The girl was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard the pinkette shout her name. She cast her a glance for a split second and flatly told her, "Stop comparing yourself to me." Tenten's head snapped in her direction as she asked, "How did you...?" Sakura cut her off with a nod towards their opponent.

"Never remove your eyes from the enemy," she stated in a serious tone, her eyes hardening. Tenten followed the girl's instructions and filed away her questions for after they won; hopefully.

Not willing to take any risks and doesn't want us getting close; it's an effective yet easy to pick apart strategy that puppet masters use. He'll use ranged attacks to force us back while he assess the way we counter his strategy. It's likely he isn't proficient in taijutsu which is why he isn't willing to let me get close... Chiyo eyed the girl with curiosity.

So, she's taking account everything that's happened in the past 20 seconds and using it to perform an effect countermeasure. She's got quite the head on her shoulders, that's for sure.

There was complete silence until the sound of wood clacking was heard and a tube emerged from the sea of hands, invisible to the naked eye as it blended in perfectly with the wooden appendages. Chiyo's eyes widened and her instincts kicked in as she leaped back several yards, urging for her comrades to do the same.

"Quickly!" she yelled, waving her hand to exaggerate the situation's severity, "Hold your breath!" she exclaimed with urgency in her voice. Tenten quickly followed the woman's instructions, but Sakura, however, did not. Instead, she flashed through hand signs, ignoring the indignant shouts of the woman behind her. A hissing sound was heard as a dense purple fog emerged from the tube and enveloped the surrounding area, quickly approaching the pinkette. Sasori smirked.

"Her foolishness will cost her life," he said in the same dead=sounding tone. A vein bulged on the side of Sakura's head as she grit her teeth.

"Earth Style; Earth Flow Spears!" she cried out with her hands ending in the bird sign. A deep rumbling was heard coursing through the ground as the girl stood firm. A series of earthen spikes that peaked ten feet in height began protruding from the ground, following a straight line that made its way towards the puppet master. Sakura's form was enveloped by the large cloud of smoke as her attack simultaneously crashed into the sea of hands, viciously tearing them apart into bits and jutting through the smoke. Sasori forcefully brought his arms back in a gesture that caused his puppet to retreat away from the precipes in front of him. They stopped merely a few yards away from him, but that did not stop him from leaping back to make distance. He clicked his teeth in annoyance.

"She almost broke my toy," she said in a flat tone. "And for what? To uselessly sacrifice her life for two worthless women who can do nothing but watch in pity? Pathetic," he spat out.

"Sakura!" Tenten cried out with her voice muffled by the arm she used to cover her mouth. She effectively ignored Sasori's taunts and frantically searched around her for her friend, her eyes failing to spot a figure through the fog. Chiyo's face was stoic as she watched the faint silhouette of the girl remain completely still. She narrowed her eyes when she saw it waver slightly. Her features softened as she realized what had happened. Clever girl.

"So," Sasori began, breaking the silence, "what shall your next move be?" he said, his fingers twitching in anticipation as his human puppet chattered eerily. There was no response to his question, but a trail of dust and pebbles falling in front of his face put his danger senses on high alert and he looked up. What he saw was the heel of Sakura's sandal before he instinctively leapt back. A pink and red blur crashed in the spot he had been previously occupying and the ground caved in on itself as Sakura's foot buried itself in the ground for what seemed like the 100th time that day. The Akatsuki member gritted his teeth as he waved his arms to urge his puppet to attack, a hail of kunai emerging from its sleeves and straight towards the girl whose form began to sink into the crumbling ground. Cracks spread out towards the wall of the cave and trailed up towards its ceiling, causing a rain of boulders to fall where Sasori had just placed himself. Easily avoiding the attack, he watched with pleasure as the girl screamed in agony, her body becoming a human pincushion. Blood splattered onto the ground, coating it a deep crimson and causing a grim smile to grace his features.

"Thinking you could get the drop on me was rather foolish, wouldn't you say?" he mocked. The Third Kazekage quickly returned to its position directly in front of him, acting as a bodyguard while he eyed his other opponents, ignoring the limp and lifeless form of the pinkette. Her body was buried deep in the crater she had created, lying in the fetus position as kunai pierced nearly every inch of her flesh from head to toe. As the sound of flesh getting pierced ceased, so did the screams of anguish.

Tenten slowly lowered her arm down away from her face and began grinding her teeth together, reaching for the scroll on her back before untying it and firmly placing it on the ground beside her with a furious expression. An outstretched arm impeded the step she was about to take and Chiyo received a silent glare from the girl that promised murder. The woman merely shook her head and mouthed the word 'Watch.'

"Enough with the pussyfooting," Sasori stated as his fingers tensed, "let's see how you fare against me when I'm actually try-huh?" As the puppet master moved his fingers to urge his puppet's movements, the body did not budge. Questioning why his work of eternal art was failing on him, his train of thought was cut short. A web of thin wire was headed straight towards him, bound by two puppets' hands as they soared towards him. Ditching his failure of a weapon, he removed himself from the puppet's strings and created distance between himself and the two approaching figures, who sliced the Third Kazekage into pieces with the wire conjoined by their hands. The two puppets moved so fast it looked as though a black twister was whirling around the fallen Kazekage. Its wooden remains clattered onto the ground, black cloak torn to shreds. Sasori, amidst as the chaos of his impending defeat, trailed his eyes down to see a pair of gloves latching themselves onto the fallen puppet's ankles, previously hidden by the large cloak. His eyes widened before narrowing as he noticed the familiar leather material.

"Earth Style; Headhunter Jutsu," came the voice of an unscathed Sakura as she emerged from the ground, dusting herself off. "With a twist," she finished, giving a cocky smirk towards Sasori as she stood confidently in front of the two new mysterious puppets. The Akatsuki member sighed in exasperation.

"Not only has this pink-haired bimbo outsmarted me, but now my own creations are being used against me once again. What a shame," he said, sighing. "A layered genjutsu, I presume?" he stated, more than asked. "Your silence verifies my suspicions," he stated flatly as his hands withdrew into his cloak.

Sakura set herself into a more ready stance, ignoring the jab made at her as well as the gaping face of Tenten who was still in her previous position, Chiyo now positioned behind the two newcomers, strings attached. So those are his creations, huh? she said, catching sight of the two puppets in her peripherals.

"I know you're rather familiar with these two, so how about a family reunion, my cute little grandson?" Chiyo taunted with a sad smile on her face. Her face morphed itself into a more battle-ready expression as she urged Sakura to get behind her. The girl readily obliged, leaping over the elderly woman to stand behind her, keeping her enemy in sight, even past the two marionettes. "Your mother and father are going to give you a spanking, my foolish grandchild." If only things had ended up differently.

A deep chuckling was heard throughout the cave and three women had to wonder what the reasoning behind it was. Sasori's shoulders began to shake as he removed his Akatsuki robe. What ended up being revealed however was not the torso of a man, but that of a young boy. What was especially strange was not the fact that the body was that of a child, but that it was a puppet as well. Chiyo's face dropped as she saw what her grandson had done to himself. Sakura and Tenten could only watch on in pity.

"Don't stare, please," the man said in a joking tone, "the fun isn't over." A pair of spinning claws now were attached to his lower back, giving him a more menacing and predatory appearance, similar to that of Hiruko. A holder for four scrolls on was on his back, a stinger in the empty and open stomach cavity, with a compartment on the right side of his chest, and a 'core of living flesh' on the left which had the kanji for 'scorpion' inscribed on it. In this state, rather than the dull and lifeless, half-lidded eyes from before, he looked far more expressive, his eyes slightly wider and giving a more lifelike appearance.

"Oh," he began in a more whispered and hushed voice, "and don't look up." A long chord with a blade on the tip coiled up in the open part of his stomach snaked its way underneath his right foot and jabbed itself into the ground, providing the appearance that he was balancing atop a snake.

Ignoring the advice given to them, the trio looked straight up to see a large, black cube of an unfamiliar material right above them, starting to descend upon them at a rapid pace. Tenten's eyes widened with horror, Chiyo's face took on a look of shock, while Sakura's remained impassive yet determined.

Chiyo crouched low and tensed her muscles, ready to perform any counter maneuver she could think of. She was about to speak before Sakura raised her voice, loud and clear. "I got this." The simple statement did nothing to calm Tenten's nerves, but the elderly woman knew better than to deny the strength of the girl who made a great display of her prowess already.

"Are you insane?!" the bun-haired girl shouted. "What can you possibly do against that?!" she frantically continued, pulling at her hair in anger and trepidation. Sakura remained completely quiet during the brunette's tirade, choosing to crouch down in preparation for a leap. Chiyo stood straight up and relaxed her features slightly, not taking her eyes off of the cool and calculating form of Sasori.

It's most likely he thinks whatever Sakura will do is futile, but I won't underestimate the girl. She thought to herself. She found herself in various situations where she had to put faith in the pinkette, and so far, her intuition hadn't failed her.

In... Sakura mentally chanted, inhaling through her nose, and out... she finished, exhaling out of her mouth. After fully relaxing herself, she took off.

The sound of the ground cracking was heard as a dust cloud simultaneously formed from Sakura's massive leap upwards. Tenten had to shield herself from the furious gust of wind that nearly blew her back, the chakra-enhanced jump nearly knocking her off her feet. Chiyo stood firm, using her chakra as an anchor, her puppets rattling loudly. Sasori remained out of range, but looked on with a curious stare. Foolish.

As the wind blew in her face, Sakura's vision became clouded by a sea of black. The cube came closer into her vision before she veered around it with acrobatic finesse, running along its side with chakra.

"What is she doing?" Sasori asked aloud, receiving no response to the rhetorical question. His lax demeanor shifted to one of caution as he watched on.

Sakura's feet lightly tapped the surface of the cube she was running on, doing a full lap until she had positioned herself on the top.

Here goes. The girl did a light hop before tucking in her limbs to increase her momentum as she closed in on the cube. With her infamous cry of "Cha!" she cocked back her fist before slamming her gloved hand onto it, causing its trajectory to focus onto the puppet master and increase its momentum in the process. Tenten's eyes nearly left their sockets while Chiyo face looked extremely proud.

"An outstanding, budding woman, she is indeed."

"Ah," Sasori said, watching on in boredom as the large cubic mass of iron sand crashed onto him, as he was unable to dodge. A thunderous crash was heard, causing a mini avalanche to occur as the cave closed in on itself, various boulders falling down from the ceiling. Sakura nimbly hopped from boulder to boulder, even as the cave was shaking, making her way to the ground. Once she touched the earth, she quickly spun on her heel, making her way to the exit.

"Don't just stand there!" she yelled, passing by the two women who stood in awe at the display of strength and dexterity. On rather shaky footing, the two managed to right themselves, Tenten following after Sakura while the elderly woman multitasked re-sealing her grandson's puppets. She cast a sad glance behind her to the large iron sand mass that crushed the defeated Akatsuki member before following the Konoha duo.

"So, let me get this straight," Naruto began, grinding his teeth in anger and frustration, "you want me to sit here and wait for Sakura and everyone else to return, while my friend is sitting her dying in my arms?" The disgust in his voice was clear and it made Rock Lee, Gai and Neji flinch, but Kakashi didn't budge.

"Naruto, I keep assuring you," he started, as he watched Naruto place the dying form of Gaara on the ground, the Kazekage's breathing erratic and inconsistent, "Sakura's medical prowess is amazing. Not on the level of Tsunade, of course, but she is in a league of her own. You saw what she did for Kankuro," the silver-haired man pointed out, hoping to get some semblance of agreement from the blond. He was surprised when he heard a resigned grunt as the boy sat himself in front of Gaara's limp form.

"5 minutes," he said, one knee up while his other leg remained outstretched, an elbow resting on his poised up knee. The stony gaze he gave to the vast nothingness of the landscape unnerved all present, but as they had all come to an impasse, they could do nothing but pray that their generous time limit was not squandered.

"And if she's not here in that time limit, or Gaara dies because of your negligence..." Naruto let his sentence hang, the ground beneath him cracking from the chakra he began to exert. The wind whistled an eerie, foreboding tune in the men's ears and they only hoped their punishment wasn't too severe.

"That's all I ask," Kakashi said, a bead of sweat trailing down his face. His temper is highly volatile. I wonder if it has something to do with the seal? Or has something happened to you, Naruto?

Flashback

As a cool breeze past through the forest clearing, the wind caught hold of a cold, monotone voice that held a strong edge to it. "Naruto," came the voice of Itachi, the Uchiha killer standing as tall and rigid as ever, cloak flapping slightly in the breeze.

The aforementioned boy stood across from the raven haired Uchiha with a smile that contained pity on his face, sadness evident as it was carried even in his partially slumped posture.

"Damn," Naruto began, sighing and running a hand through his blond locks. He strangely found himself doing that a lot recently. The stone cold visage of Itachi fixed its sights on the boy and quirked an eyebrow. The blond chuckled at this reaction.

"Firstly, I know you're a fake. The real Itachi isn't as confrontational as you're being, and the movements aren't as fluid as his normally are." At this assessment, the Uchiha bristled slightly, but otherwise didn't object to the statement. "That," Naruto said, pointing a single finger at his opponent, "proved my point. Itachi doesn't lose composure easily. And second, Itachi wouldn't waste time following after one man when he is outnumbered. Not only is it a faulty strategy, but it's common sense." Especially when he or she is the strongest in a given group.

The imposter Itachi chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly as he did so. The blood red eyes of the Sharingan fixed themselves onto Naruto's blue. "You've become rather perceptive, Naruto. I see those goggles have cleared your vision and the years that have gone by have done you some good." Naruto blinked and gave no reaction to the statement. Itachi continued, "Now, I must ask you," he began in a more firm tone, tomoe in his eyes rotating wildly, "what do you truly think of my little brother?"

Naruto's rolled his shoulders and sighed at the cracking of his aching bones. Once he had finished doing so, he chose to respond. "With all honesty, I think of him as a brother; a parallel to me. We share the same pain of loneliness, but not that of loss, the same strength in gaining people we trust, but not the same internal hatred to cut everyone off." Naruto paused to think. 'Itachi' listened on intently, not saying a word. "I found there were times where I felt like I was becoming like him, cold and distant, but I think it's because I haven't come to terms fully with the part of myself I locked away for years. Had I let that part of me show, I surely would have gone down a completely different and dark path." The blond scratched his head, his eyes squinting so hard that they looked shut. "But man, do I want to beat his ass. But I know that's not the way to reach him. I think we... need more time to understand each other and develop as people, as individuals. If I saw him now, I'd want to kill him for the torture and suffering he put people through, but you... you hold the key to what truly causes him pain, and until he resolves that with you, there will be no end to his hatred."

Once Naruto had finished his speech, 'Itachi' slightly inclined his head. "I see," he said, coughing. He trailed his eyes downwards to see a mop of sunkist hair soaked with an odd crimson fluid. "You've grown well. I only wish Sasuke had the same maturity as you did. He has a great deal of trials and tribulations-cough-he must overcome..."

The sound of flesh being grinded filled the clearing before dying down. "Hmph," Naruto grunted. "The last thing you need to know, is that Itachi wouldn't fall for something like that. I think your vision is getting blurry," he said with a watery smile. The life in 'Itachi's' eyes faded leaving only the sclera, dull and pupilless. Removing his hand from the corpse, he slung the body of the man whose face morphed into that of someone completely different from the Uchiha on his shoulder, exiting the clearing with heavy footsteps.

As Chiyo, Sakura and Tenten dusted themselves off after successfully avoiding near death after the cavern caving in, the sound of pebbles clicking and boulders shifting could be heard. Instantly, the three were on high alert.

"You put on quite the show! However," came the familiar voice of the fallen Akatsuki member. The sentence hung in the air, causing Tenten to gulp, Sakura to stiffen and Chiyo to shift nervously. "The finale will now commence! Secret Red Technique; Performance of A Hundred Puppets!"

Silence.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this, but..." Chiyo placed her hand inside the pouch on her back, her hand emerging with a scroll labeled Chikamatsu. A low rumbling was heard as the woman unfurled the scroll, which revealed to be triple her height in length. Making the hand sign for release, ten puffs of smoke appeared simultaneously as a loud crash was heard, boulders flying up into the sky and crashing onto the ground in a shower of rocks.

"Well," Tenten said, drawing three kunai, placing one in her mouth, "the fight's not over," she finished in a more muffled voice. Sakura, entertained by this, drew her own kunai, a serious look plastered on her face. She fixed Sasori, who had emerged from the rubble, standing proudly atop the mountain of rocks, a death glare, even as the menacing sight of 100 floating puppets loomed over her.

"13 versus 100, I like those odds," Sakura said, twirling a kunai around her finger before gripping it tightly. Chiyo and Tenten stood on either side of her with their respective weapons drawn, ready for battle. The signal to start was given when a hurricane of puppets flew their way.

The sound of metal clashing as well as wood cracking filled the area. Two large blades wielded by a red-haired puppet with two buns easily cleaved through dozens of Sasori's army with ease. Sakura fared just as well, back handing one puppet in the face with a chakra enhanced fist before ducking a kick to the head and using an uppercut with her kunai to slice the puppet's head off.

Tenten whirled around the battlefield with practiced ease, becoming a greyish-white cyclone with how she twirled around various weapons, narrowly avoiding getting hit at each turn. With her versatility in weaponry, wielding three kunai was child's play, and she easily cut through dozens of puppets with well timed kicks, slices and straightforward charges, kunai in mouth.

Chiyo's fingers fluidly danced around as she controlled her Chikamatsu puppets. One blue, bald-headed puppet with cables in its skull pierced through enemies while its other 'brethren' backed it up.

A triad of puppets with the kanji for 'Dharma', 'Buddha' and 'Monk' positioned themselves to form a triangle as they placed their hands in the Tiger seal, forming a large vacuum that sucked in all the opposition they could before blasting them away in heaps of severed body parts that collided with other flying enemies.

Through all the chaos, Sasori remained perched atop the mass of rocks. "Sakura!" Chiyo cried out, which brought the man's attention. He fixed his gaze upon the pink-haired girl who emerged unscathed from a sudden barrage of puppets, defended by a puppet with grey markings around its mouth area and hair coming from a single point on its head. Its fierce taijutsu skills put various of Sasori's crimson cloaked puppets out of commision, using heavy and catastrophic blows to send opponents flying. The redhead was far too focused on the Konoha ninja to see a strange contraption that resembled a tiger's head heading straight for him. The object had its jaw wide open and once it collided with his puppet body, it, along with Sasori, flew several dozens of yards back before crashing onto the ground. It was then that the object grew in size, ensnaring the puppet user to the ground with its maw, a seal placing itself on the ground. The remaining dozen or so puppets fell to the ground lifelessly, causing all to relax.

"That's a chakra suppression seal," Tenten said through clenched teeth, panting. She felt a sudden chill go through the air and she attempted to shout, kunai falling out of her mouth, but she was too late. The cloaked figure of Sasori made its way to a distracted lady Chiyo with a blade drawn. "No!"

The sound of pierced flesh was heard along with blood splattering onto the ground. Tenten watched the form of Sakura standing firmly in front of Lady Chiyo with a blade impaling her stomach, the girl gripping onto it tightly to prevent anymore internal damage. She coughed up a copious amount of blood before asking the woman, "Are you alright?" She already began administering a small medical jutsu to the wound, preventing the poison from spreading too fast. She couldn't make any overt movements such as reaching for her antidote, otherwise it would worsen her condition.

Chiyo, who remained quiet through the entire ordeal, watched on in shock as the former stranger now ally risked her life to protect her. Her mouth failed to form words so Sasori took it upon himself to help his elderly grandma out.

"'Another worthless life wasted.' That must be what you're thinking, right?" he taunted, taking satisfaction in his blade piercing his enemy. It wasn't his intended target, but beggars couldn't be choosers, right?

"I agree," the woman said in an imperceptible tone. Sasori's eyes widened as the woman's fingers twitched and suddenly he found himself being flanked on both sides by a tall puppet that looked like an older version of himself while the other was a woman with long, dark hair. What was a true surprise was the set of blades impaling his core in a cross formation. "What you've done with your body is despicable," she replied in a harsh tone. "Even though your body is that of a puppet's, a human part is still needed to manipulate chakra. That's your weakness," she chided. Blood trickled down the side of Sasori's mouth, causing the woman to inwardly sober up, but she steeled herself to continue.

"And now, that part in the left side of that puppet's chest is gone; it's body is, in fact, merely a doll. Your true nature is the chakra-producing part in your center." Upon finishing her explanation, the woman gingerly aided Sakura in removing the blade with Tenten's help. The pinkette fell to her knees, her breath hitching.

"It's useless, that woman will die," Sasori stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Shut... up..." Sakura said between pants. Tenten tried to stop the girl from talking but she ignored the concerns. "The way you talk about life... it's disgusting! It reminds me of Orochimaru and his... disgusting human experiments... He has no regard for any life but his own... which he wishes to make eternal, and by using one of my friends no less."

"Life that is not eternal has no value," Sasori retorted, "If my grandmother were to die, I would feel nothing. My heart is just like this body. She would be one among thousands of lives I have taken. Things are far more simple when you look at life from that lens..." Sakura snorted, causing her to go into a fit of coughing. She hacked up a bit of blood which caused Tenten's brow to furrow but she remained silent.

"What is human life to you? Family; what is its meaning?" she asked in a more calm tone.

"...That is not a very shinobi-like thing to ask." Sakura lowered her head slightly before standing up on shaky legs, a resigned look on her face. "I... am a human being who failed to become a puppet-one with a human heart; therefore, I am neither puppet nor human. However, just like you women, I shall do something pointless."

"Well," Naruto said, standing up, causing Neji and Lee to be forcefully blown back by the expulsion of chakra. "Time's up." A crowd had gathered in the time they had been waiting for the medics' arrival, all residents of the Sand Village who were prepared to mourn. Many of them had to shield their eyes and use chakra to hold their ground against the boy's fury.

What power! How can I wish to even match it? No! Such pessimistic thoughts shall fan out my flames!

If I had my Byakugan activated I would have been blinded by the sheer quantity!

Temari and Kankuro were silently crouched by their brother, staring at his lifeless body as if willing for him to suddenly wake up. Naruto's eyes narrowed at the sight.

"Gai, don't concern yourself with this, I can handle it," Kakashi said in a firm tone, his hand already placed over his headband, preparing to activate his eye. Just as Gai was about to protest, the fierce winds died down, causing all four men to become confused.

"You're here," Naruto stated, closing his eyes as three presences revealed themselves. "I got you," he softly said, wrapping an arm around Sakura and using his body as a crutch. The tired-looking girl smiled at the gesture but looked downcast towards the fallen Kazekage. Something's on her mind, I can tell, Naruto thought, mentally going through various reasons as to what Sakura could be mulling over in her head. He was snapped out of his thoughts by the raspy voice of Lady Chiyo, who had a crowd of people entranced by the work she was doing. Her hands were glowing blue and they were placed atop Gaara's chest it rose up and down.

"Naruto Uzumaki, I request your assistance," she said in a polite yet somber tone. Naruto picked up on this and immediately reached her side.

I've never seen medical chakra used in this manner. The blond's eyes narrowed. I see. That isn't medical chakra, that's...

"Sure, Granny, I'll give you a chakra boost," he said in a calm tone. Sakura, whose arm was still draped around him, knelt next to him and whispered something in his ear that caused him to stiffen slightly before giving a nod.

"I'm truly happy... people like you and Sakura have appeared in this shinobi world we foolish old people have created," Chiyo began, catching the two teens' attention. "Everything I've done was a mistake, but now, at the end, it looks like I'll finally be able to compensate for my wrongdoings." A tear rolled down Sakura's cheek, splashing onto the ground as she buried her head in Naruto's shoulder. The boy listened intently to the woman's speech and made no sudden movements.

"The future will drastically change from what it was back in my day. That strange power that you have that compels people towards you, it will have a strong influence on the future of our world...' Naruto bowed his head in respect. "What is your dream, Naruto?" The blond grunted.

"To become a Hokage like no other, of course." Sakura snorted into the boy's jacket.

"Then do that. And remember, you're the only one who knows Gaara's pain... and as does he, you. Please, look after him... alright?" The woman finished her speech with a smile, dropping her concentration in the process. Her body slowly fell limp, approaching the ground quickly before being caught by a now alert Sakura.

The Kazekage sat up just as the woman lost the last bit of life in her and the first thing in sight was the face of Naruto Uzumaki, who placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Welcome back, we were all awaiting your return," he said with a sad smile. Gaara returned the smile with one of his own, albeit a bit forced but genuine nonetheless.

As the newly 'revived' Kazekage was swarmed by his subjects, Naruto stood off to the side, watching on with fascination and a bit of jealousy at the display. His eyes focused themselves on the form of Sakura holding the lifeless Lady Chiyo, who sacrificed her life for the man who was being treated as a hero.

"His bijuu wasn't fully extracted, meaning he wasn't dead, right?"

"There you go, pretending like you're actually intelligent again," reverberated the deep voice of Kurama in Naruto's mindscape. The blond flicked his earring before clicking his teeth. "But you're right. If he were to form a bond with Shukaku, we could establish some sort of link and discuss it between the four of us, but sadly, I don't think that's-"

"Shut the hell up," Naruto rudely interrupted the tailed beast. Kurama blinked twice, before the statement registered, and he raised a claw. "If us two can get along, anything is possible, right?" the blond innocently asked with a foxy grin. Holding back a chuckle Kurama mimicked Naruto and flicked his ear.

"I guess I should have given up on giving up a while ago."

So she truly must have faith in the new generation if she was willing to give up her life for the same person who she condemned to a life of hell. Although, looking at it that way is utterly pointless. A shinobi is judged by their death, are they not?

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his shoulder, courtesy of Kankuro, who had a grateful smile on his face. The blond raised an eyebrow at this.

"First, I have to thank you, Naruto," he began, before he was cut off.

"It should go to Granny, not me, but I'll say you're welcome for her, so, you're welcome." The brown-haired boy chuckled before a somber look donned his features.

"Yeah, she truly went out like a real ninja. That jutsu she used was a forbidden technique used to breath life into puppets." Naruto raised a brow, curious to the explanation being given. "There was a point in time when the Sand's Puppet-Master Corps was involved in the secret development of a technique that would bring puppets to life, which Granny Chiyo led." The whole crowd listened, astonished at the thought of such a technique, enthralled by the mere mention of the jutsu's history.

"The theory was devised but midway through, due to the high risk, before a human experiment was conducted, it was banned, and thus, sealed." Kankuro ran a hand through his hair upon finishing his explanation before sighing. "It's highly admirable she was even able to pull it off."

"What's truly impressive," came the voice of Temari, who approached Naruto with a calculating look, "is how Granny Chiyo used to speak about how she didn't care about the village's future, and that she wasn't the kind of person who would do something like this for Gaara..." Kakashi chose to pick up where the girl left off.

"But in the end she entrusted the future to you, Sakura, Gaara, and the rest of the younger generation... A death befitting a shinobi."

Just like the old man, Third Hokage. "Now I get what she truly wished for," Naruto said, conviction in his voice. The simple statement carried a weight to it that lifted everyone's mood and none could resist the urge to smile, despite the day's events.

Gaara, who had been silent the whole time, stood up full of vitality. present in the fluidity of his movements. Wow, I feel amazing... The Kazekage waved off his subordinates' concerns and gave a demand that came out as more of a request, one that all would follow either way.

"Everyone," he began in his low, raspy tone, catching everyone's attention, "pray for Granny Chiyo."

"Fuck that blond bastard! When I get my hands on him, I'll blow him up! Hm!" Deidara's impassionate cries of vindication were cut short as his head rolled off its shoulders, courtesy of a cloaked figure that was tossing and catching two Akatsuki rings, up and down. The figure had an orange, spiral mask with a single hole in it, spiky, short black hair and black gloves. He sat atop the corpse of Sasori with Deidara's right next to him.

"So, is there room for Tobi to join now?" he asked in a jovial tone, despite the morbid scene that befell him.