Chapter 6: Broken Glass
"Damn it! Gaara, can you hear me?" Temari yelled.
Gaara nodded, it was apparent to everyone that he was rather scared about his current predicament.
Temari bashed the glass with her fan, but nothing happened, Lee was punching and kicking it with all his might, but with no results. Sakura was bent over Kakashi trying to heal his wounds. Kankurou was watching his brother, shocked still.
Naruto watched them all, his mind racing. 'Danger of the mission…danger of not thinking…saved Sakura.' Those words kept repeating themselves in his head.
"Damn it, if only we could fine a weak point," Lee said.
Naruto snapped out of his trance. He looked up at the others and suddenly understood.
"Kankurou, as soon as Kakashi is stable enough to be moved, bring him to the Sand, Sakura go with incase something happens on the way, but once he's there come back. Temari, Lee, stay here, watch Gaara, but don't try anything stupid," Naruto said.
They all looked at him. He had just given orders, orders that seemed to be well thought out, and appropriate for their current situation.
"Temari, how long do you think he has?" Naruto asked.
It took her a moment to realize he was waiting for an answer, "two days, maybe three at most," she said.
"I'll be back in one," he said turning around.
"Where the hell are you going?" Kankurou demanded.
"We need a weak point, I'm getting a way to find it," he said before vanishing.
The others looked at each other, "did any of you understand that?" Temari asked.
"Byakugan, he's gone back to the Leaf to get a Hyuuga," Lee said.
'Naruto, when did you become so clear headed under pressure and learn to make well thought out plans so quickly?' Sakura though.
x-X-x
Naruto ran though the forests, he had just left the Wind Country, but it was still another two days to Konoha. He stopped suddenly, but his thumb, did the seals and slammed his hand into the ground and with a large cloud of smoke Naruto was sitting on top of Gamabunta's head.
"Kid what do you want?" Gamabunta asked.
"We need to get to Konoha as fast as possible," Naruto said.
"You summoned me to carry you? I am not you're petty slave kid," Gamabunta said angrily taking a draw from his pipe.
"You're the fastest frog, and we only have about two days until Gaara dies," Naruto said.
"Who's this Gaara?" Gamabunta asked.
"The Kazekage, we need to hurry, I'll explain everything on the way," Naruto pleaded.
"Fine kid, hold on," Gamabunta sighed before taking off.
x-X-x
The two stopped outside Konoha and Naruto jumped off Gamabunta's head and ran into the village. He headed for the Hyuuga clan compound hoping either Neji or Hinata would be there; it's already been about six hours.
Naruto stopped at the gates of the compound breathing hard. "Is Neji here?" he asked through gasps for breath.
"No, Neji left a few days ago on a mission," the guard said.
"What about Hinata, is she here?" Naruto asked still trying to catch his breath.
"She just returned from her mission, but she's not here," the guard said.
"Damn it, any idea on where she is?" Naruto asked and the guard shook his head, Naruto sighed and ran off again. 'maybe she's training' he though.
Naruto reached the training grounds and was happy to see that he was right, Hinata, Kiba and Shino were all there, it looked like they were just about to start.
"Hey Hinata!" Naruto yelled.
Hinata turned around at the sound of her name and blushed when she saw who had called it.
"Hey, Naruto, I thought you had a mission," Kiba said.
"I do, that's why I'm here, I need your help Hinata," Naruto said, again out of breath.
"My help?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, come on, I'll explain on the way," Naruto said grabbing her arm and pulling her after him.
"Hey, we were gunna train here!" Kiba yelled after them, Naruto just ignored him.
'Naruto needs my help on his mission, and he's holding my hand," thought Hinata, her blush deepening.
They continued to run through the village, Naruto had let go of Hinata's hand, and when he turned a corner he collided with something and fell to the ground.
"Ow, damn it Naruto, watch where you're going," said Ino, who was knocked down as well.
"Sorry, Ino, I wasn't looking around that well," Naruto said getting up.
"Where were you headed Ino?" Hinata asked as she helped her up.
"To get Shikamaru, he's supposed to be helping me with a new jutsu but he's playing chess with Asuma-sensei again," Ino said.
Naruto wasn't really listening, he was waiting for Hinata to finish helping Ino before heading off again, but he froze at what Ino had just said.
"Where are they Ino?" Naruto asked.
"Shikamaru's house, why?" she asked.
"Hinata, I'll meet you at the village gates, I gotta get Asuma," Naruto said before bolting off towards Shikamaru's house.
The two girls looked at each other, neither knowing what was going on.
x-X-x
Naruto got to Shikamaru's house and saw the two sitting out front.
"Asuma-sensei, I need your help," Naruto said catching his breath.
"More tips on wind training?" Asuma asked with a grin.
"No, Gaara's in trouble, we need your help to break him out," Naruto said.
Asuma's grin vanished, "what kind of trouble?"
"I'll explain on the way," Naruto said before taking off, Asuma on his heels.
"Damn it Naruto, we were in the middle of a game," Shikamaru sighed.
x-X-x
Naruto and Asuma meet up with Hinata and Gamabunta at the village gates, the three hopped onto Gamabunta's head and he took off for Gaara. Naruto started telling Hinata and Asuma what was going on.
x-X-x
It had been nearly twelve hours since Naruto left, Kakashi and Kankurou were back at the Sand Village, Sakura had returned to the others, and was cooking dinner, their camp already set up, and Lee was still trying to punch a hole in the sphere.
Temari was on the other side of the sphere sitting with Gaara trying to keep him calm. It was a surprisingly hard task, especially seeing as how he was almost always calm, and when he wasn't it was anger, not fear that he had.
Then they started hearing a loud banging noise, all four of them stopped what they were doing and started looking in the direction of the noise. Through the darkness of night the figure of Gamabunta appeared, and Naruto, Hinata and Asuma jumped off his head before he vanished.
"Asuma-sensei, why are you here?" Sakura asked.
"Naruto thinks my wind chakra can break the sphere," he said.
"I already tried, it didn't do anything," Temari said.
"It wouldn't the way you use it, but I use mine differently," said Asuma.
Hinata was staring at Gaara and the glass sphere he was in, even though Naruto had told her what happened, she was still shocked to see it. She snapped out of it and activated the byakugan, seeing the glass sphere with better eyes.
"There is one weak point, and across from it is the strongest point," Hinata said.
"The weak point is probably the back," Sakura said.
Hinata nodded and walked up to the sphere and around to stand next to Temari, placing her finger on the glass, "here is the weakest point of the glass," she said.
Asuma nodded and took out his knuckle knives. He walked over to Hinata and stood behind her flowing his chakra into his weapons.
"Gaara, stand to the side, this might go straight through," Asuma said.
Gaara nodded and got out of the path the blade would take, his eyes on Hinata.
The tension was building as Asuma pushed his chakra into the weapons then he threw one at the glass and everyone held their breath. The blade shot through the glass and stuck deep into the other side. They all breathed a sigh of relief and Naruto jumped into the air cheering.
Gaara smiled as the fresh air rushed into the sphere though the hole and he took a deep breath.
"Lee, you should be able to make the hole bigger if you hit it hard enough over the current one," Hinata said.
Lee nodded, "Gaara, be careful, glass may fly at you," Lee said.
In response the gourd turned to sand and covered Gaara. Lee kicked the hole as hard as he could, cracks shot out in all directions and the hole widened by about a foot. After a few more well-placed hits the hole was big enough for Gaara to climb out of.
As soon as he was free Temari grabbed him in a hug. The relieved look that Gaara had since the hole was made vanished to be replaced by shock.
"Gaara I was so worried, I'm glad you're safe," she said.
Gaara just looked at her, "thanks," was all he could say.
They camped there that night, then went to the Sand Village where the Leaf ninjas got Kakashi and headed back to Konoha.
"I wonder if we're ever going to get to finish this mission, we still have to check the place here, plus the two others," Naruto said.
"Me and Hinata could take Kakashi back while you three check," Asuma said.
The other four nodded and they split up, Hinata and Asuma headed to Konoha with the still unconscious Kakashi on Asuma's back, while Lee, Sakura and Naruto headed to the cave.
When they got to the cave they began to understand what Gaara had said about the cave, there was blood splattered on the walls and bones on the floor. As they searched the cave they didn't find any hints of Akatsuki but when they reached the last room they found it locked. All three together managed to knock the door down, but when they went in they wished they hadn't.
"Oh my god, is this?" Sakura asked her hands over her mouth.
"The inhumanity," Lee said, he was fighting back the urge to leave, the knowledge of what happened here nearly overpowering.
"Yeah, this is where Gaara was fused with the one tail," Naruto said in shock.
On the floor of the room the seal of sealing was painted in blood, in the center of the seal was a skeleton, they could tell by the clothing it was a woman, and were rather certain it was Gaara's mother. Candles were placed around the edge of the seal, and the jar that held Shukaku before it was transferred to Gaara was on the floor outside the seal.
"Gaara doesn't know this is here does he?" Sakura asked.
"No, that door's been locked for years, probably since his birth. I think it's better he didn't come with us," Naruto said.
"I don't think we should tell anyone what we see here, not Gaara, nor anyone," said Lee, the other two nodded and they turned and left the room, the cave, and headed back to Konoha.