Chiyo's Return To The Leaf Village

Chapter 20

A long pause settled over the area before Chiyo noticed something, another version of Kakashi began climbing out of the hole that the fireball had created. 

"Take him out, my Shadow Clone and all, Naruto!" Kakashi shouted, just then two Narutos appeared, running toward Itachi. The black-haired man looked behind him, eyes going wide. This time though, the ball of Chakra in their hands was much larger than the one Chiyo had seen before, her eyes went wide as she watched. 

"Giant...Rasengan!" Both Naruto's shouted as they ran toward Itachi with incredible speed. The attack hit its target, shaking the surrounding area and stirring up an even larger dust cloud. Chiyo was too stunned to even say anything, all she could do was stare. Itachi was knocked back, going into the trees as the area continued to shake violently. Making their way over to where Itachi had landed, the group all noticed something odd about the whole situation. 

"Wh-what's this...?" Granny Chiyo asked, 

"While we were fighting, I felt like something wasn't right..." Kakashi spoke up, 

"What do you mean?!" Naruto asked, still staring down at the ground in front of him. 

"It's one of..their Jutsu or something..." Sakura spoke up with a nervous expression on her face.

"He's..."

"Do you know him?" Kakashi looked over at Granny Chiyo, the old woman had a sullen look on her face as she responded,

"yes...It's Yura...He's a jonin from our village..." She answered, shocking Team Seven as they stared at the unfamiliar man. 

"A sand..."

"What does this mean...?" Team Seven was stunned as they all continued to stare, trying to process what they were seeing. 

"I don't know. But...he went missing right around the time Gaara was taken." Granny Chiyo told the group, and at the same time, Naruto, Sakura, and Chiyo's eyes went wide. 

"Could it be that...he was a spy for the Akatsuki?" Sakura asked after a moment, there was a short pause before Granny Chiyo responded to her question. 

"I don't believe it. He served the council for four years..." she explained, once again, Team Seven was silent, that is until Kakashi spoke up. 

"The Fire Ball Jutsu was created by the Uchiha Clan and they used it a lot by preference...And that Jutsu was the real thing." Chiyo was still too stunned to speak, trying to figure out just what was happening. 

"So, the person we fought, wasn't actually Itachi...?!" 

"Just as I thought. They were clearly stalling for time..." Granny Chiyo's voice broke Chiyo out of her thoughts, she looked over at the older woman, who held a brush in her hands.

"They've sure got a good Jutsu..." Kakashi added, meanwhile, both Sakura and Chiyo turned toward Naruto, the blond having a look of both frustration and worry on his face. 

"Naruto..." Chiyo frowned. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling right now. He had been hated by most of the Leaf Village his entire life for something that wasn't his fault. And now he was being targeted by dangerous people because of it. 

"Using a Jutsu like this to stall us means..." the black-haired girl heard Granny Chiyo start to speak once more, looking over at her, Chiyo noticed she was writing something. 

"They're undoubtedly already extracting the Tailed Beast!" The old woman finished, and Naruto's face morphed into one filled with even more worry. It wasn't hard to tell that he cared about Gaara, even if he had tried to kill him at one point. Kakaswhi however, remained calm. If he was worried, he wasn't going to show it. 

"We don't have time. We must save Gaara right away" he told the team. That's when Sakura spoke up, 

"-E-Excuse me..." Kakashi simply acknowledged her with a nod, 

"What do you mean...extract the Tailed Beast...?" The pink-haired girl asked, sounding confused. Her question was answered by Granny Chiyo. 

"It's likely that their intention is to create a new Jinchuriki using the One-Tail, Shukaku." Her answer was simple, yet ominous. 

"Jinchuriki...?" Sakura still looked at the woman, not understanding what she meant. Team Seven glanced at the old woman, who simply continued to explain. 

"I explained before how the Tailed Beasts possess a power beyond human comprehension, didn't I? And how each land attempted to use them as military weapons. The Jinchuriki...is what you might call...the one who controls that power." 

"But earlier you said..." Sakura once again spoke up, 

"In the end, that is...But in the past, there were those who attempted to control that power. They attempted to control the Tailed Beast...by sealing it inside people. By doing so, they tried to suppress the extreme power of the Tailed Beast and then control that power." Naruto placed a hand on his stomach, where his seal was located. He remained totally silent. a stunned expression still on his face.

"And the ones with the Tailed Beast sealed within them...in other words, people like Gaara were called the Jinchuriki. The striking feature of the Jinchuriki is how it utilizes unbelievable power by resonating with the "Tailed Beast."  Including Gaara, there have been three Jinchuiki in the history of the Sand." Granny Chiyo continued as she put the brush she had been holding away, rolling up the small scroll in her hands. She pulled out a second, throwing it to the ground in front of her before quickly performing some hand signs. A moment later, a small, yellow, mechanical bird appeared from a small cloud of smoke. Picking up the small creature, Granny Chiyo wound it up with the key on its back, causing its beak to open up, she then placed the scroll inside. After that, the bird took off, flying away from Team Seven as the group watched it go. During the silence, the look on Sakura's face turned sour. 

"So wars were fought often using the Jinchuriki?" She suddenly asked, 

"That's right." Granny Chiyo confirmed her suspicion, the pink-haired girl spun around, now fully facing the old woman. 

"Then, the people who've been turned into a Jinchuriki..." She didn't finish her thought, stopping as she looked over at Naruto, the blond still hadn't said anything. His eyes were glued to the ground.

"How can the Tailed Beast be extracted?" Sakura spoke up again, breaking the tense silence. 

"What's required is a Sealing Jutsu with the ability... to instantaneously balance the power of the Tailed Beast, in addition to plenty of time. But if that's done, the Jinchuriki..." Granny Chiyo didn't finish, but Naruto, Sakura, and Chiyo could guess what she meant. 

"Don't tell me..."

"That's right...The Jinchuriki that has his Tailed Beast extracted...dies." Granny Chiyo's voice was serious, and no one in Team Seven spoke. Chiyo clenched her fist, almost causing her hand to bleed in the process. After a moment, the old lady turned her head toward Sakura and continued. 

"The two people I mentioned earlier...The Sand Jinchuriki other than Gaara, both had the Shukaku within them extracted...and died as a result." Sakura turned her head away from the old lady, tears forming in her eyes. Finally, Naruto spoke, 

"You're sentimental as always, huh? Sakura... Don't worry. I'll be saving Gaara!" He reassured the girl with a smile forming on his face as she said this. Chiyo frowned, she wanted to believe him, but with the distraction that had already been set, she knew they were on a time limit to save Gaara.

"I-I was concerned...about your...!" Sakura once again started to say something, but the blond cut her off as he turned and began walking. 

"Let's hurry."