Chapter 6

Returning violence for violence only multiplies it,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darks can't drive out darkness, but light can.
Hate cannot drive out hate, but love will

-Naruto Uzumaki-

To Suna:

Kankuro POV:

"Gaara please tell me you're not going to allow the elders to do such a thing," I asked my younger brother when we got back to his office. The meeting with the elder was a chaos I would never want to witness again. I've never seen my sister so … devastated. Never. Not even when our mom died back when we were little. She had always acted so tough, bottling up her feelings and keeping up a strong front. Sometimes I worry about her, but right now? My heart aches for one thing and that's for her to be happy again.

Not the fake happiness she makes us believe in, but a genuine bliss.

"…"

"Gaara say something!" I was getting impatient as well as furious. I observed my younger brother through narrowed eyes while he stood in front of his opened window. He had his hands behind his back and looked as if he's in deep thought.

"Would you?" He asked me monotonously without turning to face me.

I was irritated. Through clenched teeth, I asked him, "Would I what?"

"Be happy. About… the addition," He still sounded indifferent, but at least this time he looked at me from over his shoulder.

"I would be as long as our sister is contented," I answered him as I closed my eyes and calming down a little.

Once I opened my eyes again, I saw Gaara smile before gazing out of window once more. I was confused, but I have the feeling he would be on Temari's side, as her brother, not as the Kazekage.

A warm breeze rustled by, making my brother's blood red hair sway against it. He spoke up again, but this time there was a change in his tone, one that I've never heard him use. I didn't understand it.

"So will I brother. Our sister deserves it."

A blithe grin tugged on my lips. Now the only thing we have to deal with is the stubborn elders…

Back to Konoha:

Tsunade POV:

"BUT GRANNY TSUNADE I CA-,"

"TSNADE-SAMA!" Shizune burst into the room, cutting of the baka's too loud yelling, "You have to read this! It's a message from the sand and it's urgent!"

"What is it Shizune?" I rubbed my forehead on either side using index fingers while my elbows rested on my desk. I was surprised to hear silence from Naruto. The idiot's been in my office the whole morning lamenting about how I should let him go search for the gang who caused the massacre.

Shizune looked pale when I raised my head to look at her. She handed me the scroll before talking, "The Kazekage had requested you're help."

I read the contents of the paper in my hands and my eyes widened more and more with each word in it. I couldn't speak, I was in shock. "Shizune… Get me Shikamaru Nara and the elders. NOW!" I slammed my fist onto my table as I stood up in the blink of an eye. Naruto just blinked his eyes at my outburst.

"H-hai Tsunade-sama!" Shizune jolted up and rushed out of the door once more.

I sat back down on my chair with a sigh and buried my face in my hands. This day just keeps getting worse…

"Granny Tsunade?" Naruto asked me with worry clear in his voice, "W-what did Gaara need?"

"I'll tell you later. Shikamaru is the first person who should know about this."

"Ok. So about me goi-"

I cut him off by speaking up again, "Naruto, I'm not allowing you to go after them."

"But they destroyed half the Hyuuga clan!" anger rang in his voice. He stared at his feet and muttered under his breath, "H-hinata, Neji… T-they're both…"

I leaned back on my chair and sighed again, "Naruto, look at me."

He did. Look at me I mean. And my heart almost shattered at what I saw. Grief and sorrow shone brightly in his usually cheerful blue eyes. He was really affected by this as much as his comrades were. "Naruto… just be there for your friends ok? Be there for Hinata. We don't need you to recklessly chase after those bastards and I'm quite sure neither do Neji and Hinata. Just be there for them…"

I watched as he grimaced and closed his eyes. Naruto heaved a deep breath. I just stared at him with interest when I saw his face change from sadness to pain, to anger, to confusion and finally a smile plagued it. Not a blissful smile but a smile nonetheless. He opened his eyes again; smile intact, "I will, for both of them… for Hinata."

I opened my mouth to lecture him again but the door banging open interrupted us. The two remaining old goons barged in, clearly in a bad mood.

"What do you want Tsunade?"

Ino POV:

"Alright sweetie, you're patched up and good to go!" I hear Sakura say in a sisterly tone to the young girl, whose scraped knees were now in bandages.

"Thank you nee-chan!" I watched as the little one jumped up in joy and hugged my best friend, almost knocking both of them out of balance. Listening to their chorused laughter made me smile. I hadn't seen her cheery in ages, not even when her ex avenger of a teammate came back. Sure she was glad about it, but she didn't exactly jump up and down in joy. It relieved me, seeing more of her old self while she talked childishly with the little girl. While she held the girl's tiny fingers in hers, Sakura walked her over to her mom sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. The girl's mom conversed with Forehead for a while, before she carried her child away, smiling.

"Kids really love you, don't they?" I asked Sakura whilst she came back to the emergency room. She just shrugged at me, her cheeriness gone. I couldn't believe it, "What's wrong? You were happy just a while ago."

"Ino, what are you trying to say?" she asks distractedly as she rolls up the excess bandages.

I strutted over to her and held onto her shoulders, making her face me, "What's gotten you down in the dumps?"

She smiled at me, "What are you talking about?"

I squint my eyes at her, "Honey, you might have trained under Tsunade-sama, learning how to hide your real emotions, but you're forgetting I'm friends with Sai. I know the difference between a fake and real smile. Plus, I'm your best friend. Now spill!"

"Ino, you're insane."

"Don't you 'Ino-you're-insane' me!" I huffed as I placed my hands on my hips, "Spill it forehead, before I make you. And we all know how that'll end up."

She rolled her eyes and walked away from me towards another patient. I followed her, "Oh no! You're not getting away before telling me billboard brow!"

"Oh hush up Ino-pig." She said simple as she checked the patient's temperature and wrote it down in her clipboard.

I taped my foot on the floor and crossed my arms, "I'm waiting billboard brow…"

She sighed and walked away from the patient and me, made her way to the medicine cabinet next, "I don't have anything to say to you Pig."

"Do you really think I'm stupid Sakura? Is this about Sasuke? Did he do something to you again? I'm gonna ki-," I blabbered but she stopped me by bonking my head.

"HEY! What did you do that for?"

"How else could I have stopped your mouth?" She asked matter-of-factly.

I growled at her, "Haruno you better tell me what's up with you."

She just stared at me with an expression I could not decipher. After moments of silence she spoke up, "It's none of your business..."

Kiba POV:

"Hinata, Naruto left me here to look after you while he checks up on stuff and I'm telling you to eat something right now. He'll be up my throat if you don't," I tried to explain to my teammate, but she just sat there on her bed, not talking and hugging her legs together while her chin rested on top of it.

"…"

"Hinata please eat something," I attempted once more.

"…"

"Look, you haven't eaten for a week. So please," I pleaded as I walked over to her with her food. I stood there, waiting for an answer.

"I'm not hungry…"

I sighed. This is really harder than I thought, "I'm not joking around Hinata, You better eat something befo-."

"And neither am I! I told you I'm not hungry!" she snapped. If looks could kill, I would be by now. I just stared at her wide eyed and shocked. Never in my life have I heard Hinata snap at someone and here I am having the honour of being the first person the kunoichi yells at.

"I-I… I'm sorry Kiba-kun," she whispered softly as if just realizing what she had done.

Letting out the air I had subconsciously held in, I placed the tray of food on her side desk and sat on the edge of her bed, in front of her. "Hinata, talk to me. Please. You're our friend and you are hurting us by doing this to yourself."

"…"

"If you want, I'll go get Naruto. Just please talk to som-."

"H-he said the same thing…" she interrupted me. I looked confusedly at her. She must have realized I didn't understand her, so she went on. "N-Naruto… He told me the same thing yesterday. He told me that I'm h-hurting him by hurting m-myself."

I just observed the normally shy girl as tears start to roll down her eyes again. I didn't know what to do or say. However, Hinata didn't wait for my answer, "I-I don't like h-hurting you guys, b-but…"

More tears stained her blanched cheeks. It was causing turmoil in my head and before I could even comprehend what had happened, I was hugging her as tightly as I could and trying my best to comfort her. "Hinata, you shouldn't mind us. We just want you to be your old self again. Or at least just eat something and talk to us. You don't need to keep your feelings to yourself. Sure, I might not know what it's like to lose half of one's clan but there are those who do, Sasuke for example. Even your cousin is there to talk to Hinata. You're not alone…"

She cried and cried in my embrace. Her shaking body worried me, so I thought it'll be best if I tried to make her eat once more, "Hinata, please just eat something. Please."

She choked up her last sob and wiped her damp cheeks. As she looked up at me, I noticed how raw and red her eyes were. When I saw it, it was like someone punched me in my chest. I couldn't stand seeing my teammate like this. To me she's like another sister.

"o-okay…" she said weakly. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't understand what she meant. She sighed and closed her eyes, "I… I-I'll eat."

The words kept ringing in my ears and I grinned at her. Finally! Without another word I grabbed the tray and placed it front of her and let her dig in.

Tsunade POV:

I was getting impatient waiting for Shizune and was about to burst when the door opened and three people waltzed in. My eyes narrowed, "Shizune I asked you to bring Shikamaru not Sasuke as well."

"H-hai. Sorry Tsunade-sama but…" Shizune contorted her face trying to find the right way to explain. The Nara boy yawned and rested his hands behind his head, "What a drag. Sasuke was with me when Shizune found us so since he wasn't to be left alone, I told him to tag along."

I watched as he looked around the room and his face showed surprised when he realized we weren't the only ones there.

"Why are Naruto and the Elders here?"

I noticed the old goons tensing up when they saw Sasuke glaring daggers at them. The look was intimidating and didn't change at all while he walked over to the open window and sat down on it, and just stared at the village view.

I sighed and turned my gaze back to Shikamaru, "Naruto was here to talk about the Hyuuga clan and since we're not done yet he's staying. As for the elders, let's just say we need their opinion for this matter."

I heard a scowl from both Naruto and Sasuke. Guess the two chums really hate these two elders as much as I do. Ignoring them I spoke again, "Read this scroll first."

"Troublesome." He muttered as he let down his hands from his head and took the scroll from my desk. Intently, I observed him as he read it. He was shocked at first but then his face clouded up when he read the rest of it and his hands clenched on the paper. It was just as I had anticipated.

With his left hand still holding onto the scroll, his arms limp on his sides and without breaking eye contact with me, he said, "I'm sorry Lady Tsunade. I… had no idea."

"We know Nara. You do know this had never happened before right?" Homura, the female elder inquired, "Shinobi from two completely different villages…"

Koharu, the male elder grunted, interrupting Homura, "This was really reckless boy."

"And to think you are called a genius," Homura insulted Shikamaru.

My face darkened at the two old pests, "You've no right to tell anyone they're reckless after what you've done."

"I apologize for my wrong, Elders, Lady Tsunade." I looked at Shikamaru. His seemed dazed and was staring out the window instead of at us. He closed his eyes and said, "I didn't think it would happen let alone cause this."

Inwardly, I was shocked by his response. He's not even thinking of the possibility that it's a good thing nor is he saying that it's troublesome or a drag. Still, I know what needs to be done about this.

I shook my head at him, "No. Just tell me what you think about it."

He paled, eye's glimmered from the tears that surrounded them and then looked at me sincerely, "I… I'm happy. About Temari that is, not about their village elders."

"Happy? Are you smart at all Nara?" Koharu hissed, but Homaru remained quiet but misshaped her face in annoyance.

I glared at them both, not liking their reactions at all, "Enough!" Turning to face the teen in front of me, I spoke again, "That's all I needed to know Shikamaru. Pack your stuff and meet me at the gates. We're going to Suna."

"SHIZUNE!" I called out to my apprentice and once she came back into the room I said, "Arrange our escorts to Suna on the double!"

"Hai Tsunade-sama!" and with that the dark haired girl bolted out of the door with Tonton in her hands.

"WAIT!" Everyone directed their heads at the blonde perturbed shinobi, "I don't get it! Why do you need to go to Suna? And what's with Temari!" Naruto shot a glare at the two elders and continued, "Unlike those two I know you didn't do anything stupid. You're Shikamaru for Kami-sama's sake!"

There were incoherent insults directed to Naruto from the two old goons but they were ignored. Shikamaru's smile did not go unnoticed by me.

Sasuke POV:

I was at peace when the lazy genius and I roamed the village streets again this morning, but, once I caught sight of the two elders in Tsunade's office, peace receded and was replaced by pure hatred and bloodlust. I didn't say anything and just glared at them and continued doing so until I reached the open window and sat on it.

My back leaned against one side of the window and one of my legs was propped up on it while the other hung on the side. I kept my gaze on the village down below but I listened to everything that was said inside the room. I have to admit I felt like a part of my old self was coming back and I wanted nothing but to kill those two elders then and there. But that would just be inappropriate at this time so I kept my hands to myself and my thoughts were locked up at the back of my mind.

Unlike Naruto, I understood what my superiors were talking about. That dobe is too dense for his own good.

I returned my full attention back to the room when I heard Naruto's question just to see Shikamaru's reactions. Unsurprisingly, he was smiling when he said, "No Naruto. I didn't do anything stupid. To tell you all the truth, I'm glad to start a family of my own." His face darkened out of nowhere and his fists clenched and unclenched. "If we're able to convince them…"

Without looking back, the genius just walked out the door, leaving Tsunade-sama beaming with pride at him and Naruto agape. I remained impassive even though I was happy for my friend. I heard Tsunade-sama telling something about us not being little kids anymore.

"I-is… He and Temari?" the dobe asked our Hokage and she nodded.

"Tsk. Tsunade why did you call us here if you're just going to ignore our request!" I heard the male elder yell at the blonde Hokage. And that's how a word brawl started between the three of them.

"I didn't agree to you because your requests are stupid!"

"Don't you dare talk to us like that!"

"Or what? You're just conceited and you always look them down!"

"Tsunade listen to yourself!"

"No! Listen to yourselves! You're losing the respect of this village by the minute! All the things you do and try to do. It's just sick! And you know what? The whole shinobi world knows what you did to the Uchiha clan and it disgusts them! They hate Danzo and they hate you! Even your own village despises you for it. And guess what? SO DO I! I'm glad Sarutobi sensei can't see what has become of you both, his teammates. It's a shame to say that my grandfather was your sensei! Tch. Stupid old hags."

The elders were taken aback and so was Naruto.

"Oh yeah! Go Granny Tsunade!" Naruto cheered in awe once he got out of his shock

I, on the other hand, stayed indifferent while in my head, I couldn't comprehend what I just heard. It didn't make sense to me and I just couldn't believe it. The need for fresh air to clear my mind increased as each second ticked by, so I got up from my seat and headed towards the door.

"Sasuke! Stay here. We need to talk before I go." I heard Tsunade tell me and I stopped in my tracks.

"Hn."

Yay! Hinata is eating again but... what's going to happen to Temari and Shikamaru? What do the Suna elders plan on doing? What's wrong with Sakura? What does Tsunade want to talk with Sasuke about?

nye- this chapter sucked...oh well at least i hope you got the point there. . xD