Naruto carried the mysterious doll given to him by Toneri and arrived directly at the Sand Shinobi Village.
Since all five Kage bore the Flying Thunder God mark he had placed upon them during the war, Naruto didn't need to waste time with formalities. He teleported straight to Gaara's side. At that moment, the Kazekage was in the conference hall of Sunagakure, in the middle of a heated discussion with the village council and senior advisors.
Baki, Gaara's trusted advisor, was the first to voice his opinion.
"Lord Kazekage, the war is over now. We should be focusing on economic reconstruction. Our resources should no longer be poured into constant military training."
As soon as Baki finished, several elders immediately chimed in.
"Yes, Kazekage-sama. The Fourth Shinobi World War has ended. Thanks to Naruto's leadership, peace has been restored between nations. This is the time to invest in growth and stability, not conflict."
"That's right," another elder added. "Our village has never been wealthy. We survived for decades relying on placer gold mines in the Wind Country. But with peace, there is an opportunity for Sunagakure to rise economically. Now is the perfect time to seek breakthroughs beyond the battlefield."
These were the elders who favored economic development, seeing military expansion as wasteful in an era of peace.
But not all shared their optimism.
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"
An older councilor slammed his hand against the table. Elder Yura, a long-standing hawk within the Sand Village's leadership, stood to his feet. His eyes burned as he addressed Gaara directly.
"Kazekage-sama, I understand your closeness with Naruto. We all respect the bond you share. But let me remind everyone—once, our ties with Hashirama Senju, the First Hokage, were strong as well. And what happened? The moment Hashirama passed away, conflict between villages erupted. Alliances crumble. Promises fade. Only strength endures."
He pointed toward the council.
"That is why, even in this fragile time of peace, we must never lower our guard. Strengthen the shinobi forces, double down on training, and above all, pursue joint drills with the other villages. These trainings aren't just exercises—they allow us to gauge the military strength of our so-called allies, and at the same time, sharpen our own blades."
Yura's passionate words filled the chamber.
"I know many of you will say: 'There is peace now, there will be no more wars, no conflict among villages!' But peace is fragile. As the captain charged with the defense of this village, it is my duty to prepare for the storms to come. To ignore this is to leave Sunagakure unguarded!"
His stern eyes cut toward Gaara.
Kankurō, unwilling to let the elder's words go unanswered, spoke firmly.
"That joint training was proposed by Naruto himself. It's not about turning allies into enemies. It's about preparing for threats beyond our borders. We fight together against common enemies—enemies who nearly destroyed us during the war. To reject such training is not caution, it's weakness disguised as wisdom."
Temari nodded, stepping forward to reinforce her brother's words.
"That's right. Naruto isn't just anyone. He inherited the power of the Sage of Six Paths himself. His words carry more weight than speculation or paranoia. If he warns us of threats, we should believe him."
Elder Yura snorted dismissively.
"Kaguya Ōtsutsuki has been sealed away. You speak of external enemies, but who knows if such foes even exist anymore?"
The room heated with tension as arguments erupted between both factions. Just as voices grew louder and tempers threatened to boil over, Gaara's hand slammed against the table with a resounding bang.
"Enough. That's enough!"
The sudden anger of the usually calm Kazekage froze the entire room. Silence fell.
Gaara's piercing gaze swept across the council.
"You have not seen what I have seen. You cannot imagine the enemies that wait beyond our world. They are far more terrifying than you think. Short-sighted arguments will not protect Sunagakure. I tell you now—"
Before he could finish, a sudden hiss split the air. In the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared behind Gaara, his teleportation breaking through space itself.
"Protect the Kazekage!!"
Yura reacted instantly. Mistaking Naruto's sudden appearance for an assassination attempt, he launched kunai tipped with chakra directly toward the intruder.
But Gaara recognized the familiar chakra the moment Naruto emerged. He exhaled sharply, raising his hand.
A massive sand wall burst forth, swallowing the incoming projectiles effortlessly.
The wall dissolved, revealing Naruto standing there casually, a sheepish grin on his face.
Confusion swept the room.
"Kazekage-sama…?" Yura stammered, lowering his weapon.
Kankurō and Temari had both reached for their weapons as well, but upon seeing Naruto, their shock melted into relief. They lowered their guard, though their eyes narrowed at Yura's premature aggression.
Gaara's calm mask slipped into anger.
"Yura, do you realize what you've done? You attacked Naruto without reason."
The elder straightened, unrepentant.
"Kazekage-sama, I acted only for your safety. Who could have expected him to suddenly appear without a word? Any shinobi would have taken the same precaution."
Gaara opened his mouth to argue, but Naruto raised a hand with his usual easy grin.
"It's fine, Gaara. He's not wrong—it was careless of me. I didn't think about how it would look, teleporting straight into your meeting like that."
Gaara turned toward him, softening.
"You're not hurt?"
Naruto chuckled. "By your sand defense? Not a chance."
For a moment, the two exchanged a smile—two leaders who had fought side by side through countless battles, now sharing an unspoken bond of trust.
But the tension quickly gave way to curiosity as Kankurō's sharp eyes landed on the doll in Naruto's hand.
"Oi, Naruto… what's that you're carrying?"
Naruto blinked, then raised the doll as if only just remembering.
"Oh, this? A friend of mine gave it to me. I thought you might find it interesting since it's kind of… different from your puppetry." He handed the doll over. "Take a look."
Kankurō's eyes lit up like a craftsman beholding a rare treasure.
"Seriously? For me?" He snatched it eagerly, turning it over in his hands. His brow furrowed. "Strange… there's no chakra connection port at all."
Normally, puppets required such ports for chakra threads to connect—without them, control was impossible. Yet this doll was seamless, its joints moving smoothly without any sign of standard construction.
"How is this even possible…?"
Kankurō's voice trembled with curiosity. He could already feel new ideas sparking, possibilities for puppetry beyond the old traditions. This wasn't just a gift—it was knowledge that could change the future of his art.
Naruto waved a hand, smiling. "Don't thank me yet. The doll belongs to my friend. I'm just letting you study it. If you ever meet him, thank him directly. For now, just use it however it helps you."
Kankurō nodded vigorously. "Of course." He excused himself, itching to retreat to his workshop and tear the construct apart piece by piece.
As he left, Temari approached Naruto, folding her arms with her usual mix of irritation and warmth.
"So, what brings you here, Naruto? Busy hero of the world, yet you drop by Sunagakure?"
Naruto grinned. "I missed you guys. Thought I'd check in."
Temari smirked. "Right. You probably just missed Gaara."
Naruto chuckled. "Not just Gaara. I also came to deliver a message. Shikamaru asked me to tell you—when you have time, he'd like you to visit Konoha. He wants to see you."
At the mention of Shikamaru, Temari's face turned crimson. She stumbled over her words.
"W-Whatever. If he wants to see me, why doesn't he come to Sunagakure instead?"
Naruto shrugged innocently. "No idea. Why not write him a letter and ask? I could even carry it for you if you'd like."
Temari's blush deepened. For a moment, she considered it—but then her mind flashed to Naruto accidentally opening her letter along the way. She immediately shook off the idea.
"No. I'll use the falcon courier as always," she muttered, then spun away with a cold snort.
Naruto scratched the back of his head, chuckling at her reaction.
Meanwhile, Baki stepped forward, bowing politely. Naruto returned the nod.
Though Baki was pragmatic and focused on the village's economic recovery, he understood Naruto's importance. His stance on joint training remained neutral, but he valued peace above all.
The debate between hawks and doves could wait. For now, Gaara dismissed the council, ending the meeting before tempers reignited.
As the chamber emptied, Gaara turned to Naruto with a small smile.
"Come. Since you're here, let's go have a meal together."
Naruto laughed. "Sure. It's been a while since we've had time to just sit and talk."
And so, the two friends left the council hall, their bond as leaders—and as brothers in spirit—stronger than ever.
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