Saruto | The Celestial War (Part 2)

Chapter 5: Destruction of the Sand

"Lord Kazekage, there's an urgent call from the Sand for you on Line 7," a leaf shinobi spoke as he whipped the door straight open.

Adjusting his formality he bowed before awaiting Gaara's response. Gaara then exchanged looks with Naruto. My grandfather was patient and nodded as he pressed the speaker button on the Hokage's desk. As the call patched itself in, there was static and explosions in the background. Soon a voice came in, a familiar one.

"Gaara, are you there?" Kankuro questioned as his voice seemed desperate.

Everyone in the room looked in surprise at the state the background seemed in. Darui and Yurui from the Hidden Cloud, Chojuro and Buntan from the Hidden Mist, Karatsuchi and Sekki from the Hidden Stone, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Myself, and Naruto from the Hidden Leaf were all present in the room. Beside Gaara stood Shinki who overlooked the call as well.

"Yes, Kankuro we are all here," Gaara responded with dutiful intent, yet carried a concern for his brother.

"Gaara... Sand.... Invaded... we don't... time... Reinforcements... needed," Kankuro spoke with the call cutting in and out. We were losing connections.

"Invasion?" Yurui questioned.

"Sakura and her medical advisors are there aren't they?" Sasuke voiced concern.

"Yes, she was sent to coordinate the Sand's medical ninja," Shikamaru answered.

As the call seemed to become static.

"Kankuro!" Gaara yelled into the speaker.

"Gaara? Gaara... Gaara?"

We could barely hear him but he couldn't hear us at all. Suddenly there was an explosion in the call before it cut out and the line went dead.

"What happened!" Shinki voiced his concern.

We all stood in silence as the air grew stale in my grandfather's office. We all knew what had happened but no one could confidently say that. They were...

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes wandered towards his shirt. Showing distress we all looked at him as he slipped a necklace from under his shirt. On the end of the necklace was a ring that was looped through it. We watched as he lifted the ring to his eye line and looked at it.

"Sasuke...it's..." My grandfather spoke out.

"She's gone," Sasuke said.

I watched as he closed his eyes and clenched the ring in his fist.

"What do you mean!" Shinki exclaimed.

"That ring was infused with Sakura's chakra," Shikamaru said, saddened with his gaze hidden at the ground.

Suddenly there was a loud slam against the desk. Lord Seventh, stood there with his clenched fist indented into the desk.

"No..." my grandfather said as he released his fist and laid his hands flat on the desk, "Shikamaru, send troops to the Hidden Sand! If they need our help..."

Kakashi then left my side to walk over to Naruto who had thrown himself back in his chair and put his head in his hands. Once he was standing over Naruto, Kakashi placed his hand on his shoulder with assurance.

"N-"

Placing the ring on the desk, Sasuke swiftly left the office and stormed into the hallway. In reaction to his friend's distress, Naruto lifted his head, ready to go after him.

"No, Naruto," Kakashi instructed and immediately my grandfather obeyed with dismay, "We have a war to fight. What would Sakura want?"

As my grandfather looked back up to Kakashi, he searched his eyes for an easier answer. Then his quivering gaze suddenly became normal. It was stern and cold. There was a long pause as they acknowledged one another.

Looking over to my right, I noticed Lord Gaara leaving the crutch of his son, Shinki. His brother had just died.

"Naruto, he is right," Gaara acknowledged.

"Gaara..." Naruto said out of sadness for his friend, looking back to Kakashi he clenched his eyes and then turned to Shikamaru, "Shikamaru, notify the Allied Shinobi Villages that the Sand has fallen under attack. Troops are to be immediately deployed to aid them in any way we can."

"Yes, sir," Shikamaru sternly acknowledged as he got himself back on track.

As he began to walk past us and towards the door, Naruto immediately stood up, "And..." Naruto notified Shikamaru to turn around to meet his attention, "Notify Kyuna Senju and Araya of the Sand of their new positions."

Suddenly the air in the room grew silent as we all looked to Shikamaru. Kyuna Senju was Sakura's proxy captain for the Logistical Support and Medical Division and Araya was Kankuro's proxy captain for the Surprise Attack Division. They were now a more intricate part of the Allied Shinobi forces.

As Shikamaru stared at Naruto he shook himself back to reality, "Understood."

With the doors slammed, I winced at the loud noise of it. I still felt out of it as I thought about my grandmother, I remember how kind she was. How protective she was of me when I was child. How she taught me medical-ninjutsu. She was the reason my chakra was precise and controlled. She-

I cried hard as I rubbed my knee that was scraped. I winced as the blood began to drip down my leg.

"You're okay, Sar,," my grandmother said kindly to me, "I've got you."

As I sniffled my last tears away I looked to my grandmother, who's hand hovered over my knee and with a green chakra, healed it.

"See, brand new," she laughed and smiled as she placed her hand on top of my head.

Her hands then slid past my ear and onto my cheek. Gently rubbing it, she smiled warmly.

"G-granny?" I said with a shaky voice.

"Yes, my dear Sar?" she acknowledged and met my awkward gaze.

"Did you ever cry when you were hurt?"

She immediately giggled as she looked up to the sky lost in thought.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked embarrassedly.

"Hah, oh Saruto," she snickered before stopping, "many, many times. But never think that's a bad thing. It just means you're human."

"Human?"

"Yes."

I remembered how she taught me what it was to be human and that it was okay to have feelings. It's what made you, you.

As I thought about it, a single tear fell down my face.

"Commanders!" Naruto said, bringing me back to reality, "Assemble your divisions. The Fifth Shinobi War has now begun."

Commanders Sekki, Shinki, Yarui, and Buntan all nodded and followed him out of the door.

"I will send word to our Regimental and Third Division Commander, Sarada Uzumaki-Uchiha on the coast," Gaara told Naruto.

Naruto turned back to Gaara, nodded, "I leave that to you."

My mother.