Land of Wind – Outside Sunagakure
"Whoosh!"
A fierce gale whipped the sand into the air. Through the storm, a figure gradually approached the canyon. The newcomer halted, removed his hood, revealing a clean-cut face framed by red hair. He stared expressionlessly at the armed guards.
Gathered there were the Fourth Kazekage, Chiyo, Ebizō, and multiple Sunagakure jōnin. Essentially, they constituted the entire fighting force of the Sunagakure.
"Lord Sasori." Under guard, Yura bowed his head respectfully.
Sasori seemed not to hear his subordinate's greeting. "If we're simply talking about cooperation, there shouldn't be such a massive show of force. Or do you plan to finish me off?"
"Wipe out the one who killed the Third Kazekage…?"
That statement immediately stirred outrage among the Sand jōnin. Many glared at him with hatred, clearly wishing to kill this fiend on the spot.
"Sasori…" Chiyo's face grew pained at the sight of her grandson—unchanged from all those years ago. "I never thought our reunion would come under such circumstances."
"Granny Chiyo, what a pity—you've aged too much," Sasori said, eyes and expression unmoved. He only lamented that the once peerless woman in the art of puppetry had become so old and frail.
It reaffirmed his belief in his pursuit of "eternal art."
"Sister…" Ebizō cautioned. Then, turning to Sasori, he spoke in a severe tone: "You passed word to Baki that you can repair the Third Kazekage puppet—that's what you said, right?"
"The everlasting artwork I personally created—I alone can repair," Sasori replied calmly, in a rather self-important manner.
"All right, then. What's your price?" Ebizō demanded. Judging by his face and voice, he wasn't here to "chat with a kid" but to judge what the traitor who nearly destroyed their village wanted.
Sasori shifted his gaze, settling on the Fourth Kazekage's face. After a long moment, he said, "Kazekage, I want to become Kazekage myself."
"What?!" "You're delusional!" "Impossible!"
The jōnin erupted like a hornet's nest. Cooperation was hard enough to swallow; demanding to be the Kage was outrageous.
No one wanted a man who literally turned himself into a puppet to become Kazekage.
"Silence," the Fourth Kazekage barked, halting their outcry. His face dark, he asked, "Why?"
Of course, it's to collaborate with Link… Sasori thought. Having abandoned most of his emotions, he was extremely rational, each action purpose-driven.
He had left the Akatsuki because they wouldn't let him do whatever he wanted at this time. Attacking Link was to test if he could seize "that seal" without other means. The results showed plainly his power wasn't enough.
When offering cooperation, he suspected they wouldn't be swayed—that kid was a diehard Konoha loyalist, so luring him to betray his village was nearly impossible.
Leaving that intel as a "good faith" gesture indicated he did want to cooperate, so the key obstacle was his status as a rogue-nin. Sasori came up with a plan to use the crucial importance of the Third Kazekage puppet to gain amnesty, then join forces with Link to elevate his "eternal art" to the highest level. Whether he actually became Kazekage or not wasn't the point—it was just an excuse.
He answered, "Does one need a reason to want something?"
The Fourth Kazekage paused a few seconds. "Impossible. If someone like you became Kage, you might just destroy the village."
"That's all right." Sasori remained unruffled. "I'll prove my sincerity first."
"Show me the Third Kazekage puppet."
Ebizō produced a scroll and released the battered puppet. Sasori walked toward it, ignoring the tension and killing intent from the jōnin. He studied the puppet a while, then reached out.
"Smack!" Chiyo seized her grandson's cold arm.
The two stared at each other in silence for several seconds. She spoke lifelessly: "I'll be watching you the whole time. If you try anything to harm the village…"
"Old hag, getting senile?" Sasori tilted his head. "You think you can kill me?"
That dropped the temperature even further.
"Sister…" Ebizō interjected again. Chiyo slowly released her grip. Sasori, as if no one else were present, picked up the Third Kazekage puppet, tinkered a while, then rattled off a list of materials. "One month. In one month, I can fix this."
The Fourth Kazekage exchanged a look with Ebizō. "Fine—but you can't leave the village and will remain under constant surveillance."
Those materials were expensive, but it'd all be worth it if they could restore the puppet. The bigger issue was making sure this culprit—who murdered a Kage—didn't vanish with the Kage's remains if they couldn't fix it themselves.
"No problem," Sasori agreed instantly.
…
Konohagakure – Link's Home
"?!"
A youth who looked 80% similar to Naruto—with a Konoha forehead protector—materialized in the living room. Surprised and anxious, he glanced around.
"Hey, kid." Link sat on the sofa, smiling. "I'm Link, a Special Jōnin from the Konoha."
"Impossible," Nawaki said, folding his arms. "You're clearly younger than me. How can you be a Special Jōnin?"
His taut demeanor eased somewhat, though. Seeing Link's Konoha forehead protector—and recognizing the voice from the Pure Land—he realized:
"Ehh?" After a moment's thought, he discovered he was truly in the living world? Nawaki, now translucent like a ghost, drifted toward the window to look outside. His hand passed right through it.
Realizing he was like a "ghost," Nawaki phased through the window and flew off into the village.
"Hey, don't startle people," Link called, having a shadow open the window. He didn't know if the kid heard him.
He really does look like Naruto—no wonder Kato Dan mistook him.
Link watched Nawaki's soul drift off and vanish from sight. He sighed, thinking how striking the resemblance was, both in appearance and personality—an impetuous vibe, just like Naruto. Shaking his head, Link didn't bother chasing him. He continued his training.
After repeatedly summoning a dozen times for different Stands—and still not drawing "Hermit Purple"—Nawaki came flying back on his own.
"Who's Naruto?" was his first question, eyes full of curiosity. "Why did everyone who saw me call me Naruto?"
"A kid who looks a lot like you," Link answered at once.
"Really?" Nawaki's eyes widened.
Link was about to add more, but just then, someone knocked. A shadow opened the door; Sasuke entered and said, "I thought I just saw—"
"Naruto?!" Sasuke blurted upon seeing Nawaki. His eyes showed a flicker of alarm. He'd seen his own parents become like this, so…
"I'm Nawaki!" the boy responded with a bright grin. "I'm not Naruto at all."
Link had a shadow tidy the training room, then led them to the living room. "Sasuke, he's Nawaki, Lady Tsunade's younger brother."
"Hello," Nawaki beamed.
"I'm Uchiha Sasuke," Sasuke introduced, letting go of his earlier worry. That smile was a far cry from the usual coldness he showed strangers.
Nawaki's thoughts jumped about. One moment he was introducing himself, the next: "So is my sister here in the village?"
Link shook his head. "She left years ago."
"I see…" Lowering his gaze, Nawaki mused for a bit, then smiled apologetically. "Sorry I didn't believe your words back there."
"No problem," Link replied with a grin.
"If you ever need a fight, summon me!" Nawaki gave a thumbs-up. "I'm pretty strong, you know!"
"…" x2
Link and Sasuke were momentarily speechless.
"But in this state, guess I can't help much," Nawaki added, noticing he was just a spirit. "Anyway, I appreciate you letting me see the village again."
He felt some regret not seeing Tsunade but didn't mention it. In short order, the Summoning Technique wore off, and Sasuke spoke up:
"That guy looked exactly like Naruto. Kinda freaky," he said quietly, a bit unsettled. For a moment, he'd thought Naruto was dead, and that feeling had flooded him—he'd dropped everything to rush here. It made him realize how deeply he cared about his teammate.
"Bang!" Kakashi jumped in through the window, face serious. "Link, did you just use that technique?"
"…" Link sensed possible trouble. He explained quickly, "I summoned someone from the village named Nawaki—he's Lady Tsunade's—"
"Special Jōnin Link, the Third Hokage wants to see you immediately," an Anbu landed outside.
Oh boy. Nawaki must have gone places he shouldn't. Link nodded to Sasuke, then accompanied Kakashi and the Anbu in a flash-step to the Hokage's office.
Sure enough, they found the Third Hokage, both Advisors, and Nara Shikaku—all present, all looking grim as if ready for battle.
"Regarding Naruto…" the Third Hokage said sternly. "Link, tell us what you found."
Link explained, and to clarify, he again summoned Nawaki's spirit. Watching all their grave expressions melt into exasperated relief, the Hokage's office turned into a scene of three elders chatting away with the boy.
Finally, the Third Hokage turned toward his most trusted junior and sighed:
"Remember—don't overuse that jutsu." His admonition lacked any real force.
~~~
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