Chapter 28: The Interrogation

"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them."

-Robert A. Heinlein

Naruto, Neji, & Kakashi-Land of Wind Northwest Forests

"Get off of him."

Kakashi's order falls to the air, Naruto not even looking his way.

He probably didn't even hear him from the way his nails sink deeper into Deidara's back, heat of his chakra making his own skin begin to flake off revealing fresh raw pink flesh.

Deidara has long stop squirming from the pressure, coughs up a goblet of blood, ripped flesh spilling out staining the surrounding grass sanguine.

But then Naruto finally looks his way when he sees the glint of his kunai approach, scoffs at Kakashi's serious expression to actually take him down.

"No."

He dodges Kakashi's seal as he races forward for him, flicks up a hand as if he's merely a fly unleashing a gale of wind.

"Don't worry; I plan to draw out his death." Naruto promises, venom coating every word.

The force nearly blows him back into the deeper depths of the forest, branches and leaves turning into projectiles amid the typhoon of wind.

His mind whirls, forced to change tactics as he latches onto a tree off to the side of the blast.

'I'm dealing with the jinchuriki now.' Kakashi notes.

And the Nine Tails sees all humans as beneath it, nothing they've given as a sacrifice has appeased its true desire to continue to sow destruction upon the lands for being imprisoned.

Neji lands to his left, grimaces as Naruto's digging at Deidara's skin starts to reveal bone.

"At this rate, Naruto will kill him. If I could just get close enough, I could cut off his chakra points." He determines, byakugan scoping the best angle to attack from.

Kakashi shakes his head as he draws up his hands.

"Shadow clone jutsu!"

His second clone appears on his right, lightning crackling through his fingers to match the original.

"No need. We'll attack Naruto from long distance."

The duo hops down in unison, stream of electricity connecting into a cord.

"Lightning Transmission!"

Naruto looks up again as they approach, raises up a hand just as the pair tangle the lightning cable around his torso.

His body stills, shockwaves rippling over him.

"Now Neji!" Kakashi shouts as Naruto thrashes at his hold, rage twisting to him as he slams a tail to the ground.

Earth trembles at his feet, crevices opening across the forest in swirling black tendrils.

"Stop interfering." He growls, crack of his jaw making his stomach jolt as the beginnings of a dark orb form from his mouth.

A Tailed Beast Ball.

Neji jumps down between them with the seal, slams it into Naruto's face.

'His very chakra burns!' Neji winces, hand scalded red as he hurriedly leaps back.

Vermilion instantly leaves Naruto's eyes, shoulders dropping.

But he stays perched on Deidara's still form, doesn't move even as Kakashi cuffs and binds his body and tongue to keep him from using any more clay he could have hidden on him.

"Is he dead?" Neji breathes out, stench of blood and blackened skin potent this close to his body.

He assesses his deepest wounds along his missing arm to the gashes that run across his back and legs.

Kakashi puts two fingers to his carotid pulse.

A weak, uneven thrum bounds up against them.

"He's unconscious from the blood loss. However, there should be nothing wrong with his mind to capture some intel on the rest of the Akatsuki." He notes.

Neji raises a skeptical brow, says nothing on his mild optimism.

Deidara could die before the day is even over, breaths rattled with phlegm and fluid.

Silence fills the terrain, Kakashi getting to a standing position.

"We need to report back in with Baki and the others. Send a messenger bird back to Konoha to update Lady Tsunade and request Ibiki or his next best interrogator if he's on assignment." He reasons aloud a mental checklist.

Footsteps come from behind them, Neji straightening in alert before groaning softly at what he hears.

"Kakashi! Neji! I hope you saved some youthful thrilling spars for the rest of us!" Gai's voice calls out.

Neji crosses his arms, barely hides the roll of his eyes. "Well, like you just heard, the rest of my team should be arriving here shortly. We can focus now on helping to render aid to the civilians of Suna still in hiding and fully mobilize this guy."

Kakashi nods slowly, body feeling as if weighted with stones.

He takes in the scrapes and cuts to his arms, splintered wood mixing with the sharp violets of forming bruises.

If Gai and the rest of his team were here just a few minutes earlier, they too would've been caught in crosshairs of Naruto's wrath.

And he can't be sure what they would think of Naruto's appearance, a monster that matches every rumor said about him.

Wisps of gray clouds trickle into the warm blue of the sky overhead, a silent caution their time in Suna is nowhere near over.

Because when his gaze turns back to Naruto, his focus is solely on Gaara's body as Neji and Lee retrieve it from above. Cerulean flickers from him to Deidara with the faintest grin of satisfaction.

"I'm sorry I was too late, but I got some good attacks in on this guy." He mutters.

Tears blur his vision before he swipes them away, masks his features before the others see this pain and question him further with answers he won't have. He looks down at Deidara again and dryly chuckles, azure hazing over once more.

"Hey, looks like your body became 'art' instead! And soon, all of it will probably be up for sale, burned, or tossed away."

Some part of his inner beast must be pleased by this turn of events. Will wait now to watch the life leave Deidara's eyes, until his body is as cold and gray as what's he's done to Gaara. Or maybe Naruto himself simply calmed himself down enough at the desire to take part in finding new ways to get answers out of this guy on what exactly the Akatsuki's true goals are.

"Alright Naruto, can you get off of him now?" Kakashi questions, barely restrains a lilt of impatience as Naruto's brows furrow.

He sighs as he thankfully, but sluggishly moves aside to let him and Gai assess how they'll move Deidara.

And keep him alive.

He can feel Naruto's stare burning holes on his back at what they'll need to do next.

The wheels of revenge have already started moving, too late for him to spin back.

Gai whistles lowly, smile falling as he lowers his voice. "Well...he certainly did a number on him! I can tell that seal holding the beast is weakening Kakashi. These injuries aren't the result of just simple anger. Naruto didn't know the difference between friend and foe before we got here; did he?"

Kakashi says nothing, notes the tinge of blue to Deidara's lips as Gai pulls out the first aid kit.

"Help me position his head so he doesn't choke on his own blood or vomit." He grunts instead, grabbing for the head brace and wrappings as he fully takes in his open wounds.

'An eye for an eye indeed.'

Sakura & Chiyo-Suna Central Hospital/Basement

The power flickers overhead and Sakura restrains back a groan.

'Ugh, damn it! Just stay on a bit longer generator! I'm almost done suturing this wound and doing one last check of his vitals.' Sakura bites her tongue not to openly curse in the way Tsunade would if she were beside her right now. Her eyes flicker to Kankuro's monitor to ensure his blood pressure and heart rate aren't falling before closing him up, scribbling out instructions.

Good, he'll live to see another day.

She tacks on a smile as she looks up to Chiyo, Temari, and Baki.

"He's going to be fine. He'll just need to drink this antidote for the next two weeks and take it easy for the rest of this month. No strenuous exercises or assignments that could pop open these stitches."

Temari snorts as she cracks a light grin in return, fingers brushing at her brother's sweat drenched locks.

"The latter part knowing him won't be so easy, he'll at least want to tinker with his puppets."

Baki pats at her shoulder. "Not to mention I've never seen Kankuro as one to drink those health tonics even when sporting a fever or bellyache! Remember how he couldn't stand that spinach soup you made him when he had the flu a few months back?!"

Temari sharply nudges him in the chest not to finish, pink spilling across her cheeks.

"Shut it! I'm a far better cook now!

'Ah, she probably doesn't want such information getting back to Shikamaru!' Sakura realizes as her teal eyes darken onto her not to let this information leave this room.

Above, the ceiling groans and crackles, lights flickering, buzzing before descending them into full on pitch black.

"The generators really shouldn't be acting up this way. I'll go check the basement." Chiyo worries.

Sakura moves out of her gown to wash up and follow before she can get too far way.

"Not alone you aren't! Lead the way."

It smells of mildew and dirt the closer they get, majority of the walls at this bottom level are stained various shades of blacks and browns from the smoke, dust and fires from the earlier attacks.

Chiyo purses her lips beside her hearing a creak at the pipes.

"Only a few designated people know how to navigate these tunnels without getting lost. In my youth, we used these channels as a way to dig for water and to store rainwater during the especially dry seasons of Suna's brutal summers. Somebody's down here, I can feel it in my bones that we'll have some type of fight coming up."

'Water that supplies a majority of Suna's day to day operations is stored underground. It wasn't readily available when the first explosions happened; most likely because one of the men from that Akatsuki duo already knew of how these tunnels work.' Sakura realizes.

Sakura balls up her hands, considers her next words.

"That other Akatsuki member paired with Deidara is..."

Chiyo's features tighten, obsidian turning scrutinizing towards her curiosity, verdant holding no malice as they turn their flashlights on.

Sunlight from the windows no longer filters in this deep underground.

Her expression softens seeing Sakura's true concern. "Yes, the other member is my grandson, Sasori. Ah, another one of my life's biggest regrets was not preventing his defection from the village. I wasn't there enough for him after his parents' deaths. Instead, I poured hours into Suna having a suitable jinchuriki when war would inevitably come again, instructed Rasa on what sacrifices would need to be done to rebuild the village into being a powerhouse once more."

Sakura shakes her head. "It isn't your fault that he went down this path. If this is him, I don't understand why he's still lingering around the village."

Chiyo smiles softly. "Interest perhaps in Kankuro's puppets considering some of them used to be his own or perhaps a signal from his partner that some intel we've already collected on the Akatsuki needs to be destroyed before it gets leaked out."

Sakura stiffens as they come across a researcher collapsed against the wall, stab marks littering his chest and neck.

Glassy hazel eyes stare at nothing ahead, mouth open in a silent scream.

Chiyo pulls Sakura back before she can step closer.

"Don't. He's already gone and everyone and everything in this area could have a trap on them."

Sakura squeezes her eyes shut; mutters they'll return to at least give him a proper burial before carrying on down the tunnels to their left.

"How old are these tunnels?" She can't help but ask.

"These were created during the 1st and 2nd Kazekage's times. Bunker systems with canned goods and water supplies to last up to 6 months, dead end routes to bury enemy shinobi in sand pits. The last time I was truly down here was when I was a little girl, during Shamon's reign. He was the one who initially started researching into enhancing the power of the village with a jinchuriki, looked into adequate sacrifices that could be given to the One Tail."

It's how she came to learn how to seal said beast into Gaara.

"I don't need these gifts Lady Chiyo, you know that. I'm fine with my 3 daily meals and the occasional book you drop by." Bunpuku notes, pushes away the packages of herbal soups and meats.

Chiyo studies his cracked nails and dry skin, wonders briefly just how pale his skin has gotten being in near 24-7 darkness like this.

"You're too humble Bunpuku. I wish I had better items to offer you." Chiyo murmurs as she pulls up a chair next to his iron bars. She scoffs at the glare an officer gives her at moving too close, shoos him away to go check on other prisoners that would surely give him more trouble than Bunpuku here.

The priest stays silent for a moment, rubs at his growing beard now a pure snow white since she last visited.

It's not like said presents she offers him are very good anyways. The soups have long spoiled turning a murky brown and the meats have gone from a fresh reddish pink to a subdued tinge of gray. Nobody wants to part with their better foods or home goods as of late with no rampaging of the beast in recent times, completing their yearly bare minimum of appeasement with whatever they can find lying around.

This prison has been Bunpuku's home for at least the last 30 years she's learned from her schooling, visitors outside the usual guards, Kage, and officers is rare.

But despite his dismal surroundings, she's never heard him once complain about his situation or toss out any insults to the guards.

Bunpuku looks up at her properly and she takes in the dark bags that ring around his eyes, the light smile that plays at his lips even with his robes hanging loosely from his shoulders.

He's becoming more like a skeleton day by day...

"It seems my time on this Earthly plane is coming to an end soon; isn't it? You've been coming by almost weekly asking questions of Shukaku, assessing my health and physical capabilities noting how they've been diminishing as of late."

Chiyo wrinkles her nose, ignores his first question. "Who's Shukaku?"

Bunpuku notes the tea kettle beside him. "That's the One Tail's name. I want to provide it with respect by using its proper name and not the monikers we give it."

Her fingers twist with the ends of her sleeves. She didn't come here for idle chitchat really; the 3rd expects her to come back with further information on the One Tail. They need to be prepared for a new host of the jinchuriki in the next couple of years once Bunpuku truly passes.

She pushes herself to meet his gaze properly.

"Yes, I've been coming here to study you for the day when we'll eventually extract the One Tail from you."

Bunpuku, like she expects, simply grins with an understanding nod.

"Ah, I see. You've grown quite skilled in your use of puppetry and poison Lady Chiyo from what I've heard from the murmurings of the guards. Please don't forget though that whoever is next chosen as Shukaku's container will need to make peace with it the same way I have. That's the only way to prevent hate from consuming him or her and destruction to the surrounding lands. Gifts alone during annual appeasement will never be enough to make a difference in how having a Tailed Beast will affect the psyche."

'None of us followed that advice.' Chiyo notes now, shaking her head of the memory.

Sakura admires the handiwork of walls in the deeper levels polished with marble, sand, and stone, expression withering seeing dried blood along the ground and sides the more they go down. The generators hum softly in the corner, Chiyo flashing her light on where a section of wires have been tangled.

'This is his handiwork, no doubt about it.' Chiyo groans softly.

"I want to warn you, poison won't work on Sasori as I'm sure you've already surmised. His body might no longer even be human based on the modifications I used to see him do with his puppets."

A rasp slithers from above before Sakura can answer.

"Good guess Granny."

The pair leap back as Hiruko's tail swishes forward to strike.

He hops down to the floor properly, takes in the duo.

"A clay ant got burned up just as I was heading back for the hideout, a signal. You two or the other guys have intel I must destroy." Sasori notes.

Sakura draws up her hands.

"Even if we had this said intel, you wouldn't get it without a fight."

Hiruko's mouth opens, needles launched out in a flurry of black the duo dodge.

"Hmm, well if it isn't you two, then your comrades must have it. I won't waste any time playing with either of you the way I did with that other puppet user." Sasori hums, surprised at their speed.

Viridian sharpens, places her arms to ground before his scorpion tail can strike for their legs.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears!"

Spikes rise up from the cement impeding him just slightly, Sakura jumping forward over the rock thorns, fist poised for Hiruko's head.

'Cha! Let him underestimate us!' Sakura slams her punch in, metal crushing and bending in her ears.

The man, no boy within the puppet stares back at her blankly, eyes as empty as dead man from earlier.

'Young? He doesn't look that much older than me?'

Chiyo pulls her back quickly just as he moves up a hand, jet of water slicing through the rock spikes to her left.

"Sakura! I'll guide you; we don't know what modifications of other puppets he has on him."

Sasori snickers as he cracks his neck, steps out from Hiruko's remains to bring out the Third Kazekage's body.

An eerie grin washes across his face at Chiyo's brief startled look. Search teams scattered all across the Land of Wind for months during and after the Third Shinobi World War to try and find out which assassins could've kidnapped the 3rd only for him have met his demise against her grandson...

Sasori follows her gaze to his now puppet body. "You shouldn't be surprised Granny that this was his fate as I always like to use the strongest bodies I can find as my puppets. I wouldn't feel too bad for him considering he put up a good fight.

He turns him towards the pair. "And now he's become one of my favorites."

Hinata & Ino-Konoha Downtown District

"I don't think this is necessary Ino. Madam Azeki's fortunes aren't correct 100% of the time." Hinata sighs.

Her mind is scattered on that masked man even Jiraiya knows little about, his concerns regarding Naruto.

"I gotta ask, everything is alright when it comes to Kid?" Jiraiya catches her, points to the apples on her left.

"Those red ones are on sale by the way! Got one for Tsunade the other day as a snack for her, but I don't think she ate it!"

Hinata blinks, looks around.

No, it's just Jiraiya.

Ah, of course he would pick finding her in the middle of a grocery run. In public, she can't necessarily ignore him as old rules of being polite rise up.

Hinata thinly smiles. "Why do you ask? You usually send a toad when you want to pass a message along."

Jiraiya shrugs, becomes her shadow as she moves on to the dairy aisle.

"This constituted a visit in person based on things I'm hearing of how your loverboy is faring in Suna. You should know that when Naruto gets back to the village, you two will probably need to have a mandatory meeting with Tsunade and some of her advisors. Including those old farts..."

Hinata stills then. Danzo. Homura. Koharu.

Her stomach tilts. "Is Naruto...okay?"

Jiraiya leads them instead down to the yogurts.

"I take you as a fan of strawberry, no the mixed berry flavors; right? I used to see Naruto trying to figure out which ones to choose for you in here."

"...This involves the Nine Tails; doesn't it?" Hinata pries on softly.

Jiraiya's gaze stays forward, looks between two vanilla and peach flavors before setting them back. "Yeah, he's all mixed up like this...chocolate cherry swirl? Hmm, they come up with new flavors every week here! Updates from the air say that he started rampaging, it's called into question if you're properly performing your duties as his sacrifice."

Her grip on her cart tightens, bites her tongue not to snap at him talking half in code.

"I know Naruto is worried about the Akatsuki, even if he's never brought it up directly with me. He's probably been talking to the Nine Tails more to determine if he needs its power." Hinata assumes.

Dark eyes bore on her, Jiraiya's features flattening in that way she knows he does when he's hiding his true annoyance.

He blows out a breath. 'I should've known the Kid and her have been hiding crucial details like this.'

He waves it away; nothing can be done about that now.

"It sounds like you already knew this was a possibility. You two will need to find a way to spin this so that doesn't restrict you two to the village like Danzo and his growing allies want."

Maybe visiting Lady Azeki can give her some luck at facing that inevitable meeting.

But really, thoughts of the famed woman just bring back memories of Hashijimi's strict assessments of her health, going so far as to visit Lady Azeki to receive a fortune of blessing that no troubles would befall the Hyūga and Hanabi specifically as the new heiress once she was sacrificed...

Late afternoon sunshine warms at their backs as they walk along the cobblestones paths that move out of the marketplace. At this time of day most people have returned back to work from their lunch breaks that there shouldn't be a line to see her.

Ino squeezes at her hand in return to stop her feet from dragging. "True...however, I really want to hear what she has to say regarding our futures! I mean, aren't you curious now that it's been a while since you've been at her doorstep what she might have to say of your relationship with Naruto for example?!"

She beams as red crawls into Hinata's cheeks, the one subject she knows she would crack on.

"N-Naruto? There isn't anything of note-"

"Sure there is! Especially with the Akatsuki more in action now. I want to use every last resource available to me in tracking down any former or current members of their group!" Ino interrupts, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

'Right. Eventually this organization will go after Naruto. Ever since Choji's death, Team 10 has been taking more assignments to figure out anyone with ties to Orochimaru or the Akatsuki.'

All to prevent Choji's death from being worthless, just one of many shinobi they've lost since Konoha's invasion and Sasuke's defection.

Hinata forces her smile to stay in place, nods letting Ino lead the way.

Not much has changed about Madam Azeki, shop having expanded with the word of mouth she gotten over the years of her reputable fortunes whether good or bad. It smells of calming lavender and jasmine, curtains a soft velvet red as they push them open.

Sapphire eyes sharpen as her attendant leads them in, peers between them both with a nod.

"Ah, not every day a former Hyūga and Yamanaka clan member come to me for my services. Come, take a seat while I have Mariko brew us some tea. Which of you two would like to go first?"

Ino eagerly raises a hand, Hinata quietly observing beside her. "I would like to see my future and how to be a stronger kunoichi through a tarot and palm reading!"

They each pull up a chair as Ino lets Azeki get to work, fingers gently scoping out various lines along her palm to certain pressure points. "Hmm, I see a fairly straightforward path for you when it comes to being a kunoichi. You will face some downfalls in the near future, but they'll work to strengthen you in the end, particularly when it comes to your clan's techniques."

Ino leans forward, stomach clenching. "What...What type of downfalls?"

Hinata's toes curl as her gaze flashes to her, both thinking the same thing: Death.

Azeki doesn't answer, lays Ino's hand back down to get out her tarot deck.

She shuffles the cards for a minute before setting them down, asks Ino to pick out 3.

Reversed Death is the first card, Azeki sending her a patient smile at the pure dismay that washes across her face.

"Many people don't have a full understanding of Death's meaning. Its power is tied to change and loss and this being in the reversed position means that you have been resisting a major change in your life, regrets over what-ifs."

Ino nods, presses her lips together tightly feeling tears rise. "Choji. His...His death still lingers over our team. I'm worried this means more bad luck is heading for our team."

Azeki hums, points to the second card she's drawn. "Not necessarily. While it's true these potential downfalls could mean the death of loved ones close to you, the Wheel of Fortune is upright. You will navigate through each of these major life changes with a trusted partner, develop skills and growth on and off the battlefield."

Hinata studies Azeki closely, brows furrowed. She can't be sure how much she already knew of this at Ino's nodding along. Her knowledge of clan and shinobi affairs is probably more than the average civilian. Old skepticism curls at her to question just how much she knows of how her life has changed since becoming Konoha's latest sacrifice.

As if sensing where her thoughts have gone, her blue eyes twist to pearl, nods for Ino to scoot over.

"I sense your uncertainty, your Father was the same way when he brought your sister to me." Azeki smiles.

Hinata bristles, blows out a slow breath.

"Tell me this, how can I break down my former clan's archaic policies? What do you see of my future in Konoha as long as I'm known as the jinchuriki's sacrifice?"

Ino straightens at her acerbic tone, pats at her arm. "Hinata, you don't need to to get a reading if you really don't want to-"

Azeki shakes her head as Mariko returns with 3 cups of chamomile tea, takes a quick sip. "Oh, no need to worry about me being offended on my behalf Dear! You both came to me for a service, and I intend to see it through to the end."

Hinata reluctantly lets her take her palm, watches as she nods to herself as she follows certain curves and lines around old calluses and scars. "You too will face a brush with death of someone close to you or it will happen directly to you. It will cause a great upheaval to both you and your loved ones."

Azeki meets her eyes again before moving to shuffle the deck.

"Upright The World. You feel complete with your lover, a sense of happiness and calm that will lead to future milestones together. However, the Tower is reversed, you and perhaps your lover too are dealing with a crisis that looms in the distance, worry that everything is about to come crumpling down."

Opalescent clouds over at her generic statements. "And of the Hyūga?"

Azeki chuckles. "They are connected to the upright Star. Your time to change the clan will happen only once the events of the Tower come to pass."

Hinata sits back as Ino pulls out a stack of ryo to pay. It feels like all she's done is talk in riddles just like Jiraiya or any other psychic, pauses noting the positions of the cards in the row above the Star.

The Temperance card sits in reverse and her mind moves back to Naruto, maybe a true warning he's more out of balance than she realizes when it comes to the Nine Tail's influence on him as of late...

Sakura & Chiyo-Suna Underground Tunnels/Outskirts of Suna

"We will take this fight to the ground level!" Chiyo shouts.

Blades screech on both sides of them, a tornado of metal.

Bringing out the Mother and Father puppets sparked something in Sasori, glint of upset in his eyes before it faded back to nothing.

An army of puppets breaks through the ceiling, Sakura smashing in the head of two puppet's knives poised for her leg and chest. Each one holds some type of weapon, Sasori's expression flattening as he follows them out of the dark into the light.

"At this rate, I will need to bring out the Chikamatsu Collection." Chiyo considers, studying her fingers and arms in preparation.

This can't go on forever.

Sasori's voice comes tauntingly behind them, body too truly just like the very puppets he controls. No matter how many times Sakura smashes at his body, he puts himself back together, will never grow tired of this fight.

"You can only run so far."

Sakura clicks her tongue as Chiyo navigates them. 'One cut or swipe of that, and I'll be poisoned!'

Sasori flicks up a finger, the Third Kazekage's body unleashing another torrent of iron sand.

Sakura slides and maneuvers past the stream of black, hisses as one nicks the side of her arm.

Her body topples, Chiyo putting up a shield quickly pushing back a row of coming puppets.

"Sakura, breathe! I'm here." Chiyo states by her ear while keeping her gaze on Sasori.

He scoffs at her efforts, rise of the rest of his hundred puppets closing in.

"It's pointless. You're outnumbered and that poison will kill her now that it's in her system."

He steps forward just as Sakura gets up.

'How?' Sasori pauses, notes then the powder residue on her lips.

An antidote.

He's been dealing with a medical nin this whole time.

"This ends now!" Sakura slams a fist down, molds the ground beneath her until everything starts to quake.

"Water Release: Tsunami!"

The ground gives way to an explosion of rock and water, waves toppling over every puppet in site.

Chiyo doesn't waste a moment as soon as the water recedes enough, Mother and Father puppets back at Sasori's side once more jabbing at his seal.

And for a second, she sees her grandson once more as his human core bleeds out.

He dryly smiles at her pained look as he dies, gaze twisting to Sakura.

"I...I guess for killing me, you should know that one of my team members has close ties to your village."

'What? Who is he referring to? Itachi or someone else?' Sakura frowns.

A figure drops down beside her before she can dwell on the thought.

Naruto.

No, one of his clones.

He takes in the surrounding damage of split earth and water-logged rocks before peering to her with a nod.

"Not sure what Kakashi-sensei was even worried about y'know; you look okay to me. Plus, you desecrated the area and killed one of the Akatsuki's members."

'Huh, a rare compliment from Naruto.'

She nearly asks how things went on his end, but he's already walked away to inspect the biggest area of destruction.

Chiyo's waves away Sakura's concerned glance, Naruto looked right past her...

Sakura blinks as the clone sidesteps broken puppet pieces, walks right up to Sasori's body to study it closely.

"So, get any intel before he bit the dust here? We managed to capture Deidara alive...for now." The clone mentions aloud.

Sakura walks up beside him.

"Yes, he mentioned something about another Akatsuki member that hails from our village. However, he didn't provide any more details before dying."

The clone snorts, eyes locking to her.

"Konoha? Wonder if he means Sasuke?"

Her fists instantly tighten at her sides hearing their former teammate's name again, tips of her ears burning.

A bemused smile rises to the clone's lips.

"Still in love with him; aren't you? Sakura, if you run into him out in the fields, he will attack you with the intent of killing if you try to stop him."

She roughly slaps a hand to its back dispersing the clone into a puff of air before he can say more.

Ugh, Naruto will be pissed at her for that later.

'No. Not him.' She wants to hiss, tongue in knots.

Anyone but him.

Naruto, Team 7, & Team Gai-Land of Wind Outskirts

"How long has he been dead for?"

Naruto pointedly stares at Lady Chiyo awaiting an answer he already knows, flat look across his features at her shake of her head.

"Naruto, you shouldn't-" Lee starts, Neji tapping his arm with a shake of his head.

"Well? Tell, me how long Gaara's been dead. Any rough estimate will do. I want to know how long Suna has been without their jinchuriki and Kage." He presses.

Chiyo sighs at his stormy look but holds his gaze. "Based on the state of his body's decay; at least 2 or 3 days."

Naruto nods, rocks back on his knees. "Gaara...he once told me that all he received for sacrificial gifts year after year was humans to test his power or leftovers nobody wanted. He didn't even get to live to see adulthood, at least find someone or something that wouldn't make him feel like a complete monster. And that's your fault."

Chiyo says nothing at his berating, at the tears that openly prick at his eyes.

She settles opposite of Gaara's body, nods.

"You're right. I, like so many of my fellow shinobi, thought only of the village first when I placed the One Tail in him. I went along with the sacrificial presents year after year we presented Gaara with without batting an eye to his emotional trauma. And then I quietly retired from missions with my brother."

Black eyes look up to peer into blue.

"That changes now; I will give Gaara the best offering I can and pray you all deal with the rest of the Akatsuki. That Suna will prosper again one day soon."

She rests her hands to the center of Gaara's chest, pours all her chakra in.

'Her life?' Naruto realizes.

The ultimate gift.

He places a hand on her shoulder to steady her and boost her chakra supply as she presses on.

"Heh, I normally like to play possum, but this time is for real. This...This kinjutsu will die with me. I created it originally to give life to puppets. I had hoped one day even to put Sasori's parents' souls into the Mother and Father puppet's bodies, but he lost interest in them too quickly. Ah, there's much I'm leaving left undone, but at least this won't be one of them." Chiyo murmurs as her vision darkens.

Naruto nods. "Thank you for this Lady Chiyo."

She chuckles lightly in return. "Ah, so you do have manners Kid."

'I hope wherever you are Sasori, that you've found peace.'

Sakura catches her body as she slumps forward, right as Gaara's eyes slowly reopen.

Naruto grins at his stunned look, surrounded by his siblings and groups of shinobi that had been assigned to look for him.

He gives a low bow to Chiyo's fallen form, gestures around him.

"Welcome back. There's much you need to get caught up on."

Sakura & Kakashi-Konoha Interrogation Cell/Prison

'It smells like sweat and blood.'

Sakura wrinkles her nose; nausea burns at the pit of her stomach walking these damp halls at this time of night, only the low creak of the pipes filling the air. Ibiki and Inoichi have gotten little out of probing the former Iwa nin, Deidara as stony as the village he hails from.

"Hmm, just kill me already! I'm already used to genjutsu and people trying to find out the secrets to my art! Or are you lot so weak and worried in doing so I'll trigger one last bang?"

She's been assigned to heal his injuries after Tsunade gave her initial head to toe assessment back in the main Interrogation team, instructed them on how to keep him properly chained up without losing any more of his skin to necrosis.

He'd hung between life and death those first few days, fevers and infections that ravaged his organs enough to send him into shock more than once.

But in watching Tsunade heal him, she too has learned how to tune out his long-winded talks of how he'll kill each of them one by one once he's fully escaped.

"If you need an additional escort, all you have to do is say the word." Kakashi advises as they walk up to the jail, taking her out of her thoughts.

Sakura shakes her head, glad at least he's here to help her endure this long night shift.

"No, well, maybe. I'm getting good experience treating these prisoners. People forget how easy it is for a shinobi to become depressed or have a mental breakdown after any type of mission. I can use this knowledge with Lady Tsunade on how to gear future treatment plans and medication."

Kakashi hums, smiles lightly beneath his mask.

His Father could've probably benefitted from these new medicines they've been testing out on their most difficult patients. But then again, it wouldn't have stopped the scathing comments he constantly seemed to get behind his back before choosing to turn his blade on himself...

He pats at her shoulder as they reach a fork in the unit. "Send me the signal the second you see anything out of the ordinary. I'm stuck here on guard duty until 6:00 am with you and the other security personnel."

Sakura nods, waves back as he goes to westbound section of the prison, heads opposite to Kayuko for shift change report.

"...Deidara's been unusually quiet today. Not sure if it's because he was drugged sky high with sedatives in order to cleanse and check all those wounds put into him. Not that they've improved much from yesterday or the day before that." She chortles with a grin at Sakura's arrival.

She nudges her side as she reviews the chart with her. "Hey, is it true the jinchuriki or err Naruto attacked him like this?!"

Sakura shrugs, not in the mood to further spread gossip that she knows will go outside these prison walls. Especially when she knows Kayuko is someone who actively behind closed doors continues to disparage Lord Third on why he even allowed for Naruto to become a shinobi, that Hinata's failing in her sacrificial duties for this incident to even have happened.

"Supposedly. I wasn't there to witness the full brunt of the attack."

Kayuko's grin tightens at her curt tone, points to Deidara's latest lab results from an hour ago. "Well, his hemoglobin hasn't improved much even with receiving 3 units of blood. White blood cell count is still pretty elevated, not sure what type of antibiotics can actually touch whatever modifications he's done to his body. Good luck tonight."

Sakura watches the older nurse walk away, blows out a breath.

'Let's get this over with.'

The night trudges on slowly, anti-anxiety and sleep aids given to the most restless inmates while the shinobi found illegally within the Land of Fire's border get continual shots of caffeine until they confess their true purposes for being in Konoha.

Deidara doesn't even look at her when she takes his vitals again shortly after 4:00 am.

That is until her guard Umeki abruptly collapses to the ground.

The room gets a degree hotter, Sakura stepping forward for him only to feel the tip of a blade at her neck.

"Don't move Sakura."

That voice.

'No. This must be some imposter.'

Anger overcomes upset, instantly ducks herself low before he can jab the blade in, stomps the ground as the figure dodges the blast of cement and fist she launches for them.

She unleashes a flower bomb, fumes keeping back whoever this is for now.

It isn't just Umeki, all the nearby guards in the area have dropped like flies. For someone to have gotten through all their security measures in place...

Her stomach tilts. 'Genjutsu.'

Viridian meets onyx, nausea bouncing right up to the back of her throat.

Sasuke really is here in the village, now of all times.

'Kakashi-sensei. What is going on?!'

Her warning of danger would be to form a sequence of cracks in the ground plus a spray of gardenia and hyacinth into the air. She clenches her teeth if he'll be able to see her silent message in the rolling dark, at least should be able to pick up on the scents.

"Why are you here?!" Sakura instantly pressures him, Sasuke gazes past her to Deidara's snickering. He avoids meeting her gaze fully, breaks out of upended earth before she can attempt another crush of his legs.

"...This doesn't involve you. Stay out of it." He dryly answers.

Sakura assesses him frostily, lightning crackling in his hands poised for her chest.

She pushes him anyways, grins tauntingly.

"Has Orochimaru dappled in research regarding the flower poisons you've just breathed in? Probably not since his preferred method is experimentation on humans with unique abilities. That's all he is to you, a body for his eventual taking. I'm sure your revenge plans can get passed along to Deidara here regarding your brother."

Sasuke says nothing, but his expression darkens to match her own.

Deidara breaks the tension, shifts his body rattling his chains.

"About time you got here and broke me out of this shithole; leave your lovers spat for another time! That sharingan of yours isn't the hot shit you and your brother make it out to be with how long you took." He snaps.

Crimson spins to life in his eyes, Deidara beaming right back even as Sakura blocks his path.

"Hey, we both have the same target in mind Sasuke: find Itachi."

Sakura forms a barrier, screech of the alarms ringing out thankfully above.

Good, in less than a minute, she'll have backup.

'If I can just keep these two away from each other until more people arrive.'

Her heart thunders in her ears, pressing on despite this closed space and limited time, despite the hundreds of questions flittering about her mind she desperately wants to ask...

"Earth Release: Rock Flow Wave!"

Sasuke jumps back, raises up a hand.

"Fire Release: Fire Bullets!"

Flames turn cement and rock molten, melting from the heat.

"Sakura! What's going on in there?!" Kakashi's voice bellows out, clearing a path via a vortex of water to join her side. His eye widens a fraction to see Sasuke here too, the way he is too close to Deidara's chains.

Deidara prattles on, Sasuke never losing his attention.

"So, what'd you say we temporarily join forces to find that brother of yours Sasuke?"

-x-

I would say Sakura and Chiyo's sections were the hardest to write in changing up canon. Additionally, it's hard to write SasuSaku for me in this story considering all the tension between them. Good thing NaruHina will be the major focus again in these coming sections lol.

What shows have you guys been watching? For anime I've been watching Blue Box and Dandadan and of course, the new season of Arcane just came out too!

As always, pa-tre-ons get early access to chapters, NSFW stuff, extra couples I write about, and my original writing. I've started a new romance/mystery/thriller regarding a dark academia and gangs! I go by TheLovelyMidnightWriter there!

Let me know your thoughts as always!

Enjoy. Review. Favorite. Follow!