*I'm deeply sorry for not updating for somewhere around 525,600 minutes! :(
It wasn't the lack of water that Yamato disliked about Sunagakure, or even the heat. It was the sand. With it, there came accidents, sand in places sand should never be, and the most dangerous of it all—
"Sandstorm!" Hinata cried, Byakugan staring off in the distance at the oncoming disaster.
Yes, Yamato hated sandstorms…almost as much as he hated spending his money.
"Yamato." Kakashi commanded sharply.
Using Earth release, Yamato raised a large portion of the ground as high as a small hill. During a sand or dust storm, high ground is ideal. Giving no time for the rest of his team to react, he spawned a thick wooden dome around the group.
Naruto called into the pitch black murkiness that was their threshold, "Does anyone have a match?"
"This structure is made of wood." Neji hinted.
"So we're going to sit here for who-knows-how-long until the storm lets up?" Ino asked in no particular direction.
"In the dark." Sai added, to Naruto's dismay.
Feeling around for Akamaru, Kiba questioned, "How do we pass the time?"
On the opposite side of the enclosure, sounds of exertion that could only be assumed as Lee's were heard.
Waving their hands in front of their eyes (at least they thought that's where their eyes were), and discussing every detail of their mission, the Leaf shinobi got through the two hour sandstorm.
Konoha Messenger Bird P.O.V.
I circled around a seed shaped building in the center of the sand village. It looked official enough to me, so my screech pierced the air as I descend towards the robed figure standing outside. Why is he wearing robes and a hat in this heat?
Before I even fully land on his hand, he takes the scroll I was sent here with out from my talons. A few flaps and I'm off to the Leaf again, but not before catching a glimpse of an extremely large wooden nest suspended above the ground, by the oddest tree I've ever seen.
"So you've arrived." Gaara (somewhat) greeted the exhausted shinobi.
All eyes turned to the door as a friendly looking sand-nin entered, with plates of food for the Kazekage and his guests. For a few minutes, there was only eating.
"Lord Kazekage…" Shikamaru started, alternating between levels of formality and familiarity. "Do you have any Gold Dust around?"
Gaara thought for a moment before replying. "In the past, Gold Dust was our nation's currency. Now discontinued, it's not nearly as plentiful. Gathering as much as your letter described could take a few days, to even a week." The Kazekage went silent again, and planned ahead for if this infestation made its way into the Sand village.
"With all due respect Gaara, we don't have that long. Konoha is running on mostly Genin now." Sakura interjected.
"I see." Gaara said, motioning to a nearby guard and whispering in his ear.
Grabbing his gourd, the Kazekage stood in front of his desk. "As Konoha's ally, we'll do everything we can." He led the Konoha 11 (and company) out of his office.
Every door down the stuffy hallway had to be opened by rapidly forming secret seals, and with every checkpoint the number of guards seemed to increase. The largest vault the group came to was heavily guarded, but opened easily after Gaara commenced the same rapid signing as earlier.
Inside was an array of various currencies, ranging from germs, to coins, to a small cardboard box of Gold Dust… that was half empty.
Shino picked up the box and stared into it, "And this is all?"
Gaara nodded apologetically.
"Well, this is enough to at least cleanse the Hot Spring." Kakashi said in an optimistic tone that somewhat surprised the vault's inhabitants.
The Kunoichi left with a local botanist, to arrange medicinal herbs along with the one Sai requested. The guys wandered around Suna, leaving Gaara to tend to his duties.
? P.O.V.
"Those brats." Akujo pushed her way through the Konoha ninja that mindlessly roamed around, deactivating her mirror and picking strands of her blonde hair from her brush.
"Yes. They seek to delay the inevitable." I reactivated Akujo's 'magic mirror' (as she calls it) and observed the group one more time. They've even got the Kazekage to aid their cause. That's fine, I've got allies too.
I snapped an order at my henchmen, "Akunin, Akujo, throw them off our trail. Do whatever you have to do."
Akunin cracked a devious smile, one filled with his bloodlust and excitement. His skin blistered, the way his Kekkei Genkai caused him to whenever he itched to fight. Akujo undid the seal protecting our basin from any unwanted guests.
"So, who should I be today?" She asked Akunin, and tapped her pressure points rapidly. She glowed before transforming.
"Sharingan Kakashi?" she giggled and morphed into the silver haired enemy.
"Or maybe a rogue from my village, Hidan." She became another silver haired man whom I've never seen before, but who wore the Akatsuki cloak.
"Ha, Akujo. Do you have thing for silver hair today?" Akunin joked, his skin blistering still.
The duo leapt out of the cave, and into the water below. They weren't the best company, but they sure showed more emotion that Konoha's zombified ninja, who I'm currently stuck with. With that nosey group of Leaf ninja out of the way, I can finally commence the reformation of Konoha. I just have to sit and wait until the job is done.