Notes: With this chapter I really start to break away from canon events, but not by too much. Most of the changes are logical, considering two certain people aren't where they would normally be. This is just the ripple effect, really. But I don't think I'll have to defend the choices I made with this chapter. From all indications, it's a fairly popular pairing, anyway.

The Nature of Love

A Naruto Fanfic by

Nate Grey (XMAN0123-at-aol-dot-com)

Chapter 3: Get In Where You Fit In

1 Year in Suna

When Temari heard someone burst into her room at three in the morning, she was both relieved and annoyed to see that it was only Baki. She thought about waking Naruto up, for the sole reason that only she would bother to do it gently, but there was no time for that. Baki simply walked over, yanked the boy out of his bed, and glared at him until he got dressed. Then Baki marched him out of the room, and all before Naruto had time to grab anything to arm himself with, such as kunai or shuriken. Naruto was probably too sleepy to notice, but Temari wasn't. This didn't worry her, exactly, as Naruto was the toughest little kid she'd ever met. Still, it wasn't fair, and that bothered her to the point where she couldn't get back to sleep.

So after kicking Kankurou awake (no way HE got to sleep if she couldn't), Temari went downstairs to make an early breakfast. It was the least she could do, and maybe having a hot meal waiting on him would help Naruto get over whatever Baki was planning to put him through.

Eating as soon as the food was ready turned out to be a good idea, because had Temari and Kankurou waited for Naruto's return, all of them would've forgotten completely about their empty stomachs.

The blond boy returned about four hours later. He was covered in blood from head to toe, and there was a haunted look in his eyes.

Kankurou started to go for bandages, but Temari stopped him. It wasn't that she didn't care, it was that none of the blood, from what she could see, was Naruto's. There didn't appear to be a scratch on him, in fact. So either he hadn't gotten hurt, or all of his wounds had healed already.

And from the way he was refusing to look either of them in the eyes, Temari thought she knew what had happened. She had been much the same way, when she got her first kill. It hadn't been pretty, and there had been comparably less blood, but she recognized that look: guilt, confusion, and self-loathing all in one.

"Tell me what happened, Naruto," she ordered, beginning to wipe the blood off of his face with a wet towel.

Naruto blinked slowly before turning to her. "Do you like Baki-sensei, Temari?"

She frowned at that. Baki was a particularly skilled jounin, which, by Suna standards, automatically made him a less than decent person. And while he had never mistreated her without good reason, Temari wasn't exactly fond of him, nor was she meant to be. She was just used to him and the way he was. That was about as far as their relationship, if it could even be called that, went. When he died, she'd be at the funeral, but she'd be surprised if she came up with even a single tear.

"Not really, Naruto. Why does that matter?"

"He's dead."

Temari blinked in surprise, and so did Kankurou. Neither of them said anything, but the same thought crossed both of their minds.

'There's no way that Naruto could have…'

"How?" Kankurou asked after several seconds.

Naruto closed his eyes, reached into his pocket, and slowly pulled out a bloodstained forehead protector. Baki's black one, from the look of it. "Kazekage-sama… he said they didn't have any extra. So if I wanted to stay here… I had to prove that I was good enough."

Kankurou physically recoiled at such a huge lie, but Temari didn't move. Her father had done far worse even before he'd become Kazekage, so she was disgusted, but not even remotely surprised.

"I didn't want to. I don't think Baki-sensei wanted to, either. At least, he didn't try to kill me right away. But Kazekage-sama said one of us had to die, and then I just…" Naruto trailed off, his body shivering uncontrollably. "I'm sorry…"

After a moment, Temari slowly reached out and placed her hand on his head. Naruto winced for a few seconds, but when he realized she wasn't going to punish him, he relaxed slightly.

"Did you let… him out?" Temari asked softly. "Was he the one that killed Baki?" She saw Kankurou's eyes widen, and he shook his head, but she ignored him. "Naruto? That's what really happened, isn't it? You got scared, and-"

"No. I was scared, but that wasn't why." The boy trembled slightly. "Baki-sensei told me to. He said… that it was what Kazekage-sama wanted to see. That once I did it, he'd let me go home and go back to bed."

Temari and Kankurou exchanged surprised glances.

"Can… I go back to bed now?" Naruto murmured, trying not to sound too hopeful.

"Sure. Just wash up before you do," Temari instructed. "You don't want to get your bed dirty."

"I guess not," he said quietly.

"And leave that with me," she added, holding out her hand for Baki's forehead protector. "I'll clean it up for you."

Swallowing noisily, Naruto came closer and placed the forehead protector in her hand. But before he could move away, Temari's other hand firmly grasped the back of his head and pulled, pressing his face into her chest. She gently stroked his hair as she spoke to him in a soft tone.

"You're not a demon, Naruto. You just have one inside you. You were only granting Baki's last wish. But this wasn't your first kill, or even your kill at all. It was Kyuubi's, and he's done it before. When you do kill, you'll do it in the name of this village, and you'll be wearing this forehead protector. If I can help it, I'll be with you when that happens. You won't be alone the next time."

"Yeah," Kankurou agreed. "Now that they know you can bring out Kyuubi, we should start getting missions for all three us, together. So don't worry about it too much, kid."

Naruto had already shed tears for Baki. But now he cried because he'd gotten what he wanted, and it scared him.

All of his life, he'd been told that Kyuubi was evil, and that he should do his best to keep the demon locked up inside of him. But he'd let the fox out once, and only once. Now his teacher was dead, the Kazekage wanted to see more of the same, and for some reason that was completely beyond him, Temari and Kankurou had finally accepted him. For a fleeting instant, he was back in Konoha, where nothing made any sense, and everyone hated him for something he hadn't done. The only difference now was that he had done something, something horrible, and everyone seemed to like him for it.

But as he clung tighter to Temari and let his tears flow freely, Naruto thought he understood what it meant to be a Sand-nin. There was indeed a place for him in Suna, and all it would cost him was his soul.


1 Year, 5 months in Konoha - April

"I don't see why I have to do this," Kakashi muttered irritably as he stepped away from Anko's apartment building. "Last time I checked, there was no 'Bring Your Kid to Work Day' for ninja, and definitely not for ANBU."

"Well, he can't come with me," Anko replied at once. "I'm going to get good and drunk with Kurenai-chan. Besides, look at him! He wants to go with you!"

Both of them risked a glance at Gaara, who looked… exactly as he always did. Bored. Out of place. Possibly itchy. And not the needing to scratch kind of itchy, but the needing to kill the nearest person for amusement kind of itchy.

And, well, Kakashi was forced to admit that those qualities made him better suited for ANBU than being Anko's non-drinking buddy. Kurenai didn't drink, at least not around Anko, not after that infamous night when they'd "experimented" with each other; Anko had saved some photos that made Kakashi's little orange works of art seem like children's picture books. Truthfully, Kakashi didn't know why anybody bothered to drink with Anko more than once. She always hogged the pitcher, invariably got loud, lost at least a third of her clothing, and had an uncanny talent for passing out facedown into people's crotches.

On second thought, that was why HE had slept with her the first time. Every time after that, he had to plead temporary insanity.

"Why don't I get drunk with Kurenai, and you take Gaara for the day?" Kakashi suggested. "You know the way to my 'office' just fine."

Anko snorted. "Because she doesn't like you when you're drunk, and Asuma would murder you for crying all over his dream girl, and then I'd have to chop his head off, and you know that they do to people who decapitate in public for seemingly no good reason. Do you really want to look after Gaara by yourself, for good?"

"Fine," Kakashi growled, trying to sound as sour as he could. Not that it had any effect on Anko.

"Great! Well, I've got lots to do, so I'm outta here! Gimme some sugar!" And before Kakashi could even blink, she'd tugged his mask down, planted her lips firmly over his, and did… something that made his one visible eye bulge wildly. He was still standing there like a fool when Anko replaced his mask, ruffled Gaara's red hair affectionately, and then practically skipped her way down the street.

Gaara turned his head slightly to watch Anko prance away, then turned his attention back to Kakashi, who was still standing there like a stab victim (at least, Gaara had noticed that people who got stabbed seemed to freeze entirely or move in slow motion, even though Kakashi insisted that he not attempt to find out if this applied to everyone).

Soon enough, the weight of Gaara's expectant gaze snapped Kakashi out of his trance, and he looked down at the boy. "I don't suppose any of what just happened bothered you?" He was pretty sure it hadn't, but as he was one of Gaara's legal guardians, he felt sort of obligated to ask.

Gaara did not answer right away. Anko had long since explained that she would attack Kakashi on a regular basis, sometimes with her mouth. She had added that it was best if Gaara didn't interfere. And since Gaara hated it when someone interfered while he was doing something important, he respected her wishes. Anyway, Kakashi had never asked for his help, and even if he had, Gaara would've recalled Anko's words and stayed out of it. It wasn't that he feared Anko, but she was a lot easier to be around when she wasn't angry.

"Nothing bothers me, Kakashi. Why are we still standing here?"

Kakashi sighed. "Are you sure about this, Gaara? ANBU probably isn't what you might think-"

"They constantly face the strongest threats. They answer only to the Hokage. That is what I desire for my own existence."

Unfortunately, Gaara knew exactly what he was asking, and so did Kakashi. What the boy really desired was the freedom that ANBU would give him. He would never agree to answer to anyone other than the Sandaime, Kakashi, or Anko. If Kakashi was allowed to further his training, Gaara could skip the Konoha Ninja Academy entirely… not that the idea of his attending had ever been seriously considered. It was one thing for Gaara to walk the streets with ANBU shadowing him. But to place him in a classroom with other children who had no idea what he was, and what he could do, was just asking for trouble. Even with Shukaku sealed, Gaara could still respond with lethal force to even the slightest disrespect, if he felt so inclined. And there was no child alive who wouldn't notice that Gaara was far from normal. It was too much to hope that he could simply ignore any sort of mistreatment.

Eventually, Kakashi gave in. There was no point in trying to reason with Gaara over something he really wanted. He either didn't understand the concept of negotiation, or simply refused to admit that he did. "Alright, come on. We'll have to get it cleared first, and that won't be easy. Even I can't do whatever I want, you know."

"You don't have a demon inside of you," was Gaara's immediate reply.

Kakashi winced. It was also pointless trying to argue with Gaara over who had it worse. Honestly, he could've waited at least a few turns before playing the demon card, but he never did. That made it impossible to have any real fun with the kid. Of course, Gaara's idea of fun generally bordered on dismemberment, so it probably was best to keep him as un-entertained as possible.


Uchiha Sasuke was, above all, a sensible boy, with a very detailed idea of where he was going, what he would do once he got there, and even who would be there to greet him. As he lived in a village of like-minded ninja clans, he was not surprised to learn that he was not the only seven year old who was practically engaged. He knew for a fact (as did anyone with two functioning ears) that Yamanaka Ino and Nara Shikamaru had been paired almost from birth. But Ino kept dropping hints that if Sasuke didn't convince his parents to come over for dinner soon, he'd lose her for good.

The idea of an arranged marriage did not particularly bother Sasuke. His father would only let him wed a girl from another prestigious clan, and his mother would make sure the girl had the proper training to thrive in a Uchiha-ruled household. It was rather inevitable that they'd chosen Hyuuga Hinata, or rather, that Sasuke had seen her name on the list and instantly asked after her. She was the only girl he'd shown any interest at all in, and his parents had picked up on that, just as he'd hoped they would.

Sasuke didn't want to marry Hinata because she was the Hyuuga heiress, or even because she was pretty. His interest in her was entirely self-serving: she spoke softly, infrequently, and seemed surprisingly open to the idea of marrying someone outside of her clan. At the same time, her father Hiashi was just as eager to find her a promising match, and had been pleasantly surprised to learn of Sasuke's interest in his oldest daughter. This was no surprise to Sasuke; he'd seen Hinata training once, and had never seen anything quite as pathetic. Thankfully, her eyes and her blood automatically gave her enough value to win his father's approval. Hinata already knew the pressures of being the heir of a clan, and probably the only reason she wanted to be with Sasuke was because most of it would then transfer to him, a responsibility he gladly welcomed, if it meant an increase in status, a beautiful wife, and a brood of powerful children.

He had all but told Hinata that when she asked why he wanted to marry her, and to his surprise, she had blushed, smiled, and promptly told her father that she was in love. From that point on, frequent meetings between the two were arranged and encouraged. The more Sasuke was exposed to Hinata, the more he was convinced that she was not very strong, but still very clever. She was no more in love with him than he was with her, but obviously she preferred his treatment of her to her clan's. Sasuke could understand that. It took strength to be recognized among the Uchiha, and he felt like he had to earn attention from anyone that wasn't his mother. Even his older brother Itachi was often too busy to do more than glance at Sasuke as they passed each other at home.

But none of that seemed to matter when he was with Hinata. She never said much unless he insisted on it. She always listened carefully whenever he talked. Though they were always watched closely, either by Sasuke's mother or one of Hinata's silent, nameless relatives, Hinata continually gave off the impression that she was smitten with him, which Sasuke would have resented under other circumstances. Perhaps because he knew these weren't Hinata's true feelings, he allowed her to hold his hand (sparingly), to lean against him for warmth when it was cold, and to even kiss his cheek on special occasions. He could never bring himself to do those things in return, though. Sasuke had first only thought of her as a minor annoyance, but with the amount of time they had spent together, and the many things they had in common, he almost considered Hinata a friend now. Being friends with a girl was strange enough by itself. Bringing affection into the picture would only complicate matters.

Even worse, Sasuke had noticed a startling change in himself. Where once he almost had to force himself to greet Hinata, it became natural. And then he was suddenly going out of his way to greet her. He couldn't even pretend to ignore her if he spotted her on the street. No, he would walk all the way over to where she was, and THEN say he was too busy to speak for long, only that he didn't want to be rude and say nothing to her. And for some reason, Hinata would only smile, nod, and say something odd like, "Thank you for stopping by, Sasuke-kun. It was nice speaking with you, as usual." Even if they'd barely said two words to each other!

There was no escaping it, Sasuke had picked himself a somewhat weird girl. But he could have done much, much worse. He was reminded of that every time both he and Shikamaru ducked into the same alley to avoid being spotted by Ino. Certainly he was reminded of that anytime he was in the same room as Hinata's baby sister Hanabi, who had developed a rather annoying habit of throwing sharp objects at anyone she thought was ignoring her. And since Sasuke wouldn't even glance at her, for fear of Hiashi trying to swap out daughters on him, he'd quickly become one of Hanabi's preferred targets. How Hinata could bring herself to coo at and cuddle the little monster, he'd never know.

So when Sasuke accompanied his mother that morning, under the pretense of buying him an early birthday present, he knew precisely what would happen. He and his mother had always had an understanding when it came to such things. She would buy him anything he wanted for his birthday, provided that the previous year's gift was still in good working order. It was supposed to teach Sasuke responsibility, but really it only taught him to almost never use the things he really wanted. An entire section of his closet was devoted solely to gifts that rarely ever saw the light of day. But they were all in excellent condition, and that was all that mattered.

This year, Sasuke had his heart set on a new outfit. He didn't particularly care about fashion; he only wanted something functional and black all over. Most of his clothes were various shades of blue, despite his own preferences. His mother maintained that if Sasuke only wore all black, people might start to think that someone had always just died when they saw him, and it wasn't the proper impression to give. Sasuke found this to be very unfair, since Hinata always seemed to be wearing white when he saw her, but his mother claimed that Hinata only did so BECAUSE she planned on seeing him at those times (which was actually true, but also Hyuuga tradition insisted on it).

Sasuke and his mother both knew very well that the Hyuuga and the Uchiha used the same tailor. Everyone knew it, in fact, so one would not be surprised to learn that Hinata always seemed to want a new outfit around Sasuke's birthday. Nor would one be shocked to learn that Sasuke and Hinata just happened to run into each other nearly every time either of them went to the tailor. No one save Itachi was quite bold enough to come out and say that such meetings were planned, but then Itachi had been beyond rebuke for quite some time. Sasuke knew that his brother would be amused by the fact that, more than a block away from the tailor's shop, he had already planned out half of the things he would say to Hinata.


Hyuuga Hinata was much smarter than most people gave her credit for. One could even argue that because she was so smart, she went to great lengths to hide that very fact. Certain things about her life appeared to be set in stone, and that Hinata was painfully shy, clumsy, and weak were the main points. But the truth was that while Hinata lacked talent as far as her family's bloodline went, she was neither weak nor clumsy, at least not to the extremes her kinsmen believed.

Her life within the Hyuuga Clan was so much like imprisonment that she often viewed Sasuke as someone who had paid her bail. She knew very well that he didn't love her, but then Hinata had never expected that from her future husband. All she really wanted was escape, and that was something that Sasuke could give her. He had chosen her, after all, so Hinata did everything in her power to keep him and his parents pleased. That, and she genuinely did like spending time with Sasuke. He was not nice or anything like that. Even his politeness came off as being rather gruff, which Hinata found both strange and amusing. But when she was with him, she felt safe, something that had eluded her ever since she first earned her father's displeasure.

Sasuke was a proud boy, and he would protect what was his. That would not change when he became a proud man, and the sooner Hinata could get her name on his list, the better. Since they had never been completely alone, Hinata hadn't had a chance to inform him of just what happened to heirs that were proven weak in her clan. She sincerely believed that Sasuke would not desire a wife that had been branded, so he would either toss her aside, or do everything in his power to prevent that from being her fate. Naturally, she hoped for the latter, and especially before Hanabi came of age. All Hinata could do in the meantime was hopefully endear herself to either her "boyfriend" or her sister, as her father was a lost cause.

In other words, she was not exactly faking it when she perked up upon spotting Sasuke entering the tailor's shop. She really was happy to see him, and she really did want to talk to him. The excited little squeal she let slip from her lips was probably pushing it, but her attendant for the day (an older cousin, if she remembered right) only smirked and pretended he hadn't heard anything.

If Sasuke was glad to see her, he didn't show it. He never had, and that was his way. Hinata didn't mind that at all, because if Uchiha Sasuke didn't want to speak to someone, he simply wouldn't. But Sasuke came right over to her, trading nods with her attendant before finally moving his gaze to her.

"Hinata-chan. You're looking well," he commented neutrally.

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun," Hinata replied, blushing faintly. There was no need to compliment Sasuke, they had both agreed at their first meeting that he was, well, spectacular, and that that would only improve steadily over time. Restating the obvious tended to bore him, anyway.

"Let's go for a walk," he suggested at once.

"Shouldn't I greet your mother first?" she countered, sounding worried. It wouldn't do to slight either of Sasuke's parents.

Sasuke grunted as he took her arm. "She'll still be here when we get back. You can speak to her then. She'll be busy getting my gift, anyway." He had barely taken a step when Hinata suddenly gave him a peck on the cheek.

She smiled at him. "Happy Early Birthday, Sasuke-kun."

He stared at her for a moment, then grunted again and led her out of the shop. She was probably imagining that hint of red in his cheek, though. Sasuke didn't blush. Ever.


Gaara was in what he supposed one might normally consider a good mood. The Sandaime had approved the start of his ANBU training readily enough. Kakashi had agreed to take him by Ichiraku Ramen again, as soon as he placed an order for some new masks at a tailor's shop. Gaara had refused Kakashi's offer to get himself a mask. While it was true that ANBU tended to wear masks, Gaara was of the opinion that no one else in Konoha controlled sand and wore a gourd on their back, so the idea of a mask to conceal his identity was pointless. It was true that Gaara could break down the gourd and shape it into something else, but he had grown accustomed to it, and preferred it to any other form.

He had only been standing outside the shop for a moment or so when a flash of yellow caught Gaara's eye. There was a blond girl exiting a store down the street, accompanied by an extremely bored-looking boy with black hair. The girl was chattering excitedly, but when the boy didn't appear to share her excitement, she whirled around and smacked him on the arm. The boy blinked, gave her a long look, then merely closed his eyes and said two words that only made the girl angrier.

Gaara was walking before he realized it, and even when he did, he couldn't stop himself. Naruto had blond hair, but that wasn't what had made him start moving. He was only a few feet from the girl when it finally hit him.

Temari. His sister. She had blond hair.

Why this should be important now, Gaara couldn't imagine. He had never thought himself close to Temari, hadn't even thought about her or Kankurou in weeks. But suddenly, here he was walking up to total stranger, all because she had a similar hair color.

Gaara was still trying to make sense of all this when he noticed the other boy noticing him.

"Uh, Ino? Do you know this guy?" the boy asked.

The girl turned around, and for some reason, Gaara instantly knew that this had been a big mistake. There was nothing wrong with her face, exactly, but whatever he'd been searching for subconsciously, it wasn't there. Feeling confused and disappointed, Gaara turned to walk away.

"Hey! That's really rude, you know!"

Gaara paused and slowly looked over his shoulder to see the girl glaring at him.

"The least you could do is introduce yourself, instead of sneaking around like some kind of crazy stalker!" she snapped

Interestingly, the only thing Gaara found offensive about that statement was the volume. He supposed he had been stalking her, and probably had made her uncomfortable, but there was no need to let everyone else know it. Still, if he could leave without causing a bigger incident, it would probably be for the best.

"I made a mistake," Gaara offered in what he thought was a considerate tone. "It won't happen again." Thinking himself done there, he started walking again.

Then a hand grabbed his arm.

"I SAID, you could at least introdu-"

At that point, Gaara firmly decided that the girl was being disrespectful. She had a right to be angry, but he had never actually touched her. She had gone too far. But he was determined not to let this darken his arguably good mood, so he let her off with a warning, and never even stopped walking.

The gourd's stopper shifted, and a single tendril of sand slipped out and struck the back of the girl's hand, which instantly released Gaara's arm. Considering what he already knew of the girl, Gaara wasn't surprised when she responded angrily. But, unfortunately, she chose the wrong words to express her anger.

"OW! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM, YOU STUPID FREAK!"

Gaara stopped. Took a deep breath. Slooowly turned around. Glared.

The girl was on the ground, her eyes wet with angry tears. She was cradling her hand to her chest, and Gaara noted with some satisfaction that it was bleeding slightly. The boy was kneeling behind her, hands on her shoulders, as he stared at Gaara with growing alarm. But he clearly still had more sense than her.

"Ino… let's just go, okay?"

"Are you going to let him get away with treating me like that, Shikamaru?" Ino demanded angrily.

"Considering he could have easily done a lot worse? Hell yes." With that, Shikamaru picked up Ino bridal style and started to run. Except that sand had now wrapped around both of his ankles, so he didn't do much more than stand there.

"You want to see a real freak?" Gaara asked quietly as he approached them. "Let me show you." He raised his right arm, and with a smirk, mentally weakened the seal on that arm. Instantly, the arm lengthened impossibly, gaining the signature grainy skin and bluish marks of Shukaku's body, the fingers becoming claws.

Shikamaru's eyes widened, and Ino's mouth opened in a scream, but despite their shock, Gaara missed his intended target. The boy regained his wits at the last second and threw the girl aside, so there was only a muted grunt when Shukaku's arm plowed into him, tearing him bodily out of the sand and knocking him roughly to the ground. At worst, he might walk away with some bruised ribs and a few scratches, but then Gaara wasn't really interested in him.

Ino was still lying on the ground, frozen in shock when Gaara turned to face her.

But before he could attack her, there was a slight pressure on his arm. Shukaku's arm trembled, completely drained of its demonic chakra. The seal instantly kicked in, reverting the excess mass to sand, which fell at Gaara's feet.

Gaara blinked and turned his head slightly. There was another girl standing next to him, with her pale hand resting lightly on his arm. Her large, milky lavender eyes gazed deeply into his without fear or hatred, something he had experienced precious few times in his life. Instead, they held curiosity, and above all else, sympathy.

"I hope you can forgive Ino's ignorance, Gaara-san. She has no idea who you are."

Ino was staring at the girl as if she had two heads. "H-Hinata, what are you doing? Get away from him, before-!"

Hinata caught Ino's gaze, and the blond girl trailed off abruptly at the sight of the pronounced veins around the normally shy girl's eyes. "Ino, you should look after Shikamaru. He's not seriously hurt, but he was wounded trying to protect you. He deserves your attention at the very least."

Ino started to protest, but she noticed three things in that moment. First, Shikamaru wasn't moving. Second, Gaara hadn't moved since Hinata had placed her hand on his arm. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Sasuke was standing a few feet behind Hinata, so even if Gaara decided to go nuts again, it wasn't as if anyone could actually beat Sasuke. Reassured by her complete faith in the young Uchiha, Ino quickly scrambled to her feet and went to check on Shikamaru.

"Why aren't you afraid of me?" Gaara asked as Hinata looked at him again.

Hinata only smiled. "Because I'm certain you've had enough of that reaction for ten lifetimes, Gaara-san. Aside from that, if I had been afraid, Ino would be dead, and her inflated sense of self-worth is not entirely inaccurate. The Yamanaka can be as vengeful as they are beautiful when wronged, and Ino's father holds a certain amount of influence that should not be ignored."

"He's nowhere near as powerful as either of our fathers, Hinata-chan," Sasuke felt compelled to remind her.

She nodded. "That's true, but Gaara-san hasn't wronged either of us."

Gaara couldn't help but notice that Hinata was still holding onto his arm. It didn't bother him, though… and that in itself was very strange. "You know what I am?" he asked quietly.

"What I know," Hinata replied calmly, "is that you are a human being who suffered a very unfortunate fate. But I would never hold that against you, since the same could be said of myself." She squeezed his arm lightly before letting go. "It was very interesting to meet you, Gaara-san. If you ever feel so inclined, please consider having dinner with my family. They aren't exactly the friendly type, but I'm sure they could see to it that misunderstandings like this don't happen too often."

Gaara could only stare as Hinata and Sasuke walked away arm in arm. Neither one had seemed alarmed by his presence, but they also seemed to know about Shukaku. Were they really so confident in their own powers, or did they simply know something about himself that he didn't? He was uncertain how Hinata had managed to cut off the flow of Shukaku's chakra, and was even more puzzled by his own reactions. It would have been a simple manner to draw on even more demonic chakra to keep the arm whole, so why hadn't he? What power did Hinata hold over him that attacking her had never even once entered his mind?

He was still trying to figure out exactly what had happened when Kakashi returned, looked around, and asked where his new friends had gotten to.

"Friends," Gaara said, testing the way the world felt on his lips. "Is that what they were?"


High up on the Hokage Monument, the Sandaime Hokage closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He knew this was much better for him than smoking, but little guilty pleasures are often the hardest habits to break.

He did not tense up at all when an ANBU appeared next to him, and this was because he had sensed the familiar chakra signature approaching. In a way, it was almost like being reunited with an old friend, although he knew it was not healthy to dwell on such feelings.

"Tell me… what did you think of Gaara?" the old man asked.

"He was not what I expected," the ANBU admitted at once. "I look at him. I look at Naruto. In some ways, they're nothing alike. And yet… it's still there. The emptiness. The loneliness. But I can also see that he is slowly coming out of his shell. The other day, he asked me what kind of ramen I preferred."

The Sandaime turned to him in surprise. "Why?"

"I assume he simply was curious, but that isn't why I mention it. I mention it because he shouldn't have been able to detect me. I'm fairly certain only you would have been able to, Hokage-sama. The boy is sharp. I can't tell if it's Kakashi's molding, or his 'partner' helping him unconsciously."

"Do you think Gaara is ready for this?"

The ANBU shook his head. "It is, unfortunately, as you said, Hokage-sama. There really is no better place for him. Where Naruto would be reluctant to take a life, from what I understand, it's easy and even enjoyable for Gaara. Based on that demonstration he gave us, he's more than ready. Most ninja don't even hear about elemental affinities until they're chuunin or higher. Gaara is well on his way to mastering both Doton and Fuuton. His chakra control is nearly flawless. The areas where he needs the most work are self-control and social interaction. It's lucky the Hyuuga heiress was so close by, but I was unaware she had come that far. According to Hiashi, her Gentle Fist was particularly weak. But what I saw today-"

"Tells us that perhaps that those who are accustomed to staring off into the distance can often miss what is right under their noses," the Sandaime answered with a smile. "She and young Sasuke are a good match, I think. It's fortunate that their parents think so, too."

"Hokage-sama…" The ANBU hesitated, knowing his next question might not be welcome. "Naruto… is he…?"

The old man closed his eyes, but a single tear slipped down his cheek. "Alive, yes."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to remind you-"

"I do miss him," the Sandaime replied, "but that's not why I'm crying. Do you know it's been over a year now, and you're the only the second person that's asked after him in genuine concern? You, and Teuchi's little girl. She offered me free ramen for life, if I would just tell her where he'd gone."

"Did you?"

He shook his head and chuckled. "I only told her that he was safe. So now I only pay half price. A 'sweet old man discount,' she called it. But sometimes I wonder if I deserve such high praise."

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, but being nice isn't always a part of the job. There is no other I'd rather take orders from, though."

The Sandaime Hokage closed his eyes. "Thank you, Tenzou."

"You really shouldn't use that name openly, Hokage-sama," the ANBU sighed, tapping his mask with a finger.

"Of course. Forgive me. It's just that I feel comfortable talking to you in such a familiar manner. Unprofessional, I know, but-"

"You don't have to explain. I don't mind, really. But it's procedure."

"Yes. Procedure," the Sandaime murmured as the ANBU vanished. "I hope you are ready, Gaara. And I hope this village is ready for you."

End of Chapter 3.


Next Chapter: Naruto has a chat with Kyuubi, and then says three little words. Gaara visits Ayame at home and gets a neat job. And Sasuke's clan sort of, um, dies. Bad Itachi!

Endnotes:

I'm not implying that Hinata is meant to be a world-class actress here. But she is a kunoichi, and at some point self-preservation has to kick in. Although she IS acting like a Sasuke fan girl, that's all it is: an act.

There actually is a purpose for the scene with Ino and Shikamaru, but it won't come up until later.

I trust I don't have to explain why Gaara might have talent for manipulating earth and wind. I will have Gaara learning something other than sand-based jutsu, simply because he now has access to other elements through Kakashi, and isn't limited to what Shukaku would prefer to use.

If you don't know, Tenzou (or Tenzo) is apparently Yamato's real name. Honestly, I prefer the codename myself.

I WILL take suggestions as to who Naruto should be paired with. But no breaking up other couples in the story just for him. That means Hinata, Anko, Kurenai, Ayame, and Temari (she's not with anyone, but there's issues) are out. If you don't hurry, some "lucky" boy will claim Sakura. SOME explanation for the girl you want Naruto to end up with would be nice, just so I have some basis to work with. Also, "cuz she's hot" isn't really a good reason. Be creative yet sane, please.