Chapter 117
Naruto is running ahead. Sasuke and Sakura close behind him. The forest greens has given way to brown desert hours and hours ago.
Naruto looks behind him, snorting. Sasuke and Sakura should be running along side him. But his friend is still convincing Sakura to turn back to Konoha.
Naruto can hear Sakura's reassurances that her parents will look after her and Sasuke's daughter and that she's happy that their team is working together again.
Sasuke doesn't sound as thrilled. "They spoil her rotten."
"That's what grandparents do. It's the father's job to discipline," Sakura quips back.
"If that's an underhand dig for my leaving often—"
Naruto sighs, listening in to their conversations when suddenly he notices far off to his right, fine dust of sand being carried by the air. "Gaara," he whispers, his steps hurrying.
His two companions notice the same thing.
They now run along side each other, their hands outstretched at their backs, as they hasten across the desert plain. They are still too far away but they can see it. A small elevation where sand should be flat in all direction.
"Do you think we're too late?" Sakura asks as she glances at Sasuke.
Sasuke grits his teeth.
"You made the right decision in going to Konoha to get us," Naruto answers the unspoken question.
Sasuke sneers. "I did not return to Konoha to get you but to warn Temari and that asshole."
Naruto swivels to look at Sasuke beside him. But the other nin is just looking straight ahead. So he glances farther on Sasuke's other side, at Sakura as his brows are pinch into a frown.
Sakura makes a rueful face at Naruto and mouths the words, "Temari's husband."
Naruto shouts at Sakura, "Why doesn't he like Kamaru?"
Sasuke, still looking straight ahead, snaps, "When you get married Naruto, I will gatecrash your wedding."
"Eh?" Naruto's frown deepens farther. "Why do you need to gatecrash when you will be the best man?"
"Then you better hope I'll find my brother first before you find a bride," retorts Sasuke, "Or I'll be off somewhere searching still."
—oOo—
"We are friends of Temari and her husband, Kamaru," says Sakura in a reassuring tone, gesturing at herself, Sasuke and Naruto.
The medic raises his kunai in warning not to approach. Gaara's supine body behind him. His two companions are gone to look for their comrades. Both of them seasoned trackers. He was chosen to stay and guard the body, not because he is the medic...but because he's the strongest. Damn it, he will guard the Kazekage's body with his life.
The Konoha nins will have to kill him first before they can finish their job of taking the Kazekage's body with them.
The Suna nin then throws his kunai directly at the blond nin, it disappears then it appears again like a scalpel blade, towards the nin with the pink hair. The dark haired nin sees the blade and pushes the pink haired kunoichi out of the way. The very sharp blade still nicks the kunoichi's neck and cut a handful of strands of her long, beautiful hair.
Seeing the blood seeping from the cut on kunoichi's neck and her pink hair strands on the ground, "I'll kill you," says Sasuke coldly to the Suna medic as electricity cackles from his hand.
"Sasuke, no!" Sakura shouts.
Naruto then takes out his rasengan to warn Sasuke. "Calm down, teme! Sakura is unhurt. If you kill him with your chidori, Suna will think it's Konoha that's behind all this!"
—oOo—
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