Happy New Year everyone! Here's a long chapter to make it up for the long wait.
I entered my office, followed by three guards while carrying the scrolls and notes, Naruto following me as well. I motioned for her to sit on the couch and gave her a warning look; she threw her hands defensively up in the air, silently telling me that there was nothing for me to worry about. I sat behind my desk, my fingers coming to rest under my lips. I looked around.
Jiraya of the Sannin was leaning by one of the windows with his arms crossed; Hatake Kakashi was by his side, looking at Naruto; Haruno Sakura was on the other side of the couch, watching Naruto as well. Naruto was looking around with her legs crossed on the couch. This place must have looked more welcoming to her at that moment than yesterday evening. The sooner we start, the sooner I will have my Naruto back. I motioned for the guards to give me the scrolls. But before that…
"Haruno Sakura," I addressed her, making her jump slightly.
"H-Hai?"
"Although the problem we have here is nothing lower than of highest importance, medical skills are not needed. However, because you are here anyway, your help will be highly appreciated in the hospital if you have the wish to be of any help."
"Of course, Kazekage-sama. I will gladly help wherever I am needed." She silently walked out, escorted by one of my guards who had withdrawn into the shadows of the room. I leaned back in my chair.
"Spit it out already." Jiraya said, looking out the window. "What's with her?"
I let out a heavy sigh. I had to tell them everything I knew about Naru's disappearance.
"As I told you before, Naruto is not here." That made the man look at me questioningly, and the present Naruto to protest before I glared at her again and she fell silent.
"Who is she then, Gaara-sama?" Kakashi asked and glared suspiciously at her.
"I am not sure." They waited for me to explain. "Yesterday night around 8 pm I decided that it was time to go home and went to check on Naruto in the library. She has been working on a new seal for over a month now. Not even 15 minutes after I had exited, the electricity flickered and there was a loud explosion from the library. I went there with my guards. Everything was in place; there was not even a sign of the massive explosion that we heard."
I paused for a moment, letting them take in the information. "When I got there, I found her." I motioned to the present Naruto. "She had different clothes on and when we investigated her, she seemed to believe a completely different reality. She believes she is a Chuunin of Konoha and she does not know about her parents." I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts, and then continued.
"The last thing she remembers before we found her here is that she was just back from a mission with Uchiha Sasuke in the office of the Sandaime Hokage, receiving a new mission concerning my father, the Yondaime Kazekage. As we all know, the last two men are long dead and the Uchiha is an international criminal, who will be undoubtedly killed if he ever dared to place foot near Konoha."
I saw the shock and massive confusion on Naruto's face and the growing suspicion coming from Jiraya and Kakashi as they both carefully studied her with their eyes.
"An imposter?" Kakashi asked, narrowing his visible eye. He moved away his hitai-ate and looked at her with his Sharingan. "No, that's her true appearance." He concluded, covering his left eye and thoughtfully looking at her once again.
"Memory damage?" Jiraya asked.
I shook my head no. "The Hyuuga we transferred from Konoha is certain that she is absolutely healthy." I motioned for Naruto to come to me. She came, unsure, shooting questioning looks at the three of us, silently asking for answers. How I wished I had these answers.
I stood up, raised my hand and with one swift movement and unbuttoned her shirt halfway. At first she did not register what I did, but then blushed heavily and tried to button it up.
"W-What the hell are you doing?! When did you do it?!"
I was not surprised she did not feel me doing it. She did not know, but I had unbuttoned this shirt many times before, although it was with a completely different intention. I put my left hand on hers, stopping her, and with my other hand I uncovered her left shoulder. Many of Naru's ninja outfits showed it off, so the two men knew of her mark. They gasped in surprise when they saw it was missing and Jiraya touched her collarbone just to be sure.
"Hey! Watch it, Ero-sennin!"
He ignored her. "Was it removed?"
"Nothing can remove it. It is simply impossible." And it was true. The tone of my voice convinced them completely. "You probably noticed that she is not wearing Tsunade-sama's necklace either." They both nodded. "And…" I lifted her hand for them to see that her engagement ring was missing as well. They noticed and looked at me, expecting to see me hurt, but I just kept my impassive expression.
"I see."
"A different body, maybe?" Kakashi suggested.
Jiraya looked thoughtful. "Along with the false reality thing and the mark missing, I think that it is highly possible. The thing, though, is how? I've never seen or heard of someone changing bodies except that old snake Orochimaru, but doing so, he always managed to retain his memories."
"I believe that the truth lies in the seal Naruto made." I explained, motioning to the scrolls and notes on my desk. "This is it." I showed them the big scroll. "These are her detailed notes on it and this," I spoke as I showed them the other scroll, "was with the main one. This is what I needed you for; I need this seal deciphered to get my Naru back." I let the worry show on my face. Jiraya looked at me for a moment and then sighed. He put his hand on my shoulder.
"You sure have a lot of things on your shoulders, kiddo." He took the big scroll. "I'm gonna take a look at it first. Do you mind us staying here? We might need to ask you more questions to make the puzzle click."
"Not at all, I've canceled my meetings for today. If you need something else, please let me know. I will be here doing paperwork."
The Sannin placed the scroll on the floor and unrolled most of it. His eyes widened at the sight of the complex content of the scroll. He poured chakra in it and large circles emerged, going up the walls and the ceiling. We all looked around incredulously.
Jiraya smirked, looking around. "Damn. I knew that the little gaki has surpassed me, but I never expected something as complex as this." Then he smiled fondly and said in a warm voice to nobody in particular, "You are just like your father, aren't you Naruto?"
We all ignored the small "Eh?" that came from the present Naruto. It really must have been confusing for her. The two men got to work and I went to sit behind my desk, glancing at a group of characters on the floor as I did so. I took my pen and proceeded in signing the paperwork on my desk. It was not something I enjoyed, but I was rather happy that I was helping my village. The fact that someone needed me, the fact that the village needed me, made the effort worth it.
The present Naruto just stood there, looking around. After some time, she sat on the arm of the couch that was inches away from desk and stared intensely at me. Her foot was tapping and she was chewing her bottom lip with a great effort.
When I saw she was not going to stop staring, I put my pen down. "I told you it was not a good idea for you to come with me." I looked at her. Her brows furrowed pleadingly. I sighed in defeat and nodded to her. Then she stood up and exploded with questions.
"Why are you speaking of me in third person? Why do you all say I'm gone when I'm standing right here? Why do your guards call me Naruto-sama? How come Jiji's dead? I saw him yesterday! Why do you say Sasuke is a criminal? Why are you saying I created this seal? I don't even know about simple storage seals! Who's Tsunade and why should I have her necklace? Aren't they here to take me back home? You know my father? Different body? AND WHAT MARK?!"
She almost suffocated from asking so many questions in one breath and fell back on the couch, breathing deeply. Her eyes watered at how confused and clueless she felt. I went to her and kneeled in front of her.
"Calm down and stop crying."
"I'm not crying." She shot back at me in a quiet voice, not in the mood to protest properly. She brushed away the unshed tears and looked away from me. I went to my desk and gave her a sign to come along. I motioned for her to sit in my chair. She sat and looked at me questioningly.
There was a knock on the door and the Chuunin I met when Naruto was changing came in with a big pack. He put it on my desk and exited after I thanked him. I opened it and took out a hot bowl of ramen. Naruto's face immediately lit up.
"Ramen!" She chopped her sticks. "Itadakimasu!" She said happily and attacked the bowl. Well this looks quite familiar. Still eating like a real lady. I thought sarcastically.
"Hmmmm..." She almost purred out, a happy smile on her face. "Not as good as Ichiraku's, but definitely A LOT better than what they gave me for breakfast!" She continued eating happily. "Oh man, and it's miso ramen, my favorite! How did you know?"
I sat on a chair next to her. "I know everything about you, Naruto." I let out in a nostalgic voice. I immediately regretted it, knowing that she will ask for explanation.
"Eh?" She swallowed a noodle. "What do you mean you know everything about me?"
I could not avoid her questioning look. Maybe it is time I tell her. Surrounding the front of my desk with a wall of sand, I isolated Naruto and me from the two men. I used my sand to remove the piles of paper from my desk, making the photos on my desk noticeable. She almost choked on a noodle and dropped her chopsticks. She stood up and leaned over to look closely at them.
"Okay." She looked at me, pushing away her ramen. "I'm dead serious now. You know what is going on and you are not telling me!" She almost yelled at me. Sigh, still disrespecting any form of a Kage. "I have the right to know! Tell me!" There was anger on her face as she sat back on the chair demonstratively and crossed her arms. Then her features softened and her eyes watered once again. "I beg you, Gaara. Tell me." Twin tears slid down her cheeks, but she did not even bother to brush them away. Now I knew I had upset her for real. Whoever she was, I did not want to see her upset despite her only being a copy of my fiancée. I felt the familiar urge to cup her cheek and embrace her; I wanted to calm her down.
"Naruto…" She was staring, but not seeing, her brows furrowed, as her tears silently slid down her face. "Naruto, look at me." I cupped her chin and made her look. I gave her a tissue to wipe her wet cheeks. After a few moments she calmed down, an occasional tear going down her face.
She had her legs crossed on the Kage chair, staring at her lap, rending the wet tissue in her hands. I sighed and ran my fingers through my blood-red hair, remembering how much Naru likes to ruffle it. I stared at the girl currently sitting in my chair, wondering how she would take in the information I was about to bring down on her. Sigh.
"The real reality is far different from what you believe to be true." She looked me in the eyes.
"I don't care, I want to know how I mysteriously got here and why everyone tells me I am not believe I am." I could see the determination in her eyes.
"Did you see the seal Master Jiraya and Kakashi are examining right now?"
"Are you kidding me? How could I miss it?! It's the most freaking complex thing I've ever seen!" She almost yelled at me, giving me a "duh" expression.
"This seal was made by the greatest seals master there is, Uzumaki Naruto." There was complete silence. The girl before me stared at me with wide eyes, her lips parting a few times, but never got to form the words she was so short on right then.
"What?! Me? No way, it would take me like a mill-" I cut her off.
"I did not say you made the seal. I said that Uzumaki Naruto did." Yet again, she looked at me with an utter confusion. "You are not Uzumaki Naruto." I waited for her protest and endless questions, but they never came. Instead, she stared at me unbelievingly, but nodded, letting me continue. Smart girl.
"We believe that this complex seal is the reason of you being here and believing to be Naruto. She must have done something wrong with the seal for the bigger portion of your reality is false."
"What is the true reality then?"
"Sandaime Hokage's long dead and so is my father, the Yondaime Kazekage. Naruto's bastard of a teammate, the Uchiha, turned out to be a complete bastard indeed, betraying his village to go to that serpent Orochimaru just to gain power in order to achieve his revenge. He made Naru suffer and worry so much, not to mention he even almost killed her…"
I clenched my teeth, the desire to kill this bastard eating at me. If only Naru did not care for him so greatly, I would have put an end to his pointless life. Honestly, I pity him. He has gone insane and the last time I encountered him, he was talking to his dead brother, much like how I used to talk to my dead mother years ago before I met Naru…
"I got that already." The present Naruto replied back to me. "Sasuke… is he okay? Where is he?" She leaned forward in the chair, making her concern evident. I could see she was worried for the Uchiha. I had seen the same expression on my Naru's face even though the bastard had tried to kill her many times. She still cared. She always did.
"I know you care about the Uchiha. I do not know how it is in your side of the story, but here Uchiha Sasuke went too far seeking his revenge and when he finally killed his brother, he found out that Itachi Uchiha was not the villain everyone saw him as. Uchiha Itachi was a true shinobi, sacrificing everything he loved in the name of peace. I do not know if I would have the will to do the same…" Why do the good people have to suffer?
"What happened next?" The blonde girl had her eyes closed, obviously being stuck in her thoughts. For a moment I wondered which details I should save from her. I understood her confusion and distrust; she has to face a completely different reality.
"This happened when she was twelve. Naru was determined to force Sasuke back to Konoha and make him stay there from the beginning. She trained hard for the next three years to become stronger, but the Uchiha never listened to her. He let dangerous people lead him and eventually disappeared after the end of the Fourth Great Shinobi War."
Naruto flinched, opening her eyes. "War?" She repeated faintly. I just nodded. War was one thing I knew Naruto hated. "Did someone die in this war…Someone important?"
"All shinobi villages became united to fight against the threat and many worthy shinobi gave their lives protecting what they believe in." I twisted my answer. I did not want to upset her, nor make her confusion even greater.
We were silent for a few minutes, both taking some time to think things over. I could hear the muffled words from behind my sand wall and detect moving, meaning that they were working on the seal. I have become addicted to Naru's love and I needed my dose, I needed her by my side every single day. Otherwise, I would surely go insane and return to my older self.
"After not being able to find Sasuke's tracks again, Naruto moved to Suna..." I silently finished the story.
"Where do you come in the story?" She asked me, turning explore the photos on my desk.
"I am Uzumaki Naruto's fiancé." She immediately stared at me, a question in her eyes which I was able to read.
"No, it is not a set marriage." I looked at the pictures, longing in my eyes. "We truly love each other. She is everything to me." After a few moments of silence, I got down to explaining the whole story.
"At the time of the Chuunin exams five years ago, there was a combined attack against Konoha in which Suna participated blindly." Naruto obviously made connection between that and the interrogation from last night. "Yes." I said, confirming it. "But in this case, the attack destroyed a big part of Konoha and killed many men, including the Hokage and Kazekage at that time."
I did not miss the flinch at mentioning the old man's death. Naru would tell stories about Hokage-jiji with great passion, leaving me with the impression that she used to think of him as her own grandfather.
"Naruto, I am a jinchuuriki like you." She did nothing to hide her shock.
"H-How di-"
"I already told you, I know all about you… the real you, that is." Her shock subsided, so I carried on. "I carry the Ichibi, Shukaku. At that time, I had let him take over me and I would mercilessly slaughter someone just for staring at me." She flinched, but did not draw back; I knew she would not. She understood what it was like; people having prejudices about you and she would not turn to what she hated the most.
"At the Finals of the Chuunin exams that year, Naruto and I fought to the death." Yet again, she looked at me wondrously, but I was looking into the nothingness, the scene playing before my eyes. "She beat me." I smiled fondly. "She beat me…And then saved me."
"Saved you?"
"For the first time in my life, I felt what I had heard people call love. Until that moment it was nothing more than an empty word to me, but all of a sudden it was everything to me." The more I was talking about her, the more I missed her. "While she was in training with Master Jiraya, she used to visit every now and then. We became really attached to one another. Shortly after that, we became lovers and we've been engaged for the last few months."
I noticed the slight blush on the present Naruto's cheeks and could not help but wish even harder my Naru were here. I wanted to hold and embrace her, be with her. Now, I just felt emptiness eating at me accompanied by the usual loneliness that attacked me every time Naru was gone.
"Naruto," I placed my hand on hers, wishing that she would melt into my touch, but instead I felt her hand like a foreign body that is trapped. "Do not worry, I have the best people working on our current problem. I hope that very soon everything and everybody will come into place."
"What's going to happen once I go back? Where is "back" actually? How do you know it is not your reality that's false?"
"What I suspect is that Naru created you with this seal, but I cannot be sure. However, whatever she did, she did it, therefore it is not real and it is not the true world. I'm sorry." I stood up. "I know it's been too much for you. I will proceed to doing paperwork and you are free to explore the village and think things over if you wish, but mind what you do. My guards will be watching you."
The girl exited with two ANBU following her. I needed time to think things over myself, so I got to the routine stamping and signing papers, not paying the slightest attention to what I was doing. My mind was somewhere else with somebody else.
Hope you're enjoying the story so far. ^.^ In the next chapter, Gaara may or may not go insane...just sayin'. :D
Remember, each review increases the possibility of Gaara and Naru getting back together by 1%.
Fact: Author is desperate for reviews. :D