Chapter 286 Like Her

Time ticked by, and the operating room door finally opened again.

The medical ninja who came out announced to them, "Kankuro has woken up."

Temari's eyes lit up, and she rushed in, where she saw Kankuro slowly opening his eyes on the operating table.

"Kankuro! How are you feeling?"

Kankuro's unfocused eyes gradually focused, and he turned his head to look at Temari in a daze.

"You're back so soon...?"

His voice was still very weak. Temari wanted to tell him to lie down, but Kankuro insisted on getting up, so Temari had to support his swaying back.

Kankuro scanned the people present. Apart from the people from Sunagakure, almost everyone from Konoha who could be considered familiar with him was there.

He caught his breath for a moment and then described his tracking of the Akatsuki members in fits and starts.

"There are two enemies... one of them is with Gaara... just focus on tracking Gaara."

During the battle with the Akatsuki members, Kankuro manipulated his puppets to tear off the hem of one of their clothes when he was seriously injured, and was able to catch up with another enemy by following the scent on it.

When the Akatsuki members left Sunagakure, they caused massive explosions and destruction, injuring countless ninjas.

Therefore, Rin Nohara and Haruko Hayama stayed in Sunagakure to provide medical assistance, while the others immediately went to track down the Akatsuki members.

As Haruko stood at the entrance of Sunagakure village and watched them leave, she felt a sense of unease.

She unconsciously clenched her hands, hoping it was just her imagination...

In a dark place unseen by anyone, two huge sickle-like thorns suddenly sprouted from the thick tree trunk, resembling the gaping maw of a Venus flytrap.

A human figure gradually appeared in the middle, or rather, a strange being with a human-shaped appearance.

Half of his body was grayish-white, and the other half was pitch black. The most striking feature was his two inorganic, golden-ball-like eyes.

They remained hidden in the shadows, gathering intelligence.

His gaze paused when he saw the black-haired girl turn and return to Sunagakure.

That is...

Hmph, Madara is truly intelligent to the point of being almost demonic; his guess was spot on.

Thankfully, he's already dead.

After surveying the enemy's intelligence, Jue's upper body merged back into the tree trunk, and the two huge scythes retracted along with it, as if they had never existed.

Inside the cave, the Akatsuki organization was extracting the Tailed Beasts.

In the vast rocky cave, a huge, terrifying, pointed shell-like object occupied most of the space. Its shape resembled both a human and a giant, forked, dead tree.

Its top is inlaid with nine eyes, which widen as it draws a portion of the tailed beast's power from the Jinchuriki.

The eerie scene was chilling.

On the ten fingers of the two thick hands stood members of Akatsuki, their hand seals identical, working together to control the extraction of the tailed beast.

The atmosphere was deathly still, lofty and desolate, filled with gloom and chill.

Jue opened his eyes, and a deep voice broke the silence.

"The enemy is approaching our assembly point."

"Enemies? Those idiots playing in the mud?" a young boy replied with an arrogant, disdainful voice.

"No, they are from Konoha, and their strength is not low."

A hollow, rough voice interrupted the conversation, as if it had been frosted over several layers, making it impossible to discern the person's true voice: "Tell me their numbers and characteristics."

“Three elite Jonin, two men and one woman, each accompanied by three Chunin.” Zetsu then added, “There’s one named Might Guy, whose taijutsu is very strong.”

"Ah-le-le—"

A lively yet affected male voice, completely out of place with the atmosphere, rang out.

"Sounds like fun! Give me a few enemies to play with!"

An inorganic golden eye glanced at him. It was a man wearing an orange-red swirling mask, through which only his short, black, choppy hair could be seen.

It's hard to reconcile the image of a tall young man with the affected voice he just spoke.

“This is no joke.” Considering his delicate position, Jue refused, “Afei has only been here for a short time, it would be safer to let someone else do it.”

The vortex mask turned in his direction, its playful voice gone, replaced by a sinister, sticky, and obscure gaze as it silently stared at him.

Jue remained expressionless, not even glancing at him.

As the leader of this vicious group, a hollow, harsh voice gave instructions.

"In that case, Kisame and Deidara, the two of you should be able to handle it."

The arrogant boy muttered discontentedly, "It's me again. I just captured the Jinchuriki."

Kisame's eyes flashed with excitement. "I happen to have some personal grudges with that guy with the bowl cut. Let him feed my greatsword."

Once the opponents were decided, the man with the vortex mask let out an exaggerated sigh of regret.

...

Too many Sand Ninja were injured, and many of them suffered facial injuries from the explosion, leaving them with almost no chance of treatment.

Haruko Hayama and Rin Nohara could only do their best to save as many as they could.

After working for most of the day, they finally finished examining all the people who urgently needed treatment; the rest still needed to be observed and monitored.

Haruko rubbed her sore shoulders in the morning but didn't rest immediately.

She went down the corridor, found Kankuro's ward, and went inside. After taking the antidote made by Nohara Rin, the remaining poison in Kankuro's body was almost eliminated.

He is currently lying in a hospital bed receiving an IV drip, resting and adjusting his condition.

Seeing that he was awake, Haruko went to his bedside and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort, especially in your heart?"

Kankuro shook his head, his tone completely sincere, "Thank you so much this time."

"It's alright. It's our duty as allies, and it's also our duty as friends."

Kankuro paused for a few seconds when he met Haruko's gentle smile, then relaxed.

There were only the two of them in the room, so their voices were particularly clear and loud.

"The Wind Shadow... who is also my father, is in critical condition. The higher-ups have suggested that we must make proper arrangements for the next Wind Shadow."

"To be honest, Gaara is the most suitable candidate. He is not only strong, but also the son of the Kazekage. He is the most powerful weapon of Sunagakure, but... he is also the most dangerous existence."

“Our mother passed away a few years ago due to a chronic illness. Even though Granny Chiyo supported Gaira, there were still rumors and gossip in the village about fear and cursing him.”

"Neither Temari nor I want to see him suffer. He grew up enduring the villagers' disgust. If he becomes the Kazekage, he will only be resented even more."

Kankuro's soft, drawn-out words cast a somber shadow over the otherwise tranquil room.

Haruko didn't interrupt him. After listening quietly to everything, she asked softly, "What about Gaara? What does he think?"

"he……"

Kankuro couldn't help but recall the scene when he went to find Gaara when the higher-ups were discussing it.

"Gaara, they absolutely will not push you up there unless you want to!"

As the last rays of the setting sun shone down, Gaara stood with his back to him on the edge of a rocky cliff.

Kankuro looked alarmed, but his words were firm.

If Gaara refuses, he will definitely argue with those people to prevent his brother from falling into an even more painful situation.

Dust swirled, whipping up Gaara's robes and adding a touch of desolation and solitary courage to his tall, upright figure.

“I… am not opposed to it. As a ninja of the Sand Village, my goal is undoubtedly the Kazekage. In order to live closely connected with this village, I want others to acknowledge my existence.”

Kankuro's expression remained uneasy. "But if you become the Kazekage, you will face even more criticism!"

Sensing his concern, Gaara turned around, a slight smile appearing on his usually expressionless face.

"Even if we continue to wait, even greater pain will follow."

"It's better to strive to forge your own path and bravely accept the loneliness of being alone. That way, one day..."

"One day I will be like her, connecting with more people and being needed by more people."

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