As they arrived at the entrance to the Sand Village, the guards immediately stepped aside, recognizing the Leaf headbands and urgency in their eyes. One of the sentries hurried over, his expression grim.
"You're from the Leaf, right? Thank goodness. The Kazekage's been taken... and Kankurō went after them but—" He hesitated, glancing down. "He didn't stand a chance."
Naruto blinked. "He got his ass beat, huh?"
The guard gave a short, reluctant nod.
As they rushed through the gates, Naruto frowned.
'Now that I think about it… what has Kankurō actually done in the whole series?' he thought, half-annoyed, half-amused.
Once they passed the tall sandstone walls, Naruto slowed for a second despite the tension. The sheer scope of Sunagakure took his breath away.
Wind-swept towers rose out of the dunes, their spiral patterns catching the golden light of the desert sun. The warm air carried the faint scent of dust and heat—so different from Konoha's forests.
Temari noticed the awe in his eyes and smiled faintly. "Wish you could've seen it under better circumstances," she said, her voice carrying a touch of pride beneath the exhaustion.
Naruto grinned. "Me too. But after this, I wouldn't mind if you showed me around."
Temari's eyes softened. "Sure," she said quietly.
They made their way to the hospital at a brisk pace. Inside, the air was tense—doctors rushing between rooms, the faint hum of chakra from ongoing treatments. The moment they stepped in, an elderly woman spotted Kakashi and her eyes widened in shock.
"You—White Fang of the Leaf!" she shouted, springing forward with surprising speed.
Kakashi didn't even have time to raise a hand before Naruto stepped in. With a swift motion, he thrust his palm out and released a gust of compressed air that pushed her back without even bruising her. Papers flew everywhere, nurses gasped.
Everyone froze.
Naruto lowered his hand and smirked. 'Yeah, I'm cool.'
The old woman steadied herself, blinking in surprise. "Hmph. You've got good instincts, boy."
After Kakashi explained the misunderstanding, she relaxed, muttering under her breath.
The nurse whispered something about "Granny Chiyo,"
'The first undetailed legend of Shippuden,' he thought dryly. 'Cool puppet techniques, revived people with chakra transfer, then—boom— the technique? Never mentioned Classic Kishimoto. '
A few minutes later, Sakura knelt beside Kankurō's bed, her hands glowing a vivid green as she worked the poison out of his system. The air was heavy with tension as she wiped sweat from her brow.
After a while, the dark veins on Kankurō's face began to fade. Sakura exhaled deeply, sitting back. "That should stabilize him. The poison's mostly neutralized."
Naruto leaned over, impressed. "You should teach me that sometime."
Sakura blushed lightly, smiling. "Sure—if you're willing to have it tortured into you."
Naruto grinned. "Nah, I'll ask someone else."
Kakashi folded his arms, taking in the situation. "We need to plan ahead. Did Kankurō manage to say anything before he passed out?"
A nurse shook her head. "No, he's been unconscious since we found him."
"How long until he's back on his feet?" Naruto asked.
Sakura thought for a moment. "It depends. I can make an antidote with some special herbs, but his body's still weak. Best case, a day or so."
Kakashi nodded and glanced at Naruto, who silently agreed. "Then we wait a day," he said.
Sakura nodded and turned to Chiyo. The old woman sighed but offered, "I'll take you to the herb garden. You'll find what you need there." The two left together, their footsteps fading down the corridor.
Naruto dropped into a chair, his expression thoughtful as the quiet of the hospital settled around them.
'A whole day, huh? Then again, it doesn't really matter,' he thought, staring out the window at the endless dunes. 'Gaara's gonna die anyway…' His chest tightened. 'Pretty sad—but at least he'll get his life back. That's what matters.'
He leaned back, resting his hands behind his head, the flickering sunlight dancing across his face. Somewhere deep down, he made a silent promise to bring his friend home—no matter what it took.
Back in the Leaf Village
The air inside the Hokage's office was thick with tension. Tsunade sat at her desk, her fingers interlocked as she considered her next move.
She knew sending Team Kakashi alone was a risk, and after careful thought, she made her decision.
"Team Guy, I'm deploying you as backup for Team Kakashi," she announced, her tone firm. "There's no telling what they might run into. The Akatsuki aren't an enemy to take lightly."
Might Guy, ever the energetic shinobi, gave her a confident thumbs-up. His eyes burned with the passion of youth. "Do not worry, Lady Tsunade! We shall ensure Kakashi and his team receive the support they need!"
"Yes, Gai-sensei!" Lee echoed, standing at attention, his posture as enthusiastic as ever.
Guy turned to his student, nodding in approval. "Let us go, Lee! We have comrades in need!"
Without hesitation, the two burst into motion, sprinting off like a pair of green blurs.
Meanwhile, Neji and Tenten remained behind for a moment, watching the ridiculous display. Tenten let out an exasperated sigh, crossing her arms.
"When will those two ever grow up?" she muttered under her breath.
Neji, who was more accustomed to their antics, simply shook his head. "At this point, it's a lost cause."
Despite their complaints, both of them quickly followed after their teammates, knowing that whatever lay ahead, they needed to be there to face it together.
Back at the Sand's hospital, the faint light of dawn crept through the window blinds. The quiet hum of medical chakra and the rustle of papers filled the room—until a hoarse voice broke the silence.
"...There were two of them."
Sakura turned sharply. "Kankurō?!"
Against the nurse's protests, Kankurō pushed himself up, sweat glistening on his forehead. His arms trembled as he leaned forward, refusing to lie down.
"Kankurō, you shouldn't move yet!" the nurse scolded, trying to press him back onto the bed.
But he ignored her. His jaw was tight, his eyes focused with fierce determination. "One of them took Gaara," he continued, gritting his teeth. "But I managed to tear off a piece of his clothing... You should be able to track them with that."
He reached weakly to his bedside table, pulling out a small, ragged scrap of black fabric.
Kakashi stepped forward and accepted it, inspecting it closely before giving a small, approving nod. "You did well," he said calmly. "Like a true shinobi—you turned a loss into something useful."
Naruto crossed his arms with a half-smirk.
'That's basically Kakashi-sensei's polite way of saying, "you got your ass kicked but at least you scratched them."'
Kankurō gave a pained chuckle, but it quickly turned into a rough cough. His breathing steadied as his gaze shifted toward Naruto.
Naruto blinked, looking left and right awkwardly. "Uh... yo?" he said.
Kankurō's lips curved into a small, strained smile. "Uzumaki Naruto," he said, voice heavy but firm. "Please... save my brother."
Naruto's expression softened. He stepped closer, his eyes filled with quiet resolve. "Don't worry. We'll bring him back—in one piece." He grinned. "Thanks for making our job a little easier, tough guy."
Kankurō managed a faint smirk before finally collapsing back onto the bed, his strength spent.
Sakura placed her hands over him, green chakra flickering between her palms. "Just relax. The antidote will handle the rest," she said gently.
Moments later, the mixture was absorbed into his system, and his breathing evened out.
Outside the hospital, the desert wind swept through the streets, carrying the faint taste of sand and heat. Naruto waited by the entrance, arms behind his head, staring at the horizon.
'Alright,' he thought, the weight of the coming battle tightening in his chest. 'Hang on, Gaara. We're on our way. Not that it matters. '
Before long, Kakashi and Sakura emerged, followed by someone new—Granny Chiyo, walking with the stubborn determination of someone half her age. Her robe fluttered slightly in the wind, and she carried a small bundle of scrolls at her waist.
Sakura blinked. "Wait... she's coming with us?"
Chiyo glanced at him, unimpressed. "Well, what kind of grandma would miss their chance to decipline their grandson?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow but said nothing, exchanging a quick glance with Sakura. Both of them silently questioned Kakashi's sanity—but neither complained.
Within minutes, they were sprinting across the dunes once again, sand kicking up behind them as the sun rose high.
The team moved in silence, only the rhythmic sound of their feet hitting the desert floor filling the air.
TO BE CONTINUED