Whirlwind Fighters (NaruTema)

#7 Gaara

Hokage-dono,

I write again, because you are my only hope. My son Kankuro has been poisoned by Sasori of the red sand as he went after him to free Gaara. We got him to our poison experts but they can't figure out what poison it is and how to cure it. I am asking you, not as a Kage, but as a father, to come to Suna and see if you can save my son.

Tsunade was surprised when she read the third letter she had gotten from her counterpart from Sunagakure. Looking out of the window she thought about going herself, but one look at her desk and she saw the many scrolls from the council that still needed her attention. Raising her hand she turned to face the Anbu that appeared in front of her.

"Get me Shizune." She ordered before raising her hand again as she remembered that she had sent her assistant to Ishigakure. "Get me Ino instead. Along with Shikamaru and Choji. But Ino has priority." The masked shinobi nodded and disappeared in a quick shushin. Tsunade still remembered the day the blonde chunin had come to her to ask if she could be her apprentice.

"Come in." The blonde Hokage said as she looked up from her paperwork, hearing the knock on her door. Raising an eyebrow she saw Ino and Sakura come into the office.

"What is it?" She asked as the two girls stepped up to her table.

"I wanted to ask you to take me as an apprentice." Ino stated, earning a shocked look from the pink haired girl besides her.

"No fair, I wanted to ask the same thing!" Sakura screeched, making the other two in the room wince.

"Why do you want to be my apprentice?" Tsunade asked, looking at Ino for an answer, however Sakura spoke first.

"I want to become as strong as you are so that Sasuke will finally see that I am better than that ice girl he wants to marry." The pinkette said with a confident grin on her face, making her look as mad as those words made her sound.

"And you Ino?" Tsunade asked, hoping for a better answer.

"I saw what happened to Naruto and I want to be able to help the people I care for instead of having to rely on others. We almost lost Naruto and I don't want to be in that position again." The blonde answered, thinking about how heartbroken Temari had been and how she herself had felt, wondering if she would even be able to be as strong as the fellow blonde, if it had been Choji lying there instead of Naruto.

Smiling at the thought of the determination in the young girls eyes, Tsunade turned to the door, when there was a knock.

"Come in Ino."

"You wanted to see me?" The blonde bowed, the two short swords on her back glistening against the light from the window.

"Yes, I will send you and the rest of your team to Suna. One of their shinobi has been poisoned and they have requested our help. I trust that you will be able to extract the poison and work out an antidote for it." Tsunade said, knowing that her apprentice would be more than capable for this mission.

"But I have only done that on animals, I have never extracted poison from a human." Ino mumbled, doubting her abilities.

"Don't worry, you can do this easily." A deep voice came from behind them, as Choji and Shikamaru entered the office, the Akimichi wrapping one arm around his girlfriend. Ino smiled, leaning into the shoulder behind her, nodding.

"I agree. I will write to Suna to inform them that you are coming and what equipment you will need. You are to leave immediately." Tsunade ordered, earning a nod from the trio in front of her, before they disappeared in three swirls of leaves.