After Naruto's uncomfortable visit with Tsukisha Hime—actually Orochimaru in elaborate disguise—Temari and Kankuro arrived at Sand Village's closest stronghold to Konoha. They carried the injured Maki between them, his body still recovering from Naruto's "friendship process."
This particular stronghold had served as a staging area for Rasa, the Fourth Kazekage. He'd positioned himself here specifically to support Orochimaru's planned invasion of Konoha. But when Orochimaru unilaterally abandoned the Konoha Crush operation, Rasa had returned to Sunagakure seething with frustration and wasted preparation.
Since the Kazekage was no longer present at the outpost, the trio immediately dispatched a messenger ninja back to Sunagakure with urgent news: Gaara had lost control of Shukaku.
The timing was catastrophically bad. If Gaara's rampage caused significant damage to Konoha, the Leaf Village could absolutely leverage that incident diplomatically. Such a failure would leave Sunagakure in an impossibly passive negotiating position.
One hour later, Rasa arrived at the stronghold with remarkable speed.
"Lord Kazekage." After an hour of rest and basic medical treatment, Maki could move freely now. Unfortunately, his face remained thoroughly swollen, features distorted by the beating he'd endured.
"Father." Temari and Kankuro spoke in unison, their respectful greeting carrying simultaneous timing.
"Mm." Rasa nodded in acknowledgment. Then his eyes swept across the three figures standing before him. Every single one possessed a face marked by severe bruising and swelling. His brow furrowed with genuine confusion. "Who are you people supposed to be?"
"Ahem..." Temari and Kankuro exchanged uncomfortable glances. Neither quite knew how to explain their current appearance without revealing they'd all been beaten by a single twelve-year-old boy.
Finally, Maki cleared his throat and redirected the conversation. "Lord Kazekage, our faces aren't the most pressing issue right now. We need to address Gaara's loss of control as quickly as possible."
Although Maki wasn't presenting the clearest explanation, Rasa—as Sunagakure's Kazekage—could easily extrapolate the key details through strategic thinking. Besides, during his journey here, Sand Village's undercover operative in Konoha had already transmitted the latest intelligence regarding Gaara's situation.
Understanding the current status, Rasa addressed Maki and the others with calm authority. "Don't concern yourselves unnecessarily. Gaara is safe and sound at this moment. Temari, Kankuro, I want you two to travel to Konoha immediately. Find someone named Uzumaki Naruto. Gaara is currently with him. As for Maki, you don't need to accompany them."
The reasoning behind excluding Maki was straightforward political calculation. Gaara's loss of control represented an embarrassing diplomatic incident. If Maki went to retrieve Gaara as Sunagakure's jonin representative, Konoha's leadership might exploit the opportunity to humiliate him publicly. They'd be well within their rights to do so.
But Temari and Kankuro? They were merely genin. They possessed no authority to represent Sunagakure in official negotiations. Konoha's senior leadership would have no justification to embarrass two junior shinobi over matters beyond their control.
"Understood, Father. We'll depart immediately." Temari and Kankuro set off without delay, their figures disappearing into the distance.
After his children departed, Maki immediately addressed Rasa with genuine concern coloring his voice. "Lord Kazekage, that Konoha shinobi Uzumaki Naruto is genuinely terrifying. You can understand his capabilities from how he killed Orochimaru's vessel. Honestly, Orochimaru canceling the Konoha Crush plan benefits us tremendously."
Rasa didn't respond to Maki's assessment immediately. Instead, he turned toward the window, his gaze drifting outward across the landscape. A long sigh escaped his throat. "Konoha's threat level has become truly excessive."
Hearing those words, Maki startled with alarm. He naturally understood Rasa's underlying thoughts: the Kazekage hadn't actually abandoned plans against Konoha. Maki spoke urgently. "Lord Kazekage, you absolutely cannot harbor further designs on Konoha! We didn't know they possessed combat power beyond Kage-level hiding in their ranks. But now that we've discovered Uzumaki Naruto's existence, pursuing action against Konoha would be nothing short of self-destruction!"
"You're correct, of course." Rasa nodded, but continued his strategic analysis regardless. "Previously, the plan relied on Orochimaru restraining Hiruzen Sarutobi while Gaara's rampage occupied half of Konoha's combat strength. Under those conditions, I could have defeated Konoha with relative ease. However, now? Without Orochimaru's participation, relying solely on my own abilities, I cannot successfully fight both Hiruzen Sarutobi AND Uzumaki Naruto simultaneously."
Rasa's expression grew thoughtful, almost calculating. "However, according to intelligence I've gathered, Uzumaki Naruto doesn't seem to possess any particular sense of identity with Konoha. He's a young man who hasn't inherited the Will of Fire."
The words carried unmistakable meaning beneath their surface.
From Rasa's analysis, Maki understood with sinking certainty: the Kazekage hadn't truly abandoned designs on Konoha at all. Worse, vague concerns were crystallizing in Maki's mind. Rasa's thinking represented a dangerous gamble—betting everything on whether Uzumaki Naruto would actually intervene to protect Konoha if Sunagakure attacked.
But this approach... Maki had seen enough to know a fundamental truth: gamblers never end well. Those who prosper are always the ones who set the table themselves, controlling all variables.
As soon as Naruto returned to his farm, laughter filled the yard completely. True to expectations, Shino had exceeded his request magnificently, keeping the entire friend circle engaged and lively.
"Naruto's back!" Seeing Naruto's return, Shino—who'd been carefully monitoring every movement and interaction to maintain optimal atmosphere—immediately noticed the trio's arrival.
"Yeah, we're back. Everyone's staying for lunch, by the way." Naruto's smile came naturally as he integrated back into his circle of friends. The uncomfortable, inappropriate thoughts from the hotel encounter vanished completely, displaced by genuine warmth.
"Yes! Finally! I've been waiting forever to eat here!" No need to guess the speaker's identity. Obviously Choji expressed enthusiasm first, his food-focused priorities absolutely transparent.
The others happily agreed as well. After all, Naruto operated a massive farm. Most people present were actually shareholders in the agricultural operation. Eating a meal here represented completely reasonable behavior.
Lee's eyes suddenly lit with fierce determination. "Naruto! When are we going to have our competition?!"
The moment Lee's declaration registered, everyone's expressions shifted dramatically. They thought simultaneously: Lee is truly worthy of being Lee. He possesses such incredible bravery.
But with someone like Lee who showed absolutely no fear of beatings, Naruto felt satisfied pursuing regular sparring. This meant he wouldn't need to track down other friends constantly to "maintain relationships."
Thank you, Lee.
"No problem! Let's compete after lunch finishes." Naruto's face displayed genuine appreciation. Lee really was an exceptional friend.
Actually, every friend held worth. Each one contributed something valuable to his life.
"Shino, keep everyone entertained while I check on Gaara and handle some preparations." After addressing Shino, who nodded understanding, Naruto turned toward Sasuke. "Sasuke, you and Nine-Tails should inspect the livestock. See if any sheep are suffering from heatstroke, if any pigs seem reluctant to sleep, or if bulls are being lazy about their duties. Select two appropriate ones as ingredients for this morning's lunch."
"I'll go right away." Sasuke nodded and immediately went to locate Nine-Tails for the inspection.
After completing his instructions, Naruto headed toward the lounge. He opened the door with deliberate gentleness, concerned that if Gaara remained unconscious, sudden noise might startle him awake. Peering inside, Naruto confirmed Gaara hadn't regained consciousness yet.
Standing before the sleeping boy, Naruto observed Gaara's current condition. His swollen face had been treated with healing ointment—Nine-Tails had applied it before Naruto departed for the hotel.
Gaara originally possessed dark circles beneath his eyes that resembled a panda's markings. After their "friendly discussion," those circles had become even MORE pronounced, the resemblance now uncanny. Even the character for "love" tattooed on his forehead had become uneven—distorted by swelling that created an undulating landscape across his skin.
"Gaara, Sunagakure's One-Tail Jinchūriki, doesn't seem very happy at all." Naruto remembered some of Gaara's behavior—that expression refusing connection, pushing people away with deliberate coldness. The signs were unmistakable. Gaara's the same as I was during childhood. Lacking friendship, lacking trust, living with crushing loneliness.
Fortunately, Naruto had encountered the light brought by the Ultimate Taijutsu System. Since that moment, his life had been radiant with purpose and connection.
"Gaara, you're my friend now. Don't worry." Naruto looked down at the unconscious boy, his voice dropping to a gentle whisper filled with genuine determination. "I'll show you the light of life. From this moment forward, your world will contain friends and trust. You won't be alone anymore."
The promise hung in the air, sincere and unbreakable.
Just like someone had once done for him.
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