Set Me Free | Naruto Neglect✔️

Chapter 10

Chapter 9: Safe

A bright flash of light blinded everyone, debris and the like had enveloped the whole battlefield. Sakura, Sasuke and Chiyo arrived at the scene, eyes widened. All the colour from their faces drained. "Kakashi-sensei! Neji?! Lee?! Menma??" Sasuke cried jumping down onto a tree and made his way towards the battlefield.

Sakura and Chiyo followed them and arrived, not long after Sasuke did.

The blackette looked into the distance only seeing dust and a large crater left behind by the large explosion. "What... the hell?!" A voice groaned.

The team snapped out of their terrified state and whipped their heads to the source of the familiar voice. A hand stuck out of the ground followed by the body slowly sitting up. "Menma!!" Sakura called out and ran up to her teammate and friend. "Are you alright?"

Menma grunted as Sakura slowly helped him up, "yeah.. I think..." He trailed.

"Oh.. my gahh... what the hell happened?" Mito asked sitting up, the dirt falling down her face and upper body to the ground.

"We saw a huge explosion and... hold on, how are you even alive?" Sasuke asked.

The twins looked at one another and shrugged, "we don't know. It happened so fast..." Menma answered his eyes fixated to the ground.

"Is everyone alright?" A different voice asked.

Everyone turned around and saw Kakashi and the rest of the gang. "Kakashi-sensei!!" They all exclaimed and ran up to him.

"What happened? How are we alive? Where's Gaara??" Menma bombarded his poor Sensei with more and more questions.

"Shut up will you?" Sasuke growled in annoyance.

The Uzumaki-Namikaze quieted down and chuckled. "Sorry..." he trailed.

Sakura was glad all her friend and Sensei were safe. She looked around them and there she him, on the ground beaten and battered. "Guys look." She spoke up.

Everyone turned their attention to the person she was pointing at. "I-I he dead?" Mito asked walking up to him.

Hold on... he looks.. familiar... She thought but then shook the thought it of her head.

"No, he's sustained major injuries. He protected us all from the explosion." Kakashi said and walked towards the boy. He picked him up and found Gaara underneath him.

"He shielded Gaara too." Menma said and picked up his best friend. His fingers immediately felt how cold Gaara's body was.

Shock and terror overwhelmed his body. He placed the Kazekage on the ground and felt his pulse. "Menma...? What's wrong?" His sister asked.

Menma took a moment, his eyes widen and body shook. "H-He's dead..." he said, his voice merely above a whisper.

Chico frowned and kneeled next to Gaara's motionless body. "It makes sense," she began as she placed her hands on Gaara's stomach, "when a tailed-beast is extracted from its host, the host will die."

"W-What?" Menma asked in shock.

Chiyo's hands glowed blue and the colour in Gaara's face slowly began to return. "This is what I can do. I will be joining grandson after this.." she said weakly.

"A life for a life." She said.

"H-Hold-"

Kakashi stuck his arm out in front of Menma. The red head looked at his Sensei and saw him slightly nod his head. He pursued his lips into a straight line, eyes fixated on the ground as Chiyo's life slowly faded away.