The next day, they were all summoned once again to the Hokage's office.
"Back to work, Team 7," greeted the Hokage with a broad smile. "I have a mission for you. I know you don't really care where I send you-"
"Who said that?" interrupted Naruto, frowning.
"Don't interrupt me, brat!"
Naruto easily dodged the battered stapler, ignoring Sasuke's muffled laugh and Kakashi's exasperated sigh. Tsunade-sama chose to ignore him and continued speaking to the rest.
"As I was saying, this is your first mission together since your return to Konoha, and now that you're all of roughly the same rank, the first of many."
Naruto elbowed Seina enthusiastically, grinning from ear to ear. There was no need to open their link to know exactly what he was thinking. Sasuke, on Naruto's other side, rolled his eyes but said nothing; he was also pleased to be serving together again after so many years. Damn. Literally years.
"Your mission is to investigate a series of grave robberies. We believe it's a group of mercenary shinobi who might be helping Orochimaru gather bodies with certain bloodline traits. What you have to do is-"
She heard someone running down the hall toward the Hokage's office. Her brothers and husband all turned their heads toward the door at the same time it burst open, revealing a mid-rank ninja with a grave expression and clear urgency on his face.
"Tsunade-sama! An urgent message from Sunagakure! Akatsuki has kidnapped the Kazekage!"
Naruto and Seina turned to look at each other, utterly shocked and horrified. They had finally attacked Gaara, and they didn't even know if he was alive or dead. Her stomach churned in distress, both because her friend might already be dead and because this attack meant that sooner or later, Akatsuki would come for them as well.
"Team 7, change of plans. Head immediately to Sunagakure to find the Kazekage and bring him back," ordered the Hokage abruptly. "We can't allow them to capture another bijuu and endanger our alliance. Go at once. Kakashi, you're in command of the mission."
"Let's move," ordered Kakashi, not giving them time to argue.
"They kidnapped Gaara!?" cried Naruto in horror as they raced out of the Hokage's tower.
"Every ninja has a limit, Naruto," his husband reminded him. "Even with a bijuu, Gaara is still human."
"Once we're outside the village, I can use one of my stones to take us to within ten minutes of Suna's gates," said Seina, cutting off Naruto, who had just opened his mouth again, to focus on what really mattered.
"Perfect. That'll save us three days of nonstop running. A huge advantage."
They didn't even stop by their homes. All of them were always ready for emergencies, and this time was no different. They left the village through the western gate, then slipped into the forest to vanish discreetly. Seina let them each take one of her arms. She didn't even have to think about it, after so many years using the hiraishin, it was second nature.
They landed on hot sand under the blazing desert sun but fortunately, this time there wasn't a sandstorm beating them from every direction. Kakashi didn't need two seconds to orient himself toward the ninja capital of the Wind Country. The others followed him, in formation, close on his heels.
"Halt! Who goes there!?" shouted a man some distance ahead. It looked like a jonin, sword drawn.
"We're Team 7 from Konoha."
She heard the guards whispering among themselves, clearly thinking they couldn't be overheard, wondering how it was possible they had arrived so quickly. Then Baki, Gaara's jonin sensei, appeared looking sterner than ever. It was obvious he hadn't slept in days, but he didn't seem ready to collapse yet.
"Let them through," he ordered.
"But, Baki-sama! They could be impostors! The hawk message must have only reached them a few minutes ago!"
"I gave you an order, chunin," Baki leaned toward the nervous man, his tone sharp. "Any competent ninja knows Seina Hatake is known for her use of hiraishin. Now, let them in."
The chunin fell silent. It was clear he hadn't read her entry in the bingo book. As they crossed the canyon, watched by several visible and hidden shinobi, they entered the village and saw the damage still being repaired. Baki didn't slow down as he led them quickly toward what appeared to be the hospital.
"The hospital?" asked her twin brother, seeing the same thing she did. "Why are we meeting here?"
"Kankuro was poisoned while tracking Gaara. Our medics still haven't found an antidote," Baki said, glancing over his shoulder at her. "Perhaps you can help him."
They reached Kankuro's private room in less than a minute. He was sweating profusely, trembling, and seemed unconscious. The medics, dressed in Suna's typical medical uniforms, looked up from their patient to see who dared interrupt them.
"I brought help from Konoha."
She didn't know what went through their minds when they saw them, but they seemed to recognize her from previous visits, perhaps from when she'd come not long ago to install the water tanks. Whatever the reason, they gratefully let her in without question. She couldn't help but sigh in relief at avoiding an argument over whether to help her friend.
"Seina-sama, it's a relief to see you here," said one of the doctors with a bow. "We know the poison was administered through a shallow cut on his arm. Even so, we haven't yet been able to identify the molecules we found in his blood."
"Not even Chiyo-sama has managed it, and she's an expert in poisons."
Seina didn't know who they were talking about but nodded anyway. She reached Kankuro's bedside in two steps. In less than a minute, she drew out a ready vial of antidote and administered it. Whatever poison they had used, it was still a mundane one. Her antidote, enhanced with runes and magic, was, obviously, magical. It took less than five minutes to take effect.
"But- how is that possible!?"
"She didn't even run a test!" another medic exclaimed, turning toward her. "How did you know what poison it was?"
"I didn't. But my antidote works against any poison. Well," she added with a dangerously calm smile, "any poison I didn't make myself."
She heard the medics whispering among themselves, ignoring her as she felt her team's eyes fixed on her. They stayed silent, waiting for her to finish so they could start their real mission, and waiting for her. Suddenly, the door opened, and an old man entered, a member of Gaara's council she'd seen before, followed by an elderly woman in traditional Suna robes and a small hat that honestly made her look rather pitiful.
However, the instant the old woman saw Kakashi, it was as though thirty years of life had been injected into her. Suddenly, she looked far less frail.
"You!" she shouted, her expression a mix of shock and fury. "The White Fang of Konoha!"
And then she lunged at Kakashi to kill him. Seina didn't even think. Her magic acted faster than her mind. Before she knew it, she had intercepted the attack, grabbing the old woman by the collar and lifting her off the ground as though she were a spoiled child.
"Attack my husband again, and I'll show you what real pain is," she hissed darkly, her voice almost a whisper.
Kurama stirred inside her, bloodthirsty. It was Kakashi's hand on her shoulder that helped her contain the murderous instinct that had slipped free the moment she saw him in danger. She could feel Sasuke and Naruto's irritation and anger rise through their bond, but neither spoke, neither to defend the old woman nor to calm her down.
"Sister, he's not the White Fang of Konoha," said the other old man in a peaceful tone, perhaps trying to calm both her and his sister.
Chiyo, the old woman she still held in the air by sheer strength, stared into her eyes, pale and trembling. Her killer intent, bolstered by Kurama, was no small thing or so Jiraiya had once told her. Seina saw the old woman's pupils constrict in fear, her body trembling yet stiff, like a rabbit caught in a wolf's jaws. Slowly, Seina lowered her back to the floor without breaking eye contact. She said nothing aloud, but there was no doubt in her mind that the old woman understood exactly what would happen if she attacked her team again.
"Ugh. Just what I needed," groaned Kankuro.
Everyone turned to look at him. He was awake, though still lying down. The poison's effects were gone, but after suffering for hours without relief, he was clearly still weak.
"Kankuro!" exclaimed his former jonin sensei. "You're finally awake. How do you feel?"
"Never mind that, Baki-sensei. I have something to give the Konoha team," he said weakly, still pale. "I took it from Sasori of the Red Sand. He was with some black-and-white guy who looked like he was stuck inside a carnivorous plant. Yeah… I know. I'm not joking."
He used what little chakra he could gather to summon one of his puppets and hand Kakashi a piece of cloth while everyone else tried to process the ridiculous description of the Kazekage's kidnappers. It didn't take a genius to figure out whose it was or why he was giving it to Kakashi, an expert tracker.
"We should leave as soon as possible," her husband said, giving her a sharp look. "The scent will fade sooner or later."
Seina nodded. Kakashi knew she could find Gaara using her magic, but he was right, it was better to be cautious and avoid revealing the full extent of her powers, even to allies like Suna.
"And worse still with the sandstorm coming our way," admitted Baki. "Go now."
"I'll go with you."
It was the old woman, Chiyo. Her face was still pale, but the fear from earlier had vanished. She'd lost her colour upon hearing Kankuro's words, interestingly enough. Seina wondered if she had ever fought this Sasori from Akatsuki and whether she might be able to give them information about him.
"Are you sure, sister?" the other old man asked in a whisper, clear worry written on his face.
"I've been wanting to see my grandson again for a long time."
"Grandson?"
Naruto's question hung in the air, unanswered. The old woman left the hospital, destination unknown, while the other elder, Eiji, sighed again.
"I don't know if my sister will find the strength to talk about him, so I'll tell you what I know about Sasori."
As he walked with them toward the village gates, the elder explained that Sasori was an expert puppeteer and poison-maker. He had lost his parents very young, as well as his best and only friend, and the trauma had driven him mad to the point of turning his friend into a puppet using his corpse. No one noticed what he had done for months, not until he began transforming some of his enemies into puppets and was discovered by his grandmother. Curiously, Sasori fled the village around the same time the Third Kazekage disappeared.
"We can't prove it was him, but everything points in that direction," said Sasori's great-uncle and Gaara's advisor in a heavy voice. "If we're right… he most likely turned the Kazekage into one of his puppets. Chiyo has refused all these years to even consider that possibility. In fact, she never speaks of Sasori and avoids anything that reminds her of him."
Seina felt Naruto's compassion, Sasuke's indifference, and Kakashi's empathy tempered with pragmatism. She didn't need to read their minds to know what each of them was thinking. Naruto's heart ached for Chiyo; Sasuke, on the other hand, couldn't care less about her feelings, he wasn't about to let the drama of an old woman stop him if he had to kill Sasori. Kakashi, in contrast, understood what Chiyo was going through and was calculating how her emotions might affect Gaara's rescue. Because no matter how much it hurt her, Kakashi would not fail the mission.
Seina leaned more toward Sasuke's perspective after witnessing Chiyo try to attack Kakashi. If she had to knock the old woman unconscious and tie her up while killing her grandson, she would.
Naruto clicked his tongue in exasperation as he sensed Sasuke and Seina silently come to an agreement.
"How is it possible that you and I are biological siblings, and yet you agree with Sasuke more than with me?" he asked, half curious, half irritated.
"Because you're too soft," she replied, still annoyed. "Maybe that attitude earns you more friends than me, but it also means more people will try to walk all over you."
Sasuke nodded. Kakashi said nothing, his neutral expression didn't shift toward either side. Naruto just rolled his eyes, accepting that she wasn't going to change her mind.
"Well, lucky for you, that's what we're here for," Sasuke muttered, also rolling his eyes at his twin brother. Then he looked over Naruto's shoulder. "Look. Here comes the hag."
Chiyo hadn't changed her clothes, but she was carrying a medium-sized satchel. Seina said nothing as the team turned toward the canyon at Suna's entrance. She watched Chiyo out of the corner of her eye, alert for any potential threat, and followed Kakashi alongside Sasuke. Naruto, of course, took the lead, too impatient to wait any longer to go after Gaara.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu."
A cloud of smoke appeared in front of them, making the old woman cough. The others ignored it as the smoke faded and Pakkun appeared.
"Yo, Kakashi, Seina," greeted Pakkun with a grin. "Long time no see. Naruto, Sasuke."
"We're in a bit of a hurry, Pakkun. The Kazekage's been kidnapped," Kakashi informed him, pulling out the piece of cloth wrapped in clean cotton. "His brother managed to get this from the kidnappers."
"Let me smell it. Mmm… It's strange. Smells more like wood and poison than human."
"Can you track it?" asked Chiyo, frowning even more at the ninken's words.
"Who do you think I am?"
The dog's moderately offended face made Naruto, Sasuke, and Seina all snort at the same time. Taking his words as a yes, Kakashi cut Chiyo off before she could respond indignantly as well.
"Let's go. We don't have time to waste."
By pure habit, born from years of training, Kakashi automatically took point, with Naruto and Sasuke a step behind him on either side, keeping Chiyo between them. Seina brought up the rear. Normally Naruto or Sasuke would have taken her spot, but Seina understood Kakashi's unspoken intention… he wanted her to stay behind to watch the old woman, but more importantly, to use her powers discreetly and verify that Pakkun was following the real trail, not a decoy. Clever, as always.
Fortunately, the small arrow of energy she conjured seemed to be following the same path as his summoning, so when Kakashi sensed her affirmative emotions, they continued running southeast in silence. Seina saw the old woman move ahead through the branches until she caught up with Kakashi.
"Kakashi-san, I'm sorry for trying to attack you earlier," she said suddenly, then gave a dry, self-deprecating laugh. "It's been years since I turned into a senile old fool. I can't tell allies from past enemies anymore."
"No problem. These things happen."
"Maybe so… Still, I should've realized you weren't him when I saw you standing calmly beside Baki."
"Nothing happened, so there's nothing to dwell on."
"…" There was a moment of silence as Chiyo seemed to consider something. "Your wife acted fast."
"Seina?"
"Yes. That's your wife, isn't she?"
"That's right," Kakashi said. Even without seeing his face, Seina knew he was smiling.
"Just look at you," Chiyo chuckled. "Konohans…"
Seina relaxed as she heard Kakashi accept Chiyo's sincere apology. A small part of her was still irritated by the attack, but the urge to glare daggers at the old woman had faded. The silence grew lighter, occasionally broken by bits of conversation between Kakashi and Chiyo. Seina only half-listened. Her mind was on what lay ahead.
Akatsuki no longer had Itachi or Kisame, but they still had other S-rank members and possibly new recruits to fill their losses. That meant most of Itachi's intel was outdated. In short, they had no idea what they were walking into.
Honestly, she wasn't sure her mentor's decision was strategically the best one for Konoha. Two jinchuriki going to rescue another jinchuriki from an organization that hunted and killed jinchuriki; it wasn't exactly logical. But she understood why Tsunade-sama had chosen to send them. For one, sending Seina saved any team at least three days of travel to Suna. She also had top medical training and could heal Gaara if needed. On top of that, the chunin who reported Gaara's kidnapping to the Hokage had done so in Naruto's presence, and both women knew Naruto would never let Seina go rescue Gaara alone. Given all that, it was easier to give in to his inevitable demands and send them all to save the Kazekage than to argue.
If only she knew exactly where they were headed, she could send her creatures ahead to scout. Right now, she felt like any other ninja would: impatient and on edge.
They stopped a few times to eat and rest, but little by little, they crossed deeper into the Land of Rivers. Dusk was settling after many hours when the ninken gave the signal.
"This way," said Pakkun. "We're close."
"How close are we talking?" asked Sasuke.
"A couple of kilometres."
"Good. We'll stop as close as possible to scout the base."
It only took them a couple of minutes to reach the location. Pakkun disappeared, leaving them alone. They saw a small hill with a stone "door" and a sealing mark on the rock, clearly the entrance to the base.
"It's a Five-Seal Barrier," whispered Naruto.
"Good eye, Naruto. The other seals must be placed nearby."
"Leave it to me," Seina offered. With her summons, she could locate them without moving.
"All right."
She summoned a few creatures to move outward in concentric circles. The first seal was on a tree trunk barely 350 meters away. Once she saw their pattern, she knew it wouldn't take long to find the rest.
"I've found them," she said about twenty minutes later. "Now what?"
"Once we remove the seals, they'll know we're here so we'd better plan first."
"Sasuke's right," agreed Kakashi. "We don't know how many enemies there are or who exactly they are, except that one is Chiyo-sama's grandson and another seems to be some kind of half-plant man. We also don't know if Gaara's alive, unconscious, or injured."
"At least we know he's in there."
"Yes, fortunately Pakkun confirmed it. But we need more information. So here's what we'll do… Seina, you'll remove all five seals simultaneously using your clones," Kakashi said, looking directly at her. "It's probably full of traps, so sending clones is the safest option. We'll try to split their attention by attacking the base from above—Naruto and Sasuke, that's your job—while the rest of us act from here."
"I could try flooding the base before Naruto and Sasuke's attack," she suggested. "If there's no escape route, they'll be trapped inside. That would make it easier for me to sneak in some of my summons without being noticed."
"Good thinking," murmured Kakashi. Then, after a moment's thought, "Hmm… actually, that's a great idea. You could use that distraction to switch Gaara with one of your clones transformed to look like him without them noticing. Then Naruto and Sasuke attack the base to divide and distract them. While Chiyo-sama and I fight here and the boys engage from above, you can heal Gaara and teleport him back to Suna with hiraishin. Without Gaara in the crossfire, we'll have a much easier fight."
"Sounds good to me! When do we start?" said Naruto, rubbing his hands together.
"I'd like to say something," Chiyo spoke up for the first time in a while. "I'm the most suitable one to fight my grandson. He's a puppeteer, like me."
"We can't predict how the battle will go, Chiyo-sama."
"Then let me tell you a few things about him."
Seina listened closely. Something in Chiyo's face told her that, although she was willing to fight him, the thought filled her with deep sadness. Despite everything that had happened between them, Seina couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion for the old woman.