Capítulo 41: Chapter 41: Explosive Arsenal
Kankuro gently rubbed her back, trying to soothe her. "She was kidnapped from the market where the second bombing occurred a week later. It wasn't just one bomb; multiple locations were hit, resulting in the collapse of several older buildings."
Gaara rose from his chair, his expression solemn. "That's when I sent Sakura to collect statements from the victims, but before we could gather any new information, the hospital was bombed, too."
"Where were you during these attacks, Kankuro?" Baki pressed.
Kankuro cast his gaze downward, his voice barely above a whisper. "The first bombing took a significant emotional toll on both Sakura and me. I couldn't bear to watch her suffer, so I left the village to gather any information we could find to track down the Phantom Killer—or at least to find some answers."
"And what did you discover?" Baki asked.
"My team discovered an old Akatsuki base in the Land of Rivers—one we had previously demolished after rescuing Gaara. The cliffside was littered with explosive devices and paper bomb materials. Among the findings, we uncovered a Sunagakure map detailing potential targets that had yet to be attacked. When I identified the hospital and the large market as the next likely targets, we gathered as much intelligence as possible and returned to the village."
Baki narrowed his eyes and said, "I've heard that the Kazekage welcomed a lost soul from the Land of Rivers into our village. Care to elaborate, Kazekage?"
"His name is Gin, and our records confirm that he isn't lying about his identity, though his true intentions remain unclear. He has frequented our village for reasons we do not yet understand. I spotted him in the triage area before the hospital, claiming he was hunting the same rogue. As we speak, I have ANBU monitoring him," Gaara reported.
An elder said quietly, "Do you suspect he might be the culprit?"
Gaara nodded. "For now, the four of us will watch him closely. If he proves not to threaten our village, we will release him from ANBU surveillance."
"He lingered around the hospital grounds as if reveling in the destruction he'd caused, so we never intended to trust him in the first place," Temari stated.
"Trust us to do our job," Sakura countered. "We need to exercise patience."
Baki chuckled derisively. "Trust you? If you don't resolve this by the end of the week, we'll have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. From now on, all entrance points to the village will be closed until further notice, and every Shinobi will be deployed to protect the future of our community."
"Close all entrance points?" Sakura protested. "That will only incite panic. We should at least give people the option to leave."
Gaara nodded in agreement. "She has a point. If we close the gates, the villagers will storm them, demanding to escape. We can find a compromise: they can leave, but no one may enter unless they already reside here."
"Fine," Baki growled. "Meeting dismissed."
With that, the elders stood and shuffled out of the room, their long sand robes trailing behind them. Most averted their gazes from the sand siblings as they left. Baki lingered at the doorway, his eyes fixed on Sakura.
"You should keep that one on a leash," he whispered, smirking.
Kankuro shot up from his chair, grabbing Baki by the collar of his coat. "What the fuck did you just say?"
"Easy, Kankuro," Gaara commanded, trying to defuse the tension.
Temari sprang from her seat to restrain Kankuro's arm. "Let go of him, Kankuro! Please."
Baki seemed unperturbed by the aggression, watching the sand siblings with amusement as Sakura sat quietly, her head bowed. All she wanted was to protect the village, which sometimes required her to stand up for what she believed was right. As tears streamed down her face, she tilted her head away, determined not to let anyone see the fear that gripped her. Baki's towering presence filled her with dread, reminding her painfully of the father she wished she'd never had.
Gaara rose from his seat, his gaze steady as he confronted Baki. "Apologize, or I'll look the other way and let Kankuro beat you to a bloody pulp."
"No need to resort to violence," Baki replied, his bravado faltering under Kankuro's grip. "I merely suggested she should be disciplined for her disrespect."
Kankuro scoffed, "Disrespected? No one has disrespected you as an elder of the council. Sakura sacrificed everything to become Suna's next Jinchuriki to protect us all. You're the one in the wrong here."
"How sweet of you to defend your girlfriend, Kankuro, but you know she's dangerous. If Sakura loses control again, she could obliterate the entire village, and you know it."
"We won't let that happen!" Kankuro shouted defiantly.
Baki freed himself from Kankuro's grip and stormed out of the room, tossing a final remark over his shoulder. "Someday, you'll regret this, and I won't be here to save you from her."
Silence fell over the room until Temari turned to Kankuro and slapped him. "What were you thinking? You could have lost your position!"
"Did you not hear what he said?" Kankuro shot back.
"Yes, but that doesn't give you the right to attack a council leader," Temari replied sharply.
Gaara began to leave the conference room, his tone calm yet firm. "I know you care about her, Kankuro, but don't make a habit of this. We need your counter-terrorism division out there now more than ever."
"Yeah, I'm already on it," Kankuro replied, exhaling heavily as he sat beside Sakura, who still averted her gaze. Temari and Gaara left them to their thoughts, the weight of the morning meeting heavy on them.
Kankuro leaned back in his chair, breaking the tension. "Damn, we both got chewed out before noon. I guess this is the life we chose. Are you okay?"
Sakura whimpered softly, "I'm fine." Yet her quiet sobs betrayed her actual state. Kankuro wrapped his arms around her, allowing her to release her tears in silence without further words.
For thirty minutes, Sakura sobbed in Kankuro's arms until her mind finally cleared enough to form a coherent thought. Her heart raced as she recalled the figure from the Land of Rivers, casually walking the streets as though he wasn't planning to kill the future of Sunagakure. Releasing her hold on Kankuro, she wiped her tear-streaked face and asked, "Why did Gaara ever get involved with someone as sketchy as Gin?"
Kankuro frowned, shaking his head. "I don't know, but I'm sure Gaara had his reasons—probably to gain Gin's trust and get closer to whatever he's hiding."
Sakura wiped the last tears from her eyes and said, "He's running his plan to find the rogue Shinobi. We must devise one ourselves, or this nightmare will never end."
Kankuro leaned back, arms crossed. "What are you thinking?"
"Tell me everything you found in that cavern in the Land of Rivers," Sakura demanded, her voice firm.
Kankuro hesitated, his eyes dropping to the floor. He'd hoped never to revisit what he'd witnessed in that cave, especially not with someone who wasn't there to see it. He remained silent, hoping she'd let it go, but her gaze stayed unrelenting on him. Finally, in a low voice, he said, "I can't tell you everything. You don't want to know. But I'll tell you about the evidence we found."
"It can't be that bad. Just spit it out," Sakura insisted, her patience wearing thin.
With a heavy sigh, Kankuro relented. "When we got to the cavern near the river, we first saw a massive red Torii gate. The area was littered with debris, similar to what you described in your report about where Gaara and the Akatsuki were found. We thought the Akatsuki had returned, but it wasn't them."
Sakura listened closely as Kankuro recounted every detail: the tunnel partially collapsed, the darkness swallowing them as they felt their way through, the underground river they stumbled upon, and the chilling sight of a hidden workshop. The walls were lined with blueprints, and tables were stacked with unused paper bombs, puppet parts, and metal scraps. It was a workshop for chaos—a rogue shinobi's dream.
"Did you find any clues about where the next attack might happen?" Sakura asked urgently. "Was there any sign that Gin had been there?"
Kankuro exhaled heavily. "I don't know if Gin was there, but we found a hit list. It said the hospital was attacked to prevent any future children from being born into Sunagakure. The next target... was the arena."
Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "The arena? Tomorrow, it'll be packed with children waiting to become Genin next year. Why is the Phantom Kidnapper targeting kids? Does he want to wipe Sunagakure off the map?"
"I think it's worse than that," Kankuro said grimly. "We have to be there tomorrow. We'll act like we're just there to watch the kids, or they'll know we're onto them and launch a whole new operation."
Sakura nodded, her voice dropping to a whisper. "I'll follow your lead."
Kankuro ran a hand through his hair in frustration, pushing his chair back with a huff. He stood and moved to the window, watching civilians pass by below. "Gaara's not going to let you anywhere near a mission tied to my anti-terrorism division. What makes you think he'll agree to this after you've barely recovered from the hospital incident?"
Sakura crossed her arms, unfazed. "If we keep it low-key, we might be able to pull it off. Just us, Temari, Gaara, and a few Jonin on standby for protection."
"Don't get your hopes up," Kankuro muttered, glancing back at her. "But I'll see if I can convince him by tomorrow morning." He sighed before adding, "In the meantime, I want to upgrade your puppet's shields to ensure you're better protected next time. Let's get to work."
Without waiting for a response, Kankuro grabbed Sakura's arm and led her out of the office, moving urgently. They hurried down the street as if a fire was at their backs, racing toward their house with a determined plan forming between them.
Once inside, Kankuro descended into his puppet workshop. Sakura's puppet lay on the floor, too large to fit on any worktables. Its massive form, intimidating up close, looked more like a creature from a nightmare than a tool of defense. Yet, Sakura adored it despite its monstrous appearance.
Kankuro grabbed his tools and immediately got to work, his face set in deep concentration. He furrowed his brow as he focused on the task before him. "You've been using the shields on its arms a lot, haven't you?"
Sakura, caught off guard by the question, hesitated. "Yes, why? Is that bad?"
"No," Kankuro said, eyes still on the puppet. "But you should start using its other features more regularly. The spitting needle won't do you good if you haven't tested it in a month."
Sakura nodded, slightly embarrassed. "You're right. I'll be more mindful."
As she watched him expertly work on her puppet, she couldn't help but admire his skill. Though they were the same age, Sakura sometimes felt like she was lagging behind him. Yet, there was no resentment, only the desire to keep improving.
Kankuro wiped the sweat from his brow and carefully stowed his tools in a small metal box. He took a deep breath and said, "That should do it for now. The shield is now twice its original size and can convert into a cocoon, which makes a significant difference compared to my Salamander puppet."
"Thank you, Kankuro," Sakura replied softly, her admiration evident. "I wish I had your skills." She longed to reach his level one day, but she had no desire to overshadow him. For now, she was learning to find contentment with her place in the Land of Wind.
"Don't lose sight of what's important," Kankuro insisted, his tone serious. "We have to ensure the safety of the children. We're far from finished here; we need a stronger arsenal."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Sakura asked, intrigued.
Kankuro smirked and pulled a few summoning scrolls from his pocket. "By using his inventions against him."
Sakura's eyes lit up with excitement at the clever idea. She nodded in agreement, watching as he worked on attaching paper bombs to wooden discs and shurikens. His creativity was boundless, and she struggled to keep up with the pace of his thoughts. Before long, he had assembled an impressive array of explosive weapons.
As Kankuro finished, Sakura proposed, "I think we should take a break and grab some soba. How about it?"
Without hesitation, Kankuro dropped his tools and turned to her with a broad grin. "I thought you'd never ask! We can take a break now, but I have plenty more ideas to discuss when we return."
Sakura laughed, leading him up the stairs and out of the puppet workshop. "I'm sure you do, but I can't think straight on an empty stomach. Tomorrow will be a great day—I can feel it."
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