Chapter 27: Sunagakure's Future

Sakura diligently tidied up after the satisfying meal, the family remaining seated at the table, immersed in a heartfelt conversation. Simultaneously, she attended to her tasks in the kitchen, acutely aware that their concern revolved around her mental well-being.

Feeling compelled to broach the critical conversation, Kankuro spoke up, "Do you think she hates me for killing the kid?"

Temari, seeking to reassure him, rubbed his shoulder and replied, "No, why would you think that? Don't blame yourself for something that was out of your control."

Wearing a frown, Gaara leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and asserted, "Don't indulge him, Temari. He should feel remorse because it was his fault for leaving the village alone to fight the Akatsuki. The incident could have been prevented from the start if Kankuro hadn't done that."

In a whisper, Kankuro apologized, "I'm sorry."

Gaara, unable to contain his frustration, lifted himself off his seat and slammed his fist on the table, exclaiming, "You killed my heir, Kankuro. As Kazekage, I could strip you of your title for such an idiotic act."

Temari gasped, urgently interjecting, "Don't, Gaara."

Sakura entered the room after overhearing their heated exchange. Concerned, she inquired, "What's going on? Why are you two arguing?"

Temari, somberly responding, explained, "Gaara is punishing Kankuro for the death of your unborn child."

Sakura found herself overwhelmed with indescribable fear. She hesitated to place blame on Kankuro for the tragic incident.

"Please, don't punish him, Gaara," Sakura pleaded. "I tried to run after Deidara and Sasori, but Kankuro insisted that I stay, volunteering to go in my place. He wanted to protect me, I swear."

Gaara scrunched his face and questioned, "Why are you defending him? He killed our baby."

"It's not what you think. I'm telling you, I didn't give Kankuro a choice but to go out and rescue you while the trail was still fresh. If you want to punish anyone, punish me."

Quickly rising, Kankuro intervened, "No, don't. I'll take the fall for it."

Gaara raised a single eyebrow muscle and asked, "Why are you defending each other like you were in a relationship?"

"We've all been best friends since childhood, Gaara. Don't you remember?"

Gaara took a deep breath before issuing his final orders. "Assuming you chose her to be part of the puppet recovery team, Sakura must return to my office in one piece without even a scratch on her."

Kankuro, placing one hand on his hip, smiled and replied, "I can do that."

"I'm not finished," Gaara asserted. "After the mission, you will be suspended for two weeks."

"Fine, I'm going to bed now," Kankuro groaned, leaving the dining room. He stretched his arms in the air with a satisfying yawn, loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear. Without a word, Kankuro ascended the stairs, ready to sleep for the rest of the night.

Temari rose from her seat and approached the staircase, stating, "I'm heading off to bed, too. Don't stay up too late."

Sakura, expressing her gratitude, gently rubbed Gaara's neck, saying, "Thank you for always looking out for me. I love you so much."

In response, Gaara embraced her, rubbing his nose against hers. He requested, "Before tomorrow's mission, I'd like you to send a report to the Hokage. I'll wait for you in bed, but don't take too long."

Sakura nodded and assured, "I'll be right back, okay."

Gaara retrieved a small scroll from his pocket and handed it to Sakura for safekeeping until she could send it by bird. She kissed him gently and hurried out the door with the scroll. Although the tower was only a mile away, Sakura wasn't willing to casually walk that distance, especially given the late hour and the darkness outside. She raised her left arm to manipulate the sand, creating a small platform to stand on. Leaping onto the sand, she hovered through the village's side streets. Upon reaching the tower, she soared high to reach the top and gracefully landed on the platform.

A bird in the distance swiftly approached, carrying a new scroll tied to its back. Sakura ascended the wall of the bird perch, reaching her arm out to the approaching brown hawk. The majestic creature stretched out its legs and gracefully latched onto her arm, emitting a squawk that made Sakura smile.

"Hey, Takamaru," Sakura whispered, petting the handsome fellow affectionately. "I know you've only recently returned, but would you mind flying to Konoha for me? It's an urgent message."

In response to her request, the messenger hawk, Takamaru, screeched, expressing his willingness to assist the Princess of the Land of Wind. Sakura swapped the scroll on his back with the urgent message for the Hokage, releasing him with a kind farewell, "Off you go, and have a safe journey, my friend."

Takamaru soared far past the massive walls of the village. The flight from Sunagakure to Konoha would be just a day's journey for this unique creature. Without waiting to see him vanish, Sakura floated back to her home a mile away. She stealthily crept into the house, taking extra care to avoid waking Kankuro and Temari.

Gaara sat at the top of the stairs, restlessly waiting for her. He bounced the sand from one palm to the next and asked, "We should check to make sure your wounds are healed for tomorrow."

Surprised, Sakura questioned, "You waited for me?"

"I was worried about you," Gaara confessed.

Sakura presented Gaara with a new scroll retrieved from Takamaru, observing as he skillfully unraveled it with his hands. Gaara crumpled the scroll and discarded it in a bin after reading the message.

Curious, Sakura inquired, "What was that?"

Gaara's breathing grew heavy as he responded, "The Hokage informed us that more members of the Akatsuki are emerging across the lands. There's something ominous happening, and it unnerves me. I don't want you to face the same fate as I did."

Ascending the staircase, Sakura sat on Gaara's lap, facing him. She held him tightly in her arms, offering comfort as he trembled like a leaf in the wind. Gaara's face appeared paler than usual, and tears streamed down his cheeks like rain. Sensing the weight of his trauma, Sakura decided to keep his emotional breakdown private. If word got out, it could lead to someone attempting to replace him as the Kazekage.

Finding strength within herself, Sakura managed to bring Gaara to his feet. Together, they walked to the bedroom and collapsed on the bed sheets. Staring into each other's eyes, it felt like this moment could be their last until the sun rose the following day.

A hawk gracefully entered their room as the morning light streamed through their window. Having watched Sakura sleep all night, Gaara crawled out of bed to retrieve the scroll tied to the bird's back. Unraveling it, he began reading its contents.

Sitting up in bed, Sakura inquired, "What is it?"

"Team Guy left early this morning, and Naruto wishes to bid farewell before their departure," Gaara replied.

Sakura gasped, "Why are they leaving so soon?"

"It doesn't specify, so we need to meet them immediately," Gaara demanded.

Quickly changing into her Jinbei, Sakura responded, "I will wake up the others." She left the room, gently pushing open Kankuro's bedroom door. Kankuro was finishing tying his Jinbei, pausing to stare at her.

Concerned, Kankuro asked, "What's wrong?"

"Naruto wanted to meet with the four of us to say goodbye before they left for Konoha," Sakura explained.

"They must be anxious to report back to the Hokage. Let's go," Kankuro suggested.

Following her out of his bedroom, Kankuro encountered Temari beside her open bedroom door. Smirking, she asked, "What are you two doing?"

Kankuro waved his arms dismissively, stating, "It's not what you think."

Sakura added, "Gaara received a letter from Naruto asking if we can meet to say goodbye before he returns to Konoha."

"Konoha's teams go by numbers," Temari explained.

"I had no idea; what number is Naruto's team?" Sakura inquired.

"Team seven, and Neji's team is known as Team eleven," Temari disclosed.

Kankuro gently nudged Sakura, passing Temari to reach the stairs. "Okay, can we leave already?" he suggested.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Gaara reached out to Sakura, donning his black Jinbei, and assisted her. She smiled, happily accepting his kind gesture. The three carefully approached the village entrance, where Team Seven and Team Eleven had promised to wait for them.

The scene was filled with bright smiles, as everyone knew both teams from the other village were now out of harm's way. Sakura leaned on Gaara for warmth, feeling the gentle, cold wind against her skin.

With a concerned expression, Kankuro questioned, "Wait, you're leaving already? You should stay a little longer."

Sakura nodded and added, "At least one more day until you've rested."

Temari said, "It's not an easy trip back to the village hidden in the leaves."

Kakashi replied, "We'd love to, but we must report to Lady Tsunade immediately."

Kankuro nodded, "I see, and if the Akatsuki have begun to attack the villages, you feel uneasy bringing them away. That's why you want to get back as soon as possible, right?"

"Yes, that's exactly right."

"Are you sure, Kakashi? In your physical condition," Sakura expressed concern.

"Not to worry," Kakashi reassured, staring at Might Guy, "I have comrades I can rely on."

Might Guy slapped his fist on his chest and confidently declared, "Yeah, leave it to me."

"If you say so," Sakura smiled with a worried look and continued, "we have already sent the first report out through Takamaru, but there's nothing written about whether the two Akatsuki members are dead or alive. Shouldn't you inform your village about it?"

Kakashi nodded, "I'll report that directly to the Hokage. There are other things I'm concerned about too…"

Naruto softly said, "Before we leave, we'd like to pay our respects to Granny."

Sakura smiled and said, "She would appreciate that very much. Come with me."

Team Seven and Eleven from Konoha joined Sakura on a quick shortcut to the Sunagakure cemetery. The sand siblings followed beside her, enjoying the nice weather.

When they arrived, everyone noticed Ebizo standing over his sister's grave. He had never left that spot since yesterday, and it was possible he hadn't. Sakura approached him and rubbed his back kindly. She asked, "We brought the Konoha Shinobi who wanted to say their goodbyes before returning to their village, if you don't mind?"

Ebizo gently touched his sister's grave and said, "That's okay. Chiyo said she didn't want a grave, but I thought it would be better to have one. I felt that everyone needed a place to gather. Everybody, say your farewells."

The Shinobi bowed their heads and closed their eyes, some having known Granny Chiyo briefly but equally in awe of her strength to overcome any obstacles. Once the silence subsided, Kakashi suggested, "We should leave before the afternoon to make good time."

The teams nodded in silent agreement, but Naruto and Sakura stayed behind, standing directly in front of Granny Chiyo's grave. The others stopped to stare at them, acknowledging their respect and love for Granny Chiyo. They had spent so much time with her, and the level of her sacrifice deserved more than a small stone by the village's wall.

"Hey, Naruto, you coming?" Kakashi asked.

"Come on, let's go," Sakura said.

Naruto nodded and followed Sakura back to the group that already had a head start.

The three teams returned to the village entrance, leaving Ebizo to return to his home in solitude. Before stepping away, Naruto turned to face Gaara, both equally awkward with goodbyes.

"Well, see you later, I guess," Naruto smiled.

"Uh, yeah," Gaara replied, not knowing how to respond.

"Normally, I suppose people shake hands and say goodbye, but I'm not good with that kind of stuff, so I'll just leave it at this," Naruto said.

Gaara reached out his hand with a gentle smile, willing to make a formal goodbye. Shocked, Naruto stared at his hand, momentarily unable to respond. As the wind blew, Gaara made a small, gentle gesture to manipulate his sand, lifting Naruto's right hand to ensure a subtle handshake.

Sakura chuckled, knowing the two great friends were reunited safely and sound. They watched Naruto and the others safely walk across the borders of Sunagakure until they disappeared in the distance.

"You three go ahead," Gaara instructed, "I'd like to spend some time with Granny Chiyo before I return to work."

Sakura frowned, expressing her worry. She asked, "Are you sure? I don't think it's a good idea for you to be by yourself right now."

Gaara gently kissed Sakura's forehead and replied, "I'll be okay."

"Okay, we will see you at the office, don't take too long," Sakura replied.

Gaara smiled and nodded back at her. They parted ways when the graveyard route separated from the main road. It's not a short walk, that was for sure.

On the path to the Kazekage's office, Kankuro stated, "Those joining our puppet recovery team will meet us at the entrance, but I'd like to be prepared in case we run into another Akatsuki member."

"All I need is my instrument, and I'll be ready to go," Sakura said.

"I'll stay in the village in case anything happens, and I will inform you if anything does," Temari added.

"Right," Kankuro said, "Let's go to Gaara's office so you can show us on a map what we are dealing with."

"Yeah, it's not hard to get there," Sakura replied, "But it would be helpful if we had some people who could use Earth release."

"I'll keep that in mind," Kankuro said, leading the way.

Many of the villagers bowed respectfully to the family. They appeared to be grateful to them and happy that everyone returned safely to the village despite the loss of Granny Chiyo. A little boy with light brown hair snagged on Sakura's skirt to keep her from walking. She turned around, confused, as did Temari and Kankuro.

"Hello, sweetie," Sakura said, gracefully kneeling on the ground before him. "What's wrong?"

The boy handed her an Omamari decorated in Sunagakure-tanned colors. He said, "Here, my mommy said I couldn't help because I'm too young, so I hope the charm I made you will keep you safe. You are my favorite Shinobi, after all. Thank you for keeping me and my mommy safe from danger."

Sakura blushed, genuinely touched, and replied, "You're so sweet; thank you. I'll bring this with me on my next missions."

The boy blushed, nodded, and joyfully returned to his mother with the brightest smile. Sakura held the charm in her hand, delicately adding it to her Shinobi pouch. She was pleasantly surprised that the villagers admired her so much.

Kankuro chuckled and teased, "Cute, the kid has a crush on you. Are you going to keep that charm?"

Sakura nodded with a warm smile, "Of course, I will. I had no idea the villagers watched us and knew who we were."

"It's essential to be emotionally close with the community," Temari remarked, "so that they can trust us to protect them."

Sakura nodded, appreciating the kind gesture from the child. Now that Gaara had safely returned to Sunagakure, it was time to begin the next chapter in their lives. The world may not be at peace, but the Land of Wind is safe from harm's way.