A/N: I'd mentioned early on that I'll be borrowing and manipulating elements from the Boruto series for this story. So if you have some general awareness of what goes on in the show, then you already know what's happening now. If not, feel free to watch this Youtube clip to get caught up: youtube dot com/watch?v=D4NxKsxlGWc. This chapter has a bit of POV switches to carry on with the events, which I'm not super focused on. Rather, trying to delve into the characters' thoughts and emotions more, as what Delicate has always been about. Oh, and none of that Boruto cheating thing happened here, cuz... I frankly don't care.

Been dealing with some physical ailments (not COVID, don't worry!) that have completely zapped the energy and motivation out of me. Haven't been writing or drawing much. Hopefully, I can get some inspirations back soon and be more productive!

Anyhow, just so this doesn't come as a surprise: Delicate is nearing its end! Just a couple more chapters to go... :'(

Chapter 26

Destruction, chaos, hysteria.

His brain strained to keep up with the situation that was rapidly deteriorating. Over a decade passed in peace left his mind unequipped to absorb the possibility of war and devastation in such prosperous times, he suspected. But the unforeseen events unfolding in the form of an assault on Konoha's stadium could leave anyone reasonably struggling to process. There has been hardly adequate time afforded to strategize a foolproof counterattack against the enemies they had scarce knowledge of—

Not when every ticking second was a gamble on Naruto's life.

Now he and the others were plunging down into another dimension. Wind hissed in his ears at the velocity they traveled. Chilled air flooded his nostrils, filling his lungs like he could very well drown on it.

And it was only three hours ago when he was at the breakfast table with his team of Genin, discussing the lineup of contestants ahead of the final round of Chuunin exams...

Gaara squinted. Three figures down below fast approached. A fleck of orange hemmed in by massive plant growths. He sucked in a breath.

Target locked. "Let's go!"

He hollered to his counterparts, while all accelerated downward. Swords of his sand shot out on command, severing large vines and freeing the blond man from his entrapment.

They were not too late. Gaara exhaled, landing on his feet and watching as their rescuee touched down on a plane some distance away, joined promptly by the youngest one of their group.

He tore his attention away from the reunited father and son, eyes hardening and trained on the pair of otherworldly beings hovering above. Alabaster skin, ivory hair, protruding horns—the sight of these inhuman features stirred up in his mind tales of a god-like foe that were recounted to him after he'd woken up from an unbelievable dream on the battlefield that day. The dead gaze that descended on him made his skin crawl, brought back flashbacks of those grim times when he tasted iron and ashes in his mouth.

His hands tensed into fists at his sides. His chest heaved with measured breathing.

Ōtsutsuki.

He focused, holding his adrenaline in check and anchoring himself to his calculating thoughts. Alert, he analyzed every sensory input. Unknown terrain. Limited elements to manipulate for offense. Even fewer options for concealment and cover. Feet shuffling into positions sounded over his shoulders. Three distinct chakra signatures flared from behind. They outnumbered their adversaries three to one with Kage-level ninja, yet Gaara was wary. This advantage could be easily rendered inconsequential, given the potential reach of their opponents' powers. The substantial damages inflicted on Konoha's stadium in only a matter of minutes signaled the Ōtsutsuki's capabilities that went beyond comprehension.

Proceed with caution, his mind warned him. But his body was already heating up for a fight, fueled with the fierce desires to protect. Sand rattled excitedly within his gourd. Similar energies resonated all around him.

His eyes were narrowed, rigid, never leaving the enemies, as he said to them at the dawn of their battle:

"Don't think you can run from us."

Dammit!

Sakura spit out a quiet curse that no one heard, hands too busy knitting the torn flesh in her patient's leg to rid herself of the radio strapped to her utility vest. The Hokage had been taken, it'd buzzed some time ago with the terrible news, delivered in someone's frantic voice.

It all had to be a nightmare.

The final day of the Chunnin Exams has turned out to be a disaster. The act of violence wreaked upon Konoha was incomprehensible and a horror Sakura would've never imagined when she was putting on her EMS uniform this morning. Several hours later saw her maneuvering through the stifling hospital corridor, treating the injured one after another like there was a never-ending line and hearing the moaning and wailings of her people that made her sick.

The news about Naruto didn't help. She wished she could fling aside the radio, every sporadic static noise emerging from it made her heart skip beats and her mind want to default to its tendency for fearful thoughts. But it was protocol that she and all her team members be equipped with the devices. So she left the damn thing alone, continuing in her critical tasks, but listening with dread to the temporary radio silence like a premonition that she couldn't shake off.

Fzzz... —Uchiha—fzz... Kage, Boruto... fzzz...—after the assailants, a string of updates vibrated in her ears. The muscles in her fingers stiffened, a steady stream of chakra flowing from her palms thinning. It felt like lead in her stomach.

"Sakura-sensei?"

Sakura pinched her forehead. Looking up at her assistant briefly, she confirmed, "Let's continue."

It was her sense of duty to her role that'd stopped herself from dashing out from her station to join the rescue effort. Dipping her head down and heaving a heavy sigh through her nose, she demanded herself to concentrate. Her hands were again fully occupied in their workings. Sarada and the rest of the children, her friends, were safe in the village for the time being. Boruto would be looked after, she reassured herself even as her heart jittered.

And as for everyone else who'd gone after Naruto...

—But her place to help wasn't there alongside them. She needed to stay back, to save and protect lives in the village, to make sure things will be okay when she welcomes them home... Sakura swallowed, biting her lips then. And instead of another muted curse of frustration, she said a silent prayer for the safety of everyone, as she continued to pump healing chakra into the wounds of her patient.

There was a moment of blackout. Specks dotted his eyesight, as he slowly regained clarity and gasped for air. Pain throbbed throughout his body, while he wrestled to push his back off the ground. Gaara clutched his abdomen, wincing at the slightest pressure from his palm. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Temporarily incapacitated, Gaara ground his teeth together as he slumped forward, fingers coiling up into a ball at his side and leaving streaks in the dirt. The blow to his stomach was severe. He dreaded to think the degree of damage he would've suffered if he hadn't, in the nick of time, redirected his chakra and reinforced the area of his sand armor over the vulnerable spot.

Their foe was too fast. He strained to keep his eyes on the flash of white zipping through the sky, blurred colors of gold and cobalt clashed with it along the same trajectory.

The speed of their enemy was only a fraction of their worries. Added to the list was the ineffectiveness of their ninjutsu against him.

Momoshiki was obscenely strong.

With disgust, Gaara recalled how the Ōtsutsuki had devoured his own kind to attain a level of power that he witnessed for the first time in his lifetime. The grotesque appearance of the creature that zoomed in and out of his view further sickened him.

There was no time to waste idling on the battleground. Gaara clamped his jaw shut and endured the shooting pain that came as the price of a simple inhale, much more from the effort he expended to pull himself to his feet. Grimacing, he staggered two steps forward, before he could dig his heels firmly into the earth.

To the west of him, Raikage emerged from behind rocks, limping slightly and looking as equally battered as he was. Their weary gazes met one another, but the brief contact was quickly broken by screeching shouts that pierced the atmosphere. Two bodies they recognized hurtled downward. He felt the shock of the impact only a second later, and his insides clenched with a sense of foreboding.

An eerie quiet, then nauseating laughter erupted from above. None of his other counterparts were within sight. A chill of apprehension passed through him.

There was a low groan from Darui that made him swap another look with him, finding himself able to interpret the thoughts of the other man from his worn expression. Gaara didn't want to admit doubt... But with even their own survival now at odds against such a powerful being, he was sure an entirely different question arose in their heads—one that he thought only the heavens could dictate the answer to at this point.

Just how the hell were they going to beat a god?

Waiting. She's had years of practice and she'd hated it so much. The lack of action always made her feel useless and helpless, even as she sprinted from one hospital stretcher to another, checking on the condition of the wounded and administering aid to those who were in need. Sakura scanned around the emergency room. The seriously injured have been stabilized, and her assistants were taking care of patients with minor cuts and burns. There were no more urgent cases to be triaged and addressed, the head nurse had reported.

Sakura sighed, immensely relieved that there was no casualty after such a disaster, owing her deep thanks to the Hokage whose selfless sacrifice saved lives. She stopped to break, finally feeling the soreness in her soles and the dryness in her throat. Moistening her parched lips, she couldn't remember the last time she'd taken a sip of water. Hours? Nerve-wrecking hours it'd been since the whole ordeal had befallen on Konoha. Before her anxiety could turn into panic along with the hands of the clock that mercilessly clicked by, the transmission came through her radio not long ago, with news that lifted a world of weight off of her:

Naruto and everyone had returned to Konoha safely.

Still, she was left waiting and waiting, as the heads of the villages immediately congregated for an emergency meeting in the Hokage Tower in the aftermath—so she was told. Sakura found a private corner in the hallway, wiped away the small trail of salty water that seeped into her mouth and swore under her breath at the stubborn men in her life, promising to knock them down and personally drag their asses to the hospital for treatment—Kage or not—should she find them with injuries of concern.

Still, she was growing nervous with each minute spent not being able to see the faces of her loved ones for herself. She couldn't accept the news with good faith, couldn't be convinced that they were okay. What if something terrible had actually happened, and she was kept from knowing? After all, could they really come out of a fight unscathed, with the kind of enemies whose attacks on the stadium made her fearful of the abilities they possessed? She felt short of breath, as anxiety began to swell within her again.

"Sakuran-san."

Startled, Sakura whirled around, eyes going wide at the figures at the entrance of the emergency room. She blinked, staring at the grinning boy in a ragged orange jacket, to the dark-haired woman closely beside him, to the small girl clinging to the duo, then back to the boy who raised his fingers to her in a victory sign. Uttering a cry of relief, Sakura rushed forward.

"Boruto!"

"You led them to us."

"It was imperative that this information was delivered to Konoha at once. Sasuke was following protocol. We couldn't have predicted that those two were going to trace—"

"What made you think you could hide this mission from the rest of us? Had you notified us in the first place, we could've been more prepared to deal with them."

In his armchair Gaara breathed a long-drawn sigh, a sound easily buried among the many voices competing for influence at the present. He closed his eyes, feeling aches creeping up the base of his skull that were starting to bother him more than his still tender midriff.

An emergency meeting was promptly held upon their return to Konoha. Along with Leaf's top advisors, the six of them directly involved in the combat against Momoshiki gathered in a conference room. Although they'd managed to defeat an Ōtsutsuki to the credit of the younger Uzumaki who was able to deliver the final critical blow to their opponent, the battle had left him—similar to the others that sat around him—dressed in cuts and bruises, his clothes also ripped in places. His muscles were stiff and cramped, but he'd opted out of a trip to the hospital ward and justified it on the basis of an absence of any life-threatening injuries.

He'd live, he supposed.

What he anticipated with certainty, after a situation assessment of Konoha, were heated words that flew from one end to the other. Questions and demands spelling out unreserved accusations that'd been certainly held back earlier—in favor of carrying out the rescue mission—now blew hot and raw in the face of the Hokage.

"I wasn't trying to hide anything." Across the table, Naruto rebutted, giving away signs of exasperation through his pleated brows and downturned mouth. To his side, his right-hand man quickly supplemented, "We didn't have any concrete evidence. It would've been too early to raise alarm and create unnecessary panic."

"Hokage," adjacent to him, Mizukage began, his tone solemn for his character, "you have my deepest condolences for the harm done to you and your village. But you must see that such a decision of yours has now left us in a worse scenario, in which we are forced to be reactive, instead of proactive."

Naruto thinned his lips, stayed quiet for a moment as he eyed the blue-haired man, then sagged his shoulders and conceded, "I bear full responsibility..."

"We don't know how many of them are out there. They could all be coming for us once they find out that we wiped out two of their kind," Raikage weighed in.

"It would appear that Ōtsutsuki's target is the Kyuubi." Behind Naruto, his aide chimed in, offering commentary that Gaara wouldn't consider wise given the time, place, and audience. It was a response that earned him a subtle nudge from his colleague standing next to him and an immediate mouthful from a peeved Tsuchikage:

"No one here is an island," she scoffed, folding her arms over her chest. Her gaze dropped, as she spoke through her teeth, "everyone of us, our people, could be collateral damage. Just look at what happened today. So don't you tell me this concerns only Konoha."

"You are absolutely right." In Naruto's face, drained a little more of colors, there showed a level of tiredness that required rest at length. It possibly explained his eagerness to draw a conclusion to a discourse composed of more opinions than facts. "...This is why it's the most crucial now that we continue to track the movements of the Ōtsutsuki Clan to figure out how to deter possible future attacks."

The blond tilted his head further right, toward the lone cloaked person standing nearby who's hardly participated a syllable in their conversation.

"Sasuke."

The addressee nodded a non-verbal agreement that the rest of the group caught on just as he moved toward the exit.

Tsuchikage rose to her feet, palms colliding with the table surface as she disputed the decision-making. "Hey, hold on a minute! Your solution is just to send him out there again and have a bullseye pinned on us? So are we back to square one now? Are you seriously just going to overlook the fact that you'd failed to..."

A clearing of the throat, intentional, interrupted Iwa's leader mid-sentence, bringing all attention onto him. Gaara broke his silence and mediated, for the sake of what he considered was multilaterally beneficial to their alliances—and for the sake of everyone's sanity in this tense stalemate atmosphere.

"There is no merit in assigning faults. We have one common threat, and that is our focus. Naruto and his teams have had more than one encounter with members of Ōtsutsuki, and naturally, possess knowledge about them greater than what we understand. Konoha is therefore best equipped to collect information on members of the clan that exist."

Looking at Konoha's representatives in particular, he emphasized:

"I trust that Naruto and his council will involve the appropriate parties in installing safeguards moving forward to mitigate risks associated with the intended operation, as well as facilitate the sharing of intelligence with Konoha's allies. It is in our best interest as partners to lend our resources and support, should there be a need, to ensure the success of the mission."

There was a round of silence that draped over the assembly, as all the occupants of the room dwelled upon what he'd offered as a resolution.

"That settles it then." Hanging his arm over the back of his chair, Darui seemed to concur with his proposal to resolve the impasse.

Kurotsuchi huffed, dropping back into her seat. She faced him, a smirk accompanying her remark. "Always the level-headed one, aren't you, Kazekage."

Gaara glanced at her blankly, then lowered his stare to the wooden grains of the table, musing over the Tsuchikage's comment and finding himself increasingly depleted of the aforementioned attribute at the present. Now that their meeting has neared to an end, he was cognizant of the repressed impulses gaining access to him. And to the observation made by the other, he begged to differ.

Opposite, Naruto sighed aloud, finally speaking again instructions that'd gone deaf to his ears. They became fixated on the footsteps that resumed behind him.

Level-headed? Kazekage Gaara, perhaps... But Gaara as an individual? No, far from it, especially given what he had in mind to do.

The hand that's been resting on, nursing his abdomen lifted. The legs of his chair scraped against the floor, and he could feel heads turn in his direction. Nonetheless he abandoned his seat and headed for the door, pushing against it before it could swing close.

Outside, he aimed his gaze ahead.

"Your mission is coming at a high cost," he said plainly, with a hidden meaning that was more personal than anything else.

The pair of feet stopped in their track.

The last few hours or so of him associating himself with this person with superficial camaraderie had been a compromise between reason and his impulses to act, done in the interest of saving his friend and ensuring the safety of their respective villages. His eyes became hard-rimmed and fixed, gradually.

That compromise, Gaara believed, was now over.

"Sasuke. I want a word with you."