Later, Kankuro led Naruto and the others through corridor after corridor until they reached his home, where they could rest for the night. Sai walked up to Naruto and quietly asked,
"Why are we passing through the Land of Fire? Is that really wise, Senior Naruto?"
Naruto shrugged.
"What's wrong with it? If we want to go to the Land of Water and the Land of Lightning, we have to pass through the Land of Fire. We'll head south, away from Konoha, staying off their radar. Even if someone notices us, they won't connect us to Konoha, right?"
As Naruto looked down the familiar corridor, memories of that day surfaced. Suddenly, Kankuro shouted,
"Temari! I'm back!"
He turned and caught the nostalgic look on Naruto's face. Immediately, he manipulated a puppet using chakra threads and stepped in front of Naruto.
"Ah, just like the day we first met."
"Kankuro, don't do that," Naruto said, quickly standing up. "I've already given you the other puppet from Sasori."
This made Kankuro hesitate slightly, but before he could say anything, the door to the room opened and Temari stepped out. Curious, she looked at the few people in the hallway. Before even looking at Naruto, she glanced around first.
"Hm? You're back."
Temari's door creaked open slowly, and she stepped into the doorway with her hands on her hips, looking expectant.
"You'd better have a good explanation for why you didn't return to Konoha immediately after you got into trouble with Master Jiraiya."
Naruto glanced back at his companions.
"Can I come inside to talk about it? That's actually something I wanted to discuss with you."
Smiling, Temari invited him into the room and closed the door behind them.
Shaking his head, Kankuro grinned and kept leading the two Root ninja through his house.
Sai glanced at Kankuro.
"Are Senior Naruto and Temari together?"
Kankuro rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Not exactly. Let's just say—for now—besides missions, that kid is another reason she enjoys visiting Konoha. I remember once when she came back, she had such a happy smile on her face. Even though the mission was dangerous, it made her happy. And every time she mentioned him, she smiled more."
Sai's expression remained unchanged, but he understood exactly what Kankuro meant.
## The Next Day – Sunagakure Village Gate ##
Naruto and his two teammates waited at the village gate as Kankuro and Temari came to see them off. Temari frowned as she hugged Naruto.
"I wish you could stay here longer, but as you said last night, you've got more important things to do."
"That's right. I also hope you—" Kankuro started, smirking at Naruto. But before he could finish, Temari suddenly yanked her fan from behind him and waved it menacingly. He threw up both hands and stumbled back in fear. Once she turned around, he gave Naruto a thumbs-up again.
"Did you see that? Every time you're around, she gets all soft. Why don't you just move to Sunagakure for real?"
He still couldn't escape Temari's wrath. This time, she slammed her fan harshly on his head.
Temari glanced down at her knocked-out younger brother before turning her gaze to Naruto and his companions.
"It's good to see you again, Naruto-kun."
"I'm glad to see you too!"
She smiled at him.
"I don't think I can get Gaara to agree to an escort for your group."
"Sai and Maki are enough, Temari." Naruto said, placing a hand on her cheek. "Everything will be fine. You should worry more about Gaara and that loudmouth brother of yours." He gave her a quick kiss before turning around and signaling the others to follow him.
Watching him shrink in the distance until he finally disappeared into the desert haze, Temari sighed deeply. Seeing her like this, Kankuro rolled his eyes dramatically.
"Here we go again. Every time he leaves, you pull that same face. Come on, why don't you just tell him how you feel?"
She frowned impatiently.
"Shut up, Kankuro."
---
## Three Days Later - Unknown Location - Orochimaru's Base ##
Sasuke entered the base's lab, glancing around to confirm no one was present. He approached a large water tank, drew the sword from his back, and slashed straight through the tank. Water spilled everywhere, then quickly coalesced into a human shape—a boy with spiky white hair, violet eyes, and shark-like teeth stood before him.
"Huh, I wouldn't mind getting out of that tank, but what's your deal, Sasuke?"
"I'm going to kill Orochimaru, and you're coming with me whether you like it or not," Sasuke stated bluntly. "Of course, you can refuse—I'll stuff you back in that jar and let them keep experimenting on you. Your call, Suigetsu."
Suigetsu rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmm... Follow you to get revenge on that bastard who locked me up here and maybe find those legendary swords, or stay here and continue being treated as a test subject by Orochimaru's lackeys?"
He flashed a wild grin at Sasuke, revealing sharp teeth.
"Get me some clothes—I guess you're my partner now."
Sasuke tossed him a set of clothes and turned to leave.
"Hurry up. We're leaving right now." Suigetsu watched Sasuke walk away, shrugged, and began dressing. "If you run into Kabuto before finding Orochimaru, remember to pass along my 'greetings.'"
Suigetsu flashed another wild grin.
"I have a feeling things are about to get real interesting."
## Meanwhile - Somewhere in the Land of Fire ##
Naruto stood still within the forest while Sai sat perched on a tree branch, never missing a chance to sketch—whenever possible, he would take out his notebook and draw.
Naruto scanned the trees surrounding them, searching for the last missing member of their team.
"Her hidden potential is incredible. That's a rare asset for a Medical Ninja. Alright, Maki, show me what you've really got."
A hauntingly beautiful melody drifted toward Naruto and Sai. Their eyelids grew heavy. Sai quickly figured out what was happening and recognized the jutsu at play.
"It's the Siren's Song jutsu," he said. "Let's see how Senior Naruto deals with this."
Naruto felt his consciousness slipping. This was one of the rare Genjutsu techniques even the Nine-Tails struggled to dispel—because it targeted his hearing. Did she know that? No one should have known about this weakness.
Naruto drew the sword and kodachi from his back and scraped the blades together, unleashing a piercing shriek that shattered Maki's control over him.
Dozens of shuriken erupted from the darkness, flying straight at him. Naruto swung his kodachi to deflect some, then raised his sword to block the rest. Even so, one shuriken still sliced across his shoulder.
<><><><><><><><>
Thank you for reading! Your support will keep me updating!
~ Every 50 Powerstones = **4 Bonus Chapters** this weekend!
<><><><><><><><>
~ 100+ Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!
~ More *Free* Chapters and Books Available on Patreon!
patreon.com/Tansnovel
<><><><><><><><>