Chapter 141 Cancellation of the Invasion
Sasuke reluctantly woke up with a soft but sharp push, struggling to regain consciousness from his slumber.
"Kid, it's time for breakfast."
That was Kakashi-sensei's voice.
Sasuke sat up and rubbed his eyes to wake himself up.
He was wide awake, and could hear the carefully muffled voices coming from the kitchen, those of Iruka and another person, who were obviously trying to take care of whoever was still sleeping in the room.
Naruto was still sleeping next to him, leaning against his teacher's other leg.
Sakura was already awake, and when she woke up she immediately pulled the covers off of her and draped them over her body like a cloak.
"How rude," he complained at her back.
Sakura poked her head out from beside Ino, spreading the covers like a royal cloak and curtsying playfully.
Sasuke looked down at his still sleeping teammate and grinned before pushing Naruto off the couch and directly onto Ino.
The scream woke up the entire living room.
Kakashi rolled his eyes.
Sakura cursed in frustration and Ino was so angry that her face turned red for a full fifteen minutes.
"Listen." Naruto began, his tone nonchalant. "I figured out how to get rid of that damn thing."
Sasuke blinked.
"really?"
Naruto nodded, tilting his head.
"But you won't like it."
"How did you know?" Sasuke asked.
"Ku Lama did it for me the other way around. I can only use the same method to remove it."
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Half an hour after breakfast, the seal on Sasuke's shoulder disappeared and the nine-tailed fox was teasing him.
Naruto was gargling with a fire-treated chakra solution while Sakura was applying gauze to the bite mark on his shoulder.
"I would like to use chakra to heal you, but Ryouta-sensei said that you shouldn't have too much foreign chakra in your body until the corruption is completely cleared."
Sasuke nodded.
"I know, thank you."
******************
The sun was setting, slowly falling in the foreign sky. The sunlight passed over the treetops of unfamiliar trees and through the overly humid air, making Maki's palms, which were used to being dry, feel a little moist.
He didn't like the feeling of moisture that made his palms sticky, and he hated having to apply an extra layer of oil to prevent the metal on his poison weapon from rusting.
"Mr. Maki?"
He turned around to see the young genin student standing in the doorway, enveloped in an unfamiliar light.
"What's wrong, Temari?"
"I don't like it here."
Maki smiled bitterly, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and the wrinkles on his face showed the traces of time.
"I know."
She walked into the room and glanced out the window where Markie had just been looking.
"Where's Gaara?"
"On the rooftop," Maki replied, watching her walk over to him, "I suggest you don't bother him right now. Where's Kankuro?"
"Sleeping like a pig. I don't understand how he can sleep in this weather," she complained, tugging at the collar of her fishnet shirt. It was all she wore except for leggings and shorts around her thighs. The rest of her clothes had been removed because of the hot and humid weather, and her thick golden brown hair had been changed from the four braids she usually wore to a simple ponytail.
They stayed like that for a while, staring at the horizon until the red and gold faded to the deep blue and purple of dusk.
"I'm considering canceling the mission." Maki broke the silence and said softly.
Temari's eyes widened in surprise.
"What? But an invasion, and orders from the Kazekage...?"
Maki gently placed a hand on her shoulder, motioning her to keep her voice down so as not to wake her brothers, especially Gaara, who needed to rest as much as possible.
"It's too dangerous to continue the mission, and Luosha's orders have become... erratic."
"That old man is always so fickle," Temari complained quietly.
"I have worked under your father for most of my life. I know that while he is unpredictable, he is not reckless. It would be very reckless to continue to advance deep into a heavily guarded enemy country without a clear reason."
"He's not my father," Temari retorted instinctively.
"But he is your Kazekage," Maki reminded her patiently, and she deflated again.
"Okay, I get it." She muttered, fiddling with the sleeves of her shirt, lost in thought. "I think that guy named Orochimaru has other intentions for this matter."
"You're a good judge of character," said Maki. "I agree with you. Things are complicated to begin with, and now Kakashi has gotten involved..."
Temari blinked, she wasn't familiar with the name.
"Who?"
Maki didn't answer immediately, but turned his eyes to the darkening sky.
"Do you remember seeing a jonin wearing a silver mask during the Chunin Exam?"
Temari nodded immediately.
"Remember, he was one of the teachers of those Genin in Konoha."
"He's a tough opponent," Maki explained. "I don't want to fight him."
"Is he better than you?" Temari asked doubtfully, "That's impossible."
Maki blinked, flattered, and took a moment to answer her.
“We never really fought each other, so I’m not sure, but we had a brief chat during a peace negotiation,” he recalled with a wry smile. “He was probably the toughest opponent I’ve ever met in public.”
His youngest student sat on the edge of the roof, legs crossed, the sand swirling around him in soft circles.
Over the years, Maki had developed a knack for determining Gaara's mental state simply by looking at him, being able to tell whether it was Gaara himself or Shukaku who was speaking to him through his body language and chakra fluctuations.
At this moment, Gaara's state is very close to his original self, and the crazy aura of the tailed beast is only vaguely present in the baseline.
Shukaku seemed... although it couldn't be said to be calm, at least he wasn't as restless as usual, as if the beast was on guard against something.
"Maki-sensei," Gaara said calmly, without a trace of emotion in his tone, "Where are you going?"
"Well, go gather some information," he replied. "I'll be back before sunrise."
Gaara nodded slowly.
Maki nodded as well.
"Your brothers and sisters are asleep, can you watch over them?"
The surrounding sand rippled as Gaara nodded.
"I will."
Maki said nothing more as his figure flashed and disappeared from the rooftop into the shadows of the nearby woods.
He found a beech tree, settled himself against it, closed his eyes, and concentrated, expanding his perception to the strange village.
The chakra fluctuations he was seeking were so distinct that even after so many years, he could still remember them vividly: the tingling sensation he felt at his nerve endings, the dangerous chill that ran down his spine, like being stalked by a predator.
He focused his attention, tracking the chakra fluctuations through the streets and into the depths of the dark forest, secretly hoping that he had not made a fatal mistake.
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