Naruto: Passerby and Returnee

Chapter 386 Coincidence?

"Yura? What's wrong?"

Maki, who was keeping a close eye on the flow of people, was also one of those who stayed. He noticed his friend's unusual behavior at a glance, and only when almost everyone had left did he wander over as if nothing had happened and ask in a low voice.

Yura's eyes were somewhat vacant. He stared blankly at Maki, and then noticed Kazekage's gaze coming from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, as if he had been frightened, he lowered his head and dared not look directly at her.

"You've had a tough meeting today. Everyone's been working very hard lately, so please get some rest as soon as possible."

The one who had initially intended to keep him changed his mind almost instantly. The struggle against the old guard was destined to be a long and arduous war of attrition; he couldn't afford to ruin his health for a short-term task. Perhaps sensing Yura's unease, the Kazekage's expression softened, becoming more gentle to avoid making Yura feel like he was holding them back. It was hard to imagine such a look appearing in someone once known as the "Grim Reaper."

"I'm very sorry, Lord Kazekage." Yura still didn't look up, and even when he stood up to bow, he kept his head down.

"It's okay, your health is the most important thing, there's no need to put so much pressure on yourself."

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Gaara could still sense that Yura's mood remained heavy. Could it be that the latest achievement wasn't going well? That was understandable; after all, it was newly acquired technology, and there was always a learning and verification phase. Perhaps his usual expectations had put too much pressure on Yura. Should he try to send more people to help?

Gaara was completely baffled, while Yura was sweating profusely, his heart sinking.

His mind was filled with many deliberately forgotten memories, and he remembered his original intention for staying here.

He wasn't trying to make Sunagakure better at all; he just... hated it so much that he wanted to destroy it!

How could this be? How could this be! How could he...have his beliefs wavered and even absurdly hoped for something so simple in just a few years...?

If only I hadn't encountered the scorpion.

No...no! Without Lord Sasori, he would have died long ago in this cannibalistic land of Sunagakure. What right does he have to complain? Without Lord Sasori, he would never have had the chance to live to this day, the chance to see a truly beautiful world, or the chance to...serve Lord Gaara.

Lord Sasori said he would return to destroy this village, a place of only pain and bloodshed. But the village is different now. With Lord Gaara here, it's gradually changing, moving towards a better future every moment. If we explain the situation to him, could we change his mind and show him mercy?

As agreed, the moment the seal is broken will be the moment Lord Sasori returns to Sunagakure. He only has a few hours to make a decision. And he's not the only spy here; there's also a die-hard old-fashioned faction member, a pawn planted by Sasori. That guy... if his seal is also broken, he'll probably come looking for him soon.

After all, he is the current "gatekeeper" of Sunagakure.

At this moment, Temari, once again acting as the envoy of Sunagakure, arrived in Konoha for the Chunin Exams. This time, she had many acquaintances in Konoha, and a large group of people did not follow the proper procedures for receiving envoys. Instead, they ushered Temari into the welcome banquet at the main gate.

Temari is also straightforward; the three siblings from Sunagakure share similar personalities, no wonder they grew up together. She fully accepted the hospitality, and even enthusiastically drank some low-alcohol fruit wine.

"You shouldn't drink alcohol before you're an adult," Shikamaru muttered to himself, but Temari still heard him.

The female ninja in black downed her drink heartily and said, "In Sunagakure, the age of adulthood is eighteen. I'm an adult, little brother~"

Someone who usually doesn't care about anything actually turned red in the ears, only to be teased by their friends, which made their neck turn red as well.

"Speaking of which, isn't someone missing?" Halfway through the meal, Temari suddenly remembered a guy she both loved and hated. "Sakura, where's your teammate? He's not off on another mission, is he?"

"Naruto, Master has been too busy lately and made him work overtime for several days. He said he was too tired and couldn't come."

"Naruto has really been a bit listless lately. Is the Hokage's job that demanding?" Ino couldn't help but complain. "His chakra has been flickering on and off lately, it's terrifying."

"Huh? He's scary?" Temari didn't quite understand.

“Ino is a sensory type, while Naruto has a lot of chakra. I remember he was able to control himself and not scare people before the New Year. Was it really because he was too busy?” Shikamaru explained from the side, and in the process, he accidentally voiced his own question.

Sakura raised an eyebrow and asked, "Has Naruto's chakra been leaking frequently lately? And for a long time at that? I've been busy at the hospital and haven't seen him much."

Ino tried to recall, "It wasn't very often? It just woke me up a few times in the middle of the night. But it only lasted for a very short time, basically only about half a minute."

"Really? He's probably just tired..." Sakura said uncertainly. She decided to find an opportunity to drag him to the hospital for a checkup. When was the last time this guy had a physical exam? Three years ago?

The person being discussed was no longer in Konoha, but standing at the border between the desert and the grasslands. He claimed that Gaara couldn't avoid this calamity, yet he still came anyway.

Akatsuki's actions were always accompanied by Zetsu, who also possessed a certain level of sensory ability. Naruto couldn't get too close, nor could he directly use his super-sensory perception to observe from afar. Zetsu's ability to conceal his chakra was already intermittent; if he used his sensory perception, it would likely alert even Kawakita's defenses. He didn't know what he could do in this "necessary" defeat, so he simply remained silent, blending into the rocks and gazing quietly into the distance.

He comforted himself, telling himself that Gaara wouldn't die here; he would become the Kazekage for the next ten or twenty years, a pillar of the resistance against the Otsutsuki. But Gaara did indeed die, right there in that cave, in the beak of that strange white bird. His heart stopped beating and he stopped breathing. It was Granny Chiyo who sacrificed her life to save him.

Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, I hope you and Sunagakure can safely weather this calamity. Then, leave the task of fighting Akatsuki to us!