Host, please proceed to Yunkai Gorge for sign-in!
Successful sign-in will grant a reward!
"Yunkai Gorge, huh…"
Senju Haruto looked at Uchiha Itachi before him, though what rang in his ears was the familiar voice of the little system assistant urging him toward his next sign-in location. Of course, no one else could hear that voice.
From Itachi's perspective, Haruto's momentary pause must have looked like surprise at Akatsuki's movements.
"Haruto," Itachi said plainly, "I want you to form a squad and head to Kumogakure. Sasuke should be included."
He laid out his intentions without hesitation. But because this was only a shadow clone, Itachi couldn't linger long in the Hokage's office.
After passing along Akatsuki's intelligence, movements, and plans, Itachi's form dissolved into countless black crows that fluttered into the air and disappeared.
"A squad, huh…"
Staring at the now-empty office, Haruto could more or less grasp Itachi's intentions. Itachi wanted Sasuke to witness their difference in strength firsthand—to suffer defeat, to harbor even deeper hatred.
Only that way could Sasuke awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"In any case, I should head to Yunkai Gorge first."
Haruto rose from his seat, decision made. It wasn't that he particularly cared about Itachi's schemes or Sasuke's development.
It was because going there meant earning a sign-in reward.
Bringing Sasuke along? That was just a convenient afterthought.
"Someone, come in."
At Haruto's command, a masked ANBU stepped into the office.
Though Haruto had not yet officially been inaugurated, in everyone's heart he was already the Fifth Hokage. The ANBU who once answered to Sarutobi Hiruzen now served Haruto directly.
"Summon Team 7 to me."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
The ANBU bowed with utmost respect, yet hesitated at the door, as if wrestling with whether to bring something else up.
"What is it?" Haruto asked directly. "If something has happened, just say it. I may be the new Hokage, but I'm not the type to shut my ears to my subordinates' voices."
"N-no, that's not what I meant, Lord Hokage."
The ANBU quickly dropped to one knee and explained. A few hours earlier, the Sand shinobi Temari and Kankurō—who had once participated in the Chūnin Exams—had returned to Konoha seeking an audience with the Hokage. They claimed to carry information of great importance.
But Haruto had previously ordered that all Sand shinobi be placed under strict control. That was why the ANBU hesitated to report this.
"I see," Haruto nodded. "Bring them in as well."
He could already guess the reason Temari and Kankurō had come. Most likely, it had to do with Gaara.
Based on the intelligence Itachi had shared, Gaara had already fallen into Akatsuki's hands.
In the original timeline, Akatsuki had sufficient manpower to seal the One-Tail in just three days. But now, with Hidan and Kakuzu eliminated by Haruto, the sealing process should take longer.
If action was swift enough, perhaps Gaara could still be saved.
That said, Haruto had no intention of personally making the trip—after all, his sign-in location was Yunkai Gorge, not Suna.
Before long, Kakashi arrived with the members of Team 7.
"Haruto-nii!"
Naruto greeted him cheerfully the moment he entered.
"Naruto, mind your manners," Kakashi cautioned. Haruto was, after all, now the Hokage standing above them all.
"That's fine," Haruto waved the matter away. He wasn't concerned with titles or how Naruto addressed him.
As Haruto exchanged words with Team 7, Temari and Kankurō stepped in.
They bore none of their former arrogance. Instead, they looked subdued, even dejected, their expressions enough to stir pity.
"Sand shinobi," Sasuke muttered, casting a glance at the newcomers. "And where's that red-haired one?"
"He was taken by Akatsuki," Temari answered, glancing from Sasuke to Haruto. She then recounted everything that had happened after Haruto left Suna—the ambush, their futile struggle, and Gaara's abduction.
Temari and Kankurō had tried to protect Gaara, but the strength gap was overwhelming. They hadn't even been able to call it a battle—just one strike, and both were knocked unconscious.
When they awoke, Gaara and Akatsuki were gone.
Upon learning that the war had ended and that Suna shinobi were now under Konoha's control, they saw no choice but to appeal directly to Haruto for help.
"And after what your village did to us, you still dare come here and ask us to save him?" Sakura shot back without hesitation.
She hadn't forgotten what Gaara had almost done to Lee, nor could she find sympathy for him.
"It's true—we committed unforgivable acts against Konoha," Temari admitted, her voice heavy. "But in the end, we too were victims of this war. And Gaara… Gaara is Suna's jinchūriki. If Akatsuki holds him, far worse things could follow."
Sakura opened her mouth to retort again, but Haruto cleared his throat.
At once, the office fell silent. All eyes turned to him, awaiting his decision.
"Akatsuki's target isn't only Gaara," Haruto said, his voice low. "They're gathering all the Tailed Beasts. With Gaara already taken, their operatives are moving to Yunkai Gorge—to seize the Eight-Tails jinchūriki from Kumogakure."
His gaze drifted toward Naruto.
If Akatsuki succeeded in capturing the Eight-Tails, they would control every Tailed Beast—except Naruto himself.
"Jinchūriki…" Naruto murmured, his heart tightening. As one himself, he understood the pain, the burden, the isolation. Even Gaara—no matter how brutal—couldn't be seen as purely evil in his eyes.
"Haruto-nii… I want to save Gaara."
After a long silence, Naruto finally spoke.
Everyone stared at him in astonishment.
"The blond kid…" Temari and Kankurō were stunned. Never would they have imagined that the first to step forward for Gaara's sake would be Uzumaki Naruto—the same boy they had once scorned during the Chūnin Exams.
"Hmph."
Sasuke snorted coldly. "So that's the real reason you called us here—to rescue Gaara, isn't it?"
To him, it felt like Haruto and the Sand siblings were staging a performance together. He had no interest in risking his neck to save another village's jinchūriki.
"In truth," Haruto said calmly, "the reason I summoned you here was because of the intelligence from Itachi."