Sunagakure

Jimo walked slowly out of the Transport Company with a grave expression, as if he were carrying a tremendous burden. It made people wonder what important matters he and Zabuza had discussed inside.

Even so, Jimo had a clear opinion of his own.

After careful consideration, he was certain that although his unexpected arrival in this world had affected the original course of events to some extent, the identities of the hidden forces manipulating everything from behind the scenes seemed unchanged.

The discovery left him both relieved and worried. After all, facing such mysterious and powerful enemies, the slightest mistake could plunge him into a fate worse than death.

Standing amid the bustling street, Jimo furrowed his brow and muttered, "Where should I go next?" His gaze swept over the surroundings, passing in turn over the directions of the Land of Earth, the Land of Water, and the Land of Lightning, all of which still had tense relations with Konoha. After a brief moment of thought, he finally decided to retrace his steps and head for Sunagakure.

Just as he was about to set off, he suddenly remembered something, so he turned back and returned to where Zabuza and Haku were.

When the two saw Jimo return, a hint of surprise crossed their faces. Smiling, Jimo pulled several Konoha souvenirs from his robes and gently handed them to Zabuza and Haku. "I brought these back for you. I hope you like them."

Haku looked especially happy as she accepted the gifts. When she opened the box of sweets, her eyes lit up with delight. Clearly, she genuinely loved Konoha's sweets.

Afterward, Jimo said goodbye to Zabuza and Haku, then hurried to Tazuna's house.

Tazuna's family was gathered around the table eating when Jimo arrived. They all stood to welcome him. With a smile, he handed them the gifts he had prepared, then patted Inari on the shoulder and encouraged him. "Little guy, remember to train hard and study diligently, but make sure you get enough rest too! You've grown quite a bit since a few months ago!"

With that, Jimo waved to everyone and turned to set off on his own journey.

Half a month passed. After traveling at a leisurely pace, Jimo finally reached the desert of the Land of Wind.

"Sure enough, it's endless yellow sands, stretching as far as the eye can see..."

Only here did he understand what it meant for a vast desert to freeze for miles beneath bleak, overcast skies... The desert really was cold at night!

"You came all this way just to visit a friend? That's it?"

Kankuro stared at Jimo, who was busy stuffing his face, looking utterly incredulous.

"Yeah! Losing to Orochimaru messed with my mindset, so I came out to relax! Hey! Another bowl!"

"Don't treat this place like a cafeteria!"

Kankuro said it, but still served Jimo another bowl of rice.

"How's Naruto?"

Gaara, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke.

"He's doing fine! He's training right now!"

At those words, Gaara, who usually had a poker face, actually broke into a smile.

"Hey, your little brother isn't into guys, is he...? Why does he get that lovestruck look every time Naruto comes up?"

Jimo whispered to Temari.

"Who knows... Maybe it's because they both have monsters inside them..."

"I can hear you! Don't gossip about me behind my back!" Gaara said helplessly.

Ever since Naruto and Jimo had teamed up to beat him up, his personality had changed completely... But more likely, he'd spent so much time with Jimo in the hospital that Jimo had rubbed off on him.

"By the way, since you got back, have you tried meeting the one inside you?"

Jimo leaned back on the sofa, making himself right at home.

"Are you crazy? It took us a lot of effort to reinforce Shukaku's seal after you got back..." Kankuro said.

"No, I'm not crazy! You can all see what Shukaku is capable of. If Gaara learns to use it properly, it'll only help him grow stronger!"

Jimo spoke gravely.

"I looked into this before I came, too. As far as the Tailed Beasts are concerned, it was actually your village's heavy-handed policies that caused generations of Jinchuriki to lose control!"

Your generations of Jinchuriki were all treated like monsters and kept under strict surveillance. Shukaku was originally meant to protect your village, yet you treated him as a disaster. That was what changed Shukaku's mindset! So, Gaara, you need to try communicating with Shukaku inside you and learn to use his power!"

Jimo looked at Gaara gravely.

"There's something else I need to tell you. Not long ago, a group made up of missing-nin from various villages went after Naruto. Their ultimate goal is to capture the Tailed Beasts! If Naruto's been targeted, then there's a good chance Gaara will be, too!"

"A mysterious organization is collecting the Tailed Beasts?"

Kankuro and Temari immediately sensed trouble.

"This is serious. We need to consult the higher-ups!"

A short while later, a wrinkled old woman and an old man walked in.

"Where's that brat from Konoha?"

The old woman hurried over.

"You said there's an organization collecting the Tailed Beasts?"

"Yes!"

The old woman stood to one side, silent for a long while.

"Grandmother?" the old man beside her called.

"What's the name of that organization?"

"The Akatsuki!"

Jimo answered gravely.

"There may even be a shinobi from your village among them... A genius puppeteer!"

At that, the old woman suddenly grew agitated. "Is it Sasori? Are you talking about Sasori?!"

Jimo shook his head. "I've never met him. I only heard it secondhand!"

"This is Chiyo. You're probably talking about Sasori, who went missing a few years ago. He's Chiyo's grandson."

Temari explained.

"So you're Chiyo! The legendary kunoichi who once conquered an entire city single-handedly with her secret Puppet Technique!"

Jimo hurried to his feet.

"It's an honor! My master has told me plenty of stories about fighting you!"

"Your master?" Chiyo asked with great interest.

"Grandma Tsunade!"

The moment he said it, the air turned cold.

"This is bad!" The old man, Ebizo, quickly ushered the three Sand siblings out of the room with practiced ease.

"Bam!"

The instant they made it outside, a figure smashed through the wall and flew straight out.

"Big sister's arm strength hasn't diminished one bit..." Ebizo remarked, watching Jimo go flying.

"He flew so far!" Temari exclaimed.

"Are we really not supposed to do anything? He's a guest, after all..." Kankuro added.

"Don't worry. Even Shukaku couldn't do anything to him... He can take a beating..." Gaara, usually a man of few words, delivered the coup de grâce...