#godsau

Deidara glanced towards the rest of the team, but Itachi could tell that Naruto did not really mean harm with his question.

"The Goddess," Itachi said slowly, "she looks human but she is the least human out of all of us, isn't she?"

Naruto grinned. "You got that right," he said. "And yeah, the Teme and I aren't really human anymore. We were, once, but that was a long time ago."

"You barely look older than us," Shikamaru pointed out.

Naruto laughed, and it was the bright kind of laugh that made Itachi feel warmer, so unlike the mocking laugh of cold amusement the blond had first greeted them within the forest. "You might not believe it, but both Teme and I are well into our sixties."

Itachi blinked, not really sure what he had been expecting. Appearance wise, that really did not seem to be the case, but he had a feeling he had expected them to be much older. "There were others before you?" He asked.

Naruto nodded. "All Guardians are descendants of the original pair that stayed with Sakura," he explained. "Teme and I are merely two of many." He stood up and stretched. "Okay, I'm gonna go prepare," he said. "Might wants to go out and make sure your friends actually didn't step into the trees; a lot of those traps were left by our predecessors and none of us can really turn them off."

It turned out Kiba had settled himself just outside the door. He threw a stick towards Akamaru just as Neji stepped out the door and he didn't look up as his dog fetched it and brought it back. Sasori and Deidara glanced at each other, then started a loud argument about art and wandered off to the other side of the garden.

"Are you feeling better?" Itachi asked, and Kiba nodded.

"I thought you'd react more harshly," he said. "You seemed the most adamant out of all of us to return as soon as possible."

Itachi blinked. "There is nothing really we can do about it," he said after a while. "The Goddess clearly has her own agenda, her own rules."

Kiba tossed his stick again and watched Akamaru bound off after it. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's like the three of them have been holed up in this forest where nothing can touch them while the world died to conflict and illness and hunger around them. Even when Kaguya came and shit on us they still did nothing, and it looked like they were planning to continue doing nothing."

"But they agreed to help us," Neji said. "That has to count for something."

Kiba sighed. "I guess."

Neji thought he understood the Inuzuka's frustration. It was obvious from their first interaction alone that Naruto and probably Sasuke had great power, a power he thought could have been used to better the lives of a countless number of powerless people. Still, "There is much more than what we know," he said. "A lot has been lost to time and history, and there is too much we are missing for us to put together a story firm enough that it gives us the right to judge."

Kiba closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He took the branch from Akamaru and ruffled his white fur before standing up. "Right," he said.

Behind them, the door was thrown open and Naruto stepped out. "We're leaving once Teme wakes up," he called. "Sakura brought out more food, so if you want to eat before we depart I suggest you get back in here." He stepped aside to let them through and when Kiba nodded stiffly in thanks, Naruto simply grinned in return.

Sakura came down the stairs as they were eating. The pinkette had changed out of her simple white robes and into a slightly less flowing black outfit. She greeted them politely, then exited the house. Naruto watched her leave, then turned back to wolfing down the food on his plate. The blond had changed out of the lose, baggy clothes he had been wearing into something someone at a religious temple might wear. Shikamaru winced at all the orange but the blond did not seem to notice.

"Teme should be up soon," he told them in between mouthfuls. "Then we can leave."

"Is 'Sasuke' so much of a bastard that you actually refer to him as 'Teme' on a daily basis?" Sasori asked.

Naruto chuckled. "Having to deal with him every day should be illegal," he said. "It's not that people shit in his breakfast every morning; he buys rotten food on purpose."

"I am a saint for dealing with you," a voice growled. "Dobe."

Naruto whipped around, a grin on his face. "You're up!" He exclaimed.

"Not everyone can sleep through storms and your laughter is obnoxious enough to wake up anyone," Sasuke deadpanned. The raven had also changed and was now dressed in what looked to be a dark blue version of Naruto's clothing. "Where is Sakura?"

"Outside," Naruto replied. "She wanted to check on the daisies before we leave."

"We don't have any daisies," Sasuke said. He snatched an apple from the table as he passed.

Naruto threw up his arms and got out of his seat. "Daisies, poppies, flowers," he said. "They're all colorful and pretty." The two of them stepped out of the house but left the door open, and Shikamaru got to his feet when Itachi took the lead and they followed the pair. He was just in time to see Sakura stand up from her crouched position next to a patch of flowers. Now that he thought about it, there was an entire garden behind the house none of them had really had the chance to look at.

"I do not know long it will take Kaguya to notice my presence," Sakura said. "But I am sure she will come after me at some point. How likely is it that we encounter Zetsus on our way to your base?"

"Not very high," Itachi replied. "The base lies directly between here and where Kaguya is approaching from."

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "If possible, I would prefer we find a place to rest for the night before the sun vanishes behind the horizon."

Shikamaru blinked because that was a really short time they had for travel. He glanced towards Itachi, who was yet to say anything.

"I'll be fine," Naruto said immediately. "I ate a lot today; I can manage a night, really."

Sakura eyed the blond for a second before she nodded. "Very well," she said. "But you will not push yourself."

Naruto nodded. "Promise."

Sakura smiled faintly, then turned towards them again. "Shall we depart?"

Deidara summoned his clay bird and Kiba saw the way Sasuke eyed it with distrust clear in his eyes, even when the six of them clambered onto it without hesitation. "Come with me, Sakura," he said. "I can follow them easily."

Sakura turned towards the raven and nodded. "Okay."

Kiba watched in fascination as black wings burst from Sasuke's back in a cloud of smoke. He easily scooped up the smaller pinkette and spread his wings. "Dobe?"

Naruto made a face. "I'm not flying," he said. "I'll run, 'ttebayo."

Kiba immediately wanted to question how exactly the blond was expecting to be able to keep up with their travel speed but when Sasuke simply nodded, he bit his tongue and refrained from saying anything.

"Are you ready?" Itachi called.

Sasuke glanced down at Sakura in his arms and something seemed to pass between them before the male nodded. "Whenever you are."

The clay bird took to the air and Sasuke gave a massive flap of his wings to follow. In seconds they had risen above the trees and Kiba glanced down to note that the house was no longer visible. Neither was Naruto. "Does he even know which way we're headed?" He asked.

Sasuke, who was hovering a little away from them, nodded. "He can follow our chakra," he said. "He might be stupid but he isn't that stupid. Sakura poked him and the raven grunted. "He is stupid," he insisted. "No too stupid, but stupid all the same."

Kiba glanced down again in uncertainty and was just in time to see a glowing ball of fire break free from the trees.

"He's here," Sasuke said, at the same time. "Lead the way."

Deidara's bird took off in the direction of the Alliance base and Sasuke easily kept up with them. Down below, the ball of chakra that was Naruto stayed directly beneath them.

"We can set up camp before it gets truly dark," Itachi said suddenly, and Kiba glanced at the Uchiha.

"Oh?" Sakura asked. Sasuke flew closer, as close as he could, so that the pinkette did not have to raise her voice.

"Traveling through the dark is not ideal," Neji noted. "And I believe our allies will appreciate us arriving when they can clearly see us."

Sakura tilted her head, as though considering this, before she nodded. "Okay." The two of them swooped downwards, presumably to tell Naruto their plans.

"This...limitation of theirs may cause problems in the future," Shikamaru noted half-heartedly.

"It will be ideal for them to share at least part of the circumstance with us," Neji agreed.

"If we start moving the moment the sun rises tomorrow morning, we'll arrive by evening," Sasori said.

Itachi nodded. "That is the plan."

Kiba glanced back down at the trio. "I wonder how much they can help us," he said quietly. "How much can they improve our situation?"

No one said anything in reply, and Kiba felt torn between satisfaction that that mankind finally seemed to have a way to properly combat a Goddess, and hopelessness of whether or not the Goddess who was supposedly now on their side could stand against the very creator of the lands.

As expected, their return was anticipated. Itachi had contacted Konan through special chakra paper to alert the Alliance of their return and by the time their base could be seen from a distance, Neji could see a crowd of chakra gathered near the entrance.

He wondered how many of them actually expected them to return with a Goddess.

"Are we just going to fly down?" Deidara asked. They had decided on one last rest before they made the final lap of their return journey.

"What else is there to do?" Sasori retorted.

"People are already waiting," Neji informed them.

"We will go down first and give a brief report," Itachi said, then glanced at Sasuke. "Could you join us when I give you a signal?"

Sasuke stiffly nodded. He looked down at the sleeping Pinkett in his arms and shook her awake. He whispered a few words to her before he turned towards Naruto, who nodded in understanding.

Itachi looked around his team and Neji met the Uchiha's gaze with a nod. The older teen narrowed his eyes just a little and turned to look at the base. "Let us go."

Gaara had been present when Nagato of the Akatsuki had brought news from the Deity hunt party. He was currently one of many who had gathered at the gates, eager to see if the best of the Alliance had actually managed to find something that might give them a fighting chance.

"I see them!" Hinata called softly, Byakugan eyes glaring white. "They are approaching."

Soon enough, Gaara caught sight of a single shadow in the sky. Within seconds he recognized it to be Deidara's clay bird and watched it circle above them for a second before it slowly descended. Itachi was the first to step off. The Uchiha bowed at Tsunade before he bowed at the rest of the Kage present. "Hokage-sama," he said. "We have returned."

Tsunade nodded stiffly. Itachi glanced around subtly and the blond woman turned to glare around at the gathered crowd. "Well, what are you all looking at?"

Gaara winced at the lack of tact, but he understood that discussions had to be held before anything was revealed to anyone. He nodded at Temari and Kankuro, who turned and began helping with herding the crowd away.

Once they were alone, Tsunade once again turned towards Itachi. "Well?"

"The Forest of Death was indeed inhabited by the Deity of Spring," Itachi said. "A Goddess, to be exact, and her two Guardians."

Tsunade glanced around and Itachi gestured up into the sky. Gaara guessed the Uchiha was telling them where the Deity and her companions were waiting.

"What did you think, Itachi?"

The Uchiha appeared to consider his words. "The Guardians take their roles seriously. They will probably attack is provoked or threatened. The Goddess appears to be empathetic towards our situation, but she has made clear she has her own reasons for lending us aid. I believe that if our enemy was not another Goddess, we, too, would have been eradicated within the Forest."

"So the Goddess is the reason for the rumors surrounding the Forest of Death?" A asked.

"The Guardians did," Shikamaru piped in. "To be fair, it appears as though most people who went looking for the Goddess, seeking for her help, were not genuine."

Tsunade looked around, and when their gazes met Gaara nodded. She turned back to Itachi. "Will the main tent suffice?"

Itachi nodded, then raised his hand.

Gaara glanced up in time to see something descend towards the earth. Black feathers flew in all directions and a dark silhouette turned towards them. Instincts honed by battle, Gaara raised a hand, sand answering his call beneath his feet, ready to fight.

"Watch it!"

A hand shot out of nowhere and grabbed his wrist. Gaara flinched and yanked his hand free. He whipped around and the gaze of a blond teen, who was suddenly standing next to him. "Where did-"

The blond raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, no need to attack."

Gaara turned stiffly towards Itachi, who looked the slightest bit embarrassed. "Naruto-san," he said.

The blond, Naruto, waved. "What he said," he said. "Nice to meet you, 'ttebayo." He pointed into the settling dust. "The ugly one over there's Sasuke, and the pretty one is Sakura-chan."

Black wings neatly folded themselves on the raven's back, before they vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The other male, Sasuke, nodded stiffly in the direction. The third newcomer, a delicate looking girl, hopped out of his arms. Naruto skipped over to stand to her right while Sasuke planted himself on her left. Gaara saw her green eyes turn towards them, taking them in, before she smiled softly. He had a feeling her eyes had lingered on him longer than the others but maybe that was simply his imagination.

"I am Sakura," she said. "I hear you are seeking my help."

Gaara instantly noticed that, whatever they had been seeking, she was it. The girl, no, Goddess, before him was much shorter than him. Her limbs were thin and everything about her screamed of fragility. Still, there was something about her, perhaps the look in her eyes or the way she held herself, that commanded power.

Gaara glanced over at Sasori, who noticed the look of curiosity in his eyes and nodded in confirmation, the usual laziness gone. Tsunade stepped forward first. "I am Senju Tsunade, one of the leaders of the Elemental Alliance," she said.

The rest of the Kage followed suit with their own introductions. The Deity simply smiled through the tense atmosphere.

Gaara could still sense the curious eyes of the people watching them, though they were much further away. If the Deity and her companions noticed, though, they showed no signs of it.

Tsunade looked at the main tent. "Perhaps we can discuss this inside?"

Sakura nodded, then gestured for the blond woman to lead the way. Gaara caught Sasuke and Naruto share a glance as they moved to follow the pinkette.

Despite not everyone fully believing in the tales of the Deity, the meeting tent had been set up. Tsunade gestured at the single seat that had been put up for the Deity, before she signaled for someone to grab more chairs.

However, Sakura stopped her. "One will suffice," she said. "It is no problem."

Tsunade looked unsure, but joined the rest of the Kage as they took their usual seats around the table. The Deity appeared willing to play human, and Gaara was grateful for that. Until she changed her mind, he would continue to treat her as an equal because he had really no idea how he was supposed to treat a Goddess.

Sakura sat down in the single chair while Sasuke hovered over her shoulder. Naruto plopped himself down on the floor at the pinkett's feet.

Onoki, who had been the most disbelieving towards the plan, immediately turned towards the girl. "You are the Deity?"

Gaara's eyes instantly caught the way Sasuke's hand drifted towards the sword at his hip. Sakura, however, simply nudged him. "I am," she replied.

Onoki scowled and A was quick to step in. "What we mean is-"

"You do not believe me," Sakura cut in.

A nodded stiffly. "No offense, but-" he gestured at her appearance. "You don't look like the strongest thing around."

Naruto snorted, then hissed when Sasuke not-so-subtly kicked him. Sakura continued to smile. "Did you expect me to look like Kaguya?"

The tense atmosphere seemed to get heavier.

"Gods and Goddesses were things of the pasts, legends, until Kaguya appeared," Mei said. "Not all of us were fully convinced we'd even be able to find you."

"And yet, you placed your hope on stories you did on even believe in," Sakura said. "That speaks volumes for the severity of the situation."

Tsunade linked her hands in front of her. "I guess Itachi filled you in?"

Sakura nodded. "I know of the situation," she said. "Though I must tell you, it could have been worse."

Onoki scoffed and opened his mouth, and Gaara knew that the old man was going to rattle off the number of people that had died, the lived that had been destroyed, but Sakura raised her hand in a surprisingly sharp gesture that stood out against her delicate appearance and he froze, almost as though something had compelled her.

"Kaguya was sealed," Sakura said. "And she is not yet at full power. It could have been worse, and there is a possibility it will get worse."

"And is there a way to stop it from becoming worse?" Tsunade asked.

"You stop her from fully regaining her powers," Sakura replied, as though it was the most simple thing in the world.

"And how do we do that?" Gaara asked. He could feel Tsunade's annoyance rising and was reminded of times when he spoke to Shikaku. Only giving answers to questions asked appeared to be a habit of those who knew more than they should. He didn't doubt for a second that the pinkette before him knew much more than the Nara, but they gave off the same air.

Sakura turned towards him and he once again had the strange feeling that she was looking right into his soul. "I cannot say just yet," she said. "It all depends on whether or not Kaguya managed to unseal herself, or if someone else unsealed her." She absentmindedly reached down and ran her fingers through Naruto's hair. "I will need to pay a visit to the ruins of the Otsutsuki clan."

Gaara glanced at his fellow Kage. Mei was the first to speak up. "That was where Kaguya was first seen," she said.

Sakura nodded. "That was where Kaguya was sealed."

"Won't it be dangerous to go there?" Gaara asked.

Sakura tilted her head as though thinking. "I doubt that," she said after a while. "If anything, I believe Kaguya will have vacated from the ruins as soon as possible."

"Why do you say that?" A prompted.

"The chakra of the Otsutsuki and its familiarity with ours made it the ideal place to seal Kaguya. The seals were very powerful, and I highly doubt Kaguya could have destroyed them even if she did manage to escape. Staying near them will continuously weaken her." Green eyes, suddenly cold, glanced over them. Gaara was reminded that despite her appearance, the girl before them was not human. He wondered to what extent she even understood thoughts and feelings. "Besides, she is currently looking for something. Why else did you think she hasn't destroyed you yet?"

Onoki looked ready to fly at the Goddess and Gaara opened his mouth to try and steer the conversation in another direction, but Tsunade beat him to it.

"Is it bad if she finds whatever she is looking for?"

Sakura smiled, and Gaara wondered if the look on her face was a show of emotion or simply movement of human-like facial muscles. "Indeed," she said. "However, until she finds them she will not...no, she cannot destroy you."

Chapter TEN>

<Chapter EIGHT