Rest Your Love: Sequel to Nothing Special

Chapter 3

The Gaara rescue squad stood around Yura's body staring at it.

"A sand shinobi?" Aceso asked.

"What does this mean?" Kakashi asked.

"I wish I knew," Lady Chiyo answered. "Poor fool. He went missing after Gaara was abducted while the village was still disarray."

"Is it possible he was a spy for the Akatsuki?" Sakura asked.

"No," Lady Chiyo answered. "He served on the council for four years."

" The Fireball Jutsu, it was created by the Uchiha Clan," Kakashi said. "It's their specialty. That attack was the real thing." Lady Chiyo took out some ink.

"It's just as I thought," Lady Chiyo said. "They were clearly trying to stall for time."

"That's an impressive just they've got," Kakashi complimented.

"For them to use a jutsu like this to stall us can mean only one thing," Lady Chiyo began. "It's the extraction of the tailed beast has already begun." Aceso's eyes went wide as they all gasped.

"We're out of time," Kakashi said. "We need to get to Gaara right away."

"So, wait hold on?" Sakura asked. They looked at her. "What do you mean by extraction?"

"They're after Shukaku," Aceso answered. "When I had a run-in with them, Deidara accidentally told me about part of their plan of capturing a jinchuriki and extracting the tailed beast from within them."

"Why would they want to extract it?" Sakura asked.

"If they can draw out the One Tail, they can create a new jinchuriki."

"A new jinchuriki?" Sakura asked.

" I told you, didn't I?" Lady Chiyo asked. "How the tailed beasts possess power beyond all reckoning, and how every land has tried to use them as military weapons?" Sakura nodded. "The Jinchuriki is the name given to those who control that power."

"But earlier you said--" Sakura began.

"Not for lack of trying," Lady Chiyo said. "There were those who tried to harness that great power for their own purposes attempting to control the beasts by sealing them away inside people. By doing so, they hoped to suppress the tail beasts great power, and then bend that might to their will." Naruto put a hand over his stomach. "And the ones with the tailed beasts sealed inside of them, such as our own village's Gaara, are known as Jinchuriki. Jinchuriki wield unimaginable power, thanks to their resonance with the beasts they carry. And if you count Gaara, then all told, there have been three Jinchuriki in the history of the Sand village thus far." She dropped a scroll, and did a few hand signs. A yellow round-up canary appeared. She picked it up, winding it up, then put a scroll in its mouth. "It's up to you." The bird took off.

"There were several wars fought using the jinchuriki, weren't there?" Sakura frowned.

"That's correct," Lady Chiyo confirmed.

"Then the people who become Jinchuriki," Sakura began, she looked over at Naruto, he's been silent. " All right, then. How are the tailed beasts extracted?"

" A couple of things are needed," Lady Chiyo answered. " A sealing Jutsu strong enough to counterbalance the tailed beast's power, and a lot of time. But were things to reach that point, then the Jinchuriki--"

"You don't mean-" Sakura began.

"Once the tailed beast is extracted, the person dies," Aceso said heavily. A big gust of wind pushed their hair around.

"The others I mentioned, the Jinchuriki who came before Gaara, we extracted the Shukaku from them as well, and both died as a result." Sakura turned away with tears in her eyes.