Aftermath (A Sequel to A Flash to the Future)

The Suna Arc I: Retreat

Temari grunted as she readjusted her hold on her brothers arm. On the other side of him, was her was her first youngest brother. Beads of sweat fell from his painted face as he tighten his hold of the draped arm around his neck. Determination burned in his eyes as he continued to push his way through the forests of the Land of Fire. Seeing her brother's determination, Temari felt her own resolve strength as she continued to pulse chakra into her legs to keep going.

They had been traveling for a while now, being approximately five hours away from Konohagakure. When they initially left, they were heading southwest of the Hi no Kuni to take the original route back to their village. However, they had to take a detour when they ran into a team of Konoha ANBU. Trying to outrun them was hard. Kankuro damn near lost his life trying to throw them off and help her and her brother escape. They managed to get away when Temari used her 'Wind Scythe Jutsu' to delay them. The two sand genin had never been so afraid in their life. The ANBU operatives that were after them aimed to kill and it didn't help that Gaara was still asleep.

After surviving the ANBU by the skin of their teeth, the Suna genin decided to head west, toward the northern part of the Land of Rivers. They prayed to kami that they wouldn't run into anymore ANBU. Or Ame shinobi at that, knowing that the small village was located in a territory that bordered the northern part of Kawa no Kuni. Shortly, Temari and Kankuro began to pant as they struggled to keep up their fast pace as well as support their brother's weight. Kankuro had the bulk of it and when paired with the own weight of his puppet, it made running a lot more challenging for the puppet user.

They had traveled for another two hours before they could no longer keep up their pace. They had made a small camp somewhere deep in the forest and made the fire small so they wouldn't be spotted so easily. Although they were exhausted, Kankuro and Temari managed to catch themselves some food while leaving Gaara sleeping under a tree. When they returned, Kankuro placed the caught fish over the fire and relaxed under another tree, feeling drained by their whole experience. Temari rested her back upon a tree as well. She allowed her battle fan to rest on the tree as well. She grimaced at the fact that the metal guards of her fan was dented. She was going to have to have it repaired when they finally made it home.

The Sand kunochi turned to look at her brother, who had his eyes closed and his puppet leaning against the tree like her fan. She could see the tiredness and fatigue through his body as it coursed through her own. Today had really taken a lot of her energy and chakra. As much as she and Kankuro wanted to keep moving, their bodies simply wouldn't allow it. Had they not taken the time to rest, they would be dead before they even reached Kaze No Kuni. The girl sighed as she began to stare into the fire. Her stomach rumbled as the smell of the cooking fish, letting her know that she was on empty.

"Do you think Baki-sensei's okay?" Kankuro asked out of the blue.

Temari was pulled out of her thoughts and her teal eyes fell on her brother's tired form. "I don't know." she said thoughtfully.

"I know that sensei is strong." Kankuro replied as he opened one of his eyes. "But, I still worry for him."

Temari didn't say anything as her eyes returned to the fire. As the night settled, the crickets began to the chirp and they could hear the light animal calls that resounded through the forest. When the fish was finally done, Temari pulled them from over the fire and handed some to Kankuro before taking her share to her seat. Kankuro quickly devoured his while Temari ate at a moderate pace. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked at her sleeping brother. She wasn't sure whether to get him something or not. He hadn't woken up since their retreat from Konoha.

"When do you think he will wake up?" Temari said as she stared at Gaara.

Kankuro paused mid-meal and turned to look at his brother as well. "I don't know, jan." he answered, hearing his Sunan accent slip out. "He'll probably be out for a couple of more hours. I've never really seen him sleep before."