"This is such a drag" Shikamaru grumbled, leaning on a rock with his arms folded across his chest. "We've been waiting ages. I just want to get this over and done with so I can go home" he whined.

A slap echoed through the desert, drawing the entire Division's attention. Temari was towering above the pineapple-haired boy, her hands on her hips, while Shikamaru caressed his cheek.

"Pull yourself together, Shikamaru" the blonde scolded. "Everyone here is relying on you, so stop being such a whiny brat and be patient" she yelled.

I shook my head. "Knock it off, you two" I raised my voice at them.

Temari huffed and turned to me. "You pay attention to finding the enemies and I'll handle this lazy ass, ok?" she almost growled.

"Alright, alright" I shouted. "I need him silent, otherwise I can't stretch the radius of the Karuigan much more" I growled back.

"Gah, I'm too old for this shit!" the dwarf Tsuchikage called from somewhere in the back.

Both me and Temari turned towards him angrily, but then found each other's gazes and sent daggers at one another.

The stress of the battle was maddening. We would shout at each other, fight over the stupidest of things, misinterpret meaningless gestures and start brawling. Everyone was jumpy and nervous, startled by any sudden movements. We were all paranoid and stressed out. Tired due to sleepless nights, each of us dreaded the moment we would have to be on watch or the moment the battle would start. I hated the watch more than any of them, because I had the longest shifts. Having special abilities had its down sides. And the others feared that the enemy would show up while I was resting and I wouldn't sense them from afar.

"What's with all the growling, girls?" Gaara sighed, rubbing his temples.

Temari huffed. "She started it" she whined, pointing at me like a small kid.

"Yeah, sorry for interrupting a lover's quarrel" I retorted.

"You don't see me stepping in when you and Gaara have a falling out" the blonde continued, a smirk playing at her lips.

I went beet root red. "That's because we don't have any" I huffed.

Gaara raised his hands. "Alright, alright" he tried calming us. "How about you both focus on your respective assignments?" he asked, but his tone demanded obedience.

I shrugged and closed my eyes, focusing my energy towards the Karuigan. With its radius fully stretched, I sat still, waiting. It wasn't until about half hour later that there was some movement on the edge of the radius.

"I sense enemy movement" I shouted, eyes still closed.

I heard rustling and then I sensed Gaara's chakra settling next to me. "How many of them are there?" his voice rang through my ears.

"Only one" I furrowed my eyebrows.

The enemy kept advancing. At some point, he stopped and I sensed him calling upon the Summoning, after which three more enemy chakras appeared on my radar. There was one resembling Gaara's, soft and sandy. Then there was a strong, electric one, resembling the Raikage's. And between the two I couldn't compare to anything there was one steamy and warm and a dry, rocky one. And even though they were enemy presences, they seemed rather confused, like they didn't know what they were supposed to do or where in the world they were.

"Now there are four of them" I shouted. "But they seem confused. They are all powerful shinobi, but their intentions are mixed" I continued.

"Alright, rest now" I felt the red head's hand on my shoulder and I opened my eyes. "I'll take over from now" he said and held out his palm.

In it, a sand orb started forming, soon becoming an eye that then floated away towards the enemy. I gave up stretching the Karuigan's range and let myself fall in a sitting position, letting my chakra build up for the fight that was coming.

"They are close" Gaara concluded.

His voice sounded distraught, and it wasn't because of war hanging above his head. It was different and I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to say to make him feel better.

"Gaara" a soft voice was heard above the soft desert breeze.

I looked up to see the enemy. There were four of them. A redhead with Gaara's features, a mummy (must have been a Tsuchikage at some point), a buff man covered in scars – a Raikage - and a blond man dressed with a blue coat – a Mizukage. The voice came from the redhead. I looked at Gaara, who seemed as distraught as before. Temari gasped beside him, obviously recognizing the man.

"The people of Sunagakure accepted you as their Kazekage? The Spirit of the Sand?" he continued.

Gaara growled. "I am no longer hosting the Shukaku, father" he spat out.

The Fourth Kazekage laughed. "Then you are as dead as I am" he mocked.

"He did die, father, but Chiyo-sama brought him back" Temari stepped in. "He's changed since you died. He made friends. People accepted him, even with the One Tail within him" she rambled.

The redhead's laugh echoed through the desert. "That I don't believe. Your siblings don't fear you anymore? Ha. And you making friends. Funniest thing I've heard today. What's next? You have a lover, too?" he mocked and the Raikage laughed along heartedly.

I felt Gaara's warm arm snake around my waist, and a blush rose to my cheeks. It was the first time he did show this level of affection in public. Before, there were only hand squeezes and cheek grazes, but he never kissed me or held me close. I guess he was as new and inexperienced as I was.

"In fact, I do have a lover. This red haired beauty that loves me and will mother our children once this war is over" he said, hope in his voice as he thought about a future for us.

His father's smirk faded and was replaced with a grimace of anger. "You don't deserve happiness!" he growled. "Your mother died giving birth to you!" he shouted.

Gaara stood silent, stoic as ever. He kept his calm, but I knew that his old man had the worst coming at him in the impending battle. The grip on my waist tightened as the redhead turned me towards him.

"I am going to fight him, one-on-one. Please, be safe and don't die here" he whispered, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I meant what I said about kids and all that jazz" he blushed.

I blushed as well and did the unthinkable. I stood on my tippy toes and kissed his lips for the first time ever.

"I love you" I whispered. "Be safe out there"

He nodded and with one final breath, he advanced into battle.

"No, no, no!" the former Mizukage exclaimed disapprovingly, crossing his arms across his chest.

The division had split into two: one half, with Temari and Shikamaru leading them, were confronting the Raikage, while the other half, including me, were fighting off the Mizukage. The dwarf left with some of our sealers to fight the mummy Tsuchikage somewhere else and we haven't heard from Gaara yet. Oddly enough, the blond man gave us instructions on how to beat him, so the situation was rather amusing. It was the third time he disapproved of how we attacked him and his genjutsu.

"I think it's time for some mind control" Kuronuma suggested.

The Karuigan wasn't of much help right now. The Mizukage summoned a giant clam that had us under the genjutsu, but I couldn't trace its position because it had chakra all over the place. Literally spread as far as the Karuigan could see.

I slowly approached the Mizukage, who was carelessly sat near a rock, watching the platoon fight a clam that wasn't the real one. He never realized I was there, until he looked me deep in the eyes. As the Karuigan was activated, I immediately accessed his mind. I sensed someone else controlling him, but I overpowered him and took control. I made him reveal the clam and then I ordered the shinobi to apply the most powerful attack they had to destroy the damn thing. Unfortunately, none of that worked. The clam kept spitting out mist and hot air, which added to the desert climate was extremely unpleasant.

"Sealing Squad!" I ordered, listening to the soft taps their sandals made in the sand.

A young Sand kunoichi saluted. "Hai" she stomped her foot, bringing her palm to her forehead.

"Seal him away now" I mumbled, thinking of strategies against the giant summoning.

She nodded obediently and signaled to the others to follow her. They were all carrying big rolls of linen sheets, which they covered the Mizukage with right away. I retreated my control just before the seal was complete, to make sure he wouldn't escape us and then I nodded my thanks to the squad as I left to handle the clam.

"Shinobi!" I ordered, and the futile attacks halted to a stop. "I need some Water users here" I continued, accessing the black chakra Kuronuma had granted me with, letting myself be entirely shrouded by it.

My troops obliged and a dozen Water users quickly gathered around the clam, waiting for further instructions. I produced three clones and sent them in three different directions around the clam, immediately beginning to perform the hand signs for the Electric Prison Jutsu. I stopped the walls from forming when they were at the clam's level.

"Fill this up with water" I ordered.

Immediately, a dozen water dragons filled the makeshift tank, immediately frying the beast as they conducted the high voltage of the walls into its hard shell. Everyone cheered when it vanished in a puff of smoke, producing bubbles on the surface. On cue, the mist and the hot air started to dissipate and now the desert seemed a bit chilly. We gleefully returned to the camp, carrying the sealed Mizukage and hoping to help out our fellow shinobi with the remaining zombies. But what we came across was something that came out of a nightmare. The camp was scattered, shinobi trembled looking up to the Five Kage, all gathered on top of a cliff, stoically facing a giant, blue, fear-inspiring Susanno'o warrior, with no other than an undead Uchiha Madara cased inside its see-through chest.