Heya all. A new chapter.

However, before that I want to talk about the issue of reviews. They are declining with every chapter. In the last one, I only received two. Yea… I ain't ashamed to admit that. Though they were very good, indicating I am writing good content. But, I know the feeling that comes after reading a chapter and that is...If I won't review, other surely would. However, this feeling is shared by all and in the last...no reviews are there.

I am not asking you to write big ass ones but simple words as good or bad. They motivate me. Now onto the chapter.

Disclaimer:- I don't own Dragon Ball and related series and Naruto

--oooooo--

Paranoid - this word describes the behaviour of shinobis in a nutshell. They are nothing if not paranoid. Of course, this couldn't be helped considering the world they live in. Trust and alliance are mere words. They could...NO, they are broken in a blink. A shinobi, who turns his back on someone, gets stabbed immediately. If he averts his gaze towards something else, his food is poisoned. And, what is worse, all this happens in the same village, too. The one in power has to be extremely careful otherwise his power and status would simply be a relic of the past. And, these facts only form a fraction of what transpires, regularly, in shinobi culture leading to shinobis becoming extremely paranoid.

And, Vegeta played on this paranoia, quite effectively, too. His little interference in the battle in Kumo set the entire machinery of Kumo into motion. After a barricade was erected around the crater, sensor and analyst shinobis pooled their skills to decode the mystery of the crater. Though, so far, they were only able to establish a single fact that it was definitely a new energy. But, who or what caused it, was a mystery. Though, several theories were put up by some veterans, among which a new weapon developed by one of the Great Five or some hidden jutsu or even forbidden jutsu, made the subject matter of most discussions. Also, some wild theories ranging from Uzumakis's having returned to take their revenge or the ghost of Hyuuga Hizashi, were thrown around. Kumo was on alert and as expected from the real strongest village, the safety of citizens was being evaluated. All this served to Vegeta's purpose.

--oooooo--

SUNAGAKURE - KAZEKAGE TOWER

Gaara was flanked by Temari and Kankuro on one side and by Khamseen commander and Baki on other. Currently, he was assessing the Khamseen team assembled for the mission in hand in which they would travel to the sleeping winds valley and search and analyse the cause of a century old problem - The Tremors of Suna, the widely recognised name.

This team was prepared by Khamseen commander, and Temari had assisted him. And, Gaara trusted both of them. Whereas Khamseen commander was the person who first supported him for the position of Kazekage, Temari was his sister. Though, any mission and consequently its file received the official status only on bearing the Kazekage's seal. Of course, this way, he, too, could and would read the mission parameters and the stats of shinobis assigned.

This team comprised of nine shinobis. All these held two affiliations, one to the main unit which was Khamseen itself, and secondary to sub units of Khamseen. And, since the black ops or elite shinobi groups of every village were given codenames, Suna also practised it. Suna's teams were divided on the basis of natural elements of the desert and after their groupings, they were assigned simple numbers as codenames

In this team there were four shinobis from the sub unit - scorpions. These were the heavy hitters. Their codenames were S-2, S-8, S-9 and S-12. The S indicated the Scorpions and the numbers indicated their rankings. Then, there were two medic-nins and these were of the sub unit - Jojoba. They would obviously be needed on the long journey. These were codenamed as J-3 and J-4. Further, there were two sensors. They were selected to sense any risky and unsafe element from a fair distance, obviously for the safety of the team. These were of the subunit - Vipers and codenamed as V-7 and V-2. The remaining shinobi was a genjutsu expert. He was of the subunit - Mirage and codenamed as M-7. It was only natural as desert was famous for its mirages. In fact, the Viper subunit and mirage subunit together maintained the sandstorm around the proximate borders of Suna. Firstly, the sensor unit sensed any unknown element via sandstorm and if any was established, the mirage unit, through the particles of the sandstorm, would put the element in a genjutsu.

So, for this mission the best were chosen.

Gaara, having read the file and enlisted stats, closed the file and looked up at the shinobis standing before him. After organising his thoughts, taking a second, he spoke, his tone monotonous.

"The nine of you are the best of the best. You were chosen because of your skills, experience and wisdom which were effectively exercised by you, in the past, in various high ranking missions. I expect you to utilise those same qualities in this mission too".

There was a chorus of Hais.

Gaara nodded and continued, "Now, the mission parameters were explained to you. And, even without that, you very well know how important an issue, the Tremors of Suna is. These tremors have been reported since the warring clans era but the previous Kazekages simply ignored it as a natural occurrence. I won't. Two days ago, these tremors were felt in the village, implying an increase in the range. Natural occurrences don't follow a pattern like this. And, to inspect these tremors, this team was chosen. But, we don't know the gravity, this situation may present and I am not like my father who would have sacrificed his shinobis for the mission. Therefore, you will find, examine and if feasible, only then solve the problem. But, I expect you to return if you encounter any issues. The second Scorpion will lead this mission and its status would be a high S rank. Any questions?"

There was a chorus of None.

"Very well. You may leave. I wish you success".

The shinobi team left, leaving the four high ranking officials in the Kazekage tower, who, after discussing the mission for few minutes, picked up another important ones.

--oooooo--

A WEEK LATER

They were nearing the sleeping winds valley. Though, for a shinobi of any other village it would be impossible to cover this much distance in a week and that too in the desert. However, they were trained. All the shinobis of Suna have long adapted to the sand drifting technique. It was quite similar to Kiri's water skating technique. And, with this technique, they were able to cover the long distance in a week. Of course, they had taken breaks, too. He wouldn't want his team at less capacity if or when they encounter any risky element. Any good leader would do the same. He was also chosen for his leadership qualities. Though, the main reason was his background.

Back when the villages were not established and the clans in suna were nomads, his clan lived at the sleeping winds valley. They knew this area better than the others. Though, he was born in the village and had only visited this place three times but from the history and stories told by his family, he could say that he had the most knowledge of this area, out of his generation. However, his musings were halted when the seventh viper shouted.

"Incoming!"

He barely managed to brace himself before several tremors shook the ground. This time they were more violent. The tremors have become severe since two days. And, these recent ones even disrupted their balance. After a brief struggle he managed to stable himself. Using chakra to move on sand was already difficult but with the tremors, it became nearly impossible. Though, one thing confused him, how did the seventh viper know about the tremors? Apparently, this question was also shared by others and voiced by fourth jojoba.

"V-7, how did you know about the tremors"?

The person in question, after stabling himself, released a breath before replying, "Unlike with previous tremors, I and V-2 felt Chakra in them. It was like chakra was propelling them but there was something else...something different than chakra".

"Something different from chakra "?

"Hai, taichou, it wasn't completely chakra. There was some other energy. But it was very faint therefore we can't describe it in detail".

A tense silence enveloped the area. The implications were grave. The tremors were caused by chakra which, though, wasn't pure implying a new kind of energy, and both these energies must have generated from some source. It definitely meant one thing, the source was the problem.

"I believe we should save our concerns till we reach whatever the source is. Only then we would be able to get a clear picture".

He was brought out of his musings when he heard the words of fourth jojoba. Thinking over it for a few moments, he realised that she was right, there was no need to fret over something which they haven't even seen yet. Agreeing with her, he placed the issue in the back of his mind and after nodding to others, resumed the journey.

Soon, they arrived at the sleeping winds valley which only augmented their worries. The even sandy land was the reason. As, with the sand dunes as a natural feature of the desert, it shouldn't be even at all. And, neither the sand should be sloping downwards. Seeing this, they increased their pace and a quarter of an hour later, they reached at the centre of the depression, with him in lead. It was only then he realised that they were at least 70 feet deep into the earth and the crater was around a mile wide.

But, this was the least of their concerns.

In the centre of the depression, there was a seemingly ordinary rock which was three feet in height and at least six feet in length. The rock, itself, was of grey color - an unnatural color. He didn't know how or why, but a sudden feeling in the back of his mind was indicating that this rock was the source.

"Hey taichou, it wasn't here 10 years ago, was it"?

Everybody turned towards the twelfth scorpion who had spoken the words and then towards him, and he, after taking a last glance at the rock, replied, "No, it wasn't. This rock definitely emerged during these ten years. In fact, ten years ago there wasn't any sign of this".

"You mean nobody checked this area in the past ten years"?

"Indeed, V-2. And Yondaime Kazekage was the reason".

There was no need to elaborate the words. The mention of the previous Kazekage was self explanatory. Every Suna shinobi knew that the previous kazekage only thought about his status and power. There were several instances when he had sacrificed his own shinobis for this purpose. And, in the wake of that, sending shinobis on a long mission like this, would have been a waste of resources, as per his words. Though, every previous Kazekage was like this until Gaara was appointed.

"But what do we do about this? It's definitely strange and risky. I don't need to check if its a genjutsu or not. Though...the mission parameters stated to return back, if we encounter any unknown element. I suggest we follow that only".

He, along with others, fell silent. The words of M-7 definitely held weight. This was an unknown territory, they were delving into. Nobody knew what secrets were lurking there. The idea of leaving this place was becoming more appealing. And, it wasn't like that they would be admonished for returning back to the village, since the mission parameters included that clause. Moreover, their current Kazekage was a very reasonable person. However, as he was reflecting on his thoughts, which were now focused on returning to the village and coming back with more shinobi teams, he registered the words of fourth jojoba, once again.

"I admit the situation is not safe, and that the clause was there to leave it as such and return back. But do you really believe that's the right course of action? I don't. It might not be as dire as we are making it. What if, this problem could be solved here only and then, we would only be wasting the resources of the village. As I stated earlier we shouldn't make wild guesses not until we possess all the facts".

Fourth Jojoba's wise words, once again, raised the spirits of everyone. She had this quality, ever since he had known her and her words were completely true. Without even checking the problem, they had already arrived at the outcome.

"She is right. Leaving the problem without even checking it could be bad. It might be solved here only, thus saving our resources, or it may turn out worse, in the time it takes us to return here back. And, there is no need to dwell on the past, it's already happened. What matters is the present and the future. And, right now I want to ascertain if this rock is really the source. Though, I have no qualms about that, but just for a confirmation".

The remaining shinobis nodded, apparently having understood his thoughts. After all, taking risks and basing everything on a proof was the essence of a shinobi.

"You will employ the chakra resonation technique. Leave no area unchecked".

His words were the green signal, followed by sensors and medic-nins flanking the rock on all four sides. Medic nins because there was nobody that could rival them in the usage of chakra resonation jutsu, as using medical chakra to scan the bodies had made them very efficient. Though, there was a difference in using medical chakra and normal chakra, but the basics were the same.

After molding the necessary chakra, the four shinobis began the process but that was a grave mistake.

A huge shockwave erupted that hurled all the shinobis away from the centre. The shockwave would travel and be felt, all around the shinobi nations. But the most impacted area, obviously, was the place of its origin. The already mile wide depression was now covering three times more area.

From the sand, a lone arm erupted followed by the torso of the second scorpion. Quickly shaking his head and dispersing the sand from his body, he looked towards his right and saw that the others weren't any better. Though, none was injured. Confirming that, he looked towards the rock…or rather, where the rock was supposed to be, only to find a humanoid being.

The being had white hair which were flattened along his back, a strange dark greyish complexion and equally strange garbs. His eyes were closed, face pointing straight and was standing still. Everything about this being was screaming as unusual and it was really shocking considering the world they lived in. This being, apparently, had somehow emerged from the rock. But who or what was he?

Quickly standing up, he voiced his thoughts, "Who are you?'' His voice drew the attention of others towards the strange being.

While waiting for the reply, he heard the words of the second viper, in his radio, who informed them that this being was the source of that faint energy. Though, even then they were barely able to sense that.

Keeping the new gained information in his mind, he turned his attention towards the being who hadn't replied yet. He repeated the question, more loudly but again, it was ignored. But before he could repeat again, the ninth scorpion shouted, his voice displaying his irritation and anger.

"Hey, you bastard, answer the question immediately, or I'll make you".

'Damnit Sora, it's always your anger' were his thoughts. It was always like this. Every mission, in which the ninth scorpion had accompanied him, had an incident when his anger had risked the mission. Though, his hotheadedness had always managed to get the desired response, and it wasn't any different this time, too.

The being slowly opened his eyes and looked at them for a few seconds before speaking, "Quiet mortal. Neither, I am obliged to tell you anything nor you have the power to make me".

The words were spoken in a neutral tone and a low voice but were clearly heard and the underlying warning was apparent. And, when it seemed the being wouldn't say anything else, he spoke again, "But, you have made my release possible, a few weeks before expected, so I shall grant you the honor to know my name and identity. My name is...Kaga and I am a God...your God. Be honored mortals, you are the first, in thousands of centuries, to know my name".

Well, that was unexpected and completely surprising. It couldn't be helped though, as it wasn't everyday you see a unique being proclaiming himself as a God. But, it didn't matter at all and what did, was to see if this being was a threat to them and their village.

"Are you a threat to Sunagakure"? The words came out of his mouth, a bit forced than intended.

"Sunaga...kure? Is this the name of this planet? If it is, then unfortunately, of course for you, I won't refute your words. After all, destroying this planet would alert those accursed Kais that no prison could hold me forever".

And...that was the cue...at least for the short tempered member of their team. Blurring through the hand seals, the ninth scorpion, shouting his jutsu, was the first to react.

"Wind Style:Wind bullets jutsu". A series of wind formed bullets shot towards the being and struck him hard. But the result shocked them. Not only there wasn't a single scratch, even on his clothes but the being didn't even budge. He tanked them all, without any effort.

--oooooo--

Of course, he wasn't affected by that weak attack. But it didn't mean he would let this transgression against him, let go. These mortals dare attack him! a God! They would pay. Rushing towards them, at such speeds that he totally disappeared out of their view, he plunged his hands through the chests of first two mortals, who were in his way. They didn't even react before life vanished from their eyes. The expressions on the faces of other mortals was priceless. How much he wanted to see these expressions on those Kais' faces. But he knew everything happened at a specific time.

He didn't stop there. Twisting his hands inside the bodies of mortals, he shot two KI balls in opposite directions. There were two medium sized explosions and the remaining mortals were wiped out of existence...or rather not.

A frightened yelp drew his attention towards a rock, to his left. A mortal, a female indicated by her frame, had survived and was now crawling back on her rear. He immediately blurred in front of her. Ignoring her pleas, he conjured a KI ball and was about to fire at her, but halted.

"E-Even if y-you k-k-ill me, Gaara-sama would d-definitely defeat you. He, too, contains a m-monster like you inside him".

The increase in confidence as she spoke, indicated this Gaara was someone important to her and powerful too. But it didn't affect him, though the word 'monster' clearly intrigued him. But, by scanning her memories, he established that this Gaara was alike other shinobis - weak but anything that could be labelled as a monster wasn't there in her memories. However, as stated, this definitely piqued his interest.

"Hmmm...you have definitely caught my interest, mortal. Very well, I shall spare you today. Run along, before I decide to change my mind. And, tell that Kazekage of yours, in the time it takes this planet to complete seven rotations, I shall come to decide the fate of your village and its people".

Of course, as expected from a weak mortal, she only gaped at him. Quickly losing his patience, he conjured a KI ball and the result was instant. Yelping louder than ever, she quickly dashed away from him, stumbling along the way. He immediately turned away from her but after a second clenched his fists. The reason, his deteriorated body and KI.

Spending several hundred thousand years in a prison would do that to anybody, God or not. He had felt that his actions and reactions were, to say, poor. This was the reason he hadn't destroyed this planet at the very first instance. He wanted to, even now, but knew that as soon as that happened, those damned Kais would be upon him. And, presently, he didn't want to test his luck against them. So, he would use the temporary survival of this planet for his benefit, duping those Kais into believing that their prison was alright. Meanwhile, he would train and his body, being born from the divine tree, would heal in a few days but the problem lied in his KI. Though, having every attribute of God KI, it wasn't the same. Buu's evil energy saw to that. If it were pure God KI, his body would have been completely rejuvenated by now. But due to the Buu's KI as the essence of his own, it would take some meditation, regulation and several days to restore it. And, of course, the mortals of that village would become his test subjects.

Reflecting on his thoughts for a couple more moments, he quickly flew towards the skies and no later, established himself in outer space, from where he would be able to follow the cycle of rotations of the planet, meanwhile getting stronger.

--oooooo--

THREE DAYS LATER, SUNAGAKURE

The loud cry of a vulture halted every movement in the village followed by everyone looking towards the skies. The usually bored and sweating faces of most of the onlookers soon morphed into ones showing delight, awe and curiosity. The reason, of course, was a bigger than normal vulture. After all, they didn't get to see the infamous summoning animal of their village daily. And, the way it was circling over the village, with its wings fully spread over a span of more than ten feet, was only making the view more magnificent, but only for non-shinobis and those who didn't have a say in the affairs of the village.

The summons of Suna were rare, in fact very rare. They were not like those of Konoha which were personal and responded only to their summoners. In Suna, the summons were, to say, a village wide concept. They were accessible by every Khamseen shinobi provided the conditions, put up by them, were fulfilled.

The village had only two summons - Vultures and Owls. Owls were mostly used for night scoutings and Vultures for day. But, there usage wasn't as simple as it appeared. The reason was the rarity of summons in the hot and arid conditions of the desert. And, the summons, which were available, applied some limitations on their usage, by which the summoner was bounded. One of these limitations was the restricted situations in which the summons could be summoned. Carrying the shinobis from one location to another, even in a mission, was a restricted situation.

So, when the vulture flew down and gently flipped a…shinobi on the ground, the Khamseen teams reacted immediately and sharply. After all, the summon was carrying its summoner which, though restricted, was allowed but only in critical situations.

And, a life or death situation was critical.

Securing the medic nin, the Khamseen team shunshined towards the shinobi hospital. After depositing her in the care of other medic nins, the group captain left but not before reporting to the Kazekage who was apparently alerted by other shinobis.

--oooooo--

Gaara dismissed the shinobi, who brought the third jojoba to the hospital. His face remained neutral, as usual, but Temari and Kankuro knew the turmoil he was experiencing. They had, somehow, begun to know what Gaara felt. It happened a few months after he changed his ways.

"Gaara?" asked Temari, worry evident from the way she spoke his name.

Gaara stayed silent for a few seconds, before speaking, "it's...just that...she is the only survivor. All her team was killed. I couldn't help but blame myself for that. I should have known…", he stopped or rather made to, by Temari, the only person there who could interrupt him.

"Stop it Gaara, it wasn't your fault. How could you have known?" Her tone was slightly raised.

"Temari-san is right. It certainly is shocking as well as saddening but you couldn't know this would happen. Nobody could. It is what this job entails. You shouldn't blame yourself Kazekage-sama".

The last words were spoken by Khamseen commander. He had rushed there after hearing the fate of his subordinates.

"But who did this?"

"Perhaps Iwa"?

"No, it couldn't be Iwa, Kankuro-san. Despite their battle lusting nature, it wouldn't be feasible for them. Moreover, the problem exists since a century, at that time there were no villages implying no intervillage feud".

And, then Gaara, who had managed to calm himself by then, added his words.

"He is right, Iwa can't cause this. Our shinobis aren't weak, especially this team. These shinobis were the best of the best. They could take on a sannin level shinobi with collaboration, of course. So, their demise was totally unexpected. It only implies one thing, there is something else... something grave and the only one who could explain it, is unconscious now. So, at present, we are only assuming things. There is no need for that. Let's wait till she regains her consciousness".

The others nodded and started walking towards the exit of the hospital. Temari, who was walking a bit behind Gaara, hastened a bit and after joining him, asked, "Should we inform the council?"

"They know".

--oooooo--

THREE HOURS LATER

Gaara and Khamseen commander opened the door to the room in which the third jojoba was resting. The sound of the door opening alerted her and she, on seeing them, tried to sit up but stopped when Gaara simply raised his hand.

"Gaara-sama!"

"It's alright Yuki. Now, How are you?"

Hearing his words, her visage shifted to that of pain and sadness. And, after looking at the ground for a couple seconds while simultaneously clenching the bedsheet, she replied, "I am managing, Gaara-sama". The words were forced and barely concealing her emotions. Gaara knew how difficult it would be, for her and he didn't want to do this but for the safety of everyone it was necessary.

"I am sorry for your suffering Yuki", speaking this he became silent for some moments before continuing, "Now, I know it would be very difficult for you to explain and relive the mission but it's necessary. For the safety of everyone and the village itself, you need to do it".

Yuki, even then, didn't look up for a couple seconds making Gaara believe that she isn't comfortable and they would have to come later. Deciding this, he was about to leave when she suddenly looked up. The determination in her eyes, despite the grief stricken face, made him change his mind.

"I know Gaara-sama, protecting the village comes first. I will tell you everything…"and, she told every detail from the very beginning of the mission, their week long journey and the breaks in between, the first time feeling the energy in the tremors, the even and downward sloping sand, the rock and their folly to check it leading to the emergence of that being Kaga and their brief conversation, him killing the entire team but sparing her when she uttered those words and at last, her using the summon to fly to the village, "...but I know Gaara-sama, you would definitely defeat that...that monster and...avenge the fallen ones".

"Thank you Yuki for your cooperation. Now rest and get well soon". The words came out of Gaara's mouth, hastily, as soon as she finished her explanation, followed by him leaving the room with his companion.

Shutting the door, Gaara immediately turned towards the Khamseen commander, with his face serious - something which shocked the commander as he had never seen their Kazekage like this.

"Summon the council, Rao". He nearly shouted.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama". Saluting, the Khamseen commander quickly left leaving Gaara in the corridor.

Standing there, he couldn't help but think how Yuki, despite living through the situation, failed to comprehend its gravity. But such was the tendency of his fangirls. They not only portrayed him as a God but believed also, with an unparalleled intensity. He could remember, even now, how they began to appear out of nowhere when he decided to change his ways. And, over the years they had only piled up. Though, they weren't as bad as those of Konoha but they displayed almost all the tendencies. Yuki was one of them. She considered him as all powerful. Though, Khamseen shinobis were conditioned well but she had recently joined the elite group, due to her great skills in the medical field. And, she has definitely reduced her fangirlish tendencies but not completely. Her belief that he could, by himself, defeat the enemy who single handedly executed her entire team, was proof of that.

Though, he and the council were also at fault. Partly or not, didn't matter.

--oooooo--

The Council Chambers - it was the name by which the room reserved for council meetings was addressed. The room was created by the first Kazekage when the village was established. He created it with his famed red sand, which had claggy properties. It was the reason the room had never been repaired and wouldn't need any, for many decades. The notorious puppeteer of Suna - Sasori, used his great grandfather's famed ability as his moniker.

The room was currently occupied by the council of Suna. The council, excluding the Kazekage who was the ex-officio head as well as the convener of the council and other high ranking officials, consisted of five members. These five possessed the legislative and administrative authorities for making almost all the decisions which, though, were subject to the final approval of the Kazekage. Their number and powers as well as the way they exercised those powers earned them worldwide recognition as the fist holding the desert. But this moniker was not newly earned, instead associated with Suna's council since it was established.

The village of Sunagakure, though one of the great five, was the weakest in hierarchy. Its location as well as the policies made or not accepted by the previous Kazekages were the cause of their lowest rank in the tier. Since the previous Kazekages only catered to their needs, the responsibility of maintaining Suna's position fell onto them. After all, Suna was teetering on the edge of staying as one of the great five or falling into the category of minor villages. It was only made more difficult due to the political conditions in the shinobi world. As, Suna had always been acting as a sort of buffer zone between the major and the minor villages. The other major villages didn't have to concern themselves with the minor villages as long as Suna was standing, because no minor village, on its own, could take on Suna, despite it being the weakest of the five, and if they decided to attack as a coalition, the resulting battle would leave both sides weakened for decades.

Therefore, they had always acted towards the unity of Suna. Despite holding such positions that they could very well destroy the economy and position of Suna, they had always acted beneath their Kazekage, obviously to present him as their supremo. This was the reason they had chosen Gaara as the fifth Kazekage, despite his negative reputation in the village. Obviously, the death of the fourth Kazekage by the hands of Orochimaru, and later their defeat by Konoha had severely weakened the village. To prevent the minor villages from taking advantage of that and to maintain their position, they needed someone feared throughout the world. And, Gaara effectively served to that purpose.

Currently, the five main council members, out of which four were clan heads and the remaining person was Ebizu - the honored grandfather of the village, were sitting in their respective chairs. Accompanying them were the Kazekage and the Khamseen commander. There were no civilians unlike Konoha. And, following the usual, Gaara was the first to address the council.

"First of all, please accept my gratitude for assembling here on such a short notice. The gravity of the matter demanded that".

"No worries Kazekage-sama. As you said, the gravity of the situation demanded that, and it comes with the job".

The others shared the beliefs of Ebizu, the nodding of their heads was the indication.

Gaara, too, nodded and continued, "Now, I believe, you know the fate of the team sent to investigate the issue of tremors?"

The others, sans Khamseen commander, once again nodded. Of course they knew, ever since the vulture dropped the sole survivor in the village. But, they had waited patiently, knowing that their Kage would summon them soon when he would have all the facts. This obviously showed the supremacy of their leader unlike Konoha, where the council, especially the civilian one, would have been head over heels to know the details, and had summoned the hokage to the meeting, already called by them. Though, they didn't know who or what was the cause of the grave incident, as voiced, once again, by Ebizu.

"But how did this happen? Taking down our Khamseen teams isn't a child's play. It requires at least a sannin level shinobi. Though, something tells me it's more grave than that".

"It is. As per the words of third jojoba, it was a humanoid being named Kaga, who was proclaiming himself as a God. He had white hair and a grayish complexion and was sealed, apparently, in a rock at the sleeping winds valley".

"God...Sealed in a rock? fuinjutsu, perhaps?"

"It might be Goemon-san, but they didn't find any visible seal on the rock. They just used the chakra resonation jutsu and immediately a huge shockwave erupted, temporarily incapacitating them".

Ishikawa Goemon was the head of the Ishikawa clan - the strongest clan in Suna. He was a war veteran, having fought in all the three wars. So, hearing the description of the strange being didn't bother him, as there were shinobis like Hoshigaki Kisame and his clansmen, existing in this world, but the sealing definitely did.

"Those violent tremors felt three days ago, were due to that shockwave, weren't they?"

"That shockwave was only a burst of Chakra which was released when the seal was undone. The previous tremors, felt since the warring clans era, were too caused similarly. But, there was another energy which, though, was very faint. And, the source of that, as stated by third jojoba, was that being, Kotaro-san".

Fuma Kotaro was the head of the Kotaro clan. His clan provided the weapons in Suna, through their several stores in the village as well as the wind country. After all, no civilian in suna wasn't that rich to open and sustain a weapons store.

"A strange being with equally strange energy...hmmm...what else they were able to deduce about it?"

"Unfortunately, that was the only deduction they were able to make Goemon-san, as the energy was very faint". Everybody saw through the words of Khamseen commander that how, only a single deduction of that energy was affecting him.

A couple moments passed, during which everyone processed the information and its implications, before Mochizuki Chiyome, the matriarch of the Mochizuki clan as well as the granddaughter of Ebizu, voiced her question, "The point, I want to ask, was earlier raised by Goemon-dono but we sidetracked. So, I want to know how could a single being overcome our elites?"

"I...hate to say it but our elites weren't even a challenge to him. In fact, per the words of J-3, it was all over in an instant. The ninth scorpion attacked him as soon as he confirmed the question of the seventh scorpion that he was a threat to Sunagakure. The A-ranked, wind bullets jutsu didn't even put a scratch, even on his clothes. And, the next moment he had already killed both the scorpions. She didn't even see him moving. It was like he teleported. And then he conjured two yellow balls, I believe made up of his energy, and shot them towards the others, instantly killing them. Nothing remained after the explosions, only two craters".

As soon as Gaara answered the question, a tense atmosphere settled in the chamber. It was natural, though. There was a strange being who, wasn't even scratched by wind bullets jutsu - the same jutsu which could tear through the strongest walls of Iwa shinobis, had either the ability to teleport, implying another yellow flash or unparalleled speeds and a very potent and strange energy which could cause immense destruction. All these facts were equally terrifying.

"So...we are dealing with a being who is strong enough to destroy the entire village an…", but she was interrupted by Gaara who raised his left hand.

"Forgive me for interrupting, Mochizuki-hime, but initially, he comprehended Sunagakure as the name of the planet".

Whatever she wanted to speak didn't follow, instead her eyes widened and mouth fell agape. The others were not faring any better. The implication that the being declared himself able to destroy the entire planet was very grave, and unprecedented too. No matter how strong a shinobi was, he or she couldn't destroy the entire planet. Not even the bijuus could do that. The shinobi battles could vouch for that. But this time the silence didn't last long as the remaining clan head calmly struck the palm of his hand on the table. The sound of the action shifted the attention of everybody towards him.

"There is no need to prolong this conversation any further. The gravity of the threat is already established. What matters is how we deal with this situation".

Genji Sanjo, the head of the Genji clan - the weakest clan of Suna, was arguably the wisest person in the whole of Suna. His wisdom was even revered by the Daimyo, himself, in fact he was even claimed as the immediate next to Nara Shikaku in wisdom and wittiness, though only in wind country. But it definitely counted to something.

He was silent since the beginning of the meeting and was gathering all the important points and analysing them. However, when the battle was described and later that being's ability to destroy the entire planet, he acted. They couldn't waste anymore time.

"Then I believe, you have thought something, Genji-san"?

The person in question nodded towards Ebizu before replying, "We should take this threat very seriously. The declaration of that being to be able to destroy the planet is unproven yet, but the abilities displayed by him are definitely terrifying. A battle with him could severely harm the village. So, prior mitigation needs to be done and for that, I propose these two notions. First is the evaluation of the security and safety of the village, followed by the evacuation of civilians and incapable shinobis. Secondly, as stated earlier, a battle with him would severely harm us as there is no shinobi capable enough to battle with him let alone defeat him, not certainly without Shukaku. Therefore, we need someone who have displayed at least the same feats as that being implying a sannin level shinobi or...a sanin himself. So, I propose we request Jiraiya-sama to help us in this dire situation".

Silence enveloped the entire chamber. Everybody began processing the words of Sanjo. They knew this was a dire situation and nobody in their village was strong enough to battle Kaga. Gaara might have, but without Shukaku it was no longer possible. Though, very few people knew about this fact. When Gaara had returned to the village, after having been kidnapped by Akatsuki, only the council and some high ranking officials like commander, were told about the loss of their bijuu. It was obviously done to prevent the other villages from taking the advantage. Konoha shinobis had also agreed to this. In the wake of this, Sanjo's suggestion of requesting the help of the Toad Sage was quite valid.

"But, would he help?" The remaining words were unspoken yet clearly understood. Jiraya was a loyal shinobi of Konoha which was a rival village, allied or not.

"He would Kazekage-sama. After all, he is always preaching about world peace and elimination of hatred in the shinobi world. His first book, too, was based on that. Moreover, he is very fond of that Naruto kid, who, in return, is a very good friend of yours. He knows this very well and wouldn't want to offend him".

"Your points definitely hold weightage but he is a loyal shinobi of Konoha, the same village where decisions are taken by Danzo and the elders by manipulating civilian council while hokage is merely a figurehead. I don't believe the warhawk, considering his past tendencies, would allow the toad sage to help us".

"What you speak, Kotaro-san, is definitely true. However you are forgetting one crucial fact and that is, the toad sage holds special rights as a sannin. He can travel around the world without much restrictions and is even permitted to enter most of the shinobi villages. And, what is more interesting is that he need not report his adventures to the hokage let alone the council. Moreover, we won't send any message to Konoha but only to Jiraiya-sama and also request him to keep it only to himself. I am sure he would understand".

The others took a couple of seconds to digest the facts presented to them. Sanjo's proposed course of action was definitely appealing as well as feasible. With Jiraiya of the sannin on their side, their chances of survival were very high.

"Though, there is one issue. How will we contact him while staying inconspicuous?" The issue pointed by Mochizuki Chiyome was agreed to, by the others.

"Through his summons - the Toads. As far as I know, toads don't have any complicacies with minor summon clans like...weasels". He finished with a dramatic pause. Though, the issue was solved. Using weasels they will contact Toads and ask for the assistance of Jiraiya.

"Very well, I shall ask Temari to use her weasels to deliver the message to Toads".

With this the meeting was concluded. Gaara, along with the Khamseen commander left to provide for the safety of civilians and incapable shinobis. The clan heads left to oversee the safety of their clans.

--ooooooo--

FOUR DAYS LATER

The village was evacuated. Civilians and incapable shinobis and non-shinobi clan members were safely evacuated to the bunkers, forty feet deep into the ground. Only capable shinobis were present in the village.

Currently, Gaara, flanked by his siblings, was standing atop the Kazekage tower. Behind them, were the Khamseen commander and some other shinobis. He was watching the village, the responsibility of which, was on his shoulders. He knew today's battle would decide the very existence of Suna. Jiraiya hadn't…his musings halted when he heard his name.

"So, you are Gaara, the one callled the Kazekage of this village. Hmmm...now show me the monster that woman was talking about".

--oooooo--

Terminology used in the chapter

Jojoba : A medicinal plant in the deserts.

Viper : All snakes are sensors.

Now, I definitely proof read the chapters but english is not my native language. So, mistakes happen. Sorry for that.