A/N: This is my first attempt at writing my own story, and any feedback is appreciated.

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, not me.

CHAPTER 1

Another Day at the Office

As dusk set on the Village Hidden in the Sand, the Fifth Kazekage let out a deep sigh. He glanced down at the mountain of paperwork on his desk, groaned, and sighed again.

"I'll make better progress on it tomorrow."

Gaara rose from his chair, and walked out to his office porch overlooking the village. He took in the now familiar view and smiled to himself. 'These are my people that I have sworn to protect, and I will not let them down.' The Kazekage summoned his sand and rose into the early night to begin his nightly rounds. He had recently begun a habit of checking up on the guard posts around the village after his work was done for the day, and he was finding it to be very insightful. As he approached the first guard post, the Sand shinobi on duty snapped to attention and saluted.

"Kazekage-sama!"

Gaara replied, "At ease. How are things progressing so far?"

The ninja on duty relaxed, "As well as can be expected, Kazekage. Everything has been quiet so far, just the way I like it."

"Stay vigilant, Junpei. You never know what is out there," said Gaara. Junpei nodded in agreement as the Kazekage rose on his sand disappeared from view. "He remembered my name," Junpei happily thought to himself.

Gaara floated on his sand through the ever darkening evening to continue his nightly routine. He really enjoyed getting to know the people of his village, the people he swore to be strong for. "Tonight reminds me of when I was abducted by Akatsuki." He grimaced at the painful memory. His fight with the explosives expert, Deidara, had forced him to project a giant sand barrier to cover the entire village. He had fallen unconscious after that, knowing that he at least saved his village. When Gaara had woken up, the whole village had been by his side, which had made it all worth it. Most of all though, Gaara had been happy to see Naruto. Gaara was not about to forget that Naruto had saved his life again. The young Kage wanted to reward Naruto, but he was always busy with his duties as Kazekage. With a grumble, Gaara descended to the guards at the village entrance. The two sand kunoichi turned and saluted.

"Kazekage-sama!"

"Relax." The sand kunoichi complied. "Is everything well?" continued Gaara.

"Yes Kazekage-sama. This is just your normal boring guard shift. Sometimes I wonder if we are doing any good out here," grumbled the young kunoichi.

The other guard on duty gasped in disbelief at her friend's disrespect. "CHIE! Don't spout such nonsense! Especially in front of the Kazekage!" exclaimed the kunoichi. She turned and lowered her head to Gaara. "Please accept my deepest apologies, Kazekage-sama. We still have a lot to learn."

The young Kage simply nodded. Turning to Chie, he said "I can understand why you might feel that this is a waste of time. However, don't make the mistake of thinking your job isn't important. I don't make everyone perform guard duty for no reason. I'm sure you'll figure it out soon." With that parting remark, he rose into the night to perform his last check.

When Chie was sure that the Kazekage was out of earshot, she turned to her fellow guard. "What does he even mean by that Yukiko?! I mean, I respect him because he is the Kazekage and all, but why does he have to be so damn vague?!" she exclaimed.

Yukiko shrugged, "I have no idea, Chie, that's just the way he is. Let's talk about this later ok? When we aren't on guard duty?

Chie reluctantly agreed. "Fine, you win Yukiko."

Gaara was lost in thought as he approached the final post on his rounds. He was trying to think of ideas for new jutsu, but was just too drained from the day. He was tired of dealing with the council and the missions and all of the daily trials of being a Kage. "I need a vacation." He chuckled to himself. "Like that would ever happen. This village needs me too much." As Gaara approached the shinobi on duty, he forestalled the incoming salute with his sand, surprising the man.

"I don't need to be saluted everywhere I go. Just report please."

The shinobi on duty was taken a bit off guard, but gathered his thoughts and cleared his throat. "Everything is going fine this evening, Kazekage-sama. Having a rough day on the job?" He quipped. Gaara nodded. "I guess you could say that. I'm always taking care of new issues and trying to solve old problems. I'm a bit irritated."

The shinobi chuckled. "Don't let it get to you sir, we appreciate everything you do for us and the village. We are proud to have you as our Kazekage."

Gaara nodded, summoned his sand, and descended away from the guard post. He was still getting used to interacting with his soldiers, and this late in the day, he was getting impatient. He knew that it wasn't necessarily the right thing to do, but at least some people understood that his life was dedicated to the village. Satisfied that his guard checks were successful, the young Kage returned to his quarters to rest for the day ahead.

The next morning after training with his siblings, Gaara sat back down at his desk. Was he delusional, or did his paperwork mountain become larger overnight? He shook his head and began to look over a proposed addition to the standard shinobi field kit. He was in the middle of writing a suggestion when suddenly, a shinobi burst into his office breathing heavily. Gaara stood up from his desk with his sand at the ready, fuming that there was a problem this early in the day. Then he took a closer look at the mystery shinobi, recognizing her by her unique bubble gum pink hair. Gaara decided there wasn't any use in stalling.

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

With a sob she replied, "It's Naruto. He's been captured!"

Sorry for the cliff hanger in the very first chapter. I wanted my story to start off in an exciting manner. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. Or send me a PM. Whatever you like. I plan on making this story entertaining, so if you like it please stick with it. If not, that's fine too.

Steeltoedsandal