Chapter 1
The Virgin Noble

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It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single Kazekage in possession of a good fortune and the powerful Ichibi, must be in want of a wife.

Sabako no Gaara, Godaime Kazekage of Sunagakure and jinchuriki of the Ichibi, diplomatically disagreed (he glared at the councilmen and said nothing).

In his own humble opinion, the truth that the universe must acknowledge is this:

The single Kazekage in possession of a good fortune and the powerful Ichibi wants food. He wants sleep. He wants to go home. He wants a new generation of councilmen who would ratify an amendment to the constitution that will allow him autonomy over his civil status. And most importantly, HE DOES NOT WANT A WIFE.

Damn it.

Gaara's face turned neutral, refusing to show the protests raging inside his mind. What was in his mind was nobody's business but his. And currently, what was in his mind was his frustration and his frenemy, the Ichibi, excitedly walking in circles. He grunted at the weird behaviour of the demon. "What are you doing?" he asked the one-tailed beast. Surely the sight of honourable old monkeys throwing shit at each other was not that exciting? The Ichibi did not pause his pacing but it started muttering: Mate. Mate. Mate. Mate.

Gaara glared at the Ichibi. "Filthy traitor. Filthy pervert."

The Ichibi promptly paused and glared back at the jinchuriki. "Frigid traitor."

The insulted jinchuriki pressed his lips together and poignantly ignored the ridiculously excited beast. He had other beasts to listen to.

"Must be fun to have so many old men trying to settle matters of your heart for you, eh?" The Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure elbowed him from her seat next to him.

He gave her a sideways glance and said, "must be woeful nobody did for you."

Tsunade glared at the young leader. "Smart-ass."

"What do they want now?" Gaara changed the topic.

"Honestly? I don't know. I stopped listening two hours ago."

"The meeting did not even start until an hour ago."

"Exactly." The blonde Hokage reclined on her seat and sighed. "Can't you just tell them who you want to marry? It will save all of us the trouble."

"I don't want to marry."

"But your constitution says you have to. So just tell them who."

"You're not concerned if the bride is from Konoha or not?"

Tsunade's eyes brightened and gleamed with silent challenge. "Why should I be?"

The red-haired Kazekage met the Hokage's eyes and nodded. He was no fool.

It is true that ever since Gaara took the position of Kazekage there has been significant and observable improvements on the living conditions and government services in Suna. Part of it was because of his wisdom and dedication. Part of it was because of his people's discipline. But for the most part, it was because of Suna's alliance with Konoha—an alliance built on a treaty, out of Konoha's good will (and Naruto's influence), specifically tailored to help Suna get up on its feet and stand on its own. They lent Konoha med-nins to train nurses and doctors to establish Suna's own hospital. They lent them jounin to train children in their Academy. They even lent them money and allowed them to spend it according to their own discretion. And what does Konoha get in return? Nothing. Nothing except the promise of an alliance. He would be a fool to forget all this in lieu of his councilmen's goal to access Kiri's water resources.

Gaara whispered instructions to the councillor on his left. The old man nodded from time to time and then, when his leader finished, he stood.

"Honorable councilmen," his loud voice boomed across the walls and commanded the attention of all the people present, "The Constitution of Sunagakure does not permit us complete liberty in selecting just any woman to be the wife of the Kazekage. Regardless of the village of origin, the wife of the Kazekage must be a lady from a noble family. She must be chaste. She must be healthy and fertile, able to deliver what is expected of a wife. She must be educated and politically astute, able to handle the responsibilities of a Kazehime. It is our Kazekage's wish, in recognition and appreciation of our alliance, to let Konohagakure present qualified candidates for the position. I find it necessary to mention that should there be no qualified candidates from Konohagakure, Sunagakure will be forced to look elsewhere for a Kazehime."

Tsunade straightened from her seat and hid a smile. Such a political genius. His solution was simple, diplomatic, and elegant. Konoha cannot question Suna for adhering to its constitution. And the way the spokesperson delivered the Kazekage's decision was neither imposing nor insulting. The proposal will appease Konoha and at the same time allow Suna to continue with its plans should Konoha fail to nominate a suitable candidate.

"Hyuuga Hinata." One of the Konoha elders nominated.

"Definitely not." Tsunade shot down the idea. "The Hyuuga kekkei genkai will remain in Konoha. This has been specified in our treaty."

"What about Yamanaka Ino? She's the daughter of the head of Yamanaka clan."

"She's engaged to Nara Shikamaru. We will not insult the Nara clan by taking away the bride of their heir."

"Yuuhi Kurenai."

"Is not a noble. She has a child as well."

One by one the women of Konoha was suggested and rejected for one valid reason or another. Until finally, Gaara's spokesperson decided to conclude the meeting.

"Let everyone here be a witness to the decision reached today. Suna will not be accused of insulting its alliance with Konoha by its decision to find a wife for its Kazekage in another village. Konoha has been allowed to nominate qualified individuals and it has considered all possible candidates but—"

"No." Tsunade interrupted the spokesperson. "We have not considered all possible candidates."

The councilmen whispered to each other in confusion. And then—

"Surely you are not volunteering yourself, Hokage-sama? No offense intended."

She shook her head. "None taken. I am not volunteering myself. The Kazekage is too young for my taste." She attempted a joke but nobody laughed. She sighed and said, "I nominate Haruno Sakura for the position of Kazehime."

Gaara turned to look at the Hokage. He knows the girl. He's met her twice before: first when he tried to kill her during the chunnin exams and then two years ago when he welcomed the Konoha medical envoy that she was part of. His jade eyes imperceptibly narrowed. The girl has all the qualifications for a Kazehime except for one. But even so, he didn't think the Hokage would volunteer her and thus force her beloved apprentice into a loveless marriage for the sake of politics. It has been no secret that the Hokage loved and treated the girl like her own daughter.

There was silence and then the sound of discussions getting louder and louder.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama. We know of your love for your apprentice but that does not make her a noble." One of the councilmen from Suna spoke.

The Godaime Hokage smirked. "I know that, Yoichiro-san. However, I am sure being the heiress and only daughter of the Daimyo of Fire Country makes her one."

TBC.

Disclaimers: No copyright infringement intended. I will not repeat this in the following chapters.
Also, the idea of the term Kazehime is not mine. I've read it somewhere. I am sorry to the brilliant author whose pen-name I cannot remember.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. Questions you might ask:

1. WHY ARE YOU STARTING ANOTHER STORY? Because I can. Ha!
2. WHAT ABOUT YOUR OTHER UNFINISHED STORIES? They're in my work laptop and I'm working on them. Re-writing old chapters and creating new ones. Believe it or not, Chapter 5 of If New York is to USA will be up soon.

I have turned off anonymous reviews because, as I've mentioned in my other fic, I enjoy replying to reviews. I cannot do that for anonymous reviews.
Refract like diamonds! PS12 out.