When the hired nin insisted on attacking the genin, Touma stayed back. Not all the targets were together. He'd have to wait. In the meantime, he went over his preparations;

Start with the vessel and weaken the seal, just like how it was described in that scroll.

Touma spotted Kankuro and watched the genin regroup. They used sand as cover, but it dissipated quickly; that stunt barely bought them time. At first, Touma thought it was a childish mistake, but as he ran past Temari and the boy from Konoha, he wondered if he was underestimating them.

To test his theory he whipped out a kunai and aimed it at Gaara; when no sand came to block the weapon that was his confirmation to continue past the imposter.

Within seconds he'd already caught up to his target. Touma's role as Nitaka's enforcer was ending. This plan was surefire, and he felt only confidence when he began the final phase of his mission.

"UGGHH!?" Kankuro felt a blow to his back and the momentum shot him forward.

He tumbled across the sand for a few meters until he landed on his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Just looking up was painful and he had to force himself to breathe. Kankuro saw his puppet in pieces and the bits of broken wood surrounding his brother.

Touma stopped in the center of the debris and grabbed the redhead, bringing him to his feet; his other hand drew back as it gathered chakra. Now primed, it thrust towards Gaara's gut; sand automatically gathered to block the strike, but Touma's fingers were slowly breaking through the defense. Jun, still some distance away, threw a kunai at Touma, forcing him to release Gaara and the boy fell to his knees.

"Gaara!" Kankuro hurried to help his brother. "Are you…alright?" Immediately he noticed something was amiss.

Gaara clutched his stomach. He felt strange…Suddenly he bent over in pain, "GGHHHH–"

"What's wrong?!"

Not again…Not that…

"Get…away…" he managed through his gritted teeth. "It's coming…"

"You can still stop this! You have to stop it now before the transformation is complete!"

It looked like Kankuro was speaking to him, but Gaara couldn't hear him. The sand spirit was emerging. Gaara felt himself losing to the violent sentience…he couldn't trust if his thoughts were his own. Everyone felt the presence reforming in the coagulating sands. It grew larger every passing second until Gaara was consumed by it.

Kankuro backed off with a tense swallow. His heart pounded in his chest after witnessing the horrifying transformation. It took the shape of some animal; four legs, and a massive tail. This wasn't his brother anymore.

"What…is that?" Jun whispered, afraid if she spoke any louder she might draw its attention.

Touma turned to Jun and she could hear the grin underneath his cloth mask as he spoke. "Don't disappoint,"

"...?" Shukaku tilted its head as it stared at the three nin. "WHICH ONE? WHICH OF YOU DID IT? I WANNA REWARD YOU!" No one wanted to talk. "NO? I WAS GONNA GIVE YOU A QUICK DEATH, BUT I'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE MY TIME WITH ALL OF YOU!"

The giant tail came around, sweeping anything that was in its path. Touma leaped out of the way with ease.

But Kankuro couldn't move, couldn't react; he hadn't been there when Gaara transformed during the invasion. The sight of the monstrous creature now was overwhelming. Memories of that thing in his childhood flooded back, plunging him into a state of paralyzing fear and helplessness. And he could only stare up with his mouth agape, lost in his traumatic past.

In the nick of time, Jun tackled Kankuro to the ground, breaking him free from his frozen stupor. She had no patience for his emotions in the face of imminent danger. The creature was gearing up for another attack, and they needed to act fast. Jun pulled Kankuro up forcefully, and she pushed him to run.

There was no time to waste, the tension in the air was palpable as they fled for their lives, pursued by the monstrous presence. And if that abomination wanted to kill, she'd give it more targets by leading it straight back to the attacking ninja.

Time to fall back. Touma made sure no one was watching and sprinted from the battle. If he stayed longer it might make his disappearance more noticeable. Behind him he could hear the raging Shukaku; the ground itself shook whenever the beast moved; deaths were inevitable, but those were all part of the plan.

"FOCUS!" Jun shouted at Kankuro as they ran, "What is that thing?!" She wanted answers, now.

"...I-It's…" It got darker suddenly. A large shadow was cast overhead, and the giant body pounced, blocking the moon as it jumped. The impact caused a crater, blowing back wind and sand, and knocked everyone off their feet.

The sand nin Ayame was dealing with ran, something scared him off. Ayame sat up and shook the sand off himself, "...What the hell was that?! An earthquake?"

"...No…it's much worse,"

"Huh?" He turned around to see what Temari was talking about. She looked terrified, and her reaction wasn't lost on the blonde boy. Even from afar, he could sense its chakra, that much energy blocked him from sensing anyone else's. "That's the direction my sister went…y-you don't think–"

She didn't give him an answer; she didn't have one.

For now, Kankuro and Jun escaped its focus. The nin that ambushed them had scattered, and the tailed-beast was entertained picking them off one at a time.

"...That…" Jun turned to the creature, "Was sealed inside your brother?"

She was wary of Gaara from the beginning. Something about him had felt off; she'd only experienced that with one other person, another vessel. Her gaze remained fixed on the creature's movements, not even looking away when Kankuro responded.

"Yeah," He explained as much as he could to her. "...We're way out of our depth. We should just find the others and send word to the village."

"..." Hearing that made her apprehensive.

Was that really their only option?

"Then what? Can it be stopped?"

"We don't have a choice!"

"That's not what I asked you,"

"What difference does it make?!" Was she arguing with him? NOW?! Maybe she didn't understand the gravity of the situation. So he reiterated what he thought was obvious. "If we stay here we die!"

"...There's another choice," She mumbled, more to herself than Kankuro.

He scoffed, "Yeah? Got another idea?" Although he was being sarcastic, he noticed she was serious and finally looked at him.

"We have an opening," She changed the subject.

"..." He saw that Shukaku's back had turned, giving them a chance to move. He nodded, agreeing with her assessment, and they took off.

Still, he couldn't help wondering what she thought she could do.

The two flanked to the right of Shukaku, giving it a wide berth. They hadn't seen Temari or Ayame. Kankuro expected that Temari knew better than to risk engaging Gaara even in a partial transformation and might have taken Ayame to a safer position. With so much ground to cover, Kankuro stopped and pointed down.

"This spot…Meet back here; this is taking too long, we're splitting up to find the others."

"Understood."

"Tch…" He warned her about the dangers as much as he could, but after she left, there wasn't much else he could do but carry on straight ahead.

"First giant ants, and now A GIANT CAT?!"

This place sucked! One minute they were trying to find the others after the cave-in; then had that ambush; now this?! Ayame didn't need to hear Temari say 'run', he already began sprinting.

"UWAH!?" He peeked back, and his eyes widened.

"What is it–AAUGH!?"

A man ran across, grabbed the two, and held them tightly under his arms as he helped them dodge the ball of chakra. The orb collided with the rocky structure of the ant nest and exploded. The attack seemed random and they weren't at risk, so the man released the two. "This is no place for children,"

"You think I wanna be here!?" Ayame yelled in disbelief.

"..." The man frowned back. "Then leave for your own safety,"

"Who are you? Are you the one that did this!?" Temari asked, looking the stranger over. He wasn't dressed like the other nin; no cloak or mask. However, given the circumstances it couldn't be a coincidence someone just showed up in the middle of the desert.

"Hmph," He grunted in annoyance. "...No, I did not release the sand spirit,"

"Sand spirit?" Ayame perked up; were they talking about that cat thing? "Where'd it even come from?" He asked after guessing they knew what was happening. He switched between the two, wondering why no one was speaking.

"You should answer him," The man told Temari after she'd grown quiet.

"...It's not Gaara's fault, something must have happened to him–"

"It's unimportant how it happened, the sand spirit is still loose." The man spoke grimly, "You both should leave, I won't come to your aid a second time," He turned his attention farther ahead, clearly searching for someone.

"D-Don't you think it's safer to stay together? We might be able to help find whoever you're looking for," Ayame suggested.

"...Alright, stay close." He let them tag along and moved on to start the search. He assumed neither genin wanted to leave because they were looking for their own comrades. "There are two more of you, right?"

"You saw them?!" Ayamed asked.

"Earlier," He had not seen them since they left. "If we are lucky, my son is with them. You'll recognize him, he's the one that led you to this place."

No one runs towards a threat, not without reason.

Jun had one.

As she approached the tailed-beast's viewing range, dread and unease filled her thoughts, but it wasn't the creature itself that scared her. This situation…it was real, and nothing like the hypothetical imaginings from her training.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Jun pushed forward. The air felt thick and heavy, charged with a combination of bloodlust and sheer power. Each step brought her closer, and the sounds of ninja being slaughtered echoed in her ears.

Instinctively, her hand reached into her bag, fingers curling around the last kunai she had. The familiar weight of the weapon offered some comfort, but she knew better than to use it here.

The situation called for a different approach, one that she hadn't practiced in six long years. There was no muscle memory to rely on, no assurance that the technique would succeed. Doubt crept in as she questioned her own abilities.

Jun shook off that uncertainty. The stakes were high, and she knew that hesitation could be fatal. She had learned this technique for a reason, and it was time to put it into use. Taking one final deep breath, Jun channeled her chakra and began the intricate hand signs, focusing on every movement with precision.

The tailed beast must be suppressed.

It let off a barrage of explosive spheres in all directions, each one wreaking havoc on the surroundings. Jun momentarily slowed her pace to watch as one of the spheres hit the rocks of the ant nest, detonating into a powerful explosion. The ones that collided with ninja, obliterated them instantly.

"I GOT ONE!" It boasted gleefully. "AHAHAHA–HNN?!" The creature noticed an injured ninja attempting to crawl away while another rushed to help.

Jun recognized the other person. "Zan…"

"HOLD STILL!"

Its monstrous voice echoed through the battlefield. Then it raised its massive arm, intending to maul Zan and the other ninja with its claws. With an injured ankle, Zan couldn't move fast enough to escape the danger.

Jun moved swiftly, finally spending her gathered chakra for the jutsu as the last hand sign was made.

Sharp, thorny branches burst forth from the ground, intertwining to create a protective barrier between Zan and the tailed beast's attack. The wood technique worked, deflecting the creature's blow by stabbing through the massive claw.

"OWWW!" It shrieked.

Zan had recoiled, expecting pain, but when nothing happened he looked up. The injured ninja beside him stared in awe as the gnarled branches continued to grow, now weaving through the tailed beast's arm.

Any attempt to break free was foiled as the wood technique held it firmly in place. With Jun holding the tailed beast at bay, Zan saw an opening and pushed through the pain in his ankle as he helped the injured ninja beside him to stand.

"Come on," Zan urged and the nin nodded in agreement, leaning on Zan for support as he guided him away from the confrontation.

"WHAT?!" The tailed beast howled in frustration.

The sand that had previously formed its arm was now entirely depleted of chakra. Its arm disintegrated as every grain of sand decoupled and dropped to the ground, becoming completely inert.

When the tailed beast saw Jun signing another sequence of hand seals, its dark eyes glared and it retreated. She maintained her focus, not giving the creature a moment's respite as she followed after it.

The danger was far from over, but for now, there was a chance to regroup and maybe strategize. Everyone else still alive eventually converged around Zan, where relief and concern intermingled.

Zan relaxed when his father, Tsuneo approached. The injured nin looked up as he acknowledged the man's presence and pulled down his mask to greet him, "…Father…"

"Hao…" The word was laced with a mix of emotions as Tsuneo stared down at his eldest son. There was a hint of contempt in his gaze, but it softened with genuine relief. Whatever conflicts they had before tonight were insignificant, he was just grateful that both sons were still alive.

Temari elbowed her brother as her gaze fixed on Hao then shifted to his cloak.

"…We'll need him if we want a confession," Kankuro furtively added. "He's the reason we're in this mess,"

"...Is that what you think?" Hao's voice rang out when he heard the comment. "Ghhh," A violent fit of coughing overcame him, and he clutched his hand to his chest as blood spurted out. Unbeknownst to Hao, the explosion's blast wave had caused extensive internal damage.

He pointed to Kankuro and Temari as his breathing grew shallow. "...We started with 24, and now I'm the only one alive. D-Do you...Nnnhh," Hao tried to continue speaking, but the injuries he had sustained were beginning to take their toll. "Do you really think that was our plan?" he winced in pain.

"He needs medical attention," Ayame commented.

The color was slowly draining from Hao's face as Zan and his father hurriedly helped him to the ground, urging him to lie down. "Hao, stop...you're hurt."

"W-Wait...I…need to tell you before I can't," Hao didn't know how much longer he was going to have and grabbed his little brother's hand. "...I need to tell you who sent us here," even if it took his last breath.

Hao was angry over the betrayal that led to his comrade's deaths, and now potentially his own. "That monster was never part of the deal."

That monster...The sand spirit, the one-tailed Shukaku...For the second time this year, it tasted freedom. That yellow-haired brat cut the fun short last time, and now another brat threatened to do the same. With its arm lost in the recent encounter, it attempted to flee, quickly distancing itself by bounding nearly 200 meters in a single leap.

Jun forced herself to catch up and sprinted as fast as her body could manage, her lungs burning from exertion. The tailed beast was massive but agile as well; if it continued this cat-and-mouse behavior it would drain her stamina rapidly.

There was another concern; she was years out of practice and miscalculated the amount of chakra she needed to conserve. Jun guessed she might only have two more attempts before sustaining her wood technique became impossible.

If Jun closed the gap, she needed a better strategy to subdue it, she'd need to keep it in place to finish it off. As she closed in on the creature, it halted and turned, creating a bullet of condensed air in its mouth, with Jun directly in its line of fire. Jun took advantage of its sedentism and countered with her own attack.

Wooden spikes shot out of the sand, attempting to impale the creature. The air bullet dissipated as the tailed beast was forced to evade her technique.

"NO! NO! NO!"

One spike pierced through its leg, slowing it down, and like before the wood continued to grow, absorbing chakra and snaking up its body. Another spike went through its abdomen and wooden structures extended through the creature's body, initiating the chakra-absorbing process.

"AAUUGGHHH!" The parasitic wood continued to drain chakra until the torso that remained collapsed backward as the creature's lower half was reduced to lifeless sand.

Without its legs and only a single arm left Shukaku's fury grew, and it dropped its lower jaw to open its mouth wide. It inhaled deeply, preparing another volley of the same wind-style technique. Flailing violently, it launched small orbs of chakra from its mouth, resulting in a sequence of small explosions as the wood splintered into tiny fragments.

"..." Jun pursed her lips and raised her arm up to shield herself from the debris.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" The tailed beast cried out when Jun came closer to finally bring an end to all this.

"...Your leash," With the last of her chakra she sent a spike of wood through its massive head.

As the chakra drained away, the sentience in the tailed beast's eyes dimmed, and the tanuki-like figure disintegrated into dust. The only thing remaining was an unconscious boy in the sand.

It was early morning as Nitaka paced back and forth in his office, impatience gnawing at him. Where was Touma? He should have returned by now. Touma's task had been simple enough—ensure the demise of five troublesome brats in that meticulously staged attack.

But Nitaka's heart raced anxiously. What if Touma had failed? If the children of the kazekage were still alive, it would foil his plans to install his own family to lead.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside the door, drawing Nitaka's attention and he stopped his agitated pacing.

"—the Councilman is busy! You can't go in there!" a voice shouted from beyond the door.

Before he could react, the door burst open, and Baki stormed into the room, flanked by two jounin.

"Councilor," Baki declared sternly, "You...are under arrest."

"W-What? There must be some mistake," Nitaka stammered, attempting to explain himself as the jounin swiftly moved to restrain him. "I haven't done anything!"

Three Days Later

"I have a message for you, sir." A masked nin appeared.

It was the middle of the night in Konoha when the nin entered the residence, but the owner, an old man, was wide awake, fully aware of the impending encounter.

"Continue," the old man replied calmly.

"Our operative in the sand village reports both missions were successful." The white mask concealed his identity and muffled the voice of the nin as he gave the message. He dressed similarly to Konoha's ANBU, but underneath his cloak was not the standard issue flak jacket. Red straps could be seen where the cloak was unfastened. "Nitaka was removed from the council, and–"

"The test was successful?" The old man anticipated those results the most.

"Affirmative," The nin kept a rigid facade as he finished delivering the information.

"...Dismissed,"

"Sir…" The nin vanished just as abruptly as he appeared. There was a subtle hint of satisfaction underlying the old man's expression as he was left alone with his thoughts. The new recruit would prove useful after all.