A Fresh Start
Finally something had gone according to plan!
The Kazekage and his village had fallen prey to the genius that was Kakashi Hatake. In a matter of minutes, the solitary sharigan holder had managed to think up a plan to feign the death of Sabaku no Gaara. And it had worked like a charm.
No strategy could have gone more perfect.
When Kakashi realized that it would take him some time to locate Naruto, he had thought a step ahead in case that the Kazekage made good on his threat to attack, and sent two shadow clones henged as himself and a hooded, masked blond to the gates to "officially leave the village".
The two chuunins on duty hadn't suspected a thing and let his clones stride right on out of the village and reported right back to the Kazekage about their departure. Fools...
When Gaara had snapped and retaliated against his attacker, the silver haired shinobi knew right then and there, the boy could not remain in this village any longer. He was an innocent lost in the darkness of the ignorance of Sunakagure.
There was so many similarities between the red head and Naruto that it would hurt to know that he left someone like his sensei's son to the mercy of wolves.
The death of Gaara's so called uncle had drawn the final straw. The boy was left with not only the knowledge that the one person he had relied on his entire life tried to kill him, but had also in the same instance left him vulnerable and utterly alone in the cruelness of his already bleak world.
Yet, Kakashi had seen a flicker of life return in the eye's of the young boy the moment he had heard Naruto's voice. The hope that shined in his eye's, if even for an instance, was one he recognized well. It would appear that now the two of them had something in common. Naruto the blond, hyperactive, unpredictable menace was the red head's life line as well it would seem.
The one-eyed shinobi had no doubt in his mind that he would have followed his departed father's example long ago if he hadn't had to watch over Naruto in his sensei's place.
The whiskered child and everyone else in his meager life had no idea just how much Naruto meant to him, but Gaara was now probably the only one that would ever be able to understand the saving grace that Naruto brought with him whenever he flashed that brilliant smile and laughed as if without a care in the world.
A smile that sent the Hatake on a trip down memories who he had thought were best long forgotten. His sensei's dying gift had not just saved a village of ignorant fools, but it had saved him. A young man lost in a world of despair and self-consuming pride.
Never could he repay that blond mischievous boy or his great teacher and surrogate father, but he would use the last of his life to make sure that Naruto was happy and conquered all his goals that he set before him.
The first payment started today. In saving Gaara, Kakashi would bring a certain happiness to Naruto and his conscious would not allow him to abandon someone in need. Not again...
Once Gaara had accepted his proposal to leave Suna, the Copy Ninja set his formulated plan into action.
" Alright boys, This is what we will do."
When he saw them nod their heads, Kakashi continued.
" Gaara, can you control your sand well enough to use it from far distances?"
" Yes, but I have to be able to see where it is." The red head answered after a pondering moment as he tried to figure out just what the tall one-eyed man had in mind.
" Good, that will work. I need you two to follow me and cloak your chakra."
Three dark figures bounded away from that fated rooftop, but one small figure remained kneeling besides the bloody corpse of a Jonin Shinobi. This figure didn't move, didn't make a sound for it had been placed there for a single purpose.
When the remaining figure saw two newcomers, it slowly glanced up at them before slumping forward and laying across the corpse. Its mission had been accomplished.
The two Suna shinobi, who had come under the order of their Kazekage after hearing a loud disturbance, had been rendered speechless at the scene before them. There, kneeling over the body of their fallen comrade, rested the demon. The little monster who had survived ever attempt at his life, but tonight it would seem that they had finally succeeded.
At the first movement that the small red haired boy made had the two grown men flinch. Yet, they were astonished to see that all the red head did was look at them before collapsing over the corpse.
There gleaming under the moonlight, a Kunai reflected its deadly shine, as all but a couple inches near it's hilt, were deeply embedded into the clothed body of a six year old boy. It shined with a tinted dark crimson hue as a red viscous substance flowed slowly down the blade.
Unbelievable...
The red haired monster who had terrified a village to the point of murder had finally fallen to the one thing that had been thought impossible.
He was dead.
The holder of the Shukaku. Sabaku no Gaara was dead.
The two shinobi glanced apprehensively at one another. What were they suppose to do now?
The braver of the two, a light haired man of his early twenties, stepped closer to verify the death of the small jinchuurikin. However, before he could touch the fallen body of the red haired boy a silent command was given that neither shinobi noticed.
The sand that laid harmlessly on the rooftop had sprung to life at the will of its master. Its nature turned violent as more and more sand joined together to form a swirling vortex of golden earth.
The whirling sand formed a protective barrier over the body of the supposed Gaara. The blood clone, who Kakashi had created the moment they left to hide in the shadows of one of the neighboring rooftops, dispelled it self once the sand barrier obscured the view of the two stupefied shinobi.
Once the memory of the clone returned to its creator, the sand stopped mid-air and slowly rose higher into the dark desert sky. Where after a few feet exploded in a shower of dust, permeating the air.
Coughing away the sand particles that they had inhaled, the two shinobi were frozen to their bones. What had they just been witnesses too?
Once the sand cloud vanished and they were finally able to see once again, the shinobi glanced fervently toward the spot of where it all had begun. To their horror and amazement only the body of Yashamaru, one of their finest, laid there and a large spot of dark blood remained in the place of the demon.
The same thought raced their minds as they can to a relieving conclusion. The monster was gone. Not a trance remained of him and the stunning display of the sand that had terrorized them was no more. He was irrefutably dead. So that was how a demon died.
Not wanting to waste another minute, the two shinobi of Suna practically flew from the rooftop to spread the news. The monster was dead.
...
" They bought it. Time to go boys."
The sudden order from the silver haired man shocked the two jinchuurinkin from their revere. The smaller of the two was having a hard time processing all the events that had just occurred in the expanse of an hour.
" Gaara, We can not use the gate since my clones henged as Naruto and I already passed through there. Do you know any other way out of the village?" Kakashi inquired as he searched their immediate premises for unwanted guest.
A pondering expression reflected off the red head's face as he thought for a moment.
" Yes there is, but we have to leave now before any of the patrols start."
Not needing anymore encouragement, the trio left their hiding spot and followed the holder of the Shukaku to the darkest corners of the hidden village of the sand.
" There is a tunnel hidden behind the rocks large enough for us to pass through. It leads to the outskirts of the cliffs." Gaara explained as he walked over to a series of sharply edged boulders
" Perfect. That will work nicely." Kakashi responded with slight praise making the red head blush unused to such attention.
" I'll go first." Naruto chirped happily and hopped over the large dusty boulders before anyone could argue with him.
" I'm out. Some one else can come through now!" A loud boisterous voice that could only belong to one person called from a distance.
" Go on, Gaara. I'll be right behind you." Kakashi assured with a smile in his eye as he gently nudged the boy forward.
Nodding, the quiet boy followed his friend's example and leaped over to the other side of the rather large rocks. The tunnel, Gaara was relieved to see, was larger than he remembered, but he figured that over time the rocks had eroded away. It had been sometime since he had come to this place.
Once freed from the tight space, Gaara was welcomed by a grinning blond haired boy, who had pulled down his mask, was now revealing a whiskered marked faced. No wonder he wore the mask. He would have stuck out much more than Gaara did.
Leaving the comments for a more appropriate time, Gaara turned back around and cupped his hands over his mouth to help his voice bounce back to the awaiting member of this adventure.
" I'm out."
"Simple and to the point," Kakashi thought with an amused chuckle as he crawled to through the supposed tunnel, yet it seemed more like a big crevice that had sharp and jagged edges which tore at his clothing. Naruto and Gaara had probably just had to keep their heads from hitting the top. " Lucky them..." the seasoned jonin thought sourly as he had to power through a sand covered ground.
Once he was finally out of that cramp tunnel, Kakashi rose to his full height of six feet three inches.
He had never been more glad to see a desert, yet he couldn't claim victory just yet. There was still the issue of having to cross the terrain without coming across any shinobi of Suna and explain this to the Hokage when they got back. " Yay me... he's going to chew me alive."
The more he thought over his situation he couldn't help, but feel a little resentment to the bubbly blond who was chatting away with the silent red head. " Naruto you will be the death of me..."
If Naruto hadn't befriended a boy who was about to be assassinated, he wouldn't be in this mess. The more time he spent with the young blond boy the more he realized just how similar to siblings they truly were. He, as the older of the two, always ended up cleaning up the messes of the younger one. " Figures I'd get the short end of the stick."
Even with his not-so-cheery thoughts, the silver haired man couldn't help but feel immensely proud of himself for saving an innocent child from a fate worse than death. Kakashi had no doubt in his mind that Gaara would have survived every attempt on his life, but the cost that that would have on such a small boy would have been disastrous. His mental sanity alone would suffer.
Not to mention the fact of what lack of sleep could do to the phsyic and the longer Gaara's seal remained unfixed it increased the chances of the Shukaku breaking free." I have to convince the Lord Third Hokage of contacting Jairya about this. He's the last Sealing Master and the only one capable of fixing such a seal."
Deciding after a while that it was best to leave such thoughts until later, Kakashi hasten his pace to catch up to the two boys who had gotten quite ahead.
" Naruto, We will have to increase our speed if we want to reach Konoha tomorrow before nightfall."
" Alright brother, but don't complain when we go too fast for ya old geezer alright?" the young whiskered child said cockily as he fastened his pace to match the towering shinobi.
Gaara having no other choice did the same and soon a test of endurance was under way. Who would be the first to slow down? The seasoned shinobi or the pair of Jinchuriikin?
After a couple hours, the young boys, no matter how tough they thought they were, were no match for a grown shinobi.
Amused at the obvious predicted outcome, Kakashi called for a stop and set up a temporary campsite. When they had fled from Suna it was close to about eight in the afternoon, now if he had to roughly guess it was close to midnight.
Now the dark skies obscured the fact that they were deep into the neighboring forest of Konoha's boundaries. His little race had been a disguised measure to making sure they were far from Suna shinobi that they could stumble upon on their journey one-eyed shinobi had taken ever measure possible to ensure their safety until they arrived on friendly soil.
Speaking of which it wouldn't do for Gaara to just strut right into Konoha without some way to hide his facial features, someone could possibly recognize him as the son of the current Kazekage. With a smirk, Kakashi almost hit himself in the head for thinking such stupidity. He hid his face from everyone every single day and no one ever questioned him about it and if they did, he simply refused to answer truthfully.
As he lit a small fire after setting up the spare sleeping bags he had, Kakashi beckoned the boys to sit down beside him. There was some serious things to go over.
" Naruto may I have the mask I gave to you?" The tone of his voice had turned serious that it had Naruto look up at him with a slight frown.
" Uh-Yeah sure thing big brother. Here ya go."
" Thanks. Now Gaara I would like you to wear this from now on." Kakashi instructed as he held the dark fabric in his outstretched hand toward the wide-eyed red head.
" Why?" Gaara inquired tentavily as he grabbed the mask from the shinobi's hands.
" For the same reasons Naruto wore one when he came into your village. To hide his identity. Remember Gaara no Sabaku is dead. A proclamation will be made known to the other shinobi nations and if anyone were to see you alive and kicking in Konoha there will be severe consequences to pay."
Nodding, Gaara had come to understand village politics quite well despite his young five years of age. Being forced to be trained to be a weapon had taken a toll on his young mind. " I understand, but how will we explain my appearance to your hokage?"
" Don't worry about the old man. He will understand. Besides I won't let anyone hurt my new little brother. Us orphans have to stick out for each other." Naruto interjected with a large grin that could melt glaciers.
" Naruto is right. Our hokage is a just man and will be the only person we will tell the truth about Gaara's reason in being in Konoha. Is that clear?"
" Crystal!" The hyper boy affirmed with a salute.
" Yes, sir."
" You don't have to call me sir, Gaara. I'm not that old. Kakashi is fine." The older man said once again with a cheerful smile.
" Alright then Kakashi-san."
" Well whatever works for you gaki. Now it's time to hit the hay.
So you two go rest up. I'll keep first watch." Kakashi said in a tone that left no room for argument. Without another word, the two boys stood and headed towards the laid out bedding.
"Night brothers."
With seemingly no trouble at all, the blonde wonder was fast asleep with even a bit of drool already hanging out the side of his open mouth. His other two companions stared in envy and amusement at his carefree nature.
" Ummm... Kakashi-san I can keep watch. I don't need to sleep." Gaara spoke up as he realized there was no need for the man who helped rescue him to stay awake when he would never attain an ounce of glorious rest.
" I'm aware, Gaara. I'll keep you company. I'm not much of a sleeper myself during missions." Kakashi replied softly not wanting to risk waking the blonde hurricane.
" As you wish." The raccoon eyed boy muttered equally as softly following the silver haired man's example.
After sometime of unsettling quiet, Kakashi couldn't resist the opportunity to sate his need for knowledge any longer. He had tried to wait for an appropriate moment, but the timing would have had to be perfect. Normally he wasn't one to start up a conversation and, most of the time, he loathe social interactions all together, yet he had to ask.
" I'm curious, Gaara. You don't have to answer if you don't like, but why did you agree to come with us? Not that I'm not glad you're here, but I'm simply intrigued why the child of the Kazekage would turn away from his own village."
At first, the boy had stiffened and Kakashi had feared he wouldn't answer, but after a moment he saw his small shoulders relax before the red head spoke again.
" My father wouldn't stop until either I died or become what he always wished I'd be."
" And what's that?" Kakashi prodded carefully not wanting to push the boy too far.
" An indestructible weapon. A monster... but I never wanted to hurt anyone." Gaara's voice grew softer and softer as he answered until it was barely above a whisper.
" I see... Do you wish to be a shinobi then when you grow older?"
A contemplative look crossed the young child's face." If you had asked me yesterday I would have said no, but after meeting you and Naruto, I've changed my mind. I never knew that my sand could be seen as something cool and not something that makes me a monster."
Chuckling softly with amusement, Kakashi surmised that his little brother had once again pulled his magical touch on wounded souls.
" Yes, Naruto does have a way with words."
Nodding in agreement, Gaara continued," He was the first person to treat me kindly and not as if I was a disease. He saved my life. And I will do anything to protect my first true friend. So yes, I want to become a shinobi for Naruto."
" That is quite admirable Gaara. You and Naruto have much in common that you haven't even realized it yet. One day I'm sure you both will however. I'm sure Naruto has told you of his grand dream to be Hokage hasn't he? If he hasn't, I'll be surprised. There isn't a single person who he has ever come across who he hasn't told." Kakashi mused.
" Yes, He did. That's another reason why I have decided to become a shinobi. I have a debt with him which I can never repay. So I wish to do everything in my power to aid him in achieving his dream. Being a shinobi, I can be of much more help than if I was a civilian."
" That is very true. I also have a debt to repay him and I think you understand more than anyone else could what I mean don't you?" The silver haired man stated it as a question, but it was borderline a statement that the younger boy caught the hidden message.
" Yes, Kakashi-san, I believe I do..."
After a moment, a comforting quiet fell between the two figures instead of the deafening silence from earlier as they sat around a blazing, fire that provided warmth against the chilling night.
"What is Konohakagure like?" Gaara asked after several minutes.
" It is the most beautiful place you can ever imagine. The people are kind, misguided at times, but are generally good hearted people. There are thousands of trees surrounded it and the sights are just as wondrous. You will find peace there Gaara. I can promise you this."
With a nod of understanding, Gaara felt the tendrils of something he had long thought forgotten. Excitement... For the first time in a very long time, he felt excited about something. Maybe fate had finally changed its course for him...
The morning couldn't arrive soon enough.
...
You'd think it'd be nice if someone woke you up considerately instead of being pounced on by several furry mutts who slobbered a liter per minute.
" Ugh... so gross! Kakashi, you bastard! Get these guys off me!" A blond wild-haired boy screamed into the early morning sunrise as he struggled against the heavy weights.
" Alright fellas, he's awake let him up now." An amused voice spoke up a couple meters away.
With a sour look on his face, Naruto tried, to no avail, to wipe the dog slobber from his face. His older brother had quite the sense of humor this fine morning.
Sighing in utter defeat, the blond rose and stretched from his make-shift sleeping arrangements. The ground wasn't really comfortable place to sleep on if his cracking back had anything to say about it.
" Aw, man! I hate mornings!"
" Naruto, please try not to be so loud." A second voice resounded with a slight wince.
Momentarily confused, the mop of blond hair turned toward the source of the foreign voice and instantly recalled the last few days.
" Good morning Gaara! Sorry I'm not much of a morning person." Naruto answered sheepishly in a much more quieter tone to the amazement of the older shinobi who was surprised the blond had another volume that wasn't screaming.
" Well, Gaara you are already have such an amazing effect on this gaki that I for one I'm looking forward to the other future changes." Kakashi joked as he sealed up the remaining camping supplies in his containment seal.
" Hey!" An undignified shot resounded as a spiky golden haired boy turned menacingly toward the one-eyed man.
" When will we arrive in Konoha?" Gaara quickly interjected before Naruto could continue yelling. Loud voice's after so long of being in the stillness of the night really irritated him.
" Oh, I'd say around mid-day. You two actually endured running for quite some time last night. We're already at the border between Fire and Wind Country." Kakashi replied off-handly as the trio set off once again down a dusty worn, traveled path.
" Awesome! I can't wait to introduce you to everyone Gaara. Konoha is so great! There's lot's and lot's of trees and water. You're gonna love it there believe it!"
And for once, Gaara felt the side of his mouth twitch into a genuine smile.
A/N:
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Now I know some of you are confused on some aspects of this story so I'm going to try and clarify as much as I can without completely giving away my entire plot!
1. Gaara is two years younger than Naruto. (Naruto=7, Gaara=5)
2. Kakashi, I have decided, will be paired with Kurenai. You will just have to wait to find out what happens to Asuma. ( I won't kill him)
3. Gaara will be paired with an OC. Normally I try to stay away from OC pairings, but in this case I can't help but implement one. Though I will try to downplay their role as much as I can when it comes to the plot.
4. Naruto will be paired with Ino.
5. There might be some Sakura bashing sorry... I don't particularly like her character, but I won't make her the ultimate evil person either.
6. Sasuke will come around eventually and he'll have an okay relationship with Naruto.
7. The Konoha eleven will stay the same. That means that all the genin teams will remain unchanged except for one, but I'll leave that for the future.
8. Naruto will have a bloodline and know how to use the chakra chains of his mother.
I think that should cover most of it. Yet, if you still have questions feel free to ask!
Don't forget to Review and Follow! Until next time dear readers!