Around the corner, Jiraiya and Kakashi watched. As soon as the fight, Jiraiya was already on his move, his face a mask of fury.
"That's enough," the Sannin growled, stepping forward. "I'm not letting that freak torture him."
Kakashi's hand clamped onto Jiraiya's shoulder. His lone visible eye was narrowed. "Wait," Kakashi whispered.
"Wait for what? He's losing!"
"You're the one who wanted to teach Naruto, Jiraiya-sama," Kakashi said, his voice flat. "If he isn't given this reality check, he'll spend the rest of his life chasing Sasuke. He'll never train properly, which will get himself killed in the future anyways. This is the only thing that will make him realize Sasuke might no longer exist."
Jiraiya's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, but he stayed his hand.
Kimimaro turned, as he walked calmly toward the two veteran shinobi. He looked like he had just finished a chore.
"I tried not to injure him too much," Kimimaro said as he passed them. "I hope this wakes him up. If I am not mistaken, you two have been trying to teach him the same lesson. It seems I've done your job for you."
"You're underestimating him," Jiraiya snarled, nodding toward the wall. "Look."
Despite the agony, Naruto was moving. His knuckles were raw and bleeding as he punched the bone spikes holding him, over and over, trying to shatter it as he failed to do.
With a guttural scream of pure willpower, he wrenched himself forward, the bones tearing through his flesh as he collapsed to the floor. Blood pooled around his knees and shoulders where the bone had blocked blood loss, but he forced himself up.
"Don't you dare... impose your assumptions on me," Naruto wheezed, his legs shaking. "Take back what you said about Sasuke."
Naruto's vision blurred. He started to pitch forward, but he didn't hit the floor.
A wave of coarse sand rose, forming a gentle cushion that caught him. Naruto turned his head slowly. "Gaara?"
Gaara stood there, as held a small bouquet of flowers in his hand... a gesture of thanks to Naruto before leaving. Behind him stood Kankuro and Temari, they had come to say their goodbyes and thank thank naruto properly for turning Gaara normal before returning to Sunagakure, but what they saw angered them.
Gaara didn't say a word. With a flick of his wrist, a massive torrent of sand erupted from his gourd, roaring down the corridor like a living tidal sandwave.
Kimimaro had just enough time to cross his arms before the sand slammed into him, pinning him against the far wall. The impact shattered the concrete. The sand didn't stop; it carried Kimimaro through the hole in the wall, out into the open sky.
"Sand Binding Coffin!" Gaara's voice was a low.
High in the air, the sand swirled into a perfect sphere, compressing inward with thousands of pounds of pressure.
Gaara then turned his back and walked toward Kakashi.
"Kakashi," Gaara said, his voice lost of its former bloodlust but filled with a bit of anger and authority. "What are you doing letting Kimimaro attack Naruto"
Kakashi sighed, offering no defense.
"Did you kill him?" Kakashi asked, glancing at the dust settling outside.
"You think that would kill him?" Gaara replied, "He survived much stronger attacks when we fought in the forest. That was merely a warning."
Gaara manipulated a small platform of sand to lift Naruto's battered body, carrying him gently into a nearby hospital room and laying him on the bed. As the sand retreated, a shadow arrived over the doorway.
Kimimaro stood there. His clothes were shredded, and his skin was covered in dust, but he was entirely unharmed.
He looked at Gaara with respect. "You were the one who almost killed me back in the forest," Kimimaro said, adjusting his collar. "Gaara... I will remember that name."
Kimimaro looked past Gaara's stoic gaze, his eyes landing on the two Hidden Leaf jonin who stood watch nearby. The tension in the air was thick, but his expression remained perfectly calm.
"Now, if you will excuse me," Kimimaro said, his voice level and devoid of malice, "I have to report to Hokage Tsunade for my first mission."
He turned and walked away, leaving the shinobi to process his words. Truthfully, he had absolutely no idea where this "Tsunade" actually operated. Logic dictated that the leader of a village would reside in its most prominent structure, so he set his sights on the tallest tower visible in the Konoha.
Stepping out of the sterile environment of the hospital, the crisp afternoon air hit his face. The grounds outside were quiet, save for a rather bizarre spectacle unfolding a few yards away from the hospital.
"Come on, Neji!" Rock Lee shouted, his face flushed bright red from the inversion. He began doing rapid circles around his teammate on his hands. "Show me your burning youth! A true shinobi does not let a minor setback keep his spirit on the ground!"
Neji let out a sharp sigh, leaning on his wooden cane. Before he could retort, his eyes locked onto Kimimaro emerging from the hosptial. Neji didn't recognize him, but the boy's presence was impossible to ignore. He looked a year or two older than Neji, moving with a lethal grace. Maybe a privilege of someone strong like himself... he could sense the aura of absolute danger from Kimimaro without even trying.
"Who are you? I have never seen you around the village," Neji demanded.
The veins around Neji's temples bulged as he channeled chakra to his eyes. "Byakugan!"
Hearing the sudden shift in Neji's tone, Rock Lee executed a flawless backflip, landing squarely on his feet. His eyes widened the moment he recognized the pale face and distinct markings. "You... you are Kimimaro! What are you doing here?" Lee quickly stepped in front of Neji, dropping into a defensive stance. "Neji, be careful. This man is incredibly dangerous."
~~
A/N: Sorry for the delay, I lost all my drafts when this fic got blocked. It was very frustrating to re write.
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