Tsunade smiled faintly.
"Don't worry. It won't be too late to teach you when he returns."
Naruto's heart immediately leaped with excitement.
"Grandma Tsunade... do you mean..."
"Perverted Sage isn't in trouble, is he?"
Tsunade frowned.
"Naruto, what are you talking about?"
Naruto scratched his head awkwardly and laughed.
"Haha... I was just talking nonsense."
Shizune smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Naruto. Lady Tsunade specifically instructed them not to act recklessly, even if they discover the Akatsuki's hideout. Jiraiya wouldn't be so impulsive."
"Besides, Kakashi is with him."
Naruto let out a long sigh of relief.
"That's true..."
"Haha..."
Just then—
Bang!
An ANBU ninja burst into the office, knocking on the door in panic.
"Hokage-sama!"
"Something terrible has happened!"
Naruto jumped in surprise.
"What happened?!"
The ANBU ninja took a deep breath before speaking.
"Something has happened in Sunagakure."
"The One-Tailed Jinchūriki..."
Before he could finish, Naruto froze as though struck by lightning.
His body trembled violently.
"...Gaara."
---
Chapter 312: Saving Gaara! Sasori of the Red Sand and Lady Chiyo!
Among all the Jinchūriki, the one Naruto cared about the most was undoubtedly Gaara.
First, they were both children who had endured the loneliness of being Jinchūriki.
Second, they had become friends after fighting each other and understood one another better than anyone else.
Third, everything they had experienced afterward allowed them to empathize deeply with each other.
The moment Naruto heard that something had happened in Sunagakure—and that it involved the One-Tailed Jinchūriki—his face instantly turned pale.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
"Gaara..."
"What happened to him?!"
Tsunade was equally shocked.
"What exactly happened?"
"Sunagakure should have its entire military protecting him."
"I also dispatched Might Guy, Asuma, and the Iwagakure support team."
"How could something still happen?"
Her surprise was completely understandable.
After all, even the Akatsuki couldn't simply invade one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations with ease.
On top of that, both Konoha and Iwagakure had reinforced Sunagakure.
The ANBU ninja took another breath.
"Our defenses were strong..."
"But there was an Akatsuki spy inside Sunagakure."
"And not just any spy..."
"He was one of Sunagakure's high-ranking shinobi."
"Yura."
Everyone's expressions changed dramatically.
"Yura?!"
"The same Yura who served as one of Deputy Kazekage Baki's guards during the previous Five Kage Summit?"
"How could someone like him be an Akatsuki spy?"
Naruto clearly remembered Yura.
He had stood beside Gaara as one of the Kazekage's trusted bodyguards during the summit.
What did it mean to serve as a Kage Guard?
They were among the village's most trusted elites—future candidates for high office and the Kage's closest confidants.
How could someone like that betray Sunagakure?
Tsunade slammed her fist onto the desk.
"That's impossible!"
The ANBU ninja forced a bitter smile.
"But it's true."
"The Akatsuki launched a full-scale assault on Sunagakure."
"They deployed four S-Rank missing-nin: Uchiha Itachi, Kisame Hoshigaki, Deidara, and Sasori of the Red Sand."
"Fortunately, Sunagakure was prepared. Combined with the support of Asuma, Might Guy, and the Iwagakure forces, the Akatsuki couldn't make much progress."
"But no one expected Yura to strike from within."
"He secretly planted numerous explosive tags throughout the village."
"When they detonated, chaos erupted behind Sunagakure's defenses."
"He then opened the way for Sasori."
"Gaara was injured during their coordinated attack."
"He was most likely poisoned, lost consciousness, and was taken away by Sasori."
"Sasori himself was once a shinobi of Sunagakure."
"He knew the village inside and out."
"And Yura had been a hidden chess piece planted long ago."
Tsunade slowly leaned back in her chair.
"How could this happen..."
Shizune sighed heavily.
"They launched a large-scale attack to draw everyone's attention..."
"Then they used Yura's betrayal to capture Gaara from within."
"Even the strongest defenses would have been nearly impossible to overcome under those circumstances."
Naruto clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"Gaara..."
"I'm coming to save you!"
He immediately turned and rushed toward the door.
"Naruto!"
Tsunade's voice stopped him.
"Grandma Tsunade!"
"Gaara has been captured!"
"I have to save him!"
"I know that," Tsunade replied firmly.
"But you cannot act recklessly."
"But—"
"No arguments!"
"That's an order from the Hokage!"
Naruto gritted his teeth.
Reluctantly, he forced himself to calm down.
"Then..."
"What should we do?"
Tsunade quickly regained her composure.
"What's the current situation in Sunagakure?"
The ANBU ninja answered,
"After achieving their objective, the Akatsuki immediately retreated."
"Might Guy and Asuma are pursuing them."
"They've been leaving tracking clues along the way."
Tsunade nodded.
"I never expected the Akatsuki to have planned everything so carefully."
At that moment, Hinata suddenly remembered something.
"Naruto-kun..."
"Sasuke..."
"Do you remember what Zetsu said to Kakuzu during the Three-Tails mission?"
Naruto and Sasuke both looked at her.
Hinata continued,
"He said Kakuzu had only been sent because he was weakened..."
"And that he was merely a pawn."
Sasuke frowned.
"So the Three-Tails mission was nothing more than a diversion?"
"Their real objective was to keep our attention focused on the Three-Tails while secretly sending their main force to capture Gaara?"
Hinata nodded.
"That's probably exactly what happened."
Naruto's anger flared even higher.
"Damn the Akatsuki!"
"Those bastards!"
Tsunade suddenly understood.
"Hinata..."
"Your analysis makes perfect sense."
"We devoted most of our attention to the Three-Tails because we believed the other Jinchūriki were already properly protected."
"We never imagined the Akatsuki would deliberately make us think they were targeting the Three-Tails while secretly attacking Gaara."
Naruto also remembered the strange feeling he had experienced when he first encountered the masked man, Tobi.
Along with Tobi were Kakuzu and Zetsu.
Even then...
He had instinctively felt something wasn't right.
The Akatsuki members sent to capture the Three-Tails hadn't seemed particularly dangerous.
Kakuzu had already been weakened.
Zetsu wasn't a frontline fighter.
As for Tobi...
He had acted like a fool and didn't seem serious about capturing the Three-Tails at all.
Looking back now...
His instincts had been right.
But regretting it now wouldn't change anything.
Tsunade remained silent for a long moment.
She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
After carefully considering everything, she finally opened them again.
"The Akatsuki deployed at least four S-Rank missing-nin."
"Might Guy and Asuma won't be enough by themselves."
"We need reinforcements."
She looked toward the ANBU ninja.
"Did anyone else from Sunagakure or Iwagakure join the pursuit?"
"Yes."
"Kitsuchi from Iwagakure has gone after them as well."
"The rest of Sunagakure's forces remained behind to restore order and defend the village."
"However..."
"The Acting Kazekage plans to ask one of the village elders to personally pursue Sasori."
Tsunade's eyes lit up.
"An elder?"
"It must be..."
"Lady Chiyo."
She let out a quiet sigh before looking at Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata.
"The village is short-handed right now."
"Kurenai and Team 8 must remain behind to protect the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki."
"Might Guy and Asuma are already in Sunagakure."
"Kakashi is accompanying Jiraiya in searching for the Akatsuki's hideout."
"It seems the only people I can send..."
"...are the three of you."
Naruto immediately answered,
"I'm ready!"
"I can leave right now!"
Hinata nodded.
"Master, I can depart at any time."
Sasuke spoke calmly.
"No amount of training compares to fighting for your life."
"If my opponent is the Akatsuki..."
"I won't fall behind."
His eyes suddenly grew cold.
"And..."
"Uchiha Itachi has finally appeared."
Tsunade's expression became serious.
"Sasuke."
"I understand how you feel."
"But this mission is about rescuing Gaara."
"Don't let your personal revenge jeopardize the mission."
"As for Uchiha Itachi..."
"He'll face justice sooner or later."
Sasuke merely snorted but said nothing more.
Tsunade suddenly stood up.
"Team 7!"
"Depart for Sunagakure immediately!"
"Your mission is to rescue Gaara!"
She turned toward the ANBU ninja.
"Brief Team 7 on all available intelligence while they're on the move."
"Yes, Hokage-sama!"
---
Naruto sprinted ahead at full speed.
His body blurred as he rushed toward Sunagakure.
Even Sasuke, Hinata, and the accompanying ANBU ninja struggled to keep up.
Sasuke gritted his teeth and chased after him with everything he had, refusing to admit defeat.
Advance Chapters avilable on patreon (Obito_uchiha)