The wind whispered warnings across the dunes.
A storm was coming. Not of sand. Not of chakra.
But of truth.
Naruto stood still on the sandstone ridge, arms crossed, his cloak brushing his ankles in rhythmic silence. His chakra didn't pulse. His heartbeat didn't rise. But everything around him—air, grain, heat—reacted to his presence like nature itself knew fear.
He had come for a Tailed Beast.
But more than that…He had come for a friend.
Down below, chaos unfolded.
Explosions cracked the desert. Two cloaked figures danced in the sky—one riding a monstrous clay bird, the other flickering with puppet limbs.
Akatsuki.
Deidara. Sasori.
And caught in the middle, barely breathing, chakra drained and body limp…
Gaara.
Naruto moved.
One blink.
That's all it took.
The wind didn't follow. It yielded.
He landed between Gaara and the attackers like a black comet. Sand split. Heat rippled.
And for a heartbeat, time stalled.
Deidara scoffed. "Tch. Another one?"
Sasori's eyes narrowed. "No… not just anyone."
Naruto's red eyes locked onto theirs—calm, unflinching, cold.
"You're late," Deidara mocked, preparing another bomb.
But Naruto didn't speak.
He vanished.
And reappeared behind Sasori mid-sentence.
Before Deidara could react—
BOOM.
The puppet exploded inwards—imploding from within, chakra threads snapping like steel cables under pressure.
Sasori's core spun in midair—
—caught by Naruto in one hand.
Without a word, Naruto crushed it like sand in his palm.
Deidara blinked.
Sasori was gone.
Just like that.
The clay artist panicked.
Bombs rained from above, detonating into storms of shrapnel and chakra.
But Naruto walked through them.
Literally.
Flight Mode activated.He hovered above the sand, untouchable. Chakra barriers flickered around him—silent pulses of energy negating the explosions mid-air.
Deidara screamed, desperate now. "You freak!"
Naruto's reply came in the form of a seal.
One he hadn't used since mastering Sage Mode.
Chakra Suppression Field – Level 5.
A dome of pure pressure enveloped the area, crushing every sound, sealing every outward escape.
Deidara's clay beast fell to the sand like a dead bird.
Naruto appeared in front of him—
—and punched through his shoulder, grabbing his collar and dragging him to the ground.
He didn't kill him yet.
He let Deidara see the crater where Sasori had fallen.
He let him feel fear.
And then…
Black chains erupted from Naruto's back, piercing Deidara through the gut and dragging him underground.
"Art… is an explosion…" he whispered.
But the desert stayed quiet.
Naruto stood over Gaara's collapsed form.
His fingers trembled.
Not from effort.
But from something deeper.
Gaara… hadn't even fought back.
The extraction wasn't done yet—Akatsuki hadn't completed it. Gaara's life still lingered, but it was flickering like a candle underwater.
Naruto reached down.
Gaara's hand twitched.
His eyes fluttered open.
And he smiled.
"Hey…"
Naruto froze.
Gaara's voice was weak, but calm.
"You got… strong."
Naruto's throat clenched.
"You're not resisting," he whispered.
Gaara coughed, eyes barely able to focus.
"You're my friend."
The words cracked something inside him.
Friend.
Naruto had forgotten that word.
Forgotten its warmth. Its pain.
He gritted his teeth.
"No… you can't… I came to take Shukaku."
Gaara nodded. "I know."
Naruto's voice broke. "Why aren't you resisting?!"
Gaara closed his eyes again. "Because… it's you."
Naruto knelt.
Not to seal Gaara.
Not to fight.
But because he couldn't stand anymore.
His knees gave way.
His heart screamed.
He hated this feeling.
But for the first time in years…
He didn't feel alone.
"Why do you still believe in me?" Naruto asked quietly, almost trembling.
Gaara's reply was simple:
"Because I'm still alive."
In the distance, Temari's scream echoed.
She had seen the explosions.
Felt the chakra collapse.
She sprinted through the dunes, chakra surging, fan clenched tightly.
She expected devastation.
She expected her brother's corpse.
She didn't expect…
Naruto.
Holding Gaara like he was something fragile.
Holding him… and crying.
Not loudly.
Not openly.
Just silent tears, falling like the rain that never touched this land.
Temari stopped.
Her heart raced.
She dropped her fan.
And fell to her knees.
When she reached them, Naruto stood.
He said nothing.
Just gently lowered Gaara's unconscious but safe body to her lap.
Temari looked up.
"I thought you were dead."
Naruto looked away. "I was."
Silence.
Then Temari rose—grabbing him by the cloak.
"You're not allowed to leave again."
He blinked.
"What?"
Her cheeks flushed, but her eyes stayed fierce.
"Stay with me," she whispered. "Please."
He didn't answer.
But…
He didn't pull away either.
And for her, that was enough.
He turned once more to Gaara—reached out—
And for the first time, extracted a Tailed Beast not through hatred…
But through trust.
Chains of chakra surrounded Shukaku's seal—but didn't destroy it.
Instead, Naruto tapped into Gaara's own chakra, isolating Shukaku and separating him without pain.
Without death.
When it was done, Gaara was still breathing.
Still alive.
Still his friend.
Naruto whispered, "Thank you."
Gaara murmured, "Don't make me regret it."
Temari leaned into Naruto's side.
He didn't smile.
But something flickered in his eyes.
Something warm.