-Sunagakore no Sato – 1am – Same evening of Task Force Anaconda's Return-
Sasori and Daedara were finally attempting their infiltration of Sunagakore. Sasori had to develop new, subconscious methods of mind control in order to get a spy in. Then, it was only good for a one-time use before the spy was caught. It was infuriating and it made it nearly impossible to discover a new way into the city. Yura, the last agent Sasori had, finally managed to add their chakra signatures to the detection barrier. This was the only real chance they had to accomplish their mission.
"Daedara, this is no time for theatrics. We are going into an enemy stronghold, and we need to extract the Ichibi jinchuriki. According to our reports, he is much stronger than us in the desert terrain."
"Hmm, hmm, hmm, Sasori, my man, I got this handled. You just keep the Kazekage off me. This will be a blast." The cocky straw-haired man answered.
"Well, I will set up the summoning beacon once we enter Suna. This is a one-shot seal that will give us 20 reinforcements. Then, I will engage the Kazekage. You draw the jinchuriki into the sky." The hunchbacked man countered.
"It sounds like a blast, ahn. I will finally get to show everyone my art, ahn." Daedara said excitedly as he formed his clay bird that would fly him over the walls of Suna.
The two infiltrated over the massive bowl-style walls that protected Suna and Sasori's eyes would have widened in shock if he weren't a puppet. There was so much green in Suna that it amazed him, but he didn't have time to appreciate the scenery. Daedara's bird was already having to dodge multiple projectile weapons that were being enhanced with wind ninjutsu.
"It seems like they knew we were coming, ahn!" Daedara shouted as he dodged another volley of high-speed metal instruments.
Sasori growled before jumping off of the clay bird. "I will handle them; you go accomplish your task!" Sasori landed in front of the defenders that occupied the wall.
"Lay down your weapons and give up!" A Suna jonin, leader of the guard, shouted.
A big, metallic tail lashed out from the man's cloak and was inches away from bisecting a Suna ninja when a blue barrier shimmered to life and blocked the strike. A Suna Kunoichi with purple markings on her face was holding her hands out and the group thanked her for blocking the attack. The fight on the wall continued and Sasori was repeatedly surprised by the new tactics of his village, which were effective enough in delaying him from his mission.
As the alarms sounded across Suna, Sand shinobi blurred around the city and took up their defensive positions. Barriers were erected by squads of Sand shinobi and purple barriers formed defensive boxes over the evacuation shelters and high-value buildings. There were also shinobi heading to the taller rooftops as Daedara flew over the city.
As for the mad bomber of Iwa, he was frustrated, and he was sending down clay swallows that dive-bombed the barriers. He shouted in anger and frustration as the birds had no effect on the barriers that were being erected all over the city. That was when he was forced to dodge through an insanely dense volley of sand and golden weapons. He continued to fly as he saw two figures rise into the sky on a sand cloud and a gold cloud.
Gaara's head snapped to the battle on the wall as an explosion went off, "Father, I will handle this one. I have more sand at my disposal, which will aid me in this battle. Please go protect our comrades and eliminate the other intruder. If Naruto was right, it should be Sasori of the Red Sands."
Raza looked unsure, but after looking at the determination on his son's face, he nodded. "I will, my son, be safe. I am proud of the fine man you have become."
Gaara nodded slightly as his eyes locked back onto Daedara, "Kankuro should summon Naruto here. I have instructed him to play a defensive role and to let us handle our enemies. Suna doesn't need my brother to protect it anymore."
As Raza flew away, he couldn't help but shake his head. "Bring victory to Suna, my son!"
Gaara sped up his sand cloud and began leaking sand out of the seal on his wrists and back. "Mother and Shukaku, it is time to put our skills to the test. I am counting on each of you." He thought into his seal.
Shukaku let out an excited and powerful screech, "We got this, Gaara. Nobody attacks our home and gets away with it."
"Be safe, my son, I will handle the defense." Korura said through the seal.
Gaara's aura flared, and a violent sandstorm chased through the air toward Daedara. As Gaara spun and controlled the wind and sands on his sand cloud, thoughts of Hinata flickered through his mind. Thoughts of the people of Suna and all of the bonds he has in this village invigorated him and lit a fiery determination behind his emerald eyes. Gaara's dance intensified and volley after volley of sand shurikens and sand arrows sailed through the air towards Daedara.
Daedara was moving at high speeds, and he couldn't believe that the Suna jinchuriki was able to keep up with him. He was putting so much effort into dodging the infinite sand attacks that he had little time to counterattack. His first real counterattack was ready as his clay bird barrel rolled over yet another volley of shuriken and Daedara released handfuls of miniature spiders that dropped through the air towards Gaara's position. Daedara held up a half ram seal with his right hand and yelled, 'katsu', with a tone of merriment.
Gaara saw the spiders and waved a hand in front of himself as he spun and used his right hand to form the next volley of sand weapons. Immediately, a sand wall sprouted midair and caught all of the miniature spiders before they could get close to Gaara. He didn't even feel the air pressure from the explosions as his sand completely blocked the paltry attack. Gaara's left hand shot forward violently and a volley of sand spears blanketed the night skies. Gaara followed this up by taking a deep breath, pulling on Shukaku's chakra and blowing out a 'wind style – great breakthrough'.
Daedara screeched in frustration and fear as a sand spear took the wing off of his clay bird and he began diving. Deciding not to waste the clay, Daedara guided the dive towards Gaara before he jumped off his bird and formed a new one in midair. The new bird leveled out before flying into the air away from a massive explosion that lit up the night sky above Suna. As he was climbing, Daedara turned around and sucked his teeth when he saw a ball of sand protecting the jinchuriki from the explosion.
"What do I have to do to get through that sand, ahn!" Daedara shouted. Having created enough space, Daedara thrust his hands back into his pouches to form his next attack.
With Raza, he arrived at the fight that originated on the wall and it hand moved into a more open part on the border of Suna. He was proud to see his shinobi holding the enemy at bay, but he was worried by the 15-20 shinobi he saw laying around the battle area. All in all, his shinobi were holding on but needed desperate help. Thus, Raza took advantage of his element of surprise, and created ten gold spears that hovered over his shoulders. Seeing an opening in the battle, he let them loose.
Ten golden spears descend from above and created a massive sand screen as they impacted the ground all around the enemy. Raza descended with a golden yari, a spear-like weapon with an elongated blade, in hand and slashed at the attacker. His gold clashed against a steel tail before Raza flipped over the appendage as it lashed out. Raza landed and conjured a gold screen to block the volley of poisonous senbon that were heading his way.
Kankuro watched his father enter the battle and he immediately moved into a support position behind him. He unsealed Kurasu, Ant, Crow and two knights that carried big, reinforced shields. His puppets moved into flanking positions around his father and Raza couldn't help but smirk at the thought of fighting side by side with his son.
"Barrier teams, now!" Raza shouted as a barrier sprung up around Raza, Kankuro and Sasori.
Sasori scowled at the thought of being trapped in a barrier. His main puppet body was fine, but Hiroko was shredded from the earlier gold spears. He watched Raza twirl the yari as puppets flanked him. "Big mistake, Kazekage. You will not be the first Kazekage I have killed."
Raza laughed, "Come on out of the puppet body and fight us. You aren't going anywhere until you get through me."
Sasori disassembled Hiroku in its emergency release and a small, redhead teenage boy emerged. Upon closer inspection, the tousled redhead's body was puppet-like and composed of wood. A scroll popped into its hand and audible gasps sounded as the third Kazekage appeared in puppet form. The legendary third Kazekage took up position in front of Sasori and the dreaded iron sand began leaking out of a seal on the puppet.
"Despicable." Raza snarled, before slightly turning his head to Kankuro and whispering, "Look for an opening. Don't rush and don't expose yourself."
Sasori decided to open the attack and a wave of iron sand soaked in a purple poison crashed against a wall of golden sand. Sasori was forced to dodge as Korasu attacked from his left flank with a massive stream of fire. As Sasori leaped over the stream of fire, Ant came hurtling at him and tackled him. This disrupted his control over the iron sand, and he snarled as a volley of golden shuriken sailed at him.
Sasori twitched the chakra thread on his fingers and the golden shuriken were stopped by a wall of iron sand before a spear of iron was launched towards Ant. A puppet with a big shield moved forward and blocked the spear before Sasori was forced to dodge out of a volley of senbon from Korasu. Sasori watched in amazement as the volley of senbon remained sustained as they soared through a whole in his iron wall created by the golden dust.
All-in-all, Sasori was forced to fight a defensive battle and it remained in a state of high-speed combat for over 15-minutes. The barrier teams remained aware, and Sasori wondered why they didn't drop the barrier to support their Kazekage. Sure, Raza didn't really need the help, but fighting in this contained space wasn't Sasori's style. The father-son duo proved more than a match for him as multiple scuffs and a couple holes riddled his puppet body.
Back in the sky, Gaara and Daedara had been engaged in a dogfight. It was frustrating for Gaara, and he was starting to get bored. The multitude of explosions that were all blocked and countered by Gaara's sand infuriated the blonde Akatsuki member and Gaara couldn't stop a bemused smile from the blonde's explicative speech. That being said, Gaara had used the opportunity to lace the air with his sand and he was ready to spring his trap.
Daedara was ready to go to the big guns. After so much of his art was shrugged off, he could no longer stand the embarrassment and degradation of his art. Daedara pulled over half of the clay remaining out of his pouches and shoved it into his mouth. As he was chewing on the clay and shaping his ultimate jutsu, his eyes widened as he was surrounded on every side by marble sized balls off sand that were floating in the air. He looked in a state of stunned disbelief toward the Suna jinchuriki and saw the smirk on his face.
Gaara spread his arms open wide with all of his fingers spread. He then brought his hands together and intertwined his fingers in a quick motion. As if moved by divine winds, the minefield of marbled sand crashed into Daedara on all sides. There was nothing left of his bird as it looked like the victim of an over-zealous hunter that just unloaded every shell in the shotgun on a simple dove.
As for Deadara, he had hardened his skin with a quick earth jutsu, but each of those marbles hit him with devastating effect. His arms were bleeding all over as multiple marbles impaled and exploded in his body, his legs were shredded as he fell through the air, but the important thing was Daedara's torso was intact. Daedara vomited up a big, fat clay version of himself and cackled through a mouthful of blood.
Gaara sensed the buildup of chakra and his eyes widened as the clay creation enlarged further and began to glow as it hurtled toward Suna. Gaara also saw a flock of high-speed clay birds flying towards him, which meant he had to work on two fronts. Gaara roared as he crouched and brought his right hand up in a bowl while his left hand shot forward in a stop gesture. Sand from the floor of Suna answered his called and formed a pillar of sand that began forming a defensive bowl that covered Suna from the falling clay bomb.
Smaller explosions lit the night sky before a massive explosion sent shockwaves rippling into the defensive barriers through the defensive sand jutsu that Gaara formed. The massive sand construct remained upright despite the violent explosion that the giant bowl had angled into the air. The shattering sound dispersed as quick as it came, and an unsettling quiet settled over the skies of Suna.
Gaara was panting and down on a knee as the effort of his exertion stressed his chakra coils and stamina. His left hand was still extended outward, and a figure was hovering towards him on a small cloud of sand. The figure was bleeding all over, his arms and legs flayed like a ragdoll with its strings cut at his sides and he was cursing weakly under his breath. Sand fell out of the sky and showered Suna as Gaara brought his enemy closer and stood to his feet on his sand cloud.
"You were, are, and always will be a pitiful opponent. Your explosions could never penetrate the ultimate defense of Sunagakore." Gaara said after regaining his breath and strength. Shukaku was working internally to provide strength and support to Gaara's strained chakra coils.
The blonde Akatsuki member stopped his incessant rambling and glared at Gaara. "This isn't over, Ichibi jinchuriki. After all, art … is an explosion!"
The insane shout and glowing figure of the man alarmed Gaara and he immediately covered the man in his sand. He kept piling on as much as he could call upon when a brilliant light escaped through cracks in the sand. Following the light was a bone-shattering and brain shaking explosion that broke through Gaara's sand as if it were tissue paper. The explosion lit up the night sky above Suna once more in a brilliant white glow and the visage of a mother cradling her arms protectively over a bundle flashed in the night sky.
The intense fight between Sasori, Raza and Kankuro was intense, but a moment of distraction allowed Sasori to take advantage of the opportunity. As gold fought against iron, Sasori extended his right hand and latched a chakra thread onto the disposed metal tail of the Hiroku puppet. With strength and speed that would astound anybody that didn't know Suna's puppet techniques, the tail sailed through the arm and nearly severed Raza's arm at the bicep.
Raza cursed as his right arm cried out in pain, but Raza didn't hesitate even for a second. A blade of gold formed in his left hand, and he severed his arm just below the head of the humerus before he plugged the wound with gold dust. His supporters cried out in distress as their Kazekage was injured and now at a significant disadvantage. Raza's brief distraction meant that four iron spears were heading straight for him and there was nothing he could do about it.
Kankuro immediately called the two knights into defensive positions in front of his father and the four spears echoed against shields before Kankuro used his left hand to activate a hidden function of Black Ant. With a sad look on his face, despite the extreme focus and beads of sweat, Kankuro sacrificed Black Ant to neutralize the threat. Kankuro activated the seal on Black Ant's chest that created a powerful implosion that sucked in everything around it for 10-meters.
Sasori's eyes widened as the third Kazekage was swallowed by a black sphere that immediately compressed into itself. He had never seen such a technique and he was startled by the loss of his puppet. As he was reaching for his scroll that contained his '100 puppets technique', Sasori was encased in a massive wave of gold dust. Before he could break free, he heard the last words that he would ever hear, 'Golden Mausoleum'.
As soon as the hardened golden pyramid ended the battle against Sasori by sealing him away, the barrier fell, and medical support poured in for the wounded Kazekage. Turns out, Raza and Kankuro slumped over in exhausting, and they both had minor wounds that were leaking the powerful neurotoxin that Sasori used to coat his weapons. As the medics were doing their thing, one Suna jonin took charge.
Baki barked out orders, "Yoshimaru, go and summon Naruto Senju! He should have been here already!"
"Yes sir!" Yoshimaru answered before adding, "It was Kankuro's duty to summon Naruto."
Baki face palmed himself. Kankuro was such an excitable boy and he forgot to summon their strongest ally to a fight where he was needed. Now, their Kazekage was wounded and poisoned. "Just go, Yoshimaru. Send him an emergency message to bring Tsunade and other medical personnel!"
At that moment, Gaara landed from his sand cloud to the cheers of the Suna shinobi. He saw the downed form of his father and Kankuro before he demanded an explanation from Baki. When Baki told him that Kankuro joined the fight before summoning Naruto, Gaara too facepalmed and cursed his brother's forgetfulness. Finally, he took charge and helped Baki direct the Suna shinobi.
"Himitsu, create scout squads and sweep the city. Todei, get with the barrier corps and have them search for any foreign chakra signatures. Mayuri, get the hospital ready for a mass casualty situation. Baki, I leave the perimeter sweep to you and a platoon of your choice." Gaara shouted out orders and a stunned and silent respect fell over the crowd before they were spurred into action.
Minutes later, Tsunade, Temari, Naruto and Hinata appeared in a flash next to Gaara and Naruto immediately hugged his brother before he chastised him. "You should have called me, baka broher."
Gaara leaned into Naruto's supportive hug and appreciated the chakra boost that he was receiving. "I know, Ruto. It was Kankuro's job, but he prioritized fighting Sasori with my father over summoning you."
Naruto chuckled, "That's so … Kankuro…"
Gaara sighed as Naruto released the hug and a pale-eyed princess jumped into his arms. "I know, I will assign another person I trust to that duty." Gaara then turned his attention to a distressed Hinata, which prompted Naruto to walk away.
Tsunade was running diagnostics on Raza and Kankuro and she looked up as Naruto approached. "Any chance your sage mode can remove this poison?"
Naruto shrugged, "You know I am a decent medic at best, Momma. We have poisoned weapons lying all over the place. Baki, which weapon poisoned Raza and Kankuro?"
Baki looked over from the squad of Dust he was giving instructions to, "The big metal tail for the Kazekage and Kankuro got hit by some of the iron sand of Lord Third."
"Gotcha," Naruto answered nonchalantly before turning to Tsunade. "I will place them in medical stasis to buy you time. If you need me to grow anything, let me know."
Tsunade nodded, "Hinata, work with the Suna medics to get these two to the hospital. Then, you will report to the labs to help me identify this poison and develop an antidote. Temari, why don't you work with Gaara to get order restored here?"
Temari's worried face offered Tsunade a weak smile, "Will do, Momma."
-Two Days Later – Suna Hospital-
Raza cracked his eyes open and winced at the harsh white light that he instantly associated with a hospital room. After his eyes adjusted, Raza noticed that Pakura was sleeping at his bedside along with Temari and he saw a Suna nurse looking over charts at the foot of a medical bed next to his. Raza saw that Kankuro was sleeping in the bed next to his and his heart froze in anticipation. Through a parched throat, Raza croaked.
"Excuse me, miss, is my son … is my son going to be … okay?"
The nurse turned and offered him a genuine smile, "Lord Kazekage, it is good to see you awake. Kankuro has been given the same antidote that you have. He has stabilized and Lady Senju is in charge of your care. You will both be fine … well … aside from your arm."
Raza winced as phantom pain shot up his right shoulder and he sighed when he saw that nothing was connected to the shoulder other than a stump. He brought his left hand to his face and leaned his head back into the pillow. "Thank you, miss. Is Gaara okay?"
"Yes, Lord Kazekage, Lord Gaara killed Daedara the Mad Bomber and protected everyone from that giant explosion. He is currently working as the Kazekage while you were indisposed." She answered.
The noise of the conversation stirred Temari awake, and she instantly lunged into a hug and embraced her father. "I am so glad you're okay, dad!"
Raza winced in pain before he used his left arm and pulled Temari into an embrace and smiled against the top of her head. "I will be fine, kiddo. What have I missed?"
Temari backed away from the hug and took on a more professional manner, "Lady Tsunade and Hinata worked to create the antidote. They have administered it to the squads that initially held off Sasori. There were ten dead, but we have stabilized eight and the remaining injuries were minor. Gaara fought Daedara in single combat and won, but the crazy fucker blew himself up so there is no body. Gaara stopped most of the damage to the city and we have secured the village and surrounding area."
Raza nodded, "Very good. What about Suna since the fight?"
Temari smiled, "Brother has stepped into the role of Kazekage. He is working with Naruto to repair any damages and secure the village. Lord Hoto is here and offering his support. Konoha also sent over four squads to help provide added security and we have them rotating on watch duty. They also donated a couple medical personnel to aid in treating the wounded."
Raza smiled at that. It was good to have allies. "Very good…"
Raza was cutoff as Naruto and Gaara entered the room with massive smiles on their faces. Naruto let Gaara take the lead, "Father, it is good to see you awake. How are you feeling?"
Raza groaned, "Like I went off on a weeklong bender and I just woke up to the hangover."
Naruto belted out a laugh and settled into a Gigawatt smile. The laugh stirred Kankuro awake with a groan, and he groaned louder when Naruto slapped his foot playfully. "Papa Raza, everything is fine. Just listen to Momma and get better. I am working on a project with the puppet corps to get you a new and improved right arm."
Raza's groan transitioned to a chuckle at the radiant positivity of Naruto. "Thanks, Ruto. I would appreciate that." Raza turned his attention to Gara, "Anything I need to be made aware of?"
Gaara shrugged and replied in monotone, "I have things handled for now, father. I am sure there will be a council meeting once people hear that you are awake."
Raza groaned once more, "Can you handle that for your old man?" This question earned understanding chuckles from those around the room.
"Yes, father, I can." Gaara answered monotonously with a gentle smile on his face.
Kankuro took this opportunity to chime in, "Is Sasori dead?"
Temari answered, "Yes, father sealed him away in his Golden Mausoleum."
Kankuro's celebration was halted when he thought of Black Ant, "Aww, man, I had to sacrifice Black Ant…"
Gaara's snide remark drew snickers from everyone in the room, "Yeah, well, maybe if you called Naruto as planned, he could have stepped in. Tell me, brother, why didn't you summon Naruto before joining father's battle?"
Kankuro rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly and refused to look anybody in the eye, "Yeah, well, about that … I kinda … forgot…"
A sand hand clapped Kankuro upside his head before Raza halted any further humiliation of Kankuro. "Gaara, it is not a bad thing for Suna to defend itself. Ruto's help is appreciated, but we can't expect him to fight all our battles for us."
Gaara resealed his sand and it was Naruto's turn to look sheepish, but it was Temari that spoke. "You men and your stupid pride. There is no shame asking for help against 'S' ranked opponents while trying to protect your people! Ruto loves Suna as much as Konoha and he is just as much a part of our village as any of us!" Temari's flaring temper cowed the two Subaku men and Gaara was just watching with his arms crossed over his chest.
Raza put up his single hand in a defensive gesture while Kankuro was hiding behind his two hands. "I am sorry, sis. I saw people dying and dad needed help, so I forgot, okay? It won't happen again."
Temari's rage fizzled out and she sighed deeply, "Alright, well, get some rest and we will be back tomorrow." With that, the visitors left Raza and Kankuro to get some much-needed rest as their bodies healed from an intense fight and a severe turned mild case of deadly poison.