Notice: I do not own Naruto-kun, Gaara-kun or any of the characters in this story.
Gaara of the Desert stared at the boy standing across the room. He struggled to keep his face emotionless even though he wanted to grin at the other boy.
Uzumaki Naruto didn't notice the boy's stare as he watched the match in the ring under them. He was determined to become a chunin and prove himself to Sasuke, even if that meant fighting one of his only friends.
The two jinchuriki had known each other for a while and Naruto had been ecstatic to find his old friend. Gaara secretly wished that they didn't have to fight, but he also couldn't wait for the competition. Time crawled as he waited and the young shinobi could feel the tension in the stands.
"Naruto-kun." Gaara sighed. He couldn't believe it had been 7 years since he had talked to the boy. His brother glanced down at him. "I'm fine Kankuro-san. I'm just excited." The voice inside of his head responded instead of his brother.
"I hope you defeat that fox brat, Gaara-kun. I don't want to be shown up by that baka Kyubi, no matter what you think of the boy containing him." Gaara smiled at his companion's prideful remark.
"Don't worry Ichibi-san. I can handle myself." The bijuu grunted and Gaara imagined the tanuki crossing his arms.
The KazeKage watched the match with almost no interest. The Hokage sat next to him.
"Not interested by the current fight?" Sandaime Hokage said, glancing at the other man.
"You know what I'm waiting for. And if I'm correct everyone wants to see the match between the jinchuriki." The Kazekage stated blandly. Sandaime Hokage sighed.
"Yes, I understand. But we'll just have to wait."
The match finally came to a close, with a leaf ninja being victorious. Naruto cheered as the match ended and turned to face Gaara. He gave the boy a thumbs up along with a huge grin.
"Come on, Gaara-kun. Let's get this started." The boy jumped down from the room into the ring and Gaara smiled to himself. The boy jumped down. The sandy earth cushioned his fall, reaching up to support him. Gaara met his opponent in the middle of the field. The proctor coughed and came to stand between the boys.
"Alright, you know the rules. Try not to kill each other." The proctor said, watching the boys nervously. Naruto grinned and held out his hand. Gaara shook it and returned the smile.
"Ready… Start!"
Gaara's mind whirled as the flashback started.
Thanks for reading the first chapter, I hope you enjoy the rest of this story. I decided to rewrite this story because the original didn't flow like I wanted it to and didn't make any sense in some places. I hope the story makes more sense and my writing has improved a little. If you see any errors please tell me. Another notice: No, this story is not a yaoi. Sorry if you were confused.
Arigatō, sayōnara.