Gaara yawns. His father is lecturing him about something. Gaara switched off about half an hour ago, and he can't remember what his father was talking about.
"...And that is why you need to listen to the council!" Gaara's father finishes.
"Gaara's not listening," says Baki, from his spot by the windowsill.
"He hasn't been listening since you started talking," adds Temari, grinning. She is sitting on the windowsill filing her nails.
Kankuro runs into the Kazekage office with an armful of puppets. "Gaara, Temari, Baki sensei: I have a new puppet! Do you want to see it?"
"Yes," says Gaara, instantly. Puppets are still more interesting than a lecture.
"GAARA!" scolds their father. "Did you hear ONE word of what I just said?"
"I heard the first sentence and the second half of the last sentence," says Gaara, blinking slowly. "So yes."
Then Gaara sees an unusual thing. A black spiral appears in the centre of the room. It spins around and changes colour as a person appears. Gaara recognizes the person as the funny masked man who did the frilled necked lizard jutsu. He is carefully holding an old, scratched mask onto his face.
"You!" says Gaara's father, also recognizing the man. "How did you get here?"
"I can travel long distances in seconds," says the man calmly. "I am Rain of Akatsuki. We need help. Please, come with me to the Temple of Jashin."
"Of course we will help you," says Gaara, remembering that Naruto is at the Temple of Jashin. "Give me a minute: I will call Shukaku's Guards."
"Please hurry," says Rain, pulling a strap over the back of his head to hold the mask in place.
Kakashi sees Iruka shudder slightly. He shunshins over to the barrier and asks the teacher, "Are you alright?"
"I'm almost out of chakra," whispers Iruka. He is very pale.
"Sensei," says Kakashi, looking past Iruka, to where Minato sensei is sitting on the ground helping Naruto and Sasuke learn the sealing jutsu.
"Yes Kakashi?" says Minato sensei, turning to look at Kakashi over his shoulder.
"If Iruka's barrier fails before you finish teaching Naruto and Sasuke that jutsu we are all dead. So help Iruka maintain that barrier."
"I'll help, 'tebayo!" Says Naruto. He jumps up off the ground and runs over to Iruka. Then he shuts his eyes, slaps his hands together and begins molding chakra. Red chakra bubbles out of him.
"Naruto! What are you doing?!" Minato sensei says, a panicked expression on his face.
"Kurama said it was okay," says Naruto. "He's the best guardian angel ever, 'tebayo." Naruto places his hands on Iruka's back and transfers the ninetails chakra to him.
"Naruto, that energy is dangerous!" Minato scolds Naruto.
Naruto turns and looks at Minato. "No, it's not. Kurama's energy is life energy. It's only destructive when he is angry. Except right now he's angry his guards are hurt and dying. It was his idea to bring you back, 'tebayo."
"Life energy?" says Minato sensei, astonished. "But when I fought him in the belly of the shinigami, it was all darkness and anger…"
"Wouldn't you be depressed and angry if you got attacked and taken from your home, then forced to destroy people and then locked in a cage?" asks Iruka. "It's enough to make the nicest person turn into a monster. Put yourself in his shoes for a second and ask yourself: would you have handled it any better?"
Kakashi is surprised by Iruka's thoughtfulness. He thought Iruka hated the fox. What changed?
Naruto has streams of tears running down his face. "Iruka niisan!" he wails. "You're so amazing, sticking up for Kurama, even though he killed your parents!"
"He did too, didn't he?" says a new voice. A woman's voice.
Kakashi turns slowly. Standing a short way off are a few new reanimations. They must've appeared while Sasori was flashbacking. There are seven of them: three that Kakashi does not recognize along with Might Dai, Koharu and Ikkaku Umino, and Kakashi's father: Sakumo Hatake. "D-Dad?" stammers Kakashi.
His Dad's eyes widen. "Kakashi? Are...are you going through a wierd fluorescent-hair phase? Is...is that even a thing?"
"I think it's because of an accident while he was training with his genin team," says Lord Fugaku.
"Obito fell out of a tree," says Kakashi. He might as well keep blaming Obito. Serves Obito right for not at least paying quick visit to tell Kakashi he and Rin were alive the whole time. He could've done it a long time ago instead of letting Kakashi think he killed his teammates.
"Wha…" Kakashi's Dad says, looking confused.
"Don't question it," says Lord Fugaku. "When it concerns Team Kakashi, just roll with it."
"You're no fun anymore, Mr. Nice Hokage, 'tebayo," sulks Naruto.
"Naruto, the jutsu," says Minato sensei sternly. "We are nearly finished: focus."
"Yes, Dad," says Naruto dejectedly, and turns back to the Sacred Scrolls.
"Mother...Father…" Iruka says, staring at his parents. "We're all gonna die."
Iruka's parents turn to look at him. They both smile at him warmly. "Look at you, all grown up. What seal is that?"
"It's Iruka-nii's special super-strong Crimson Lion seal," says Naruto, turning from the Sacred Scrolls for a second. "It's awesome. He's awesome, 'tebayo."
"It would be awesome if you finished learning that seal," says Iruka without hesitating for a second.
"Yes Iruka-niisan, dattebayo."
"Okay," says Lord Fugaku. "Who do we have here? Ikkaku and Kohari Umino, Sakumo Hatake and Might Dai. An odd selection. Who are the other three of you?"
"I am Gengetsu Hozuki," says one of the three unfamiliar reanimations. He is dressed in blue and black. He has no eyebrows, but he does have a wispy mustache and a tiny goatee. "I was the Second Mizukage," he adds proudly.
"I am Hanabi Otsutsuki," says the unfamiliar reanimated woman. She has blueish-white hair and sad white eyes. "I am a princess of the Moon."
"Mama!" says Hizashi, grinning widely. "It's me, Hizashi! And this is my son Neji!"
Hanabi Otsutsuki smiles. "Oh, you're all grown up! I'm so happy I got to see you again, Hizashi."
"And who are you?" Lord Fugaku asks the last of the three unfamiliar reanimations.
"My name is Yashamaru," says the Sand ninja calmly. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Yashamaru?" says Kakashi. "Where have I heard that name before?"
"Gaara's uncle," says Lord Fugaku. "The one that Scumbag-Rasa ordered to kill the poor kid."
Kakashi recalls the chunin exam finals, when Naruto wrangled Gaara's backstory out of him in front of everyone. "Oh yes, I remember. Tell me: did you mean what you said to Gaara back then, or were you told to say it?"
"I was ordered, of course," says Yashamaru. "I would never have hurt Gaara of my own free will."
"Y-Yashamaru…" says an astonished young voice from behind Kakashi.
Kakashi turns to see Gaara, Temari, Kankuro, Baki, Rasa and a group of ten that can only be Shukaku's guards. Obito is standing behind them, an unbroken mask on his face. "Oh, good. Reinforcements," says Kakashi.
"I'll be back with more reinforcements soon," says Obito. He tosses a black chakra rod to Lord Fugaku. "Hold on to this. I've sent the summons to Akatsuki. Pulse your chakra into the rod to let them know you have it now. They'll come soon. Bye!" Obito vanishes in a spiral.
"Yashamaru…" says Gaara,staring at his uncle. "Is that true?" He has a heartbreakingly hopeful expression on his face.
The entire battlefield is watching now.
"It's true," says Rasa, surprising everyone. "I am honestly surprised that Yashamaru did not go rogue after I gave him those orders."
"Rasa, you are an absolute asshole to your kids," says Lord Fugaku. "Come here so I can break your face again."
"What happened here?" asks Minato sensei. "Fugaku, why do you want to break the Kazekage's face?"
"He's not the Kazekage anymore," says Gaara, crossing his arms. "I am."
"WHAAAAAAAAT!?" Minato and Yashamaru both scream in shock.
"Ooh, is this charismatic young man the Kazekage?" says the Second Mizukage. "How cool."