The desert wind howled like a living thing as four figures appeared in a shimmer of chakra light just beyond the colossal gates of Sunagakure.
Kakashi tugged his headband down against the glare, his eyes narrowing under the blistering sun. Heat waves shimmered off the dunes, the sand almost like molten gold. Every gust scraped across skin like shards of glass.
"Ugh… why does it always have to be the desert?" Naruto groaned, already sweating through his jacket.
"Focus, Naruto. We're here for Gaara, remember?" Sakura shielded her eyes with one hand.
Kakashi didn't slow down. "He's been missing for over twenty-four hours. The Sand's scouts say Akatsuki's already made a move."
"I can feel traces of chakra… faint, but still there. They're fading fast." Sasuke's Sharingan flickered to life, crimson eyes glinting.
No one wasted another breath. The team broke into a run, boots sinking into hot sand, cloaks snapping in the wind, as they raced toward the sandstone walls looming in the haze ahead.
…
Inside the village, chaos and tension churned like a storm.
Temari appeared first, storming down the main avenue with her fan strapped to her back. Sweat streaked the side of her face, but her expression was carved from steel. Kankurō followed close behind, limping, his chest and arm bound in fresh bandages.
"Kakashi!" Temari's voice cracked with anger and worry. "You're late!"
"We moved the second we got the intel."Kakashi raised a brow, unfazed by this girl's rude tone.
"Forget that, Gaara's gone. He left the village alone. Apparently, Shukaku warned him that something was off." Kankurō shook his head and spoke in a rough voice.
"He followed a strange chakra signature heading west, into the canyon. Didn't tell a soul." Temari's eyes flashed.
"I went after him… but Sasori was waiting." Kankurō clenched his jaw.
"Sasori? Of the Red Sand?" Naruto stiffened.
"He's different now. Cold. Inhuman. I tried to stop him, but barely made it out. His poison's evolved." Kankurō nodded grimly.
Sakura was already beside him, her chakra glowing green around her hand as she scanned his wounds.
"Hold still." Her tone softened. "You're lucky. The poison is very advanced, but not fast. I can neutralize most of it."
Within seconds, the tension in Kankurō's body eased. His breathing steadied.
"So they lured Gaara out. Efficiently." Kakashi folded his arms, gaze hard.
"No theatrics. Just clean extraction tactics. They're smart." Sasuke frowned, his black eyes narrowing.
"Then we move faster." Kakashi nodded once.
…
Ten minutes later, the team stood on the western ridge outside the village. Below them, the canyons sprawled like a network of old scars, their shadows swallowing the sunlight.
"Time to move," Kakashi ordered as he scanned the landscape.
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged a nod. In a flash of chakra smoke, the sand trembled, and two colossal snakes erupted from the ground.
Sasuke's summon, Yamihibi, was obsidian-black, its scales absorbing the light. Beside it, Naruto's silver serpent Hikaribi shimmered like liquid mercury, heat rippling in its wake.
"Find Gaara," Kakashi said simply.
The two serpents dipped their heads, then vanished into the maze of canyons, twin streaks of shadow and light slicing through the desert air.
"He'll trace the exact trail," Sasuke said as his gaze followed Yamihibi's disappearing form.
"Gaara's probably fighting them alone. I should'vedammit, I should've been faster." Naruto clenched his fists.
"You were a child last time." Kakashi turned his head slightly and spoke in a calm voice.
"And now?"Naruto frowned.
"Now," Kakashi said, meeting his eyes, "you're strong enough to save him."
For a second, the wind was the only sound. Then Naruto nodded once. Determined.
Deep within the canyon's heart, a pulse of dark chakra beat like a second heart beneath the sand.
Inside a hidden stone cavern, Gaara knelt in the center of a massive sealing ring etched with black sigils. Chakra flared and twisted around him, raw and defiant.
His arms were pinned, chakra suppressing seals glowing at his wrists and forehead. The sand around him trembled constantly, trying to break free and protect him.
"Man, this guy's chakra… It's like a monster trying to claw its way out. Beautiful." Deidara hovered just above the ground, arms folded, grinning.
"You admire chaos too much. True art doesn't resist." Sasori stood near the sealed entrance, his puppet shell reflecting the torchlight, his voice was cold and mechanical.
Gaara's eyes opened, faintly glowing with the color of blood and sand. His breathing was heavy, shallow, but his voice still carried strength. "You'll never get away with this."
"I think we already have, hmm?" Deidara crouched, tilting his head with a smirk.
In the corner of the chamber, a strange machine embedded into the rock began to hum, low, steady, and ominous. The extraction ritual had started.
"Time is short. The others will come. And the Leader hasn't called yet." Sasori spoke.
"They always do. I just hope they make it entertaining." Deidara grinned wider.
…
Far above, the air cracked as Yamihibi slithered back into sight, coiling beside Sasuke. The black serpent's voice hissed softly. "Found it. Sealed cavern, third ridge. Heavy chakra leaking out."
Moments later, Hikaribi appeared beside Naruto, its silver scales glowing faintly. "The red-haired one still breathes. Barely. The others smell… wrong."
"Sakura, Temari, stay here. Guard the village perimeter. If they planned this right, there's another trap." Kakashi said.
"Got it. Bring him back." Sakura nodded immediately.
Kakashi turned toward Sasuke and Naruto. One hand raised. "Move."
In the blink of an eye, all three vanished, leaving only a swirl of sand behind.
…
The cavern shook violently as Gaara's sand erupted upward, cracks spiderwebbing across the stone. His eyes snapped open completely now, focused, furious.
"He's fighting it." Sasori turned, his voice flat but alert.
"Let him. Drama makes good art, hmm?" Deidara grinned.
Suddenly, light burst through the wall like an explosion. The entire chamber flooded with dust and chakra pressure. Three silhouettes stood in the smoke.
"Already?!" Deidara's eyes widened.
"Too soon. Impossible." Sasori hissed.
"You underestimated us," Kakashi said as he stepped forward first, his Sharingans already active.
Naruto's blue eyes locked on Gaara, heart hammering.
"He's alive!"
"Then we take him back. Now." Sasuke's Mangekyō spun, gleaming strongly.
"I'll play with them a bit. Sasori, protect the Jinchūriki!" Deidara jumped backward, hands flashing into rapid seals.
Kakashi raised his right hand, space warping faintly around it. His voice was calm, but deadly. "You think you can control time? I move through it."
Naruto's chakra flared gold, Hikaribi coiling protectively at his side.
"Deidara!" His voice cracked through the chamber. "You're not taking my friend from me!"
"Tch. Try not to blow up the cave, idiot." Sasuke smirked faintly, summoning a flicker of lightning along his blade.
"No promises." Naruto shot him a glare.
Deidara laughed, his eyes wide with excitement. "Now this, this is art!"
The cavern erupted into chaos. Sand roared through the air like a tidal wave as Gaara's will reasserted itself. Deidara's clay birds detonated mid-flight, light and shockwaves colliding. Sasori's puppets unfolded from his back, scuttling across the walls with mechanical precision.
"Naruto, cut the line feeding the seal! Sasuke, cover him!" Kakashi said while weaving through the blasts, his Sharingan spinning as he warped explosives into another space.
"On it!" Naruto leapt forward, chakra spiraling into a Rasengan that tore through one of the seal's stone anchors.
Sasuke's Chidori is sharp and bright, it splits the floor like lightning, severing the ring's other half. Sparks danced through the cave.
"Tch, persistent brats!" Deidara cursed, darting backward.
"You have no idea." Kakashi appeared behind him in an instant, kunai flashing.
Deidara barely escaped the strike, clay wings bursting open as he launched himself upward, scattering bombs like rain.
Naruto shielded Gaara with Hikaribi's massive coils as the explosions rocked the cavern. When the smoke cleared, Gaara slumped forward, free of the seal, breathing raggedly but alive.
"Hey… It's okay. We've got you." Naruto caught him before he hit the ground.
"Naruto… you came…" Gaara's eyes fluttered open, faint recognition glinting in them.
"Of course I did, idiot." Naruto smiled through the dirt and sweat.
Kakashi's voice cut through the fading dust. "Mission focus. We move before reinforcements arrive."
"Deidara's running away. I'll chase him." Sasuke's Sharingan dimmed slightly, but his grin lingered.
"No need. Kakashi said as his Mangekyo Sharingan flashed. Suddenly the Space around the fleeing Sasori and Deidara bended madly, and a huge explosion went off.