After setting off all the explosives, the red dots on the map seemed to have sped up their movements, and made their way out of the marked area of the map.
'Judging by their direction, they changed course, probably a detour to throw us off, so the real direction is their initial one...so here' He tapped the edge of the map calmly
He didn't go right away as he wanted to hear the remaining information from Kankuro, which didn't take long as he woke up not long after the poison was removed from his body.
"N-Naruto?"
"Wrong, I'm much prettier than him" Sakura replied with a blank gaze
"Ah? W-Wait, if I'm here, then...Gaara, what about Gaara?" He asked worryingly
Seeing his desperate gaze, Sakura couldn't meet his eyes, instead, she pointed over to Naruto, who closed the scroll in his hand.
"Sup Kankuro" He waved
"Naruto! G-Gaara, are you able to-"
"Calm down, and tell me what happened, who was there, how many members of the Akatsuki" He said
Kankuro's hands clenched, but when met with Naruto's eyes, he found himself loosening.
"...there were two of them, Sasori and the bomb throwing one, I believe he was called Deidara" He replied
"Oh, those two, just them?" Naruto asked
He nodded
"They are both severely injured, had they not used the village as the breaking point, Gaara wouldn't have lost...amidst the battle, Sasori trapped me within a barrier, which prevented your kunai from being used as well" He clenched his fists and said unwillingly
Naruto nodded
"Anything else" He asked
"...n-nothing" Kankuro shook his head and said
Naruto stared at him, as if he was waiting for another response, but Kankuro's silence was maintained.
He let out a sigh
"Kankuro, when you noticed they were near the village, did you ever think about calling me right away instead of waiting for when things got bad?" Naruto asked
His words made Kankuro freeze up.
"I-I-"
"What happened to what you promised me before? You won't be like Gaara and hesitate to use my kunai, you will use it however many times you want, what happened to that?" Naruto asked
Kankuro's fists clenched up
"...I was overconfident" He replied
"With Gaara bonding with the Ichibi, and the blue chains that I made use of, I thought we'd be able to repel them..."
Naruto chuckled
"Confidence is good, and honestly, I also thought you and Gaara could hold them off, but I guess I underestimated them, I didn't think they'd have a way to thoroughly seal off my kunai" He said
As he spoke, he covered his mouth as his eyes curved upwards. His smile widened into a creepy curve.
"So much more I need to research about my own seals in order to bypass such barriers, how exciting" He muttered
He patted Kankuro's shoulder
"We'll set off at once, we informed Temari of this matter already as well" He said
Kankuro nodded, and tried to stand, but Naruto pressed him down
"Though I said 'we', I meant me, Sakura, and Ino, if you wish, I can bring you back to Sunagakure with Temari since the situation there won't be stable with Gaara gone" Naruto said
His words made Kankuro sink back
"Right..." He muttered
Naruto stood up
"Has Ino been informed?" Naruto asked
"Already called her" Sakura replied
"Sis then?" Naruto asked
"Way ahead of you" Sakura responded
"Then why are you just standing there acting cool? Let's go" Naruto said
Sakura's lips twitched
"I was waiting for a certain someone who was busy acting cool in front of Kankuro" She replied with a scoff
Naruto gasped
"Sakura, we won't have time to be joking like this, also, I was not acting cool" He snapped and grabbed her shoulder
"Now let's go" He said as he teleported the both of them
"...what about bringing me back to Sunagakure???" Kankuro muttered
In the end, he laid back down on the bed, with Naruto's words lingering in his head.
"Had I called him earlier...this all would have been dealt with, wouldn't it?" He muttered
His heart felt heavy, with a crushing sense of guilt that slowly swelled. He knew that Gaara will never contact Naruto first as he wouldn't want to endanger him, but Kankuro was different, he didn't have that same worry.
He could have called Naruto over immediately...
*Whoosh*
Amidst his thoughts, a blinding yellow light shone beside him.
"Yo Kankuro, we're going" Naruto appeared beside him and said
"H-Huh? You didn't leave already?"
"I went to grab Ino and Temari" Naruto replied as he pointed behind himself, where three people stood.
Sakura crossed her arms
"Had I not reminded you, you'd have forgotten about not only Kankuro, but Temari as well" She said
"Let's not get into the details" Naruto chuckled
Temari walked over with her brows furrowed
"Kankuro, are you alright?" She asked
"I'm fine...I'm sorry" He apologised with a bitter expression
She shook her head
"It's not your fault, the Akatsuki used foul methods, we should have been more prepared" Temari responded as she placed her hand on his
"Don't blame yourself, for now, our role is to maintain balance in Sunagakure, with Gaara gone, we can't be down in the dumps" She said
Her words rang true in his heart, his expression firmed up as he nodded
"You're right...the most we can do now is this" He said
"Since you got it figured out, grab on, we're going" Naruto interjected
Temari and Kankuro nodded
"Naruto, thank you" Temari said
"Don't worry about it...but I am getting paid, right?" Naruto grinned as his fingers made a circle
"..."
Temari's mind blanked for a moment before she burst into laughter
"As long as Gaara is safe, forget money, I'll even try to make you an honorary elder" She replied
"Oi oi oi, I know what you're scheming, making me an elder to tie me to Sunagakure, that ain't happening" Naruto huffed as he activated the flying raijin.
The group was teleported to Sunagakure.
"You two stabilise the situation the village, I'll search for Gaara" Naruto said
"Mn...do you know where he would be?" Kankuro asked
"Not exactly, but I've got a rough direction" Naruto replied
After seeing them off, Naruto set off with Ino and Sakura
"Say, Na-kun, why do you seem so carefree although Gaara is captured?" Ino asked
"I am worried, but if I show it, it'll only make Temari and Kankuro worry more" He replied with a faint smile
"Really? Then what if I were kidnapped?" Ino asked
"Hahaha...I'll flip the entire shinobi world over" He replied with a hollow laugh
"Aw, that's sweet of you" Ino winked
Sakura stared at them, then grabbed a rock off the ground as they moved before throwing it at Naruto's head.
*Bang*
"The heck Sakura!"
"Go explode, damn couple" She spat coldly as she gave them the middle finger.
"Bestie, don't be like that" Ino huffed
"Want a rock as well?" Sakura replied as she picked up a rock
Ino's eyes widened
"Bestie! How could you!" She gasped
Naruto nodded
"That's the Sakura I know, gender equality" Naruto gave Sakura a thumbs up and said
*Bang*
"You still piss me off more" Sakura scowled at Naruto as she threw the rock at him
This time, he dodged it, resulting in a tree toppling over behind them.
"...that didn't seem like a joke throw" Naruto muttered
"Cause it's not, go explode you damn couple"
Naruto nudged Ino
"See that? That would have been you as well if you didn't give up on Sasuke" Naruto whispered
"Jeez, don't bring that up" Ino blushed and said
Naruto shrugged
'Kurama, can you sense Shukaku?' Naruto asked
[It's faint, seems like that little brother of mine grew a proper brain and left faint trails behind] Kurama chuckled, with a hint of pride in his voice
'Aw, look at you being a proud older brother' Naruto thought
[Indeed I am] Kurama replied proudly
Sensing the faint trail left by Shukaku, Naruto moved even faster knowing that the location won't become the issue, however, what worried him is that Deidara and Sasori won't be the only ones there.
His hand reached into his coat where a scroll was stored.
'If more than two shows up, I'll give them a little surprise' He smiled
"Not going to explain what we're dealing with here?" Sakura asked with a frown
"You already know what we're dealing with" Naruto replied
"Not your *ptui* girlfriend" Sakura replied
"...could you not spit every time you mention that?" Naruto's lips twitched
"No"
Naruto sighed helplessly, Sakura is truly one of a kind.
"Ino already knows as well" He added
"She does?" Sakura questioned, Naruto clearly hasn't explained anything to Ino yet.
"With the Akatsuki after my a*s, do you think I wouldn't inform her of every member I've encountered?" He rolled his eyes and said
His words made sense, so Sakura nodded
"I guess I agree with what you said, except the a*s part, if they are going to chase a*s, it would be Sasuke-kun's" Sakura huffed
"Sakura, I can't tell if you want Sasuke to be straight or not, do you want men chasing his a*s, also, how do you even know he has a great a*s?" He asked
In response, Sakura simply smiled
"..."
'She definitely did something to him in the dream scape' He thought
"Hey, I'll have you know Na-kun's a*s is quite nice" Ino crossed her arms and said
"Really? And how would you know that?" Sakura asked
"I'd like the answer to that as well" Naruto added
"Er...observation?" Ino coughed, she just said that in a fit because of what Sakura said, she didn't expect such a response from the both of them.
Pfft
The two giggled
"Ino, stay how you are forever" Sakura said
"Cutest person ever" Naruto nodded
Ino blushed under their complements
"Th-This..."
"N-Na-kun, are you even taking this mission seriously? We're rescuing Gaara, h-how can we be joking around like this" Ino tried her best to change the subject at that moment.
Her words made Sakura's smile drop a little, while Naruto's smile was gone completely.
"Hah...Sakura, what do I do with an adorable gremlin that has words that cuts where it hurts most?" Naruto asked
"Dunno, she's your girl, don't ask me"
"You're literally her best friend" Naruto replied
"So? That doesn't mean her words hurt less to me"
"Fair enough" The two sighed
"..." Ino's cheeks puffed up
She and Naruto were close, but there are times where she is rather jealous of Sakura, because the two seems to click when it comes to these back and forth.
"Alright, jokes aside, the Ichibi within Gaara left a faint trail that Kurama can sense, so we are currently not too far behind them, at most they have a few hours ahead of us" Naruto explained
"Oh, no wonder you never stopped to check for clues"
"Yep, now you can start praising me" Naruto opened his arms up and said with a benevolent smile
"...Kurama is awesome" Sakura said
"What about me?" Naruto asked
"You're a leech" She replied
"...Ino, Sakura is bullying me!" Naruto cried
"Na-kun...from what I hear, you do sound like one" Ino said with a cheeky smile
"...wow, you two are heartless" Naruto stopped crying and said with a straight face.
-Akatsuki temporary base-
Sasori and Deidara arrived before a stone valley with Gaara in the arms of a puppet. Sasori made a hand sign, causing the surrounding to twist, revealing a cave.
When the two entered, they saw two others within.
"Kisame senpai, Itachi-san" Deidara greeted them with a smile
Itachi and Kisame looked rather surprised when they saw Sasori and Deidara, one in worse shape than the other.
"Did something go wrong" Itachi frowned
"...the one tails jinchuriki was stronger than anticipated, far stronger than the other ones we fought so far" Sasori replied
"Even more so than the nine tails?" Itachi asked
Sasori thought for a bit
"I am unsure, it has been a while since we last met the nine tails kid, so I don't know how much stronger he has become, but the Ichibi is definitely stronger than when we met the nine tails last time...much stronger" He replied
Kisame eyed Gaara for a bit
"Then...should we cripple him before proceeding in case he wakes up early" He asked
The moment those words left his mouth, the collective gaze of the other three became vicious as they stared at the unconscious Gaara.
"It's not often you have good ideas, but when you do, you say just the right things" Itachi said
"Is that supposed to be a complement?" Kisame cussed
"I agree with Kisame senpai" Deidara nodded
Sasori stared at Deidara for a moment with a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes, but he nodded as well.
"I was rushed and didn't think about it, but it would be best to do so" He said with a sharp glimmer
With that, Sasori's hand swapped into a long blade.
*Psht*
Blood splattered across the ground, seeping into the dirt.
"I've severed his major chakra paths" He said coldly
"Then let's proceed"
Seals formed around Gaara, his body slowly lifted from the ground as a strange flow of chakra slowly left his body.
The chakra flowed into the mouth of the statue behind him
The seal around him became more active as time went on, and gradually, Gaara's expression twisted with pain as he released a horrifying scream.
In an instant, sand rose, striking towards the four around him, however, the power behind it wasn't great.
"He can still mobilise chakra?" Deidara exclaimed
"It's not the jinchuriki, it's the Ichibi acting up" Itachi responded as he made another gesture, causing the seal to intensify, and the sand also lost all its strength.
"Merely a final struggle of a crippled beast" Kisame chuckled
Gaara's eyes shot open, his golden diamond shaped pupil stared at the four of them with bloodshot rage.
[You will pay for this!] Shukaku's voice roared
"To have so much energy despite having your chakra siphoned, you are beyond the tailed beast we've captured thus far" Itachi said
Gaara's eyes widened
[Captured thus far? H-How many!] Shukaku roared
"Only one, but you won't be the last" Itachi seemed to be willing to divulge such information as he was confident that there won't be a second mouth to tell the tale.
Shukaku's heart trembled, but then it released a bellowing laughter
"Did he go insane?" Deidara whispered to Sasori
[So...which one was captured? Which one of my siblings?] Shukaku asked
"Six tails" Itachi replied
[I see, it was Saiken then...you're not wrong, I won't be the last one you have captured, but I can guarantee that you will never capture all nine of us] Shukaku said
Kisame and Itachi showed visible displeasure upon hearing that, as they knew what it meant. It was referring to the nine tails, one of the two beasts they have failed to capture thus far.
Though they obtained the chakra required for the seven tails, it didn't change the fact that the capture itself was a failure.
And Naruto...he appeared and disappeared in front of them as he pleased, to the point they had to develop a seal to confine the space as a countermeasure against that menace.
"He will be captured" Itachi said in a low voice
[Bwahahaha! Good luck with that] Shukaku roared in laughter
Despite it being gradually siphoned out, it showed no anger, only mockery. He wasn't without fear, but his petty mind didn't allow the enemies to have the last laugh.
[This seal is bothersome, yes, it extracts me, but at this rate, it will take a full day, no? I hope you can extract me completely before that blonde brat arrives] Gaara's lips curved into a smirk, making the four flinch.
That was one of the worries they held, but Itachi remained calm
"If he arrives, then it only means we will capture a second beast today" He said in a low voice
[HAHAHAHA! Let me tell you a fun fact, did you know that a fox has a sense of smell that is ten times that of a human?] Shukaku asked
"..." This time, no one responded as it sounded like a rather...stupid thing to say right now.
But then they were met with Shukaku's curved eyes, and slowly, it clicked. Foxes, why did he mention a fox right at this moment?
Which other beast is there that is a fox? There is only the nine tailed fox!
*Rumble*
*Boom*
The cave shook, and the boulder covering the front shattered.
"Man, Kurama, your sense of smell is impeccable, to smell him even through seals" A voice that brought back memories surfaced from their minds, it rang out across the cave...
"Sup, I'm here for my friend, and my other friend's younger sibling" Naruto walked over with a smile on his face.
His appearance made them all tense up, but soon, Itachi's brows eased
"Deidara, maintain the seal, Kisame, Sasori, you two come with me" Itachi said
A smile spread across Kisame's lips as he gripped Samehada, while Sasori's blades spread out from his hand.
"W-Wait, I can't maintain this seal for long on my own!" Deidara gasped
"We'll make it quick" Kisame chuckled
His sharp eyes focused on Naruto completely
"Been a while, punk" Kisame said
"Sup shark man, I haven't seen shark-chan in a while, maybe I'll see her today" Naruto winked at him with a playful grin.
"Tch, don't think I'll let you off easy today" Kisame said in a low voice
"Oh? Not charging in like last time? I'm so proud of you, you're learning" Naruto clapped his hands and said
"Naruto, with how you talk, you make me want to hit you as well" Behind him, Sakura walked up and nudged him
"Hah, proves how good I am" Naruto replied
"Whatever you say, punk" Sakura rolled her eyes and said
"You two are way to relaxed, Na-kun, you friend is dying as we speak" Ino sighed as she gave him a nudge as well
"I know, so..." Naruto said as he formed a hand seal
"You two were quite realistic, but Sakura never says punk, she calls me an a*shole outright, and Ino will be much more supportive of me" He said
In an instant, the world around him cracked, shattering to bits. Right when it shattered, a spiked blade has appeared in front of his face.
"Tch" Itachi clicked his tongue when he noticed how quickly Naruto broke out of the illusion
*Bang*
Naruto leaned back, arching his back, avoiding the strike from Kisame. He then swept at his legs, causing Kisame to flinch, just long enough for another figure to appear beside him with a fist ready.
*Boom*
Sakura's punch landed on his cheeks, causing his jaw to shift out of line before sending him flying back.
'She also broke out already? The jinchuriki I can understand, but her as well?' Itachi was in shock, has his genjutsu become so ineffective against these kids already?
Right when he thought about that, Ino's eyes also shot open, breaking free from the genjutsu.
"..."
"Itachi, did you hold back?" Kisame, who landed beside him, snapped at him
"Do you think I would?" Itachi replied coldly
"...right, dammit, these damn brats" He held his jaw as he muttered
Naruto stared at them with a smile
"Ino, you take on Sasori, Sakura, you're up against the fish guy" Naruto said
"Can you take on Itachi on your own? He is capable of defeating Kakashi sensei effortlessly back then" Sakura asked
"That was a while ago, and I spent a good amount of that time studying about the sharingan" Naruto smiled back
"If you say so"
Naruto smiled casually, but a drop of sweat ran down the side of his cheeks as he stared at the three in front. He had anticipated this, but it was still worrying to see two more members here, especially Kisame and Itachi, the two he felt had the greatest threat levels compared to the ones he had seen thus far.
"Care to take this outside" Sasori spoke in a low voice
"Oh? Why?" Naruto smiled back
"Outside, or we kill the Ichibi now" Sasori said coldly
"...pretty sure you need him as well" Naruto replied
"We've gotten what we need already"
"..." Naruto frowned
'So they only need a portion of the tailed beast's chakra...then I guess Fu is actually safe since they got her wings' He thought
"Fine, we'll move this outside" Naruto said helplessly
He didn't know if Sasori was telling the truth or not, but either way, they can't gamble on him lying either.
The moment they stepped outside, Kisame swung towards Sakura.
*Bang*
The two clashed, quickly shifting a good distance away from the rest of the group.
"They want us separate, but it works out, Itachi's genjutsu puts us at a disadvantage in a group fight, so I'll try to bring him away as well" Naruto whispered
Ino nodded as she turned her attention to Sasori.
*Poof*
Orange eye liners emerged around Naruto's eyes, with his pupil turning into that of a toad, except the pupil itself became crimson red instead or orange.
He then created dozens of rasengans that formed around him, throwing them towards Itachi and Sasori.
"As planned" Itachi whispered
Sasori nodded and burst towards the barrage of rasengans.
*Boom*
In an instant, dozens of puppets appeared around him, each blocking a rasengan before exploding. When they exploded, smoke burst out from each puppet, covering the area completely.
Ino scanned the zone within the smoke, but was unable to perceive anything within which made her brows furrow.
In that moment, something was pressed into her hands.
"When you are in danger, open it" Naruto said
Ino tucked the scroll away
"Thanks"
"Focus" Naruto replied
*Whoosh*
From within the smoke, dozens of figures emerged, all of which being puppets. Naruto quickly mobilised Kurama's chakra, condensing four tails behind himself as he created more rasengans.
The puppets charged at him, still releasing more spoke to block their vision.
*Whoosh*
He shot out the rasengans like cannonballs, but his target weren't the puppets, rather, he aimed for the center of the dense smoke.
The puppets clattered, flames burst from the mouth of one, with lighting striking from another towards the incoming rasengan barrage.
*Boom*
More smoke was created, and right when Naruto was about to create more, a figure appeared beside them. Itachi...
His target?
Ino jumped back, but he grabbed onto her wrist with a talisman in his hand.
He turned to Naruto last second, wondering what expression he would make, but all he saw was indifference as the two of them vanished from sight.
Using the talisman, he brought himself and Ino dozens of kilometers away. Sasori stared at Naruto's face, but he revealed no worry.
"Not scared that your little girlfriend will die?" Sasori walked out of the smoke with dozens of puppets in tow.
"Nah, she can beat you" Naruto replied
"Hm? Itachi is stronger than I am, so if-"
"No, she will fight you, not Itachi" Naruto replied as a held up one hand in front of himself.
On the back of his hand was a golden mark
"Have fun, she's not an easy nut to crack" Naruto chuckled as his figure blurred.
In his place now stood Ino, who smiled at him calmly.
"Hi" She grinned
Meanwhile, where Itachi is, when he brought Ino over, he saw Ino panic for a moment, but quickly composed herself.
The next moment, her figure blurred, and...he was now grabbing the nine tails jinchuriki!?
"The flying raijin mark can let you switch places?" He asked
"Naturally, with a few alterations of course so it can be used more freely" Naruto replied
"..."
'I wanted to take care of the girl first and use her as hostage, but it seems he was prepared for such a thing' He frowned
"Well, let's have some fun ourselves" Naruto chuckled