ch 27

Sunagakure

Gaara's sand rose up in a perfect defense against the onslaught from Sasori. He tried to grab the scorpion shaped man in his sand, but the Akatsuki member was faster than Gaara would have thought he could move. They'd been fighting for several minutes thus far and neither had landed a single attack.

Sasori however, didn't seem bothered by this, but instead rather amused.

"I see Sunagakure has chosen its next Kazekage well. Your mastery over sand is commendable." His scorpion tale lashed out and gouged a slice into the globe of hardened sand mostly encircling Gaara. Spikes of sand burst out of the ground, seeking to impale Sasori, but no avail. The puppet master was a blur avoiding the spikes.

"However," The cloth flap in front of Sasori's mouth fluttered and poisoned senbon flew towards Gaara. His perfect defense again leapt up around to protect him. "As much as this visit home has entertained me, I really must be on my way. Let's see how much of a Kage you are."

Sasori leapt high into the air, releasing seals after seals. In a cacophony of sound and smoke, one hundred puppets seemed to levitate in the air. With a smirk he directed them to unleash their poison gasses at once.

A noxious cloud of purple gas settled high over the city. Gaara looked incredulously at the size of it, and then saw around him citizens running for shelter screaming. His eyebrows furrowed in anger and he raised his hands.

The very ground of all of Sunagakure was made of sand. Sand which Gaara now called on to rise. IN a swirling stinging maelstrom of particles the ground itself erupted, spewing forth every inch of sand that covered the ground, and every building and object in the city. Straining, Gaara directed the sand to form up high above the city, coming together and solidifying, blotting out the sun.

"What is going on?" Lee shouted to his sensei over the din.

Maito Gai was peering to the battle between Gaara and Sasori. "The Kazekage is protecting the city! The poison cloud will kill everyone if it lands!"

Temari and Baki – who was nursing the wound to his shoulder – looked at each other and leapt up, jumping from building to building. With a final superhuman leap, they got on top of the sand before it finished solidifying. Temari whipped out her fan, and Baki her instructor in using the wind element conjured up his strongest wind attack. Together they batted at the cloud of poison gas that Gaara had prevented from landing on the city. They attacked and sent as much wind as possible towards it, trying to move it away from the city and towards the open desert.

Sasori chuckled and moved with inhuman speed, his tail lashing out impossibly fast. Gaara's concentration was completely on keeping the sand shield over the city up, but his natural defensive shield rose up, cocooning him inside its near impregnable shell. Sasori's scratched a deep gouge in the orb before recoiling, and releasing a cloud of gas that hung over and clung to it.

It seeped into the sand where a weapon would not be able to penetrate. It took a few seconds for Gaara to detect the gas inside his bubble but too late. As the orb dissolved to allow him to evade his body locked up. Sasori's tail lunged forward once more, impaling the sand user through the shoulder.

Gaara coughed in pain, a splatter of blood flying out. His eyes narrowed and his hand grasped the tail. Without conscious thought his defensive layer of sand went on the offensive, tracking down the length of the metal tail towards the body of Sasori. Sand engulfed the invader and Gaara made the crushing movement with his free hand, executing a picture perfect Sand Coffin.

Blood fell freely from Gaara's wound, but he paid it no attention. He glanced towards the cloud of poison gas heading towards the open desert thanks to the efforts of Temari and Baki. His city safe for the moment, he slumped down onto his knees. The combination of maintaining the huge sand wall above the city and the blood loss proving to be finally too much, he slipped into unconsciousness, held up only by the metal tail still sticking through his body.

Sasori's tail whipped back suddenly, breaking free of Gaara's grasp, allowing the Kazekage to fall to the ground. With a loud explosion, he burst out of the top of the Sand Coffin, landing neatly besides the comatose Gaara. Sasori ripped the tattered robes off of his body, revealing an armored shell. Without so much as a word, he tightened a coil around the prone Kazekage, and leapt into the air, flying towards the exit of Sunagakure, disappearing in his speedy movements. His summoned puppets disappearing behind him.

The sand shield over the city began to fall apart, raining down over the city, coating it once again in the desert. Temari and Baki controlled their fall and landed on a nearby rooftop. They surveyed the poison gas, mostly dissipated, but some still falling towards the southern part of the city. Baki called down to his men.

"Evacuate the southern city now! Masks on for everyone!" In a flash of activity men raced to meet the falling doom and try to save as many as they could.

Maito Gai, Lee and Ten Ten landed next to Baki and Temari.

"I lost track of Gaara and Sasori." Gai exclaimed. "It seems as if the Kazekage fell in battle."

Baki nodded. "We have to track him and find him. But half our men are needed here to stave off that poison cloud."

Gai motioned to his team. "We will go."

Baki cursed and pulled out a small round stone with markings on it. "I had no idea I'd be using this so soon. But if Gaara is in the hands of Akatsuki, we may need the help of another Jinchurriku."

He pressed the seals on the stone and spoke into it. "Gaara kidnapped by Sasori of Akatsuki. In pursuit heading north." The stone flashed bright white then stopped glowing.

After a few seconds a voice came though the stone. "…shit it works…I'll be fu…wait what? Gaara? We're on our way!"

"Was that Jiraiya?" Gai exclaimed, marveling at the stone. It made no other noises though.

Baki shrugged. "We cannot afford to wait on them. We will leave now!"

"Hold on young one." The old man Ebizo walked over, along with his even older sister Chiyo.

"The Kazekage saved every life in this city today. Proving himself a greater man than his father ever was. I was going to decline teaching him in the true Way of Sand, but I've changed my mind. We will pursue them together."

Chiyo grimaced at them all. "Besides, Sasori and I have some unfinished business."

Baki grunted. "I'm sorry elders, but we must move fast. The Kazekage's life depends on it."

"We are not as frail as you think. You are a baby to us, and forever shall we be above you." Ebizo shot him a steely look. He closed his eyes and faced the sky. Everyone watched in stunned silence as he reached out, pointing.

"They are heading towards the Mountains of Sedierta. For now." He opened his eyes. "The Grandfather of the desert knows where they are."

"Then lead on Grandfather!" Gai shouted in glee. "Show us your fires of youth!"

Chiya cackled wildly and leapt off the building, followed by her grinning brother.

Tengoku

"Tsunade!" Jiraiya burst into the hall of the white tower. Most of the people he wanted to see were there discussing the building of the pilot village for trading. Kakashi, Old man Tora, Tenchi, Tsunade, Guerrero, Mabry and even the head of the Wolf thieves Ali.

"There's been an attack on Sunagakure. Gaara was captured by Sasori. Akatsuki."

Tsunade swore up and down. The village council such as it was had opted to share responsibilities while Naruto was away. This time around she was in charge, and she wished she wasn't.

"Both of our teams have gone off to Blood Country. That means some of us need to go help." She looked inquiringly at the group.

They all nodded, and she shook her head. "Ok no, we ALL can't go. I'll go, and take Kakashi, and Jiraiya. Whose turn was it next to lead the village?"

Ali grunted. "Mine. But my clan wishes to be involved in the next mission. We have not made any contributions to this haven and wish to do so at the earliest possibility."

Tsunade shrugged. "Noted. You're in the next mission."

"Wait." Old Tora chimed in. "I'm coming. I have a history with that Sasori."

"Fine. Let's go. Time is of the essence. Gear up, don't forget the home summons arm bands so we can get back home when all is done. The wind stream takes an hour to get to Suna. We leave in five minutes."

Wind Country, east of Sunagakure

"The trail is running cold." Baki cursed. He could no longer see any tracks in the quickly shifting sand.

"We do not need a trail young one. We head towards the mountain. It is a straight line." Ebizo said. They were racing at a very fast speed through the sands of the desert.

Baki glanced towards the respected village elder. All his knowledge of the man was through stories. He used to be one of the most feared sand users in all of Suna. The history books had stories of him and his family dating back hundreds of years. As long as there had been a Sunagakure there was an Ebiza, the name passed down from father to son. Every new generation spending the first few decades of their life living out in the desert, to return to the village and help lead it. It was said that even now there was another, younger Ebiza out there somewhere in the desert, honing his skills.

The other revered sibling Chiyo seemed to be enjoying the run. He had to hand it to them, they were not only keeping up, but seemed to almost be holding back to allow the rest of them to set the pace. It was remarkable for their age.

He turned his head and watched the Team from Konoha. He struggled with his perception of all Konoha nin and the truth of these people. They were clearly on the side of his village, yet years of a cold war between the two villages had left no room in him for anything but mistrust. He could put that aside for now though if it meant getting Gaara back.

They raced towards the speck of a mountain in the distance.

Sasori entered the cave having already laid out the traps that he'd planned from before. It would buy him enough time to complete this ritual. Laying out Gaara's body he sat and summoned the chi and concentrated on the seals necessary to communicate with the others. After a minute, shadowy forms began to appear around him.

"Deidara is dead. I have the boy." Sasori rasped.

"Then it was a fair trade." The Leader said.

"I am being pursued. I cannot say by how many." He held aloft a finger with an ornate ring, matching the one he himself wore. "I was able to retrieve Deidara's ring, and 'most' of the pieces of his body."

"Good. It will have to do. Use the rods I gave you and impale his main chakra points. I will take it from there. Itachi and Kisame will delay your pursuers long enough for us to finish the ceremony."

Sarori didn't bother replying, nodding to two of his followers to leave the cave, and close it behind them. He quickly gathered the parts of Deidara's body he had been able to retrieve – head, half a torso, left arm, right thigh – and put it together. He used chakra strings to tie it all together as best he could. Swiftly he impaled the neck, arm, and torso with short black rods. Stepping back to check on his work, he nodded then went about arranging Gaara's body for the ritual.

The wind stream buffeted them from all sides. Like a hot breathe beating at their clothes, seeping into their pores. Tsunade, Jiraiya, Kakashi and Old Man Tora flew through the air at impossible speed, clutching Yoshi's gliding contraption between them. The air-stream that led to Sunagakure was a very fast one. Naruto had said as much, but it was a very different thing to experience it.

"Look!" Jiraiya shouted to them, pointing downwards.

A fast moving small group were making their way through a sparse wooded area, towards a large mountain range. Despite what many thought, Suna was not all sand and dunes. Woodlands were also fairly common, its hardy trees having learned to survive with the barest minimum of water. The group was moving extremely quickly, and there was something familiar about two of the men in the group.

Kakashi grimaced. "I'd know that bowl cut anywhere. We must leave the wind stream!"

Tsunade didn't hesitate, clapping her hands together in a burst of chakra. The impact disrupting the stream enough for them to fall out of it. They unfurled the wings on Yoshi's machine and held on tight as it lurched upwards and forward. Jiraiya sweated profusely, his fear of heights kicking in full gear as they sped towards the ground, albeit at an angled-controlled descent.

His fears proved unfounded though. Yoshi had had more than enough time to work out the kinks in his invention. The Daedelus guided them safely to a stretch of flat land ahead of the party they were tracking. They folded it back up and Tsunade sealed it away in a scroll.

It was at this moment that the contingent from Sunagakure burst into the clearing, startled at seeing a giant bird descend from the sky. Baki stared in disbelief at the ex-Konoha nin –now Tengoku nin- standing before him. He'd sent the message for help a little over an hour ago. This response time was unreal. He filed that information away for future use.

Baki recognized the members of the Tengoku team except the old man. He saw a look of recognition cross Ebiza's face briefly, but asked no questions. He pointed towards the mountains and without a word they all raced towards the captured Kazekage.

Kisame grumbled as he sat next to Itachi. He considered the other nin a friend as much as he had ever had one. But that didn't prevent him from cursing loudly about his choice of terrain for this ceremony. Itachi didn't even blink though, just beginning the transfer of power to possess his choice of Sasori's two minions. Kisame likewise did the same, making sure to only commit a small percentage of his chakra, keeping the rest for the ceremony, as well for his own defense. Realistically it was a drop in the bucket for him, but no one needed to know exactly how much he was capable of, not even Itachi.

Night came swiftly in the desert, bringing with it biting cold winds. The contingent from Sunagakure and Tengoku stopped running when they reached the foothills of the mountain range where they were sure Sasori had brought Gaara.

"They did not leave the area." Ebizo said quietly. "They are somewhere in the rocks, deep within one of these mountains. The rocks are confusing…I cannot track them."

They looked grimfaced, staring at the line of mountains stretching off into the distance. Kakashi made a quick jutsu sign, and summoned his pack of ninja dogs.

"Guys," He said to them. "Look around the area and see if you pick up any scents. We're looking for a Jinchurriku and an S-Class missing nin."

The dogs leapt off in many directions, searching for scents. Tsunade sat down on a rock, rubbing her forearms nervously.

"The more time we waste here the more time Akatsuki has with Gaara." She grumbled.

Jiraiya nodded. "My sources say it takes some time, for them to extract the Tanuki."

"Three days." Chiyo said quietly. "I've seen three such extractions in my lifetime. If the host is strong that is. He can hold out for that long." She looked at the faces around her. "Normally the host dies at the end…"

The stood in silence for a few minutes before one of Kakashi's ninja dogs, a small pug, came bounding back.

"I have a scent!" he barked out.

Just then another dog came in from another direction. "I have them!"

Kakashi swore violently. "He must have met up with some others and split up."

Baki stepped in. "We split up too. Jiraiya, take your contingent that way." He said pointing after the second dog that had arrived. "We will go with this pup."

"….Hey I'm not a pup…" The pug whispered in the background.

Without another word the teams split up and raced off in their separate directions.

As the sun rose over the hills, Jiraiya and the team from Tengoku entered a clearing to find a long figure standing before them.

"Itachi!" Kakashi exclaimed.

The Akatsuki member stood just watching them, waiting. Kakashi stepped forward, tensing. Tsunade put out her arm stopping him. She glared at Itachi.

"I think you're better move boy. I'm not in the best of moods."

Itachi looked over the team. "Two of the Legendary Sannin, The White wolf of Konoha, and an old man I do not recognize, but judging by your present company, you're no civilian."

Old Man Tora nodded at the Shinobi, but said nothing. Jiraiya whispered to Tora, "Don't look directly at his eyes. He's a genjutsu master."

Tsunade lowered her hand, and Kakashi disappeared in a blur. His speed unimaginable as he shot like lightning towards Itachi. His right hand began to crackle and the sounds of birds chirping filled the air.

He thrust forward into the body of Itachi, penetrating clean through his chest. For a split second Tsunade thought he'd done it, but then suddenly Itachi burst into a flock of crows.

"Shit!" She clasped her hands together quickly."We're caught in his Genjutsu!" She made a quick hand sign, as did Jiraiya. "Dispel!" They both dispelled the illusion. Itachi was several yards ahead still, but Kakashi was not moving, frozen in the position he'd ended up in having 'impaled' Itachi.

Tsunade raced forward to help Kakashi, while Jiraiya turned to look at Tora. The old man was frozen in place as well. Jiraiya touched him and surged a small burst of chakra into him, disrupting the genjutsu he was caught in.

Tora awoke with a start and fell to his knees gasping. "How…how many days…"

Jiraiya grimaced. It appears Itachi was using one of the most feared genjutsu of the Uchiha clan. The target could be trapped for seconds and it felt like days, years maybe. All while being tortured endlessly.

"It's just been a few seconds…" The roar of Tsunade startled him before he could finish. She was airborne , launching herself at Itachi. Kakashi lay on the ground now, having also been dispelled of the illusion.

Tsunade kept her eyes away from Itachi's eyes, trusting only her peripheral vision. His hand moved quickly, a fast movement, but nothing that could withstand her brute strength. With a loud crack her fist passed right through where his body had been and cracked the ground beneath them, erupting a large fountain of sand and rock.

"Another Genjutsu!" Tsunade cursed. Finding herself in a place with no one and nothing else. Except Itachi who was coming at her with a sword. She was unable to move as he ran her through with the sword. Another Itachi appeared, also impaling her with his sword. And another, and another. Tsunade would have passed out from the pain, but she kept her head, focused on the pain and pumped chakra into her own body. "Dispel!"

She slumped to the ground gasping. "How is he putting us into Genjutsu?" She shouted back at Jiraiya. "We're not making eye contact!"

Jiraiya leapt towards her, "I don't know, but I've had enough of this. Stay down." His hands were a blur, and a series of senbon needles with small inscriptions on them flew out of his hair in a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Another hand movement and the needles multiplied, and multiplied again, and again. Twenty became, a hundred, became five hundred. The unavoidable barrage was almost impossible to dodge or see. A sudden explosion to the right of them, and they saw Itachi skid to the left, clutching his right arm.

"My blood bomb senbon needles. They explode on contact with even a drop of blood. You were known as a genius in your clan, but illusions or not, your body has to be somewhere. And no one can dodge physical attacks forever."

Itachi got up and used his hand to dust off his robes. Jiraiya stepped forward, into the same plane that Tsunade had found herself in. "Shit!" As the first swords penetrated him, he began to prepare his own dispel jutsu, when It all disappeared around him. He stumbled clutching at imaginary wounds, when he saw Itachi impaled on the tail of what looked like a living nightmare; a scorpion the size of a small house. Incredulously he watched as the scorpion's claws grabbed Itachi's body , slid it off the end of the sharp tail. Blood was pouring out his mouth and he was about to say something when the claws ripped him in two and flung the parts in two different directions.

The scorpion breathed heavily then crumbled into rocks and sand. Jiraiya Looked over and saw Old Man Tora stand up defiantly. "Payback you little punk." He whispered under his breath.

Tsunade and Kakashi got up slowly as well, walking over to the top half of Itachi's twitching body. Tora and Jiraiya joined them a few seconds later.

"Who is that?" Tsunade asked quietly.

The body in the ditch was wearing Itachi's clothes, but his face was no longer that of the ex-konohanin. He was mouthing words, but only blood and bubbles were escaping. Jiraiya knelt down by the body, and pulled off a ring off the fingers of the body, letting the hand fall back.

"A soldier of Akatsuki. This was a delaying tactic. They must have used a jutsu to make him look like Itachi." He held up the ring. "This might have been how we were being put under the illusion. I'll need to study it further." He glanced up at Tora.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Baki and team Gai entered a ravine, scrambling under the evening mist. It had been almost a solid day of following this trail. They'd left Sunagakure at most an hour behind Sasori, yet because he knew where he was going, and had done several tradecraft tricks to hide his trail, they'd lost more than an entire day just trying to find him.

They came upon a small stream besides the edge of a forest, and a lone figure standing before them. His smile ridged with sharp teeth arrayed in it, beckoning them forward.

Later...

Tired, the teams converged on the rock wall that the ninja dog said the scent ended. Baki rested Gai against a tree, the Konoha nin exhausted after his fight with Kisame, only to learn that it was just a clone. He exchanged a look with Tsunade who came over and began examining the quirky dresser of Konoha.

Baki stepped forward and examined the rock wall.

"It's a door. There's a cave beyond it." He said quietly. Night had fallen again. By his count, they had another twelve hours to find Sasori and save Gaara. This close…Baki allowed himself some hope that they would make it in time.

"Wait." Jiraiya stepped forward. "That seal…" He pointed up on the rock face. There was a small tag stuck to the wall. He put one foot on the wall and walked straight up towards it. He stooped down and studied it for a second.

"It's a trap seal. There are likely two or three others nearby. All must be removed at the same time, otherwise this place explodes. It looks quite powerful."

Lee raised his hand. "We will find them and pull them." He nodded his head towards Neji and Ten and Jiraiya watched them disappear into the surrounding woods, searching for the trap seals.

Jiraiya sat down hard. Maito Gai collapsed to the ground as well, the wounds sustained from his battle with Kisame wearing him down. Tsunade knelt beside him and took the opportunity to tend to his wounds.

"The Kazekage better hold on, we're close."

"They're close." Itachi's shadow spoke quietly in the cave.

"Very." Kisame's shadow replied.

"It doesn't matter." The leader claimed. "It is almost done."

Gaara's body had risen into the air. The streams of chakra were flowing faster now, our of his mouth into the mouth of the giant statue that stood in the dark. The shadows in the room kept up their chanting.

"They will not make it in time."

"Found it." Lee spoke into his headset.

"So have I." Neji confirmed.

"Hold on... I think... yes! I've found mine too." Ten Ten chimed in.

"Pull it! Now!" Kakashi pulled the tag off the rock wall in unison with Lee, Ten Ten and Neji.

"Well this is interesting." Kakashi uttered staring at the clone of himself. The rock wall had crumbled easily, but this automatic defensive jutsu had activated, creating a perfect copy of Kakashi.

Baki grunted. "We don't have time for this. Kakashi you'll have to handle this on your own, we're going in." He, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Old man Tora, Ebizo and Chiyo leapt past the fake Kakashi into the darkness of the cave.

Kakashi sighed and took up an offensive Taijutsu position, watching as his mirror image duplicated his move.

"What do we have here?"

The voice floated in the gloom of the dark cave, echoing off of the mossy walls, dripping with malevolence. The giant cavern was poorly lit, but by what light there was, the teams from Tengoku and Sunagakure were able to see a long figure standing over the prostrate body of the Kazekage. Another body lay not far away, but this one was in several pieces. Large holes showing in his skin where something had been jammed in post-mortem. Clearly whatever purpose Diedara had served had now been fulfilled.

"Not one, but two of the Sannin?" Sasori chuckled. "I should feel flattered." His masked face snapped to the other people in the room.

"So, you're still alive old woman."

Chiyo did not laugh for once. She nodded, her eyes a mix of emotions. Her brother Ebizo touched her shoulder. He did not spare a glance towards the puppeteer.

Old man Tora stepped forward. "Sasori of the Red Sands. Do you remember me?"

Sasori tilted his head slightly. "No."

Tora grinned. "Maybe this will help." He made a quick hand sign then slammed his palms into the ground. In a flash large rocks in the ground became even larger snakes, striking out at Sasori. The puppeteer leapt backwards avoiding the onslaught. Ten, Twenty, Forty, the number of rock-snakes that Tora produced and directed to attack kept multiplying. Not being real creatures their speed was phenomenal.

Baki used the opportunity as Sasori was forced away to race to Gaara's form. He felt at his neck then looked up. "He has a pulse, though it is very weak."

Sasori laughed even while jumping and avoiding the snakes. "Ahhh. Kazimo. Tora Kazimo. I remember you now. This is quite the reunion today, between Grandmother and yourself. When was it? Twenty years ago that I killed her? Twenty years since you were unable to protect her?"

Tora Kazimo, the head of the Tora clan and the master of the clan's secret Doubutso Souzou technique gritted his teeth and bore down his chakra. A giant scorpion burst from the ground sending dirt and stone flying everywhere. Sasori's smaller quicker scorpion shaped body tried to dodge, but the giant scorpion's tail was quicker, cracking open Sasori's shell.

"What the hell, that's not his body?" Jiriaya asked.

"No." Tora spit out through gritted teeth. "The real monster is inside."

Sasori stepped out of the rubble. He was a boy of about fifteen years, wearing pristine Akatsuki robes. His face was remarkably un-lifelike however, his eyes unblinking, staring maniacally at them. "It's been a while since someone forced me to show my true self."

He stepped forward lightly, his movements more fluid than they had a right to be. "I'm glad we get to finish this fight. If I remember correctly, the last time I attacked your clan homestead, I impaled your wife, and almost decapitated you. What say we fix that 'almost'." In a massive explosion of sound and smoke, a hundred floating puppets appeared behind and besides Sasori. "Meet my army."

Jiraiya glared. He'd heard of the famed puppet army of Sasori of the Red Sands. It was a fearsome weapon. He'd also had no idea the level of history that existed between Sasori and Tora. Filing that information away for later, he spared but a glance to where Chiyo and Tsunade were examining Gaara. Ebizo seemed more content to watch the battle however. That left himself, Baki and Tora to handle one of the most dangerous S class ninja's in the bingo book.

Tora's giant scorpion attacked again, but its rock body was destroyed easily by the scores of puppets Sasori was controlling. Baki unsheathed his sword and swung with a cutting wind attack, hoping to reduce the numbers. The air slash struck two puppets and sent pieces flying. But within seconds, Sasori twitched his fingers and the puppets were put back together.

Ebizo spoke softly. "All puppeteers use chakra strings to connect to and control their puppets. I've never seen someone control so many so effectively. Sasori really is a prodigy among puppet users."

"Thanks, but maybe we can admire his skill later." Jiraiya grunted, narrowly avoiding a diving puppet that looked like a clown.

Tora grunted and dug deep, flowing as much chakra as he could manage into the ground itself. The cave began to rumble. A small army of monkeys burst from the ground, going after the army of puppets. The monkeys ran rampant, howling and shrieking and tearing at limbs and heads, smashing wooden parts.

The entire scene was madness for many minutes. Tora collapsed in exhaustion, his eyes glazing over. Ebizo walked over to him and cradled him, carrying him closer to where Tsunade and Chiyo were treating Gaara.

As the fight raged around them, he saw the look on Chiyo's face as she watched Gaara. "He's dying. The monster I put inside him has been ripped out." A tear rolled down her face. "Help me brother."

Ebizo nodded and looked back over to where the battle raged. Jiraiya had called out one of his battle toads, and the odds were moving back in their favor. Sasori controlled one hundred puppets, but puppets were no match for the numbers that Tora had created, nor the strength of Jiraiya, or the resilience and anger of Baki.

Still, this fight had gone on long enough, and Ebizo was angry at the pending death of the Kazekage.

"Sasori." His words were little more than a whisper, but everyone in the cave stopped. His voice had seemed to come from within the very mountain itself.

"I won't ask you to surrender. It has gone too far. I see no benefit to capturing you alive. I'm giving you a chance though. A chance to make peace with yourself."

Sasori snorted. "What are you talking about old man? Your clan barely hangs on by a thread. What can an old adviser like you threaten me with?"

Ebizo shook his head. "You're wrong. I have no clan. I have had no clan for over a thousand years." He raised his arms to his sides, the ground seemed to move. Not shake, but almost rippled like liquid. Jiraiya leapt back and away, landing on a hard rock formation. Baki and Sasori did the same.

It took a few seconds, but Jiriaya realized that the ground wasn't rippling, but rather the ground was alive with small creatures, thousands of them, millions maybe. They looked like silverfish, small and sleek, writhing just beneath the sands surface. They were swirling in the ground, going around and around Ebizo. Slowly they broke the surface, and began to cover his skin.

"There was never more than one Ebizo. There has always only been me. Every fifty years I return to the desert. The desert that I am part of." The silverfish like creatures writhed and squirmed, covering every inch of Ebizo including his face. The writhing slowed, then stopped, the creatures forming a leather skin casing. As Jiriaya and the others watched. Ebizo seemed almost to absorb the leather skin and all the creatures. In the space of a minute it was all gone, and Ebizo looked to be in his early twenties, standing like a statue, eyes staring at nothing in particular, even Sasori seemed dumbstruck.

His eyes opened, and bright gold eyes stared straight back at Sasori. "I am Ebizo, rider of the true Grandfather of the desert." He motioned his hand and the mountain truly rumbled this time. The ceiling threatened to cave in, stalagmite falling around them.

Jiraiya rushed over to Gaara, and scooped him up, racing for the exit. He didn't spare a glance to know that Tsunade had picked up Chiyo and was right on his heels, Baki and Tora not far behind. Whatever was happening in this cave none of them wanted to be part of it.

Sasori watched in amazement as the hideout crumbled. Ebizo seemed unaffected by the damage being done, no rocks or dirt coming anywhere near him. With a curse Sasori directed his force of puppets to kill the old man.

Out the ground burst a giant cloud of dust, followed by a worm larger than even Orochimaru's Snake summons. The worm swallowed and crunched the vast majority of the puppets. Sasori tried to direct his chakra strings to reconstitute the broken puppets, but the chakra cut off close to the worm.

"What is this!?" He bellowed over the din. His smooth face not giving any signs of his internal distress. Another sandworm burst upwards, narrowly missing him. The sandworm exploded out of the mountain, leaving a gaping hole exposing the noon sky.

The rumbling worsened, the very cave collapsing. "This? This is the end." Ebizo said matter of factly. "Meet the only clan I'll ever have."

Sasori lashed out with the metal cable stinger he had coiled inside his hollow torso. It sped towards Ebizo's head, looking to spear it in an instant. He used his puppeteering skills to ensure it came in from an unexpected angle. A move that had never ever failed to kill its intended victim. Except this one time.

Ebizo didn't move. He just seemed to be slightly to the right of where he was before. Sasori recognised it for what it was, near god-like speed. Ebizo grasped the spike at the end of the cable and tore it off, pulling at the cable itself to draw Sasori close.

Sasori cursed and leapt backwards, disconnecting the cable from his body, the propellers on his back giving him a sudden burst of speed. His unblinking eyes didn't see when Ebizo disappeared, only to reappear behind him.

"So..So fast!" he uttered just as his propellers were torn off like paper, Ebizo's fingers digging into them without any resistance.

A hidden trap sprung in the back of his head and poison gas exploded outwards in what would be a fatal attack in any circumstance. The "old" man was no longer in the danger zone however, having kicked Sasori away the instant he tore off the propellers.

Sasori rolled and came up, his left hand unhinging and letting loose a stream of fire, trying to track the impossibly fast moving elder. All the while more sandworms, larger and smaller both kept breaking ground and destroying more of the mountain.

"You'll bring the cave down on us both!" Sasori shouted.

Ebizo appeared at his left side and tore off Sasori's left arm. Sasori fell to his right, a blade coming out of his right hand and slashing wildly.

The old Suna nin stood there, his calm demeanor not indicative of the peril they were in.

"The mountain will be reshaped, but cannot be destroyed. That's one thing you young children never learnt about the desert. The land is eternal. You must be part of it."

All the worms suddenly burrowed back into the ground, disappearing in a cacophony of noise and dust. The ceiling to the cave was gone, most of this side of the mountain had collapsed. Sasori looked up at the night sky, a full moon shining down on their battle.

He had ended up next to the pieces of Diedara's body. His old teammates unseeing eyes looked directly at him. Part of his face had been burned off in the explosion that had claimed his life, the lips seared away to reveal a sneer that Sasori would swear was directed at him. With a curse he kicked the head away, and turned, looking for Ebizo.

"What the hell is going on in there?" Baki asked when they were far enough outside and away from the destruction of the cave. Jiraiya gently put Gaara down, shaking his head, realising that he was carrying dead weight, then turned to look back the way they came.

"I..I honestly have no idea."

Tsunade put Chiyo down as well. The old lady walked over to Gaara's body, nodding as if making a decision. Oddly, she laughed.

"My Ebizo. He will handle my grandson for me."

Baki growled. "Who is Ebizo? I've never heard any indication that he was such a fearsome fighter. That he was revered yes, but this...?"

Chiyo cackled. "You children. Always thinking you know everything. Ebizo predates all of us. From a time before this time. He's the desert itself, pure primal destruction as you've not seen. Who do you think first captured the One-Tail? I met him when I was but a young girl, and our friendship has endured. So close were we that we were known as brother and sister. There are so very few true immortals left in this world..."

She grew somber. "This though... Gaara is my responsibility. My flesh and blood has done this to the leader of our village. A leader whom I myself had cursed with that beast."

The noise died down in the mountain. An eerie calm taking over the landscape. Not a night cricket made a noise. No wind blew. Out of the dark strode the silhouette of a man. Ebizo walked forward calmly, his hands wrapped around a small cylinder.

"It is done sister." His eyes didn't look at anyone else, his hand outstretched with the cylinder. Chiya held onto it, looking at it sadly.

"What is that?" Kakashi asked, walking over. His own battle had taken a lot out of him.

"This is the only piece of my grandson that was still human. His core. He is still alive - so to speak - in this casing." She handed it back to Ebizo, looking into his eyes. "Please take care of him."

From the brush other Sunagakure nin appeared, trickling in. There had been many others from the village that pursued their missing Kazekage. The total destruction of an entire mountain brought them in like a beacon. They didn't crowd the elders or the team from Tengoku though, instead asking questions of Baki and looking towards Gaara's lifeless body.

Ebizo looked at Gaara's lifeless body, then back to Chiyo, oblivious to the others around him. "It is forbidden for a reason Sister. We've had this discussion. The desert claims back what it should. Dust to dust. He is gone."

Chiyo shook her head. "My wrongdoing. My blood did this to him. I put it in him, and my grandson tore it out. This is balance Brother." She touched her hand to his face. They stayed like that for a few more seconds then she turned and knelt besides Gaara.

Her hands began to glow blue. Tsunade's eyes grew large.

"No!" She moved as if to stop the old woman. Ebizo gripped her wrist, firmly yet gently. Tsunade found herself unable to break free. She supposed she could have if she exerted her inhuman strength, but Ebizo was an ally.

"Stop her! That technique, I've read about it! It is forbidden!"

Ebizo's voice was cold. "Watch it and learn Tsunade. Or this technique dies with her and I will not be sorry to see that happen."

They all stood in silence as Chiyo executed a perfect self sacrifice resurrection Jutsu. her face drained of color, as the chakra poured through her hands into Gaara's chest. Sweat beaded her forehead, the strain visible. With a curse Ebizo knelt beside her and touched her shoulder, feeding chakra to her so she could complete her last wish.

Gaara coughed.

Chiyo looked over at the crowd gathered for Gaara, smiled, then collapsed sideways. Ebizo held her softly as the coughs racked Gaara's reanimated body.

The Kazekage opened his eyes.

Blood Country

"We can pop out over there!" Naruto pointed to a hill that the wind stream dipped close to. By close of course he meant it was several hundred feet at least above it. The girls held onto the smaller Daedalus that Yoshi had given them. The boys insisted they didn't need one, And N'uihc looked with disdain at the contraption.

Naruto disrupted the stream with a burst of Chakra and they fell. Naruto decided he wouldn't destroy the landscape every time they travelled somewhere, so he pumped chakra into his legs, landing like an explosion in the ground.

Nagi fell into his own shadow, disappearing then reappearing a second later.

Senjii was a whirlwind with his swords, creating a small wind devil that buffeted his fall, allowing him to land semi gracefully.

The girls glided down on the Daedelus, touching down without incident.

N'uihc was just there. One minute he was in the air, the other he was standing calmly waiting on the ground.

Naruto sheepishly climbed out of the hole he had created on impact. He dusted himself off then looked around.

"Ok, so where do we go from here?"

Sakura brought out small compass and a map. "That way is the nearest major village and road. We can take this road all the way to the capital." She pointed north.

"Then that's where we go." Naruto said, "But let's scout it a bit. This is sort of enemy territory." A lesson learnt long ago that Naruto didn't forget. He quickly formed the seals for his Kage Bunshin. In seconds he had a team of five 'Naruto's' fanning out ahead, looking for any signs of an ambush or trap.

They walked northwards, taking the opportunity to study the land. Much of what should have been green was blackened and soot covered. The reason obvious. To the far north a mountain was spewing ash and black smoke. A volcano N'uihc happily explained to Naruto.

No animals crossed their paths. No birds flew in the sky.

"This land is dead." Senjii muttered. Naruto and Nagi nodded their heads in agreement.

"It's not dead," Calamity spat. "It's dying. This could all spring back to life." She kicked over a pile of ash to expose a small green grass struggling to reach the sunlight.

"Life always finds a way." She said quietly. N'uihc looked at her, no one seeing the proud glint in his eye.

An hour later as they were nearing the village, one of Naruto's clones burst through the foliage into their midst.

"Up ahead! Hurry!"

They raced after the clone towards the village, hearing by this point the sound of shouts coming from somewhere ahead. It took just a few minutes for them to reach the village. The bunshin led them through a narrow alleyway onto what was likely the main square of the town. Every citizen must have been gathered there, at least a few hundred people were present. All shouting and swearing, some brandishing torches, others carried weapons like pole axes and staffs.

At the center of the square Naruto saw what the commotion was about. A woman and her two children were alight, having been set on fire by the men around her in what had to be seconds before their arrival. Their screams reached to the sky to the seeming delight of the crowd gathered. Naruto stood in shock for a mere second, but N'uihc acted faster. The Shinanju master was suddenly on the platform knocking the men out of the way. The fire raged however and the children's screams went silent, leaving only the woman's voice raised above the crowds roar of approval. N'uihc was smothering the woman with his robe, killing the flames.

Naruto and his friends leapt to the platform to help, but it was too late. N'uihc moved his robe and revealed a charred face grimacing in painful death. The children still burned so Naruto copied N'uihc and took off his shirt, smothering them and trying to put out the fires, Sakura following suit.

Senjii growled at the men on the platform who were now getting to their feet. The men were ordinary farmers, no longer menacing. In fact if Senjii had to describe their expressions it would be 'extreme dissinterest'. In fact the entire crowd had gone eerily quiet.

Naruto's anger would not be contained though. "Why!?" he bellowed at the men, his rage breaking the surface. His jacket ,singed and blackened with soot lay forgotten on the platform.

No one answered. The wind howled through the village, only being disrupted by the shuffling of feet as the crowd quietly dispersed, heading their separate ways. The men on the platform turned to go as well. Sakura and the two girls were at the edge of the platform where the steps were. Her anger was also barely contained. As one of the men tried to walk past her she grabbed him by the throat, lifted him and slammed him down onto the platform, splintering the wood and sending them crashing through into the dirt below.

The other men looked at that but registered no expression. Naruto grabbed one by the shirt and lifted him. His eyes burned with an inner flame, the pupils turning to slits.

"Why?!" he questioned again. "Why do such a thing?"

The man shrugged. "Strangers wouldn't understand."

Naruto punched him in the stomach. Hard. The man doubled over and coughed up blood. Naruto stood him back upright.

"Tell me!"

The man spit out a gob of blood and tissue. His face still registered nothing.

"Her husband died three days ago. She had no family to care for her or the children. The magistrate granted her petition to die. She begged for it. A quick death is better than what most of us will suffer."

The team from Tengoku stood in shock. Nagi was the first to say anything. "She...asked to be set on fire?"

The man shrugged. "The magistrate decides the method. She was not the first this week. Won't be the last to choose death. Food is scarce. Money to buy it non-existent. I myself have not eaten anything but dead rats in over a week. Her children had not eaten in days. There is nowhere to go but the nothingness after this life."

Naruto held onto the man's shirt his head hanging down. Tears fell from his face.

"Could no one care for them?"

The man shook his head. "Those were the last children in this village. No one wanted to be burdened with those extra mouths to feed."

He shoved the man hard, sending him off the platform. The image of the burning family seared forever into his brain. He looked at Nagi who was ashen. The truth hitting them hard.

Life in the Blood Country was a nightmare.

N'uihc stood off to the side taking in the interactions. He dusted off his coat and folded it over his arm. He studied his students faces, noting the distress they displayed. He was glad they had enough humanity in them to be disturbed by this still. He fervently hoped that the years would never take that from them. He glanced down at the burnt corpse of the woman and her children. Previously he had felt slight anger at such cruelty. Now he felt intense disgust at the entire village for their cowardice. No matter the cruelty of his master, a man who would not choose to live, was not a man. Not one worth living and breeding.

He paid special attention to the reaction of his Tenshikage. Lord Naruto was very emotional. N'uihc had not decided whether that was a good thing or bad thing yet. Time would tell. For now he followed this Lord and neither he nor his students would disappoint.

"Let's get out of here." Nagi said quietly. "This Lord Shisho has more to answer for than I thought."

They all filed out of the village, heading for the road that would take them to the Capitol. They walked in mostly silence until nightfall, making camp in a clearing away from the road. It was a restless night for all. So they noticed when N'uihc disappeared from camp early in the evening. And when he reappeared at the crack of dawn the next day.

"Where did you go Sensei?" Nagi asked, pulling on his boots.

N'uihc shrugged. "Back to that village. Their cowardice offended me."

Naruto, Senji, Nagi, Sakura, Calamity and Hiruka all froze. Naruto was the first to speak. "The men on the platform?"

N'uihc stretched and poured some hot water into a small pouch that Calamity knew was tea. "All of them. They wished for death instead of life." He began walking back to the road to continue their trek. "I felt in a giving mood last night."

Senjii turned to Nagi. "Does he mean what I think he does?"

Nagi and Calamity nodded. "He wiped out that village." Calamity answered quietly. She picked up her small travelling bag and walked after her Sensei. The rest of them followed.