Black Ops: Anbu Naruto

Standing outside the massive dome at the entrance of Sunagakure, Gaara crossed his arms and stared into the endless desert. 

He stepped forward into the desert, placing his hand onto the sand. Closing his eyes, he used his uniquely refined sand to sense everything around him—a technique called "Sand Eye"—to detect any approaching enemies. 

Yet he found nothing. 

Gaara frowned. He had clearly received intel about an incoming attack. A reconnaissance squad was completely wiped out after locating the enemy, yet these enemies remained outside their normal detection range… 

The enemy must be coming from the direction of Konoha, since neither of the messenger hawks managed to deliver their messages there. 

This meant the enemy was smarter than the Five Great Ninja Villages had anticipated. 

As a relatively weak ninja village, they had to tread carefully in their relations with the larger nations to avoid provoking them. 

"They must know that setting up camp within sight of Sunagakure's walls would invite disaster," Gaara thought. 

If those enemies dared to reveal themselves in the desert of Sunagakure, Gaara could easily eliminate them using his sand. 

Over the years, Gaara had prepared enough sand—spread abundantly around the village—to fully protect it, so that anyone who dared invade would face the wrath of a sandstorm. 

After all, he was the Kazekage, and protecting his village was his duty. 

If that wasn't enough, he could always reveal the might of a Jinchuriki—by unleashing Shukaku's full power and obliterating them entirely. 

But that was the worst-case scenario. 

Gaara's control over Shukaku had improved significantly, but transforming fully still carried great risk. Shukaku made no distinction between friend and foe; in its eyes, no one in Sunagakure was safe except Gaara himself. 

It could indiscriminately destroy everything—including the newly rebuilt structures. Gaara understood this very well. 

"Lord Kazekage." 

Gaara sensed the chakra behind him through his sand, so he didn't need to turn around to recognize who it was. 

"Kakashi Hatake, I'm facing a difficult choice," he said, turning around to face the man wearing a mask. "Attack or defend? That is my question. If I go alone, I can drive them back in a day—but it would cost me my life. I do not fear death, but if I die, Sunagakure will be in danger." 

He looked directly into Kakashi's lone visible eye. "I won't let my people suffer again." 

"What's the problem with just defending?" Kakashi asked, eager to hear the young Kage's opinion. He always admired how younger ninjas like Gaara approached challenges—and he loved watching them grow. 

"You *are* Gaara, the man with absolute defense. I believe you've already made perfect preparations." 

"Of course," Gaara nodded. "However, choosing defense means turning this into a long war—a drawn-out fight that will cost countless lives."

Past experience has taught me that even though I've improved my Absolute Defense, it's not completely flawless. You should be aware of that too."

Kakashi simply listened intently. As the commander of Konoha's reinforcement squad, he'd been sent to assist Gaara.

They had brought along some powerful Jonin, like Might Guy and Neji Hyuga, as well as many Chunin, but mostly Genin. Despite their experience, they were still only Genin.

"Your village currently has around 6,500 ninja, and with our 1,000 reinforcements from Konoha, we've got over 7,500 in total."

"Among them, 2,500 are Genin."

"I know."

Though smaller than the previous force of over ten thousand, this army should not be underestimated either.

They shared a glance before both turned their gaze toward the desert, where a gust of wind howled through the sky.

"The weather is in our favor now," Gaara said, closing his eyes as he felt the cool breeze. The desert climate was typically brutal, but now a cold front was rolling in. "A sandstorm is coming."

"Won't the rain weaken your Ninjutsu?"

Gaara smiled slightly and turned back toward the village. With the sandstorm approaching, there was no need for him to stay here any longer. "This isn't an ordinary sandstorm."

Kakashi paused, then nodded as understanding dawned. "Let's head back. Given our current situation, we should wait for the storm to pass before making any moves. The desert during a sandstorm can be extremely dangerous."

Invading Sunagakure would not be easy.

******

Inside the Hokage Tower at Konoha, Naruto led Yugito and Tamako down the hallway. They had just exited the meeting room, where Tamako had been giving advice to the leaders of Konoha's defense forces…

As for what kind of advice she had offered, Naruto didn't have a clue, but he noticed how seriously the leaders were listening, clearly taking her words seriously.

"You never told me you were a defense consultant," Naruto muttered quietly. Tamako simply smiled. "What exactly were you suggesting to them? Do you even know how to protect the village?"

"I don't," Tamako admitted honestly. "But I do have my own strengths. I survived a terrible invasion before… although mostly I just hid in the basement."

She didn't want to be a burden to Naruto, so she needed to find something she could contribute. "I'm not as useless as you think, Naruto-sama."

He knew it—he knew Tamako was capable. But on the battlefield, she was defenseless.

Other than sealing techniques, Tamako had virtually no combat ability. She wasn't strong, fast, or experienced in combat. In short, she was just an ordinary civilian—not a ninja.

But he worried too much about her. Even if Konoha were truly attacked, he'd never let Tamako anywhere near the battlefield. And if anyone ever tried to drag her into it, he wouldn't hesitate to take their lives.

"If that's what she wants… let her."

Yugito said coolly, following Naruto down the hallway toward Tsunade's office. "You don't expect her to just sit around doing nothing at home, do you?"

"...Of course I wouldn't let her stay idle," Naruto replied weakly, shifting his gaze between the two women.

The three of them entered the Hokage Office. Tsunade sat upright, clearly having been waiting for some time.

"I thought you would rest a few more days," she scolded lightly, looking at the entering Naruto.

Naruto shrugged, causing Tsunade to sigh helplessly. "You brat—you're such a pain sometimes."

As Naruto spoke and walked toward the desk, his expression turned serious; he stood ramrod straight, his gaze sharp, fixed straight ahead.

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