𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐀 𝐇𝐘𝐔𝐆𝐀 𝐓𝐖𝐈𝐍

The Sand's Disaster

Two hours later and Naruto was getting restless. Again.

"I can't take this anymore!" Naruto exclaimed, "I know why they're after Gaara and me. It's not like it's a secret or something. They just see us and think 'monster.' It's like that's all there is to us! You know too, don't you, Sakura, Hanara."

'Actually, I think Sakura might still be a bit oblivious...'

"There's no point in hiding it," Naruto continued on angrily, "The Nine-Tailed Fox is sealed away inside me. It was why I am always treated as an outcast. Gaara and I are the same. We have monsters locked up inside us and why the Akatsuki are after us. They're not after us at all! All they care about is what's inside us, and that's the worst part! They look at us and see monsters!"

'Discrimination... it's everywhere, no matter the world. But, now's not the time to be moping about it. We need to focus on the mission. We can think about all the world's problems later,' Hanara thought firmly.

"Gaara doesn't deserve to be treated like this! He's the Kazekage, he's a person, too! Can't he be happy for once in his life? That's why we have to hurry! We don't have a second to waste!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hanara closed her eyes and clenched her fists, trying not to explode for the second time this mission.

'Easy for you to say! You slept on my birds, Pho and Fuji did not. They've been flying for a day straight you ungrateful little– calm down... calm...'

"We're going as quickly as we can," Hanara responded with forced calmness.

A few hours later, they were still flying to the Sand. Pho and Fuji managed to avoid flying into the sandstorm, making sure that they would get in at least 24 hours earlier than the Sand Village would expect them to be there.

"Naruto, Hanara," Sakura said suddenly.

"Yeah?" Hanara questioned.

"So, tell me. You've both met him before, haven't you?"

'You're going to need to be a bit more specific...'

"Who?" Naruto asked.

"Itachi Uchiha. And he's after you, right, Naruto?"

Hanara nodded.

Sakura clenched her teeth and spoke, "That's the whole reason he left. Sasuke saw Orochimaru as a way to obtain power, but all that nasty viper cares about is his body."

"And we only have six months left to save him," Naruto added.

'I don't understand. Why is Tsunade humouring them so much? I mean, I understand why she wanted Sasuke back in custody⎯ that was the best way to weaken Orochimaru and then kill him. But he's dead now, so why 'save' Sasuke? If anything, the benefits of having a rogue ninja that left the village is just one thing. Having control of the threats to the village. That's why most people can't be bothered with that and keep their rouge ninjas in the Bingo Book...'

"But," Sakura continued on angrily, "Orochimaru used to be a part of the Akatsuki himself. All I'm trying to say is, the closer we get to the Akatsuki, the closer we get to Itachi, and the closer we get to Itachi, the closer we get to Sasuke."

An hour later, the gates of the Hidden Sand Village were in sight and Fuji and Pho landed a few metres away from them. Once all five of their passengers climbed off, the exhausted phoenixes disappeared in a puff of smoke. Hanara and her squad ran up to the gate, where they were met by two men whose expressions lit up once they saw who it was.

"The Leaf's reinforcements along with Lady Temari have arrived!" The one on the left exclaimed happily.

"Please, come this way," said the one on the right, leading them to what Hanara assumed was the Sand's equivalent to the Hokage's Tower.