30 Wait Game
We were gathered in the office near the hospital wing, close enough that I could still hear the steady rhythm of Kankuro's breathing from the next room. No one said it out loud, but everyone was waiting on the same thing. Kakashi's ninken. Until they came back, all we could do was sit and let the minutes grind us down.
Lady Chiyo, unfortunately, filled that silence.
She'd settled into a chair like a storm cloud that refused to move, muttering about how Sunagakure didn't need help from Konoha, how outsiders only made things worse, how this could have been handled internally. The usual. Old wounds, old wars, old bitterness that never seemed to run out.
Temari finally snapped.
"Will you please be quiet for a few hours?" she said, voice sharp enough to cut stone. "I know you don't care about Gaara as a person. To you he's just a weapon. But he's my brother."
The room went still.
"I nearly lost one brother," Temari continued, hands clenched at her sides. "And the other one is gone. Kidnapped. And all you're doing is sitting here complaining about Konoha."
"Watch your tone, Temari," Chiyo shot back.
Temari didn't flinch. "No. You watch yours. I know what happened to your family. I know the White Fang killed your son and daughter-in-law. I know Sasori grew up an orphan because of that."
Chiyo stiffened.
"But it was a war," Temari said, voice trembling now, but she didn't stop. "And Sasori didn't stop there. He slaughtered an entire village. That's why he became a rogue. You don't get to pretend he was innocent."
The argument kept escalating, grief crashing into bitterness, neither of them willing to back down. I could see Temari shaking, anger and fear tangled together, and that was enough.
I stepped in and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"That's enough," I said quietly.
She looked at me, eyes glassy, breathing uneven. I guided her to a bench and sat her down before turning back toward Chiyo.
I met her gaze head-on.
"I get it," I said. "In your time, jinchuriki were treated like tools. Monsters. Walking disasters. But for some of us, they're family."
My voice stayed calm, even though my chest felt tight.
"You can hate Konoha for whatever happened decades ago. That's your choice. But don't take it out on an older sister who's terrified she's about to lose her brother."
Chiyo didn't reply. She just looked away, lips pressed thin.
Across the room, Kakashi was leaning against the wall, pretending to read his Icha Icha like the tension wasn't thick enough to choke on. Shizune moved quietly nearby, packing extra antidote kits into scrolls. She was already thinking ahead, already preparing for Sasori.
The hours dragged on like that. Waiting. Thinking. Pretending not to imagine the worst.
Then the door burst open.
"Boss, we're back."
Every head snapped up as Kakashi's ninken filed into the room, sand still clinging to their fur.
Finally.
The waiting game was over.