The Jinchūriki's Tears

Synopsis
Baki has the Sunagakure shinobi detonate all the Explosive Tags found in the rubble of the trap Sasori made. Shortly after, a fellow shinobi alerts Baki that Kankurō has been found. Despite not having any serious physical injuries, Kankurō is dying from the poison Sasori injected him with, a toxin unfamiliar to Suna's Medical-nin, meaning they cannot create an antidote. Kankurō tells Baki that the one who attacked him was none other than Suna's very own Sasori of the Red Sand. Baki decides to go visit the Honoured Siblings at the edge of the village and request their help in finding the Akatsuki. One of the honoured siblings, Lady Chiyo, tells Baki that she and her brother have been retired for many years now and have had no connection to the outside world, although she muses that venturing out into the world would mean getting to see her grandson once more. Baki then tells her that her grandson, Sasori, is a member of the Akatsuki who have taken Gaara, and thus by extension Shukaku, into their possession.

Meanwhile, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi are heading to Sunagakure, only for Naruto to break formation and rush ahead. On the way, they spot Temari, who is walking back to Suna. Briefing Temari on the situation, she joins them on the trip back to Suna. Naruto continues to rush ahead, and when Sakura attempts to stop him, he tells her that he cannot waste any time. He tells Sakura a secret he suspects she may already know - that he harbours the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox inside of him, a revelation that stuns Temari. He tells them that he and Gaara are the same, as they both have beasts sealed within them and that they both grew up in a very lonely, isolated environment. Naruto states that while he managed to forge bonds with others and emerge out of the darkness, Gaara never did, and thus continued to suffer. Both he and Gaara were detested and feared by the villagers for being monsters, and Naruto adds that the Akatsuki simply view them as the very monsters they have sealed within them. Naruto also reveals that the Akatsuki are after him as well, and tells the group that this time, he won't let Gaara suffer. Temari silently thanks Naruto for his actions, while Sakura reveals that she knows about Itachi. She tells Naruto that during her two years of training with Tsunade, she often read reports and therefore is aware that Itachi is a member of the Akatsuki, and that Itachi is the very person who Sasuke wants to kill. Sakura theorises that Sasuke only went to Orochimaru to quench his thirst for power, while also revealing that she is aware that Orochimaru only wants Sasuke for a vessel, and that Orochimaru has six months left before he needs a new body. Knowing that one day Itachi would face both Naruto and Sasuke, Sakura vows to be there as well to protect them for once, as they have done for her.