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Yuno's POV (The Den - Western River Plains of Irminsul)
However, this Master controlled their friends; it had something to do with their mind. When she ensnared victims with ocular genjutsu, she was able to gaze into their minds. Visually speaking, the sight was confusing, but once with Kiba and now with Choji, she could see chakra deep inside it. Somehow, the caster used the chakra to amplify negative emotions, making the user more compliant and exceptionally violent. Solving such was shockingly easy. Yuno merely soothed the emotions with sights she was certain brought Choji peace. Soon, his face relaxed as his body did; the lazy smile Choji was known for returned as he laughed deeply and wildly.
"You okay?!" Yuno asked, panicking, helping Choji stand.
"Of course!" Choji joked out between shrinking chuckles. "It's just crazy. First, I was kidnapped, then survived with Sakura, then captured again, and then hell, I fought Naruto!"
Yuno smiled as his excellent mood returned, though she would admit it was strained. "Choji… it's okay to not be okay…"
Choji stopped laughing but kept a bitter smile all the while. "Before you freed me, I was planning to use all of the food pills of the Akimichi to kill you all. I didn't want to, but I was so angry and jealous… I couldn't stop it. It was like I was lost… It's so shameful. Fitting for me I guess…"
"Choji-"
"But it's over; it was horrible and it will stick with me for a while, but it's over." Choji continued with a much more honest smile. "I didn't hurt anyone too bad; you saved me, and… well, I hate how it happened. But there's no doubt I'm stronger now… dad always says look at the bright side!"
Yuno smiled much more honestly at that. "You always do see things so positively."
"We have a lot to be thankful for!" Choji responded confidently.
Both flinched, however, as a crash sounded. The two turned to see Naruto and Sasuke zooming around Fenrir as he wreaked havoc in the camp, attempting to kill them. Each blow from the wolf teared up the ground, and trees from it sprayed violence.
"You should help them." Choji surprised Yuno with the suggestion. "I would, but honestly, I'm worn out. I could take the second to rest."
Yuno did not smacking him with a shake of her head. "No need, dummy." She smiled. "Those two have gotten even stronger since the exams. Somehow."
"It's something about people like them." Choji decided. "Even back when Mizuki was revealed to be a traitor, Naruto was something else. Naruto and I were way over our heads; I tried my best but couldn't keep up; I didn't think Naruto would either, but somehow, someone the academy considered the weakest of us was trading with a Chunin evenly. Lee, considered weaker, still straight-up outshined them. Some people just don't seem to have limits!"
Choji's speech was verified as Naruto and Sasuke appeared before Fenrir. The wolf, enraged at their speed, howled deeply as it raised its head to the sky. Yuno and Choji could only watch in awe as its maw began to glow with visible chakra. Naruto seemed to sheathe Riptide as the very air around him trembled. Sasuke blurred in place as Besmirched Flambe burned the very air around him. There was a boom as both suddenly disappeared. Even with Yuno's Sharingan, she lost sight of them.
Fenrir howled in pain, unable to unleash his attack as a red and blue line crisscrossed around his body. The lines stayed in place even as they zoomed by. Eventually however the wind and fire nature chakra. The entire body of Fenrir was covered in flames and cut all over as the volatile natures mixed and reacted. Fenrir stumbled forward as the fire died out; he bled from what looked to be dozens of deep cuts; his fur had been burnt to ash in place, and deep red welts exposed how deep the burns were. It whined pathetically as it collapsed in a heap.
"Bastards are something else, aren't they?" Kiba's voice interrupted their awe as he limped over to them. "Sasuke tore me apart, Naruto Choji, and yet here they are doing even more work, making it look easy, too.
Yuno's eyes narrowed as she tensed.
"Oh, stuff it." Kiba declared with a roll of his eyes. "I'm back in control now. Sorry, I was an ass; I guess I have some baggage to deal with. But the first step is getting out of here. Won't matter how much I've grown if we die here."
"Easier said than done," Yuno replied with a sigh of relief. "We attacked this camp, but the Master isn't here. We think we may have found our way home. But it's more than likely we'll have to deal with them to do it."
"We couldn't just leave anyway; this master took us," Choji spat. "He's likely to take others, too. Wouldn't be right to ignore it."
"Don't be downers, you two!" Kiba barked with laughter. "We've made it this far and seem to know the path forward. Besides," As he finished, Naruto, Sasuke, and Scanning Eyes arrived with a boom, smiling at the group. "We have the strongest duo from the Leaf with us!"
Rasa's POV (Kazekage Mansion - Village Hidden in the Sand)
Early Evening
Rasa stared off the roof of his mansion, watching wisps of sand drift between his village. The constant barrage of grains of sand during windy days was a constant concern. It was why his home was circular to prevent the buildup of sand. It was why the buildings of his village rose high into the sky with barricaded windows. Such strength, even if comfort had been the essence of his village.
The desert they lived in was brutal, switching from blazing hot to icily cold, the violent sandstorms that would rob vision and threaten to bury even buildings in the sand, and the lack of water kept nearly everything dry. There were no large game to hunt, and the people matched the roughness of their environment. This was the reason why the Sand did poorly in tourism.
But Rasa loved his homeland; the desert was like himself. Rough and unappealing to the unobservant, but for those who preserved? Their land was even more prosperous than the Land of Iron regarding metal resources. Why did they lack hunting? They also lacked pests. Besides, the desert was no barren wasteland, just as humans had animals adapted to the desert as well. The land could feed, shelter, and provide for one if they only proved able.
Typically, Rasa was a fan of sandstorms. While a nuisance and, at times, deadly, they were incredibly unique. Nowhere else in the world suffered from them, and as such, they were a unique trait to his home. But this one was different…
Ever since the birth of Gaara, this land has nearly doubled in the number of sandstorms. It was easy for Rasa to detect when his son was responsible, the intensity and longevity of the sandstorm, and the trace amount of chakra in the air. Rasa doubted his son even realized he had done it, a testament to the power of the weapon Rasa had created. Just his moods affected the desert, a shinobi who wielded it as a weapon…
Rasa was also starting to test his son's temper. Gaara sat behind him as silent; he was likely not to speak unless he had to; his behavior and the intense glare made it clear how deep his hatred ran. But Rasa refused to allow his son to be his usual insubordinate self, not today. Not after what he suspected Gaara to have done. Once hearing the impatient tap of Gaara's foot, he knew he was aggravated. Gaara was nearly as intelligent as himself, but his temper toward Rasa permanently blinded him. Force him to be on the back.
"I received an interesting correspondence this afternoon, Gaara," Rasa spoke in a tone betraying none of his thoughts. He did not face his son; humanizing Gaara would only advocate his less-than-ideal aspects. Treating him as a tool and leveraging his control over him ensured Gaara worked best for the Sand. Perhaps that was why Rasa struggled to hold back his fury as he spoke.
"I care little for the political games you play, father." Gaara snapped back. "It is no concern of mine."
"Whatever I say is your concern will be so, son," Rasa replied icily. "Besides, I believe it does. The Stone sent the message; they detailed an apparent attempt for friendly communications, an apparent potential alliance. They sent such a small group of Anbu and a notable politician and veteran of their forces. Do you know how it went?"
"I fail to see how I could." Gaara stiffly offered.
"The Stone said the representatives had yet to return. In fact, they seemed quite certain they were slain. They allege they had a status seal in place, which directly alerted them to their demise. They accuse us of being responsible. Of course, such an accusation should be untrue; none of my men reported intruders nor correspondence, and all the usual scouting groups reported all clear… that's when your little move became clear to me."
Gaara scoffed. "That the Stone is too pathetic to even trek the desert?"
"That you killed them, Gaara; in fact, I'm certain your siblings aided you. As much as I had thought the accusations were meaningless bluster, I decided to investigate personally anyway. Once I did, I happened upon an interesting fact. One of the scouting teams was headed by yourself; you brought your brother and sister."
"That much is true," Gaara admitted; Rasa could sense his sand shifting around him as Gaara floated to face him directly. "As any Chunin of the Sand, I have mandatory scouting missions; I merely did so. You are aware of how much I detest humans, so it seemed wise to bring my siblings along to avoid meaningless theatrics. Besides, you should know better than to assume my siblings would aid me; you ensured they kept their distance after all."
"I have doubts; my tails on you have reported the three of you spending more and more time together. And even if my suspicion was untrue, forcing their compliance and silence would be a trivial matter." Rasa retorted.
"Stop with the posturing father," Gaara replied with a shake of his head as he slowly descended to the streets below. "If you had any true proof or even choice in the matter, you would've killed me yourself. You, humans, have always been paranoid creatures."
"Perhaps it is paranoia," Rasa admitted as he stepped to the edge to look down at his son. His gold burst from the folds of his robe as several spears surrounded his son. "But combined with the recent bounty on yourself, it has placed us in great turbulence. While navigating these difficult times, I intend to investigate further and closely monitor you. If you should betray the interest of the sand in any way, let me assure you it will cost you dearly. I can find another vessel after all."
"Meaningless bluster, father," Gaara replied fearlessly. "You need me now, and now you can't rely on mere politicking to get you through. The Stone hates us more than ever, the Cloud sees us as nothing more than a hurdle to get to the Leaf, and the Mist is too dysfunctional to even matter…"
"I see…" Rasa mused. "That was your game… you wished to ensure I would be stuck allianceing with the Leaf. Unless I somehow could reconcile with the Cloud, I'd have no choice."
"Whatever you say… father."