Chapter 40: Explosive Arsenal

Gaara folded his arms, his voice calm but firm. "After Elder Ebizo left the council, he sealed Shukaku inside Sakura without informing us. It wasn't until the mission that we discovered she could transform. Yes, she lost control, but we are now handling it privately. I suggest we leave this matter for another time."

Baki scowled but relented. "Fine, but we will address Shukaku when the time comes. First, we need to resolve this Phantom Kidnapper situation. When you brought Sakura's father, Kenjiro, back to face justice for his crimes against Suna, he disappeared into the Land of Wind. Since then, there's been a string of incidents similar to the kidnappings."

Kankuro pulled out one of his mission reports, scanning it quickly before speaking. "When we returned from that mission, I followed Kenjiro's trail for a while, trying to see if there was any connection between him and these kidnappings. I found a disturbing pattern. I tried to question Kenjiro in his cell, but he had been silenced when I got to him. We believe the shinobi we were after killed him before we could get useful information."

"He somehow figured out we were after him," Sakura said quietly. "He kidnapped me and forced me to witness his first terrorist attack to prove how serious he was."

Baki's eyes flicked down to the report in front of him, precisely the details about the mother and daughter who had died. "The first explosion was a paper bomb strapped to a little girl's chest," he said, his tone heavy with the weight of the tragedy. "Her mother shared her fate, but you managed to keep the others at a safe distance, preventing further casualties. That's no small feat. I'd recommend you join Kankuro in the terrorism defense division."

"Normally, I'd agree," Kankuro began, but Gaara interrupted him, his voice sharp and protective.

"I will never put her in a mission like that again," Gaara said, crossing his arms. "She was kidnapped and forced to be part of it. Her role is to be my right-hand advisor, with limited mission duties. I want to keep an eye on her."

Before Sakura could respond, Temari spoke up, her voice firm. "Gaara told us how attached she became to the little girl. She couldn't sleep for days. The three of us know she's better suited to stay as an advisor."

Baki nodded, taking in their words. "I understand. Your report was detailed and thorough; thanks to you, Sakura. You gathered as much information as possible from the victim before it was too late. That's why I suggested—you did incredible work on that mission."

Sakura's voice barely broke the silence as she whispered, "Her name was May..."

"What was that?" Baki asked, leaning forward.

Gaara gently touched Sakura's shoulder as he stood from his chair, speaking calmly. "Sakura told me that May, the little girl, was taken from the market where the second bombing occurred a week later. It wasn't just a single explosion—multiple areas, including some of our older buildings, were hit. That same day, I sent Sakura to the hospital to gather reports, but before we could launch a full investigation, the Phantom Kidnapper bombed the hospital."

Baki's gaze shifted to Kankuro. "Where were you during these attacks?"

Kankuro looked down, his voice subdued. "The first bombing hit me hard. I needed time away, so I left the village to track down any leads on the Phantom Kidnapper or at least find some answers."

"And what did you uncover?" Baki pressed.

"My team found an old Akatsuki base in the Land of Rivers—the same one we destroyed after rescuing Gaara. The cliffside was rigged with explosives and stocked with paper bomb materials. We discovered a map of Suna, highlighting targets that hadn't been hit yet. The hospital and the large market were marked as next in line. We gathered all the intel and rushed back to the village."

Baki squinted, his tone growing suspicious. "You also brought someone new from the Land of Rivers with you. Care to explain?"

Kankuro smirked and pulled a file from his bag, sliding it across the table. "His name is Gin, from the Land of Rivers. Our records confirm his identity, but his real motives are unclear. He's been in and out of our village more than we realized, and we still don't know why. He spotted my team on our way back and claimed he was also hunting the same rogue shinobi."

"I've already assigned ANBU to follow him," Gaara added, his voice firm.

Speaking for the first time, an elder asked quietly, "Do you believe this Gin might be the culprit?"

Gaara nodded, his expression calm but firm. "We'll keep a close watch on him for now. If he proves not to threaten the village, we'll release him from ANBU surveillance."

Temari folded her arms, her eyes narrowing. "He was lurking around the hospital grounds like, admiring the damage. We never intended to trust him in the first place."

"Give us time to do our job," Sakura said, her voice steady but insistent. "We need to be patient and not jump to conclusions."

Baki let out a sharp laugh. "Trust you? If this isn't resolved by the end of the week, we'll be forced to take matters into our own hands. Effective immediately, all entrances to the village will be shut down until further notice. Every shinobi will be out protecting what's left of the village."

"Shut down all entrances?" Sakura shot back, her voice rising. "People will panic. We must at least allow them to leave if they feel unsafe."

Gaara nodded in agreement. "She's right. The villagers would cause chaos at the gates, demanding to leave. We can compromise. Let them leave if they choose, but no one enters unless they reside here."

"Fine," Baki growled, his voice laced with frustration. "Meeting dismissed."

The elders rose from their seats, their sand-colored robes sweeping the floor as they shuffled out without glancing at Gaara and his siblings. Baki lingered by the doorway, his eyes lingering on Sakura.

As he left, Baki muttered, "You should keep that one on a leash."

Before anyone could react, Kankuro shoved his chair back with a screech, grabbed Baki by the collar, and snarled, "What the hell did you just say?"

Temari sprang from her seat, gripping Kankuro's arm, her voice urgent. "Kankuro, let him go. Please."

Baki regarded the sign of aggression as something to be dismissed rather than feared. A smirk spread across his face as he watched the sand siblings, his gaze lingering on Sakura, who sat in silence, her head bowed. All she wanted was to protect the village, but at times, that meant standing firm for what she believed was right. Tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she tilted her head, desperate to hide the fear that gripped her heart. Baki's imposing presence triggered memories of her father, reminding her of the man she wished she could forget.

With a calm resolve, Gaara rose from his chair, locking eyes with Baki. "Apologize," he said evenly, "or I'll turn my back and let Kankuro teach you a lesson."

Baki's smirk faltered as he choked slightly, caught under the weight of Kankuro's imposing stance. "There's no need for violence. I merely suggested she should be disciplined for speaking to me with such disrespect."

"Don't be naive," Gaara replied, his voice steady. "No one disrespected you as an elder of the council. None of us asked for this situation, yet here we are. It's unwise to treat someone harshly for acting in what she believed was the village's best interest."

"Very noble of you to defend your girlfriend, Kazekage," Baki sneered, "but she's dangerous. You know as well as I do that if she lost control again, she could destroy the entire village."

"We won't let that happen," Gaara assured, his voice steady.

Baki wrenched himself free from Kankuro's grip and stormed out of the room, tossing back over his shoulder, "One day, you'll regret this, and I won't be here to save you from her."

Silence enveloped the room until Temari turned sharply to Kankuro, striking him across the face. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself fired!"

"Did you not hear what he said?" Kankuro shot back defensively.

"Yes, but that doesn't give you the right to attack a council member," Temari replied, frustration evident in her voice.

Gaara sighed heavily, pushing the paperwork away from his desk. "He was out of line, but we must prove him wrong without violence. Next time, try not to make a habit of it. We need your counter-terrorism division out there now more than ever."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm already on it," Kankuro replied, his tone exasperated as he stepped out the door without looking back. Temari followed closely behind, keeping a watchful eye on him as they exited, leaving Gaara and Sakura alone in the room.

"I hope that meeting wasn't as bad as you thought," Gaara said, sitting beside Sakura and waiting for her response. Despite her best efforts to hide it, tears glistened in her eyes as she gazed out the window, watching messenger birds take flight. "It could have been so much worse," she whispered.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked softly, concern etched on his face.

Sakura let out a quiet whimper, "I'm fine." But the false assurance in her voice did not escape him. Sensing her distress, Gaara wrapped his arms around her, offering silent support as she let her tears flow freely, finding solace in his embrace without the need for words.

For thirty minutes, Sakura wept in Gaara's arms until she finally gathered her thoughts. Her heart raced as the image of the figure from the Land of Rivers flickered in her mind—someone who might be plotting to destroy the future of Sunagakure. She reluctantly released her grip on Gaara and asked, "Why did Kankuro get involved with someone as sketchy as Gin?"

"I'd be surprised if he had a plan at all," Gaara replied. "We should talk to him in my office. Are you ready to work today?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," Sakura said, wiping the tears from her cheeks and steadying herself.

Determined, she followed Gaara out of the meeting room and toward his office on another floor. In the hallway, Kankuro approached, having spotted them from the corner of his eye. He turned to greet them, saying, "Hey, I might have an idea for how we can handle this tomorrow, but only if you're interested in hearing it."

Gaara entered his office first, his voice calm but firm as he said, "Come in and share everything you know. That includes any information about Gin. Otherwise, I might just bury you a hundred feet underground."

Kankuro awkwardly scratched the back of his head, hesitating as he stepped into his younger brother's office alongside Sakura. She wanted to defend Kankuro, but she felt the weight of suspicion hanging in the air. They sensed he was hiding something and were desperate to uncover the truth.

Kankuro hesitated, his eyes dropping to the floor. He'd hoped never to revisit what he'd witnessed in that cave, especially not with someone who wasn't there to see it. He remained silent, hoping she'd let it go, but her gaze stayed unrelenting on him. Finally, in a low voice, he said, "I will not say everything while Sakura is in the room, but I will tell you the most significant details." 

 "It can't be that bad. Just spit it out," Sakura insisted, her patience wearing thin. 

Beside her, Gaara gave him a gentle nod to allow him to speak freely. With a heavy sigh, Kankuro relented. "When we got to the cavern near the river, we first saw a massive red Torii gate. The area was littered with debris, similar to what you described in your report about where Gaara and the Akatsuki were found. We thought the Akatsuki had returned, but it wasn't them."

Gaara and Sakura listened closely as Kankuro recounted every detail: the tunnel partially collapsed, the darkness swallowing them as they felt their way through, the underground river they stumbled upon, and the chilling sight of a hidden workshop. The walls were lined with blueprints, and tables were stacked with unused paper bombs, puppet parts, and metal scraps. It was a workshop for chaos—a rogue shinobi's dream.

"Did you find any clues about where the next attack might happen?" Gaara asked urgently. "Was there any sign that Gin had been there?"

Kankuro exhaled heavily. "Gin followed us back to the Land of Wind, but we had not realized he tailed us until we approached the village. He informed us he would like to assist us further in our hunt for the Phantom Kidnapper, so I wanted to see how far he would believe us to be fools. Inside the cavern, we found a hit list. It said the hospital was attacked to prevent any future children from being born into Sunagakure. The next target... was the arena."

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "The arena? Tomorrow, it'll be packed with children waiting to become Genin next year. Why is the Phantom Kidnapper targeting kids? Does he want to wipe Sunagakure off the map?"

"I think it's worse than that," Kankuro said grimly. "We have to be there tomorrow and act like we're just there to watch the kids, or they'll know we're onto them and launch a whole new operation."

Gaara nodded, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We will follow your lead."