Boom!
With a deafening explosion, the mighty summoning beast "Sand Emperor" vanished into white smoke before the despairing eyes of the Sand Shinobi, it had been forcefully dismissed back to the summoning realm. The massive sandfall looming above threatened to engulf the entire Hidden Sand Village.
"Damn it! I can't let the village get hurt!" Gaara gritted his teeth, summoning every last ounce of his strength to push the sand back.
Although Gaara had become much stronger than in the original story, strong enough to summon the Sand Emperor, a beast rivaling the One-Tail in power, his battle with Deidara still took place outside the village.
However, when Deidara threatened the village using his jutsu, Gaara was forced into a disadvantage, ultimately running out of chakra and falling in battle.
On the other side, Deidara wasn't in great shape either. One of his arms and one leg had been crushed by Gaara's sand restraints, and he sat awkwardly atop his giant bird, just as battered.
"Hmph," Deidara snorted, then commanded his giant bird to dive straight at the unconscious Gaara. Its sharp claws snatched him up, and the bird soared into the sky, mission accomplished.
"Kazekage-sama!"
The Sand Shinobi cried out, helpless as they watched their Kazekage taken away before their eyes, powerless to stop it.
⚔──────────────
Soon after, Kakashi's team and Guy's team, along with Temari, arrived at the Hidden Sand Village. Elder Chiyo and Ebizo appeared to greet them.
"Where's Kankuro?" Temari asked anxiously, noticing her brother was missing.
"Temari-sama! Kankuro-sama went after Gaara-sama!" a Sand Ninja quickly reported.
"That idiot!" Temari snapped.
"Temari, now's not the time to be angry," Kakashi said calmly. "We need to track them down first."
"Right," Temari nodded, scanning the devastated battlefield outside the village. What had happened to Gaara? Had Shikamaru made it back to Konoha safely?
Not long after setting out, they found Kankuro, poisoned and unconscious. Unfortunately, Sakura wasn't skilled in medical ninjutsu and couldn't help him.
"We need Tsunade-sama or Shizune to treat him," Kakashi said, examining the poisoned Kankuro.
"It might be too late. If we try to take him back to Konoha, he might not make it," Guy added grimly.
"What do we do then?" Temari asked, panic rising in her voice.
"I'll handle it," Sakura stepped forward. "I can't cure the poison, but I can make sure he doesn't die just yet."
"How?" Temari pressed.
"Everyone, step back," Sakura instructed. She didn't explain further.
"Sakura, are you sure? That's amazing!" Naruto chimed in, thrilled to see her again after returning to the village. But he noticed something, Sakura was colder toward him than before.
She ignored Naruto completely. She wasn't the same Sakura from the original story. She now found it laughable that Naruto kept clinging to her, saying they should go find Sasuke together. Looking back, she thought her past self had been nothing but a hopeless fangirl, chasing Sasuke even though he had rejected her.
If Sasuke were still alive, Sakura wouldn't hesitate to strike him down herself. But since Naruto refused to believe Sasuke was gone, Sakura had grown more and more annoyed with him.
"Cherry Blossom Release: Cherry Blossom Vitality!"
As Sakura's voice rang out, countless petals descended from the sky, surrounding and protecting Kankuro's heart. These cherry blossoms carried life energy, enough to prevent the poison from spreading to his vital organs.
Seeing her technique, Kakashi, Naruto, and even Guy's team were stunned. They hadn't expected Sakura to have developed her own Kekkei Genkai. Only Temari and Tenten weren't surprised, as sisters in arms, they knew each other well.
"The Cherry Blossom Witch… Sakura, you really are her, aren't you?" Kakashi's eyes lit up with pride.
Ever since seeing how strong Guy's students, Neji and Lee, had become, Kakashi had felt somewhat regretful. Sasuke had defected, Naruto had left with Jiraiya, and Sakura had gone her own way.
But now, knowing Sakura had reached his level, he felt a wave of relief. At least now, Guy wouldn't completely outshine him.
"Yes, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura replied with a nod.
"Wow, Sakura, when did you learn such a beautiful jutsu? Can you teach me too?" Naruto said with childlike wonder, clearly not understanding the power of what he had just seen.
"Idiot," Sakura muttered under her breath, ignoring him. "Temari, have someone carry Kankuro back to the village. We need to track down Gaara, he's our top priority."
"These kids… they're the new generation of Konoha?" Chiyo thought silently, hiding her shock.
She had initially doubted Konoha's sincerity in forming an alliance with the Sand. But now they had sent powerful figures like Neji, Rock Lee, Temari, who was originally from Sand, and even the infamous Cherry Blossom Witch.
"Konoha truly is a cradle of geniuses… stronger now than even in the First Hokage's era…" Chiyo couldn't help but feel glad. Aligning with Konoha had indeed been the right choice.
⚔──────────────
The next day, Shikamaru arrived in the Hidden Sand Village with Shizune. Elder Ebizo and several senior Sand Shinobi came out to meet them. As Shikamaru entered the room, a familiar figure caught his eye.
"Shikamaru-sama!" Ji gasped in surprise, her heart pounding. He was stronger than even Gaara!
Because Temari had often talked about Shikamaru, Matsuri's admiration had long since shifted from Gaara to him.
"You're Matsuri, right?" Shikamaru smiled at her. "You've grown up… even filled out a bit. Uh, what am I thinking…"
"Shikamaru-sama! Thank goodness you're here. Please, save Kankuro-sama!" Matsuri exclaimed, thrilled he remembered her name.
"Alright, lead the way," Shikamaru said, patting her on the head. Feels nice...
"You must be Elder Ebizo," he said next, turning to him with a calm glance.
"Hehe, I didn't expect the famous Shadow Lord to come himself. On behalf of our village, thank you," Ebizo replied with a smile. Like Chiyo, he felt more and more reassured that this alliance with Konoha had been the right move.
"No need to thank me. Let me revive Kankuro first," Shikamaru said with a grin.
When they reached Kankuro, his whole body had turned purple, except for his heart, still protected by Sakura's petals.
"It was Sakura. Looks like she's destined to be his savior," Shikamaru thought. Thank goodness she was here. Kankuro wouldn't have lasted until we arrived.
"Shizune, he's all yours now," he said.
"I'm on it," Shizune nodded, immediately beginning treatment, drawing blood, analyzing toxins, and preparing the antidote.
"Shikamaru-sama, he'll be okay, right?" Matsuri asked nervously, seeing Kankuro's condition.
"He'll be fine," Shikamaru reassured her, patting her head again. Matsuri didn't dodge it, on the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it.
"Shizune, I'll leave Kankuro with you. I need to check on Sakura and the others, who knows what kind of trouble they might be in," Shikamaru said, though everyone was stronger than in the original timeline, he still couldn't help worrying.
"Take me with you, Shikamaru-sama!" Matsuri suddenly said. "I want to help rescue my sensei too!"
"Alright," Shikamaru nodded, then turned to Ebizo. "Elder Ebizo, I'll leave the village to you. I'll bring Gaara back."
"Be careful. The ones who took him aren't ordinary," Ebizo warned. But with Shikamaru on the case, he felt confident. He couldn't even sense the chakra coming off Shikamaru, clearly, this young man was in a whole different league.
Once they had left the village, Shikamaru turned to Matsuri. "Mind if I carry you?"
"Ah…?" Ji blushed furiously. "W-Why…?"
"Shadow Style: Shadow Wings!"
Without waiting for a response, shadowy wings burst from Shikamaru's back. He had to fly, there was no other way to keep up the pace, and carrying Matsuri was the only option.
"Wow… wings…" Matsuri stared in awe at his shadowy appendages and nodded slightly. She knew she couldn't slow him down. Besides… she kind of looked forward to being held by him.
With a powerful flap, they soared into the sky. Shikamaru held Ji close as they flew, feeling her soft skin against his arm. Thinking of how she had once admired Gaara, he couldn't help but ask:
"Matsuri, do you… like Gaara?"
"Ah… n-no! He's just my teacher. I… I already like someone else," she said quietly, heart racing in Shikamaru's arms.
"Oh? Someone else from your village?" Shikamaru asked curiously. Who else could it be, Kankuro? No way.
"No… not from here…" she replied, her voice timid, her cheeks bright red. It's you, Shikamaru… I like you…
Admiration can so easily turn into love. Matsuri had admired Shikamaru ever since his visit three years ago and kept his image locked deep in her heart. But she had never dared to confess, someone as amazing as Shikamaru could never like someone like her… right?
"Oh," Shikamaru said, finally noticing her odd behavior. He focused, and quickly realized her heart had been racing the whole time. She hadn't flinched when he touched her head. Wait a minute, could it be… me?
Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. Do I… want to make her part of my future? He smirked devilishly, leaning in close to her ear.
"Matsuri, can you tell me who it is?"
"Ah!" Matsuri gasped as she felt his breath on her ear. She turned her head quickly, only to accidentally press her lips against his!
Shikamaru felt her lips, then gently licked, just as Matsuri's body went limp in his arms. Her face was burning red.
"Heh… Matsuri, don't tell me the one you like… is me?" Shikamaru teased.
Thump!
Her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest.
"I…" Matsuri hesitated, unsure if she should say it. If Shikamaru accepted her, she'd be overjoyed. But if he rejected her…
"Y-Yes! Shikamaru-sama, I like you! The one I like… is you!"
⚔────────
Visit my Patreon for more: patreon.com/vynthor
Extra Content Already Available:
The Mountain of Ice and Fire (GOT) – 56 advanced chapters!
Naruto: I Am Nara Shikamaru – 30 advanced chapters!
One Piece: Summoner of the 3D Zone – 38 advanced chapters!
That's a total of 194 chapters ahead of public updates!
With your support, I release 10 chapters per fanfics every week, keeping the stories alive and growing.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey!