The desert wind had settled into an eerie stillness as we pressed on, moving swiftly toward the Land of Rivers. Pakkun had relayed the Akatsuki hideout’s location to Kakashi, but we knew we weren’t the only ones tracking our movements.
Something was watching us.
Kakashi had sent Pakkun to find Team Gai and direct them toward the hideout, while Team Kakashi—now joined by Granny Chiyo—moved through the dense woodland paths leading to the Land of Rivers. Temari had wanted to come, but the Suna Council forbade it, fearing an attack on their village. Granny Chiyo, however, had no such restrictions.
“We should be cautious,” she warned. “The Akatsuki will not let us reach them so easily.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine. The enemy knew we were coming. That meant this would not be a simple rescue—it would be a battle.
Naruto, walking ahead with Sakura, clenched his fists. “How long have the Akatsuki been after me?” he asked.
Kakashi exhaled before answering, “Three years ago, they came to Konoha looking for you.”
Sakura furrowed her brows. “Then why wait so long to act again?”
“The Akatsuki knew Naruto was under Jiraiya’s protection,” Kakashi theorized. “They wouldn’t risk facing him.”
Granny Chiyo, however, shook her head. “That’s not the reason.”
We all turned to her as she continued, “They waited because they needed time. Extracting a tailed beast is no simple task. The preparations alone take years.”
Sakura’s expression hardened. “Extracting?”
Granny Chiyo looked surprised. “You don’t know? And you’re Tsunade’s apprentice?”
I had to admit, I had some idea of what was happening, but hearing it confirmed made my stomach twist.
Kakashi’s voice was calm but firm. “The Nine-Tails is a classified subject in Konoha. Most don’t know the truth.”
Granny Chiyo exhaled, shaking her head. “There are nine tailed beasts. The hidden villages fought over them for power. Suna had the One-Tail… and Konoha, the Nine-Tails.”
I saw Naruto tense. His fingers twitched as he absorbed the weight of her words.
“They didn’t just stop at Gaara,” I muttered. “They’re hunting all the jinchūriki.”
Naruto’s jaw tightened. I could see the storm in his eyes, the realization that he and Gaara weren’t the only ones. That there were others like them, alone and hunted.
A rustle in the trees snapped me back to attention.
Kakashi stopped walking. “We’re being watched.”
I tensed, my hand moving toward my kunai pouch. Neji, using his Byakugan, pinpointed the presence first.
“Behind us. Underground.”
Before we could react, the earth cracked open, and a massive, shark-like figure emerged.
Kisame.
I had barely seen him the first time in Konoha, but now, standing before us, his presence was suffocating. His predatory grin stretched across his face, his sword Samehada resting on his shoulder.
“Yo, we meet again,” he greeted. His eyes landed on Gai, then darkened. “…And you still don’t remember me, do you?”
Gai blinked. “Should I?”
YOU ARE READING
A Strange New Life || Isekai'd Reader To Naruto World
Fanfiction(Y/n) has always loved the Naruto anime but never could have predicted that they would be magically transported into the Naruto world! Armed with her knowledge of the world, can she survive the world of ninja? Note: May contain grammatical mistakes...
