The group of shinobi was about an hour from Sangakure when finally someone had to ask the pressing question. "Naruto-kun… Why are you outside of the village?" It was Sakura, the pink-haired medical ninja keeping in pace with the others of the group. She, Temari, and Kankuro had been giving the new Hokage odd looks ever since their start early this morning. Yamato and Kakashi had accepted their mission without a second thought, but either man had a rough speculation about why they were escorting the Hokage.
"I need to speak with Gaara-san, it's as simple as that." Naruto replied, his face and hair hidden underneath white and red robes. Kakashi, Yamato, and Sakura all wore the same colored robes, one to reflect the harsh sunlight of the desert, but also to disguise which one of them was the Hokage if they came under attack. "I would rather not go into the details."
Sakura huffed, jumping a head to keep abreast with Temari. The woman was not as easily accepting of the sudden mission she had received. She had many critical patients, and had to turn them over to the care of Tsunade and to top it all off, she hadn't received any other information from the person who gave her the mission, an elite ANBU, or even Naruto! Really, just because he was Hokage he thought he could order her around!
Sensing the woman's annoyance, Temari shifted a bit closer, whispering to Sakura, "I'm sure it's very important, Sakura-san, but lets try and get into the Sangakure before nightfall. If we get stuck out here, we may get found by bandits or swallowed by a storm." Sakura agreed, the desert was not the best place to throw a temper tantrum.
Kakashi suddenly raised his hand at the front of the group, signaling for them to stop. "What's the matter, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked, peering around them at the endless dunes of the desert.
"We are being followed, have you sensed it, Naruto-kun, Yamato-san?" The two ninja nodded, and immediately a protective circle formed around Naruto. "You mentioned bandits and other things, Temari-san?"
"Yes, recently we've seen resurgence in bandits and other forms of outlaws." She drew her fan, the three moons glittering in the rolling heat. "They shouldn't have been able to keep up with us… Rogues?"
"Probably," Kankuro replied, holding two summoning scrolls in either hand. "If we can make another mile, we'll be within range of Sangakure's radios and can call for a larger escort."
"Sounds good to me." Yamato replied, looking to Kakashi, "I'll leave the genjutsu to you, I presume?"
Kakashi nodded, and pulled up the left side of his mask. "Of course, just worry about transporting Naruto-kun." His hands moved in a complex array of seals and suddenly the world around their ring seemed to dull and lose color. "Go, I can hold this for about two minutes, which should give you enough time to get a head start."
Yamato went to Naruto's right, Sakura at his left. Either sand sibling went behind and front, Temari leading now. The blonde-haired woman led them quickly, using her wind-jutsu to speed their steps along the sand dunes.
They ran as fast as possible, using their chakra and Temari's ability to speed their movements. In what would have taken another twenty minutes, they had passed through in a matter of moments. The two sand jounin's radios crackled as they came in range of their village. "This is Temari and Kankuro, we are transporting the Konohagakure Hokage with us and one of the Konoha jounin has stayed behind. We request assistance."
"Copy that, Temari." A ninja on the receiving line replied, and after a few seconds fifteen sand ninja appeared around them using ninjitsu. The one on the other line was a commander, who had also appeared. He motioned for five of the ninja to go ahead to where Kakashi was, the rest to stay with Naruto. "Sorry about this, Hokage-sama." He directed that at any of the tree white-clad figures, unsure of whom the Hokage was.
Naruto pulled his mask, "its fine, you have a large territory to control." The commander seemed surprised to be faced with such a young Hokage; all of the Konoha's previous Hokages had been well aged, the youngest being the Yodaime, who had been about twenty-six years old when he was first inaugurated.
The large step-gate of the Sangakure loomed ahead, and Naruto felt a sense of relief come over him. Gaara was just on the other side of those walls, his one confidant who would be able to understand exactly where his troubles were. They raced through the gate, the other ninja making sure that they were not being pursued.
The sand's radios crackled again, and the commander let out a sigh of relief. "Kakashi-san was found safe and unharmed, but there was a large group of bandits that could have faired better. They're bringing in the leader for questioning, and Kakashi will be here in about half an hour after he makes a detour, on your orders." He looked to Naruto, who simply nodded.
Naruto hadn't authorized such a maneuver, but he was sure Kakashi had his reasons. "Of… Of course." He coughed, sand caking his mouth and nose. "I'm honored to be in the Sangakure once again." He nodded to the ninja around him, who simply stared, wondering who he was.
"This is the Hokage of the Konohagakure; show your respect to him!" The commander snapped. The ninja were as surprised as their captain had been at how young Naruto was, but they all bowed, Naruto feeling a bit embarrassed. "Gaara has already been notified of your arrival, unfortunately he's in a meeting at the moment, but he will see you as soon as it lets out."
"Of course." Gaara had his own worries to take care of, and the Kyuubi was not trying to escape at that second. "I'm going to review a few things that I have with me. Sakura-chan, Yamato-san, please do as you wish."
Sakura nodded, and looked to a nearby medical-ninja, "can I please go to your green houses? I would like to pay respect to an old friend of mine and to speak with your Medical Head." The young ninja nodded, recognizing Sakura from the time she saved Kankuro.
"I will stay with you, Naruto." Yamato replied, "it would be for the best."
The Hokage agreed, somewhat. He was annoyed at being followed around by Yamato like a small child who needs to be baby-sat, but in his condition, he couldn't blame the jounin. The last thing he would want would be to turn into a four-tailed Kyuubi in the middle of the Sangakure. "Alright..."
Naruto followed a young kunoichi, the girl leading them to the Kazekage's building where they could rest and relax after their strenuous journey. In all honesty, Naruto was more interested in where Kakashi had went and why, but he would find out soon enough.
x.x.x.x.x.x
Naruto twiddled a kunai between his fingers, leaning back in his chair. He held another blade in his mouth and a shuriken on each of his fingers on his left hand. He had gotten bored and started to play with his weapons, something that he was often told not to do at as a genin- he had a peculiar knack for hurting himself.
Placing the kunai down, he took the other kunai out of his mouth, putting his shuriken back in a small pocket he had at his left thigh. He hated waiting even more than bad-tasting ramen. Kakashi was an hour past the time he said he was going to be back, and Gaara had yet to get out of his meeting. Scowling at the ceiling, he shifted in his chair, leaning his elbows against the wooden table in front of him.
He had tried to study his half of the 900-seal technique, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it. Half of the characters were missing on the notes of the paper, and most of the seals were as well. Was there more than just half of this technique missing, and why did he have to travel to both the Sangakure and Sound? Scowling again, he balanced a kunai above his upper lip, leaning back in his chair.
"Studying hard as usual, Naruto-kun?" With a yelp, Naruto fell back, hitting his head against the floor.
"That's not funny, and stop sneaking up on me!" Naruto yelled indignantly, sitting up to glare at Kakashi. The jounin was perched on his window, and looked as if he had been sitting there for a few minutes. "And where did you go!?"
"You really do the oddest things when you're bored…" With a sigh, Kakashi stepped into the room, taking a seat on the other side of the table. "I went to investigate something peculiar."
"Peculiar?" Naruto's eyebrows rose, and sat back down in his now standing chair. "There's always something peculiar with you around."
Kakashi chuckled at that, and pulled out Pakkun from underneath this hood, the small dog apparently taken refuge there. "He smelled something. Go on, tell him Pakkun."
The dog "wuffed", jumping onto the table. He sat back on his hind legs, much like a person would do. "I smelled a rather peculiar scent. It was laced with cinnamon among the rough, metallic smell of this desert. I followed it for a few miles and found a curious stream that had blue, glittering water. I filled a vial of it." He wuffed again, a vial poofing in front of him to fall into Naruto's hands. "The curious thing about it is that it's full of chakra, and really cold."
"Chakra?" Naruto uncorked the vial, taking a sniff of the contents. He gagged at the smell, quickly capping it. "Not the most delectable of scents…"
"I agree. Thanks Pakkun." The tiny dog wuffed again, disappearing in a puff of smoke. "This is not the only place where this water has appeared. In every country where a great battle with Jinchuuriki occurred these springs have been appearing. ANBU has accounts of it in Sound, the Waterfall village, and many other places. If a Jinchuuriki was unleashed, residue of its chakra has been found."
"Why haven't I heard anything about this?" Naruto asked, his eyebrows knitting together.
"You have barely been Hokage for two days Naruto-kun, we can only brief on you on so much at one time. I'm sure Tsunade-san was going to tell you by the end of the week. Anyways, a few weeks ago ANBU started mapping where the springs were appearing and a rather peculiar shape started to form. Would you like to see a copy of the map?"
"Of course." Naruto leaned forward as Kakashi drew a folded paper from inside his vest, biting his thumb to smear a bit of his blood along the edge. It verified that he was an elite jounin, and the paper in front of them blossomed into life.
A map of the known world appeared with all of the countries outlined. "These black dots are the springs." Kakashi remarked, "they're all drawing from different countries, but make a spiraling pattern all towards one place." He followed one of the lines with his index finger, the line finishing a few miles out of Konoha's borders towards Sound. It landed at a certain place, that place.
"You don't mean…" Naruto whispered, standing to stare down at the map. "That I have to return back to that cave that Sakura-chan destroyed, where Akatsuki were drawing at the Jinchuuriki?"
"I do not have enough information on it yet, but everyday more of these springs appear. It is not simply a coincidence Naruto. With each passing day something is happening there, something that will involve you, Gaara, and any other Jinchuuriki past or present.
However, we cannot concern ourselves with it now; we must work on fixing your current state."
"Of course." Naruto sat back down, a groan coming from his frame. Chakra springs, an official duel, resealing the Kyuubi… It was all starting to add up. Sort of. "Let's hope that nothing bad happens to Konoha while I'm away."
Kakashi nodded, taking the parchment and putting it back inside his vest. He looked towards the door, "ah, I see Gaara is here, I will take my leave then."
"Err… What?" Before Naruto could protest, Kakashi had disappeared. Kakashi was certainly a unique character. Someone knocked at the door, and Naruto sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Come in."
"Naruto-kun." Came the monotone voice of Gaara, the Kazekage drifting into the room. "What a surprise and honor." The door closed behind him, the familiar tendrils of sand drifting around the room to seal and secure it. "It is good to see you."
"No need to be so formal, Gaara-kun." Naruto laughed, somewhat amused by his friend's rigid appearance and manners. "It's good to see you as well. I hope everything has been well in the Sangakure?"
"Yes. It was wonderful to hear that you became Hokage. I suppose both of our dreams have come true, no?" The redhead asked, sitting down where Kakashi had been moments before. Even if he had a cold exterior, Naruto could since the sincerity of Gaara's words. He had changed, just as Naruto had over the past years.
"They have." Naruto couldn't help but grin, the pale green eyes of his friend staring at him for a moment. "Got a girl yet?"
The Kazekage seemed slightly embarrassed at that idea, his sand swirling about in odd patterns for a moment before settling down again. Naruto always knew how to ask the most direct and piercing question. "Ah… No. You? I imagine you've become quite popular."
"Nah…" Naruto leaned back, his hands behind his head, "I have some larger issues right now, and I don't think I could handle the emotional baggage of having a woman around all the time."
"Indeed." Gaara obviously wanted to get to the point of Naruto's visit.
"Have you ever heard of the 900-seal technique?" Naruto asked, leaning forward again. "It seems to be my only hope in certain… Personal matters."
Gaara shifted his sands, the room becoming even more sealed. "I have, somewhat. I read my Father's diaries a few months back and learned something of it. I can give you what information I have on the seal, why do you need it?"
"Kyuubi is acting up, and I don't have much time left before my transformation becomes complete." The blonde remarked, a sigh coming from his frame. "I don't want to let that sort of creature in the world again, but I also need your help."
"In what way would you need my help?" Gaara asked.
"I need your guidance as a fellow Jinchuuriki and your support as a friend. Ever since Sasuke disappeared all those years ago, this void of malice and hate has been forming inside of me, which the Kyuubi seems to feed on."
"Ah, yes, I have much experience with those sorts of emotions." Gaara drew his fingers across the table, leaving behind flecks of sand on the wood. "But… I do not know how much help I can be in regards to power to help you with the Kyuubi. I no longer have my Jinchuuriki, as you know. The Ichibi was removed from me many, many years ago."
"I know." Naruto replied with a whisper. He hadn't made it to Gaara in time, and if it weren't for Baa-chan's sacrifice, he wouldn't be conferring with his friend at all. "Oh!" He suddenly remembered the information that Kakashi had given him, and he tried to steer the conversation in different direction, trying to not to reminisce on past events. "Have you seen the chakra springs around the Sangakure?"
"Yes, and that was going to be my next point. We should travel to the closest one. They emit a very odd chakra, rather similar to what a Jinchuuriki's is… Perhaps the land has absorbed some of the chakra we have emitted over the years?" Gaara stood, motioning with his left hand. Sand collected around him, the gourd appearing on his back. "It would be wise if you did not alert your guard, we need to get this done as quickly as possible."
Naruto agreed, and followed Gaara out of the room. It would seem a bit odd to have two leaders out on their own, but at the rate they were going to travel, other ninja would only be a hindrance to them. "This way." The blond-haired youth followed his counterpart, and both leapt from the top of the Kazekage's building, easily landing on an outcropping next to them. The guards there quickly prostrated in front of the two leaders, but did not ask where they were going. It was none of their business after all.
Gaara led him quickly out of the village, passing through the Sangakure's sand walls that formed a small hole for them to travel. Not only had Gaara's power grown, but also his ability to manipulate objects around him. Essentially everything could be used as a weapon by him, even the sand that the buildings of the village were made of. Naruto was somewhat impressed by Gaara's ability, but he truly saw the extent of his friend's power when they came to the open desert.
The dunes were impossible to distinguish from one another, especially ate night, but the sand seemed to shift around Gaara, forming into a path for them to follow. "This way." Gaara whispered, running forward silently. Naruto followed after, looking over his shoulder as the pathway collapsed behind them. The Kazekage's ability was truly a gift, even if he didn't see it that way.
They ran for about an hour, the path suddenly steering to the left and down hill. The temperature had dropped dramatically, and Naruto shivered as he skid down the remainder of the pathway, following Gaara as best he could. "Why is it so cold?" He asked, wincing at how harsh his voice sounded in the silence around them.
"Because the last Jinchuuriki to fight here was ice based, and apparently that property of the chakra was passed onto this area." Gaara replied, and the two slid down the sand further.
It was as if they were traveling into a hole, and Naruto looked up, watching as the sky became a distant dot. He had never been afraid of small spaces before, but this made him panic slightly. What if they got stuck, what if they could never get out? What if…
As quickly as his fears came, they were gone. The Hokage and Kazekage slid into a large, under ground cave, the two standing and dusting themselves off. A large, blue pool of water was in front of them, the shimmering water reflecting on the walls around them. Huge, white flowers floated on top of the water, which confused Naruto for a moment until he realized the flowers were actually made from ice.
Stepping forward, Naruto squatted down, picking up a small rock that had a fine, blue sheen to it. Turning it over in his hands, he suddenly thought of something. "What if we emit our own chakra here, what would happen?" Naruto asked.
Gaara shook his head, crossing his arms as he observed the room. "We may end up getting frozen as well; apparently this Jinchuuriki's chakra feeds off of other life forms." He pointed into the water, and Naruto leaned forward, squinting.
Suddenly, Naruto drew back, letting out a sickened sound. "Are those… Humans?" He asked, looking at the ice on the water some more.
By looking closer, Naruto and Gaara had seen that there were bodies incased in ice, and that the chakra seemed to be connected to it somehow. "They look like the description of the bandits I've been hearing about from the villagers." Gaara stated, his sand slowly drifting up to form a protective circle around him and Naruto. "There is something… Odd about this spring."
Naruto hopped up, wary as he looked at the spring. "Yes. This isn't right. I have never heard of chakra feeding off humans in such a fashion then taking their form. What would it want with the Sangakure?"
The water bubbled slightly, as if it was reacting to Naruto and Gaaras' voices, a great, shining face becoming visible on the surface of the water. "I… Want… Power…" It stated, the voice sounding like rocks crashing over water. It drew up, forming a semi-humanoid body. "Sangakure… Rich… In… Chakra…" It growled, bringing its right arm up. "Two… Kages full… Of Chakra… I can… Form my body… Again!"
It slashed forward, ice water rippling from the stream to hit the two leaders. Naruto was flung backward, but Gaara's sand was frozen in place as it was coming out of its gourd, which in turn made him stuck. The redhead seemed completely at ease, and reached for a kunai, stabbing it into the ice behind him, freeing himself. Gaara hopped backwards a few steps, flinging his now useless gourd to the side.
Naruto stood, a bit shaky after having the wind blown out of him. "C…Can you fight?" He asked Gaara, coughing as he took a breath.
"Of course. Go for the bodies, Naruto, that's where it's drawing its energy from." Gaara pulled out a kunai from inside his kimono. Shifting his left hand, sand fell off his form, his sand armor creating a weapon. "I'll distract it, go now."
The Kazekage took his cue, and created a dozen Kage Bunshins around him. Dashing forward, the chakra-monster was too busy dealing with Gaara's attacks to notice that a group of Narutos had taken hold of its chakra sources. Each pulled out a bomb-seal, the real Naruto jumping up to place one on the creature's body mass.
Gaara stopped attacking, leaping to grab his gourd and to run towards the pathway back to the surface. Naruto was close behind him, but the seals went off a bit sooner then normal, and the explosion threw them forward, water spraying down around them, filling the passageway and forcing them onto the surface in one giant leap. However, the remaining consciousness of the chakra did not appreciate it that its destroyers were going to escape, and with the last bit of energy wrapped tendrils around the two men, dragging them back into the bitterly cold water. It was not going to die without taking its enemies with it!