Fallen Leaves Chapter Five: Showdown in the Sand, a naruto fanfic

Fallen Leaves

By: Holly Skulltaker

Chapter Five: Showdown in the Sand

The Fifth Kazekage had awoken that morning much as he had any other day; he rose shortly before the dawn in order to do his daily meditation before attending to the endless paperwork his role entailed. The village was quiet at this hour, and he found himself standing atop his residence, overlooking his home. Down below, few people were seen, only the occasional pair of patrolling shinobi and some scattered workers whose jobs began before the sun. Enjoying the peace and quiet, Gaara of the Sand sat down on the floor of the rooftop, feeling the cool breeze of the desert morning as he closed his eyes.

He allowed himself twenty minutes, as always. Down in the village below, the clock tower sounded six times, rousing him from his meditation. Gaara opened his eyes once more. With a sigh, he stood, dusting himself off. It was time to get to work. He stopped at this residence on the way to his office, where he donned his haori and hat, bot.h white and green, the official uniform of his position. On his way out the door, he paused to water a plant, admiring the flower buds which would soon bloom. That task done, he made his way to his office. The pair of Anbu outside came to attention as he approached, and he greeted them with a smile and a nod.

"Good morning."

Good morning, Lord Kazekage!" both Anbu responded sharply from behind their cloth face coverings.

Gaara entered his office to find a stack of paperwork waiting, with a pen sitting on top. More pleasantly, beside the stack was a plate of two onigiri and a small serving of beef, as well as a cup of green tea, steam still rising from the ceramic. Gaara placed his hat on a side table and draped his haori over the back of his chair before taking his seat. He pulled the first paper from the stack and took a sip of his tea, appreciating the pleasant bitterness.

The first paper was, as always, a summary of the day's activities, which he skimmed without much interest; it rarely changed, after all, though he did note that he would be hosting the Wind Diamyo later in the week. The next paper was his monthly income and expenditure report, and he was pleased to see that it showed economic growth. Next was a progress on Suna's irrigation effort, his own pet project to hopefully expand Suna's limited agricultural capabilities. He continued to review and sign documents over the next couple of hours, pausing only to greet an aide who came to take away his dishware from breakfast and refill his tea. He'd made a sizeable dent in the stack of paperwork before he was interrupted by a knock at the office door.

"Come in." Gaara said, capping his pen.

The door opened, revealing Baki, his former sensei and a senior member of the Sunagakure Council. The older man bowed respectfully. "Good morning, Lord Kazekage."

Gaara rose from his chair and bowed his head. "Good morning, Baki-sensei."

Baki looked up then. "Lord Kazekage, you really don't have to call me that anymore." Gaara smiled. It was a protest he'd heard before.

"I am your Kazekage, but you were my sensei first, and you are still worthy of my respect. Please, take a seat. How can I help you?"

Gaara and Baki took their seats, Baki sitting across from his former pupil and now leader. "I wanted to discuss your upcoming meeting with the Wind Diamyo. As you know, our irrigation system is coming along well, but we've run into some procurement issues. The Council would like it if you could ask the Diamyo to sponsor the project. The money would help us to-" Baki was cut off by another knock, this one rather frantic.

Gaara and Baki both turned to the door, Gaara raising an eyebrow. This was most irregular. "Come in?" The door flew open, revealing Kankuro, his face grave and serious. "Kankuro? Is everything alright?"

Kankuro took note of Baki in the room, and assumed a more formal tone than he might have otherwise. "Lord Kazekage, Lord Councilor, we've just received envoys from the Leaf at the city gates. They claim that Konoha was attacked and destroyed, and that an attack on Suna is imminent." Kankuro spoke quickly.

Gaara rose from his seat, as did Baki, and pulled on his haori and hat. "Take me to them."

The Konoha 11 were spent. They'd given the journey everything they had and perhaps a bit more. At the far end of the pass into Suna, they'd finally encountered a pair of Sand shinobi, both of whom had been shocked to see ten battered and exhausted Leaf shinobi approaching from the desert, along with what appeared to be some manner of rogue ninja. Especially when that group had immediately demanded to see the Kazekage, spouting something about an invasion. Unsure of how to proceed, the Suna guards had sent for Temari, who frequently carried out diplomatic work in Konoha.

After Neji and Shikamaru relayed the story to her, Temari had immediately sent for Gaara, and ordered the perimeter guards to high alert. Only minutes later, the Fifth Kazekage had arrived with Kankuro and Baki, as well as a pair of Anbu. Gaara looked over the new arrivals, relieved to see that he recognized most of them. "What's going on?" He asked.

"L-Lord Kazekage." Neji said, breathing heavily, his voice dry and hoarse. "The Leaf Village is gone. We were completely overwhelmed in a surprise attack, and the Fifth Hokage is dead. To our know-" He paused to cough. "To our knowledge, we are the only remaining shinobi from Konoha."

Gaara's eyes widened in concern. 'The Fifth Hokage was dead?'

Neji was at least glad to have his attention. "We believe that- a large invasion force is currently on its way to Suna. They're probably very close by now. Sutaggu?" Neji called.

The rogue Rift shinobi shuffled forward, and the two Anbu stepped forward, not recognizing his uniform, but there was no mistaking the deep gash across his forehead protector. A rogue ninja. Gaara raised his hand, and they stopped. "It's okay."

"Sutaggu gulped, finally meeting the Kazekage's eyes. "Lord Kazekage, my name is Sutaggu Murayama. I am a former shinobi of the Hidden Rift Village, Rifutogakure. They've destroyed the Leaf, and they're on their way here. They'll be approaching from the northeast, probably in great numbers. There are also infiltrators in the Sand Village, but I don't know how many or who they are." With that, Sutaggu backed up, respectfully bowing his head. He was proud that he'd at least managed not to choke on his words as he spoke to the leader of the Hidden Sand.

"When did this attack happen?" Gaara asked.

Neji tried to answer, but his breath caught in his throat, and Shikamaru spoke up. "Yesterday, my lord."

Temari's mouth dropped open. "You made it all the way here in less than a day? That's a three day trip!"

Neji coughed in response, his stomach turning. "We didn't stop. Only five minutes of rest total." Every muscle in his body was screaming at him in anger for the abuse he'd put them through. Behind him, Kiba threw up.

Gaara snapped into action. "Temari, form a scouting party and head northeast. Find the enemy, get a count of their numbers, and report back, but do not engage. Kankuro, raise the Puppet Brigade and assemble at the tower. Baki, I am authorizing a general mobilization of the Regular and Reserve Forces." He then turned to the Jonin in command of the gate. "Saru, hold your position here with your men. Nobody comes in or out. From this moment, Suna in under lockdown. Move people!"

At the Kazekage's command, the Sand shinobi sprang into action, darting away from the gate to attend to their tasks. Gaara turned to Neji. "Thank you for your report. We'll take it from here."

Neji wanted to protest, as he was sure his comrades did, but none of them were in any condition to fight and Gaara knew it. "I'm sorry, Lord Kazekage."

To his surprise, Gaara smiled. "Rest now. This is our home, it's our responsibility. You'll be safe here." He gestured to a nearby Chunin. "Escort them to Kazekage Tower and inform the staff that they are to be treated as my honored guests. See that they get food and water, and report back to your post."

The Chunin saluted smartly. "At once, Lord Kazekage!"

Temari's team hid just out of sight over a dune, their chakra signatures carefully masked. Looking through a pair of binoculars, she could see that Shikamaru's group had been truthful. An enormous force of shinobi were making their way towards Suna. From this distance, they were a black line across the desert, but she could make out larger shapes among them. Probably supply wagons.

'Shit.'

"I estimate at least 250, Lady Temari." her co-commander, a Jonin, said, marking the force in a notebook. "Probably more than that."

Temari's eyes were sharp and angry. "They're in for a rude awakening. We should report to the Kazekage."

Her four man squad quickly departed, heading for Suna with all haste.

A sparrow flew into the Kazekage's office, a small scroll tied to its leg. Gaara was tying his gourd to his back as an Anbu crossed to receive the scroll. He opened it and Gaara watched his eyes scanning it from behind his face covering. "Lord Kazekage, Lady Temari has confirmed the report. At least 250 shinobi are crossing the desert approaching Suna. She estimates the first of them will arrive within two hours."

Gaara nodded. "They won't make it that far. We will show them the error of their ways. Assemble the Anbu and have them prepare to intercept the enemy. I'm going out there."

"Yes, my lord!" The Anbu disappeared where hestood, leaving Gaara alone in his office. The Kazekage made his way to the roof once more, his gourd and flak jacket now equipped. Below, the scene was much different than it had been only a couple of hours prior. Shinobi ran in tight formations to their rallying points, while civilians were ushered indoors by the military police. Aboce the din, warning bells sounded, casting a grim atmosphere as the village prepared to defend itself.

Beside him eight Anbu appeared, ready to fight alongside their leader. The Fifth Kazekage formed a platform of sand, and took off into the air, carrying his escort with him. As the Kazekage left the tower, other Anbu were entering the desert, preparing to strike at the enemy's flank.

And so, Suna went to war.

Gaara's group soared over the desert, and before too long, the enemy column came into view, looking much like an enormous snake on the horizon. Gaara landed the platform, and the group dropped low, laying on their stomachs on the sand. He formed a seal and a lifelike eyeball materialized in front of him. Wordlessly, he sent it forward, high into the air and well out of the enemy's field of vision. The eye passed over the force, finally giving Gaara a close view of what he faced.

The invasion force was traveling in mostly single-file, with various provision wagons interspersed within the formation. Some shinobi walked further out from the main line at regular intervals, doubtlessly serving as a screening and security force. They probably thought that distance would keep them safe from being taken out in a single surprise attack.

The Kazekage smiled grimly; they weren't far enough. He turned to the Anbu captain on his right. "I'm going up. Once I hit them, I'll signal you. Move in on my signal, not before. The flanking force should be arriving soon as well, make sure your men relay my command."

"Yes, my lord." the captain replied at once.

Gaara formed another platform, and dismissed the eyeball, then took to the sky once more, heading directly for the enemy formation. As he drew close, he raised his arms, and a deep rumbl echoed across the desert. Down below, the invaders looked around, some taking up defensive stances.

"Not good enough." Gaara said to himself, and before the invaders, the very desert itself seemed to part, two great walls of sand rising up like waves in the ocean. With a twist of his wrists, the sand erupted inwards towards the beginning of the invasion force, washing over them without mercy. He heard their screams, but shut them out.

With the sand now having secured the front lines, Gaara clenched his fists, feeling the release of chakra as dozens of Rift shinobi had their lives snuffed out beneath the desert. "Giant Sand Burial!"

They'd noticed him now. Several kunai and shuriken flew up at him, but his sand blocked them without Gaara even exerting conscious thought. With a sweep of his arm, another wave of sand threw the attacking shinobi off their feet.

"Hear me now!" Gaara shouted with all his might. "My name is Gaara of the Sand, Fifth Kazekage of Sunagakure! For the crime of attacking my home, your lives are forfeit!"

A great burst of sand flew up from his gourd, exploding brilliantly above him and forming the kanji for "Attack." After a few seconds, the sand formed into lethally sharp daggers, which shot down at his enemies. "Sand Shower!"

At his peripheries, he saw the forms of the Anbu racing over the sand. The fight was on.

Saru's guards held the gate at the entrance of the village, on high alert. The Kazekage had departed twenty minutes ago, and Saru had been made aware of infiltrators already within Suna. He had six shinobi total at the gate, all Chunin besides himself. The Sand's other shinobi were fortifying the great wall that surrounded the village or helping get civilians to safety. Saru didn't like it. They were too light here.

As if punctuating that line of thought, two of his men suddenly gasped in pain. Saru turned his head and saw a group of the enemy had seemingly come out of nowhere! Two of his men had been stabbed in the back with polished katanas that glowed blue with chakra.

"Defend the gate!" Saru shouted, drawing a kunai and forming a seal with his other hand. A ferocious blast of wind shot from him as he threw two of his attackers off their feet. His men rallied, drawing their kunai and engaging the enemy. The scene fell into chaos as men shouted, jutsu were cast, and the whoosh of chakra filled the area. Another of his men went down, stabbed in the chest, as an enemy caught a kunai to the throat. They were inflicting losses, but they were outnumbered, and more of the infiltrators seemed to be arriving from deeper within the village.

'This is bad.' Saru thought as he parried a sword strike and followed up with two quick horizontal slashes to his opponent's chest and neck. At this rate, they'd be overwhelmed in minutes. He focused his chakra, firing out a burst of concentrated air strong enough to kill. "Wind Release: Vacuum Cannon!" The jutsu impacted one of the Rift shinobi, blowing a hole clear through his chest. Still, two more emerged from a side street.

In desperation, Saru threw a paper bomb into the air, hoping that the explosion would summon reinforcements. Before he could do anything else, he was forced to parry another attack.

'Oh no.'

His kunai snapped under the chakra-infused attack, and he reacted automatically, throwing up his left arm. The katana was somewhat impeded by his forearm protector, but it still dug halfway into his forearm. Saru couldn't stop himself from crying out at the sudden deep pain. He quickly rolled to his right, ignoring the blood that now flowed from his arm. He took stock of his attacker, finding a petite woman with silver hair. She looked at him and smiled genuinely.

"You're tough! Too bad I have to kill you, but try to make this fun for me, okay?"

Saru didn't respond, looking quickly around his position. All of his men were down. He was alone.

Another rapid swing forced him to dodge back, the katana leaving a noticeable dent in the ground where he'd been standing.

"Hey, don't get distracted! Keep your eyes on me or this won't be any fun at all!"

Saru gritted his teeth. "Find then. I'll put you in the ground." He drew another kunai, channeling his Wind chakra all around the blade, and she lunged again. He deflected her strike and a launched a counter-attack at breakneck speed, his chakra greatly increasing his speed and strength. The woman, seemingly defying reality, blocked it, and the two traded several blows in quick succession, neither landing a hit.

"Now this is fun!" The woman cheered, sounding as though she were at a party rather than a fight to the death. "I was right about you!"

Saru scowled. He had to hold out.

The invasion force had finally rallied, launching a coordinated counterattack on the Kazekage. Gaara dodged several jutsu of various natures, his sand blocking those he couldn't.

The air was no good now. Too hot. He made his way to the ground, his feet touching the sand, and quickly came under attack from a pair of shinobi. His sand blocked their attacks effortlessly, and he whipped his hands in a circular motion. The sand clung to them, digging deeply into their flesh before rapidly shredding them to pieces. They didn't even have time to scream. It was akin to being put in a blender, but he didn't look at the now unrecognizable chunks of flesh, searching for new targets.

On the edges of the formation, his Anbu were ripping through the enemy, striking fiercely and precisely. Gaara trusted them to guard his back, but he was searching. This force would have a commander. He would find that commander, and that commander would die by his hand.

Baki stood in the Council chamber of the Kazekage's Tower, looking over initial contact reports.

"It seems the Leaf's report of infiltrators was correct, Lord Councilor." reported one of Suna's few sensor shinobi. "We have attacks reported in several areas throughout the village, and two police squads are down. We also reports of an explosion at the main gate. What are your orders, my lord?"

Baki took a deep breath, considering his options. With the Kazekage engaging the enemy's main force, he had overall command of the shinobi still in Suna, "Send our rapid response forces to the affected areas, we need to reinforce our units. Deploy the Reserve Force to all major intersections. I also want a scouting unit on the rooftops, we need to get a clear idea of what's happening out there. I want as accurate a report of their numbers as we can get, we have to get this under control, now! The main gate is the most concerning. I want a squad from the Puppet Brigade to investigate the explosion and reinforce the shinobi there if a fight is underway! Those are my orders."

"At once, Lord Councilor!" The sensor shinobi nodded, turning to relay Baki's instructions. Baki scowled, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the table. He wanted nothing more than to be out there, taking the fight directly to these invaders. But he knew his place, and it was here.

For now, he would place his trust in the Kazekage.

Saru ducked underneath his enemy's katana, swinging his kunai at her legs. She jumped back with another burst of gleeful laughter. He swiftly ran through a series of hand seals, firing off another Vacuum Cannon. She jumped over the blindingly-quick jutsu, which impacted against a building and tore a small hole through its wall. An unlucky enemy who was nearby was caught on the edge of the airstream, his shoulder and right arm tearing away from his body. He fell with a scream, but Saru had no time for satisfaction as the melee again started up, the sharp cadence of metal filling the street.

Saru felt a brief flash of pain, and realized that she'd landed a glancing blow across his forearm.

"You're slowing down! Not tiring out on me, are you?" The woman asked. Her tone was strange, and Saru couldn't tell if she was mocking him. Regardless, she was right. His initial wound was bleeding heavily, and the blood loss was starting to catch up to him. He was getting slower, and that meant death. He couldn't use his lightning vortex, not without endangering the civilians who were surely hiding nearby. She was somehow fast enough to dodge the Vacuum Cannon, and his chakra wasn't infinite. That left him only one option, and it was risky. It would eat up his chakra quickly, and when it ran out, he was finished.

Saru breathed deeply, and the Wind chakra surrounding his right arm grew to cover his entire body like a suit of armor.

He estimated he had about three minutes. Three minutes to kill or be killed. It would have to be enough.

Faster than the human eye could follow, he was on her, swinging his kunai viciously at her throat, a burst of pressurized air blasting from him as he swung.

She ducked back in the nick of time, and Saru finally caught a change in her eye: surprise.

Gaara lifted an enemy off the desert sand, and crushed the man's throat before tossing his body aside. He'd killed so many, but where was the enemy commander?

Movement to his right caught his eye. One of his Anbu was hurled through the air, landing in a heap as if he'd been thrown. Gaara watched for a moment, but the shinobi didn't stir. Less than a second later, a thunderous boom reached his ears, seeming to rumble the very ground beneath his feet. Gaara knew that was the commander, it had to be.

He fought his way through several more of the enemy, finally coming to find his target: a very average-looking man of lean build, with black hair tied into a short high ponytail, a small scar crossing his chin. The man wore the standard enemy flak jacket and a dark gray overcoat. In his right hand, he held a strange sword, sharp on both sides with a forked end, reminiscent of a tuning fork. The man seemed to notice him at the same time, raising his weapon.

"Lord Kazekage." the man said in a voice that betrayed no malice. A pair of the enemy saw Gaara and moved towards him, but the enemy officer raised his hand. "Don't throw your lives away, he's far beyond your abilities."

"What is the meaning of this?" Gaara demanded, two pillars of sand rising behind him.

"My name is Nosuri, Captain of the Second Division of the Rift Forces. I bear you no ill will, but I must obey the command of my Rifutokage." Nosuri said in an even tone.

"My village and the lives of everyone in it are my responsibility! I will not allow you to harm them! For that reason, I have to kill you." Gaara replied.

"As is your right, Lord Kazekage. You have your duty, and I have mine."

The two men looked at one another for a moment, then both attacked. Gaara's pillars snaked out towards Nosuri, who swung his sword fiercely, and Gaara was surprised to see his sand crumble as more shockwaves emanated from his foe's forked blade. Nosuri lunged forward, and Gaara's sand rose up to defend him. Nosuri's blade caught on the wall of sand, and vibrated violently, as his sand again crumbled. Gaara jumped back, avoiding Nosuri's follow up strikes and striking back with his sand as the two were caught in a brief melee. Gaara made some distance and fired off several sand spikes. Nosuri somersaulted over them, landing gracefully and resuming his combat stance.

"There are not many who can break my sand." Gaara commented.

"My Kekkei Genkai. The Sound Release. Your sand is durable and tightly packed, but vulnerable to seismic interference, as my Sound Release causes." Nosuri explained.

"I see. Are there many of your clan?"

Nosuri shook his head. "My father is the only other user of this technique, but he has long since retired. My daughter will learn it some day."

"Your clan is small." Gaara remarked.

"As is yours. If you survive, hold them close."

Gaara found himself surprised with the enemy commander. Polite, professional, and collected. But still his enemy. Gaara nodded. "And yours." More sand swept towards Nosuri, coming from seemingly every direction. The sand encased his foe.

'Got you.'

"Sand Coffin!" Gaara clenched his fists, but seemed to meet resistance. A moment passed, and the sand shattered as another sonicboom flew from his enemy. Gaara reformed the broken sand into spikes and thrust them towards Nosuri, who deflected them in a masterful show of swordsmanship before launching another shockwave in Gaara's direction. Gaara's sand took the brunt of the attack, but Nosuri leapt over the newly formed wall, swinging his sword. Gaara disrupted him by raising the wall, throwing off Nosuri's arc, and slammed the Rift captain to the ground with a mighty blow to his back.

Nosuri rolled, dodging Gaara's follow-up spike, and was back up in less than a second.

Gaara sighed inwardly. His victory was not in question, but it would be more trouble than he'd anticipated.

The duel had reached a fever pitch, Saru and his opponent moving too quickly for any of the Rift shinobi to keep up. The rapid clang of metal on metal sounded across the street in a deadly metronome. Looking into his enemy's eyes, her earlier mirth had been replaced, but by what? Panic? Anger?

Either way, Saru didn't have time to ponder it. He was running out of time.

He barely ducked out of the way of her katana, and launched a counterattack which she scarcely blocked. It didn't make sense, how could she keep up with him?

"Come on! This game is getting old, it's time for you to die already!" the woman whined.

"You first." Saru managed, hoping his voice didn't betray his fatigue.

As the two locked blades one final time, Saru saw movement in the corner of his eye: a host of Sand shinobi were descending on the gate! Several Puppets landed on the street, their masters standing on the rooftops above, and the remaining Rift shinobi, taken by surprise, were quickly cut down.

Seeing that the tables had decidedly turned, Saru's opponent huffed, a pout on her face. "Well, it was fun while it lasted. Let's play again sometime, 'kay?"

Before Saru could react, she was gone, moving at a lightning pace down a nearby alleyway.

"Don't let her get away!" shouted one of the Puppeteers, connected by faint chakra threads to a large, vaguely reptilian Puppet. Was that the Kazekage's brother? Saru couldn't be sure, everything was spinning. He felt his Wind Armor fade. The danger past, he found himself quickly slipping out of consciousness.

"Are you alright, Saru?" Maybe-Kankuro asked, holding Saru's shoulders.

"Lord Kankuro, I held the gate." Saru managed in a half whisper, before everything went black.

Gaara and Nosuri were trading blows now, the Kazekage trying to break his opponent's defenses while dodging Nosuri's sonic attacks. Around them, the battle was finally beginning to turn in the Sand's favor, as the Rift's defensive lines faltered under the Anbu's sustained assaults.

"Your attack has failed, captain, surely you see that!" Gaara pointed out.

"Don't count us out yet, my lord." Nosuri responded, as he ducked under a sand spear. Despite his words, he was using a lot of chakra, and he was starting to tire. Gaara had noticed. He was getting slower.

'Just a little longer.'

Gaara threw up a sand pillar to block a soundwave, and when it shattered, he sent the fragments flying forward like shrapnel, forcing Nosuri into an acrobatic maneuver. In the air, Nosuri fired off another attack, and was surprised to find that Gaara had vanished. Nosuri landed, his eyes darting in every direction. Then it clicked, and he knew exactly where the Kazekage was.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

A rope of sand leapt up from the desert, wrapping around Nosuri's left wrist as Gaara shot up from the sand like a rocket. Nosuri and Gaara locked eyes, Gaara clenched a fist, and Nosuri knew he had lost.

The sand constricted impossibly tight, and Nosuri winced as he felt the bones of his forearm and wrist snap. The Rift Captain swung his strange sword, breaking the rope of sand, and looked to his foe.

"A good fight, Lord Kazekage." Nosuri breathed raggedly, but he gave Gaara a respectful incline of his head. His left arm hung uselessly as he raised his sword, and three sharp booms sounded from it. Around them, the Rift attack column turned and began to make a hasty, but orderly retreat. "I concede the battle. When next we meet, I hope our villages will be at peace."

The Rift captain leapt backwards into the coursing river of his formation, and Gaara quickly lost him in the tide.

The Anbu captain landed beside him. "Should we pursue, my lord?"

Gaara frowned, and shook his head. "We are too few to mount a counter-offensive right now. Have a scouting unit follow them, but don't engage. I need to get back to the village." He turned and looked back to Suna in the distance, and his frown deepened at the sight of several plumes of black smoke billowing into the clear blue sky.

He had so many questions, but the answers would have to wait.

Over the next twelve hours, the Sand military swept the village street by street, house by house. Wherever they were found, the Rift's stragglers were engaged. All of them had fought back, and despite Gaara's hopes for prisoners, none had survived. Still, after an exhaustive effort, the village was clear, and that was something, he supposed.

Baki was waiting for him when he finally got back to his office. It was shortly before midnight, but Gaara knew he would be awake for several hours yet.

"I can report now that the internal threat has been eliminated, Lord Kazekage. For now, the village is safe." Baki said.

"Thank you, sensei. You did well coordinating our defenses today. Please pass my thanks along to your staff as well."

"Thank you, my lord. I must ask, what is our next move?"

Gaara slumped into his chair, all formal pretenses removed. He sighed deeply, rubbing one hand along his head. "Tomorrow morning, I want to see our friends from the Leaf. Then I need to address the people. I don't have to tell you this, but we are at war."

Baki nodded, a grave look on his face. "So we are."

Several hours later, after reviewing dozens of reports and casualty figures, the Kazekage fell asleep at his desk. The two Anbu standing guard in his office didn't wake him.

A/N: Howdy there, it's been a minute. Life happens, y'know? We're moving, so that's been eating up a lot of my time. Still, I'm glad I was finally able to get this posted, and it's a long one, so hopefully that makes up for the delay, maybe.

So, I very rarely write action sequences. I would very much appreciate any feedback you folks could offer me. Where can I improve, what did you like, what did you not like? Let me know, I'd like to really get this story right, yeah?

To the folks that have reviewed and followed this story, I see you and I love you. I'll be back with another chapter in the future. I can't say when that will be, because truthfully, I don't know. But I'm not quitting on this story, so please be patient with me. I think that's about all I've got to say for now. So, for the time being, I'll say my goodbyes. Holly Skulltaker, signing off.