Public Faces
Kankuro was many things to many people.
To teachers, Kankuro was the gifted puppet master who might someday be Kazekage. They respected him, challenged him, and took pride in his graduation. If he talked back or raised questions no one knew the answers to, that was taken as a sign that he had leadership capabilities. And he was the eldest son of the Kazekage.
To classmates, Kankuro was the arrogant loudmouth who rubbed his lineage in their faces. They muttered behind his back that the day he became Kazekage, they'd rather commit suicide or become missing nin. And that brother of his, Gaara? A wild animal. They shouldn't let people like that attend school. Gaara is the monster everyone can see, they said, but Kankuro is the monster people won't see until it's too late. They're in it together, don't you know? They have some kind of freaky alliance.
To his family, Kankuro was the reasonable one. The peacekeeper, the one who would pick up extra chores when his siblings refused and the servants fled from Gaara's rage. His father counted on him to make compromises, his sister counted on him to be a listening ear, and even Gaara counted on him; Gaara counted on him to talk Shukaku down from the bijuu's murderous impulses.
To the common people of Suna, Kankuro was The Brother. Just as Temari was The Sister. Kankuro was the poor boy whose mother died and who nobly persevered through his endless hardships. A cold and distant father who was always working, a demon-possessed little brother, a household where servants stayed no longer than a few months at a stretch. Kankuro and Temari both were tragic heroes, destined to someday rule Suna together.
Kankuro was many things to many people, and as with all people who had become public figures, no one asked him who he would like to be.