The sun blazed mercilessly over the endless dunes, heat shimmering in waves across the desert. Four figures darted over the shifting sands, their movements urgent yet precise. Ahead, the massive stone walls of Sunagakure rose like a fortress carved from the earth itself.
Naruto's face was tense, his fists clenching with every step.
"Gaara…" he muttered under his breath.
The Suna guards spotted them immediately, lowering the barrier without hesitation. Word of Konoha's arrival had spread ahead of them. Without pause, the four were ushered through the gates.
Inside, the streets of the Hidden Sand were heavy with tension. Shinobi rushed back and forth, bandages stained with blood, whispers of Akatsuki spreading like wildfire.
"Right this way," a medic-nin said breathlessly, sweat on his brow. He led them through a narrow corridor that smelled sharply of herbs, smoke, and faint iron.
The heavy door at the end creaked open.
Kankurō lay on a cot, drenched in sweat. His breathing was ragged, his lips tinted purple, and his once-strong body trembled weakly against the sheets. Around him, several medics stood frozen in despair, hands trembling.
Kakashi, Sai, and Naruto stood at the door. But before they could move further, Sakura strode past them without hesitation, her eyes sharp and focused.
"Damn you…!"
The voice cracked through the room, shrill yet commanding.
Footsteps echoed against the stone floor.
Naruto blinked in surprise as an elderly woman stormed outside, her eyes blazing with fury. Before he could react, she lunged straight for Kakashi with startling speed.
"Wha—?!"
Naruto threw himself between them, blocking her strike. The impact sent a shudder down his arms.
"Hey, old lady!" he barked, shoving her back. "What do you think you're doing attacking Kakashi-sensei like that?!"
'this old hag is not to be underestimated...'
"Don't interfere, boy!" the woman snarled, sweeping aside his shadow clone with a vicious kick that dispersed it in a puff of smoke. She glared at Kakashi, rage smoldering in her eyes. "I've waited for this moment, White Fang of the Leaf! For what you did to my son, I'll—"
Kakashi raised his hand. "Wait. You've made a mistake. I'm not—"
"Enough!" she snapped, surging forward again—
"Chiyo, stop!"
Another elder stepped into the room, blocking her path. His voice was firm but weary. "Sister… look carefully. This is not Sakumo. The White Fang has been gone for a long time."
Lady Chiyo's eyes narrowed, then softened as she finally took in Kakashi's masked features properly. Silence stretched, until at last she let out a hoarse chuckle. "Hmph… I see. Then never mind. Hahaha…"
The medics let out shaky breaths.
Kankurō groaned, drawing everyone's attention back to the bed. Sakura was already there, tying her hair back. She pressed her ear to his chest, listening intently.
Thump… thump…
She pulled back sharply, her voice firm. "This isn't any ordinary poison. It's a compound based on heavy metals."
The Sunagakure medics stared at her in disbelief.
"She figured that out with one look?" one whispered.
Sakura extended her hand. "Show me his charts."
One of the medics scrambled to hand her a scroll. She skimmed through it, her sharp eyes scanning each line.
Meanwhile, Naruto leaned toward Kakashi and muttered, "Hey, sensei… who's this 'White Fang' that got that old hag so riled up?"
Kakashi's single visible eye lowered. "…It's complicated. But the White Fang… was my father."
Naruto froze. "What?!"
Even Lady Chiyo glanced over in surprise. "So… White Fang was your father, eh? Hmph. No wonder you carry his face."
The elder beside her nodded. "It explains the resemblance."
Kakashi said nothing more, his gaze returning to Kankurō's fading breath.
---
One hour later…
Kankurō's condition had stabilized, thanks to Sakura's swift intervention. Her hands glowed with green chakra as she drew out the last of the poison, sweat dripping down her brow. Finally, she pulled back, panting.
"He'll be fine now,we just need to create an antidote," she murmured.
The relief in the room was palpable.
"However, the poison that had invaded the vital organs are concentrated in the exact same place by me...the antidote now is a must!" Sakura begin detailing the medic on what to do.
Naruto, however, was grinning ear to ear, chatting animatedly with the figure who had entered moments before.
"Woah, Gaara! You actually became Kazekage! That's so awesome!"
Gaara nodded slightly, his voice calm. "And where is Haruto?"
"A top-secret mission," Kakashi replied smoothly before Naruto could say something reckless.
"Yeah!" Naruto added quickly, puffing out his chest. "He's out there hunting down Akatsuki one by one! You'll see!"
Gaara gave a faint nod… but before he could speak, the ground trembled violently beneath their feet.
A sand-nin burst into the room, gasping. "Kazekage-sama! The Akatsuki… they've attacked again!"
The words had barely left his mouth before Naruto slammed his fists together. "Alright! Then let's show those jerks what we're made of—dattebayo!"
The four Konoha shinobi leapt out the window alongside Gaara, sprinting toward the chaos.
And the sight that met them made even Gaara's eyes widen.
'didn't haruto go hunting akatsuki members...' gaara thought as he glanced at every akatsuki member
'why are all of them here!!'
Above the village, the sky was alive with destruction. A massive clay bird circled, dropping bombs that erupted into fiery explosions. Deidara's laughter echoed like thunder.
"Art… is an EXPLOSION!"
Beside him, paper wings spread across the sky as Konan soared gracefully. And higher still, Pain floated above, the ripples of his Rinnegan gleaming ominously.
On the ground, Kisame's hulking form strode forward, Samehada humming with chakra. At his side, Hidan twirled his blood-red scythe with manic glee. Kakuzu loomed, threads writhing from his body, while Sasori's puppet form shifted menacingly.
The air itself seemed to tighten with killing intent as the four strode towards gaara.
Gaara clenched his fists, horrified by the scale of destruction.
Naruto's eyes blazed, golden chakra exploding around him. His cloak flared like fire.
"Sage Mode! KCM!" he roared, vanishing upward in a blur of speed.
Gaara slammed his hands together. "Sand Tsunami!"
A colossal wave of sand surged toward the Akatsuki members—but Kisame and Kakuzu countered!
"Water style!" X2
"—Water Canon!"
"—Water Dragon!"
The sand immediately turned muddy as from above, Deidara tossed another clay bomb, smirking.
Gaara barely managed to raise a dome of sand in time. The blast hit him, sending him flying. The village trembled from the scale of destruction.
The Akatsuki stood united, and no one knew the true danger of it all...
Authors corner
I have made up my mind, I'll end this book completely at the fourth war and I hope to create another story with gradual progression.
I happen to understand my mistake of making the MC overly powerful while the side characters don't have many chances to grow stronger and jutsu that they haven't learnt yet appeared swiftly.
Many arcs are skipped over and the whole book won't even be a 100 chapters.
I want some suggestions from dear readers so I can write my other book with a peace of mind and an excellent Naruto fanfic book.
Then, I can have some peace of mind.