Chapter 280: One's Own Life Reincarnation
Deidara stared at the group before him.
His gaze moved from Kakashi to Sakura, then to Lady Chiyo.
Sasori was nowhere to be seen.
A bad feeling had already taken root in his heart, but he still asked.
"What happened to Sasori danna?"
Lady Chiyo stepped forward.
Her expression was calm, but there was unmistakable sorrow beneath it.
"My grandson is dead."
Deidara fell silent.
"Sasori danna…"
For only a moment, the usual arrogance vanished from his face.
A faint trace of loneliness crossed his eyes.
Whatever arguments they had shared over the meaning of art, Sasori had still been his partner.
Now he was gone.
Lady Chiyo said nothing more.
She turned away from Deidara and walked toward Naruto.
Naruto remained kneeling beside Gaara.
His tears had not stopped.
Lady Chiyo looked at him quietly.
"Calm yourself, Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto raised his head.
His eyes were red.
"How am I supposed to stay calm?"
His voice trembled.
"He was my friend."
Naruto looked back at Gaara.
"I finally saw him again after three years…"
His fists tightened against the ground.
"And now he's dead."
Lady Chiyo watched the boy in front of her.
A Jinchūriki.
Someone who had grown up beneath suspicion, fear, insults, and hatred.
Yet Naruto had not become bitter.
He had not chosen revenge against the village that had once rejected him.
He possessed tremendous strength, yet his first instinct was always to protect others.
And now he was crying for another Jinchūriki who had once been his enemy.
Something inside Lady Chiyo settled.
She had already made her decision.
Without another word, she walked past Naruto and stopped beside Gaara.
Naruto looked up.
Lady Chiyo knelt.
Then she placed both hands over Gaara's chest.
Chakra began gathering around her palms.
Sakura's eyes widened.
She recognized the technique almost immediately.
"Lady Chiyo…"
Chiyo glanced toward her.
Sakura's face changed.
"That technique…"
Lady Chiyo answered only with a gentle smile.
Then she began.
Chakra flowed from her body into Gaara.
But this was not ordinary Medical Ninjutsu.
Sakura understood exactly what Lady Chiyo intended to do.
She turned toward the others.
"This is Lady Chiyo's secret technique."
Naruto looked at her.
Sakura swallowed.
"She can transfer her own life force to someone else."
Her voice became quieter.
"She's trying to bring Gaara back to life."
Everyone froze.
Even Kakashi's visible eye widened.
Lee stared.
Neji said nothing.
Might Guy's expression became solemn.
Naruto immediately spoke inwardly.
"Asuramaru."
"What?"
"Can she really do that?"
Inside Ryūjin Jakka, Asuramaru watched Lady Chiyo carefully.
Her chakra was draining rapidly.
But chakra was only part of it.
Something deeper was leaving her.
Life itself.
Asuramaru understood almost immediately.
"She can."
Naruto's eyes widened.
Asuramaru continued.
"She is transferring her own life force into Gaara."
Naruto looked at Lady Chiyo.
"Then what happens to her?"
"You already know the answer."
Naruto's expression changed.
Asuramaru's voice remained calm.
"She is exchanging her remaining life for his."
"This is not an injury I can heal afterward."
"Once she gives that life away, it is gone."
Naruto stared at the old woman.
"Even you can't save her?"
"No."
Asuramaru paused.
"She will die."
Naruto immediately stood.
"Lady Chiyo!"
He moved toward her.
But before he could say anything, Lady Chiyo spoke.
"In a Shinobi World created by stubborn old fools like us…"
Naruto stopped.
Lady Chiyo continued channeling chakra.
Her wrinkled face carried a peaceful smile.
"I am truly glad someone like you appeared."
Naruto stared at her.
Over the past several days, she had heard much about him.
From Kakashi.
From Sakura.
From the people of Sunagakure.
A boy hated as a Jinchūriki.
A boy who nevertheless chose to protect others.
A Shinobi who had inherited the Flying Thunder God Technique.
Someone who could become far more than another powerful weapon.
"The era is changing."
Lady Chiyo looked at Naruto.
"And when I look at you…"
Her smile deepened.
"I can believe that change may actually be for the better."
Naruto's eyes trembled.
"You will become Hokage."
"Not merely another Hokage like those who came before."
Lady Chiyo's chakra continued pouring into Gaara.
"I believe you will become someone unlike any Hokage in history."
"Someone capable of changing this cruel world with his own hands."
Naruto stood motionless.
Her words reminded him of another old man.
Hiruzen.
The trust in those tired eyes.
The hopes of an older generation being handed down to someone younger.
Lady Chiyo was doing the same thing now.
Entrusting the future to them.
Then her breathing became ragged.
The chakra around her hands flickered.
Sakura immediately noticed.
"Her chakra is running out!"
Lady Chiyo's body trembled.
The technique had not yet finished.
Naruto reacted instantly.
"I'll give you mine!"
Lady Chiyo looked toward him.
Naruto knelt beside her.
"Use my chakra."
For a moment, Lady Chiyo simply stared at him.
Then she smiled.
The decision she had made felt even more certain.
"Place your hands on my shoulders."
Naruto obeyed.
His palms rested against her.
Chakra flowed from Naruto into Lady Chiyo.
She took that power and guided it into the technique.
The flow into Gaara intensified.
Sakura watched closely.
Lady Chiyo's secret technique reached completion.
"One's Own Life Reincarnation…"
The final surge of chakra entered Gaara.
Then Lady Chiyo's strength disappeared.
Her body collapsed.
Naruto caught her before she hit the ground.
"Lady Chiyo!"
She did not answer.
Her eyes were closed.
Her face was peaceful.
Almost smiling.
But there was no breath.
No heartbeat.
Naruto stared down at her.
The pain came all at once.
Gaara had died.
Now Lady Chiyo had given her own life to bring him back.
For the first time, Naruto truly understood a kind of helplessness that strength alone could not overcome.
He could move faster than nearly anyone alive.
He could teleport across battlefields.
He could defeat Kage level enemies.
He carried powers that most Shinobi could not even comprehend.
Yet none of it could prevent every death.
Naruto lowered his head.
His grip around Lady Chiyo tightened slightly.
And somewhere beneath the grief, another conviction hardened.
He would change this world.
He would end this cycle in which children inherited hatred from adults.
A world where old people sacrificed themselves so the young could have one more chance.
A world that kept demanding blood in exchange for tomorrow.
He would become Hokage.
And he would bring this chaotic Shinobi World to peace.
No one spoke.
Even Deidara remained silent off to the side.
He had no arms.
His chakra was sealed.
Escape was impossible.
For now, his only question was whether Akatsuki would send someone to recover him.
Then Gaara moved.
His fingers twitched.
Naruto noticed first.
Everyone turned.
Gaara's eyelids slowly opened.
His vision was unfocused.
The first face he saw was one he had not seen in years.
Blond hair.
Blue eyes still wet with tears.
"...Naruto?"
Naruto froze.
Then his face broke into a bright smile.
"Welcome back, Gaara."
Gaara blinked several times.
He slowly pushed himself upright.
His head throbbed.
His memories were fragmented.
The battle with Deidara.
Defending Sunagakure.
Losing consciousness.
Then darkness.
Now he was surrounded by Konoha and Sand Shinobi.
More reinforcements had arrived from Sunagakure in the meantime.
Gaara looked around in confusion.
Then back toward Naruto.
"Did you save me?"
Naruto's smile faded.
He lowered his gaze.
"No."
Gaara frowned.
Naruto looked toward the woman in his arms.
"The one who really saved you…"
His voice became quiet.
"Was Lady Chiyo."
Gaara followed his gaze.
Lady Chiyo's face was peaceful.
But she was not breathing.
Understanding slowly appeared in Gaara's eyes.
His expression changed.
He had known Lady Chiyo his entire life.
And now she had traded her life for his.
Gaara lowered his head.
Sorrow spread through the group once more.
Yet this time, Gaara was alive.
Time passed.
The group eventually began the journey back to Sunagakure.
Gaara walked among them.
Lady Chiyo's body was carried with the respect owed to one of the village's oldest and most accomplished Shinobi.
Deidara remained their prisoner.
When Sunagakure finally appeared ahead, the village entrance was already packed.
Hundreds of Sand Shinobi had gathered.
Then someone spotted the approaching group.
"They're back!"
Heads turned.
Then they saw Gaara.
Their Kazekage.
Alive.
A deafening cheer erupted.
"They brought him back!"
"Lord Kazekage!"
"He's alive!"
"They saved the Kazekage!"
The sound rolled through the canyon.
Gaara stopped for a moment.
He looked at the crowd.
Years ago, many of these people had feared him.
Some had hated him.
Some had considered him nothing more than Sunagakure's weapon.
Now they were cheering because he had returned alive.
Naruto watched quietly from beside him.
Baki pushed through the crowd.
The moment he saw Gaara, the tension vanished from his face.
Then his gaze moved toward Naruto.
He approached.
"Uzumaki Naruto."
Naruto looked at him.
Baki bowed his head.
"Thank you."
His voice was sincere.
"Sunagakure owes you a great debt."
Naruto shook his head.
"The one who really saved Gaara was Lady Chiyo."
His expression became sad again.
"Not me."
The crowd parted.
Lady Chiyo's body came into view.
The celebration quieted.
Baki stared at her.
His face changed.
Around them, more Sand Shinobi noticed.
Joy became mixed with grief.
Their Kazekage had returned.
But Lady Chiyo would never enter the village alive again.
Even so, everyone understood something else.
Without Naruto and the Konoha team, Gaara's body might never have been recovered.
Lady Chiyo would never have had the chance to save him.
The people of Sunagakure looked toward Naruto differently.
Not as an outsider.
Not merely as Konoha's Nine Tails Jinchūriki.
He had risked his life for their Kazekage.
He had brought Gaara home.
The group entered Sunagakure beneath the cheers and mourning of the village.
They were welcomed warmly.
Only when night finally fell did things begin to quiet down.
Later, Naruto sat alone beneath the night sky.
Ryūjin Jakka rested across his lap.
A whetstone moved slowly along the sword.
Scrape.
Scrape.
The repetitive sound helped settle his thoughts.
Gaara was alive.
Lady Chiyo was dead.
Naruto was still trying to accept both truths at once.
Footsteps approached.
Sakura stopped nearby.
Naruto looked over.
"Sakura?"
She sat beside him.
Her expression was serious.
"There's something I need to tell you."
Naruto stopped sharpening the sword.
"What happened?"
"Before Sasori died…"
Sakura hesitated briefly.
"He gave us information."
Naruto's eyes sharpened.
"What kind?"
Sakura continued.
"Ten days from now."
"At noon."
"Orochimaru is supposed to appear at the Tenchi Bridge in Kusagakure."
Naruto immediately understood.
Orochimaru.
Then Sasuke could be nearby as well.
Three years.
They had not seen him for three years.
Sakura's hands tightened against her knees.
"If we find Orochimaru…"
"We might finally find Sasuke."
Naruto looked at her.
Then he smiled.
"Don't worry."
Sakura raised her eyes.
"We'll find him."
Naruto placed Ryūjin Jakka back across his lap.
"And we'll bring Sasuke back."
Sakura's expression softened.
Inside the sword, Asuramaru remained quiet.
He knew far more about Sasuke's current condition than Naruto did.
Over the past three years, Sasuke had never stopped pursuing strength.
The boy believed he had already surpassed Naruto.
His Sharingan had advanced even further.
He had awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan.
But he had deliberately hidden that fact.
He had never revealed those eyes to Orochimaru.
Sasuke was still playing the obedient student.
Still waiting.
Still accumulating power.
Waiting for the exact moment when he could kill Orochimaru himself.
Then he would pursue the person who had dominated his entire life.
Uchiha Itachi.
Revenge remained Sasuke's purpose.
But there was one question he had never managed to answer.
What would happen afterward?
If Itachi died…
If the revenge that had defined him since childhood was finally complete…
Then what?
Sasuke did not know.
Whenever he tried to imagine the life beyond that moment, only emptiness waited.
And in that emptiness…
A familiar blond figure would sometimes appear in his thoughts.
Naruto.
....