He awoke beneath the full moon's blue-white illumination. The desert was silent around him, an empty expanse emblematic of the feelings in his heart now that Yashamaru—
"You don't need him."
He clutched his head with small hands, fingertips caressing the fresh tattoo above his left eye. There was a voice – high-pitched, saccharine – cooing in his head. Wide teal eyes focused on the tiny flecks of some shiny metal gleaming in the moonlight. Gold… There had been an altercation with his father then—
"You don't need him either."
"Who…are you?" he whispered.
"I am the only one who will never leave you," murmured the voice. "The only one left you can rely upon. The one who will love you no matter what."
Gaara winced, frazzled mind searching for an answer in an evening filled with bombshells. "Mother?" he whispered, latching onto the one person he'd never met, the one he'd always hoped would support him. Yashamaru's words from earlier seemed like they'd been uttered years ago.
"Yes, dear," came the cooing response. "Trust in Mother."
-l-l-l-
Utakata collapsed on his bed, the toll of his adventure finally wearing on him. His confrontation with Tsunade, inevitable as it had been, had dragged under her clipped tone and quest for details, especially when he'd mentioned the run-in with Akatsuki. At the end of his tale, she and the silent man with long, sand-colored hair (who the Kiri-nin vaguely recognized as a frequent visitor to the compound) had apparently been satisfied with his recollection, and he'd been dismissed with the twin raitō Kiba still in his possession.
Now, after several days of travel and fighting, his physical and emotional equilibria desperate for stability, he was ready for a long rest.
Bang!
"Utakata-nii-ssu!"
He lifted his head off his pillow just enough to spy Fū appear around the doorframe with panic clear in her orange eyes. Most of her usual shinobi outfit was gone, leaving her in just a ratty t-shirt two sizes too large. At least she wasn't practically catatonic this time, like she'd been when faced with Kakuzu, he mused. "What's wrong?"
"Gaara's gone!"
That forced him into a sitting position, drowsiness buried beneath alarm. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"
"I could feel him on the roof," she explained hurriedly, "and then a bunch of strange chakra signatures came next to him, and then I couldn't sense him anymore-ssu!"
Utakata jumped off his bed, ice running down his spine. Akatsuki… It had to be; somehow, they must have recognized Gaara in the Land of Rivers, or followed up on his own partial transformation, and now they'd decided to capitalize on the Jinchūriki's unpreparedness. It was too much of a coincidence. "Fū, get Rōshi and Han—"
"What's goin' on?"
Naruto, rubbing sleep from his eyes and dressed in a light blue button-down shirt and matching cotton pajama pants, had appeared in the doorway. Fū slipped around him and left with only the brunet's half-spoken instructions. "Naruto, Gaara's been taken. Find Tsunade and—"
"No!" Now he seemed wide awake, blue eyes determined, "Let's go and—"
"Naruto, tell Tsunade. I know you want to help, but you need permission to leave the village, and we can't risk pissing her off again." More than we will, he added silently. The blond scowled at the older boy for a long moment until the Kiri-nin again urged, "Go!", and he took off. Utakata quickly scanned his room for any supplies he would need. Grabbing his bubble blower and chakra-infused solution, he rushed outside and into the courtyard, where Fū met him in her usual white skirt and sleeveless top. "Rōshi?" he probed.
Fū shook her head. "He said it's not his problem. Han didn't answer."
Utakata grit his teeth, casting aspersions on the Iwa-nin in his head. He worried his bottom lip, golden eyes flickering between the compound and the open road beyond the village walls. Trying to convince the redhead that he was selfish and wrong would likely go nowhere; the Four-Tails' Jinchūriki was nothing if not stubborn, and Gaara could rapidly be running out of time. "We need to go. Hopefully Naruto can convince Tsunade to send backup. Can you track them?"
"Mm-hm."
"Then lead the way."
-l-l-l-
The forest was haunting at night, even with the light of the nearly full moon filtering through the canopy. Their frenetic pace kept the brunet's kimono billowing behind him, drowning out the nearby sound of a hooting owl and the scratching of other nocturnal creatures skittering across tree branches. Utakata could hear his own heartbeat above everything else.
Golden eyes rapidly flickered around, alert for any ambush even though Fū would surely inform him of one before it ever happened. A flood of anxiety that was becoming uncomfortably familiar was coursing through his veins. Was Gaara alive? Why had Akatsuki decided to strike now? Could they save him, especially with just the two of them?
"Utakata-nii…" Fū's voice was a whisper in the night, tentative and scared. "We're catching up. What are we gonna do-ssu?"
He was silent for a long moment, trying to formulate a plan for the unknown on the fly. "Our only advantage is the fact that they don't know we're coming. We'll have to take them by surprise." The Kiri-nin thought of Kisame, and Samehada, and everything he knew about an S-class shinobi the likes of the swordsman. He brought a hand to his forehead and attempted to rub away the growing impossibility of the mission ahead. "Somehow."
Fū shot a glance backwards, but with his eyes shadowed by his hand, her concern went unnoticed. "…Things'll be okay, right? We'll get Gaara back…"
He briefly considered lying and then immediately shut the thought down; souring their relationship, which was on the upswing, would cost more than admitting the truth. "We're going to try, that's for sure."
The silence closed in again, oppressive and cloying. Utakata's fingers twiddled about his bubble blower, twirling the instrument agitatedly as he considered possible offensive measures. Akatsuki's abilities were such a huge unknown that the brunet wasn't sure there was a viable strategy he could come up with that would survive first contact without again resorting to Saiken's power.
A long sigh escaped his lips. Now that there was nothing to focus on but the mission, things seemed bleak. He cursed Rōshi and Han in his mind, their propensity for selfishness a scourge to his plans. They'd been operating in relative harmony for long enough now that he sometimes forgot the two Iwa-nin were not necessarily on board with his cooperative agenda to rescue Yagura.
He shook his head as if to rattle the uncharitable thoughts from his brain; that was the surest way to end up in a spiral of depression that would do nothing but distract him. Gaara needed his full attention if they were to save him.
"They stopped. At this pace, we're five minutes behind." There was a pause, and Fū's orange eyes found his. "What's the plan?"
"I'm going to trap them, you're going to get Gaara out, and then we're going to hit them with everything we've got."
"Will that work?"
"We'll find out."
Eventually, an orange glow from ahead threw their shadows into long relief. The two Jinchūriki slowed to find cover in the dark. It spoke of Akatsuki's arrogance that they were willing to stop and light a huge campfire in the middle of the Land of Fire without fear of reprisal from Konoha. He caught Fū's gaze and made a sweeping gesture with his arm. She nodded, disappearing into the depths of the surrounding forest where the growth was too thick for the firelight to pierce. The Kiri-nin peered around the tree he was hidden behind, taking stock of the four figures spread around the flames, and some fifth object lying nearby on the ground. Gaara… He waited another 30 seconds for the Nanabi Jinchūriki to get into position, dunked his bamboo blower into solution, and then brought it to his lips and expelled a flurry of bubbles.
The spheres floated along the outskirts of the makeshift camp, light flickering off their surfaces. His thumb and middle finger came together in preparation to activate Hōmatsu no Jutsu, the bubbles set to spew sticky green slime over the quartet, when a roar broke the quiet of the camp. A bluish-white serpentine creature ripped through his bubbles before they could explode, and he belatedly triggered the rest, spilling dark ooze around the perimeter of the grove. One of the figures stood up, picking up something beside him and then swinging it in the brunet's direction.
Utakata skipped away just before something heavy slammed through the tree he'd been hiding behind with a sickening crunch, creaking wood collapsing behind him. "You might as well show yourself!" called a young voice. The Kiri-nin grimaced, briefly weighed his options, and then stepped into the clearing, taking stock of those arrayed around the fire.
Nearest to him was a young, slight boy with short blue hair restrained by his angled hitae-ate. A white scarf wrapped around his neck trailed down past a dark sleeveless top and matching pants. In his hand was a tri-pronged sword, like a large sai made of gleaming sapphires. Next to the boy was a huge man wearing a silver breastplate shaped like a tiger's head. Chocolate-colored hair curtained his neck, making his face appear small despite his large size; he wielded what appeared to be a mace, large spikes decorating each face of a metal block.
Beyond them sat two more figures, one a woman with dark hair but bright highlights in her bangs, the other a sallow-looking man with dark, dusky hair. They were too far for the brunet to identify anything more distinguishable, but just the glimpse he had was enough to shift some of his anxiety to relief.
No black cloaks, no red clouds.
It's not Akatsuki.
It didn't change their situation – or the fact that they still had to rescue Gaara – but he felt much better about their chance for success now that he knew they were dealing with some random kidnappers. He couldn't see Fū; she must have still been in hiding, waiting for an opportunity.
One he could still give her.
Chakra built in his chest, fingers flying through seals. Chirōkyū!
White liquid spewed from the Jinchūriki's mouth and crashed into the fire, causing it to burst into a massive conflagration. The four shinobi jumped apart to avoid the roaring flames, and then Utakata found himself dodging the mace – which apparently doubled as a flail – followed by the sai-looking sword, its extended blades moving independently, like an octopus' legs covered in glittering gems.
Then the fire he'd fed bent in an unnatural arc towards him, the heat searing against his pale skin. It set the surrounding forest ablaze, forcing the brunet to shield his eyes against rogue embers. Gathering chakra, his cheeks bulged and then expelled a Wild Water Wave in all directions with a turn of his heel.
"Hey, who's that?"
"Kujaku, stop her!"
"Duh, Ryūgan. Senmōfū!"
Wind whistled around them, and Utakata threw up an arm to shield his face from the effect of the Rotating Ferocious Wind technique. A surprised yelp made its way to his ears, and he glanced around to find Fū righting herself several dozen yards to his left. She met his gaze, apologetic, and he quirked his lips sadly in response, as if to say, 'it was a good effort'. As one, their eyes turned to the quartet arrayed before them, all wielding some type of weapon. The sallow-looking one, a black broadsword in his grip, demanded, "Who are you?"
"Eh, who cares, Hōki," complained the young, blue-haired boy. "We know what they want, and they can't have 'im. You and Kujaku should take Gaara and go. Suiko and I can take care of 'em."
"You can't have him!" Fū shouted. "Fūton: Daitoppa!"
The sole woman opposite them swung the pair of swords gripped in her hands. "Kazekiri no Jutsu!"
Fū's Great Breakthrough sputtered and died in the face of the Wind Cutter Technique, and Utakata sped through hand seals to summon an aquifer flowing beneath them. "Suiton: Suijinheki!"
Water erupted from the ground in a wide wall that shielded the two Jinchūriki from the incoming zephyr. The wind sent droplets spraying into the air from the Water Formation Wall, though the barrier held up until a serpentine creature crashed through it, its V-shaped head slamming into the Kiri-nin.
Utakata grunted at the impact, the blow throwing him backwards against a tree. He grit his teeth against the pain, glowering at the cause; the sky blue-colored creature – with its sharp teeth and snake-like body, it reminded the teenager of an eel, or a much more compact version of the Water Dragon Bullet Technique – seemed to jeer back, mocking him.
"Utakata-nii!" Fū kneeled next to him and put a hand on his elbow. "Are you okay?"
"I've dealt with worse." He stood under his own power, shaking the dirt from his kimono. "What is that thing? It moves like a liquid but hits like a solid. Water can do that, if concentrated to a small enough area, but it's still wet; that thing has no other liquid properties other than its fluidity and appearance."
"Not a fan of the Gariantō, huh?" It was the blue-haired boy, his voice too young for its haughtiness. "It is the pinnacle of Takumi's artisanship, so I understand your frustration." The eel-looking thing – the Gariantō, Utakata supposed – retreated to its wielder, swaying to and fro like a hypnotized snake before reverting back into the sai-like sword comprised of individual, sapphire-like fragments.
"Utakata-nii, these guys…I've heard of Takumi. They used to manufacture weapons for the main villages, real high-quality stuff. They've kind of faded into obscurity more recently, but…" she hesitated, orange eyes focused on the strange tools wielded by their enemies, "we should be careful."
"That's enough, Ryūgan." The large man with the mace didn't even glance at his companion, dark eyes watching the two Jinchūriki. Between his physique, armor, and deep, no-nonsense voice, he reminded the brunet of Han. "They don't need to know our cause. Let's crush them and get back to it."
"Fū!" Utakata hissed out the side of his mouth. "You need to go."
"Fine, fine. Have it your way, Suiko."
"But Utakata-nii-ssu—"
"Suiton: Suiwan no Jutsu!" Liquid dredged from the ground affixed itself to the Kiri-nin's limbs, the Water Arms Technique forming long tentacles that batted aside the heavy flail and multiple sword points that came towards him. "You're the only one that can track the two that took Gaara. Find them, beat them, and save him. I've got these two, don't worry about me." He spared her a glance after several seconds; Fū hadn't moved, hesitation apparent in the way she worried her lower lip, and Utakata, sensing their moment slipping away, shouted, "Go!"
She reacted to that, offering him one last look and a nod before leaping into the darkness. There was a shout from the blue-haired boy – Ryūgan – and the eel-like Gariantō swerved to give chase, but the brunet sent the water surrounding his left arm lashing out to strike the transformed sword's serpentine head and send it off-course.
Then the head of the mace rocketed through his defenses and smashed into his right shoulder.
Utakata barely heard the crunch of bone as his clavicle broke over his own pained howl. The Water Arms Technique collapsed, blood spilling over the brunet's blue kimono and through the fingers of the hand that came up to clutch at the wound. Heavy footsteps caused the Kiri-nin to look up into the impassive visage of the giant Takumi-nin, Suiko. "That was disappointing."
The teenager grimaced in response. It's not over yet. He spread his chakra through the ground, reaching for the aquifer he'd pulled from earlier. Suiton: Suigadan!
A spiral of water drilled up through the ground to impale Suiko, but the large man held up an arm, a bracer hidden by his loose sleeves deflecting the attack. The red eyes of the tiger-head armor glowed for several seconds – garnets gleaming in the night – and then faded, the Water Fang Bullet losing its cohesion and collapsing just like his Water Arms had.
"It was a valiant attempt," Suiko said, "but the Mugen Kōgai will stop your chakra." He lifted his foot and slammed the booted heel into – and through – the brunet's head.
The copy burst into greenish liquid and splashed over the large shinobi's boot, eliciting a disgusted frown. He gazed into the hole the teenager's body had been concealing, and after several seconds of examination, lifted his leg to examine a tickling sensation in his foot. The boot he'd used to destroy the Acid Clone was dissolving before his eyes; he shucked it aside and turned around, scanning the surroundings for any sign of the Mist shinobi.
"Where'd he go?"
"Underground, I suspect."
He's discerning, the Jinchūriki mused from beneath them, sitting in a burrow etched out by his acid, but arrogant. He couldn't imagine someone like Rōshi or Han, who had power to spare and had thrown him around enough times to prove it, to give away the secrets of their techniques with a minor shift in momentum. The good news seemed to be that neither of his opponents were proficient with Earth Release ninjutsu, otherwise he would have been discovered by now; the bad news was that he needed to reengage or risk them going after Fū.
His chakra spread through the earth, saturating the underground. When it had seeped outward in a 50-foot radius, he focused on moving his hands into the correct seals, biting his tongue against the pain of his broken collarbone as he flipped from Snake to Boar. San-Sō!
The earth disintegrated in an instant, the Vat of Acid technique transforming his surroundings into a pool of hissing liquid. Chakra applied to the Kiri-nin's feet buoyed him atop the fluid as everything around him dissolved.
"Ooo, well isn't that a neat trick."
Ryūgan was crouched on a tree bough over 100 feet away. His head was cocked to the side, emerald eyes speculative. Utakata watched the boy, keeping an eye on the serpentine Garian Sword as it swayed back and forth like a metronome.
The brunet pirouetted to avoid the flail flying in his direction, returning to his previous position in time to meet the open maw of the eel-like creature. Razor-sharp teeth bit into his left arm, blood blossoming along the blue of his kimono. Teeth grit in pain, his golden eyes met the green ones of the transformed weapon, his limb a bone in the jowls of a dog. With a thought, the chakra covering his body fell away, allowing the Rokubi's mucus to erode the creature's teeth.
Experience told the brunet it should have taken seconds for the pain in his arm to recede, his acidic skin eating through the transformed sword. Moments passed, and the serpentine creature only seemed to grin maliciously at him before lightning coursed along its length. His shriek mingled with Ryūgan's laughter, and then the mace that crashed into his sternum carried him outside the radius of his Vat of Acid technique.
"Had enough?" called Ryūgan.
"Your resilience is commendable," Suiko noted.
Utakata kept an eye on the pair as the larger man approached him, the blow from his weapon having dislodged the eel-like creature. This isn't going well.
"Konoha Senpū!"
A green blur zoomed past the Kiri-nin and hit Suiko with its foot extended. The attack sent the giant skidding back a short distance, and Utakata's savior landed between them with feet planted firmly and arms arranged in a ready stance. "You shall cause no more harm while I am here!" he announced.
Utakata recognized the exuberant voice before he registered the one-piece green jumpsuit and orange legwarmers protecting him. "You're one of Naruto's friends."
"Yes! Naruto-kun was most insistent on our assistance."
"Legally, I hope," the brunet muttered.
"We are here at the Hokage's behest, if that's what you mean," intoned another voice. Utakata craned his neck upwards to spy a dark-haired boy with white eyes, as well as a girl with brown hair pulled into twin buns that mimicked bear ears.
"Look Suiko, more main village shinobi!" Ryūgan sounded gleeful. "Now we can really show off Takumi's strength." The blue-haired boy stood up, the sapphire-looking segments of the Garian Sword sparkling. He paused for a moment, then let out a 'huh?', body frozen in place.
"Kagemane no Jutsu, success."
"Flies," grunted Suiko, "coming out of the woodwork." He threw his flail towards the two Konoha-nin, forcing them to scatter, then charged the green-clad boy. The Mist renegade watched them exchange blows for a moment, seemingly evenly matched despite their size disparity, before the long-haired boy slipped behind the giant's guard and quickly stabbed at him with his fingers.
From his periphery, Utakata caught Ryūgan's sword transform into its serpentine form, emerald eyes glinting with malice. It shot forward, unencumbered by whatever was restraining its wielder, sharp teeth opened to catch either of the boys unaware, and the Jinchūriki yelled a warning that was cut off by an authoritative voice barking, "Ino, now!"
"Shintenshin no Jutsu!"
The blue dragon froze feet from the green-clad boy's back, and Ryūgan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Just in time." He dropped the sword, which transformed back into its tri-pointed form before hitting the ground. "Whenever you're ready!"
Utakata watched as the brunette girl appeared beside Ryūgan and slid a blade into his ribcage. The boy's body plummeted to the earth, his crash eliciting a soft whump that caught the attention of his larger companion. The other two boys took advantage of his distraction, the green-clad boy's heel driving into Suiko's chin while the brunet delivered palm strikes to the back of his knees. As he fell to his knees, Utakata heard a cry of, "Nikudan Hari Sensha!" before an enlarged sphere crashed onto the Takumi-nin from above, sending clouds of dust spinning into the air with its rotation. When the Spiked Meatball Tank finally ceased its rotation, a slightly pudgy boy in a green haori bounced backwards from the impact spot, lengths of wire looped through the handles of countless kunai falling slack with the lack of mass supporting them. The large Takumi-nin's unmoving body was buried within a semicircular divot.
The Kiri-nin blinked, impressed by their efficiency, even if they'd had an easier time outnumbering the two Takumi-nin three to one. "Well…" he said, clambering to his feet, "you have my gratitude."
"Ooo, this thing's kinda neat." The bun-haired girl straightened from where she'd bent down, the glistening Gariantō in her grip. Beside her, the exuberant boy in green was examining the weapon with curious eyes.
The long-haired boy stepped closer, followed by another boy with his hair held in a high spiked ponytail, the chubby boy, and a girl with shoulder-length platinum blonde hair. It was the second boy, with the strange hairstyle, who spoke next, timbre uninspired. "You look like you could use some help."
"True," Utakata admitted. Now that the adrenaline of the fight was wearing off, his injuries were becoming more apparent. "But I'm more concerned with my…associates."
"The Hokage sent more than just us as backup. You can relax. I doubt we have sufficient expertise to deal with the extent of your injuries, but…Ino, Chōji, think you can do something?"
"I've got some pills that might help," offered the boy in the green haori.
"Tsunade-sama hasn't taught me much, but maybe I can do something." The blonde girl approached and held up her hands to his injuries; Utakata flinched away from her reach, and Ino startled in response. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"It's not…you shouldn't touch me."
She caught his gaze, and for a moment, he felt transfixed by her pupil-less seafoam eyes, strikingly similar to Gaara's but swimming with emotion. "I don't have to," she replied, voice soft, and when he nodded his consent, the green glow that encompassed her hands illuminated a rosy flush across her porcelain cheeks.
As her chakra took the edge off the worst of his ails, Utakata looked back up at the spiky-haired boy, finding him in quiet conversation with his white-eyed companion. Finally, the latter nodded, and with a curt, "Lee, Tenten," they left in the same direction Fū had departed. "You're all very young to have been recruited for this mission," the Kiri-nin observed. "Numbers notwithstanding."
"Shikamaru's a Chūnin," Chōji defended, placing a pill into Ino's outstretched hand.
"I suppose that's something." He didn't like that his assumptions of late were so off, that the panic of losing one of their own to the most likely culprit – Akatsuki – had forced him to drastic, unplanned action. Of their group, he was supposed to be the calm one, the leader, as Fū and Gaara had dubbed him.
He needed to be better. Do better.
Utakata stepped away from Ino, gesturing that he was fine even though it was clear his body was still broken. "I need to go."
Shikamaru's perceptive eyes narrowed. "The Hokage asked that we accompany any non-hostiles back to the village."
"I'll deal with Tsunade when this mission is over. Gaara and Fū—"
His body froze, words halted at the surprise of losing control. Shikamaru's hands were held in the sign of the Rat. "I'm afraid I must insist."
-l-l-l-
Fū raced after the two Takumi-nin, desperate to catch them. She wasn't too surprised that Utakata wasn't familiar with the Village of Artisans; unless you were a merchant or weapons distributor, there wasn't much direct contact with it. Takigakure, as a minor village willing to look for alternative ways to increase its strength, had dealt with the craftsmen more frequently than those from the major villages, and Fū, as the Waterfall's (former) overseer, was familiar enough with watching them get trooped through Taki's entrances to eventually recognize their insignia.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't worried about Utakata; the brunet had already seemed out of his depth when she'd left, and it was unlikely that the situation would improve with her departure. Then again, he had just escaped Akatsuki, and those Hidden Mist shinobi, so it was possible she was underestimating him, especially since the two Takumi-nin probably weren't on the level of ninja her fellow Jinchūriki had dealt with, but…
She still didn't like it.
Unfortunately, he was also right that they couldn't get so distracted as to leave Gaara on his own, so she'd replaced her misgivings with trust in the older boy.
She could sense the two Takumi-nin up ahead, setting a decent pace that slightly lagged her own. Resolve to free her friend boosted her forward, and when they finally came into view, the Waterfall kunoichi wrapped herself in winds and propelled herself forward with a whispered, "Fūton: Kazaguruma Kōgeki."
The Windmill Strike pushed air from her hands and feet, sending her into a cartwheel intended to intercept the two Takumi-nin. Just before Fū reached her target, the Artisan kunoichi turned around and slashed at the air with her twin swords. "Senmōfū!"
Fū sliced through the incoming Rotating Ferocious Wind, her momentum slowed enough to give her two targets time to separate. She released her technique and used chakra to stick herself to a tree trunk ahead of them, staring the pair down with hard eyes. "You're not goin' anywhere. Give Gaara back!"
"Sorry, girly," spoke the man holding her friend on his back, "no can do." He reached back, hand going to the hilt of the black broadsword he'd used earlier.
"Hōki, leave this to me." The woman quickly proving to be the bane of Fū's existence brandished both shortswords at her. "You have to complete the mission."
"Hmph. Very well. She's all yours, Kujaku." Hōki turned to leave, and Fū quickly summoned wind to her fist that she aimed at him, releasing a miniature tempest. The Artisan kunoichi dove in front of the attack, slashing through it with her blades and sending it back at its conjurer. Fū moved to avoid it, and when she had found purchase elsewhere, the male Takumi-nin was gone.
As was Gaara.
She could sense their chakra disappearing to the east and made to go after them, but was waylaid by a zephyr that nearly blew her off her perch. "You're not going anywhere," Kujaku said.
"I will when you're outta the way," Fū shot back, fingers twisting through seals. "Fūton: Hikōkaze!"
A massive cyclone sprang up between them to lift her higher into the canopy, obscuring the area with swirling leaves.
"Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!"
She could feel the chakra released from the pair of shortswords, the way the Wind Cutter Technique sliced through her Flying Locust Wind and killed its updraft. A quick application of chakra propelled her to a nearby branch, and then she was forced to release it to avoid the advancing Takumi-nin. The older kunoichi's blades cleaved through the bough the Jinchūriki had just vacated, and Fū twisted in the air, wind swirling around her right leg that blasted towards Kujaku with a kick. "Fūton: Senpūashi!"
Another slash of the swords sent the Whirlwind Foot back at its maker, and a quick Violent Wind Palm pushed her down, out of the way of the redirected attack. She landed with a crunch on the forest floor, leaves crushed beneath her feet, and looked up at the Artisan kunoichi. How's she doing this?
The Takumi-nin's high-pitched laugher caused her to scowl. "You can't beat me," she called. "The Fujaku Hishō Shōken I created amplifies my own Fūton nature to such a level that I can negate any other wind-based attacks." She leveled the Weaklessness Soaring Shortswords so they pointed directly at the green-haired girl. "Gōkūhō!"
Fū sensed the chakra thrumming along the weapons and coalescing in the tips before being released in a series of short, powerful bursts. She dodged the first discharge, coughing when the condensed wind bullet hit the ground with a heavy whump, kicking up dust and debris.
The next slug of wind slammed into her sternum and laid her flat on her back.
She grunted with the blow as the Great Vacuum Cannon rained more invisible projectiles on her position. Most struck the earth around her, further obscuring the battlefield, and the green-haired girl instinctively curled into a fetal position to create a smaller target, yipping when one slug crashed into her knee.
After another 30 seconds of weathering the hail of wind bullets, soaking several more hits in the process, the assault ended, and Fū stumbled to her feet amidst her opponent's crowing laughter. Orange eyes glared baleful holes through the Artisan-nin. The older kunoichi's blasé attitude and sheer ease at nullifying any wind-related offensive was just a reminder of her uselessness in the last several fights, her fright in the face of Kakuzu's mere appearance and inability to rescue Gaara both debilitating blows to her confidence.
Utakata always fought to persevere, even in the face of overwhelming odds, but the brunet had access to the power of his Bijū, an ability she sorely lacked. Then again, Naruto had the same spirit, and he didn't know how to use his Tailed Beast's chakra; Gaara, too, by his own admission, was training while handicapped and unwilling to accept defeat, drawing inspiration from Naruto.
She was no different; or at least, she was striving not to be. If her fellow Jinchūriki, her only friends, could fight despite the odds stacked against them, then there was no reason she couldn't either.
Wind swirled around her fists, and she punched them both forward with a shouted, "Fūton: Kōha Reppūken!"
Twin vortexes spiraled from her limbs, the twisters combining into a massive cyclone that ripped leaves and branches from their trees. Kujaku brought her two blades together, holding them as if they were a single blade, and swung at the incoming attack. "Kaze Gaeshi!"
A single slash sent the green-haired girl's own attack soaring back at her, and Fū used more wind to push herself out of the impact zone, the returned Hardliner Gale Fist still blowing her off her feet. "Give up, girly, you can't beat me."
"Gatsūga!"
Fū watched two grey twisters spiral towards the Takumi-nin, who deflected them with a wave of the swords and a summoned whirlwind. Kiba? she wondered, the boy's chakra familiar as he and a clone found purchase on a nearby bough. With her sensory abilities active again, two more chakra presences – both vaguely recognizable, although far more obscure to her than the dog-nin's – entered her awareness, the gentler of the two alighting before her with hands held up in a guarded position.
With a dual-slash, Kujaku sent out another Senmōfū. Fū felt Kiba and his clone escape the impact area, but the girl before her remained mostly unmoved, her arms seeming to windmill around her, chakra building around them. The former Taki-nin found herself mesmerized by her protector's movements, barely catching the other girl's whispered, "Shugohakke Rokujūyon Shō."
Chakra formed a protective barrier in front of them, to the Jinchūriki's senses a defensive latticework that the Rotating Ferocious Wind broke against, breezes wisping through both girls' short hair. With a smooth, practiced motion, the Leaf kunoichi's chakra sliced through the pair of shortswords from over a hundred feet away, severing blades from hilts, and Fū could sense the dumbfounded confusion rolling through the Takumi-nin as she stared at the neutered weapons.
The hum of hundreds of insects filled the clearing, darkness overtaking Kujaku's form. She screamed as they crawled from her legs to her torso, and then Kiba came barreling in from behind with a shout: "Tsūga!"
Kujaku crashed to the ground amid a mess of black beetles, and Fū could only watch as they consumed her form. "Her chakra will soon be depleted," announced a baritone voice, its owner stepping out from the shadows.
"Geez, Shino, sound a bit more excited, huh?" Kiba was walking towards them, his clone loping out of the forest and transforming back into the small white dog Fū remembered from their first encounter. "We totally kicked ass!"
"We should not be overconfident—"
"Um, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun, maybe we should—"
"Hi, yeah, sorry to interrupt, but…" Fū's orange eyes flitted among the three Konoha-nin arranged around her, finally settling on Kiba, whom she was most familiar with. "What're you guys doin' here?"
"Mission from the Hokage. Somethin' about Naruto and village safety?"
Shino's frown could barely be seen over the high collar of his thigh-length white-grey jacket. "More specifically, we were tasked with—"
Kiba flapped a hand in his teammate's direction. "I doubt she cares about the details, Shino. Shikamaru's in charge, so whatever. I'm just glad I was finally able to return the favor."
"Gaara's still in trouble—"
"Naruto-kun went ahead to save him."
Fū's senses found the blond even as the dark-haired girl before her explained the heading she'd given him. His chakra was nearing Gaara's and the boy's kidnapper, and all three felt…tumultuous. She turned her head backwards, where she'd left Utakata in an unfavorable position that seemed to have morphed into a different kind of mess. Bottom lip caught between her teeth, she teetered on the edge of decision, finally resolving to return to the older Jinchūriki with a turn of her heel. Kiba let out an 'oi!' of surprise as she bounded into the woods, and an even louder noise of surprise as the shortsword hilts rose into the air and soared east.
Naruto…I'm trusting you to save Gaara-ssu!
-l-l-l-
Gaara woke, disoriented and searching, to darkness. The last thing he remembered was staring at the moon, and then a voice announcing an unfamiliar presence…
A high-pitched yowl forced his hand to his head…or it would have if he could move his limbs. By his best guess, he was in some sort of coffin-like structure, barely enough room to breathe but for a couple of slits by his mouth. The noise echoed again, like a shriek coming from the bottom of a well, and he winced in protest. This sound…
He used his elbows to wriggle and hold his shirt up, then focused chakra down to his navel. Casting his gaze down allowed him to see the glowing symbol for 'wind' around his belly button, then two more indecipherable markings on either side, higher on his ribcage. The Gogyō Fūin is…coming undone. There must have been a powerful array at work to reverse the Five Elements Seal; Jiraiya had told him it could not be easily overcome, and, in an attempt to assuage his concerns, had taught him how to monitor and, if needed, interpret the status of the seal. That someone else could undo it was…concerning.
With the full moon nearly upon them, and the Five Elements Seal dissolving before his eyes, Mother's voice would only become more pronounced. He wasn't at a point where he could control—
"I can taste freedom!" Mother was giddy. "Give me blood!"
Focus, Gaara chanted, teal eyes shut tight against the squealing timbre in his head. I am not…a monster. Inoichi's calm voice and repeated assurances fought against the panic clawing, like his mother, for escape. I have…value…beyond killing…
"But it would please me! Gaara," cooed the voice, saccharine dripping like saliva, "don't you wish to please your mother?"
"I know…what you are." There was a slight tremor to his raspy monotone, but the words came out assured. "And you…are not…my mother." He opened his eyes, finding a foothold of sanity amidst the clamor of voices suddenly in his head – his father, his uncle, Naruto, Inoichi, Utakata, Fū, Mother – that seemed determined to press their opinions upon him.
Before him were multiple pillars, each comprised of two thick, braided threads of metal: one a dull silver color, the second an oxidized copper. The columns were arranged in a circle, the braids untwining at the tops and showing noticeable wear. Caged among the pillars was a tanuki with skin comprised of coarse-grained tan sand broken by erratic designs of blue squiggles. The creature sat on its haunches, its large tail, easily as long as its body, curled over its head. "You are the Ichibi."
"So the illusion is broken, hm?" The insane giggling that always seemed to accompany the tanuki's speech was gone, though its high-pitched amusement remained in every lilting syllable. "Well, can't say it wasn't fun while it lasted. Being imprisoned for the last several months, even more so than usual…" the voice was suddenly icy, devoid of humor, "not so much."
"You are unstable."
"So I deserve to be locked away, unable to feel the wind on my face, blood in my paws? Should the same be done to you?"
"I do not wish to be that person anymore."
"You ARE that person!" snarled the Ichibi, raising a paw and slamming it against the nearest pillars. A hollow sound like a clanging bell filled the space; Gaara flinched, though the Bijū seemed unaffected by the sound. Perhaps it was just used to it. "It is what we were designed to be."
He heard his own words to Inoichi echoed in the One-Tail's language and found the blond man's soothing responses in their sessions coming to mind. "That does not mean we need to conform to others' expectations. We must live for ourselves. Find another purpose."
"And what is that purpose?"
Gaara stared at the tanuki for a while, pondering the question. It wasn't the first time he'd been asked – Inoichi brought it up with some frequency, sometimes subtly, sometimes directly – but with his experience post-Hidden Sand, he'd never had a response he was confident in (if he gave one at all).
The people of Suna believed him to be a weapon of war, a tool to serve the village and nothing more. Twelve years of suffering under the hatred and fear of the villagers, his father's oppressive indifference, his uncle's apparent spite, all to make the Hidden Sand great. That was the role of a Jinchūriki, according to Rōshi; even Utakata didn't disagree.
But Utakata also said that people could support and depend on each other, a claim Naruto had echoed since their first meeting – one that had stuck with him – and Gaara found that ideal…comforting. Fū, too, despite her history with society, wanted to believe that others could be relied upon, could be friends, and the redhead thought that these people who were like him, people whom he admired for their convictions and strength – both in skills and, as he was slowly learning, of character – must also be assured that their beliefs were correct.
But even after months of weekly sessions with Inoichi and constant contact with the other Jinchūriki, Gaara didn't have an answer to the Bijū's question. It should have come up in his personal studies by now, the nightly hours he spent studying tomes from the Shodai's library, but nothing spoke of the psychology behind human behavior. He'd learned of gravity, astronomy, taxonomy, botany, biochemical processes like the nitrogen cycle and photosynthesis, history…yet he had no greater understanding of people than when he'd been a citizen of the Hidden Sand. Utakata's words from their last outing were stuck in his head, a prominent reminder that there were still many things – important things, the things that made the brunet and Naruto and Fū tick – that he needed to learn.
Naruto had saved him, Fū had befriended him, Utakata held a wisdom the redhead was missing…and despite all that, the Suna-nin still lacked faith in their philosophies. He wanted to believe – he even echoed their words at times, as if saying them would make them true – but there remained a nagging voice, the ghosts of his father and uncle, that insisted it was all hollow.
"Are you ignoring me?!"
"No."
Utakata often spoke of Yagura in a familial context; Naruto and Fū had even taken to referring to the brunet as their older brother, those ties giving them purpose. And they seemed happy with their connection, as if they found joy with one other.
He mused on his own siblings, Temari and Kankurō. Was there ever a time when they'd looked at him without fear? When he'd looked at them rather than through them to see actual people, his own flesh and blood, and not some inconvenience interfering with his homicidal urges?
"…" Nothing was coming to mind. The years between Yashamaru's death and Naruto's intrusion into his life, his memories were a whir of time steeped in hatred and darkness, the moments indistinct. There was nothing during that timespan that was important, not in the same way that things felt now, where he listened to and digested the opinions of others, sought self-improvement, had…friends.
Perhaps that was the connection Utakata had been referring to when he'd spoken of not just having but experiencing a sibling relationship…the brothers-in-arms Inoichi often talked about. Teammates. Siblings. Could Naruto, Fū, Utakata…possibly be that to him?
"…I," Gaara began, coarse voice slow, working through the converging trains of thought, "will prove my strength…by forging connections to people…who will not forsake me."
"I won't forsake you—"
"You…have deceived me…my entire life," he interjected. The edge that had always been present when he'd dealt with his siblings, with anyone who didn't deserve his attention, who was beneath killing, had snuck back into his timbre. He felt, for the first time in a long time – if not ever – angry. "You preyed on the sorrow and solitude of a child who did not know better and only wished for someone to lo—" The word stuck in his throat, unspoken; Inoichi called it a 'trigger', one that he hadn't yet fully resolved.
"I was not the one who chose to be sealed inside a boy too juvenile to accept the power he was bestowed," the Ichibi shot back. "Nor did I ask to be relegated between a tea kettle and you sacks of flesh, the last of which finally granted me the possibility of freedom I have been denied for so long." It shoved one sandy paw forward, pointing at the redhead with a sharp, black-tipped claw. "You are not the only victim of circumstance here, nor am I the only one here to take advantage of the other."
Gaara nodded slowly, digesting the bevy of information the One-Tail had just admitted to him. It seemed his father had wronged more than just himself. "Then it is not to either of our benefit to blame the other for what has passed."
The tanuki cocked its head to one side. "Eh?"
"Perhaps it is time to put the past aside."
"…Well that's different."
"I have learned to consider new information as it is presented to me."
"What a novel concept!" The Ichibi seemed genuinely amused by the notion. "And what have you learned so far?"
"More than can be explained in one sitting. Although…there is still much I do not understand."
"The whole of humanity and everything that precedes it cannot be learned in a single lifetime."
Gaara blinked. "That is…profound."
"I am not the fool my siblings believe me to be."
"You have siblings?"
"Why are you surprised? You've met the container of one of them. The small blond boy." The Ichibi raised a paw and scratched at its head, the mannerism oddly human. "Things are kind of fuzzy. I don't remember much after fighting the Kyūbi's human."
"Perhaps that is the result of the Gogyō Fūin blocking our connection," Gaara mused, cupping his chin in thought.
"Oh? Not bad for a human."
"You say the Kyūbi is your sibling? That the Bijū…are related?" For all his recent musings on familial relationships, it seemed most ironic that the creatures within him, Naruto, Fū, Utakata, even Rōshi and Han, were already siblings, potentially lending strength to the humans' ties to one another. "I am in contact with more than one."
"Ah, I thought I'd sensed that prideful ape, but I assumed it was a figment of my imagination. Who else?"
He tried to think of what he knew of the other Jinchūriki; only Utakata seemed okay with talking about their situation, and Gaara hadn't always cared enough to listen to what he said. "You are aware of the Kyūbi inside Naruto. And…an ape?"
"His host would manipulate lava."
"Ah." Rōshi. "Utakata often speaks of a…" he dredged his memory for a name, "…Saiken?"
"Oh, Saiken's here? That's the best news so far."
The tanuki sounded almost pleased to hear that, which was…weird, considering its attitude thus far. Maybe its relationship with Saiken was similar to how Utakata spoke of Yagura? "There is also Han and Fū."
"There's more?!"
Gaara ignored the One-Tail's shock and tried to think if the Iwa- or Taki-nin had ever mentioned what Tailed Beast they contained, but nothing came to mind; just the memory of the Rock shinobi's brief transformation weeks prior. "Han is proficient with steam, when he does not use taijutsu. Fū… She can detect things. And uses Fūton."
The Ichibi snickered, apparently amused by something he'd said. "Sounds like Kokuō and the stupid bug. I guess two outta five ain't bad."
"It does not seem as if you enjoy the company of your siblings."
"Some are better than others. Most are just full of themselves."
"…Mm. I would be interested in learning more about your relationship with them."
"And how is that possible when you have a seal blocking our connection?"
Gaara absorbed the question with his usual stoicism, mulling the conundrum. The Ichibi had a point, which was kind of a shame, because their conversation was proving more fascinating than the Suna-nin would have anticipated. But there was also the undeniable threat that the One-Tail posed to both the redhead's recovering mental state and to the physical well-being of him and his…friends. "Given the years of deception and manipulation, I believe my caution is understandable."
"I already said—"
"The reason for your actions is defensible," he interjected, "even if the actions themselves are not. I cannot offer you forgiveness for what was done, but…nor will I offer condemnation. Especially not after an objective evaluation of my own actions. I think…we have both been mistreated. Perhaps, just as I have received a second chance, you deserve one as well."
The Ichibi stared at the diminutive redhead with golden irises that seemed to spin in their sockets with silent scrutiny. "Heh, you're pretty interesting. For a human, anyway."
"I disagree." The redhead stared at his hands, appearing to trace the lines in his palms with only his eyes. "I am…unremarkable. To think otherwise would be to elevate myself above those who have already proven themselves…greater. I am no more than…someone trying to learn. To…mm, 'course-correct', as my sensei says."
The Ichibi cackled. "How time changes things! I would be quite curious to witness the travels of this new course you speak of. So, what are your terms?"
"Terms?"
"We are at an impasse. You seem to hold all the power right but, but it seems you wish to grow beyond what we once were. So what sort of path forward do you propose?"
"…The others," Gaara began, his coarse voice measuring every word with care, "…they are trained in their abilities. As…Jinchūriki. They are…powerful." He took a deep breath as the last word left his lips, the concept still evoking a lingering hunger despite months of therapy to grow past it. Inoichi said he was getting better every session though. It took several seconds of meditative calm to push past the feeling, and the Ichibi simply watched while he breathed, appearing to understand the moment, the boy's struggle, or both. Finally, he continued, "They also have…control. I desire that."
"Control takes time," the One-Tail replied, "and experience. But…" the tanuki cocked its head to the side, as if listening to something beyond their cavern. "It seems an early opportunity has presented itself."
"You are…amenable to my wishes?"
"So long as you don't shut me out again."
"You cannot usurp my body," Gaara added. The concept had just occurred to him, practically an afterthought. "If I require more of your strength, I…we will work together."
"Heeheehee, look at you with the newfound confidence! You've got spunk for a runt; kinda like a kindred spirit. I can work with that. You've got yourself a deal, kid. Just in the nick of time, too." Gaara noticed that his vision seemed to be wavering. He shook his head, placing a palm to his forehead in an attempt to nurse the effect. "Good luck with the test run."
As everything faded to black, he vaguely registered the Ichibi's voice, amusement clear in its high pitch, add, "If you don't wanna call me Mother, just call me Shukaku!"
Gaara returned to reality with a tingle coursing through his body and sparking at his fingertips. The wooden casket that kept him contained now seemed to have an obvious escape: several metallic latches on his left that resonated with his chakra. His fingers twitched, and the clasps gave way with a series of clicks. The front of the casket creaked open, and the redhead winced against the early-morning light after too long in the dark.
"Gaara!"
He turned west to find Naruto racing towards him, and a rare upswell of some positive emotion he couldn't name in the moment flooded him at the sight. Naruto…followed. It was a pleasant reminder of the blond's dedication to his multiple credos, and the devotion he had to his friends. The Leaf Genin stopped in front of him, blue eyes wide. "You're okay?"
Gaara gave a solemn nod and offered his friend a noncommittal noise. At the reassurance, Naruto began to look around, and the redhead, to his own surprise, asked, "How did you get here?"
After the question left his lips, he realized he meant to ask 'Why are you here?', but Naruto was already stumbling through an explanation that involved Utakata and Tsunade and then a flurry of other names he didn't recognize. The flood of people was cut off when the blond interrupted his own train of thought, posing, "Hey, is that the guy that took you?"
Gaara followed the younger boy's gaze and found a tall man with grey hair that stuck out past his shoulders as thick, straight tufts. The rest of the man's form was shrouded in an oversized kimono, beige but for thin red stripes at the cuffs. A golden circlet glinted around his forehead, and with his rigid posture, he appeared almost regal. He absorbed his surroundings with a methodical slowness Gaara found familiar. "I do not know," he admitted, "but I have doubts."
"Well what about all that stuff?"
The redhead followed his friend's finger, finding several unidentifiable objects soaring towards them…or more specifically, at the old man across from them. A metallic tiger's head settled itself over his midriff, then a tri-pronged sword made of rhomboid sapphires broke into three separate blades and attached themselves at his waist, arching to the side and over his head like multiple scorpion tails. Green motes of light flashed into existence over each shoulder and at his feet, and as he lifted off the ground, a black broadsword before him did the same, the hilt slotting into the nose of the tiger's-head armor like a rhinoceros' horn. Two shorter swords, blades sheared off, joined together into a sort of glaive that bent around his form and connected to the tiger's head, their sharp edges growing back with a flash of green light.
Gaara blinked. "Unexpected."
Beside him, Naruto swore. "That can't be good, right?"
Then the man's eyes found them, and a vortex of fire swirled around the black broadsword before bursting towards them with a blast of wind. Gaara curled his fingers into a fist, and sand sprang from the earth in an arcing wall that intercepted the inferno. "Whoa," Naruto breathed. "Gaara, that was awesome!"
The redhead's teal gaze was fixed on his hand; it had been months since he'd felt this kind of power, where sand was immediately available and receptive to his command. It reminded him of—
"Gaara!"
His head snapped to the blond, the blood rushing through his veins drowning out everything else. Naruto seemed to be saying something, his mouth forming shapes, but he heard nothing until the Leaf Genin reached out, seemingly in slow motion, and placed his hand on the redhead's shoulder. "—okay?"
"Heeheehee, the power is intoxicating, hm?"
"I—" His mouth was dry. Shukaku's voice in his head seemed especially loud despite the almost normal voice the tanuki had spoken with. "I can handle it," he said, unsure who he was talking to.
"I do not know who you are," announced a deep voice. The two boys looked up to find the grey-haired man floating above them on large green orbs of, presumably, chakra. "But you are in my way."
"You're not goin' anywhere!" Naruto shouted. "No one takes my friend and gets away with it! Suiton: Mizurappa!"
The Wild Water Wave threatened to douse the floating man, but a blast of air dispersed it, and his grey eyes focused on Naruto. The sapphire-looking accessories speared towards the blond, and Gaara reached out a hand to protect the Leaf shinobi.
The incoming blades stopped. Gaara blinked; he'd been expecting another shield of sand to interpose itself between the weapons and his friend, not…this. A twitch of his fingers sent several of the sapphire-like segments clattering against each other, and as he rotated his wrist, the tips of the blades twisted on the wires threaded through each sapphire-like piece to point back at their originator. Sweat dripped down his temples.
There was a weak giggle in his mind. "Sorry kid, not a lotta juice in the tank. Someone drained me."
Gaara stared at the man floating above him, whose grey eyes had switched to watch him instead of Naruto. I assume he is the culprit. But this power…it is…familiar. An image of his father, sitting behind the Kazekage's desk sans hat, came to mind, a cloud of gold dust dancing within his upturned palm. You know Jiton?
"One of my many talents."
Moth—Shukaku sounded smug, though he had a hard time appreciating the demon's conceit when the strain of holding the weapons at bay were making his joints heavy as lead. His prior strength was back, but with it came an unfamiliar exhaustion, every move taking extra energy. Utakata's weakened state on their last mission came to mind, a rebound effect of utilizing the Rokubi's chakra. This must be similar.
Fortunately, Naruto had jumped at the opening, literally leaping towards their opponent through the gap in the blades. He landed a punch to the grey-haired man's jaw, feet finding purchase on one of the many accessories encircling his form in order to grasp the older man's shoulders, flip over his head, and pull him to the ground. Their enemy landed with a heavy thud, and Naruto slapped his palms to the ground. "Doton: Tewonigiru no Jutsu!"
The Grasping Hands Technique formed earthen appendages from the ground that reached out to grab the downed man. They wound around the shinobi's body, holding him down, but then before Naruto's eyes, the appendages fell apart, and a blast of wind sent the boy careening skyward with a yelp. Gaara reached out a hand, and sand rushed to his friend's aid to create a floating platform that cushioned the blond's fall. He brought the Konoha-nin to his side, and Naruto offered him a quick, "Thanks."
"Mm."
"Damn, I thought that would work. Did I do it wrong?"
Gaara again raised a barrier of sand that intercepted a second conflagration of wind and fire. "He seems reliant upon his accessories."
Naruto jumped off the sandy platform to land beside him, fireballs in his hands. He leaned around the redhead's defense, hurling the Flame Attack projectiles at their opponent and then ducking back behind the barrier. "The swords and armor? Makes sense. What're you thinkin'?"
"Separate him from his tools." The silica around them shifted, forming into a cavalcade of weapons. "And do it quickly." His head was throbbing, the heaviness in his bones intensifying.
Naruto nodded, bounding away as the Suna-nin sent the granular weapons into battle, sand clashing against the various blades wielded by their enemy. Teal eyes flitted from one clash to the next, fingers twitching to control how each weapon parried the enemy's. The segmented blue blades suddenly transformed into serpentine creatures – eels, or dragon's heads perhaps – that tore through his sandy weapons like they were wet paper, and Gaara clapped his hands together to summon the scattered silica back to him and create a shield.
He felt one of the eel-things crash against his shield, but the other two diverged around it. Gaara clenched a fist and the sand responded, encasing him in the protective sphere that normally served as a precursor to releasing the Ichibi. They slammed into his defense, and a momentary trickle of…fear, or something akin to it…shuddered through him; the last time he'd been in this situation, Uchiha Sasuke had shoved lightning into his shoulder, and nothing had been the same since.
This time his defense remained impenetrable, and with it, some of his old confidence returned. He placed his pointer and middle fingers over his right eye, closing the lid to focus on summoning his Third Eye. It opened, showing Naruto fighting against the grey-haired man, his taijutsu seemingly ineffective against the man's armor. In fact, their enemy barely seemed to move at all, his weapons doing all the work.
It was confirmation of what he'd guessed; the old man fought like Gaara did, or like how he used to before he'd been forced to branch out. With his left hand, he sent a tendril of sand to lash out and wrap around Naruto's waist, bringing the blond back towards the sandy sphere. The serpentine creatures attacking his barrier turned their attention to his friend, and the blond slashed at them with a kunai to avoid their needle-like teeth. Gaara dropped the Third Eye and sand sphere techniques to create maces from the silica that batted at the dragon-looking weapons.
They were knocked away with a few well-placed hits, and Gaara finished roping the Konoha-nin back to his side. "Hey, why'd you—Gaara, are you okay?"
He could feel a dampness on his brow, moisture soaking his clothes; an entire life in the desert, and he'd never broken a sweat. Something is wrong. Even Shukaku sounded like it was panting in his head. "I have an idea."
Gaara's sand swirled around them, erecting another barrier, and Naruto turned with the motion, slapping his hands to the ground and pushing chakra into it. "Doton: Doroku Gaeshi."
The Earth Shore Return raised a second wall behind the redhead's defense, but the tips of two swords sheared through them, inches above the heads of the two crouching Genin. "I may be able to remove his armor and stop his swords. You will have to attack in that opening. It will need to be strong."
Naruto's eyebrows were furrowed with concern. "I think I've got somethin'," he said, "but will you be alright?"
The blond's concern was touching, and Gaara was honored by his consideration, but he knew there was no time to focus on whatever was happening to him, and Naruto was liable to be distracted if his suspicions were confirmed. So the Suna-nin nodded, managing a raspy, "Go," and they again separated as the three serpentine creatures dove for them.
One peeled off to follow Gaara, and the Sand Genin held out a hand to stall its assault, his Magnet Release finding and holding the metal hidden inside the eel-looking weapon in place. The chakra comprising its liquidy exterior gnashed its teeth at him in a gesture the redhead assumed was meant to be intimidating but instead came off as frustrated. He kept an eye on it, unsure if the chakra could extend much further past its interior blade, and extended his free hand toward the floating man, setting up a magnetic field that repelled the enemy's various blades.
Gaara could see the old man frown as his weapons stopped obeying his commands. His grey eyes turned to the redhead, and a fiery vortex burst from the black sword set into his chestplate. The ground rose in front of Gaara, another Earth Shore Return summoned by Naruto from beyond his field of vision, and the Suna-nin focused his attention on the tiger's head protecting their opponent's body.
Something wet was trickling from his nose, a dribble trailing along his upper lip and poisoning his mouth with a metallic tang. "Blood," Shukaku murmured in his mind, "and it's yours."
For all the years his sand had absorbed blood from others, he'd never actually tasted it himself. It was…unpleasant. There are…larger issues…at hand. He grunted with exertion as the chestplate strained against its harness. This…will…work…
His arms made a pulling motion, and with it came the chestplate, the black broadsword, and the older male's equilibrium. The grey-haired man pitched forward, still floating on his green chakra orbs, and Naruto leaped to meet him, hands held in front of his chest with enough space between them to carry a small melon.
Instead of fruit, the blond was holding a fist-sized sphere of swirling red- and yellow-colored magma. Two feet from the old man, his left arm fell away and his right one thrust forward. "Yōton: Rasengan!"
The orb impacted the enemy's sternum, skin sizzling as the Lava Release technique ate through it. A gasp sounded into the blond's ear, the old man's head hovering by his own. Naruto retracted his hand, the lava in his palm having dissipated after burning through the man's back. He pushed away from the body, landing gently on the ground as the corpse dropped with a heavy whump. "I've almost got it," he whispered, staring at his hands. Victory curled his fingers into a triumphant fist, and he turned around to proclaim, "Hey Gaara, we—Gaara!"
The redhead was face down on the ground, pale form prostrate. Naruto ran to him and turned the boy's body over to check for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when it thrummed under his fingers, weak but consistent. "C'mon," he said, kneeling down to hook his friend's limp arm over his shoulders, "let's go home."
-l-l-l-
Author's Note: Couple of notes. 1) Jiton (Magnet Release). This is based on canon's (later) interpretation of Shukaku's powers, as reflected in Naruto's various Rasengans utilizing the Ichibi's power (against Kaguya). It's also been hinted at several times during this story as far back as Chapter 6. Can Shukaku also control sand? Yes. Is that his primary power? Not here. Hence why Gaara can use his sand even when sealed (although to a lesser extent). And yes, I'm using a very loose interpretation of magnetism. Also, since Gaara has a complicated relationship with the Ichibi, Shukaku is currently un-pronouned from his perspective (but is a he).
2) Characters/powers taken from the last filler arc pre-time skip, albeit with some alterations to accommodate for this new canon. I also thought they posed interesting adversaries to Utakata and Fū (especially Fū, who was basically a stand-in for Temari).
3) Rasengan. Still in progress, but very far along, albeit on a very different path. To be further looked at in an upcoming chapter.
Hope you enjoyed!