"Gaara means he's here to support you and has already spoken with Shukaku."
Temari stood next to Gaara with a smile.
"Didn't he reply to you with a 'hmm'?"
So that "hmm" meant this, huh? Naruto suddenly understood.
Kankuro continued,
"We got the message from Konohagakure and rushed over immediately. Since Gaara's sand moves faster through the air, we got here a bit earlier. The rest of the reinforcements should arrive by tomorrow morning."
To put it nicely, they received a message. To put it bluntly, it was more like a threat letter.
Kankuro hadn't seen the letter himself, but he had witnessed Granny Chiyo's outburst. If not for Ebizo's constant efforts to calm her down, Granny Chiyo might have really declared war on Konohagakure. Starting a war now would be suicidal for the Sand Village.
With the Fourth Kazekage gone, the village had no one of Kage-level strength except for Granny Chiyo. On the other hand, Konohagakure had the newly appointed Tsunade-hime, Jiraiya, and even a perfect Jinchuriki.
How could they fight that? What would they fight with?
Granny Chiyo knew this well. She was just upset by Tsunade's tone and had lashed out in frustration. She didn't actually intend to start a war, just wanted to test Konohagakure's reaction.
Naruto wasn't aware of any of this. He sincerely thanked the Sand Village for their help:
"Thank you so much."
"It's us who should be thanking you."
Temari shook her head gently, though she didn't explain further. Her gaze, however, landed on Gaara with a smile.
Gaara, as usual, had a cold expression. But now, there was no trace of the murderous intent or hatred he once carried. Instead, he seemed at peace, even happy in an indescribable way. He no longer hid in the shadows; the sunlight now touched him.
Ignoring Temari's gaze, Gaara looked at Naruto and said,
"Naruto, leave the enemies to us. You go after Sasuke."
"Are you sure? That guy's no pushover."
Naruto glanced at Kimimaro, who had been respectfully silent the whole time, waiting patiently.
Hearing Gaara's words, Kimimaro finally spoke slowly,
"Sorry, I can't let you pass. It doesn't matter how many of you there are. None of you are getting through."
Gaara didn't care.
This was his first time standing on the same side as Naruto, and he wasn't about to let anyone stop him.
Extending his right hand, a clump of sand floated in front of Naruto. Gaara said calmly,
"Stand on the sand. I'll send you past the battlefield. From the air, no one will block you."
"Good idea."
Naruto jumped onto the sand without hesitation.
Temari, watching this, stepped forward and stopped Naruto, asking,
"First, tell me where that pineapple-head is. The intel said he was with you chasing Sasuke, wasn't he?"
"You mean Shikamaru?" Naruto answered seriously.
"Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino stayed behind to hold off one of the enemies. He's heading toward Konohagakure now. If you want to support him, you'll need to go further inside—about a 20-minute walk."
Because they followed Jirobo earlier, and he deliberately kept the pace slow to avoid interfering with Sasuke, it had taken them over half an hour. Going back should only take about 20 minutes, or even just over 10 if moving at full speed.
"Got it."
Temari withdrew her hand, deep in thought.
Seeing the conversation end, Gaara waved his hand,
"Alright then, Naruto. Get ready."
"Ah."
Naruto grinned widely.
Kimimaro's expression turned serious. The ability to fly has always been one of the most annoying techniques for ninjas to deal with. After all, most ninjas in the ninja world don't have the means to fight in the air, making them vulnerable to aerial attacks.
What made it worse was that the enemy wasn't someone to take lightly. If all four of them were on the ground, Kimimaro was confident he could stop them. But if they took to the skies, things would become tricky.
Taking a deep breath, Kimimaro muttered,
"I can't let you pass."
As his words fell, the black markings of his Curse Mark suddenly lit up. The patterns connected across his body, unleashing a surge of powerful chakra. His skin turned almost entirely black, as if consumed by the markings. His once white hair darkened to a grayish-black, and a tail grew from his back.
He looked like a monster.
Naruto felt a chill run down his spine.
"What is that?"
"Curse Mark Stage 2."
Kimimaro's tail slammed into the ground. His once calm gaze was now filled with aggression. He stretched out his right arm, and bones grew rapidly from it, covering the entire limb. In moments,
his hand transformed into a long, spiraling spear, replacing his arm entirely.
Taking a battle stance, Kimimaro pointed the spearhead at Naruto.
"I won't let you leave. Not a chance!"
"Shikotsumyaku: Dance of the Camellia!"
Naruto's expression grew tense, and he instinctively began gathering chakra in his hands. But before he could act, he felt the sand beneath his feet shift, carrying him swiftly into the air and in the direction Jirobo had gone.
Gaara, controlling the sand with precise movements, directed a wave of sand toward Kimimaro.
"Naruto, your mission is to bring Sasuke back. Leave this guy to me."
"Trust me."
Naruto froze for a moment, then smiled and nodded. He dispersed the chakra in his hands and gave Gaara a thumbs-up.
"I'll leave it to you, Gaara!"
"Oh, and tell Shukaku I said hi!"
Naruto shouted as he waved.
As Naruto's figure grew smaller in the distance, Gaara heard his words and allowed a faint smile to appear on his face—a smile that had never been there before.
"Leave it to me… friend."
If it were purely about defeating Kimimaro, Gaara might have struggled. But that wasn't his goal right now. His mission was simply to ensure Naruto could get away. With his ability to fly and his absolute defense, there was no way Kimimaro could stop him—unless Kimimaro's strength far surpassed his own, which clearly wasn't the case.
Kimimaro's face darkened as he fired ten bone bullets, but the sand rushing at him blocked them completely. Even Kimimaro's calm demeanor cracked slightly in frustration.
As Naruto disappeared into the distance, Kimimaro realized that even with his Shikotsumyaku techniques, he couldn't stop him. He turned back toward Gaara and said,
"I'll kill you as quickly as I can, then catch up to that guy."
Gaara looked down at Kimimaro with cold eyes.
"I hope your strength matches your words."
Meanwhile, inside the sealed space, Shukaku watched Kimimaro through Gaara's eyes. In his usual grating voice, he yelled,
"Hey, Gaara brat! Let me out to play when you get back, and I'll deal with this guy for you!"
Gaara's form appeared in the sealed space. Turning to face Shukaku, he spoke in an indifferent tone.
"If you swear not to harm anyone from the Sand Village or attack the village, I'll let you out."
"Tch."
Shukaku scoffed dismissively.
"No way. Absolutely not."
----
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