Chiyo's Return To The Leaf Village

Chapter 16

     Midnight ran through the forest next to one of Kakashi's summoned dogs, sniffing the ground to follow Gara's scent. Eventually, both animals came to a stop in front of a river, across it was a large boulder that seemed to be blocking some sort of entrance. 

"Over there, huh" the pug commented, looking at the seal placed on the large rock.

"Any closer and we'll be noticed" the wolf points out, staying a distance away from the location the scent had led them to. They both turned before running off in the other direction to tell Kakashi and Chiyo. The next morning, back at the Sand village, Kakashi and Chiyo are talking to their animals, while Naruto is fast asleep. 

"So that's where the hideout is," Chiyou says, looking at the map on which the dog places a paw. 

"Most likely. Gaara's scent was also coming from that same place." The dog explained, Midnight nods as she sits next to Chiyo.

"I see," Kakashi said in his usual calm tone of voice.

"I have one more favor to ask you" 

"huh?" The dog tilted his head to the side in confusion. Just then, Naruto turns in his sleep. Causing the blond to fall off of the bed, which startles him awake. The black-haired girl looks over at him in concern.

"Hey, are you awake Naruto?" Kakashi asks, looking over at the boy as well.

"Huh? Pakkun?" Naruto asks, noticing the dog sitting there.

"Okay, Pakkun, I'm counting on you" Kakashi nods as the said dog looks over at the blond. 

"See you around then, Naruto" he says before jumping out of the window and quickly taking off, which confuses both Chiyo and Naruto. They both stare out the window, before looking back at Kakashi. 

"Kakashi sensei! Could it be you've found the Akatsuki hideout?" The boy asks, sounding hopeful. 

"Yeah... we're heading out immediately." The older male tells him, Chiyo nods as she looks over at Midnight. She knew that getting Gaara back wasn't going to be an easy task. Sakura, Naruto, Chiyo, and Kakashi all stand outside in the Sand village, all of them ready to head out. 

"All right, as soon as the Sand is ready, we'll join them for Gaara's rescue" Kakashi tells the team. Suddenly, they all hear the sound of footsteps approaching them. Team seven turns to see Temari approaching them. 

"Sorry to have kept you waiting!" 

"Temari-san!" Sakura greets the blond, Chiyo looks around. It seems that everyone had arrived, which seemed to put Naruto in good spirits. 

"All right! Then let's head out!" He says excitedly, 

"wait" a male voice stops them as another Sand ninja jumps down from above. He nods at Team seven before he looks over to Temari, who looks back in response.

"Temari... You and the others stay here in the village and patrol the border." He instructs, but Temari only seems annoyed by his instructions, 

"what do you mean by that?!" She exclaims, looking upset.

"That's an order from above" the man tells her, arms crossed over his chest. 

"Huh?" Temari looks bewildered, 

"their reasoning is... if it becomes widely known that the Kazekage is absent, there's no telling when other villages will attack our village..." 

"that's all the more reason we have to get Gaara back as soon as possible!" Temari argues, an upset expression on her face.

"These Leaf people came all this way for the very purpose to come to Gaara's aid!" 

"Gaara is our Kazekage right? What's the point if we, the Sand people don't go save him?!" She starts to raise her voice. 

"But..." 

"I'm going," a familiar voice says, the group all looks up to see a figure standing atop one of the buildings. 

"The only Sand Shinobi you need is me!" Granny Chiyo exclaims, a determined expression on her face as she looks down at the group.

"Granny Chiyo!" 

"But that's..." 

"I am already retired, you know... I can do whatever I like" the old woman states in a confident tone.

"You really shouldn't overdue it..." a female sand ninja says, looking up at her in worry. However, the old woman doesn't stand down. 

"Don't you dare treat me like an old woman!" She exclaims before jumping off of the building she had been standing on. Team seven all look on his surprise.

"She jumped!" Naruto exclaims as she lands in front of them, causing Team seven to jump back. 

"I haven't doted on my dear grandchild for a while, after all..." She states. 

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"Naruto!" Sakura says as Team seven, as well as Granny Chiyo make their way through the forest towards Gaara's location.

"Can I ask you something?" Sakura pauses for a moment, staring Naruto directly in the eyes as she continues. 

"Since when have you been targeted by the Akatsuki?" She asks causing the blond to look over at her in shock. He looks away for a moment, thinking about the first time he had encountered the group, Chiyo remembered it as well. 

"I don't know..." he says quietly, trailing off with a frown on his face. 

"There was that one time when two people from the Akatsuki came to the Leaf Village to make contact with Naruto" Kakashi states, hearing this, Chiyo is caught off guard. Members of the Akatsuki had made it into the village?

"But that was three years ago, and they've just started making a move now. I don't know why." Kakashi admits as Sakura looks over at him. 

"Why did they wait three years" she wonders, the same question is on the black-haired girl's mind as well. 

"It could be that it's not they didn't want to, but because they couldn't. Because Lord Jiraya was always hanging close to Naruto..." Kakashi states, Chiyou frowns, thinking to herself as she launches off of another tree branch. Had the Akatsuki really waited all this time to get to Naruto? 

"No..." Granny Chiyou suddenly breaks the girl from her train of thought, 

"Based on the information I acquired, there apparently is another reason." 

"Another...reason?" Naruto asks, looking back at the old woman confused. 

"There's quite a bit of preparation involved if one's gonna draw out the tailed beast that's sealed within people." She explains, the group goes silent for a moment, looking nervous. 

"They encountered difficulties with that." The woman finishes with a serious expression on her face. Chiyo began to feel nervous. She had no idea what the Akatsuki were planning, but she knew for sure that it couldn't be good.