Front of The Hidden Sand Village - A giant rubble is blocking the entrance

Amidst the vast expanse of shifting sands, a sense of unease hung heavy in the air. The once-proud Sand Village now stood shrouded in mystery and danger, its entrance obscured by an imposing heap of rubble. In the searing heat of the desert sun, a group of dedicated Sand Shinobi were currently investigating the giant rubble that was obstructing the entrance of their village. Between them were two large walls of rock. Multiple Sand Ninjas were present, and they were currently checking on the rubble, while some of them were removing the large rocks to see what was potentially underneath. To their surprise, they found multiple paper bombs attached in different locations. They were careful to lift the rocks that covered the paper bombs while also not detonating it at the same time. One shinobi lifted a large rock with his two hands like it was nothing and put it aside, before glancing behind his shoulder and informing, "There's a paper bomb left here, too!"

Responding to the call of their fellow, two agile shinobi sprang into action, landing beside their comrade who had made the unsettling discovery. Their eyes were now fixated on the paper bomb. The newcomer, positioned to the left of the informant, examined the device with a discerning eye and commented, "It's a type that explodes the instant it's peeled off. We'll just have to detonate it."

"I see…" the shinobi on the right side said, before facing towards a group of shinobi investigating another area of the rubble, and instructed, "We're detonating a paper bomb! Stop working and take cover!"

Later, the three shinobi set up a long metal string that they attached to the paperbomb. With care, they strung the metallic string across the rugged terrain, its end tethered to the paper bomb. The wire snaked around the wall's corner, disappearing from sight. The shinobi, who was holding the other end of the string with his right hand, and looked ready to pull it off, said, "Let's do this."

His comrade, distinguished by dark sunglasses that masked his eyes, offered a silent nod.

In a fluid motion, the shinobi holding the wire shifted, his back pressing against the rough surface of a nearby boulder—a shield against what was to come. With a deliberate pull, the wire tensed and then snapped forward, before triggering the paper bomb. In that moment, the paper bomb erupted, its fury unleashed in a thunderous explosion. In the process, it also detonated the other paper bombs present in the area, causing even more explosions.

KABOOM!

With Naruto and the others - Near the Sand Village

Naruto was running towards the Sand Village with his hands flailing a bit behind him. As he was running towards the Sand Village, he saw an explosion take place in the distance. With a concerned and alarmed look on his face, he jumped ahead around twenty feet into the air before shouting, "Gaara!"

Meanwhile, Goku, Kakashi, and Sakura were following the blond ninja. As they were doing so, Kakashi widened his eyes slightly in surprise as he watched Goku who was ahead of him. He was impressed and surprised by his running speed. Goku was running much faster than Kakashi and Sakura! "That speed…" he then began to remember about his late sensei, Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage.

Goku caught up with Naruto and asked while running beside him with a serious look on his face, "An explosion! Looks like the village might be in danger!" and with that, he sped forward even further ahead, before reaching the entrance of the Sand Village in an instant, shocking and surprising Naruto in the process.

"So fast!" Naruto was shocked, but continued to run ahead as fast as he could.

Back with the Sand Shinobi

A cloud of smoke had erupted after all the paper bombs had been detonated. Once the cloud of smoke and dust cleared, a man with orange gi emerged into the scene, alarming the ninjas in the process. One of the ninjas jumped into the air, before landing around thirty feet away from Goku. With a suspicious look on his face, he demanded, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"Is this place in trouble? I just saw an explosion take place here." Goku said.

The Sand Shinboi narrowed his eyes at Goku and began to wonder just who the hell this man was. Certainly it couldn't be a Hidden Leaf Shinobi, as it would take few days time for the Leaf Ninjas to arrive here. More and more Sand Shinobis noticed what was going on, and positioned themselves for potential battle. Some even drew out their kunais. The Sand Shinobi currently talking to Goku questioned, "State your purpose."

However, before Goku could answer, the Sand Shinobi noticed more people heading his way behind Goku. At first, he was about to draw a kunai, thinking that they were potentially enemies. However, to his surprise, he noticed the leaf headbands on their foreheads. They were Leaf Shinobi! They were already here?! The scroll containing the emergency message was sent not too long ago, so it should have taken at least a few days to reach their village! How were they already here?! "W-Wait a minute… Leaf Shinobi?!"

The other ninjas who had positioned themselves for potential battle, widened their eyes slightly in shock as they watched Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura arrive at the scene. Naruto burst into the scene and said, "Where's Gaara?"

The ninja who was talking to Goku earlier took a few steps forward hesitantly before asking, "You guys are… leaf shinobi? How did you get here so fast?"

Kakashi took two steps forward before answering, "I'm Kakashi Hatake. This man named Goku managed to take us here fast using his jutsu." as he pointed over at Goku.

"Jutsu?" Goku was baffled.

Kakashi sighed. It would be too complicated to explain to the Sand Ninjas about Ki now. Moreover, they had more important matters to deal with. Kakashi then asked the sand ninja, "We have come here to rescue the Kazekage. Where have they potentially taken Gaara?"

The Sand Ninja found himself enveloped in a cloud of uncertainty. The arrival of the Leaf Village reinforcements had cast a shadow of bewilderment over his face, leaving him to ponder how fate had conspired to bring them over here so quickly. Kakashi, the copycat ninja, had mentioned that it was Goku's jutsu that had gotten here. A jutsu that can travel almost instantaneously? He had never heard of such a thing before, except for 4th Hokage's technique. Yet, like a desert storm that rages only to relent, he swiftly shook off his stupor, his unwavering determination radiating through his gaze.

"Follow me," he instructed, his voice unwavering. "Baki would like to see you first." His eyes then drifted toward Goku, a figure clad in foreign attire. Furrowing his brow, he questioned, "Is he also a ninja of the Leaf? I don't see him wearing The Leaf Village headband..." The weight of the moment, however, bore down upon him, and he understood that inquiries could wait. "Alright... Questions shall come later. For now, follow us."

With a solemn nod, Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura fell in line behind the Sand Ninja, with Goku quitely following the group. However, he felt some sort of excitement as he began to wonder in his mind, "Who's Baki? Man, this planet is filled with ninjas! Can't wait to learn potential new techniques from them!"

As the Sand Ninja led the way, a procession of intrigue trailed in their wake. Goku in this arid landscape, drew the collective gaze of the silent onlookers. Eyes veiled in curiosity followed his every step, as they began to wonder who the man was in their parched territory.

To be continued…