Italics indicate thinking

Bold is for attacks

Kale's POV

"You're late!" Sakura yelled as Sensei walked up.

"What else is new with him." I sighed.

"I had to fill out paperwork." Sensei explained "Nothing I could do."

"Come on look alive!" Naruto yelled "This is our first mission as a team."

"Is Kakashi-Sensei always so drab?" Fu asked.

"Kinda." I shrugged.

"That's just how he is." Sakura told her "Maybe he'd look more cheerful if he showed his face more."

"Hmm?" Sensei looked off and shook his head "Come on let's go."

We headed to the main office where we would be getting our first mission as Team Kakashi. Of course Tsunade and Uncle gave us something easy, and of course that didn't sit well with Naruto.

"Ugh, come on." Naruto groaned "That's boring, no thanks."

"EH?" Tsunade growled "What's with the attitude?"

"Naruto you haven't matured at all have you?" Iruka-sensei sighed.

"Fu also think we should get something more interesting." The girl pipped up.

"Don't side with him!" I yelled.

"Stop bickering." Uncle growled.

"I'm sorry Milady." Sakura grabbed Naruto and Fu "I'll sort them out."

She's just doing it so Tsunade won't get mad.

"The Third was way cooler." Naruto mumbled.

"What was that?!"

"Urgent report!" a woman burst into the room.

"You're being loud." Tsunade groaned "What?"

"An urgent report from the sand." The woman said "The Kazekage has been kidnapped by The Akatsuki."

Gaara was taken? Those men in the cloud coats.

"Hmph…" Tsunade smirked "Alright then, Team Kakashi change of plans. Your mission is to go to the Sand, get the situation and assist how ever they need."

We wasted no time gathering our things and meeting up at the main gate.

"Fu is ready!" the girl did her usual pose.

"Let's go." Naruto nodded.

"We're off Milady." Sakura waved.

I pulled the strap that held the staves to my back tight "Let's not waste time."

"Heading out?" Jiraiya said dropping down to speak with Naruto.

"Kale." Uncle waved me over.

"I know." I whispered.

"These are the same people from a few months ago, Fu will be in great danger. Whatever happens you cannot let them take her." He said "I'm serious she should really stay in the village."

"I won't let them take her." I said "I've worked too long to fail now."

"Fu will be fine." The girl whispered to me "She has worked to be stronger than last time."

"Come on let's move!" Sensei yelled.

"Right!" we all nodded and jumped away with him.

We only got a small distance out of the village when Sakura stopped.

"Temari!" the yelled.

"Hmm?" the girl stopped walking and looked up "Oh, what are all of you doing out here?"

Sakura quickly jumped down and explained what was in the letter.

"Dammit…I knew I had a bad feeling." Temari mumbled.

"It will take us three days to reach the Sand Village." Kakashi-Sensei said "We have to hurry."

"I was going home anyway so I'll come with you." Temari nodded.

Once we got into the trees Naruto was off running.

"Naruto slow down." Sensei yelled "we can't afford to get split up."

"I can't stand it!" Naruto yelled "I know why they're after Gaara…you still don't know…what's inside me."

"Hmm?" Sakura asked.

"Fu has felt something between her and Naruto." The green haired girl whispered to me.

"Sealed inside me is the Nine Tailed Fox." Naruto said.

Back then…on the bridge with Haku, I felt something terrible inside Naruto…so that's what it was.

"They're after me and Gaara cause of the monsters inside of us." Naruto said "All people do is see us as monsters I can't stand them looking at us like that! He and I are a lot alike, when we fought, he was lonelier than I was. Now he's being targeted by Akatsuki, just like I was before, it's always him, always by himself, it's always him by himself! I'm not going to sit here and ask why! I will save him!"

Yeah…we will.

"You've gone through a lot haven't you." Sakura told Naruto "Itachi Uchiha, you're his target yeah? I've seen Tsunade's research, the person Sasuke wants to kill is a member of Akatsuki and because of that Sasuke went to Orochimaru to gain power. So we have a year and a half to get Sasuke before Orochimaru steals his body. Orochimaru was originally a member of Akatsuki."

"Akatsuki…" I sighed "We know they exists but only know of two members, Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki"

"Fu has heard that they are a small group, only a dozen members or so…"

"The closer we get to Akatsuki the closer we get to Orochimaru and the close we get to Orochimaru…" Sakura said.

"The closer we get to Sasuke." I finished.

Later

It took us just over two and a half days to get to the Village Hidden in the Sand.

"This place is the same old dustbowl." I sighed as we got up to the gate.

"Lady Temari!" a guard saluted as we approached "We've been waiting for you, this way please."

We followed them into the village and got the latest update.

"After the Kazekage was abducted Kankuro went after them, but he was wounded."

"What?" I perked up.

"Kankuro too." Temari shivered.

"He was poisoned but we've been unable to neutralize it. At the current rate he only has a day and a half at most." The guard explained.

I noticed Temari was really worried, I mean her family is in danger but…she had a look of lost hope on her face.

"Take me there right away." Sakura told her "I'll examine him."

We headed into the main hospital of the Sand Village and went right upstairs.

"Kankuro!" Temari yelled running in.

As soon as we rounded the corner some old woman was jumping in to attack Kakashi-Sensei. When the old hag jumped in Naruto and I stepped up to block her attack.

"What do you think you're doing?" Naruto and I asked "Going after our Sensei?"

"I remember you White Fang." The old woman said "I'll get revenge for my son here and now."

"Wait you have my confused!" Sensei waved his hands.

"No excuses." The woman said reading her attack.

"Look at him Sis." An old man said blocking her path "There is a resemblance but he's far too young to be the White Fang."

"Huh…" the woman's eyes went wide "I mean I knew that I was just playing!"

"Whew…" Sensei sighed.

"All of you quit fighting and get out." Sakura glared "I have worked to do. Kale come here I need your help."

"What's up." I asked as Naruto, Sensei and Fu went out to hall.

"I'm going to pull the poison out." She said "But it will, be excruciatingly painful, I need you to bind him down."

"It won't interfere?" I asked.

"It'll be fine." Sakura told me.

"Right." I placed my staves in a triangle formation "Three Layer Seal: Chains of Binding!"

A series of white light chains flew out and wrapped around Kankuro's arms, legs and neck.

"I'm ready." I said focusing "Hurry though his isn't easy to channel okay."

"This need to be slow and precise." Sakura said grabbing a large bubble of water "He can't move understand."

"Right." I made sure the chain was tight "go."

Sakura pushed the water through Kankuro's skin and used her medical skills to pull it over his heart and collect the poison from inside. She had to pass through him multiple times in various locations, each time Kankuro's body would spasm and scream in pain. I forced more chakra into the chains to pin him down.

"And…" Sakura pulled one more time and collected a large ball of poison "That all of it! There should be nothing to worry about, I removed the poison."

"Ha…" Temari sighed and slid to a seat against the wall "Thank god…"

"I still have to make an antidote for the traces left." Sakura said "So no relaxing yet."

I picked up my staves and reattached them to my back. I watched as Sakura instructed the nurses and aides to get her what she needed. Sakura and I had worked together a lot the last two years while Naruto was gone but every time I see her work it's incredible.

"You're a lot like that Slug Woman girl." The old lady said.

"Of course, Miss Tsunade is my teacher." Sakura smiled "and she told me to come here."

"There's no time to waste, let's go after The Akatsuki!" Naruto yelled.

"Soon." Sensei said "Relax Naruto. So, what happened to the pursuit of Akatsuki have we lost them?"

"I'm afraid so." Baki sighed.

"Take me to where Kankuro was fighting, I've got some skill with tracking." Sensei said "I can pick up the trail."

Don't bother." A raspy voice groaned.

"Kankuro?" I looked down and saw his eyes were open.

"Two people took Gaara, you should follow his scent instead." Kankuro grunted trying to sit up.

"Lay back down, you'll circulate the poison." I told him.

"Shut up, I'm fine" He hissed in pain "I snag a piece of one's clock, it should still be in Crow's hand."

"Success out of failure, a true Shinobi indeed." Sensei nodded.

"Kankuro you're sure one of them was Sasori?" the old lady asked.

"Old Lady Chiyo and Mister Ebizo?" Kankuro looked at them "When did you get here?"

"Tell me about the fight." I said "Fu the book."

"Right!" She nodded and pulled a journal out of her backpack.

"What's that?" Naruto asked.

"My Akatsuki notes." I told him "I'm using to keep track of their members, their strength, weaknesses, current status, stuff like that. Right now there are two people in it, Itachi and Kisame…so about those two."

"One of them was Sasori of the Red Sands." Kankuro said "He called the other one Deidara, he was using some sort of explosions when he fought Gaara."

"Fascinating…" I said scribbling down notes "Every little bit helps."

I got more information about Akatsuki from Kankuro, appearance, notable Jutsu, anything that would help me.

"Drink this." Sakura said giving him an Antidote.

"Bleh." Kankuro coughed "Tastes like crap."

"Medicine always does." Sakura giggled "But you should be fine now. There will still be minor paralysis so try not to move much and get some rest."

Most of us split up to wait while Sensei's dogs tracked down Gaara's approximate location. Naruto was determined to save Gaara, because they were alike…and he wanted to have a favor from the Kazekage.

If Naruto knew Fu was like him…what would he say?

In our wait for the dogs the sun set and the moon rose.

"Temari, go sleep." I told her standing in the door way "It's nice you care but sitting by Kankuro's bedside the whole time won't speed up his recovery. If you worried about someone watching him I'll stay here."

"I…"

"You're the healthy one out of you three." I told her "Go sleep."

Begrudgingly she got up and left and I took a seat by the window.

"Not gonna lie…you look like crap man." I smirked.

"I recall you looking worse after that fight in the forest." Kankuro groaned sitting up.

"These guys…their no joke yeah?" I asked.

"They…they defeated Gaara…but only one of them fought him, if they both participated…" Kankuro sighed.

"It would have been even worse." I sighed "But they took him alive, which means they wanted something…They want the One Tailed Beast."

"How can you be sure?" he asked.

"Cause every person I know to get attacked by Akatsuki has been a host to a tailed Beast." I explained.

"I screwed up…couldn't even save my little brother."

I got up and walked over to him "You've done your part, now let me tag in okay."

"You idiot." He tried to laugh but only coughed.

I patted him on the back "Stuff like this, it's what friends are for dumbass."

I grabbed his hand and looked Kankuro in the eye "We will save Gaara, so trust us."

"Hmm." He smirked "How can I trust someone like you, if it wasn't for me you'd barely be able alive."

"Almost three years and you're still gonna hold that over my head?" I smiled "Once I do this, we'll be even."

"Idiot." Kankuro smiled back.

"Takes one to know one." I laughed.

I heard Naruto calling me so I grabbed my things and got ready to move out.

"Kale…"

I stopped walking and turned back.

"Please…save him."

I placed my fist over my heart "Trust me, Gaara's coming back alive."

I won't fail on this retrieval missions, it won't turn out like last time…cause if I fail…how will I be able to look at Kankuro in the eye ever again.

Sasori of the Red Sands…you took out my friend…I'm coming for you.

AN

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Till Next Time!