Chapter 466: Bonds
"What? Hyuga Neji didn't submit any departure report and just left the village without authorization?!"
In the Hokage's office, Jiraiya abruptly raised his head from the mountain of accumulated documents, his brows instantly knotting together.
He was already somewhat irritated by the tedious administrative work. Now hearing his subordinate's report, that irritation was immediately replaced by surprise and suspicion.
Standing before the desk making the report were precisely the two-man team guarding Konoha's main gate—Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki.
"Yes, Fifth Hokage," Izumo Kamizuki recalled last night's scene. "The time was late last night. We were conducting routine patrol and guard shift handover. We clearly saw a figure, without any companions, alone walking from the village interior direction toward the main gate."
Kotetsu Hagane supplemented from the side. "That figure came closer, and we recognized that it was Hyuga Neji of the Hyuga clan. He was carrying a small travel pack, looking like he was going on a long trip."
"We thought it strange at the time. This time period, and acting alone, by rights there should be a mission scroll or Hokage's order in advance. So we went forward to make routine inquiries, planning to verify the procedures."
Izumo Kamizuki took back the conversation. "We stopped him and asked according to protocol whether he had exit permission, what his destination was, whether he needed assistance with registration, and so on... He stopped his steps at that time. It seemed he only said one thing... I'm sorry."
"And then?" Jiraiya's body leaned forward slightly, pressing for more.
Both Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane's faces showed embarrassment and disbelief.
Kotetsu Hagane scratched the back of his head. "Then... then the two of us, we... knew nothing more."
"By the time we regained consciousness, it was almost dawn, but Hyuga Neji had long since vanished without a trace. We checked the gate records—there was no official registration of his departure."
Jiraiya listened, then leaned back in the wide chair back, stroking his chin and falling into contemplation.
Hyuga Neji, genius of the Hyuga clan's branch family, Konoha's jonin. Whether in strength, reputation, or contribution to the village, all were evident to all. He really couldn't think of any possibility that such a bright-futured, steady-natured young person would betray the village.
Although the Hyuga branch family's rules were extremely unfair and cruel, for a long time, anyone who knew Hyuga Neji would know his relationship with the Hyuga main family's eldest daughter, Hyuga Hinata, was very good, almost achieving the caring of an elder brother like a father.
And there hadn't been any major incidents recently either, except for his disciple getting married.
Just as Jiraiya was puzzling over this—
"Hokage-sama—!!!"
A loud voice full of anxiety came from far to near, sweeping from the corridor all the way to the Hokage office door.
This signature shouting style could be said to be unique in current Konoha, with no other comparable.
The office door was pushed open with a "bang." A young man with a thick bowl cut, wearing signature green skintight clothes and Konoha's standard vest, rushed in at Body Flicker speed. It was precisely Hyuga Neji's teammate—Rock Lee.
"I heard! Neji he... he left the village?! Is this true?! Hokage-sama!" Lee's voice shook the office window glass as if it were buzzing.
Jiraiya's ears went numb from this volume. He helplessly rubbed his temples. "Mm, currently according to the gate guards' report and preliminary investigation, the situation is indeed so. But you don't need to shout so loudly—I can hear you."
"It's actually... actually true..." Lee heard the confirmation, and the anxiety on his face was instantly replaced by enormous loss and confusion. "I... I just received some vague news and immediately went to Neji's house to find him!"
"But no one was home. Some things had been packed away, and then... then I found this on his desk!"
Lee spoke as he hurriedly pulled out a neatly folded note from his chest and handed it before Jiraiya. His eyes were full of worry. "Neji... he would never do things without reason! There must be a clue on this!"
Jiraiya took the note and unfolded it. The paper quality was ordinary. On it was only one line of writing with a pen stroke carrying decisive force.
[Must complete what should be accomplished.]
---
"My goodness... Am I under a genjutsu? Or haven't woken up yet?"
Temari forcefully blinked her eyes, trying to dispel this extremely unreal scene before her.
This bedroom before her, stuffed full with countless "Uzumaki Naruto" sand sculptures, like an obsessive's art exhibition or ritual scene, made her scalp tingle.
Her own brother, that calm and steady Fifth Kazekage shouldering an entire village's responsibility, was actually hiding in his room using chakra to sculpt a whole room full of... Naruto models? This scene looked disturbing and... heartbreaking no matter how you looked at it.
Kankuro's expression at this moment was even more grave than Temari's. He knew a bit more of the inside story, understanding the deep dependence and attachment in Gaara's heart toward Uzumaki Naruto that transcended ordinary friendship, almost like a spiritual pillar.
The crazy scene before him, though it also made him feel chilled to the bone, was more a heavy heartache and helpless sense of "as expected." He knew some words had to be said.
He forced himself to ignore the countless empty gazes of those "sand Narutos" surrounding them and walked forward two steps, squatting down before Gaara.
"...Gaara, listen to me. You continuing like this... is absolutely no good. Locking yourself away, not eating, not handling official business, just... making these sand things."
"You are Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage, shouldering the entire village's future and countless people's expectations. If you continue being this despondent, can you still do the Kazekage's work well?"
Gaara still held the sand sculpture Naruto he had just completed with whisker marks. Hearing this, his gaze fell unfocused on some empty space. He was silent for a long time before producing a hoarse, confused voice.
"...I don't know. Work... the village... those things, I can't think about that much right now."
His voice lowered, carrying childlike grievance and loss. "I just feel... my heart is so restless. Naruto... he has already gone an entire week... without contacting me, without any news at all."
"Is he... because he has Satsuki now, has he completely forgotten about me? Does he think me as a 'friend' is no longer needed?"
"That's natural, you idiot! Naruto is currently in his newlywed honeymoon period! His eyes and heart are definitely only filled with Uchiha Satsuki whom he just married! How could he possibly still have the leisure to constantly think about contacting you, a friend far away in Sunagakure!"
But he forcefully swallowed back the words that had reached his lips. He knew that this "natural" reality, for Gaara who was currently in an abnormal state and emotionally extremely dependent on Naruto, would be no different from the cruelest blow.
"These are all fake! Idiot!"
"The people in the sand won't talk to you, won't smile at you. You staying here doing these completely meaningless things is simply stupid to the extreme!"
A voice full of mockery exploded in Gaara's mind—it was Shukaku the One-Tail. It was also made somewhat uneasy by Gaara's continued depressed state and bizarre "creation," trying to use its habitually nasty manner to verbally wake him up.
"Shut up."
"Eh?" Kankuro squatting opposite was startled by this abrupt low mutter, thinking his brother was getting angry at him.
"Sorry, Kankuro. I wasn't talking to you."
Gaara raised his eyelids, glanced at his older brother, explained, then lowered his gaze again, thoroughly ignoring Shukaku's continued clamoring in his mind.
"Spineless! What a disgraceful guy! Now, no one will treat you to ramen."
Gaara was very clear how abnormal his behavior was, how much it didn't fit the Kazekage's status. He also knew he was evading responsibility, indulging in a false comfort constructed from sand.
But he just couldn't muster his energy. That hollow in his heart that suddenly expanded due to Naruto's "absence" was cold and heavy, pressing down so he couldn't think about anything else.
He had worked hard to become Kazekage, overcome numerous difficulties, persuade the elders, win the people's hearts... Among the hidden yet powerful motivations, wasn't it because everyone said Naruto would definitely become Konoha's Hokage in the future?
He wanted to stand in a position equal to him, to become a "friend" who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, be needed and recognized by him.
And now, Naruto had already taken great strides forward, entering a new stage of life, possessing a more intimate, higher-priority bond.
Looking at his brother's lost, deeply mired in obsession and unable to extricate himself, Kankuro's forehead seeped fine cold sweat.
The last trace of hesitation in his heart was also thoroughly eliminated. He had originally still been hesitating whether he should take out that thing and give it to Gaara, worried it might add fuel to the fire or trigger even more uncontrollable consequences.
But at this moment, he felt that perhaps only that thing could bring a trace of change to Gaara's stagnant-water-like state, even if this change might be full of risk.
He slowly, with movements unusually solemn, took from his personal pack a storage scroll of ancient style with exceptionally complex sealing formulas. Obviously creating and preparing it had cost considerable effort and energy.
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