Chapter 15
Arriving to Save Gaara
Akina and Naruto were leading the charge as they were nearing where Gaara was being held. They had stopped once to rest for the night and were on the move, not wanting to waste more time. Naruto and Akina knew they were probably being led into a trap, but they didn't care. Their main concern was Gaara.
"They're confident they've delayed us long enough." Kakashi said.
"Yes indeed. I'm starting to think the same thing." Chiyo said.
"But that means..." Sakura said.
"I got a bad feeling about this." Shikamaru said. Naruto and Akina shared looks.
"We've run out of time." Akina said through gritted teeth. Naruto clenched his fists and Akina saw his eyes go from blue to red. Naruto and Akina landed on a branch and pushed off, moving faster.
"Hey. Slow down." Shikamaru called. The two ignored him.
"Hang on, Gaara! We're coming." Naruto said. They moved through the trees.
"Naruto! Akina! Not so fast. Wait up!" Sakura called.
"Let them. There is no stopping them. They are as worried about Gaara as we are." Shikamaru said with a sigh. Sakura sighed, knowing he was right. Chiyo looked at Kakashi.
"Why's that boy along with the girl pushing themselves so hard to save Gaara? They aren't even from the same village." Chiyo said. Kakashi looked at Chiyo. "What are they? What's their story?" Kakashi looked at Akina and Naruto.
"Naruto and Akina both are a Jinchuriki, as well." Chiyo gasped as Kakashi talked. "Naruto has the Nine Tailed Fox sealed within him and Akina has the Ten Tails Dragon sealed within her. It's not that they have any special feelings for the Hidden Sand, or its people, him, Akina, and Gaara are all Jinchuriki. They know how Gaara feels better than anyone in the Sand ever could. Not sure about Akina's story, because she just came to us from the Hidden Stone, but I know she had a hard life as well. After all, those who are Jinchuriki have been treated the same way in every village. That's why they feel this desperate need to save Gaara. It doesn't matter whether Gaara's from the Sand, or the Leaf, or anywhere else. He's a friend, the only friend who's felt the same pain both of them have felt." Chiyo looked at Akina and Naruto with a new light. "Naruto's dream is to become Hokage, so the news that Gaara had been made Kazekage hit him pretty hard. He was frustrated, but at the same time, deep in his heart, he was profoundly happy for Gaara. You see, Naruto has another remarkable gift. He doesn't need much time, or many works to make friends with almost everyone he meets. Akina makes friends easily with everyone she talks to. She is the Great Granddaughter of the first Hokage and daughter of the Fifth Hokage, but she doesn't let who her family is to become friends with others. She has something about her that draws people to her. She is a strong Shinobi and gonna be a good Medical Ninja like her mother."
"As for me, I've lived a long life. I've seen many things over the years. I thought I'd come to know the ways of the world. I knew that alliances with foreign lands were just for show and not to be trusted. I knew that the only way the Sand Village was to be protected is if I did it myself." Chiyo said. Mushu opened his eyes as he listened to Kakashi and Chiyo's talk. "It was my jutsu that sealed the Shukaku in Young Gaara, after consulting with his father, the Fourth Kazekage, of course. I truly thought I was helping my village, but in fact I was jeopardizing its very existence. And now I find that my peoples survival depends on one of those alliances with a foreign land I never trusted." Chiyo looks back at the Jinchuriki. Shikamaru had caught up and was next to Akina. Both were talking to each other. "I seem to have been wrong about many things. Perhaps everything. I am old and weary. I want nothing more than to just give up. Oh, Kakashi, when I look at them and see their youth, their potential, I envy them so much." A small smile comes on Chiyo's face.
"No, no. Your life has only just begun. You're still young." Kakashi said. Chiyo laughs. Kakashi smiles.
"Perhaps you're right. Maybe there is some purpose for keeping an old bag of bones like me around." Chiyo said. Mushu closed his eyes and soon was back in the cave where Gaara was. Gaara was floating in the blue bubble with red coming out his mouth and eyes as it went into the 10 tails statue. It suddenly stopped. One of the eyes forms an eyeball, meaning the transfer of the 1 tails to the 10 tails was complete. Mushu frowned deeper as Gaara's body hits the ground. He laid unmoving.
They land in the water in front of a red gate with a boulder that was huge. Team Guy was already there. Guy and his team turned to face Kakashi. Guy smiled.
"Late as usual, Kakashi." Guy said. Akina stood between Naruto and Shikamaru as they stood on the water.
"Well, you see, we ran into a little trouble along the way." Kakashi said.
"Naruto! Sakura! Akina! Shikamaru!" Lee said with a huge smile.
"Wait a minute. By a little trouble, you don't mean me, do you Kakashi?" Chiyo said. Naruto was looking at the huge rock with anger on his face.
"Well?" Naruto asked.
"Naruto." Neji said. Everyone walked up to the Team Guy.
"Looks like we were just a step behind you guys." Sakura said.
"Yeah." TenTen said. She smiled at Akina and Sakura. "Who's that old lady?"
"This is Lady Chiyo. She's an adviser from the Sand Village." Akina said. Chiyo waved.
"Very pleased to meet you." Chiyo said. Guy looked at everyone.
"Well then, let's do this, Kakashi." Guy said.
"Right." Kakashi said. Neji used the Byakugan to look into the cave.
"Inside, it looks like there's a large cavern. But..." Neji said.
"But what?" Naruto asked.
"What do you see?" Akina asked. Neji gasped a bit.
"I just can't quite make out what's going on in there. I see several people." Neji said.
"What about Gaara?" Shikamaru asked.
"What's happening? Is he one of the people you see?" Naruto asked, putting a hand on Neji's shoulder.
"Back off a second. I'm trying to locate him now." Neji said. Neji was taking his time.
"Neji." Naruto said.
"Take it easy." Neji said. He got a worried look on his face and Akina had a sick feeling as they waited.
"What is it?" Naruto asked. He started shaking Neji with worry. "What's going on? Neji, what's in there?" Neji snapped out of it and shook Naruto off.
"Let go of me." Neji said. Sakura looked at Neji.
"Well, what did you see?" Sakura asked. Akina and Shikamaru looked at Neji.
"It's hard to describe with words." Neji said. Akina was getting worried.
"Wait, so that would mean..." TenTen asked.
"Yes. It means that whatever it is, we will have to go see it for ourselves." Lee said. Guy puts a hand on Lee's shoulder.
"That makes things easy, doesn't it?" Guy said. He flips backwards, putting a good distance between him and the boulder. Guy charges at the boulder, getting ready to punch it. "Coming through!" Guy punches the boulder. Vibrations run through the boulder. "Quite a barrier." Guy walks back to the others.
"What is your plan?" Lee asked.
"Well, Lee, it's pretty obvious we need to get rid of that barrier." Guy said.
"And how do we do that?" TenTen asked. Shikamaru was looking at the boulder.
"Before we even think about breaking through, we should know what kind of barrier it is." Shikamaru said. Guy nodded.
"That's right." Guy said. He turned to the barrier. "So, figure out the type of barrier. That's step one, right Kakashi?"
"Yeah." Kakashi said. There was a paper with marking on the boulder.
"What do you think?" Chiyo asked.
"Hmm. It could be a five-seal barrier." Kakashi said.
"I agree with you." Chiyo said.
"Five seal barrier?" Naruto asked.
"It's a strong layer of protection in which five tags with the word forbidden on them are fastened around the area that's being guarded. One forbidden tag is in front of us. And four more must be in other locations." Shikamaru said. Kakashi nodded.
"Can't we just pull them off?" Guy asked.
"It's not that easy. The tags are in five different places. But they have to be taken down at the exact same moment." Kakashi said.
"So, we'd have to remove them simultaneously?" Akina asked.
"Right. The barrier won't budge unless all five tags are pulled off simultaneously. It's a tall order." Kakashi said. He pointed at the tag. "That's only one tag."
"Which means there's four more out there." Guy said. They all looked at the tag.
Alright then. Let's do it. How do we figure out where the other tags are?" Naruto asked. Kakashi looked at Neji.
"Neji." Kakashi said.
"I understand." Neji said, closing his eyes. He lifted his hands up. "Byyakugan!" His eyes transformed and looked around. "I found them."
"Awesome, Neji." Naruto said.
"Where are they?" Shikamaru asked.
"One is on a boulder about 500 meters northeast of us. The second one is on a tree trunk beside a riverbank 350 meters south-southeast. The third you'll find 650 meters northwest, on a cliff. And the last one is in the woods, less then 800 meters to the southwest. That's four." Neji said.
"If that's the case, each one of them is pretty far apart." Sakura said.
"How will we signal each other?" Akina asked. Guy took off his bag.
"I think I can handle that. We should just be in range of these." Guy said, pulling out headsets. "They're wireless radios."
"Whoa, that's amazing." Naruto said.
"Good thinking." Kakashi said. Guy gave a thumbs up and his cocky smile.
"Okay. So, we'll stay in constant communication and follow Neji's directions to the tags." Guy said. The radios were handed out. Kakashi had one to keep in contact. "Ok, let's find these tags, and get rid of them. Team Guy is the faster team, so we'll be the ones to handle this mission."
"We're all counting on you." Naruto said. Guy gave out instructions where his team was heading. Lee took a deep breath.
"Testing!" Everyone with radios flinched and Akina held back a giggle. "Do you read me?" Shikamaru shook his head as everyone recovered from feedback on the radios.
"Lee! Your microphone's up too loud." TenTen said. Lee bowed.
"A thousand apologies." Lee said, causing more flinching. Kakashi looked dazed.
"Glad its them and not me." Akina said, feeling bad. Naruto nodded.
"Lee, the mic." Guy grumbled. Lee quickly fixed it.
"Sorry, guys." Lee said. TenTen glared at Lee as she fixed her radio.
"My wireless settings are good to go." TenTen said, looking at Guy. Guy nodded. Team Guy scatters and the others got ready to take out the boulder. Sakura would use her chakra control to destroy the boulder. They all got in their places. Akina still had a sickening feeling but stood ready with the others as Team Guy announced they were by the tags. Kakashi was on the boulder with the tag.
"Ready when you are." Kakashi said. He looked at Sakura, who nodded that she was ready. "We'll make our assault using the button hook entry." Chiyo nodded.
"Let's do this." Akina said. Shikamaru nodded.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Naruto said. Sakura smiled.
"Yeah." Sakura said. Kakashi ripped the tag off.
"Now, Sakura!" Kakashi called.
"Right!" Sakura yelled as she ran at the boulder. Kakashi jumps off as Sakura lets out a yell. She punches the boulder. It crumbles to pieces into the water. Kakashi gives a signal and everyone jumps into the cavern all in fighting stances. Akina held back of cry in surprise at what they found as everyone gasped. Kakashi wasn't to happy.
"We're too late." Kakashi said.
"Damnit." Shikamaru said. Akina lowered her arms. Two of the Akatsuki members sat on the body of Gaara, who laid motionless on the ground. Everyone was staring at the two members. One of the men was bald with a mask on, but Akina's eyes was on the blonde man, who was smirking at her. He was a mentor to her team back in the Hidden Stone, who disappeared without a word. Her best friend considered him like a big brother. Akina had disliked him from the start, but she learned a lot from him.
"Deidara." Akina said, stepping forward. Deidara chuckled.
"Well. Well. Well. Didn't expect to see you here. Akina Senju." Deidera said with an evil smirk.
AN: I finally decided on Akina's last name. She took her great grandfathers clan name instead of her father in honor of her grandfather. It'll be explained more in the next chapter. Till next time.