章 16: PART 2.
In the Kazekage Residence, there was not the same tension as in Konoha at the moment. The ninjas in the Arena weren't as active as Yamato would have expected, and they weren't seen running around handing out documents.
It wasn't because there was a shortage of orders from the village leader. On the contrary, the Kazekage used to personally handle most matters once it received the documents. She wasn't like the Hokage, who preferred to act in the shadows.
For now, the only ones Yamato could label as "in a hurry" were those who didn't even walk that fast. They carried piles of papers in their arms, which they delivered to offices not far from where Yamato was at the time.
Seeing the ninja pass in front of him, there were already six that he had briefly greeted him.
"It doesn't seem like anything is happening around here." He supposed, digging deeper as he leaned against the hallway wall. "Konoha has been very hectic lately. Here, on the other hand, they don't even seem to be aware. Surely the Hokage-sama wants to avoid any more commotion."
Konoha's Anbu simply watched what was happening, oblivious to everything. Temari had accompanied the doctors to take the young ninja to a more private place and secure his life so that he could interrogate him when he woke up.
Yamato went blank when the child was put on his back. Along the way, she tried to make Temari, the Kazekage's young elder sister, remember who the young man they were carrying with them was.
However, all their efforts were in vain. On the way, Temari couldn't remember, and to make matters worse, he admitted that he didn't remember all the names or faces of the ninjas in the village. That was not precisely his responsibility.
Although Temari was now of age, she was still relatively young, and it was characteristic of her to disengage in certain matters.
Voices from the hallway caught Yamato's attention. He turned his back away from the wall to introduce himself properly to the owner of the voice he was hearing. Temari approached with a ninja at his side, exchanging information about what they had observed on their way back.
The ninja of the Arena, who did not appear to be more than twenty-two years old, took notes of what Temari transmitted to him on a board of papers that he carried with him.
"Prepare everything and notify Kankuro. The ninjas of Konoha have information that Gaara needs."
"Gaara-sama is busy right now. Is it appropriate to interrupt your planned meeting with your board members?"
The blonde turned sharply to the ninja who accompanied her. His impatience was evident in his expression and he did not want to delay another minute in the discussion.
Frowning and clenching her fists at the sides of her hip, she showed how difficult it was for her to be patient as the Kazekage's sister.
"Before that! Konoha has come to report something urgent! This is not a normal meeting!"
"Yes!" The Sand Chunin nodded, protecting himself momentarily behind the board in his hand. He was afraid of being devoured by Temari's green gaze. "I'm going to immediately inform Kankuro-sama to monitor the boy's situation!"
From the windows in the hallway, the ninja could be seen bowing very carefully towards the Kazekage's older sister. Just two steps after turning his back on Temari, the terror in the Shinobi's eyes was evident.
Temari was always known for her strong character, as well as for her powerful voice, similar to that of her brother, the Kazekage, which resonated even in the white hills of the Iron Country.
A single shout from Temari could ruin your whole day, and no one dared to anger her.
"I am sorry for the delay." She said, letting out a sigh that released the accumulated tension.
Yamato nodded in understanding and waited for him to approach to discuss what they had pending.
"Everything is under control." The boy is responding well to treatment. The news eased the worry that had been weighing on Yamato's chest. He could finally breathe easy, without the bitter taste of failure in his mouth.
The young man had been seriously injured when they found him, and they feared the worst.
"How serious are your injuries?" Yamato ventured to ask.
"Well... The most serious injuries are two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder. But the rest seems fine. We won't know more until he wakes up."
"I understand."
An awkward silence briefly took over the brief conversation. Temari gave Yamato a questioning look, not intended to be offensive.
I had no idea who the unconscious young man was. The coincidences were disturbing. That a ninja from Konoha would meet him and be the forerunner of the original messengers was already a considerable coincidence.
But beyond that, he couldn't understand why a child, apparently an Arena ninja, was involved in an enemy attack that it seemed Konoha had information about.
So, taking the risk of meddling in a secret message to the Kazekage, Temari decided to question.
"What kind of message do the messengers on the way bring that requires you to clear the route?" Temari asked, touching on a serious subject.
Konoha's Anbu put aside his concern for the unconscious young man and straightened up. Temari had touched on an important point.
"I'm sorry to say that that's not my role." Yamato replied. "If Hokage sent them, it's probably because they bring more relevant information than mine. After what we have experienced, anything can happen."
"What have you experienced?" She asked, surprised by the abstract information she was receiving. "And does that situation require our help? Is there anything that only Gaara can handle?"
"Because of certain matters, the Hokage can't trust anyone else. Gaara-kun is the only one she's willing to trust with everything."
"If that's the case..." Temari murmured, half-processing his words. "So, does this have to do with Naruto? Otherwise, I don't see why they would need Gaara."
Yamato was silent. The reaction was enough for Temari to see him close his eyes.
Gaara and Naruto had a fairly close relationship. Considering that Gaara had few personal relationships, being Kazekage, he had never had a friend-like figure until Naruto entered his life, when darkness had already completely enveloped him.
"I understand... then the problem must be serious."
"You're right." Yamato replied, somewhat hesitant to speak outside of his main mission. "The last I heard was that Tsunade-sama sent him to investigate something related to what happened. But it's clear that the Hokage's main concern is to prevent Naruto from getting involved."
"Akatsuki has already captured Gaara. It's no secret that they're after Naruto as well." The blonde commented with resignation. "They are using the routes that connect the Land of the Wind with Tierra del Fuego. Will Naruto be okay on that mission?"
"Kakashi-senpai is with him." The brown tree revealed calmly on his face. "In short, Naruto will head in the opposite direction to Konoha. Therefore, there is little chance that they will be found."
"Let's hope so." The stakes are too high to leave the Sand unprotected. Temari said, looking over his shoulder.
The person they were referring to was not present, but it was not necessary to dig deeper to identify who they were talking about.
"That Gaara... he would be the first to leave if Naruto was captured."
"Yes, it seems so." Yamato replied with a forced laugh.
It was no secret that Gaara and the Blonde Ninja had a close bond. The friendship they shared was evident, and Gaara was willing to offer any kind of help as Kazekage in case something affected Naruto.
Deep down, Yamato respected the will and leadership of the young Kazekage. He had his own responsibilities as leader of his village, and Gaara fulfilled both in ways that did not seem forced, but genuinely came from his heart.
"About the boy..." Yamato muttered, attracting Temari's attention.
She raised an eyebrow, anticipating the question.
"Nobody knows who the boy is? Has it been possible to locate his family?" Yamato asked, fixing his gaze on Temari.
Then, as if the bitterness of uncertainty enveloped her, she frowned as she looked away.
"We haven't found anything." He regretted with regret. "Even if he wears the uniform and the bandana, it does not necessarily mean that he is one of us. But we couldn't leave him helpless either. We still don't know who that boy is."
"Nothing...? Isn't it a Genin either?" Yamato asked.
Temari shook his head.
"This does not bode well." Yamato muttered quietly, as Temari's scrutiny kept him in his sights. "That child was the main target of the man who attacked him. He seemed to know him."
"That doesn't prove that he's from our village." Temari objected. "We went through the documents, we gathered all the Genin and Chunin of his age, but none of them recognized the characteristics of the boy."
"I don't want to rush, Temari. Much less be discourteous to your hospitality, considering that I arrived unexpectedly." Said the brown-haired man. "But I'm sure this incident is somehow related to what the messengers will tell Gaara-kun. We just have to wait for the boy to wake up. Then we will know why he was wearing the uniform of the Sand Village."
"It's true..." Temari acknowledged, surprised by the new focus on the message that was about to come. "It is too early to draw hasty conclusions."
The blonde, eager to hear the message, bit her lower lip. He was worried that it was something really serious. If the Hokage was guarding the matter so zealously, it must be urgent.
However, Temari was also afraid that this might harm the Sand Village in some way. It's not that she wasn't willing to help Konoha; on the contrary, they were allied villages, and his younger brother had already forged friendships there. And so did she.
What was so serious? What could they not reveal in advance?
For now, I could only speculate on the other side of the truth. If this case was linked to Konoha's affairs, then she had to be prepared and get information before the message arrived.
After all, the first to hear it would be her brother, not her.
"The man who attacked you..." She began, while Yamato looked at her. "Did you say anything else? Did you state your intentions?"
"It's easy to answer that. But there's not much to say, really." Anbu replied, visibly disappointed with himself. "That man... He mentioned something about honor, money, power, and respect. He referred to the boy as booty, not as a planned rival."
"So, you may have been following the boy for a while." theorized the blonde of the Sand.
Yamato did not dismiss that possibility.
"The boy couldn't tell me anything. I was already unconscious when we finally got to safety." He reported. Remembering it, the Anbu looked down at the ground. "But he... He didn't just mention those things about the guy. At least, that's the impression I got after reflection."
"About what? You mean the boy?"
Konoha's Anbu shook his head.
His eyes drifted to Temari. It was the first time he would express the conclusion he had built in his mind almost half an hour ago.
"That man mentioned the word "Mine."
A flash, a flash of hidden truth, left them momentarily stunned. Temari remained alert, thoughtful at what she had just heard.
But finally, calmly and with his eyes open, he asked:
"Mine?"
"Yes." Yamato confirmed. "'Mine'"
"Listen to me, Konoha Dog. I warn you not to meddle in this matter any further. Understood?"
The voice of the man responsible for the boy's injuries echoed in Yamato's memory.
"This is my business. I've found a Gold Mine and I won't let you take it away from me!"
With a gesture of confusion, Temari stared at Yamato. It took him a few seconds to understand the situation. For Temari, those brief seconds of delay were a source of frustration.
"A 'Gold Mine', huh?" She sighed, reflective.
After resting her chin on her hand and closing her eyes briefly, the Kazekage's sister understood the gravity of the situation.
He turned his gaze to Yamato. I knew that he had already come to the same conclusion.
"That boy isn't the only one, is he?" She said with resignation. ""Gold Mine." That child was probably just one of several targets."
"That is a possibility that we cannot ignore. But we still don't have certainty." Yamato replied cautiously.
"But it could be the reality." Temari supported Yamato's theory, though he himself regarded it with caution. "I still don't know what message we're waiting for, but we have to start acting now, don't you think?"
"You're right." The brown Anbu nodded. "It would be wise to go ahead while we wait for the messengers."
"Very good. In that case..."
Temari turned to Yamato with determination, ready to take decisive action.
"Hey, you! Is there any news about the wounded man we brought?" Temari asked from the hallway, without moving from his place.
A ninja hurrying out of a nearby office immediately responded.
"He is out of danger and stable." He reported, although he frowned with concern. "But he still shows no signs of wanting to wake up."
"Enough." Temari muttered to herself. Then he turned to Yamato. "Are you coming?"
When the blonde's eyes met Yamato's, he could barely articulate an answer.
"Excuse me...?"
"The boy." She reminded him. "You were worried about him, and you have more information about this matter than I do. Perhaps reviewing it will help us connect some dots related to the message we are waiting for."
"If there's no problem, I'm not opposed to accompanying you."
"Perfect. So, let's go." Temari concluded, starting to walk followed by Yamato. "The doctors will be able to tell me more. And if we're lucky, maybe he'll wake up before we get there and get to talk to Kankuro."
The sound of his footsteps was lost in the corridors of the Kazekage's residence.
It resounded like an echo, extending to the depths of the invisible to those who live in the darkness of ignorance; the perpetual ignorance of the immediate future, the destiny that awaits each one.
From the moment the boy was sheltered in Yamato's arms, he was protected from external harm, away from the curses that might have befallen him and his friends.
Could this be the result of the concern of his colleagues?
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