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 lowered his gaze, his voice softening as he confessed, "The first bombing hit both Sakura and me hard. I couldn't stand to see her in pain, so I left the village for any information to help us track down the Phantom Killer or at least understand what was happening."

"And what did you uncover?" Baki inquired, leaning forward with interest.

"My team stumbled upon an old Akatsuki base in the Land of Rivers—one we had previously destroyed during Gaara's rescue. The cliffside was littered with explosive devices and materials for paper bombs. We also discovered a map of Sunagakure, indicating potential targets that hadn't been hit yet. Once I identified the hospital and the large market as the next targets, we gathered as much intelligence as possible and hurried back to the village."

Baki narrowed his eyes. "I hear you brought someone from the Land of Rivers with you. Care to elaborate?"

Kankuro smirked as he produced a paper file detailing the dubious newcomer he had brought to their village. "This is Gin from the Land of Rivers. Our records confirm his identity, but his true intentions remain unclear. He's visited Sunagakure frequently, though we don't know why. On the way back, he crossed paths with our team and claimed he's been hunting the same rogue."

"I have ANBU tailing him as we speak," Gaara added.

An elder inquired softly, "Do you suspect he might be the culprit?"

Gaara nodded firmly. "For now, the four of us will monitor him closely. If he poses no threat to our village, we will release him from ANBU surveillance."

Temari interjected, "He was lurking around the hospital grounds as if relishing the chaos he'd caused, so our trust in him is limited."

"Trust us to handle this," Sakura countered. "We need to exercise patience."

Baki chuckled derisively. "Trust you? If this isn't resolved by the end of the week, we'll have no choice but to take matters into our own hands. Effective immediately, all entrance points to the village will be closed until further notice, and every available Shinobi will be deployed to protect the future of Sunagakure."

"Close all entrance points?" Sakura protested. "That would send everyone into a panic! We at least need to give them the option to leave."

Gaara nodded in agreement. "She has a point. The villagers would storm the gates, demanding to be let out. We can find a middle ground: they can leave, but no one else may enter unless they reside here."

"Fine," Baki snapped. "Meeting dismissed."

With that, the elders stood and shuffled out of the room, their long sand robes trailing behind them. Most avoided making eye contact, their expressions grim. As Baki lingered at the doorway, he glanced at Sakura.

In a low whisper, he muttered, "You should keep that one on a leash."

Kankuro, incensed, pushed back his chair and seized Baki by the collar of his coat. "What the hell did you just say?"

Temari leaped from her seat, grabbing Kankuro's arm in a desperate attempt to pull him back. "Let him go, Kankuro! Please."

Baki viewed the surge of aggression as nothing to be concerned about. A smirk spread across his face as he regarded the sand siblings while Sakura sat silently in her chair, her head bowed. All she wanted was to protect the village, but that sometimes required her to stand firm in her beliefs. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she tilted her head slightly, desperate to hide the fear that Baki instilled in her. His imposing presence reminded her painfully of the father she wished she could forget.

Gaara rose calmly from his seat, locking eyes with Baki. "Apologize," he said steadily, "or I'll look the other way and let Kankuro here beat you to a bloody pulp."

Baki scoffed, struggling under the grip of Kankuro's fists. "There's no need for violence. I simply suggested she should be disciplined for her disrespect."

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

"How generous of you to defend your girlfriend, Kazekage," Baki sneered, "but she's dangerous. If Sakura loses control again, she could destroy the entire village, and you know it."

"We won't let that happen," Gaara replied firmly.

Baki wrenched himself free from Kankuro's grip and stormed out of the room, saying, "Someday, you'll regret this, and I won't be here to save you from her."

An uneasy silence enveloped the room until Temari turned to Kankuro and slapped him across the face. "What were you thinking? You could have jeopardized everything!"

"Did you not hear what he said?" Kankuro retorted.

"Yes, but that doesn't give you the right to attack a council leader," Temari countered.

Gaara sighed heavily, pushing the paperwork aside. "Baki's words were cruel, but we must prove him wrong without violence. Next time, don't 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 with a heavy sigh as he stepped through the door, not looking back. Temari followed him closely, watching his next move, leaving the young Shinobi couple behind.

"I hope that meeting wasn't as bad as you anticipated," Gaara said, settling next to Sakura and waiting for her response. She fought to hold back her tears, but they threatened to spill over. Her gaze drifted out the window, watching messenger birds flit by. "It could have been much worse," Sakura whispered.

"Are you alright?" Gaara asked gently.

Sakura's voice trembled as she replied, "I'm fine." Despite her words, the quiet sobs that followed betrayed her true feelings. Recognizing her struggle, Gaara wrapped his arms around her, providing a safe space for her to release her silent tears without needing to explain further.

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."