---
Countless figures darted swiftly through the woods, racing toward the Land of Rivers at incredible speed.
Meanwhile, Naruto and his team were resting on a grassy field, with the rescued Gaara lying peacefully among them.
The spring breeze brushed gently against everyone's faces.
"Do you regret it?" Naruto asked, glancing at Gaara, who was lying on the grass and gazing up at the endless blue sky.
"Nani?" Gaara blinked, startled.
"Do you regret what you did for Sunagakure?" Naruto continued, watching him closely. "You sacrificed so much... and yet, they didn't even send anyone to try and save you."
Gaara fell silent.
After a long pause, he murmured, "I don't think I have anything to regret. After all..." His voice was calm as memories of the past years flashed through his mind. "...I am the Kazekage."
Naruto was stunned for a moment before bursting out laughing. A tear slipped from the corner of his eye as he smiled warmly. He couldn't help but think of Uchiha Madara, that foolish man who had struggled so hard, yet still couldn't change everything. After all, this world was different from the anime he had once watched in his previous life...
The two of them basked in the breeze and gradually drifted off to sleep.
---
After some time, Gaara slowly opened his eyes — and was immediately faced with countless Sand shinobi standing before him.
"You..." Gaara muttered in disbelief.
Naruto lightly smacked Gaara's head and said with a grin, "They all came all the way here to save you."
"Lord Gaara!!" Jasmine, a young kunoichi of the Sand, ran from the crowd and threw herself into Gaara's arms, tears streaming down her face. "Are you alright?!"
Gaara nodded stiffly.
In an instant, cheers erupted among the Sand shinobi!
Cries of joy filled the air: "Great!" "Lord Kazekage is safe!"
Naruto grinned. "You really know how to make people worry."
"That's right," Kankurō said, limping over with his injuries still fresh. "Your 'brother' is seriously a handful!"
"Hey! Show some respect!" Temari snapped, unable to stand it. "Gaara is the Kazekage! Mind your tone!"
"Hey hey~" Naruto chuckled mischievously. "When you have a little brother, you forget about your lover. Tsk tsk — such a betrayal of priorities!"
"NANI?!" Temari screamed, her face flushing red with rage.
"Hahaha!" Laughter echoed across the meadow as everyone joined in.
Still holding onto Gaara, Jasmine suddenly said, "Lord Gaara..."
"It's nothing," Gaara replied, rubbing his eyes awkwardly. "Just... some sand got in my eyes."
---
"By the way, how exactly did Gaara come back to life?" Kankurō asked, a sudden thought striking him.
"It was the Reincarnation Ninjutsu," Naruto answered.
"Nani?! Could it be...?" Kankurō gasped, and everyone turned toward Chiyo-baasama.
They saw Granny Chiyo sitting quietly, her eyes closed, cradled in Sakura's arms.
The atmosphere instantly turned solemn.
Naruto opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Ebizō's voice.
Ebizō, remembering when his sister used to fake her death, felt tears welling in his eyes. "It feels just like before... Your expression is so peaceful, as if you might laugh at any moment..."
Suddenly, Chiyo-baasama snapped open her eyes and roared with laughter. "You're kidding! I'm just pretending to be dead! Hahahaha~"
Everyone: "..."
Ten thousand alpacas seemed to trample through everyone's hearts at once as they all turned to glare at Naruto simultaneously.
Naruto shrugged helplessly. "I never said she used it."
In everyone's mind, there was only one thought left: "Tch!"
And then — they all burst out laughing again.
Temari, however, approached Naruto seriously. "Naruto, you..."
"Don't worry~" Naruto said with a relaxed smile. "I have plenty of chakra. It won't cost me my life."
(Probably... Naruto added silently in his heart.)
"Arigato..." Temari murmured, slowly hugging Naruto.
---
Meanwhile, far away, Deidara was crawling out of a dirt mound, scowling.
"Tch... even my exploding clay clone got swallowed up," Deidara muttered irritably. "Hmph, but it seems they only managed to take my right arm and the ring that fell near the elbow... I'll have to find it."
In the cave where Sasori had fought, a dark figure was rummaging among the shattered puppets.
Zetsu slowly approached Sasori's true body and muttered, "So this is Sasori's puppet body..."
"Found it!" a black figure with an orange swirl-patterned mask — Tobi — yelled excitedly from nearby. "Now I can finally become a member of Akatsuki! There's a vacancy, hahaha!"
Tobi tossed Sasori's Akatsuki ring into the air triumphantly.
"Idiot. It's not that simple to join," Black Zetsu said, thoroughly unimpressed.
"Oh no! It's falling!" White Zetsu cried out.
Tobi immediately dove forward, faceplanting into a crevice in an attempt to grab the falling ring.
Black Zetsu sighed heavily. "mdzz, White Zetsu's clones really are defective."
White Zetsu protested, "It doesn't matter. Ah Fei is still a good boy!"
"Let's just go," Black Zetsu snapped.
"Wait! Wait for me, Mr. Zetsu!" Tobi pleaded, still struggling desperately to retrieve the ring.
Black Zetsu simply facepalmed.
---
Sand Village — At Dawn
At the gates of Sunagakure, Baki was pacing anxiously.
"Aren't they here yet?!" Baki barked at the guards.
"Should be soon!" a Sand shinobi replied from a watchtower.
On the high walls of Sunagakure, rows of villagers stood silently, all gazing toward the horizon as the first light of dawn broke.
A single black silhouette appeared at the edge of the horizon.
Then two... three... one row... two rows...
"Gaara..." Baki whispered, his voice trembling.
Leading the way was Gaara himself, followed by Chiyo and Ebizō, then Kankurō and the Konoha shinobi. Guy was carrying a grumpy Kakashi on his back, and behind them came the exhausted but proud Sand shinobi.
The sun rose higher, casting golden light over the returning procession.
As they approached, the cheers from the walls grew louder and louder.
Naruto smiled at Temari, who stood beside him. "Your brother's welcome ceremony is pretty spectacular, huh?"
"Of course," Temari said proudly, clinging to Naruto's arm. "He's the Kazekage of Sunagakure, after all!"
As Gaara and the others came closer, countless villagers broke from the crowds and rushed forward to meet him.
Baki strode quickly from the front lines and stood before Gaara, bowing deeply. "Welcome home safely, Lord Kazekage."
"Thank you," Gaara said, nodding solemnly. "Thanks to everyone's efforts."
"Lord Naruto, thank you as well," Baki said, bowing toward Naruto.
Naruto flashed a grin and gave him a thumbs-up. "Helping my brother-in-law is just natural!"
Temari's face instantly darkened with black lines. Without hesitation, she smacked Naruto flat on the ground with her giant iron fan. "Hmph! Serves you right for talking nonsense!"
Everyone around them burst out laughing.
Baki turned to Gaara, his expression earnest. "Lord Kazekage, everyone is waiting for you."
At his words, the crowd spontaneously parted, revealing a vast road leading straight into the heart of Sunagakure.
"Please! Kazekage-sama!" Baki said, stepping aside.
Gaara looked out at his people, at the wide road that awaited him, and then stepped forward, his red hair blazing in the morning light.
Gaara smiled faintly.
"Thank you," he whispered.
---
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