Title: A Demon's Tale
Author: swiftstar85
Genre: Drama/Friendship/Romance
Rating: T for some strong language, violence, suggestive material, and crude humor.
~Chapter Twenty-Six
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, though I wouldn't mind if I did.
As soon as Gaara escaped from the combinded minds of the Tailed Demons, his eyes squinted against the blinding light. He could only groan a little before opening them and taking a look around. He wasn't pleased with what he seen though. The first thing he seen was Temari trapped within a large pink crystal, looking both pissed and as if she couldn't breath. She was clutching to her throat, looking as if she was gasping for air.
Immediately, Gaara jumped right to it. He threw his hand out, sending sand flying at the crystal to break it. It did not break on impact though, much to his frustration. He didn't like seeing his oldest sibling like that at all. She was in danger right now and she needed his help. He tried again to break the crystal by smashing his sand against it but it still didn't break.
Getting more frustrated, the young Kazekage twisted his hand and sent his sand swarming around the crystal. There was only one thing he could try that he could think of and it was risky but if he was careful, he would be able to do it. He would try to use the Sand Prison Jutsu and try to crush the crystal, hoping that it wouldn't crush his sister instead.
"Sand Prison Jutsu!" He bellowed, squeezing his hand tightly.
The sand began to put as much pressure against the crystal as it could before there was the nearly heavenly sound of glass breaking before Gaara felt the crystal give out. He felt it crush under his Sand Prison and began to fall away from around Temari.
As soon as the crystal had broken, Gaara quickly withdrew his sand away from his sister, allowing her to stumble while gasping and choking for air. So his suspicions had been right. The crystal had been suffocating Temari. He quickly flew over on his patch of sand to join her, catching her when she nearly fell to the ground. "Temari! Are you all right?" He demanded with a hint of panic in his tone.
Temari merely glanced at him as she leaned against him for support but nodded. She didn't entirely trust herself just yet to speak so that was all she could do.
"Gaara!" Kankuro called over to him while having quite the time trying to fight off three of the men who had started to gang up on him. He was flicking his fingers and hands as fast as he could as they attacked him, allowing his puppets to come to his defense and try to attack back. "It's about time you came back! Did you find that kid?"
Gaara quickly glanced over at him before taking a good look around. He noticed that Rin was still battling it out with Kabuto and putting up a pretty good fight as they used medical techniques against one another. He had only seen a fraction of those techniques by Sakura so he knew that she was doing just fine on her own. He let his eyes flicker over to where Sen and Chiro were nearly back to back, fighting two other of the men and doing fine on their own too.
But his eyes fell onto the last remaining men and noticed that they weren't attacking his comrades any more. They were fighting with Guren. She had a pair of crystal made blades in her hands, trying to fend them off while she was standing between the men and an unconscious Yukimaru. The young man still had a bloody nose but in addition, he had a growing bruise on his cheek. So someone had punched him.
"What happened?" Gaara demanded sternly as he quickly spread out his sand around the entire area, ready to attack when he had the answers that he needed.
Temari finally seemed to find her voice because she stood up right next to him, her hand still clutching onto his shoulder for unsteady support. "Th-they attacked Guren when sh-she got too bossy. She was demanding them to back off from Yukimaru because they were getting too close to him while fighting us. Apparently that was a little too much for them to take. So that one," She pointed at one of the men that was attacking Guren. "He turned on Yukimaru and punched him to catch her off guard. And then they began attacking them." She looked back at Gaara, frowning with concern. "Did you find him?" She asked, worriedly.
Gaara nodded as he met her gaze before looking around at the entire scenery before them. He wasn't entirely satisfied with everything he was seeing. But at least he was there to take care of it. "Yeah. I found him. But I don't think he'll help us. He's in exile within the Third Tail and he doesn't want to come out." He told her.
Sighing heavily, Temari shook her head. "What exactly is he afraid of, Gaara? Of himself hurting people?" She asked, with some irritation.
"No. It's not that, Temari. He's hiding away from the Akatsuki in his own way." Gaara told her.
Temari just shook her head, not liking the sound of it in anyway. "Didn't you make it clear that we came to help him? To protect him and ask for protection in return?" She asked, frowning in irritation.
The young Kazekage nodded only once. "I did. But he's still having a little trouble believing me. He's seen too much of the negative world. He's done things that he couldn't forgive himself and it began with Yukimaru. He's got to forgive himself before he can help us. But I'm not even sure if it'll ever work." He stated before flicking his wrist and summoning up his sand to hover behind him. "I think I better take care of this now. Rest, sister."
Temari just nodded as she moved back and sank down on a near by moss covered log. She was a little worn out with fighting Guren. She hadn't expected the Crystal manipulartor to be so good. "All right." She told him.
Turning his attention back onto the men, Gaara dipped his head back down. He didn't want to kill the five men that were working with Guren but Kabuto was another thing. He couldn't let him go. He was too dangerous because of his ties with Orochimaru. He would send a message to the Sanin by sending Kabuto's body back to him. He would make it clear to Orochimaru that he better back off from the Leaf Village and away from all those he cared about.
However, before he could even use his sand to even attack the five men and Kabuto, there was a loud roar from the lake, causing Gaara's head to jerk around, along with everyone's elses'. He was surprised to see the Third Tail throwing up his three tails and bringing them down hard against the Lake's surface, causing a huge tidel wave. The wave came rolling and crashing over one another and it came crashing over everyone on the banks.
But what made it more odd was how the water seemed to part around Gaara, his companions, and Guren and Yukimaru. It went completely around them, soaking the sand and rendering it useless.
Startled, everyone turned to see what had just happened only to freeze to see that the Third Tail Turtle had vanished and someone else had taken its place.
Standing on a pillar of water, with water spilling upward like a water fall all around him stood the very one that Gaara and Temari had been talking about. Yagura was looking down at them with a very grim look on his face and his arms hanging down by his sides. He was looking directly at Gaara, who managed a small smirk as he looked back up at him.
"It's about time you decided to come join us." The young Kazekage remarked.
Yagura smirked right back before he controlled his water to drop him towards the shore, near Gaara. "I'll defend my own brother, if you don't mind." He remarked quietly before he looking over at Yukimaru before turning and walking towards him. He had to stop when Guren moved in the way, glaring at him. He glared right back. "Get out of my way." He warned.
Guren didn't move as she held up a crystal blade towards him. "What are you planning on doing to him?" She demanded.
"Guren," Gaara spoke up, catching her attention. He ignored the glare that she shot at him. "He's not going to hurt Yukimaru. Yagura just wants to check on him. He's his brother and he's just concerned about him. He has a right to see him."
Of course, Guren didn't listen right away. She continued to glare at Yagura before tearing her eyes away from him when her men began to move as one to attack Gaara and the new arrival. She was surprised at them but she didn't move to make them stop as she stepped closer to Yukimaru to protect him. Both Gaara and Yukimaru, of course, heard them coming and merely turned their heads to watch as all five moved towards them. They didn't even lose their cool or lose any tension as they watched them coming at them with their weapons.
"Gaara!" Sen gasped, starting to move forward only to get caught by Kankuro. "Kankuro! That's five against one! Or...er...two! That's not fair!"
Kankuro shook his head as he snorted. "No. It's two Jinchuriki against five. That's hardly fair. But if they want to be stupid and jump right in the water without testing it first, then that's their own fault. Gaara can take care of himself. I'm sure that Yagura can just do the same. It figures why he's still alive and not in Akatsuki hands yet." He told her bluntly.
"Gaara." Yagura merely said as the men moved closer.
As if he knew what the Third Tail Jinchuriki was going to say, Gaara shook his head as he turned his entire body to face the men as they moved almost five feet away from them now. "Don't kill them, Yagura. They're not worth killing." He told the other Jinchuriki.
A rumbling noise caught everyone's attention, causing the five to stop short and look with everyone towards the lake. It was to their surprise that it was starting to churn and roll before water exploded from it and rose up into the air. The five men couldn't help but step back in surprise as it shot towards them, moving around Yagura and Gaara in a split. They didn't even have a chance as the pounds of water hit them, sending them flying backwards and rolling with the powerful current that shoved them against the trees.
The water, however, kept coming and Gaara knew that if Yagura didn't stop, the men would drown. He looked over at the Third Tail Jinchuriki and frowned. "Yagura, please do not kill them. They're not worthy of killing. They are only fools who don't even know better." He said calmly.
Yagura narrowed his eyes as he watched the lake water continue to hit the five men before he jerked his head. And like that, the water pulled up and did a curve in the air, landing right back in the lake. "Which one hurt my brother?" He said too seriously that Gaara knew that he was looking forward to hurting that one right back.
"Yagura..." The young Kazekage merely started to say.
"It was Rinji." Guren startled everyone by speaking up. It surprised them even more when she pointed out the one who had struck Yukimaru.
Everyone, including Gaara and excluding Yagura, glanced over at her before looking at the man who had hit Yukimaru, whom was on the muddy ground, choking up water. They didn't like the men who had been working with Guren but they were surprised that she would turn one of them in like she just did. Even Kabuto was looking surprised as he stared at her with an almost horrified look.
Yagura, however, just frowned before he suddenly exploded into mist and vanished. It didn't take even a single thought to know what he was up to because everyone was looking at the man, Rinji.
Mist exploded right next to the man, surprising him more than anyone else before a fist lashed out and punched him hard across the face, sending him flying to the ground. The other men started but looked wide eyed at Yagura as he stood over Rinji and didn't even spare them a glance. They looked torn between either attacking him or running away.
Gaara just smirked as he looked at those men. "I would suggest you start running. I will spare you your lives but I don't think he'll be the same. If you choose to attack him, you may regret it in another life." He told them calmly.
The four men who hadn't been attacked just yet looked at him before looking at one another. They didn't need to be told twice. They turned with a jerk and bolted away from the area, hurrying into the trees. They weren't in sight within the five seconds they started running. They were long gone, leaving their fallen comrade right where he had been sitting, spitting up blood from his busted lip.
"Hey. What's wrong with Kabuto?" It was Sen to ask, making everyone look at her.
Gaara frowned slightly before he turned his eyes onto where Kabuto had been standing and he narrowed his eyes when he saw that he had collapsed. It was like he had been the one to be struck and not Rinji. But with only the slightest glance over his fallen form, he narrowed his eyes before turning them back onto Rinji. "Well, I see you're still up to your old tricks, Kabuto. Using a Death Clone as yourself and yourself as one of the renegades that were running with Guren, how original."
Rinji let out a frustrated growl before he turned around. His entire image had changed within a moment though, revealing that he had really been Kabuto. The gray haired medic of Orochimaru glared up at Yagura as he stood over him before shooting his glare towards Gaara. "Lord Orochimaru will never let you forget this, Gaara. He's going to be very angry and I can't say he won't retaliate against you for taking what is his." He growled.
"I do not belong to anyone but myself." Yagura said very coldly, thin trails of water starting to swirl around him to look more menacing. It was somewhate working because Kabuto was cowering back from him.
"In truth, Kabuto," Gaara began just as coldly as Yagura. "I don't care if you even lived or died, due to what you tried to do to my student, Quoi. I would prefer you dead. But I need you to deliver a message to Orochimaru. You can do it alive, or you can do it dead. But you will tell him that none of the Jinchuriki is his play things or his tools of science. And if he ever comes after one of us again, or the Leaf Village, you can let him know that Shukaku is very hungry for snake right now. He's drooling in my head as we speak as he dreams of snake meat." He growled, a little irritated that it was actually true. He could almost feel the pleasure of Shukaku's thoughts for eating Orochimaru. "Now do yourself a favor and get the hell out of my sight before I do let Yagura drown your sorry traitorous ass."
Kabuto glared at Gaara but glanced at Yagura, with only a slight worried look in his eye. He carefully and slowly rose to his feet, keeping watch on the Third Tail Jinchuriki, who had not moved yet. He knew very well that Yagura was itching to do something. His fingers were slightly twitching with the anticipation of doing something to him.
Taking a few steps back away from Yagura, Kabuto looked back at Gaara as he began forming the hand sign to leave. He didn't apply it just yet as he looked the young Kazekage right in the eyes. "Beware of your choice for letting me leave alive, Gaara. I will not forget this." He almost hissed at him.
"Beware of it yourself, Kabuto. Remember that I just let you live when it's my right to kill you in the most painful way." Gaara spoke in a very dangerous tone.
Kabuto's eyes twitched but he nodded. "Becareful, Gaara of the Sand and Leaf. The Akatsuki are moving ever so closely to your village of peace. It's going to be a matter of time when they get you or Naruto. Orochimaru doesn't want them to touch the Tailed Beasts because it will ruin his plans. But I can't say the same. I can't wait till the Akatsuki gets Naruto. It's going to be fun watching the look on your face when they kill him." He said before forming the hand sign.
However, before he could even apply the hand sign and leave in a puff of smoke, sand lashed out and struck him hard across the face, causing Kabuto to cry out as he went spinning to the ground. A trickle of blood was now running down his cheek from where the sand had struck him.
Gaara was glaring harder at him as he took a few menacing steps towards him. "I will die before the Akatsuki touch Naruto." He said in a harsh, dangerous tone. "Let that new scar on your cheek remind you of that. If I ever see you again, Kabuto, that will be the last time. The next time I see you, I will kill you."
Pressing his hand against his cheek, Kabuto scampered back to his feet, sending Gaara a nasty look before he quickly formed the hand signs and was gone.
However, the young Kazekage kept on glaring at that spot and it took everyone just a moment to realize that his shoulders were shaking from the fury he was feeling of what Kabuto had said to him. Yagura was frowning at him as he watched him try to control his temper while Temari and Kankuro were quickly at Gaara's side, looking at him.
"Gaara, calm down." Temari quickly advised. "I know you have a better handle Shukaku but if you lose control..."
Gaara's eyes looked directly at her, almost a little darkly. He quit immediately when she cringed back from the harshness of his eyes before taking a deep breath to try and calm himself down. "It's not Shukaku, Temari. It is myself." He told her in a low voice.
"Gaara," Rin spoke calmly as she approached him and gently placed her hand onto his shoulder. She didn't cringe away like Temari had when he shot her a look but she smiled sweetly at him. "It's going to be okay. Nothing is going to happen to Naruto. I'm sure he's very strong. And with you protecting him, he'll be fine." Then she turned away from him and started towards Yukimaru, only to stop when Guren glared at her for trying to come too close. She looked onto her with a serious look as she stood tall. "Guren, I'm a medical ninja. Let me pass to look at Yukimaru. I want to make sure that nothing is wrong with him."
Guren didn't move for a long moment but continued to glare at her. She did not let up any tension at all as she remained protective over Yukimaru. But what surprised everyone next was when she glanced to Yagura, meeting his eyes.
For a long moment, the two stared each other down before Yagura lift his head and folded his arms across his chest. He seemed to understand the look that Guren was giving him because he nodded next. It surprised everyone when they realized that the woman was actually asking Yagura for his opinion. Gaara had realized it before anyone else because he smirked to himself as he watched the two stare at each other.
But everyone else was surprised as Guren nodded back to Yagura before she stepped to the side, allowing Rin access to the unconscious Yukimaru. She watched as the former Leaf medic bent down beside the young boy and began checking his vital signs. She then pressed her hand against his cheek and it began to glow a light green, something that all of them knew as a healing technique.
Gaara, however, looked back at Yagura, who turned to meet his eyes. "What made you change your mind?" He asked calmly.
For a moment, Yagura was quiet as he thought about the question that his fellow Jinchuriki asked. He seemed to be considering his words carefully before he looked back at Yukimaru, watching as Rin healed his bruised cheek. "Your words did. And your memories. They've made me realize that I can't keep hiding from what I've done. I've got to face them. I've got to face Yukimaru and let him know that what I've done to him was never right. I abandoned him to protect him because of the Akatsuki. And all it did to him was hurt him more when I didn't explain it to him. I didn't explain why I had to leave him with Zabuza, to take him somewhere safe. And for that, it just left him feeling hurt and alone. He didn't understand why I left his side. And that was completely my fault." He explained in a calm way. He looked back at Gaara. "I think I've realized that I've been hiding from the Akatsuki too long. It's time to face that man who controlled me to ruining the Mist Village's peace with the other Ninja Villages. It's time I faced him and destroyed him."
Gaara frowned slightly but didn't say anything. He didn't like the idea of Yagura joining them just to have revenge against one of the Akatsuki for using him. But he knew that this was the chance to make sure that the Akatsuki didn't get what they wanted.
"Maybe," Sen spoke up, making all look at her. "Maybe you're not doing it as in revenge, Yagura. Maybe you want to face the Akatsuki to protect Yukimaru. After all, you are brothers. You're family. Family really is all you've got." Her head lowered a little as a wave of sadness rose up in her eyes. The Sand Siblings, Rin and Chiro knew exactly what was going through her mind. They knew she was thinking about her long lost twin brother and how she wanted to find him.
Yagura considered her words for a moment before he dipped his head down and the curve his mouths lift up by the slightest. "You are very observent. You seen through my eyes with only the slightest glance." He said calmly before looking at Sen, who smiled brightly at him.
Gaara only seen a mere glance of Kankuro's face darkening and starting to pout. He had to grin to himself and shake his head.
A light groan caused everyone to turn with a jerk to look down at Yukimaru. Yagura was quickly at Rin's side, looking down at him with anticipation as he watched his older brother starting to stir. He stepped back though as Yukimaru groaned again before his eyes started to flicker open.
Rin smiled with Guren as they looked down at him, watching as his eyes squinted at the bright sun light starting to shine through the trees onto his face. "Well, welcome back, Yukimaru." The Leaf Medic stated.
Yukimaru stared up at her for a moment before looking very confused. He let his eyes flicker to Guren as she smiled at him before starting to lift his head. "Gur-Guren...I...I don't understand. I thought..." He was saying.
"It's okay, Yuki." Guren spoke softly. She shared a glance with Rin, frowning only a little before looking back at him. "While you were out, things got a little too crazy and the Leaf and Sand and Shadow helped me save your life." She lift her eyes towards Yagura as he moved back a few more feet, watching his brother. "And someone else. I think it's time that you both put aside your feelings and actually talked to one another instead of giving each other the silent treatment." She told both of the brothers.
For a moment, Yukimaru didn't understand. He just stared at her with confusion before turning his eyes in the direction of where she was looking. And when he saw Yagura standing there, his eyes shot open and he shot up into a sitting positon only to wince and groan as he slapped his hand against his head.
"Careful!" Rin said quickly touching his back. "You're still a little dazed from the hit that Kabuto gave you! You need to take things slow."
Yukimaru just grimaced before looking back at Yagura with surprise, who looked back a little forlorn. He couldn't believe his eyes though. He had never expected that he would ever see his brother again after all that they've been through. "Ya-Yagura?" He said in a surprised tone. "But I thought...I thought you were..."
Yagura frowned as he turned his violet eyes onto the ground before taking a step back. He still didn't meet his brother's eyes, almost looking ashamed that he had to face him. He was quiet for a long moment before he sighed. "I made you think that I was dead for a reason, Yukimaru. I abandoned you to protect you." He said calmly.
A flash of annoyance and anger flared up in Yukimaru's eyes before he grabbed a hold of Guren's arm and lift himself to his feet. "Abandoned me to protect me, Yagura? Abandonment is not protecting anyone! Do you know how long I've thought that you were dead inside of Sanbi? I thought you had died because you never answered my calls when I tried to speak to the Third Tail Turtle! Do you know how scared I was, thinking that you were gone?" He snapped at him.
Gaara frowned with his siblings but they didn't interupt at all. Even Rin, Sen and Chiro knew better than to say anything while the brothers had their little squabble.
Yagura just lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Yukimaru. He let those words beat on him for a moment before he finally lift his eyes and looked right at his brother. "If I did not leave you with Zabuza and made you think that I was dead, Yuki, that man who controlled me with his eyes would have used you to get to me." He said calmly surprising Yukimaru. It shut him up at least. "If he knew what you were to me, he would have hurt you in any way to get me to retaliate. He knew that if anything were to happen you, I would have went after him and he would have me."
Yukimaru just stared hard at him for a moment before shaking his head. "You could have told me." He said darkly.
Sighing, Yagura just shook his head and turned slightly away. He didn't know how to respond to that. He couldn't think of a way to tell his brother of what he wanted to hear to make him not mad at him any more.
But Gaara did know what to say. He lift his head a little higher as he looked right at Yukimaru and stepped closer to get his attention. "Yukimaru," He began carefully. "Sometimes not revealing information works better. Yagura didn't tell you because he was trying to make you safe. Yes, you're the older brother. But he is a Jinchuriki and the former Mizukage. Kages do what they need to make sure that their people stay safe. Myself, I tried to sacrifice myself to keep my brother and my village safe. The Akatsuki had control of my home village and they had no problem attacking women and children just to get me distracted so they could take me down. They nearly destroyed the entire village to get me. And that's what your brother was trying to do. Do what he needed to do to make sure you stayed safe. He did it to save you because he wanted to protect you." He told Yukimaru.
For a long moment, Yukimaru didn't speak as he let Gaara's words settle in. He frowned slightly before lowering his head. He seemed to consider it for a moment before looking at Guren. "Guren?" He asked in a quiet tone.
Guren frowned as she considered what he was asking from her. She was quiet for a few minutes before looking over at Yagura, who looked back at her. But then she turned back to Yukimaru and nodded. "You forgave me for killing your mother, Yukimaru. I think you can forgive your brother for not telling you anything." She said gently.
"Mother?" Yagura finally asked, a little confused.
For the first time, Yukimaru smiled before looking back at him. He had actually smiled as if he didn't hate his brother any more. "She wasn't really mother, Yuki. She found me wandering around, starved and took me in. I was with her quite a few years, taking care of me. She helped me get involved with an onsen and that's how I was found by Guren and Kabuto. I thought of her as a mother and I even called her so. She was killed, though." He glanced to Guren who made a pained look. "Guren told me it was her who killed her. She had been ordered by Orochimaru to do it." He explained.
Gaara looked at Guren next, frowning. "Speaking of which, why is you are a follower of Orochimaru, yet you just helped us? Are you not going to attack us after knowing who we are now?" He asked quietly.
The woman spoken to looked back at him before shaking her head. She sighed heavily after doing so. "I was a follower of Orochimaru for years. I was his faithful follower because he promised me power as long as I could become his next vessel. But when he got involved with some kid called Uchiha, he turned his back on me, breaking his promise. And when he started using Yukimaru to get to the Third Tail Demon, I didn't like it. So I decided to turn my back on him. I never liked working with Kabuto and I had made complaints about him for years. But Orochimaru would never listen. I guess it just pissed me off that he chose Kabuto to be his right hand when he could have used me instead." She told him.
"So, what now?" Kankuro asked, looking around at everyone. "We can't stay here too long. Who knows if the Akatsuki caught scent of that pretty big blow out that Gaara just did with Sanbi. They will be here soon if we don't get going. And who knows what they're doing now?"
"Plus we still have my brother to find." Sen added, grimacing when everyone looked at her. She just shrugged. "I've got to find my twin brother. It's going to drive me nuts if I can't. It's either him or my uncle that we've got to deal with. And we did make a deal with you, Gaara."
Gaara just nodded once as he looked back at Yagura. "Yes. We did. And you upheld your end of the bargain. So we will help you locate your twin brother. As I told Rin the day before, I think I know where he is." He looked back at Sen when she gasped in surprise. He saw Temari and Kankuro frown and look at one another. "I'm talking about Sai. He resembles Sen's brother. And we know nothing about him. We don't know where he's actually from or his real name. He could be this Sei Zangetsu for all we know."
Kankuro shrugged, making a face and folding his arms across his chest. "Ya got a point. I don't even think Pasty ass knows who he really is." He grunted.
"Pasty ass?" Sen and Chiro both asked at the same time and looking skeptical.
Snorting and raising an eyebrow at them, Kankuro shook his head. "Wait till you see this guy. You'll know what I mean. He's white as hell. I don't think he gets out in the sun very much. He's emotionless as hell too. So I think that the old fart, Danzo did a number on him while he's had him in his underground Root thing." He told them.
Rin just shrugged. "We'll see this Sai when we get back to the Leaf Village. But for now, what shall we do?" She asked, looking at Gaara.
Gaara, however, turned his eyes onto Yagura again. He still didn't know what the Third Tail's intentions were. For all he knew, they might just go their seperate ways. Yagura could just have came out of his demon shell just to save his brother and then hold no alliance with them. "Yagura, what are you planning on to do now that you've came back out of Sanbi? Will you come with us to Konohagakure and help us with the Akatsuki?"
Yagura turned his eyes onto Yukimaru and Guren for a moment, who were both watching him. He studied them for a moment before looking back at Gaara. "Yes. I will be coming with you. I think it's time to take care of this threat facing us, the Jinchuriki, before they do something drastic. Like, kill Yukimaru to piss me off for one." He looked back at Yukimaru. "Yukimaru, I would prefer if you came with us to the Leaf Village. You would be safer with me than staying here in the Land of Hot Water. But it's your choice." He told her.
Sighing, Yukimaru looked directly at Guren, somewhat torn between her and his brother. He wasn't sure what he wanted but he was sure of one thing. "I'm not leaving Guren's side. She has been with me for a few years and has been the closest thing I've ever had as a friend. Where she goes, I will go." He told his younger brother.
It was Guren's turn to sigh as she touched her chin thoughtfully. She was like that for a moment before looking at Yagura. "I will go where Yukimaru goes. I've appointed myself as his body guard and I will stick to that. So if he chooses to go with you, then my crystals are at your service, Mizukage-sama." She told him. And she shared a smile with Yukimaru, seeing that he liked that idea. She turned her eyes onto Gaara and frowned again. "That is, if you don't object."
Gaara frowned before sharing a look with his brother and sister, then to the Shadoai. He was asking them with his eyes of what they might say. He may have been the Kazekage but it was their feelings about Guren that he cared more about.
"The more, the merrier." Sen was the first one to say and Chiro nodded as well. Rin also nodded, agreeing with both of them.
"Then, we have no problem." Gaara stated as he looked back at Guren.
Yagura nodded as he stood right next to Yukimaru, with Guren on the other side. "Then shall we get going before the Akatsuki do show up? Though, I really do hope we run into them. It'll give me something to do as a warning to that Madara man." He stated.
Gaara nodded. "We shall. Let's move out and head back for Konoha. We'll need to send the Sand Village a message as soon as we get back. I want them to put out patrol towers on the borders to keep an eye out for the Akatsuki. I won't put it past them to attack again just to get my attention. But I would rather check on Naruto first before going back to Suna." He told his siblings, who nodded in agreement.
And they began to journey back.
Of course, on the far side of the lake, two pairs of watching eyes had seen everything. And it was clear that neither of them were happy that there were two Jinchuriki together. The Clay Bomber wanted nothing more than just to attack the two and see if he could hit two birds with one clay bomb. But with his idiot of a partner, Deidara knew that something would go wrong.
But after reporting in with the Akatsuki Leader, the Clay Bomber didn't get the answer he wanted.
"No, Deidara. Let them go. One Jinchuriki might be one thing. But two, that's asking too much." A staticky and distorted voice spoke to Deidara. "Get back to Headquarters. We have much planning to do."
Sighing in irritation and frustration, Deidara tapped his comlink in his ear. "Roger that, Leader. Tobi and I are heading back now. TOBI! You better not be sleeping again!" He snapped when he spied the spoken person slumped against a tree, looking like he was snoozing.
What he didn't see was the glaring red eye through the one eye hole. Someone was not happy at all.