This chapter has been revised.
The two kunoichi stared up at their enemy through narrowed eyes. The blond enemy was still taunting them, flying around in circles with Gaara's leg visible. Still, he was giving Mayu enough time to gauge how he fought. Judging from the distance he set, Deidara was a long-ranged fighter. That wasn't too much of a problem for her, but her comrade was definitely a short-ranged fighter. Mayu glanced out of the corner of her eye at Ino. The blond kunoichi fierce stare hadn't wavered from the enemy. It was good to know that she wasn't working with a hot head that would foolishly head into battle. Then again, both of them had wanted so badly to hurt Deidara when he had smacked Gaara. Fortunately, they were both relatively calm now.
"Ino, I have something in mind," Mayu stated. "I'm going to make the switch."
"Switch?" Finally, the girl's sky blue eyes turned to the dark-haired kunoichi.
"Make sure my body doesn't do anything weird, okay?" she continued, ignoring the look of confusion on Ino's face. Mayu began forming hand seals. The last seal, ram, extended in Deidara's direction. "Ishikari Style! Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Hearing that, Ino gasped. She stared at her comrade in disbelief. Her father had told her stories of a jutsu slightly different from their clan's signature jutsu. Could this Ishikari style be the one? Mayu's body suddenly went limp. The same thing happened to Ino when she had carried out her clan's jutsu. Seconds later, her comrade's body tensed again. She blinked three times before looking around. "What the hell…?" Mayu muttered. "How the hell did I get down here? And what the heck are these?!" To Ino's surprise, the kunoichi actually groped herself.
"DON'T TOUCH ME THERE!" A shout came from above. Ino narrowed her eyes, recognizing what had happened. She then moved to place her comrade's body in a headlock.
"I-I can-can't breathe!"
"I'm going to snap your neck," Ino nearly hissed in her comrade's ear. Immediately, the body froze, terrified by the image of the threat. Meanwhile, above them, Mayu, in the body of the enemy, shifted her focus on the task. She inspected almost every part of Deidara's body, even running a hand through his long bang. An eyebrow raised as blue eyes stared down at the enemy's hand. A pink tongue had slither out of the palm.
"Wonder what he does at night when no one's looking," Mayu couldn't help but grin at the thought. The shinobi's head shook. This was no time to be thinking like that. She had to maintain focus. As long as Ino had her body restrained, she could have more than enough time to get what she wanted. A shout of fury came from the cave, causing all eyes to glance at the entrance. That shout sounded like Naruto. Their fight had begun. She needed to hurry. Hands slapped together. "Liberation!" It had been such a long time since she felt it. The familiar rush of her family's jutsu. When she opened her eyes, she was once again staring up at the enemy. "Okay, you can let me go, Ino."
"How do you… know a jutsu like that?" the blonde kunoichi questioned.
"We'll have time for that later. Right now both of us need to only focus on retrieving Gaara-kun."
"Right. Okay, but what did you do?"
"You'll find out when the time comes," Mayu replied. "Ino… I'm going."
"What? Why you the only one making moves? I want this guy-"
"Like I said before, he is a long-ranged fighter. You are a mid to short ranged fighter. You might be able to dodge his attacks, but you won't make any headway with your attacks." The blonde bit her lip, realizing that her comrade was correct. "In order for us to fight this person and have Gaara-kun is to separate him from his form of transportation. I'll be the one to do it."
"You're a long-ranged fighter?" Ino questioned.
"Not… primarily, but I can get the job done. Count on it," Mayu frowned, returning her eyes towards the enemy. He appeared not to be paying attention to the two kunoichi. The kunoichi narrowed her eyes. She would make him pay for that. More than anything, she hated being underestimated. Her body shifted, crouching down, letting her palms touch the top of the shrine gate. She leapt from the massive structure. As always, her speed increased this way. As she dashed across the water's surface, a memory flashed through her mind. It was of her moving this way towards Kakashi when she had inhabited the body of Sakura. "I see…" she thought, using her chakra to hurriedly climb the rock wall. Even in her ignorant state, she had turned to using what she had been taught as a child. If she continued to do things she had done in the past, would she remember her life as Haruno Sakura quicker? Mentally shaking her head, the teen focused her eyes on the enemy.
Like a bullet, she shot up from the edge of the cliff towards Deidara's flying vessel. He remained ignorant of her attachment to the bottom of the large clay bird. Smirking, Mayu plunged her hand deep inside the clay material. It was surprisingly easy to get through. It wasn't hard clay like she had thought. Her appearance began shifting. Her dark hair turned blond and her deep blue eyes turned to a lighter shade. Her skin changed as well—from brown to tan. Mayu's lip twitched, feeling the extra tongues against her skin. After a few moments, she pulled her hand out equipped with a squishy popping noise. Fortunately, the wind covered the noise. The kunoichi shifted her gaze, making the change back to her normal appearance. Mayu began moving. She lifted herself on the top of bird. Ever quiet, she snuck up behind the blond enemy.
"I gonna watch you burn," she whispered in his ear. Expectedly, the enemy flinched, and then whirled around. His arm lifted to hit, yet Mayu only dodged.
"You! How'd you get up here?!" Deidara exclaimed.
"Does that really matter?" the kunoichi asked. "For Akatsuki, you're pretty inattentive. Or perhaps it is stupidity?"
"You think your words are going to affect me?!" he snarled. Obviously, they already were. "Who are you—switching our bodies like that? It was a waste of time, un." Instead of answering him, Mayu lost her smirk.
"Before you die, I want to know something," she stated. The blond enemy actually raised a curious brow. "Tell me… How do you get your hair so soft? I've never felt anyone's hair as soft." A smug-like expression appeared on Deidara's face.
"L'Oréal… because I'm worth it, un!" He pointed a finger. "You're nothing compared to me in every single way. You're my inferior… un." Mayu became angry about his arrogant attitude. She then dropped down, swinging her leg. She had tripped him, making him fall. "Hey!" He could brace himself because his equilibrium was off. The effects of losing his arm to the Sand's leader were beginning to show. The blond struck his legs out, attempting to knock the kunoichi down as well, but she performed a back flip. Her body fell from his large mass of art.
Mayu landed on top of the water's surface on her hands and knees. Good. Her plan wouldn't be realized until it was too late. Ino dropped down beside her. "What the hell was that? What happened?" she questioned. "How was that separating him from his stupid bird thing?"
"You'll get your shot, Ino, so calm down," Mayu told her. "We're going after him."
"After him?"
"I'm going to lead him away from this spot. There might be a chance he or his comrade could try to back one another up, so it'd be best to get away from here." As she spoke, she kept her head tilted downward. There was a possibility that the enemy could read lips, after all. "Get ready, Ino!" The dark-haired kunoichi pierced her thumb with her left incisor, and then performed hand seals. Ino watched her comrade slam her palm against the water's surface. "Summoning Jutsu!"
"She can use that jutsu?" she thought. Ino jumped away as Mayu was covered by a thick massive cloud. When the smoke disappeared, her comrade sat, straddling a large dark four-legged animal. "A black cat?" Ino's eyes narrowed. "No, a black leopard… She has an animal affinity for wild cats." The large feline had a bow hanging from its neck, bandages wrapped around its hind legs, a quiver of arrows strapped to its mid section by a purple belt, and a purple ribbon tied to its tail. The giant cat roared and did a pose as if it were making a grand entrance. Ino could not help but stare flatly.
"Nana-chan, you're certainly remained the same," Mayu remarked. The black leopard craned its neck. It's eyes seemed to light up at the sight of the kunoichi. "No, Nana! We'll have time for greeting once the problem is dealt with." With a clicking sound, Mayu removed the belt and put it on herself like a sash around her shoulder, chest and side. The quiver of arrows was on her back. She then removed the bow from around the black leopard's neck.
"So that's what she meant about being a long-ranged fighter," Ino thought. Mayu slowly pulled an arrow from her quiver and readied it with her bow. Her aim was clearly on the enemy. "Is she really thinking she could hit a target so far away?" Deidara had flown higher after his small clash with the dark-haired kunoichi.
"Do you really think you can hit me?" The enemy seemed to have the same thoughts. He called down to them as though they were most idiotic. "You can't touch me, un!" Mayu merely narrowed her eyes. She pulled the string back further. "It's really weird, you know… I've heard that Jinchuuriki are gloomy and hate people… un. My comrades have defeated two others, not counting him. It seems neither their friends nor their village tried to save them… un. In fact, it seemed like there were people who were happy to have them gone," Deidara continued, ignoring the glares from the two kunoichi. "A kindred spirit who was hated and despised… You couldn't just ignore him… un. Yet here you two are, trying so hard to retrieve this corpse. It's so weird, un." Ino's hands clenched at her side. The enemy's words made her want to violently end his life.
"There's nothing weird… about taking back a precious person," Mayu murmured. Ino furrowed her eyebrows, glancing at her comrade. "Get ready!" Abruptly, the dark-haired kunoichi released the arrow. The blond kunoichi gasped, coming to realize that she couldn't track the movement of the arrow at all. It was too fast! Less than a second after she let go of her arrow, a shout of pain came from the enemy. Ino sharply turned her head to Deidara. Enhancing her vision with chakra, she saw that the enemy was bleeding quite a bit from his right cheek. Her eyes turned back to her comrade. "We're going!" Mayu reached out for Ino and grabbed her wrist. She pulled her fellow kunoichi onto the black leopard behind her. "The plan worked, he's moving! Nana!" Mayu stated. The black leopard, called Nana, quickly moved towards the rock wall. Ino had to hold on to Mayu to keep from falling off. As Mayu said, the enemy appeared to be fleeing. The three reached the top of the wall and ran after Deidara.
"Mayu! Something must be wrong!" Ino told her comrade. She stayed silent, waiting for the explanation. "By now, shouldn't Gai-sensei's team be back? Something must be holding them up."
"Yeah… Too bad neither of us have the extra communication's device like Kakashi-sensei," Mayu muttered. "We shouldn't expect back up from the others either since they're dealing with that Sandy red guy. We're on our own."
"That's fine with me! I'm not about to show mercy to this guy," Ino retorted.
"Good. Nana, go faster!" Mayu ordered. With a roar of affirmation, the black leopard increased its speed. Ino's grip became tighter. "We're not giving him a chance to get further away!" Making sure she was balanced enough, even on a moving animal, Mayu reached into her back pouch, pulling out a note. The explosive note was placed in between her clenched teeth. She then pulled another arrow from her quiver. Ino could only stare.
"To use both hands independently of riding this animal…" she thought. "They must be in perfect sync… Their bond must be similar to Kiba and Akamaru." Mayu wrapped the explosive note around the middle of her arrow before aiming it at the enemy. "Eh?! But what about Gaara?" Ino questioned aloud. "That could-"
"The wing is what I'm aiming for," Mayu interrupted. "It's far enough away from the mouth, so it won't do any damage. After this, you're up, Ino." She pulled the string back a bit. "Nana, shift left." As ordered, the black leopard jumped to the side off the cliff. Fortunately, there were giant logs there to keep going. The leaps from log to log gave Mayu the chance to have a steady aim for a very short period. Still, it was enough. The dark-haired kunoichi shot her arrow. Seconds later, the explosion from above sounded. The enemy's form of transportation began to descend with a trail of black smoke. No longer flying straight, it was quite easy for Nana to reach the large clay creation. "Ino!"
"Got it! My turn!" The blond kunoichi removed her arms from Mayu, and then jumped up towards the falling enemy. Smirking, she lifted her arm. Ino rose above the enemy, and then brought her hand down. With a slicing motion, she separated the head from the clay creature's body. With another body part gone, the clay creation had completely lost balance and veered to the left, crashing onto the nearby ground. Deidara and his 'art' slid back, only coming to a stop when the mass of clay hit a sturdy tree. Meanwhile, the two kunoichi had worked together to catch the falling head. Nana jumped from the log and onto the cliff.
Swallowing hard, the two slid off the back of the black leopard and set the large head on the ground. For a moment, they only stared. Then, slowly, they pulled away at the clay. Their movement became faster and move frantic as time passed. Finally, they reached the hollow part. Finally, they had reached Gaara. The red head inside didn't move or speak. His eyes remained shut. Frowning, the kunoichi both reached inside, touching his cracked face. He was cold. Tears welled up in her eyes as she pulled away. Mayu walked backwards from the body of her precious friend. She knew it would be this way, but…
"Ino…" Several tears escaped. "We're going…" The blonde stood up. She turned with an impassive expression.
"Lead the way," she said.
"Oh, I'll do more than that," Mayu replied, wiping her face. From the top down, her colors changed. Dark hair shifted to blond. The kunoichi's hand came up, making a hand sign. "I'll show you… un." Ino frowned. "Katsu…!"
BOOM
0-0
Deidara crouched behind the protection of his giant torn creation, grumbling to himself. He couldn't believe he had been made of a fool of. Those two certainly talked a lot, but in the end, all they wanted was the Kazekage. "What fools," he thought. Narrowing his eyes, he looked around again. Still, there was no sign of the enemy. They really did care for only a dead body. More than likely, they were both crying over it, pleading for him to wake up. Deidara almost laughed. It would have been pathetic of them to do that. "I should probably lay low for the time being. There are others around, after all. Master Sasori can deal with those three by himself, but there are four more, aren't there?"
BOOM!
Without warning, his sanctuary became his person hell. It exploded, sending the Akatsuki member flying. His back slammed against a tree. Blood shot out of his mouth. He had been trained to endure pain of any sort, but he had been too close to the explosion. Burns were the least of his concern, though. His last arm had been blown from his body. Deidara grit his teeth, squeezing his eye shut. How did it happen? He certainly hadn't triggered the explosion.
"Ah, so this is where you were?" Damn. He could barely hear now. Deidara forced his eyes to open. Standing in front of him were the two kunoichi. However, both of them were blond now. The hell…? Did the explosion mess up his sight, too? "You'd think you'd have protection against explosives." One of them stepped forward. "I guess it's not so great to have your so called art used against you, ne?"
"B-B-Bitch!" he croaked out. He could barely move his upper body. They had him cornered, but he could still run if need be. After all, his jutsu was useless right now.
"Surprised?" she continued. "I have this sort of ability." The blond who had spoken had immediately changed. Her skin had returned to its normal brown color while her hair returned to its original color as well. "Got anymore clay attached to you? I'd just love to blow it up."
"She did it…?!" Deidara thought.
"No," Ino protested, crossing her arms. "A swift death like that will not satisfy me at all. I want him to suffer… Gaara suffered for days before he died, didn't he?" She narrowed her eyes down at the enemy. "I'll make you beg."
"Tch… Good luck with that," Deidara retorted. Barely able to comprehend it, two fists struck his torso. It was the blonde's fist that was stronger, which broke the tree and several others behind it. More blood spilled. "Definitely broken bones… If I move too much, one of my lungs might be punctured."
"You didn't die from that, did you?" Ino questioned, dropping down beside him. "Because I'm not with you yet." Without using the strength that her master had taught her, the blond kunoichi began punching Deidara repeatedly. His face was his target. She hit him until her knuckles were raw, and then she continued to hit him. The rage she felt for this man—she couldn't begin to think if she had felt it before. Even his shouts of pain couldn't begin to quell what she felt.
"Ino… Ino…! INO!" Mid punch, the blond kunoichi halted. Tears had blurred her vision, but she still realized. Destroyed clay lay underneath her. "A clone… It's a clone," Mayu stated. "He got away."
"That's not good enough!" Ino shouted.
"Don't you think I know that?!" Mayu shouted right back. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so angry that I feel paralyzed!" Her hands clenched at her sides. Ino swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Of course. Her feelings for Gaara… The blonde clenched her teeth and stood up.
"I'm going to-" It was at that moment that Ino turned towards Mayu. What she saw was gray smoke rising from her body. "Mayu, your body!" The dark-haired kunoichi opened her eyes and examined her arm. She gasped and looked up.
"Y-You too!" She pointed. Ino looked down at herself. Sure enough, her body was emitted the same gray smoke. "The hell is going on?! Is this some type of jutsu? Did we get caught by that guy?"
"N-No, I don't think-"
The smoke suddenly stopped rising and converged in between the two girls. A blinding light caused the two to avert their gaze elsewhere. When it faded, Ino and Mayu gradually returned their gaze back to the spot in between them. Two their surprise, there were two figures there—a male and female. The woman's eyes shut while the man's stare appeared aimless. He stood beside Ino, while the woman was closer to Mayu.
"What in the-?" the blonde began.
"You…?" Mayu murmured. The woman's eyes opened, revealing pale green eyes. Skin as pale as ivory and smooth to boot, she very much looked akin to a goddess. Her platinum blond hair was done in a very elaborate manner, yet it appeared stylish on her. She wore a traditional kimono—white in solid color while the floral print was blue, gold, and green. The sash she wore, which looked more like a corset, was black as well as the hem of her kimono. The kimono was loose, revealing her bare shoulders and a bit of her cleavage. For some reason, this woman was familiar to Mayu—like she had seen her before.
The man also wore a kimono, yet the length was much shorter. It was blue and sleeveless, showing off his muscled arms. His legs were covered by dark pants. The lower part of his legs was wrapped with bandages. On his feet were geta. Mayu did not feel the same familiarity with this man. However, she could recognize his physical features. Though his hair was long and dark brown, he had the traits belonging to Ishikari. Brown skin and blue eyes. This was someone of her family. "Who are you?" she questioned. Finally, the two strangers focused their sight on either girl.
"I am your ancestor," they spoke in unison. The woman's eyes were on Ino while the man's gaze lay upon Mayu.
"Ancestor…?" Ino repeated. "But you… You definitely came out of her."
"Yeah, and you came out of Ino," Mayu agreed. "Why?"
"Perhaps…" the woman began. "It will be explained at a different time."
"Right now, you need to focus on your enemy…" The male spoke up. "For the pain he made both of you feel is what caused us to appear. I am Mitsuo." Mayu's eyes grew wide, recognizing the name.
"I am Inoue," the woman stated. "Because of the pain and anguish you two feel right now at the same time, we are finally able to pass on. You two will become the new guardians."
"Eh…?!" Ino exclaimed. "What do you mean?"
"Never mind that," Inoue waved a dismissive hand. She walked towards her descendant. "Mitsuo."
"Yes," the man nodded his head and stood in front of his own descendant. Both ancestors extended their palms in their descendants' direction. Warily, the kunoichi took a step back. "Do not be afraid. Accept this with pride."
"Now…" Inoue began.
"AWAKEN!" the two yelled in sync.
"Huh…?" The observer frowned, narrowing her eyes. Without warning, the two kunoichi had collapsed. They both appeared unconscious. Raising a brow, the observer jumped from the tree. With a grunt, she landed not far from the two girls. "It's weird… They were definitely talking with someone, but I couldn't see or hear anyone else…" The observer walked closer. The two didn't move. She pulled out a single kunai. "Should I kill her?" Brown eyes focused on the dark-skinned girl. Yamanaka Ino was easily recognized, but this other girl was not known. Why was she here on this particular mission? "Hm… Perhaps it's not up to someone like me... I should head back." The kunai was put back in place. "Deidara-nii was beaten badly, so he needs healing. I wonder if Tobi-sama and Zetsu-sama have seen him yet." With that thought, the figure jumped up, disappearing amongst the trees.
It was only a minute later that the two kunoichi groggily woke from their sudden unconsciousness. First Ino sat up, and then Mayu. "Wha-What was that?" the blonde grabbed her forehead. It didn't exactly hurt, yet there was a dull numbing sensation within her skull. She imagined that Mayu felt the same. It seemed as though whatever had happened to her had happened to her comrade as well. "You okay…?"
"I'm… fine…" Mayu narrowed her eyes down at the ground. "It seems… our anger triggered their appearance."
"Yeah…" Ino nodded her head. She frowned, expression turning sad. It had reminded her of why she was angry in the first place.
"Despite what happened, I don't think we should tell anyone, at least until we know what exactly was awakened within us," Mayu suggested.
"Sure…" Ino muttered.
"Let's head back to Gaara-kun."
"Mm."
0-0
The nine ninja had traveled to a large clearing. While moving back to where they had left Gaara, Ino and Mayu had been found by Gai's team. After explaining that the enemy had escaped—they didn't mention their ancestors—the group had pulled the body of the Kazekage out of the last of the enemy's creation. Then Naruto, Kakashi, and Chiyo caught up. Again, situations had been reported. Sasori of the Red Sand had been killed. The three hadn't come out of it unharmed, though. Their clothes were dirty and bloody. Kakashi and Chiyo had multiple scratches on their faces. The elder ninja, though, looked to be in the worst shape. A clone was being used to keep her upright. Same with Kakashi, but at least he wasn't panting heavily.
At the moment, Ino was a bit in denial. She tried desperately to heal the Kazekage and revive him. Her efforts were proving to be fruitless. Gaara remained immobile on the swaying grass. There was nothing she could. The Fifth Kazekage had died. "Gaara…" the blond kunoichi squeezed her eyes shut, removing her hands from the still body. More tears managed to get through her eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Her voice choked. Ino covered her mouth and stood up. Shoulders trembling, she stepped away from the dead body.
"Why… Why did Gaara-kun have to die when he just became the Kazekage?" Mayu thought. "He was finally acknowledged in a proper way by his village… And this happens…? Akatsuki… Deidara… I won't forgive this." A hand came down on her shoulder. She looked to see that it was Naruto. He looked so remorseful… for her. Her teammate wanted to comfort her. Sniffing, the kunoichi placed her hand on top of his, silently thanking him for, at least, trying. Without a word, Chiyo moved toward Gaara. She knelt and placed her hands on his chest. She closed her eyes. Chakra suddenly emitted from her hands.
"Granny Chiyo!" Naruto exclaimed, taking his hand away from his teammate. "That jutsu…" She merely turned and smiled at him. "You…"
"So that's what you meant," Kakashi murmured.
"What are you doing?" Ino questioned. "I already-"
"She's bringing him back…" Kakashi explained. "With her very own jutsu, Chiyo-sama will bring Gaara-sama back to life."
"What?!" Ino and Mayu couldn't possibly keep their voices down. "Can you do that?!"
"Mm…" Chiyo nodded her head. However, the chakra around her hands had gone down in size. "Damn, not enough chakra."
"Use mine!" Naruto stepped forward. "You can do that, right, Granny Chiyo?" For a moment, the older kunoichi merely stared at the blond.
"Put your hands on top of mine," she instructed him.
"Mine, too!" Mayu rushed forward, dropping to her knees. "I didn't use a lot of my chakra, so use however much you want." She put her hands on top of Naruto's. "If you can bring him back, I'd do anything."
Chiyo's lips parted in surprise, but then a small smile appeared. She concentrated on her jutsu. The smile didn't leave her face as she stared down at the young Kage. "In this world of ninja that old people like me created, I'm glad to know some like you have appeared." Naruto and Mayu looked towards her, but she didn't avert her gaze at all. "My past… Everything I've done has been nothing but one mistake after another. Still… in my last moments, it looks like I'll be able to set things right." She paused, closing her eyes. "The Sand… The Leaf… The future, starting now, will surely be different from the time I lived. With relations like these…" She managed a chuckle. "As a last request… Please help Gaara." The orb of chakra disappeared. The three removed their hands from Gaara's chest. Seconds later, the Kage of the Sand village sat up, looking quite bewildered.
"Gaara…!" Ino sobbed out. She dropped down beside him on her knees. "You're-"
"Ino-san…?" He looked around, looking even more bewildered. "And everyone else…?" As he said, many Sand ninja had gathered around, including his siblings. "This…" His voice shook.
"We came to save you!" Ino smiled. Despite the fresh tears, she smiled widely. "Everyone came to save you!"
"Gaara-kun…" Mayu almost whimpered. The red head turned to her. He narrowed his eyes, clearly wanting to know who she was. "You don't remember me?" She grinned, and then leaned forward. "I'm your friend." She reached forward, cupping his cheeks. Then, unconcerned with everyone else, kissed the red mark on the left side of his forehead. Ignoring the gasps from several kunoichi in the crowd, Mayu reared back. "It's me—Mayu."
"M-Mayu-san… My angel..." Gaara said in a hushed voice. "Different, you're different, though."
"This is me for real," Mayu replied. "We went through a lot to get you, you know."
"For sure," Kankuro stepped forward, causing the Kazekage to shift his attention to his brother. "I guess you're a little brother I always have to worry about, ne?"
"Hey, don't go getting all complacent!" Temari dropped down near her brother. She closed her eyes, grin on her face. "Gaara's still the Kazekage, so don't be so cheeky! You underlings!" At her words, Ino, Kankuro, and Mayu took on sour expressions. The younger blond kunoichi even called her Sand Wench. Temari ignored the looks and the nickname. "Gaara," she focused her attention on her younger brother, expressing softening with concern. "How are you feeling?" She spoke in a softer tone as though her voice might cause a strain. The Kage tried to stand on his own.
"No, your body still hasn't recovered yet," Ino told him. "Take it easy for a while." Slowly, Gaara nodded his head.
"Thanks, Mayu… Ino… You rescued him," Kankuro smirked.
"No, it was OG! She used this jutsu that-" Mayu turned to the elderly woman, but her words cut off upon noticing her still form. She didn't even appear to be breathing. "What? What happened?"
"So she used that jutsu," Kankuro murmured, glancing at Chiyo's body. "She's dead."
"What are you saying?" Naruto questioned.
"That ninjutsu can restore life… in exchange for the user's own," Kakashi answered.
"At one time, in the Sand's puppet squad… people tried to research and develop a jutsu to give life to puppets… Chiyo led that," Kankuro explained. "She worked out the theory behind the jutsu, but in the process… saying that the risk of the jutsu was too high, before experimentation, it was designated as a forbidden jutsu, and sealed away…"
"I keep expecting her to laugh out loud and say she was only joking. Hmm... Such a peaceful expression she has now..." Ebizou said. Gaara stood, with the help of Naruto, and spoke.
"Everyone... say a prayer for Chiyo," he said. All of the shinobi present bowed their heads in prayer.
0-0
A couple of days had passed since the return of the Kazekage. Now, it was time for the Leaf ninja to return to their own village. They, along with the three siblings, were at the entrance to the Sand village. Kankuro nodded, giving a two-fingered salute. Ino grinned and shook her head, but she returned the gesture of the puppet ninja. "Maybe I'll come back and visit," she suggested.
"Yeah, you do that," Kankuro smirked.
"Gaara-kun. It was short, but this is goodbye," Mayu stated. The red head nodded his head. He then extended his hand in her direction. "Haha—none of that!" The kunoichi rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck. For her actions, she received incredulous looks. Most agreed that how she was behaving with the Kazekage was strange. Slowly, Gaara returned the hug. After a few moments, Mayu released him. "See ya!" She turned around, giving a final wave. Naruto only snickered, moving to follow Mayu. However, he was pulled back by Ino. He turned to see everyone looking at him expected. Kakashi and Gai, though, were up ahead.
"Hey," Ino began. Kankuro and Temari had already left to go back into their village. Gaara had lingered for a moment, but he, too, had followed his siblings. "I've been meaning to ask this, but…"
"What?" Naruto asked, confused.
"Don't you think Mayu's a little too friendly with the Kazekage?" Tenten chimed in. She looked up in thought. "Does she like him… in that way?"
"That way…?" he repeated. Then he laughed. "No way! She-" Naruto cleared his throat. He probably shouldn't mention anything about that right now. "Mayu's always been like that—openly showing affection for those she cares for. It's not really surprising to see or experience anymore," Naruto told them. He smiled remembering the time she had been in Sakura's body. "She won't think twice about defending those she cares for either. Gaara was our enemy before, but she still chose to save him. She views him as a precious friend, so of course she's gonna kiss and hug him like that, but she doesn't want to make him her boyfriend."
"She already has a boyfriend…" Neji pointed out. "Though, I suppose, not anymore."
"Boyfriend...?" Tenten repeated.
"It is not my story to tell," Neji replied. "Regardless, her physical affection extends to those she cares for or admires. Hinata-sama receives the same treatment."
"Hm… I suppose that is true," Lee muttered. His teammates looked at him. "Mayu-san approached me during our stay in the Sand village. It seemed almost random for her to hug me, call me…" He blushed and cleared his throat. "Cute, and say she had always admired me."
"Yup, that's Mayu, alright! It doesn't mean she's thinking of being your girlfriend," Naruto agreed with a nod.
"Oh…" Ino pursed her lips together. "I see…"
"Then… Neji, too?" Tenten asked, turning towards her teammate. "Does she admire you, too? Being a genius and all..."
"No." Neji nearly rolled his eyes. "I would not accept such displays."
"COME ON, GUYS! YOU WANNA GET BIT BY A CAMEL SPIDER?! LET'S GO!" Mayu voice called out to them.
"C-Coming…!" Ino replied. The group of Leaf ninja ran to catch up with the three.
Much time had passed since the group of ninja left the Sand village. However, they were still in the desert. Tenten gave a frustrated sigh as she glanced back at the two responsible for slowing their journey back to the Leaf. Kakashi and Gai were falling behind the group because the green-clad man had to carry his comrade. "Both of you are so slow," she remarked, crossing her arms. "I'd be surprise if we made it back in a week."
"Ehhh… sorry, Gai-kun," Kakashi mumbled. "Because I used my Sharingan so much, my body won't move…"
"RIGHT!" Gai suddenly shouted.
"AH! Oh! Wha…!" Because of the strange noises their sensei made, the younger ninja turned their attention to the older men. All of them stopped, staring blankly at what they were witnessing. Naruto couldn't help but think how creepy the sight before him was. Gai had somehow gotten Kakashi onto his back—piggyback style.
"…" Neji couldn't think of anything to say.
"I'm going to write so much yaoi!" Tenten thought, trying to maintain the look of disgust on her face. Inside, though, she was squealing. "Best end of mission ever!"
"I thought they couldn't get any weirder," Ino said flatly.
"Maybe they'll be faster now…?" Mayu murmured, scratching her cheek.
"AHA! It's training!" Lee thought, watching his mentor with admiration. Gai flashed a grin, nearly shouting that it would be faster. He gave a boisterous laugh, challenging the younger ninja to try to keep up with him. He then sped off, kicking up sand behind him.
"Nope, they just got weirder," Ino deadpanned.
"Neji…!" Lee exclaimed, bending down so that the Hyuga could climb on his back. He had shifted his bag to his front so that his teammate wouldn't be uncomfortable holding on.
"Pass!" Neji declared.
"Hell yea!" Mayu shouted. She, instead, jumped on Lee's back. She pointed in the direction that Kakashi and Gai went. "YAH, BITCH, YAH!" As if commanded, Lee shot off like a bullet, trying to catch up to the older ninja. Neji closed his eyes and sighed.
"She's gotten more… her, I see," he muttered.
"Yep," Naruto agreed.