Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
Day 1: Part 2
The Ambassador of the Land of Cliffs POV:
The ambassador of the Land of Cliffs, Okimoto Daichi, walked through the corridors of the Kazekage building. It was still early morning. He'd have to talk the young man into handing Shukaku over. With the economy being low, the land being targeted by hoodlums and ninjas alike, the ambassador's daimyo thought that the best course of action was to seal Shukaku into a new host.
The Hidden Villages had their Bijuus, and now the Land of Cliffs needed one. Pressured on every side there was but one thing his country could do. He didn't want it to come to making a new Jinchuuriki. But there was no other way.
Hopefully the Godaime would be sympathetic. Either that or perhaps the Council would be. If not—
Well, Daichi wasn't ready to think of it.
He stopped outside the door to the Kazekage's office. He knew he was early. He looked up at the tall blonde woman with four ponytails beside him. What was her name again? Anyway, she was his escort.
Attractive woman. She was pretty and slender without looking overly fragile. Not to mention the shapely legs that peeked out from the slits in the sides of her black kimono was a pleasant sight to someone who had seen sand and dust for too long. There was a spark of intelligence and self-assuredness in her eyes. A woman with wits about her.
Was she single? Come to think of it, he'd never once heard of a ninja getting married. Did they marry? Well, not that he wanted to marry this one. She was certainly handsome, though.
The kunoichi knocked on the door, startling the man out of his scattered thoughts.
"Kazekage-sama, the ambassador of the Land of Cliffs desires an audience with you," she stated.
"Come in," a tenor voice said from the other side.
The blonde kunoichi – Temari – stepped inside.
The Kazekage was a redheaded young man with startlingly piercing aquamarine eyes surrounded by black rings. His desk had a neat stack of reports and he'd obviously been busy signing a document when the ambassador had come in. Beside the stack was a cup full to the brim with hot tea.
Temari-dono left them alone.
Okimoto Daichi took a deep breath. Time to get down to business.
"Good morning, Kazekage-sama. My name is Okimoto Daichi. As you already know, I am the ambassador of the Land of Cliffs. I wanted to talk to you about pressing matters."
So far so good.
"This has nothing to do with land," the Kazekage said, leaning back in his seat, fingers curled tightly around the armrests.
"How'd you know?" Daichi asked, putting a mild trace of curiosity in his voice. It bothered him that this young man had already found out. Someone had informed him earlier that the current Kazekage was kunai-sharp.
"Continue."
Daichi swallowed. He wished the Godaime would show some emotions. Also, those eyes were making him uncomfortable. They were old for his face. Was this the effect Shukaku had had on him? The fact it had aged him like this? What things had he seen? Gone through?
But—
He swallowed. He needed to "plunge the knife in" so to speak. No matter how much he might question the daimyo, he still knew what his country needed.
"We are desperate, Kazekage-sama. We don't have enough money to pay off our tributes to the surrounding countries. We are oppressed on all sides. This year there was only enough rice to feed twelve families. We need Shukaku."
The Kazekage frowned. He didn't look startled at all by Daichi's words. In fact, it appeared that he had expected them. He wasn't pleased. Daichi had had a feeling he wouldn't be. After all, the Shukaku belonged to Sunagakure. One didn't just hand Bijuus over.
"Sunagakure would be glad to help the Land of Cliffs and set up a border guard. But I won't hand the Shukaku over to your people."
Daichi licked his chapped lips. Surely there must be something that would change the Godaime's mind. Families were starving for food back home. Things were looking increasingly bleak. He wasn't all too sure a border guard would help matters. And he didn't want to be deep in financial debt with the Sand, either.
"Thanks for your help. But we can't risk being in debt. The most we can pay for are D to C-rank missions. We don't have enough money for a large operation."
"I know. But until you are able to we would be glad to help. Sunagakure's economical and military status were low at one point."
"And the former Kazekage sealed Shukaku into you because of the situation," Daichi reminded him. Maybe he'd see things his way.
Gaara's POV:
Are all men this stupid?!
Gaara would rather be anywhere but around this man. When he had entered the room, the very second he'd opened up his mouth, she'd known he was a genuine idiot. The fact he'd dared suggest in her face that she hand Shukaku over to him further proved his incompetence. Instead of talking with the council members, he had daredto – !
She took a deep breath, keeping her anger in check.
"By his actions he gave me fifteen long years of complete loneliness. The only time I ever felt loved was when I was rescued. No one asked about my opinions about it. No one befriended me until that point. Is that the life you want to give someone? What if this person wasn't able to control Shukaku very well? What then?"
The ambassador's eyes widened at her words.
"But you were able to use that ability to protect others. You controlled it pretty well."
Something snapped inside of her. She wanted to throttle this man! That's what she wanted to do. Use her sand to make him squirm—
"Yes." Keep calm. "I was able to suppress it because I learned by watching Uzumaki Naruto to use my powers to protect others. But I wasn't able to suppress it fully until several years had past."
"Of course the Jinchuuriki will use the powers to protect. He'd be a useful tool for our economy."
Shut up! You don't have any idea what you're saying! Just shut the hell up!
She hadn't been so angry in a long time.
"We will discuss this later," she stated in a tightly controlled voice. "Please leave."
The ambassador nodded, thin lips spread in a professional smile. Then he left.
Ambassador's POV:
Okimoto Daichi walked outside, a smile on his face. That had gone surprisingly well. He'd make the Kazekage see their point sooner or later. If not then he'd have to initiate Plan B when it came time.
He saw Temari and flashed a smile at her. She didn't return it. Instead she scowled at him.
Women were odd. One moment she was smiling politely, and the next looking at him as though she secretly wanted to tear him apart. Maybe he'd been wrong about her intelligence. Women were such flighty creatures. They were easily distracted, prone to be overly emotional, given to melodrama and gossip. Maybe she'd gotten wind of some rumor or gossip while he'd been talking to the Godaime.
Men needed to be in rule over countries and politics. Leave the woman out of it. In that regard, Daichi felt a deep sense of respect toward the laws of Sunagakure's government. No woman was allowed in the council. Otherwise she'd be a babbling nuisance. No woman was to be Kazekage. This was a logical decision, and a sensible one. A smart leader was needed. Overall most women weren't very intelligent or were smart about pointless things.
Though, he did admire the occasional rare breed of intelligent women.
"Where do I stay?" he asked. It had taken him three days to go to Suna. He couldn't just head out. Also, that would be rude. He didn't want to be impolite to anyone. As ambassador of the Land of Cliffs it was—
"Follow me."
Her voice was icy cold, making him wonder whatever he'd done to make her act like that. Surely she hadn't been listening in on his conversation, had she? It'd be bad if she'd heard. Last thing he wanted was a gaggle of women going into hysteria over the Shukaku being on loan for awhile.
Temari's POV:
Temari had heard every word. Had heard every word and was amazed at how stupid a person could be. He was completely ignorant of her little brother's feelings. Never mind the fact Gaara had been Shukaku host, he'd had to slither his oily way into the Kazekage chamber and petition Gaara to hand over the Shukaku.
She hadn't seen such rampant insensitivity for Gaara since Kankuro had informed her about the council meeting he'd sat in on during the Kazekage rescue mission.
She barely listened as the ambassador attempted to make small talk on the expensive living conditions in the Sand, or that it couldn't compare with the prices found in the Land of Cliffs. He would whistle through his teeth at the mention of a highly priced article, and then state "Things are much worse down where I'm from." It was like listening to constant dripping from a leaky faucet.
Temari didn't want to say it aloud. She had more courtesy than that – but she almost wanted to say, "Too bad," and leave the ambassador to find his own way around.
Once she'd made it to the small guest room, she was glad to have him off her hands.
"Thank you for your kind generosity. Really charming place here. Cozy," the infuriating man stated, wearing his fake, polite smile. He rubbed his hands together.
"Your welcome," Temari returned. She turned to leave, but the man put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"Wait. May I see the place you keep the Shukaku?"
Temari's patience had been running thin the entire time while escorting him. Now it had fizzled out.
"We aren't giving Shukaku to anyone. Much less someone who doesn't have the sense not to ask my little brother for it!"
Daichi's eyes widened and he sucked in his breath.
"Really? You're his sister? I'm very sorry, then. But, as you know, current events call for desperate measures. We need the Shukaku. You may not understand, but we need a power boost."
"We aren't handing over the Shukaku!"
She spun on her heels and marched off.
Power boost. That was what her father had wanted. Then he'd used her mother as a sacrifice, sealing Shukaku into a helpless unborn child. Her brother. And he'd had fifteen years of hell. Was that the life the daimyo of the Land of Cliffs wanted to give to someone?
She was still ranting mentally when she made it back to the door leading to Gaara's office.
She took a deep breath, indecisive about whether or not to knock or enter. Sure, she'd been much closer to her little brother since after his rescue, but still wasn't completely comfortable in his presence. It wasn't so much fear but guilt.
He had suffered and she was one of many to blame for it.
Gritting her teeth, Temari made up her mind and knocked on the door.
"Gaara, it's me. Can I come in?"
There was a moment of brief silence. Temari swallowed. Perhaps she should've waited a little. Gaara, while having changed drastically since he'd fought Naruto, still had a hot temper. But he was very cautious.
"Come in," he said from the office.
Temari pushed the door open, stepped in, and closed it behind her.
"I heard everything."
Gaara had a small stack of papers in front of him and had been signing them. He looked up and leaned back in his seat, looking at her with a stoic expression.
"Idiots happen," he stated, shrugging his shoulders.
Wow! He's taking this very well! Temari felt a sense of pride for the young man. Usually he would take out his frustrations on the wild landscape, but this was—
He pushed the documents away from him.
"I feel like taking a break."
Temari blinked. Just when she'd thought he didn't need to go out and scramble the landscape he just up and decided to do just that, much to her disappointment.
"Oh. When will you be back?"
She might as well know what time. Usually he didn't take too long, though last time he'd been out for a good while. Enough to make her and Kankuro worry. That had been almost a year back, come to think of it. A good while ago.
Gaara gave her a strange look.
"I'm not going anywhere, Temari nee-chan."
He stood up from his chair, poured a cup of tea from the pitcher on his desk, and took a tiny sip as though to prove his point. He looked outside the round windows, at the domed roofed buildings.
Don't worry about me. I'm all right.
The words went unspoken.
Moderately relieved, Temari left.
Gaara's POV:
Actually, Gaara wasn't all right. She was angry and one of the reasons she didn't want to storm off into the barren desert and vent was because of what had happened last time. She'd had the maroon battle outfit since her fifteenth birthday. But while she hadn't grown any taller, her breasts had become bigger, pressing against the thick fabric.
Before, whenever she was both exhausted or running out of chakra, she would be a little out of breath. Last time she hadn't been able to breathe properly and had fainted, the material having soaked up her sweat, making it tighter than normal. When she came to, she had forgotten what had gotten her so worked up. All she remembered was being violently angry, struggling for breath, and passing out.
That was one reason why she wasn't venting against lifeless rocks and cacti. The other was due to the fact she didn't feel up to par. She was coming down with something. Her throat itched. She suppressed the sudden urge to cough. Fifteen years of insomnia was taking its toll on her body. Not that she'd ever been extremely healthy.
The Land of Cliffs' daimyo might be foolish, but she didn't need to unleash her anger upon nature. He must've thought of the Shukaku over and over before sending the ambassador. After seeing so many people die, after being pushed back for so long he saw it as the best alternative. Sealing Shukaku into a new host and using that host as a weapon – he would be the power of human sacrifice.
There was also the fact the new Jinchuuriki could become a threat to the Land of Cliffs. Once she had used that power to crush and destroy all who stood in her way, but after Naruto had knocked sense into her she had used that ability to protect Suna and those closest to her.
If there was a new Jinchuuriki, would he have that same mindset she used to have? Would he feel so much pain and loneliness that only taking the lives of others made him feel alive?
Gaara tried not to think too much of the past. The loneliness had been so bleak she had believed there had been no hope, no escape from the hellish existence.
But that had changed after her fight with Naruto.
The itch in her throat became unbearable. She broke into a coughing fit that left her gasping for breath afterwards. Wheezing, she looked outside the windows. The temperature hadn't skyrocketed yet and she needed the fresh air.
Gaara walked out of the office, heading toward the balcony – her favorite place to contemplate, reflect, and watch the activities of Sunagakure's civilians. Or simply look at the buildings that housed the said civilians. Because she would never live the life of a normal woman, being Kazekage was the equivalent of having a child. The maternal streak and affection had grown over the years. Even though she hadn't been accepted at first, even though the council still thought she was a monster at the beginning, she had felt a measure of happiness that came with the responsibility of being Kazekage.
She would never have realized to the extent she was loved and needed until two years ago when the inner tears had stopped flowing, the wounds in her heart healing. There had been so much happiness that it had nearly overwhelmed her. She had been loved to the point that Elder Chiyo had died to bring her back from the dead (she still felt a mixture of sadness that it had taken her that much to make her realize the extent of love).
Would the new Shukaku host ever love or be loved? There was no guarantee that his life would be better or worse than her own had been. It was an unnecessary gamble, no matter how tempting it appeared.
Abruptly, a voice disrupted her thoughts.
"Oi, Gaara!"
It was her brother, a pleasant surprise since she'd expected he would be gone much longer. The mission she had sent him had been an A-rank mission. A complex assassination mission.
"Kankuro?"
She turned her head to look over at him, throat itching again.
He still wore the purple Kabuki paint on his face and a black puppeteer hat covered shaggy brown hair. He had four scrolls on his back, a marionette sealed into each one. He looked, really, the same as usual aside for a few bandages around the wrist of his right hand.
He gave her a smug smile. "The mission went really well! A Genin could've taken 'im."
The corner of Gaara's lip turned upwards into the semblance of a tiny smile. Some things never changed Despite the bandage on his hand, Kankuro was one to brag. In that way, he kinda reminded her of Naruto. Like her, Kankuro had grown and matured, too, going from stupid coward to someone she considered to be one of her most precious people.
Gaara noticed the bandaged hand was due to someone who had tried to (sloppily) distract the puppeteer with pain. The fact he'd been "bodyguard" to the person he'd had to assassinate meant the said person had had very quick reflexes. After all, he'd been caught by surprise when finding out that Kankuro had been sent to kill him. Anyone else would've been in a glued state of shock.
Such a person wasn't something a normal Genin could take out.
Kankuro reached up to scratch the back of his neck with his good hand, managing to look casual and awkward at the same time.
Gaara averted what must've been an intense stare, settling it back on the dusty brown, tan, and orange cityscape. A pleasantly cool breeze ruffled her fluffy maroon hair, her Kazekage robes fluttering loosely. The temperature was still cool because it was still early morning. In another hour the desert heat would beat down with ferocity. At the moment the temperature was perfect.
"Hey, what's wrong?" her brother asked. He had sharp eyes and a quick brain; she was good at masking emotions. He always knew when something was troubling her.
She gave him a sideways glance. "An idiot. I came here to think."
There. Let him puzzle over that for awhile. She didn't want to worry him or Temari. It was inevitable that someone would want the Shukaku (though outright asking her for it to her face was beyond normal levels of stupidity). She'd known before having it sealed back in its kettle that people would seek the Ichibi.
Kankuro frowned. "Y'know, I think mud's clearer than that."
"I'm fine." Gaara went into a sudden, violent coughing fit. So much for holding back. "Tell me about your mission."