"Look who's here!" Baki exclaimed, as everyone gathered at the village gate eagerly awaited Gaara's arrival.
With Naruto and Kankuro supporting him, Gaara made his way towards the village, flanked by Team 7, Team Guy, and the folks from the Sand Village tagging along.
Seeing Gaara, the Sand Village crowd broke into cheers and applause, celebrating his return.
"Now that's the kind of welcome I'm talking about!" Kankuro remarked.
"Personally, I'm more of a fan of the chill vibes," Naruto chimed in with a laid-back grin.
"Can you believe how many people showed up?" Rock Lee marveled.
"It's only fitting for the Kazekage..." Neji observed.
"Absolutely!" Tenten agreed.
As they neared the village, the Sand ninjas and villagers surged forward, chanting Gaara's name in a warm greeting.
"I'm relieved to see you're okay..." Baki approached, his relief palpable as he faced Gaara.
"This is all thanks to these guys." Gaara acknowledged, gesturing towards Naruto and his team.
"Uzumaki Naruto, my thanks to you is beyond words." Baki expressed his gratitude.
"The pleasure's all mine," Naruto replied, cool and confident.
"Lord Kazekage, the villagers have been eagerly waiting," Baki announced, as the crowd parted to create a path, "This way, please."
"Shall we proceed?" Kankuro inquired.
"Hold on a moment..." Gaara paused, turning his attention to four Sand Shinobis carrying Chiyo on a stretcher, "Before we go..."
"You're right..." Temari agreed, as the Sand Shinobis made their way through the crowd with the stretcher, Ebizō walking solemnly beside it.
"Let's take a moment to honor Grandmother Chiyo's memory with a silent prayer," Baki suggested, leading the crowd into a moment of quiet reflection.
"We're home, sis," Ebizō softly said, a hint of emotion in his voice.
After three days...
The moment had come for both Team 7 and Team Guy to head back to Konoha.
"Really? Taking off so soon? Why not hang around a bit more?" Kankuro chimed in.
"Yeah, stick around for just another day or so..." Temari added.
"Trust me, I'd love nothing more, but we've gotta breeze back to the village and fill in Granny Tsunade, our Hokage, about everything that went down." Naruto replied, his tone casual yet carrying an undertone of authority.
"Plus, with the Akatsuki making moves on villages, it doesn't sit right with me to stay away from the Leaf for too long," Kakashi mentioned, his voice steady.
"So, rushing back is the game plan, huh?" Baki probed.
"Exactly," Kakashi confirmed.
"Btw, we've already shot over a preliminary report via Takamaru. But, it's kinda silent on whether those two Akatsuki folks are pushing daisies or still breathing. Don't you think your village ought to know?" Baki raised the question.
"I'll make sure to deliver that bit directly to the Hokage," Kakashi stated.
Back in Konoha...
The message from the Sand had made its way to the Leaf, with Shizune delivering the news to Tsunade.
"From the Hidden Sand, it's reported that Chiyo-sama has passed, but the Kazekage has made it home safely. Guy's team along with Team 7 have nailed their missions. They're looking to hit back to the Leaf in three days," Shizune informed, unrolling the message scroll.
"Got it," Tsunade nodded.
Meanwhile, in the Sand...
Team 7 was gearing up for the trek back to the Hidden Leaf.
"That over there..." Naruto pointed out.
"Yeah, that's Grandmother Chiyo's resting place," Gaara confirmed as they, along with Kankuro and Temari, approached the grave, falling into a respectful silence.
Ebizō made his way closer, "She wasn't one for the idea of a grave, but I figured we needed a spot to come together... a place to remember," he reflected.
"Let's all say our goodbyes," Kakashi prompted.
A quiet moment passed before the group started to disperse, but Naruto lingered a bit longer in solitude.
Noticing Naruto's prolonged silence, the group glanced back.
"Naruto, we should get moving," Rock Lee called out.
"On my way!" Naruto responded, giving one last bow before catching up with his team.
With their farewells said, Team 7 and Team Guy began their journey back to the village.
"Putting a Flying Raijin seal at my place would be a game-changer for getting back from missions," Naruto mused to himself.
After the long haul from the Sand, they finally made it back to the Leaf. Without skipping a beat, Naruto, Kakashi, and Guy headed off to report on their mission, while the rest took the much-needed break.
Naruto, Guy, and Kakashi were all present in the Hokage's office, standing before Tsunade.
"Both Akatsuki members... they're gone?" Tsunade inquired, looking for a concise summary of the mission from Naruto.
"Absolutely!" Naruto confirmed, then delved into a detailed account of the entire operation.
Once the debriefing concluded, Kakashi and Guy respectfully bowed to Tsunade before taking their leave from her office...
Noticing Naruto lingering, Tsunade asked, "Something on your mind, Naruto?"
"Yeah, there's something," Naruto responded.
"And what might that be?" Tsunade pressed.
"In the aftermath of our skirmish, I managed to pry some crucial intel from Sasori of the Red Sand, right before we put an end to him. It's about Orochimaru... He mentioned having a mole inside Orochimaru's ranks, planning to rendezvous with this spy in ten days—make that seven now," Naruto shared.
Tsunade, with a hint of skepticism, asked, "And you're convinced he wasn't just feeding you lies? That it isn't some sort of deception?"
"Considering those were his parting words, I doubt he'd bother with lies. I see it as a golden chance to unearth more on Orochimaru," Naruto argued.
"Who else is privy to this information?" Tsunade inquired.
"Just me. He spilled the beans after everyone else had cleared out, leaving me solo," Naruto stated.
As Tsunade was about to suggest a team deployment, Naruto cut in, "I'd like to tackle this one on my own."
"Alone? Do you understand the gravity of the situation? We're talking about Orochimaru here!" Tsunade exclaimed, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm well aware, and that's precisely why I want to handle this solo. I have unfinished business with him," Naruto declared with unwavering determination.
Tsunade took a moment to contemplate, her expression thoughtful. "I'll make my decision later today. I need more time to think," she finally stated.
"That works for me. There's still seven days left. No need to rush," Naruto replied, bowing respectfully to Tsunade before exiting the room.
As Naruto left, Tsunade proceeded to convene a meeting with the village advisors in the designated room...
"So, what's the matter? I can tell by both of you being here that this won't be pleasant," Tsunade remarked, bracing herself for an unpleasant discussion.
"As it happens..." the old man began.
"What do you have to say? Let's hear it," Tsunade urged.
"It concerns Uzumaki Naruto..." the old lady interjected.
Meanwhile, Naruto, having nothing pressing to attend to at the moment and feeling a tad fatigued from the mission, strolled towards his home.
However, he couldn't shake off the sensation of being closely followed. "Not again!" Naruto thought to himself. "This time, I'll teach them a lesson." With that resolve, Naruto changed course and headed towards the training grounds instead of his house.
Upon reaching the training grounds, Naruto took a firm stance and called out, "Alright, show yourself before I decide to end you right here!"
After a brief moment of silence, a shadowy figure emerged from the shadows. "You've caught me. I expected nothing less from a shinobi of your caliber," the person admitted.
"So, who sent you to tail me?" Naruto inquired calmly.
"It's not the right moment to reveal that information. Just wait..." the person attempted to explain, only to be cut off by Naruto, who stood beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whoever you are, the next time we cross paths, I won't hesitate to eliminate you. And whoever sent you to spy on me, deliver this warning: stay away from me," Naruto asserted firmly.
Before the ninja following him could respond, Naruto vanished from the scene, leaving no trace behind.
Returning to his home, Naruto sought some much-needed rest.
In the meeting room, Tsunade was deep in conversation with the village's senior advisors.
"Look, we all get how strong he is, but let's not forget he's got the Nine-Tails inside him. We can't just ignore that risk," the elderly man pointed out.
"Sure, but it'd be a total waste not to have him out there on missions, given his abilities. But yeah, he shouldn't be going solo. He sticks with his usual crew," the elderly woman chimed in with a nod.
"Right, but here's the deal - he'll need to make room for one more, someone we pick, to round out the four-man squad," the old man added.
"Alright..." Tsunade sighed, her mind racing, "But I'm not sure Naruto's going to take this well."
"Danzo... Why don't you come in?" the old woman called out, and the door slid open to reveal a man with one eye covered, draped in a white cloak, one hand hidden.
"Hold up... you're..." Tsunade started, taken aback.
"It's been a while... Princess Tsunade..." Danzo greeted, his voice steady.
"So, you decided to show up... Got it. So the new squad member's going to be one of your Foundation guys?" Tsunade gathered, putting the pieces together.
"Exactly," Danzo confirmed, unfazed.
The next morning, Naruto headed straight to the Hokage's office as instructed by Tsunade.
"What...a new team member? I specifically said I wanted to go alone, without even bringing my team, and now you're telling me I have to go with one stranger for the mission?" Naruto exclaimed.
"Well...you see, it's not entirely my decision. The village elders have made this call...and even I am not pleased about it," Tsunade explained, her tone reflecting her own dissatisfaction.
"Those old geezers!" Naruto seethed internally, frustration building within him.
"No worries, you've got Sakura and Kakashi on your team," Tsunade reassured.
"But then, why can't Sasuke be the fourth? I'm lost here," Naruto inquired, a hint of confusion in his tone.
"Sasuke's got his hands full prepping for the Chunin exams. Yeah, they're pushed back a bit because of that mess with the Sand, but it's still on the schedule," Tsunade explained.
"...Fine. But let me make one thing clear. Convey this message to those elders, nobody controls me. Next time, I won't care if they're village advisors or whatever their title may be. I'll do what I need to do," Naruto asserted calmly.
Naruto walked towards the door and as he glanced back slightly, his expression hardened. "Do whatever you want. Just make sure that he stay out of my way, or I won't hesitate to deal with him first," he declared before slamming the door with a resounding noise.
"What a troublesome situation," Tsunade sighed, feeling the weight of the challenges ahead.
[A. N: Thanks for reading, drop Powerstones that will help a lot and drop reviews if you like the story and add to your library]