Inoiki watched silently as Chiyo worked to heal Gaara, a rare look of respect flickering in his eyes. He understood better than most the weight of her choice. It took true courage to sacrifice your own life to save another — even more so when she could have used that same technique to resurrect her own son. But she hadn't. She had set aside her grief, her personal desires, and chosen instead the future of Sunagakure.
As she worked, Chiyo glanced up at him and said, her voice steady despite the effort she was exerting, "Inoiki... I am well aware of the conflict between you and Sunagakure's higher-ups. I know you must carry a deep resentment toward our village. But I ask you — let go of that hatred. Forget the past."
Inoiki let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.
"You're wrong," he said, a wry smile playing at his lips. "I don't hold any resentment toward Sunagakure. And whatever your higher-ups think of me... frankly, I couldn't care less." He shrugged, the motion casual, almost dismissive. "If anything, I find their behavior childish. They resent me because I killed many of their jonin and chunin — but they forget they were killing Konoha's shinobi just the same. I only responded in kind. That's all there is to it. It's not politics to me — it's just what my heart tells me. I don't care about anything else."
Chiyo smiled weakly.
"Yes, you're right. It was my mistake to assume otherwise," she said. "With your strength, it's no wonder you don't concern yourself with what the higher-ups of Sunagakure think. Still... I hope you'll support Naruto and Gaara in their efforts to bring peace to this world."
Inoiki nodded.
"You don't have to worry about that," he said. "Naruto is my best friend. Of course I'll support him — there's no question."
Chiyo's smile deepened, a flicker of warmth passing through her tired eyes.
"Naruto is lucky to have a friend like you," she murmured.
Inoiki simply nodded again, saying nothing more.
The cave fell into a heavy, profound silence. Ten minutes passed, the only sound the faint hum of chakra in the air. Then, at last, the glowing chakra enveloping Chiyo's hand began to dim. Slowly, it faded completely — and with it, her strength left her.
As she slumped backward, unconscious, Sakura appeared in a blur, catching Chiyo just before she could hit the ground, easing her down gently.
With his Byakugan active, Neji fixed a piercing stare on Chiyo and Gaara.
Within Gaara's body, subtle chakra fluctuations had begun to stir — faint at first, then steadily growing stronger. The lifeless stillness that had gripped him was gone; breath now moved through his chest. Gaara had returned to life.
But Chiyo...
Not even the faintest trace of chakra remained within her. Her body lay still, empty. Whatever technique she had used, whatever forbidden ninjutsu she had unleashed — it had worked. She had achieved her goal. At the cost of her own life.
Naruto, still unaware of the full gravity of the situation, spoke up brightly.
"It looks like Granny Chiyo just exhausted herself and fainted! And Gaara... he's alive! I can see him breathing!"
There was a long, heavy silence after his words.
Everyone present could see the truth that Naruto, in his relief and happiness, had missed — he could see Gaara breathing, but he hadn't noticed that Chiyo no longer was. Yet no one had the heart to correct him. They let him hold onto his joy a little longer.
Oblivious, Naruto went on, grinning.
"Sakura, you've gotta step up your medical ninjutsu! You're still way behind Granny Chiyo!"
Sakura didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her heart was heavy with sorrow. Just moments ago, she and Lady Chiyo had stood side-by-side, fighting for their lives against Sasori. In the heat of that desperate battle, a bond had formed between them — a bond of respect, of trust.
And now, that bond had been severed forever.
At that moment, Inoiki noticed something troubling — the cracks along the cave walls were widening rapidly. From the pattern and speed, he guessed the entire structure would collapse within the next ten to fifteen minutes... maybe even sooner.
He spoke up firmly, cutting through the heavy atmosphere.
"Everyone, I know you're all dealing with a lot right now, but we need to leave. This cave is about to come down."
Neji activated his Byakugan, his pale eyes scanning the trembling stone around them.
"Inoiki's right," he confirmed. "The cave could collapse at any moment. We have to move — now."
Without hesitation, Inoiki turned to Sakura.
"Let's go," he said.
With a thought, he extended his psychokinetic power, gently lifting the unconscious Gaara and the lifeless Chiyo into the air. Carefully controlling their bodies, he started moving toward the cave's entrance, and the others quickly followed behind him.
They hurried through the twisting tunnels, the ceiling groaning ominously above them. Just as they crossed into open air and put a safe distance between themselves and the cave, a patch of green grass came into view — a peaceful stretch of land that seemed almost out of place in the harsh desert surroundings.
There, Inoiki carefully set Gaara's unconscious body down, placing him beside Chiyo's still form with quiet reverence.
Before long, a deafening roar echoed through the area, startling them all. As they turned toward the source of the sound, they realized with relief that it was none other than the very cave they had just exited—its unstable structure finally giving way in a thunderous collapse. Dust and debris billowed into the air as the entrance crumbled inward.
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