Naruto, my father's name is Uchiha Madara.

Page 236

This is more than just a family misfortune.

This is simply the cruelest irony and the heaviest blow from fate!

Chiyo swayed, as if she had aged ten years in an instant.

All the anger turned into a deep, suffocating sorrow and a sense of powerlessness.

She closed her eyes, her hands clenched so tightly that the veins stood out, her knuckles turned white, and she remained silent for a long time.

That silence was more heartbreaking than any roar.

Just then, the door to the lounge was suddenly pushed open, and a Sand Ninja rushed in, panting heavily.

With a hint of relief and excitement on her face, she exclaimed, "Lord Temari! Elder Chiyo! He's awake! Lord Kankuro... he's awake!"

This news was like a shot in the arm, instantly breaking the heavy atmosphere.

Temari was the first to rush out, and Chiyo suddenly opened her eyes, her cloudy eyes flashing with urgency. She quickly followed, leaning on her cane.

Kakashi gestured, and Team 7 followed suit.

Inside the medical unit, the lights remained bright.

Kankuro lay weakly on the hospital bed, his face still pale, his lips dry, cracked, and purple.

But those eyes were already open, dim yet filled with anxiety and deep-seated hatred.

He was connected to various monitoring devices, and Sakura was carefully adjusting the infusion rate.

Seeing him wake up, a relieved smile appeared on her face.

"Kankuro!"

She rushed to the bedside, tightly grasped her younger brother's cold hand, and asked in a choked voice, "How are you feeling?"

"Sister... Gaara..."

Kankuro's voice was hoarse and weak, like a broken bellows.

But he struggled to get up, his eyes filled with worry for his younger brother.

Sakura immediately held him down: "Your poison has just been controlled, and your body is extremely weak! You can't get emotional!"

Chiyo walked to the bedside, her cloudy eyes fixed on Kankuro.

His voice was deep and direct: "Kankuro, who is it? The one who left behind to poison you... is it that wretched creature?!"

Although she already had the answer in her heart, she needed to confirm it with her own ears.

Kankuro looked at Chiyo, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes—guilt, pain, and finally, intense hatred and humiliation.

He nodded with difficulty, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth: "It's...it's him...Sasori of the Red Sand! He...he's right there...waiting for me to catch up..."

As everyone listened with bated breath, Kankuro recounted the brief but desperate battle in fits and starts.

How he relentlessly pursued the Akatsuki members who took Gaara away, and how he was intercepted by Sasori, who was already waiting there deep in the desert.

His three puppets, which he was so proud of, were no match for Scorpion's puppet manipulation skills, which were as precise as art and as ruthless as a demon.

Like a child's toy, it can be easily dismantled and crushed.

Scorpion didn't even use his real body, but merely controlled a Hiruko puppet.

They used overwhelming strength and a deadly poison to completely crush him.

As he finished speaking, Kankuro's voice was filled with resentment and a deep sense of powerlessness: "...He...he's too strong...I...I simply...couldn't stop him..."

Naruto suddenly spoke up, interrupting Kankuro's narration, which was still tinged with the pain of defeat.

His azure eyes burned with anxious flames, yet at this moment they appeared exceptionally bright and resolute.

"It's good that we know who did it! It's good that we know the direction!"

He turned to Kakashi and Sasuke: "Kakashi-sensei! Sasuke! We can't afford to waste any more time! Let's set off immediately to rescue Gaara!"

Seeing Naruto's eager expression, as if he was about to rush out at any moment, Chiyo's wrinkled face showed deep doubt for the first time.

Her sharp gaze swept over Naruto from head to toe, this boy from Konoha, whose exhaustion was so obvious.

His strength... in her opinion, was far from top-tier, but the desperate anxiety and determination in his eyes were pure and without any impurities.

Chiyo couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with inquiry: "Kid from Konoha, why... are you so concerned about Gaara?"

Throughout her long career as a ninja, she had witnessed far too many conflicts of interest and mission-first approaches.

It is rare to see someone so eager to "save lives" in such a state, especially when they are not in good condition themselves.

Naruto was taken aback by the question, as if he had heard something extremely strange.

He turned to look at Chiyo, his face showing an expression of nonchalance, even confusion, and asked, "Why? Saving a friend...does it need a reason?"

Chiyo was completely stunned.

That simple, direct, and even somewhat naive rhetorical question.

Like a heavy hammer, it struck her heart, which had been frozen by cruel reality and betrayal for many years.

Why do I need to ask why I'm saving my friend?

In her era, filled with betrayal, scheming, and loss, this seemed like an extremely luxurious and even laughable question.

But the light shining in the boy's eyes left her speechless.

Kakashi noticed the complex emotions flashing in Chiyo's eyes.

Then he glanced at Naruto, who was already whispering with Sasuke about the pursuit route, completely oblivious to his own exhaustion.

A gentle and knowing smile curved at the corners of his lips.

He walked to Chiyo's side, his voice calm yet powerful: "Lady Chiyo, to be honest,"

He paused, his gaze falling on Naruto: "Naruto... is our Konoha's Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"what?!"

Chiyo suddenly turned to look at Kakashi, her cloudy eyes widening instantly.

It was filled with utter shock and disbelief! "The Nine-Tails Jinchuriki?! You...you actually let him participate in this kind of mission?! Are you insane?!"

"Akatsuki's target is the Tailed Beasts! You're sending him straight into the tiger's den!"

Chiyo's voice rose with excitement; she couldn't understand Konoha's decision.

Faced with Chiyo's questioning, Kakashi's eye under his headband curved into a calm and trusting smile: "Because we believe in him."

"I believe in his strength, and even more so in his will and... his desire to protect his companions."

"Sometimes, you don't need many reasons to believe."

His gaze swept over Naruto and Sasuke, carrying the expectations of an elder and the trust of a comrade.

When Kankuro, lying in his hospital bed, heard the words "Jinchūriki," his body jolted violently.

He turned his head with difficulty and looked at the blond, blue-eyed boy who was currently discussing with his companion how to save his younger brother.

The floodgates of memory burst open——

The earth-shattering battle during the Chunin Exams, Gaara's unprecedented confusion and pain after being utterly defeated...

However, when they went to pick up Gaara, a tremendous change occurred in Gaara.

That "Shura" who once only loved himself and regarded others as worthless.

It was because of this boy named Naruto Uzumaki that he gradually rediscovered the emotions that belonged to him.

Ultimately, he became the Kazekage, willing to risk his life to protect the village...

A huge emotion, a mixture of gratitude, guilt, and a last glimmer of hope, surged into Kankuro's heart.

He mustered all his strength, enduring the excruciating pain and weakness caused by the toxins still raging in his body, and suddenly propped himself up, struggling to get out of bed!

"Kankuro!"

Temari and Sakura exclaimed in surprise at the same time, trying to hold him down.

But Kankuro dodged their hands, his movements trembling with pain, his forehead instantly covered in cold sweat.

But he gritted his teeth and, to everyone's astonishment, his knees buckled.

He actually knelt down heavily in the direction of Naruto, Kakashi, and Sasuke!

His body swayed with weakness, but he still straightened his back and, with his last strength, prayed in a hoarse but utterly sincere voice:

"I...I can't go in my current condition..."

"Therefore... I, Kankuro... as a Jonin of Sunagakure, as Gaara's older brother... beg you!"

"Everyone in Konoha! Please...please save my brother! Bring him...bring him back! This is the only...the only thing this incompetent older brother can do now!"

That plea, stained with blood and tears, struck everyone's heart with a heavy blow.

Naruto looked at Kankuro, who was kneeling in front of him, trembling all over but with an incredibly determined look in his eyes.

The flame of "companionship" in my heart burned even more intensely.

He strode forward, without saying a word, and simply stretched out his right hand to firmly grasp Kankuro's cold wrist.

"Leave it to us!"

Naruto's voice was resolute, filled with unwavering determination and surging passion: "I, Uzumaki Naruto, keep my word! I will definitely bring Gaara back! You take good care of your injuries, and just you wait and see!"

Although Sasuke did not speak, the sharp fighting spirit in his dark eyes was like a drawn blade.

Kakashi nodded, his eyes beneath his headband becoming incredibly focused: "Temari, please provide the most precise pursuit direction and known route immediately!"

"Sakura, you stay here and continue to ensure Kankuro's stability, while also assisting Sunagakure's defense."

"Naruto, Sasuke, get ready to go!"

There was no hesitation or delay; the orders were clear and decisive.

Temari immediately handed Kakashi a map that detailed Sasori's last known location and possible route.

Chiyo stared at the scene before her—

The unreserved promise of the young Jinchūriki of Konoha.

The Uchiha boy possessed a silent yet powerful fighting spirit.