Hello, everyone. Since I had Thanksgiving off, I was able to do much more writing than usual. The next chapter shouldn't take too long to post either.
I do not own Naruto or any of its characters, so on and so forth.
Chapter Two: Home
Gaara of the Desert approached the front gate of Konoha with his uncle Yashamaru. It had taken them a week to traverse the desert that surrounded Suna, and an additional three days to make their way through the forests surrounding Konoha. They had been able to go much faster hopping from tree to tree than walking alongside a trudging camel. Gaara, though, was moving a bit slower than usual. He now wore a tan duffel bag over one shoulder, and hauling its weight was slowing him down.
Before they had left the desert, Gaara had come to a sudden realization. In Suna, sand was everywhere. It took almost no effort or chakra at all to lift some off the ground to use in his techniques. In Konoha, though, sand would be much scarcer. His absolute defense would not work if there was nothing for his chakra to manipulate. So he had commandeered an empty supply bag and stuffed as much sand as he could carry into it. Gaara had never been extraordinarily strong for his age and size, and lugging around all of sand he had taken was beginning to tire him. In addition, their departure from the desert seemed to have perturbed Shukaku. As soon as they had left the comforting familiarity of the dunes, Shukaku had been giving Gaara shooting head pains.
Two chunin guards stood by the gates. Gaara and Yashamaru did not try to mask their approach. If they were going to request citizenship, breaking an entering was not a good first impression to make. The guards smiled politely as they reached the gate, and greeted them warmly. The people here seem much more relaxed than the people in Suna, Gaara thought. Most ninja in Suna wore stony glowers as their default expression, or so Gaara had noted when they had not spotted him.
"Welcome to Konoha. May we see some identification?" One of the guards asked. His partner was holding a clipboard and pen, waiting to take their names. Yashamaru withdrew his headband from a pocket and showed it to the guard.
"I was hoping for a meeting with the Hokage, if he has time," Yashamaru requested.
"Of course," The guard without the clipboard replied, "Just follow me, and I'll escort you to the tower."
"That won't be necessary," Another man's voice said, behind Gaara, "I need to go there to make my report anyway, I can take them."
Gaara whirled, and saw another Konoha ninja standing behind him. He was tall and lean, with a shock of gray hair. A mask covered his nose, and his headband covered one of his eyes. The man was clearly not a threat, his posture suggested aloofness, no matter how sharp the gaze of his one visible eye was. Still, there was something about him that kept Gaara on edge. He emanated a sense of undeniable power and skill, even when he was this laid back. Gaara could sense the sheer strength of his chakra even when he was relaxed, and he knew with absolute certainty that this man was very strong.
This guy could eat Baki for breakfast and still have room for more, Gaara thought. The man noticed he was under observation, and he looked Gaara straight in the eye. His look gave Gaara the feeling that he was being measured, but not in a threatening way. Just in the way of an elite ninja who never took anything at face value.
"Hello there." The man said, his eye crinkling in a mask-covered smile.
"Kakashi!" One of the guards cried, clearly spooked by the ninja's sudden arrival, "Don't do that!"
"Do what?" Kakashi asked, deadpan.
"Sneak up on us like that." The guard replied, "It gives me the creeps."
"Sorry." Kakashi apologized, in a tone that clearly said that he would continue to sneak up on the man just for the fun of it. He motioned at Yashamaru and Gaara.
"Well, shall we?"
The three of them walked through the gate and into Konoha. It was a few hours until noon, but the streets were crowded with villagers and vendors selling their wares. Everyone seemed happy, and among the jumble of voices and conversation, Gaara could hear plenty of laugher. Yes, Gaara mused, the people here are definitely more relaxed than the people in Suna are. After a short walk, which the three spent in amicable silence, they reached the tower that served Konoha as the ninja base of operations.
They entered it and began climbing a series of staircases. The people who took notice of the strange ninja relaxed once they saw Kakashi leading them. Gaara was stunned. He had never seen such a large number of ninja off guard, especially when there were strangers in their midst. For all they knew, Kakashi could have been an enemy in disguise. It evoked a sense of profound professional horror in Gaara that a group of ninja could be so unwary.
The last flight of stairs ended at a lobby with one door at the far side. An attendant behind a desk was working on some paperwork. The secretary looked up, and waved them forward when he saw Kakashi. They crossed the room and opened the door to what Gaara assumed to be the Hokage's office. The Hokage was older than he had expected, he had to be at least sixty. He had a kind face, and strange markings descending from his bottom eyelids. His outfit was the same as the Kazekage's, except where the Kazekage outfit was blue, the Hokage's was red.
"Yo." Kakashi greeted, "Kakashi Hatake reporting from the successful mission to the Land of Grass."
"Well done, Kakashi." The Hokage replied, smiling at him as if the jonin were a favorite nephew. His cheerful demeanor squelched any sense of power Gaara might have sensed in the village leader. He gave off the aura of an affectionate grandfather, which probably made his subordinates love and fight for him even more than fear and respect. The old man's gaze passed over Gaara and Yashamaru as Kakashi gave his report, and his expression did not change. Gaara found himself liking this man against his will. It would be a shame if he turned out to be an enemy.
"-so the mission was a complete success. The grand total of enemy ninja deployed was around twelve or so. All of them are KIA." Kakashi finished.
Gaara's attention was instantly wrenched back to Kakashi. This man had killed twelve opponents, all of whom had probably been jonin as well, on his own with no backup! It was inconceivable. Even Gaara doubted he could pull it off, and he had his sand barrier to block every attack that came at him. His respect for the jonin increased even more. The Hokage dismissed Kakashi, and the gray-haired ninja left the room. His gaze once more shifted between Gaara and Yashamaru, curiosity blending with the good humor in his eyes.
"Well now, what message did you bring from the Kazekage?" The old man asked. Messages were the only reason he ever saw ninja from Suna, the distance was too great for social calls.
"We bear no message," Yashamaru replied quietly, "We are here for our own reasons."
The Hokage perked up in interest. Yashamaru began talking, he introduced Gaara and himself, told the old man of the assassins they had fought and evaded, about how their own family had tried to kill them. Throughout Yashamaru's explanation, the Hokage did not say one word. His hands were folded in front of his mouth, and his expression became grimmer as the story went on. Finally, Yashamaru ended their story with their desert crossing and a request to be allowed to reside in Konoha. Silence descended upon the room at the conclusion of Yashamaru's speech.
Now Gaara began to grow tense. As their tale had drained the contentment from the elder man's face, he began to look more and more like the feared ninja his position required him to be. His eyes had become cold, distant and calculating. He looked at Gaara as though he was trying to figure out how much time was left on the fuse of an exploding tag. This made Gaara even more wary. Yashamaru had not told the Hokage about Shukaku. Could the old man see the demon, dark and malevolent, behind Gaara's eyes?
"It seems you two have been through quite an ordeal." The Hokage stated heavily, "I'm very impressed that you managed to escape from Suna when the Kazekage had arrayed so many against you. I sympathize with both of you. However, before I allow you to remain in Konoha, there is something I must ask you."
"You are Gaara of the Desert, are you not? The container of the Shukaku?"
The moment of truth, Gaara thought, then he replied, "Yes, I am."
The Hokage sighed and said, "I thought as much. I had heard of what the Kazekage had done, but I had hoped the information to be false. To think that anyone could do such a thing, not out of necessity, but in a bid for power. To his own son no less."
The old man looked at Gaara, and his eyes were full of pity. Gaara bristled. He neither needed nor wanted anyone's pity. All he wanted was a chance. That was all he had ever wanted. Just a chance to prove himself, to live, to be accepted. All he wanted was to be judged by who he was, not what was within him.
"Lord Hokage," Yashamaru pleaded, "please…he is not a demon, merely the container. He can not help what lives inside of him."
"I understand, better than you think." The Hokage said, and some of the smile had returned to his face and presence, "I am wise enough not to judge someone by the burdens they bear. You may live in Konoha for as long as you wish."
Gaara was shocked. Deep down inside he had not truly expected the Hokage to allow him to stay. A lifetime of being shunned by people in general had trained him to expect nothing else. Even his own father treated him like a repugnant monster. Yet this man accepted him on sight. It was the most bizarre thing Gaara had ever experienced, and very humbling.
"What will you do here in Konoha?" The aged man inquired, "Yashamaru? If you would be willing to serve as a Konoha ninja, I would be able to assign you two an apartment. I am not trying to pressure you to join our military though, if there is some other job you wish to pursue, that is up to you entirely."
"In Suna I was a member of the medical corps." Yashamaru replied, "If there are any openings, I would be happy to offer my services there."
"Of course, there is always room for another medic." The Hokage said congenially, "Gaara, I understand that in Suna ninja are instructed in an apprenticeship system. Here we have a ninja academy, where one or two chunin instructors teach large numbers of students. Later, the jonin cell leader will provide advanced instruction."
"That will be fine, sir." Gaara said. Yashamaru gave him a bemused look. For all of his life, Gaara had never addressed anyone except his father with any kind of honorific. Anyone who can take me in, knowing what I am and what I carry, has more than earned my respect, Gaara thought to himself. The old man's smile widened, and he seemed as cheery as he had been before the dreary mess of Gaara's life story had been brought up. The Hokage removed a piece of paper from a desk drawer and scribbled a message on it. He folded it neatly and tossed it to Yashamaru, who caught it.
"Give that to my attendant outside," The Hokage instructed, "He will have someone show you to your new residence. I am sure the villagers will do their best to make you feel at home. Welcome to Konoha."
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Naruto will be in the next chapter, in case you were wondering. However, I intend to keep the story going from Gaara's POV. Please review.