Sunagakure's Twilight
Three days ago.
The Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
Dusk.
The horizon was cut off by a giant white bird.
Temari was the first to realize something was wrong.
She was on duty atop the village watchtower when, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the western sky, and her pupils constricted—the wings of that "bird" were trembling, not at the frequency of flight, but at the frequency of expansion.
"Alarm--!"
Her voice hadn't even traveled thirty meters.
A white light engulfed half of the main street.
The shockwave from the explosion ripped off the top of the watchtower, Temari was slammed to the ground by the blast, her eardrums ringing.
She shook her head and got up, only to be met with a scene of apocalypse.
The commercial district has disappeared.
Instead, there is a charred crater two hundred meters in diameter, with smoke still rising from the bottom.
Gravel, severed arms, and charred cloth were mixed together, and a wave of heat hit us.
A second white bird was already circling overhead.
"Art is—an explosion, yeah!"
The boy's voice came from high above, arrogant, manic, and with a perverse pleasure.
Temari recognized the black cloak with red clouds.
Dawn.
Gaara stood atop the Kazekage Building.
Sand spread from his feet, covering the entire building.
Absolute Sand Barrier.
He raised his hand, and the sand wall rose thirty meters high, effectively blocking the third C3 bomb from entering the village.
The explosion cracked the ground.
Half of the sand wall was broken.
Gaara's shoulder swayed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He did not back down.
The fourth one.
The fifth one.
The sixth one.
Deidara's clay rained down from the sky as if it were free, each one capable of causing village-level damage.
Gaara alone used sand to protect the entire sky above Sunagakure.
But Chakra is finite.
When the seventh bomb fell, Gaara's knees buckled.
Cracks appeared in the sand wall, and rubble leaked into the village through the gaps, killing three ninjas who were evacuating.
"Lord Kazekage--!"
The voices of his subordinates came through.
Gaara gritted his teeth and repaired the sand wall again.
He didn't see what was behind him.
Sasori of the Red Sands's puppet emerged from the ground.
A tail coated in purple liquid silently pierced Gaara's back.
When Temari arrived at the Kazekage Building, she only saw an empty rooftop.
Sand was scattered all over the ground.
Gaara's Kazekage hat fell to the ground, the brim stained with blood.
The person has disappeared.
Her legs went weak for a moment.
"Lord Kazekage has been taken away! To the northwest!"
Kankuro charged from afar, his face covered in blood, with Crow on his back.
He didn't stop as he passed Temari; instead, he climbed over the rooftop wall and jumped down.
"I'll go after them! Sis, you hold the village!"
Temari opened her mouth.
Before he could finish speaking, Kankuro's figure had already disappeared into the dust of dusk.
Six hours later.
Kankuro was carried back.
His face was purple, his lips were black, and his entire body was covered with tiny needle marks.
The scorpion's venom is extremely potent.
The medical team ninjas formed a circle, exchanging bewildered glances.
"This poison... we have no antidote."
"It can only last three days at most."
Temari stood at the door of the ward.
Her hands gripped the door frame, her nails digging into the wood.
My knuckles are shaking.
It's not because of the cold.
Kankuro lay on the hospital bed, breathing rapidly, with purplish-black lines spreading from his wound toward his heart.
He was already unconscious.
Temari turned around.
In the corridor, the high-ranking officials of Sunagakure were "holding a meeting".
The three elderly advisors sat on a bench, passing the buck to each other.
Chiyo stood in the corner, leaning on her cane, her old face expressionless.
"Pursuing the Akatsuki? That's suicide."
"We lost 30% of our elite troops in the explosion just now—"
"We should first send a letter requesting assistance to the Five Great Nations— "
"The process will take at least seven days."
Temari clenched her fists.
Seven days.
Gaara won't last seven days.
Kankuro won't last seven days either.
"You—" she forced out through clenched teeth.
Nobody was looking at her.
The old men were still discussing "diplomatic procedures" and "damage assessment."
Temari closed her eyes.
She returned to her room.
Close the door.
With his back against the door, he slowly slid down to sit on the ground.
It's very quiet.
Outside the window was the Sunagakure, half of which had been destroyed by the bomb; Kakkō and cries filled the air.
But she can't hear.
All that could be heard was the sound of his own heartbeat and the lingering echo of Kankuro's rapid, almost stagnant breathing.
My younger brother has been arrested.
My brother is dying.
No one helped her.
Temari lowered her head, resting her forehead on her knees.
My shoulders are shaking.
But she didn't cry out loud.
Princess of the Desert, do not weep.
Then, a picture suddenly flashed through her mind.
Arena.
Golden light.
The twelve-year-old boy stood before the fully-formed Shukaku without even flinching.
His fist shattered her Absolute Defense, shattered the monster she thought was invincible, and then—
He turned around and glanced at her.
There was no contempt or pity in that look.
There was only a sense of certainty that was taken for granted, a certainty that made you feel so at ease you wanted to cry.
It's as if it's saying, "With me here, what are you afraid of?"
Temari loosened her grip.
She looked up.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, but her gaze had changed.
Ten minutes later.
Temari, carrying a simple bag, rushed out of the west gate of Sunagakure.
The ninja on duty stopped her. "Lady Temari! Are you going to—"
"Hidden Leaf."
"But it's dangerous to leave the village now; the Akatsuki might still be there—"
Temari didn't stop.
She unfolded her Iron Fan, and with a gust of Wind Release, blew the guards blocking her path five meters away.
"Get out of the way."
The guard lay prone on the ground, watching the blonde woman's figure disappear into the desert night.
He had never seen Temari- sama look like that before.
It's not anger.
It's a desperate gamble.
Two days.
It normally takes three days for ninjas to travel from Sunagakure to Hidden Leaf by official road.
Temari took two days to prepare.
She did not take the official road.
She crossed the Sand Ridge Mountains between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, traversed two uninhabited deserts, and rested for only four hours in between.
The Iron Fan was thrown away on the first night.
Too heavy.
The Military Ration Pill were finished the next morning.
Her lips were cracked and bleeding.
My knee is scraped.
The soles of the ninja shoes were worn through on one side, the blisters on the heels had long since burst, and the socks were soaked with blood.
But she didn't stop.
Every time I try to stop, Kankuro's purple face flashes through my mind.
The bloodstain on Gaara's Kazekage hat.
Besides--
That golden figure.
Konoha.
3 PM.
The Uzumaki Clan's residence.
Main entrance.
Tayuya was leaning against the doorpost, clipping her nails.
She was the first to see it.
A blonde woman ran from the end of the street.
No, it's not running.
They were dragging their bodies forward.
His clothes were covered in sand and bloodstains, one sleeve was torn in half, and his hair was disheveled and plastered on his face.
But those green eyes were fixed on the direction of the mansion.
Tayuya stopped wielding her knife.
She recognized the woman.
Chunin Ninja Exams.
Hidden Sand.
The daughter of the Kazekage.
Temari was about three steps from the goal when her legs finally gave way.
Her knees were on the ground.
Then comes the palm.
Then comes the forehead.
They were lying prone in front of the Uzumaki Estate.
"Naruto... Naruto..."
His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
Tayuya had already turned and rushed into the house.
Twelve seconds later.
Temari sensed someone squatting down in front of her.
A hand reached out, grasped her chin, and lifted her face.
The force was very light.
But it cannot be resisted.
She saw that face.
Golden hair.
Blue eyes.
A faint, ambiguous smile played at the corners of his lips.
It was so familiar that it brought tears to her eyes.
"Oh."
Naruto tilted his head to look at her, his tone casual, as if he were just saying that the Tenten.
"Your Highness, the Desert Princess, what happened to you, you look like this?"
Temari's lips moved.
I have so much to say.
Gaara has been captured.
Kankuro was poisoned.
No one in Sunagakure is helping me.
I traveled for two days and two nights to find you.
But when he opened his mouth, he only uttered one syllable.
Then tears fell.
Naruto's expression changed.
The laxity has been put away.
The curve of her lips disappeared.
A very faint, cold layer surfaced beneath his blue eyes.
He didn't ask "What's wrong?"
He reached out, Temari up from the ground, and pulled her into his arms.
He held the back of her head with one hand, pressing her face into the crook of his shoulder.
"Stop talking."
The voice was kept very low.
"I see."
Temari's fingers gripped the front of his shirt.
Gripping it tightly.
Like a drowning person finally grabbing onto the shore.
Naruto stood up, holding Temari.
His gaze went past Temari's shoulder and towards the southwest.
The direction of the Land of Wind.
His eyes were devoid of warmth.
In my mind, a system notification sounded.
[Ding--Detected that Temari, a character with whom you have a bond, is experiencing extreme emotional fluctuations.]
[Emergency Mission Triggered: Desert Blood and Tears.]
[Mission Objective: Rescue the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara. Defeat the Akatsuki members.]
[Task Reward:?? (Varies depending on completion progress)]
[Hint: Target is being moved; remaining survival time -- no more than 72 hours.]
Naruto's lips curled into a smile again.
But this time it wasn't a playful laugh.
It's the predator's smile as it locks onto its prey.
"White."
A soft voice replied from behind, "Yes."
"Ready to depart."
"Destination - The Land of Wind"