𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊 | 𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐨 [HEAVY EDITING]

𝟒𝟎 | 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐝

It doesn't take nearly as long as I thought it would to catch back up to Sasuke and to Kankurō and Gaara. Sasuke managed to get them to stop almost soon enough after they'd taken off, maybe less than half a mile away from my short fight with Temari. And thank goodness for that; my stomach is aching. The fact that I'm already wanting to take a break isn't a good sign.

I've been sensing Naruto's and Sakura's chakra for a while now. They're on our trail, not too far away. They should be here any minute now, and they're not quite alone. Shikamaru had also been with them, but they parted ways, it seems.

"You through running away?" I overhear Sasuke ask him as I approach them.

"Who says... I was running?" Kankurō says, his face glistening with sweat. "I'll take you on, no problem!"

"Both of us?" I say, crossing my arms. Really, this is me comforting my aching organs. "You look a little worse for wear."

"W-Wait!" an annoyingly familiar voice shouts. I look above us, above the clearing, in time to see Temari dropping down from the trees.

"Temari!" Kankurō gasps. "When she showed up and you didn't, I-I thought she must've finished you!"

"She could've," she croaks, eyeballing me. "I got left with an empty threat and failed to delay them, as a result."

An angry heat passes through me quickly. "An empty threat?!" I'd made to move after her, but my way is blocked by Sasuke.

"It's okay," Kankurō says. "Every second gives Gaara more time to recover, and the more chakra they're forced to use up, the better for us."

Naruto, Sakura, and the other strange chakra will be here soon. There's something else I feel, too. Something... not quite so right.

"I've got this Kankurō! Get Gaara out of here! Go on!"

But instead of running off again, Kankurō sets Gaara down, pulling the wrapped-up object off of his back.

"Temari, you take Gaara and go on ahead," he says. "You're all worn out. Look at yourself!" He chuckles. "Go on. You'll only get in my way."

"Wait a second—""Get moving!" he interrupts. "Hurry up!"

"... all right," she says after a moment, and she bends over to pick him up, slinging him over her own shoulder and taking off with him.

"Okay, you two," Kankurō says at us. "It's time you picked on someone your own size."

"Whatever you say."

"You got it."

"Hold on!" a voice calls. We look up into the trees once more and spot Shino, of all people, standing above us in them. "I've got dibs on him first."

"What do you want?" Kankurō asks him, sounding confused.

"Shino? How did you find us?" Sasuke adds. And he points at me.