Jin-Woo appears silently before Jiraiya, holding an unconscious Gaara in his arms. His black cloak billows, stained with dried blood and the dust of battle.Jiraiya widens his eyes at the sight of the fallen Kazekage.
JIRAIYA
(alarmed)
— ...Is that the Kazekage?— Is he...?
JIN-WOO
(voice emotionless)
— Still breathing.— I faced two from the Akatsuki... Deidara and Sasori.— They're alive. For now. My shadows follow them. We'll know more soon. All we need is... patience.
Jiraiya(kneeling, thinking):"He came back with the Kazekage... without a scratch. Those two Akatsuki are gone."
He examines Gaara's body. The urgency in his face is clear. Jin-Woo watches him in silence for a moment... until something stirs within him.
FLASHBACK: Blurred images of his beloved fallen, wounded, trembling. The helplessness. The rage. The pain.
JIN-WOO
(looking at Gaara, whispering)
— The pain... is the same.— No matter the world.
A subtle PING echoes in his mind. The System interface shines before him, translucent.
[ACCESS TO SHOP AND INVENTORY RESTORED]
[— Items available:]
[— Vital Essence Potion – 1x]
He doesn't hesitate. He reaches into the void of the inventory and pulls out a dark flask, glowing with a blue-purple light. A dense liquid vibrating with energy.
JIRAIYA
(confused)
— What is that?
JIN-WOO
— Hope.(he kneels, uncorks the flask, and slowly pours it over Gaara's chest)
The potion emits an intense glow. Gaara's wounds begin to heal before Jiraiya's eyes. Gaara's chakra, previously almost gone, pulses slowly.
JIRAIYA
(awestruck)
— That... that's not ninja medicine. That's...
JIN-WOO
— Different.(looking at the sky, somber)— Like everything here.— But if it can keep someone alive... then it's enough for now.
Gaara takes a deep breath, his chest rising more strongly. Still unconscious, but clearly stabilized.
Gaara slowly opens his eyes, gasping, as if surfacing from a deep nightmare. The sound of sand moving in the wind matches his heavy breathing.
GAARA
(hoarse, confused)
— Where... am I?
JIRAIYA
(kneeling beside him, relieved)
— Gaara... you're safe.— Easy. Don't get up too fast.(looks at Jin-Woo)
— He's the one who saved you. Fought two Akatsuki members alone.
Gaara turns his gaze, fixing it on Jin-Woo, still cloaked in shadows, impassive, eyes locked on the desert like a hunter who never relaxes.
GAARA— Who...?
JIRAIYA
(serene, as if telling a legend)
— No one knows for sure.— He appeared after Pain's fall.— And he's hunting the Akatsuki.
JIN-WOO
(firm, direct)
— They have someone I care about.— And if that someone is behind what they did to you... then we're on the same path.
Jiraiya stands, clapping his hands.
— Right. We've wasted enough time.— We're heading to the Leaf Village.— You need rest, Kazekage, and there we'll decide the next steps.
The silhouettes of the three advance through the desert. Gaara partially supported by Jiraiya, and Jin-Woo walking ahead, solitary, the wind whipping his cloak.
DARK CAVE – AKATSUKI'S SECRET BASE
The sound of dripping water echoes through rocky walls, amplifying the silence. Darkness is nearly complete, save for a faint light illuminating the center — where a spiral mask reflects a dim glow.
TOBI stands with his back turned, observing a colossal statue: the Gedō Mazō, wrapped in chains and silent… for now.
Suddenly, the back wall trembles subtly, as if the darkness itself made way — Black and White Zetsu emerge from the stone.
BLACK ZETSU
— He defeated Deidara and Sasori using Pain's bodies...— No chakra. No jutsus. Not even his own body.
WHITE ZETSU
— And the bodies obey like puppets... but there are no strings!— This is different. This is beyond what we know...
TOBI
(calm, without turning)
— I know.
WHITE ZETSU
— ...You already knew?
TOBI
— Long ago.— An intruder from beyond the natural order... a system that doesn't respect chakra, ninjutsu, or even our limits.(pauses)— He is not of this world.
BLACK ZETSU(serious)
— Then why haven't we acted?
TOBI
— Because we still don't have enough information about him!
(heavy silence)
TOBI (CONTINUES)
— He's driven by intentions. Emotions.— He's searching for something. Someone.— And that makes him predictable.
BLACK ZETSU
— Deidara and Sasori failed.
TOBI
— And they must be held accountable.— But... not yet. For now, we act as if nothing happened.
(he turns, finally revealing the full mask in the light)
TOBI (CONTINUES)
— Konan will be our voice.— Let her disguise the unrest, maintain the structure, and deliver the order of total silence.— No mention of the intruder. No search. No provocation.
WHITE ZETSU
— And if he keeps hunting?
TOBI
— Perfect.— Let him cut down the branches...— While we prepare the root.
TOBI walks into the shadow of the Gedō Mazō, which pulses softly as if it understands.
TOBI (LOW, TO HIMSELF)
— The plan is almost complete...— And not even a god from beyond will stop it.