"What's the matter lady Tsunade?" Itachi asked seeing her in a serious mood.
"This kid...every letter he sends is like a headache to me." Tsunade said as she massaged her forehead with one hand and showed the contents of the scroll to Itachi with her other hand.
Itachi took the scroll from her and read what was written in it "The Kazekage is going to be kidnapped for his tailed beast within the next 24 hours."
"Do you think he is correct about this?" Tsunade asked as she looked at Itachi.
"Well, his bats are really good at information gathering. Even someone with my sense can't be sure if I am being spied upon by his bats. Should we inform the hidden sand about it?"
Tsunade shook her head and said "No...I don't think we need to. Yami's first mission was a joint mission with the current Kazakage Gaara. I am sure he will have sent a letter to him as well. For now, just bring Temari of the hidden sand to me. I will have team Kakashi and team Guy go with her to the hidden sand.
"If the Akatsuki is behind this then I should go as well." Itachi said to which Tsunade shook her head and said "No...they should never know that you are alive. They might change their plan and their base and that could be catastrophic for us. You are not to step into the fights unless it is a question of the hidden leaf's safety and this is an order as your Hokage." Tsunade said in a stern tone.
Seeing that Tsunade had already made up her mind about this, Itachi decided to go and call Temari so he body flickered away.
At this time, Shikamaru and Temari were having fried fish in the Konoha market. Living in the desert made it really rare for Temari to eat any kind of seafood so she was trying each and every fish that was in the market. As her guide, Shikamaru had to get dragged along with her as well.
"Such a dragg...why am I in the market at such a time...I could have relaxed at home but no I had to become a guide." Shikamaru complained to himself as he followed Temari.
"Stop complaining like a little girl. I am here for one more day and I will leave. If you come to the hidden sand then I will be responsible for your tour as well." Temari said not realizing that her chance to give him a tour was going to come sooner than she expected.
"Temari of the hidden sand" a voice appeared behind her spooking her and Shikamaru at the same time.
"Damm...you scared me" Temari said as she stepped backward.
"What happened?" Shikamaru asked. Since he was the son of Shikaku Nara, Itachi didn't see any problem with talking to her in front of him.
"Lady Tsunade has called you into her office urgently. It's an emergency. Please come with me fast." Itachi said.
Realizing that it was something urgent Temari nodded and followed Itachi. Curiosity also got the best of Shikamaru as he was also running toward the Hokage office. After reaching outside the Hokage's office, Shikamaru saw Lee and Karin just entering the office.
"Both of you can go in." Itachi said acting like a regular Anbu and left the lobby. He didn't want anyone inside the office to even start doubting his identity.
As Temari and Shikamaru entered inside they saw that Kakashi, Guy, Lee, Karin, and Sasuke were standing in the office. She also noticed a long cloth-wrapped thing in Sasuke's hands.
Tsunade looked at Temari and then at Shikamaru and asked "What are you doing here?" She didn't think that Itachi must have made a mistake so she didn't tell Shikamaru to leave immediately.
"I was with Temari when the Anbu asked her to come here. I was worried as to what happened so I followed her." Shikamaru said.
"What's the matter Lady Tsunade? Why have you called me here so urgently and that too with these many people here?" Temari asked. She had a feeling that something was wrong but couldn't quite put a finger on it.
"Let's wait for a minute until the others arrive as well. I am sure they will be on their way here as well." Tsunade said.
Temari nodded and within the next few seconds, the rest of Team Guy and Team Kakashi showed up. Naruto came and started asking the same questions at first but seeing the serious look on Tsunade's face kept him quiet. As Neji arrived last just 5 seconds after Karin and Sakura, the two teams had assembled.
Tsunade opened the scroll in her hand and stood up. She waved it in front of the two teams and Temari and said "This is a message that I received from Yami a few minutes ago."
There were many changes in expressions across the room. Some were surprised, some were happy while some had gotten even more curious. But none of this could explain why Temari was called here along with only 2 teams.
"What does it say Lady Tsunade?" Sasuke asked. As his elder brother, it was understandable for him to be impatient and ask such a question so Tsunade said "The letter says that within the next 24 hours, the Kazekage will be kidnapped."
Gasps were heard throughout the room as she said it. "What the kidnapping of a Kage?" Karin asked to which Sakura replied "Is it so easy to do? I am sure that the Kazekage is young but still strong."
"Gaara is going to be kidnapped?" Naruto asked.
Tsunade nodded and then looked at Temari and said "I know Temari that this could be hard to believe but since the source of this information is Yami and the ones behind it we believe are the Akatsuki, it is possible."
"The Akatsuki?" Naruto asked as he lost himself in thought. Jiraiya had never mentioned the presence of the Akatsuki or their goal.
Sasuke's eyes twitched as he heard that. He remembered that this is the same organization his elder brother Itachi had joined and even died.
"Does Gaara know about this?" Temari asked in a hurry. She didn't care much about him the Kazekage but as his elder sister, she didn't want him to get hurt.
Tsunade shook her head and said "We are under the presumption that Yami must have sent your village the same warning as well. Because even our fastest hawks won't reach before 36 hours. On the contrary, Yami's bats are faster and stronger."
"Why would an organization want to kidnap the Kage of one of the 5 great villages?" Karin asked. Sakura also voiced her question and asked "Does this organization have some kind of goal or do they just want to extort from the village?"
Tsunade looked at the 2 jonins standing and they both nodded giving their consent to tell their team about the Akatsuki.
"Listen all of you...the Akatsuki is not some run-of-the-mill organization that takes on mercenary missions. They are a group of S-class criminals from the 5 great villages with only one goal and that is to capture the tailed beasts."
"A tailed beast? What is it? Is it something that the hidden sand has?" Karin asked as she looked back at Temari who didn't say anything.
"So that's what they are after..." Naruto said as he clutched his stomach with one hand and looked down. Before Sakura could tell Karin anything Naruto turned around to face Karin and the others and said "Karin the tailed beast are monsters that are sealed inside children. Gaara has one sealed inside him while I have one inside me."
Temari was shocked to hear something like this. She didn't know that Naruto was a Jinchuriki. The others however weren't surprised. At some time in their life, they had seen Naruto being ostracized by others for no apparent reason but in the past two years, they had grown enough to find out the particular reason for that behavior. They knew that somewhere they also played a part in isolating Naruto and they developed guilt about it.
Tsunade saw that the mood of the room was getting gloomy. Kakashi patted Naruto's shoulder as he also felt some guilt towards him. He was Minato's student and he didn't help out his teacher's son when he needed him the most.
"I understand what you must have gone through Naruto...At least Gaara had us." Temari said in a low voice.
"Naruto, are you going to keep whining about the past or move on and try to save Gaara?" Sasuke said in an annoyed tone. Kakashi smiled as he heard that as he understood Sasuke's motive behind it.
"You are right...I will save Gaara. Grandma Tsunade, we will save Gaara." Naruto said enthusiastically. Temari was happy seeing that a kid from another village was so excited to help her brother out but she couldn't help but worry for Gaara who was hundreds of miles away right now.
Tsunade looked at everyone standing in the office and ordered "Team Kakashi and Team Guy, go to the hidden sand with Temari and make sure that the Akatsuki isn't able to harm the Kazekage and the hidden sand."
(Whats written in the letter? and why is tsunade not happy to read it? Ans to all your questions are posted in my P@treon)
---------------------------------
To read 16 extra chapters go to my Patreón
https://p@treon.com/lazarus898/
Link in the synopsis as well.