In the deepest level of the Tailed Beasts' consciousness.
"…Just as I promised Kurama, if I have the ability, I will definitely save you all from your seals. What do you say?" Naruto, perched atop Kurama's head, directed his question to Shukaku, who was opposite him.
"Sounds quite interesting," Shukaku said, rubbing its chin with its claw, its voice filled with intrigue. "Kurama, your jinchuriki is quite interesting."
"Well, look whose jinchuriki he is," Kurama harrumphed disdainfully.
"Then let's leave it at that for now." Naruto nodded slightly. "You two might as well get to know each other better. Strictly speaking, you are both victims."
"Tch!" Shukaku turned its head to the side.
"Let's go, Kurama!" Naruto smiled faintly and didn't say anything more. This was the deepest recess of the Tailed Beasts' minds, the place through which Kurama and Shukaku had communicated during the second exam. And this mental space was also one of the foundations upon which Naruto intended to build his Dragon Heritage organization. The ability to communicate regardless of distance—with this alone, Naruto had full confidence in establishing Dragon Heritage.
Of course, using this mental space was also no small feat. For the Tailed Beasts, it was relatively straightforward; this was inherently their own place of communication, and entering posed no difficulty. But for a jinchuriki, it was a considerable challenge. The challenge was both difficult and not difficult, hinging on one single point: unreserved mutual trust. Because this space was the deepest recess of the Tailed Beasts' minds, the very depths of their souls, without a profound emotional bond, even if the Tailed Beasts wanted to bring you in, you wouldn't be able to enter.
However, for Naruto, this was perfect; it could serve as a screening criterion. Firstly, if a jinchuriki had a deep emotional bond with their Tailed Beast, then even if their own aptitude was poor, their strength wouldn't be lacking. Secondly, and more importantly, it was a matter of ideology. If their ideals didn't align, then even if an organization was forcibly created, it would just be like scattered sand—a disunited mess fighting individual battles. Those who could establish a friendship with their Tailed Beast were naturally inclined towards the ideals of Dragon Heritage.
Outside.
Naruto opened his eyes and said to Gaara, "If you have time, try to communicate more with Shukaku. Your relationship with him is closer than with anyone else." If Gaara couldn't establish a friendship with Shukaku, then his yet-to-be-established Dragon Heritage could pretty much declare bankruptcy. But he believed in Gaara; he trusted that his judgment wouldn't be wrong. Gaara, after all, possessed the aptitude of a Shura.
"I understand," Gaara nodded slightly. Now that he had made a decision, no matter how rugged the path ahead, he would walk it.
"Your teammates are about to arrive." Sensing two chakras gradually approaching from not far off, Naruto suddenly said, "I hope it won't be too long before we meet again." He hadn't mentioned the matter of the mental space. A friendship built on the premise of self-interest was not what he wished to see.
A gust of wind swept past, and Naruto's figure vanished amidst the yellow sand.
Just as Gaara was still pondering the meaning of Naruto's parting words, Temari and Kankuro rushed over from the distance. Seeing him without any missing limbs, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go!" Without another word, the two of them immediately helped him up. If they were caught by Konoha ninjas again, whether they could escape was still an unknown. Temari, especially; if Kankuro hadn't rescued her, she might have been crushed to death by some tree or a rather large rock.
Feeling the gentle breeze brush past his ears, recalling the conversation from moments ago, Gaara said softly, "Thank you, Temari, Kankuro…"
"…" Temari and Kankuro exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in the other's eyes.
"…It's okay. We're family," Temari said.
"You're not dead?" Naruto pulled Shikamaru, who was caught in some tree branches, free and roused him.
"Not… not dead yet!" Shikamaru said weakly.
"That's good then." Naruto helped him to a shady spot nearby. "I'll go find the others."
After the conclusion of that last battle, Naruto suddenly discovered that he could clearly sense other people's chakra. He didn't know if it was due to a deeper fusion with Kurama's chakra or some other reason. His mind was like a radar, capable of accurately perceiving chakra sources within a considerable range. He didn't yet have a clear concept of how large this range was, but one thing was certain: finding a few people within this area was very easy.
Kiba, half-buried in mud; Lee, hanging from a tree; Sasuke, lying immobile on a pile of fallen trees…
"So, this mission of ours, does it ultimately count as a success or a failure?" Kiba asked, leaning weakly against a rock.
"Let the village decide," Naruto said, ripping off his tattered shirt.
"Hiss… Don't you feel pain?" The others looked at him incredulously. They had all been within the blast's affected area; how was it that he alone seemed completely fine?
"It's alright." Naruto also felt a sense of relief inwardly. If the shadow clone had sustained more damage, it might not have been able to maintain its form, and Shikamaru and the others would have truly suffered. As for pain, in his past life, he had died more times than he could count on his fingers. After dying so many times, he had come to a conclusion: as long as it wasn't a fatal wound, it was just a light injury. What's more, this current body was just a shadow clone; even 'death' wasn't a big deal.
"Yo, looks like it's over, huh?"
The group looked up to see Kakashi, covered in wounds, standing on a large boulder, smiling down at them with crinkled eyes.
"Kakashi-sensei, what's the situation in the village?" Shikamaru inquired.
"It's over. Don't worry," Kakashi said with a smile. "You all did well." He glanced towards the nearby battlefield. They had been able to clearly feel the commotion from this battle even all the way back in Konoha.
"Kakashi-sensei, for letting the Sand team escape, I bear the primary responsibility," Shikamaru said, standing up. He was the squad leader for this operation; it was only right that he should bear the responsibility.
"No, you all performed excellently," Kakashi said, shaking his head. In a battle of this caliber, even a jonin would have a hard time gaining an advantage; how could he harshly demand such things from a group of children? "We came in a hurry and couldn't bring any medical ninjas. My apologies," Kakashi apologized.
"Child," Kakashi said, walking over to Naruto and bowing deeply, "I apologize for my previous rash judgment. You value and protect your comrades better than anyone."
Everyone looked at this scene, puzzled. Shikamaru, who had some understanding of the history between the two, smiled knowingly.
"It's alright," Naruto said, shaking his head. He had weathered so many great storms; such a small matter truly wasn't worth keeping in his heart.
"Let's go, back to the village!" Kakashi crouched down slowly in front of him.
Naruto looked at Kakashi's back, a question mark practically appearing above his head, and shifted his body slightly away. Did he look like someone who couldn't walk?
"Compared to me, Sasuke probably needs more help," Naruto said, pointing towards the incapacitated Sasuke. When he had found Sasuke, a large part of his body had been covered in strange black markings, and his chakra had felt incredibly dark and obscure. If he hadn't transferred some chakra in time, Sasuke might have already kicked the bucket.
"Oh, is that so?" Kakashi scratched his head with a smile, then turned and lifted his "dear disciple" onto his back.
The group slowly headed towards Konoha.