Shukaku growled as he paced back and forth, his tail flicking across the floor irritably. Gaara sighed as he felt another rush of wind from Shukaku opening and closing his wings; he felt the dragon's desire to go out and kill the group, but as they got closer he knew that it would be best to let the elements kill them.
"Then why aren't they dead yet," Shukaku roared, glaring at Gaara. "Each day we have sent scorching winds to them; each night, the temperatures drop below freezing! We have to go out and-"
"No," Gaara stated, turning to glare back at Shukaku. "We stay here and do what we can. We are not confronting the enemy."
Shukaku roared, his claw striking towards Gaara; Gaara jumped backwards as a large stream of sand shot up from the ground towards him. Shukaku opened his mouth, a blast of air hitting the sand and creating a miniature sandstorm within the room. Gaara merely stood in the center of it all as Shukaku blended in with the sand, circling around him menacingly.
"I am the ruler of this land," He growled, "Without me you are nothing but a little boy pretending to be a mage. You should be grateful that I give you some of my power to help beat back enemies; to help your pathetic species survive in this land!"
Gaara exhaled silently, eyes closing in concentration. As he focused his energy, he could sense Shukaku prowling on his right, watching his every movement with his golden eyes. Gaara raised his hands; as they rose, the howling of the wind ceased as the sand stood still in the air. Suddenly, he moved his hands in the direction of Shukaku, prompting the sand to follow. Shukaku roared as the sand pelted him, slowly creating chains that traveled across his body, strapping him down to the floor. He struggled, wings flapping as he tried to break free from the bonds; a frustrated roar left his mouth. Gaara calmly approached him, teal eyes staring him down as he continued to thrash.
"Release me," He shouted, "This is no way to treat your savior!"
"You're right," Gaara stated, "However, you are not our savior. That title belongs to the mage that first controlled and protected you. With your power, he created our village; he is our savior."
Shukaku quieted down as Gaara continued speaking, "If you do not wish to help us, that is your own decision. But, you should be warned; if we die, so do you."
"…What do you need from me," Shukaku asked, finally conceding to the situation at hand. Gaara's lips twitched upwards slightly, turning his back on the dragon.
"Strong winds," Gaara noted, "Strong enough to lift even boulders from the ground."
"And what will you do," Shukaku questioned as the sand receded from his body. Gaara sat on the ground, crossing his legs in a meditative pose; he placed his hands together and closed his eyes.
"I will do my best to crush them from here," He replied, focusing his energy. Content with the answer, Shukaku stood, shaking himself free of any sand particles. He faced towards the entryway, inhaling; he suddenly exhaled, the wind blasting the doors open as it rushed across the desert. The sand lifted from the ground and followed its path, more and more of it gathering as it sped across the land. Shukaku walked in a circle, finally curling in on himself as he lay down.
"This better work, mage," Shukaku growled, eyes closing in concentration to control the wind.
Naruto panted, hand blocking his forehead as he trudged forward through the sand. They had been traveling through the desert for what seemed like an eternity, when in reality it had only been a few days since they left the village. After their freezing first night, they had a blistering day in the desert, followed by another freezing night; the pattern continued, with today being no different. Kakashi had noted that it was perhaps the work of Shukaku's guardian and that as a result, they should keep their guard up at all times.
"Guard up all the time my ass," Naruto thought to himself, shooting a glare over at Kakashi. He was slumped forward on his horse, fast asleep, hat tipped forward so as to keep the sun out of his eyes. During the trip, he had used his magic to keep their canteens filled with water so as to not suffer from dehydration; however, according to him, it wore him out incredibly, thus requiring him to sleep more often. Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that he was just exhausted like the rest of them and used his magic usage as an excuse to sleep during the trip.
Naruto cursed as he rolled his sleeve up, the cloth having fallen from his arms moving. After coming into the desert, he had been forced to take off his chainmail and roll his pants and shirt sleeves up as far as they could go in order to stay cool. He noted that Sasuke hadn't fared any better, as his clothes were also rolled to reveal as much skin as possible without taking off his shirt. Naruto thought about taking his shirt off, despite the scolding he would get from Sakura; although he would be more vulnerable, he would also be much cooler, and at this moment in time it seemed to be a fair trade.
"Don't even think about it Naruto," Sakura called as he began to reach for the hem of his shirt. Naruto stomped his foot, whirling around to face her; she walked beside her pony, her black shirt drenched in sweat as well.
"Why not," Naruto whined, "We're going to die of heat before we get there at this rate! I'd rather get some burns than sweat to death!"
"So you'd rather be covered in blisters and be in pain rather than be in the heat, which can be dealt with if you drink water," Sakura questioned, her eyebrow raised. Naruto gulped at the thought of being covered in blisters; it would certainly make the journey less enjoyable than it already was. As he was about to give his answer, a sudden wind blew through the area, blowing sand into his face; he spat onto the ground, some of the sand having gotten into his mouth.
"I'd hold onto your horses if I were you," Kakashi called back, his arms wrapped around his horse's neck; the three looked over at him questioningly.
"Why would we do that," Naruto asked, wiping his mouth. Kakashi merely pointed ahead of them, his hat pulled down even more. As they looked over, their eyes widened as they saw a huge wave of sand approaching them quickly; Naruto quickly jumped onto his horse, holding onto the beast for dear life. As soon as he had, the wind buffeted them harshly, sand blowing in every direction; it seemed like it had a mind of its own, determined to knock them into the wind.
"What is this," Naruto shouted, head ducked down to avoid getting sand in his eyes. He couldn't see anyone else, and for a moment he feared that everyone had gotten blown away.
"Sandstorm," Kakashi called out; Naruto breathed a sigh of relief, "And from the feel of it, one controlled by a mage."
"Why are they attacking us," Sakura called out, trying to calm her pony; the most it had ever encountered was a drizzle back home. "Don't they realize we're trying to help them?"
"Probably not," Kakashi called back, "Anyone entering the desert may be seen as intruders that need to be eliminated."
"Why didn't you tell us this before we entered," Sasuke shouted, glaring in what he assumed was Kakashi's direction. He thought he saw shoulders move in a shrug, as well as a pointed hat in the midst of the storm.
"It didn't occur to me that it would be important," He called out. Sasuke could hear Naruto start to shout profanities at the mage; he was half-tempted to as well, except he kept his mind focused on moving forward. Luckily for him, it was almost easy to keep Asca from panicking, as the horse was normally calm and had seen many storms. However, he could hear Sakura struggling to keep her pony under control, the biting winds and stinging sand causing the horse to be frozen in place.
"Varak," She cried, pulling at the reigns and clicking her heels, "We have to move forward!"
She whinnied reluctantly, slowly starting to move forward. As Sakura began praising the pony, the wind and sand seemed to sweep up from below; Varak reared on her hind legs, spooked as the sand attacked her underbelly. Sakura shouted, pulling back on the reigns as she felt the wind start to lift her from her seat.
"Schist," She cursed, jamming her heels into Varak's sides so as to keep from flying away. The wind seemed to surround her, working to lift her off her saddle and into the skies; already her bottom was halfway in the air. "Can't you do something Kakashi?"
"I could, but it would tire me out completely," He called, "I'd practically be useless in any future battles today."
"If you don't wish for me to take a few feet off your height," Sakura growled, "Then I suggest you do something now!"
Kakashi sighed, muttering about how dwarves were impatient. He raised his staff; the black moon that hung on the edge glowed white before sending out a bright light throughout the area. As the light spread, the wind died down, the sand falling back to the ground; Sakura sighed as she felt her bottom return to her seat.
"Why didn't you do that earlier," Naruto shouted, shaking sand from his hair. Kakashi yawned, slumping forward in his seat.
"Thought you guys could handle it," Kakashi said, tipping his hat to keep the sun out of his eyes. Soon light snores could be heard, causing the other three to glare pointedly at him before continuing onwards.
Shukaku's tail twitched angrily as he glared at Gaara; their previous plan had failed on account of the intruder's mage, yet for some reason Gaara seemed completely calm.
"Life as we know it is about to end," He growled, approaching the meditating mage. Gaara merely raised a hand, causing him to halt; Gaara stood, dusting off his robes.
"How can it end," Gaara began, "When their real battle has only just begun?"
"You know I hate riddles," Shukaku stated, annoyed. Gaara merely smirked, turning around to face the dragon.
"If Kankurou is doing his job correctly, then those four will be dead by the end of the day."
After having removed as much sand as possible from their bodies, the group continued moving towards their goal. After the sandstorm, they traveled together closely, in case another wind attack came at them and they needed to be anchored again. Kakashi continued to sleep, having been put in the center of the group considering that he was the most vulnerable at the moment.
"So, what do you think he'll be like," Naruto asked, breaking the silence. Sakura and Sasuke looked over at him, eyebrows raised in question.
"What who will be like," Sakura asked. Naruto rolled his eyes, as if the person in question was obvious.
"Shukaku," He announced, "And I guess, by default, the mage protecting him. I for one think they're going to be kind of mean."
"It doesn't matter what they're like," Sasuke interjected, "The only thing that does matter is getting them to fight alongside us."
"It totally matters what they're like," Naruto protested, "Because then it'll help us decide what the best course of action to convince them is!"
"Naruto is right," Sakura said; Sasuke glared slightly at her. "As for what they're like, I think they're just incredibly protective of each other. I'm sure once we tell them who we are, everything will work out."
"I guess so," Naruto said while Sasuke merely grunted. Sakura sighed, turning her attention back to the land ahead of them; she squinted, noticing a dust cloud rising in the distance.
"What's that up ahead," Sakura asked. Naruto looked ahead, squinting to try and make out what it could be.
"Dunno," Naruto replied, "Sure hope it's not another sandstorm or something."
"Whatever it is, keep your guard up," Sasuke muttered, already reaching for his bow. Naruto and Sakura nodded, reaching for their own weapons. The cloud approached them quickly; when it was a hundred feet away, it began to dissipate. They tightened their hold on their weapons, awaiting any attack from the cloud. As the last of it began to disappear though, there was nothing standing where something should be; Naruto blinked his face the epitome of confused.
"What the hell," Naruto muttered. Just as he spoke, three creatures shot up from beneath the sand around the group; one appeared to be a large salamander, hissing at them. Naruto looked around frantically, trying to locate the other two.
"In the air," Sasuke shouted, pointing upwards. Naruto looked up, just in time to see two humanoid creatures flying in the sky; their chests opened, releasing a rain of knives upon them. Naruto quickly raised his shield, taking cover as the knives hit upon the metal. When the barrage ceased, he quickly held his shield up defensively in case the salamander tried to attack. What he saw however was Sakura charging towards it, holding her axe, seemingly unscathed from the knives.
"Sakura," Naruto called out. Sakura swung at the salamander, her axe aimed at its head; the salamander immediately raised its frill, and as the axe made contact a dull ringing noise could be heard in the area. One of the flying ones, which had red horns and multiple arms, flew down towards her, knives seemingly appearing out of its joints. Sakura jumped out of the way, causing the one in the air to collide with the salamander, arms getting tangled in its body.
"Naruto, get your ass over here," She called out, "Sasuke, any that are flying, shoot them down with your arrows!"
"But-" Naruto began to protest, earning him a pointed glare from Sakura. He immediately silenced himself, jumping off the horse and charging towards the battle, sword and shield in hand. Sasuke nocked an arrow, taking aim at the one that was still in the air; as it began a descent, Sasuke released his arrow. The arrow soared through the air, reaching its mark in the neck of the creature. Instead of falling dead to the ground however, the creature landed and charged towards him, blades appearing from its wrists. Sasuke cursed, jumping from his horse and sending more arrows towards it; each hit its mark, but the creature continued coming. Sasuke dodged as it swung at him, dropping his bow and grabbing his sword instead. He deflected each blow, his teeth grit as it continued to attack.
"These things aren't human," Sasuke shouted as he was pushed backwards by the creature. Naruto was facing off against the horned one, doing as well as Sasuke was in defeating it. Sakura was battling the salamander, whose main weapons were its death and its iron-clad tail.
"They're made of wood and metal," Sakura shouted, jumping back as the salamander snapped its jaws at her. "They seem similar to puppets, so if you hit the joints you should be able to break them!"
"Why not tell us that before I wasted arrows," Sasuke shouted, aiming at one of the joints; his sword made contact, the arm separating from the rest of the body, though the other three were also able to make contact; Sasuke could feel the blood begin to seep from wounds, though he could tell they weren't deep.
"I was a bit distracted in case you didn't notice," Sakura shouted, swinging her axe to hit the side of the frill; it suddenly flew off the main body, lodging itself far away from the battle in the sand. She then lifted her axe high above her head and slammed it between the salamander's eyes; the wood splintered along the head, as well as other parts of the body splintering from the force of the hit as well. She then ran over to where Naruto was; he had already separated at least two of the arms, but it seemed that no matter how many segments he cut off, more blades would keep appearing.
Sasuke continued blocking and cutting; so far, he had cut off another arm, and only two were left. However, as he moved to remove another one, a blade shot out from the torso of the creature, effectively blocking his attack. Eyes widened, he suddenly felt as the two arms cut across his body, creating deeper wounds on his torso. He jumped back, cursing as the blood stained his clothes. He glanced over at where Kakashi was; to his surprise and chagrin, the mage was still sleeping, the sounds of battle not having woken him up at all. He turned his attention back at the creature, it having charged at him while he was distracted. He parried its blows before jumping back and putting distance between them.
"Guess it's time for that," Sasuke thought, watching as it charged towards him again. He coated his hand in his blood, holding it up towards the creature; he focused his energy towards it, imaging it dismantling before him.
"Tyara harwar," He shouted; the creature stopped in its tracks before exploding into multiple pieces, its hidden blades becoming visible. Its head flew over to where Sakura and Naruto were fighting, prompting Sakura to look over at him in disbelief.
"And why didn't you do that earlier," She shouted, gesturing at the debris. Sasuke panted, grabbing his discarded bow from earlier.
"An elf that hasn't been formally trained is a dangerous elf," He replied, nocking an arrow. He aimed towards the head of the creature that Naruto was fighting. He released the arrow, watching it fly and stick in its head. As it turned its attention towards him, Naruto sliced the head off of it, the rest of the body falling to the ground. Sasuke smirked as Naruto cheered his shield high in the air.
"We did it guys," Naruto proclaimed, "And you said that you couldn't do magic." Naruto jested, jabbing Sasuke in the ribs as he approached them. Sasuke winced slightly, frowning as he looked at the creature on the ground.
"What I did was basic magic taught to all elves at an early age," He replied, "True magic in my clan is only performed by those that have felt true power."
"Ah, a member of the Uchiha clan, eh," A voice noted. The three turned towards the voice, which emanated from the remains of the salamander. The back of it opened up, revealing a young man dressed in a black cloak, the hood covering his hair. He looked up at them, grinning, the purple markings on his face not fading despite the sweat on his face. He stepped out of the creature towards them; they tightened their hold on their weapons, getting into defensive positions.
"Who are you," Sasuke asked, eyes narrowed. The man smiled, pulling out a dagger of his own.
"The name is Kankurou," He replied, "And it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance before you die, Uchiha elf."
"The only one dying today is you," Naruto shouted, charging towards him. Kankurou smirked, punching him in the stomach; Naruto's eyes widened as he was tossed aside, skidding across the sand before coming to a stop.
"Anyone else," Kankurou asked, cracking his knuckles. Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other; they figured the only way to defeat him was to use teamwork otherwise they would end up like Naruto. Just as they were about to charge him, a loud yawn was heard; all attention snapped towards Kakashi as he sat up, rubbing his eye.
"Ah, what a nice nap," He commented. He glanced around, noticing the strewn remains of the destroyed creatures. "What happened here while I was out?"
"About time you woke up Kakashi," Sakura shouted, glaring at him. Kankurou blinked, analyzing Kakashi.
"Kakashi," He asked, "As in, Kakashi Hatake, Mage of all elements?"
"And master of only a few," Kakashi added. He stepped off the horse, head tilted to the side. "Who may you be?"
Kankurou immediately kneeled to the ground, Sasuke and Sakura taken aback by the sudden change in behavior. "I am sorry Kakashi," He said, "We did not know it was your group coming to visit."
"You know him," Sasuke asked; Kankurou nodded, standing up.
"When Gaara was chosen as Shukaku's mage, he came for the ceremony," Kankurou explained, "It has certainly been many years since the last time we saw him; Gaara was but a child then, so obviously he wouldn't recognize you coming into our lands."
"Ah, that was all Gaara's handiwork," Kakashi asked, surprised, "I assumed Shukaku had gotten testy and decided to take control of him again."
Kankurou shook his head, a grin on his face. "No sir, since the last you saw him he has gained mastery over the sands. Paired with either Temari or Shukaku, and he makes a very fearsome opponent."
"Well, I'm glad Suna is protected by such a capable man," He replied. "Would you mind leading us there so that we don't see Shukaku himself?"
"Absolutely," Kankurou said, turning in the direction of the village. He began walking towards it, with Kakashi following him; from his position on the ground, Naruto groaned in pain, while Sasuke and Sakura merely watched their retreating backs.
"…What the hell was that," Sakura exclaimed, gesturing towards the two of them. Sasuke merely shrugged, grabbing the lead to his horse and leading him after them. Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes as she went to help Naruto up.
By nightfall, Kankurou had led them to a group of sand dunes clustered together. He reached into the dune; pulling his arm back, it was revealed that it was a door, with a staircase leading downwards into the ground.
"You'll have to leave your horses up here," He replied. He caught their suspicious glances, causing him to throw his hands up defensively. "Don't worry! The guardsmen will take good care of them!"
"They better," Sakura muttered; Sasuke silently agreed with her. Down they went, the stairwell lit by torches along the walls. After what seemed to be hours, they eventually reached the bottom of the stairwell; a thick wooden door greeted them, its ornaments made of brass. Kankurou pushed the door open, slowly revealing to them a city hidden completely underground. Naruto's eyes widened as he took it all in; the streets were made of cobblestones, full of people bustling about, and in the distance stood a large castle made of stone. Kankurou caught his impressed look, smiling smugly to himself as he began to lead them into the city.
"Welcome to Suna, the city hidden under the sand."
Tyara harwar: Harm
Varak: Loyal
Schist: Dwarvish equivalent of shit
A/N: Wheeee, this was hard but great to write! I'm happy with how Kankurou's battle scene came out; the stuff before it was kinda meh to write. But whatever, as long as everyone else enjoys it!