Naruto: Set a goal, conquer the universe.

Page 78

Even if the opponent is a master capable of defeating the Kazekage, they still have to save their own Kazekage!

"Then we'll go first, you guys just follow," Naruto said, knowing that Temari and the others couldn't keep up with their speed.

Temari nodded, and just as everyone was about to set off, Maki jumped out and said, "Wait, Temari."

"Sand Village ninja, be on high alert along the defense line!"

Temari's face showed anger: "What do you mean? Now that the Kazekage of Sunagakure has been captured, isn't Sunagakure going to send someone to rescue him?"

The ninjas behind her also looked puzzled.

"This is an order from the elders. They believe that if news of the Wind Shadow's capture leaks out, other countries might take the opportunity to invade the Land of Wind," Maki explained, his face grim.

Upon hearing that it was an order from the elders, Temari's expression darkened further, but she did not object.

After all, with Feng Ying absent, the elders' orders are the highest authority.

Sasuke couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile.

Instead of rushing to rescue their own Kage, they worry about being invaded by another country. If another country were to invade, how would the Land of Wind, without Kage-level fighters, defend itself?

It's truly laughable that one of the five great ninja villages couldn't even send out a single person to save its own Kage.

Chapter 7 Temari Coerces the Elders

Temari looked terrible, but there was nothing she could do. After all, she was just the daughter of the Fourth Kazekage. Although she had a high status, she didn't have much power.

She bowed to Naruto and said, "I'm entrusting my younger brother to you."

"I will communicate with the elders and will bring people to catch up with you soon."

"Haha, maybe by the time you get here, we'll have already rescued Gaara," Naruto said with a hearty laugh.

Temari gave Naruto a deep look. This boy, who used such terrifying ninjutsu to force Shukaku back to its crouching position, was someone whose strength terrified her.

Being an ally at this moment is so reassuring.

Kakashi didn't want to comment on the political mess in Sunagakure. He nodded slightly to Maki and asked Pakkun to lead the way. The four of them quickly left with Pakkun.

Temari watched their retreating figures disappear from sight in no time.

"Maki-sensei, come with me to find the council of elders!" Temari said, her face immediately darkening.

"Calm down, Temari. You can't just see the elders whenever you want," Maki tried to persuade Temari.

"This is my brother! The Kazekage of Sunagakure is in danger, what are they trying to do?" Without the people from Konoha present, Temari could no longer maintain her composure and shouted at Baki.

"Gaara is still so young. They told him to become the Kazekage and protect Sunagakure. Gaara did as they said. Now that he's in danger, the elders have just given up on him?"

"What do you take Gaara for? A tool?" Temari's eyes were already wet with tears.

Gaara had clearly begun to open his heart and accept others, and everything was clearly starting to move in a positive direction, so why did Gaara encounter such a crisis!

Gaara, but he's her own brother!

Now that their parents are gone, Temari, as the eldest sister, has to shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting her younger brother, as she is like a mother to him.

Maki remained silent, and so did the ninjas behind Temari.

On the night Gaara was attacked by Deidara, he wouldn't have been captured so easily if Gaara hadn't wanted to protect the village.

The terrain was advantageous, and Gaara didn't even have to transform into a tailed beast!

If he were still the cold-blooded Gaara he once was, Shukaku would probably have already wreaked havoc in Sunagakure long ago.

Thinking of this, the other Sand Ninja felt even more ashamed.

They don't have much affection for Gaara because Gaara's transformation hasn't been long enough, and many people haven't accepted his change yet.

The reason Gaara was chosen as the Kazekage was primarily because he could protect them.

Now let's hear what Temari has to say.

They lowered their heads involuntarily. Yes, Gaara was also their Kazekage, their comrade. Were they just going to abandon him like this?

"I'm going to find the council of elders. Do you want to stop me?" Temari said, glaring fiercely at Maki.

Maki took a small step back under Temari's gaze, and after a long while, he sighed and said, "I'll go with you!"

Temari nodded slightly, turned and headed towards the elders' group, with Maki following behind her.

The remaining Sand Village ninjas exchanged glances.

"How about we go too?"

"There's no point in us going, since they're all important people!"

"That's right, there are only a few of us, we can't influence the elders' decision."

"Then call more people?"

"Yes, I love... Lord Kazekage was captured by the Akatsuki to protect us. If we do nothing, are we even human?"

"Damn it, I'm going to gather the other ninjas and go find the elders right now!"

"Yes, if they still won't let us rescue Lord Kazekage, we'll go ourselves!"

"That's it, I'll go find other people too!"

"I am coming too!"

The words of the Sand Ninja were like sparks igniting a haystack.

Their morale, which had been low due to guilt and confusion, was instantly ignited by their determination to "save Lord Kazekage".

They no longer hesitated and acted swiftly.

Someone immediately turned and rushed to other corners of the village, shouting, "Lord Kazekage was captured for the sake of the village! The elders must abandon him!"

"If you're a man, come with me to the council of elders and demand an explanation!"

"Lord Gaara is our Kazekage, we can't just ignore him!" This cry echoed throughout Sunagakure, alerting more and more ninjas who were at home or patrolling nearby.

Upon hearing the news, the ninjas were initially shocked, but then they recalled the fact that Gaara had given up his tailed beast transformation to protect the village's roof from being destroyed that night, and was captured as a result.

Then he remembered that the village had indeed become much more peaceful after he became the Kazekage, and his passion and indignation were quickly ignited.

Without saying a word, many people joined the shouting crowd heading towards the elders' residence.

More and more figures began to converge towards the elders' council, forming a huge wave of sound and a large crowd.

When Temari and Maki arrived outside the solemn meeting hall of the elders, there were no longer just a few people behind them, but dozens, even hundreds, of Sand Ninja!

Footsteps, chatter, and shouts demanding to see the elders converged into an invisible pressure, looming over the tightly closed meeting hall doors.

The guards, ninjas, nervously watched their excited comrades. Their palms, gripping their weapons, began to sweat. They knew these were not enemies, but they exuded an aura that was even more formidable than any enemy.

The heavy wooden doors of the conference hall opened, and an elder with a gloomy face appeared in the doorway, attempting to suppress the atmosphere with his authority: "Silence! This is the important place of the elders. What kind of behavior is this, with you all gathering and making noise?"

However, he no longer remained silent in response.

Temari, who was at the head of the group, stepped forward, her gaze piercing, her voice clearer and stronger with excitement and determination; her voice represented the sentiments of everyone behind her:

"What kind of behavior is this? Then what kind of behavior is it to abandon the Fifth Kazekage who stood up for us and fell into enemy hands to protect the village?!" Temari's voice was choked with sobs and filled with immense anger.

"Gaara is my younger brother, but first and foremost, he is the Kazekage of Sunagakure! The Akatsuki didn't just kidnap my brother, they kidnapped the Kazekage of our Sunagakure!"

"If we can even give up our own Kage, where is the dignity of Sunagakure? And what makes us think that other ninja villages should respect us?"

The ninjas behind her erupted in agreement: "Well said! Rescue Lord Kazekage!"

"We cannot abandon Lord Gaara!" "The Elders must take a stand!" "Let's go and reinforce Konoha's allies!"

The elder clearly hadn't expected things to develop this way. Looking at the dark mass of ninjas before him, all united in their hatred of the enemy, many of whom were the backbone of the village, he was deeply moved.

The anger on his face froze, replaced by astonishment and a barely perceptible wavering.

The other elders behind him were clearly also shocked by this sudden surge of public opinion. The internal debates and reluctance that might have existed before seemed pale and powerless in the face of this united public sentiment.

The ninjas of Sunagakure demonstrated their stance through their actions: Gaara deserves to be rescued!

Temari noticed the change in the elders' eyes and continued, her tone resolute: "Elders, please make a decision immediately! If you still hesitate, we will organize our own forces to assist Konoha's allies! The Kazekage of Sunagakure must be protected by Sunagakure's own strength!"

Maki stood beside Temari, and although he didn't speak, his silence itself was a powerful pressure.

This prominent elite Jonin of Sunagakure stood behind Temari, representing the support of the Sand Village's Jonin.

Under the overwhelming pressure of public opinion and the unwavering will of the indignant Sand Ninja, the elders realized that they could no longer turn a blind eye to the matter, nor could they go against the wishes of the majority of the ninja.

Rescuing Gaara has become an inescapable responsibility and a common goal for all the Sand Village ninja.

A power permeated the air—the power of the lower-level ninjas of Sunagakure spontaneously uniting to protect the leader they recognized. This power finally broke through the hesitation and indifference of the elders.

Chapter 8 The Fire Temple is Destroyed

Chiyo stepped out from behind the council of elders.

“They’re right!” Chiyo said in a deep voice.

"Elder Chiyo?" The other elders looked at Chiyo.

"Although I haven't been involved in the affairs of Sunagakure for many years, the fact that you've brought me out proves that you still acknowledge my status as an elder of Sunagakure!"

"I previously said that Konoha would only send some insignificant ninjas to deal with the situation, and this has proven me wrong."

“Even Konoha values ​​our Kazekage so much, how can we abandon him!” Chiyo said in a deep voice.

The other elders lowered their heads. Chiyo's seniority and strength were the highest and strongest among the Sand Ninja.

Once she spoke, the other elders couldn't say anything.

"I will lead the team to rescue our Kazekage!" Chiyo said to the elders.

"This...your health?" An elder asked, concerned about Chiyo's age, given that she was already quite old.

"Hmph, my body is still strong enough! Living another ten years is no problem!" Chiyo patted her chest and said.

“Yes, then I’ll leave it to you!” an elder said, bowing to Chiyo.

"Are you the Kazekage's older sister?" Chiyo turned to Temari and asked.

"Yes, Elder Chiyo." Temari nodded quickly.

"You will come with me. The rest of you, stay on guard and don't let your guard down. Be prepared to welcome the Kazekage's return!" Chiyo said loudly to the gathered ninjas.

"Thank you very much!" Temari said, bowing deeply to Chiyo.

“Times are changing, and we old folks can’t keep up with the times.” Chiyo said, recalling Naruto’s punch and Hinata’s medical ninjutsu.

"The future ultimately belongs to you young people. All we old folks can do is protect and guide you while you're still growing up," Chiyo said earnestly to Temari.

Meanwhile, Naruto and his friends were on their way to the Land of Wind.

The Land of Fire, the Temple of Fire.

Hidan, carrying Sora, and Kakuzu, carrying Jiraiya, slowly walked out of the blood-soaked Fire Temple.

"Why don't we just go and capture the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, instead of this imposter?" Hidan asked, shaking the unconscious Sora with dissatisfaction.

"That Nine-Tails Jinchuriki has been staying in Konoha Village. You can just barge into Konoha Village; you won't die anyway," Kakuzu said coldly.

"Tch!" Hidan may be reckless, but he's not stupid. How could he take on the entire Hidden Leaf Village by himself?

He's not that stupid.

Even if he really doesn't die, what about the seal?

"Anyway, we've already completed the task the leader gave us. Let's go to the bounty office. This guy on my body has a bounty of 3000 million taels on the black market. Then we'll go back and extract the Nine-Tails' chakra from his body!" Kakuzu said in a deep voice.

"I know, I know! You greedy bastard!" Hidan said.

The two swaggered away.

The tragic state of the Fire Temple quickly became known.

The monks of the Fire Temple escaped and quickly reported the situation at the Fire Temple to the daimyo.

Upon learning of this, the Daimyo immediately sent someone to Konoha to inform Tsunade.

Killing so many monks of the Fire Temple and destroying the Fire Temple is a slap in the face to the Land of Fire, which is a place where the spirit tablets of important figures of the Land of Fire are enshrined.

We absolutely cannot let the murderer get away with it!

Tsunade gritted her teeth as she looked at the intelligence report sent by the Daimyo. Akatsuki!