Over the week their training went good they added more weight to Naruto when he got used to them, currently at a 75 each, on Saturday the girls called Naruto over to tell him something, "We're going to Suna to get some desert herbs and venom to make antidotes and poisons," when hearing that Naruto got depressed until," We aren't leaving you, actually we were wondering if you would like to go?" He then looked up with a smile upon his face and said, "HELL YEAH I DO!!!!"He Shot up in an instant with excitement and the girls just smiled. "Okay well pack some clothes and let's go." As soon as those words left Naomi's mouth Naruto bolted out the door to his apartment to pack and in a few minutes he was back with a backpack of food and clothes and knapsack, " Okay my hyperactive brother let's go." Kaori says slinging an arm over Naruto's shoulder and leading him outside the apartment with the others following behind.
As they got to the gate Kotetsu and Izumo are sleeping so they walk by with ease and continue going while Naruto marvels at the sights outside the village. A few meters later an Anbu with a dog mask appears in front of them, "Return to the village at once." He said in a demanding monotonous voice while Naomi shook her head and spoke up," I'm sorry we can't some important herbs are at the Suna village and we must get them now, so please move aside and allow us passage." When he made no move to let them and he took out a kunai she sighed, "Then you leave me no choice," she went through some hands signs, then ended on Bird and said," Demonic Illusions: Memory Replay" then everything around him went black and before he could dispel it he was back with his old teammate outside a very familiar cave and he paled.
Seeing him shake she knew he was under the genjutsu, "Let's go" and she took to the trees with the other three close behind. Well Kaori and Kairi right behind Naruto was on Kairi's back
Thanks to their speed they made it halfway there by nightfall but Naruto was exhausted and the girls barely sweating. They set up camp and a wolf that was light grey appeared and gave the news to Kaori and them, after they left she sent a wolf to take him back to Konoha. After receiving the news he disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving the girls and Naruto to eat and rest. The next day Kaori woke up first and proceeded to wake the others, with no complaints from Naruto, over the week he broke out the loud mouth habit and pranks and became a little more serious and focused on reading, training and history. They packed everything up and set out.
Back in Konoha a worried and slightly angry Hokage was looking out the window after hearing what had happened to Kakashi and Naruto from a light grey wolf named Knowl (Short for Knowledge) he was reassured nothing will happen to him and they will protect him with their lives, for he is part of their family now. That thought in mind made the old man smile, 'He found people who genuinely care about him and love him." So he didn't send an Anbu squad after him he just prayed to Kami he would be alright and back in one piece.
Back with our little family, they reached the border of the Land of Fire and Land of Wind. They started to the village and halfway there the heat became unbearable to Kaori and Naruto but since Kairi and Naomi were part Fire elementals they could bear it so she summoned a sandy brown wolf that was big like a merchant cart, "Hey Sandy mind giving us a ride?" She asked her summon, "Of course Ri-ri." He then bowed down and her and Naruto got on as did the girls so they wouldn't be left behind and he took off toward the village and in two hours they were there and Sandy went back to the Wolf Forest where all wolfs reside. As they made their way they were stopped by two Sand chunin, "Halt state your business here?" They asked, "We are just travelers here to look around and maybe acquire some herbs for antidotes." Naomi said half honestly.
The Chunin seem to think about it before letting them pass. As they made their way in they see that everything is just like Konoha just sandy and hotter. " Okay I will look for the herbs while Kairi looks for the venoms why don't you both go to the park and play." Naomi instructed and the kids of the family went off to the park while they went to the greenhouse and hospital.
Once they got to the park Naruto and Kaori looked around and saw a bunch of kids playing around and laughing. All except one and he was in a swing holding a bear looking at the other kids with a sad and envious look in his eye seeing this they went over to him and stood in front of him, "Hi my name is Naruto and this is my sister Kaori, do you want to be friends?" Naruto ask with a smile and Kaori looks at him with a smile as well. The kid just looks at them in shock and ask, "What?" Naruto's smile gets bigger, "I said do you want to be our friend?" Gaara then looks hesitant but smiles to them, "Yes I would like that and my name is Gaara" he says. "Awesome lets go play then!!!" Kaori shouts and the three go off and play tag, hide and go seek, catch and swinging. Throughout all of it Gaara smiled and laughed until a feminine looking man comes to up to Gaara and the others, "Gaara I have come to get you it's time to go home."
"Yashamaru these are my new friends Naruto and Kaori," Gaara says enthusiastically to his uncle, " and this is my Uncle." He tells his new friends. Yashamaru looked to the other two and gave them a smile," Hello Naruto-kun, Kaori-chan I'm sorry but Gaara and I have to go." After hearing that Gaara got depressed not wanting to go until Kaori assured him they will play again tomorrow and his smile was back then he left. Kaori sensed something in Yashamaru but wasn't sure if she was right.
That train of thought got cut off when Naomi and Kairi came and got them taking them to the hotel they rented and displayed the herbs and venoms. It was a little after dark when they heard an explosion they rushed out and saw smoke from the Kazekage tower they all ran to it and jumped up to the roof to see a corpse of Yashamaru and a crying Gaara, "Why do I have to be a monster?" Naomi knew what was happening and took a delicate approach, "Gaara you are not a monster you are just a kid like me and my sisters and brother." She walked forward but he stepped back, "Liar no I'm not he told me I'm not and that no one loves me, not even my mom." He started crying again and Naomi hugged him and he gripped the front of her shirt and cried on her then he felt two others hug him, he turned to see that Kaori and Naruto are hugging him, "Why?" He choked out, "Because you are not a monster you're our friend." Everyone released and Naomi looked to Gaara, "Show me your seal Gaara so I can fix it so you can sleep." He nods and lays down and shows her the seal and she was not happy about it she started on seal that will separate him and his tenant. After a good two hours she completes the seal and is happy with it. "How are you feeling Gaara?"
She ask him, he looks to her with a sleepy smile, "Better I don't hear his voice anymore."
He said before falling asleep, "What are you doing?" The Kazekage demands.
Naomi turns around letting off a big wave of killing intent making the Kazekage shift slightly and his other kids who came with him freeze, "I fixed his seal so he can sleep. Now listen here he is a boy not some weapon to be used, and you better let your people know the difference between a jailer and his tenant, he will write to Naruto every week and Naruto will write back so they can stay friends, and try to be a better father he is the last piece of your wife that should be treated with love and care," she tells the Kazekage who is a bit angry a 10 year old is telling him what to do but feels like it's best not to cross her.
"Your brother should be fine now for you to get closer and why not be there for him when he wakes up I'm sure he'll love that." She tells the kids and the brunette came and took Gaara, "Thank you for fixing Gaara, I'm Kankuro and that's Temari." He held his head to his sister, Temari, "It's nothing really, well we should go to sleep see ya." She turns and jumps back to the room along with the others.
The next day they were at the gate of Suna with Sandy next to them, "See ya Gaara remember to write me and to take a nap once a day." Naruto reminds his friend who smiles to him, "I will and thank you again for the help." He hugs Naomi who hugs back as an answer then the others join in before heading out on Sandy who uses the sand as a boost to get to the border faster.
Once at the border he goes back and they jumped from trees to get home quicker with Naruto on Naomi's back this time. They make it a quarter away from the village when they rested but kept moving after they rested.
While on the way back Naruto was thinking of something, "If the people I saw looked at Gaara the same way they looked at me, does that mean he's like me? But what's wrong with him? Is it the same problem as me? Although I don't know what's wrong with me.' not knowing that Naomi was listening in on him.
"Hey Naomi-NeeChan do you know what was wrong with Gaara for the villagers to look at him with those eyes? And why did he call himself a monster?"
Knowing he was going to ask that she decided to answer him honestly, "Well Naruto, what I got from the villagers is that Gaara was a jinchuuriki, someone used to sacrifice in order to contain the bijuu," she said stressing the word contain because she had some type of feeling something will happen in the future. "His seal was unstable and is why I think they said he goes on a rampage though they think it's his own will. So I fixed his seal with what I knew from fuinjutsu. Though let me be clear he is not the bijuu, he is only the container." she said finishing up her little lecture.
Naruto was thinking over what she said. 'How can they hate him for something he can't control. Is that why they hate me,but I don't have a demon in me. Maybe I'm thinking too much on it, but why Gaara?' Naruto got done with his thought when they were approaching the gates.
They made it to the gate to see Kotetsu and Izumo awake and spot them, "Hey there you are. The Hokage is looking for you four." Kotetsu tells the four, "Okay we'll head there now." Kairi says, then the group went to the Hokage tower. To say he was angry was an understatement, he was furious and they couldn't help but feel guilty for worrying him.
"We're sorry Jiji we just needed to go and we know you wouldn't let us." Naruto says with his head down along with the girls. Hiruzen sighed knowing he can't stay mad at them, "Alright just don't do it again."
"We promise." They said in unison then they we're dismissed and Naomi got the memories of her clone about Shusui Uchiha and Danzo and was glad she stopped whatever they were conversing. She had a feeling something was up with that Danzo guy since she saw him walking in the street and he was staring at her. His thoughts weren't pleasant either, so she had a clone trailing him and saw the conversation happening and felt the need to stop it when he made a move to the guy Shisui. She only found out his name when the clone decided to switch targets and followed Shisui home and heard his parents call him. They then went to their apartment and went to sleep.