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"What? Gaara was…?!"
Maegi and his group had rushed back to Sunagakure overnight, only to be met with a nightmare. Gaara had been taken from the village itself, his fate unknown.
GAK! The messenger's collar bunched in Maegi's fist. "What the hell were you doing?!" he roared. "How could you let hostiles run amok inside the village?!"
The man's eyes darted away. "It… It was the Council's order! We couldn't disobey…!!"
"The Council…!!!" Maegi's eyes widened. Understanding dawned, cold and sickening.
Temari's teeth ground together, a sharp, grating sound.
"I'm going to make those bastards pay!!"
"Me too!" KankurĹŤ yelled.
"You two, stop!!!"
Maegi's voice cracked like a whip.
"Temari, KankurĹŤ, what good would that do?!"
"But…!" Temari's voice broke. "He's my little brother! How am I supposed to just accept this?!"
Maegi's tone was heavy. "I was careless. I should have seen it. Right when we pushed for Gaara to become Kazekage, the Council sends us on a long-term mission… We need to be calm. Rushing in solves nothing right now!!"
Frustration burned through Temari and KankurĹŤ. They could only pace in helpless anger.
It was then that Sasuke, who had traveled with them, stepped forward. He addressed the man still in Maegi's grip. "Describe the intruders. Their features."
The messenger, and the other Suna nin present, looked at him with suspicion.
Maegi's eyes flickered. Ever since the ruins outside Loulan, since learning this boy had taken down Sasori of the Red Sand, he'd watched him closely. Orochimaru and Kabuto… they moved around him. Took their cues from him.
The realization had been a shock. This Uchiha Sasuke was nothing like he'd assumed.
Maegi's plan had been to observe, to wait until they were safely back in the village before deciding how to handle them.
But now… Gaara was gone.
He didn't know if Orochimaru's group had ulterior motives beyond seeing Lady Chiyo. But right now, they might be the only hope he had.
Luckily, the Suna nin here were new. They hadn't been part of the Konoha invasion. They didn't recognize Orochimaru or Kabuto.
Maegi's mind raced. "They… are from Konoha," he said, improvising. "We are on a joint, special operation. Hence, no headbands. Tell them what you know."
The Suna nin described the two intruders' clothing, their faces.
The more Karin heard, the more her expression shifted from confusion to pure disbelief.
Suigetsu… Jūgo…? No way. They actually joined Akatsuki?
Sasuke, of course, recognized the descriptions too. He kept his face a cold mask, but the hand hidden in his sleeve curled into a fist. He wasn't as calm as he looked.
He met Orochimaru's gaze, then both looked at Maegi.
Maegi seemed to understand. He addressed the messenger. "I see. If it was the Council's will… there's little we can say."
Seeing Maegi, the one most likely to explode over Gaara, take this stance, the Suna nin finally relaxed. "Master Maegi," one soothed, "we understand. He was your student, your daily charge. This is hard for everyone. The village has already dispatched a rescue team. We'll inform you the moment we have news. Please, just wait."
The Suna nin left.
The moment they were gone, Maegi's control shattered. He strode to a sandstone wall—and drove his fist into it.
KRAK!
Blood splattered, dripping from cracked knuckles.
When he turned back, his eyes were calm again. "My apologies… I lost my composure." He looked at the group. "You know who those intruders are, don't you?"
Orochimaru answered. "Akatsuki. An organization I once belonged to. They gather powerful missing-nin from every nation. Their ultimate goal is to hunt the Tailed Beasts. And the late Sasori of the Red Sand… he was also a member."
Maegi's gaze sharpened. "I see. So that's why they targeted Gaara. You killed Sasori, an Akatsuki member. Am I to understand you are… opposed to Akatsuki?"
Orochimaru's smile was thin, cutting through the pretense. "No need for tests. I understand perfectly. But I am not the one who decides." He gestured to Sasuke. "That would be Sasuke-kun. Would you mind giving us a moment?"
Maegi's face was a mask of shock. Orochimaru… admitting he followed Uchiha Sasuke's orders? It was absurd. Unfathomable.
But he understood. Right now, this boy held Gaara's life—perhaps Sunagakure's future—in his hands.
"Please, Sasuke-san," Maegi said, bowing deeply. "Anything you ask. I will agree to anything. Just… help me save Gaara!!!"
He straightened, then ushered a bewildered, frantic Temari and KankurĹŤ out of the room.
Alone now.
Orochimaru was blunt. "As expected. Suigetsu and JĹ«go were captured by Tobi and recruited. But I didn't expect Akatsuki's Tailed Beast hunt to begin nearly three years early. Their financial plans must have collapsed sooner."
Sasuke's voice was low. "The wheels of history are turning faster because of our actions."
Orochimaru's expression was uncharacteristically grave. "The later stages of the ĹŚtsutsuki plan require the Ten-Tails' power. You understand what that means, Sasuke-kun. We cannot forever stand on the side of 'justice' as the mundane shinobi world defines it."
Sasuke's eyes were dark pools. "Yes. I know that's a choice I'll eventually face. But Gaara is one of Naruto's bonds. One day, I will have to tell Naruto the truth. As his friend… about Gaara, I must give Naruto an answer. To be clear: Akatsuki can take the One-Tail for now. But Gaara must be rescued."
"Understood."
Orochimaru's serpentine eyes narrowed, calculating. "This happened shortly after we entered Loulan. The One-Tail's sealing is likely in its final stages…"
Sasuke said, "No matter what, I have to try. Do you know the location?"
"Akatsuki's pattern is to seal at the nearest base after capture. I have a rough idea. A place called Thread Gorge, about three hundred kilometers from here. Kabuto, can you teleport us?"
Kabuto Yakushi shook his head. "Regrettably, there is no Futodama marker there. Traveling at our maximum speed… we could arrive in roughly six hours."
Orochimaru's gaze was heavy. "This is no joke, Sasuke-kun. Be prepared. By the time we get there, Gaara will likely be a corpse. The worst-case scenario is the Impure World Reincarnation. But that… is fundamentally different from a living person."
Sasuke's fist clenched tighter. "Yeah… I know."
Kabuto listened, his mind a whirlwind.
Sasuke-kun aims to become an Ōtsutsuki. He will need the Ten-Tails' power eventually. The One-Tail inside Gaara is indispensable. But regarding Gaara… he needs to give an account to Naruto in the future. Perhaps it's not just that. Gaara was one of Sasuke-kun's bonds in his previous life. He must be wrestling with that moral weight now. His rebirth changed history's course, inevitably causing harm to those close to him…
The future Sasuke-kun carries is already heavy enough. He shouldn't be burdened with more.
True, Lord Orochimaru holds the Impure World Reincarnation as a last resort. But is that what Sasuke-kun wants for Gaara? A walking memory?
Then, Kabuto Yakushi. Think. Is there a way to turn this around? A solution that Sasuke-kun, Lord Orochimaru, and the future Naruto can all accept?
Given what I know of the future… and what I am capable of now…
There's only one way. Isn't there?
As Sasuke and Orochimaru finalized the rescue plan, Kabuto adjusted his glasses. Behind the white glare, his eyes held a strange resolve.
"Lord Orochimaru," he said, his voice calm. "It may not be the best time, but… the promise you made to Sasori. It's time to honor it. To leave it undone would tarnish your reputation. As for supporting Gaara's rescue… I fear my help would be limited. So, at the very least, allow me to settle this matter for you."
Orochimaru looked at him, a flicker of surprise in his golden eyes. He considered for a long moment, his gaze growing somber.
"Then, I'll leave it to you, Kabuto."
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