Disclaimer: I do not own or am in any way related to Naruto. I am simply a fangirl trying to make her way in the world while at the same time dealing with the stories that the Naruto characters play out in my head. I am making no profit from this, unless you count readers and reviewing love.
Summary: Five years ago Naruto brought Sasuke back but received only anger in return, and so he left. Now it is Kitsune, strong and deadly, who returns to his old village. When war erupts with Konoha at its heart, what will he choose to do?
Warnings: More character introspection than plot. Not much action either. Lots and lots of spoilers, mainly about the Akatsuki and Naruto's parentage.
Chapter Six
A Thousand Choices In One
Some choices we live not only once but a thousand times over, remembering them for the rest of our lives.
-- Richard Bach
The second day dawned bright. Naruto spent the morning having breakfast with Iruka, who did not push him for the sordid details of his life as Kitsune, but simply let Naruto talk about whatever came to mind. First, Naruto told him about the exam, about how Lee and Hinata and Shikamaru had found out, and about why he was taking the exam.
Then, at Iruka's prompting, Naruto told him about the past few years. About how he'd wandered around for a while, barely escaping from fights with random shinobi. About how he'd collapsed one day in the desert – and woken up a few days later in Suna.
"And I almost died of a heart-attack when I saw Gaara sitting beside my bed, staring at me!" Naruto remembered, laughing. "You have to meet him soon, Iruka-sensei, and if he tells you that I screamed like a girl at the sight of him, he lies!"
Iruka laughed. "Of course. A Kage's word is not to be trusted, really."
Naruto made a face. "Iruka-sensei, sarcasm? Coming from you? I'm shocked! What will the little kiddies say?"
"They won't dare say anything," Iruka said smugly. "I haven't lost my touch as a teacher, Naruto."
"What, the pee-in-your-pants 'Listen Up Or Else!' look?" Naruto shuddered theatrically.
"And much more," Iruka said mock-ominously, fighting back a smile.
"The terror of all Konoha students everywhere!" Naruto fell over with laughter.
Iruka watched him, smiling affectionately. "Terror I may be," he said lightly, "but I'll have you know I received yet another love confession."
Naruto choked. "From another five-year-old girl?"
"She was very earnest about it."
Naruto howled with laughter. "Oh my god, the Iruka-sensei Kindergarten Love Conquest Tally! I'd almost forgotten!"
Iruka flushed. "I would thank you to stop using that ridiculous name for it."
"Ooh, how many, how many is it now?" Naruto sat back up, almost bouncing in his seat. "Tell!"
"I haven't been keeping count, but… coming to a hundred," Iruka said, smiling sheepishly.
Naruto whooped. "Iruka-sensei the Stud! You know," he said suddenly, as if he just remembered something, "that's a lot like Gaara, too. The villagers are pretty terrified of him and his powers, but recently they've started to love him in spite of it. I remember this one time, we were walking through Suna, when this little kid ran up to him and gave him a flower – and you know how rare flowers are in Suna, so it must have been really precious to her. You should have seen the look on Gaara's face! It was the first expression of acceptance, given willingly in public, that he'd ever received, you should have seen the light in his eyes…"
Iruka was watching the light in Naruto's eyes, however, as his former student went on to regale him with stories about Gaara. How the other man was able to always sense where he was, which was how he'd found Naruto that first time in the desert, because of Kyuubi's presence in him, and the reason why he'd given up playing Hide and Seek with Gaara pretty quickly. How they had trained together, helping each other to rise – Gaara to the Kazekage's position, Naruto to assume Kitsune's identity. How they had worked together to find a way to control the demons in them – "though I can't tell you exactly how, yet, Iruka-sensei, I'm sorry" – and how they had held each other together when trying to come to terms with who they were, without the demons.
So it was that when Naruto finally paused to gulp down some tea and grab some cookies, Iruka felt confident enough in his observations to say, "Is there something else about Gaara you want to tell me, Naruto?"
The blond blinked at him. "Wow, my story telling skills must be good."
Iruka rolled his eyes. Naruto was as dense as ever. "No, you little brat, that's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?" Naruto demanded, taking another cookie and popping the thing whole into his mouth.
Sighing, Iruka decided to forego the tactful approach and head straight for the throat – which was, admittedly, the best way to get things through to Naruto. "Do you love him?"
Naruto choked on his cookie, spraying crumbs all over his plate. Iruka reached over the low table and helpfully gave him a hard thump on the back.
Coughing, swallowing the cookie, and then washing it down with tea, Naruto sent Iruka a baleful glare, eyes watering. "What the hell, Iruka-sensei?"
Iruka gave him his teacher's 'Don't Mess About With Me' glare. Naruto cowered. "It's a simple question, Naruto – though my timing could have been better, I admit. Do you love Gaara-kun?"
Naruto squirmed under his glare. "Eh… that is… he's my best friend…"
Iruka turned the glare up.
"It's just… I…"
Iruka turned the glare to its deadliest.
"Oh, hell." Naruto threw up his hands. "Yes," he sighed in defeat. "I think I do."
"You think?"
"Okay, okay! I'm pretty sure I do, okay?" Naruto looked woefully at Iruka. "But I can't tell him, because it would scare him off, so he doesn't know. Can you stop looking like that now?"
Iruka grinned at him, satisfied. "Don't try to hide things from me, Naruto. I know you too well."
Naruto made a face. "And it's scary, it really is." He hesitated. "You… don't have any problems with it? I mean… Gaara's a guy."
Oh, damn. Iruka cursed his honest personality as he felt a traitorous blush steal across his nose. "I don't have any problems with homosexuality at all," he said.
And there it was… Naruto's suspicious narrow-eyed stare. Just as Iruka knew Naruto, Naruto also knew his old sensei. His blue eyes went wide, and he jumped up from his seat, pointing an accusing finger at Iruka. "You like a guy!" he exclaimed. "You do you do you do!"
"Naruto!" Iruka hissed, looking wildly around his apartment. He half-expected gossipers to pop out of the corners. "Quiet down!"
Laughing hysterically, Naruto dropped back into his seat, clutching his stomach. "Oh man… Iruka-sensei's in lo-ve!" He sang the last word gleefully.
"So are you," Iruka pointed out, trying to maintain his dignity.
Naruto waved a dismissive hand. "At my age it's almost expected of me. But you, Iruka-sensei! You always said you couldn't see yourself being together with anyone! You said that teaching's your whole life!" He leaned forward eagerly. "Who is it?"
Iruka sighed, feeling a headache coming on. He didn't really want to say it out loud – he hadn't really come to terms with it himself, but… he owed Naruto this much. "You can't say anything to anyone, alright?"
"Of course I won't tell anyone!" Naruto looked offended.
"Alright. It's… damn… it's…" Iruka grimaced, "Kakashi."
Naruto gaped. "What…?"
Iruka covered his face, feeling himself turn completely red. "After you left," he said into his hands, "Kakashi came to ask me if I knew anything about it. And knowing what his role in everything was… I kind of lost it. I yelled at him for a good half an hour about his uselessness as a teacher and… and lots of other things. I didn't let anything about you slip, of course, I just vented all my anger on him. And he just stood there and took it silently."
"And then?" Naruto sounded fascinated.
He took it as a good sign, and continued. "I felt quite bad the next day – about taking it out on him. So I found him and apologised about yelling at him, and said that I had been in a bad mood because of your disappearance. He said that it was alright… and then he said that he noticed I was only apologising for yelling, not for what I said. I told him it was because I didn't regret my words, only the way I said them, because everything I said was what I felt to be true.
"For the next couple of days I didn't see him, and then on the third day he showed up at my window. Literally. He came in by the window while I was eating, and I was going to start yelling at him about his rudeness when he said that he'd been thinking about my words. I didn't expect that, or how serious he was being – Kakashi, being serious without being in a fight? It's like the world ending. But we got to talking, discussing you and how things might have gotten so bad."
Iruka looked up from his hands, then, to see Naruto watching him, and it was like that time when Kakashi had appeared in his home – a seriousness that wasn't suited to the face it was on. Naruto gave him a small smile. "Go on," he said encouragingly.
Taking a sip of tea, Iruka shrugged. "There's not much left. We couldn't finish our discussion that night, since it was getting late, so Kakashi asked if he could come back the next day. I agreed, he came back, and soon he was coming to see me every night. We talked about you at first, but then we started talking about lots of other things. And then for two weeks he had a mission and wasn't in the village, and I found myself missing our chats… that's when I began to think about it, and realized that I liked him."
"Wow." Naruto reached absently for a cookie, and took a bite. "Man… I would have loved to see you yelling at Kakashi-sensei."
Iruka laughed. "Is that all?"
"Well…" Naruto eyed him, as if he wasn't sure that Iruka would like what he was going to say next. "There is something else."
"Just say it, Naruto. You can always tell me anything."
Naruto sighed. "I think you can do much better than that perverted disrespectful never-on-time idiot of a jounin."
Iruka blinked. "Well, that was… descriptive."
Naruto sat up straight, looking determined. "It's true!" he insisted. "Iruka-sensei, you're worth so much more than Kakashi-sensei! You're much more pure than he is, there's so much darkness in his past… I don't know if he can return your feelings," Naruto finished, deflating. "I'm just worried about you, Iruka-sensei, I'm worried that you'll get hurt."
Iruka smiled warmly at Naruto, feeling a rush of love for his little brother – not so little, though, anymore. "Naruto, I understand how you feel," he said. "But think about it this way – Kakashi and I are like Gaara-kun and you. There's a lot of darkness in his past, too, I believe. He has been hurt deeply. But that doesn't stop you from loving him, does it?"
Naruto shook his head vehemently.
"You see? All the darkness does, is make you want to heal it." Iruka reached over to pat Naruto's head. "So don't worry about Kakashi and I. Things will work out somehow. I just want you to worry about yourself, and your relationship with Gaara. At least Kakashi is an adult, and has some experience with relationship matters. I believe Gaara-kun does not have that advantage. He must be confused, or insecure, or maybe both. You need to handle him gently and carefully – what is it?"
Naruto's eyes were wide and stricken. "I… I yelled at him yesterday," he said, panic in his voice. "He had this move – he wraps his opponents in sand and then crushes them, and yesterday he was sparring with Sasuke and when I found them he had Sasuke in his sand, and I panicked and got mad and yelled at him. He ran, and I found him in his room and I yelled at him some more!" He grabbed Iruka's hand; Iruka let him. "What if he hates me now?"
"Alright, calm down." Iruka patted Naruto's hand. "First – have you talked to him since then?"
"No, not since yesterday morning when it happened. I left him alone yesterday, and when I knocked on his door today and tried to open it, I couldn't because he had sand barricading his room in. I was a little annoyed, so I just left to come here."
"You can't get in at all?"
"Not unless I want to destroy the whole place," Naruto said gloomily. He perked up. "Hey –"
"No destroying property," Iruka said sternly. He snorted when Naruto gave him his puppy-dog look. "That doesn't work on me, Naruto. Honestly, I would have thought you more responsible now."
Naruto sighed. "Then what am I supposed to do?"
"Well…" Iruka thought about it, and then something occurred to him. "Wait – did you say he was sparring with Sasuke?"
"Um, yes?"
"And you yelled at him in front of Sasuke."
"Um, yes. Is that bad?"
"Perhaps." Iruka's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "Was Gaara perfectly unharmed? Did he look intent on killing? Think hard, Naruto."
He let Naruto withdraw his hand as the blond buried both hands in his hair, thinking hard. "I think… I don't remember any killing aura, you're right. And… and Gaara was sitting on the ground! And when he got up – when he got up…" Naruto jumped up from his seat in realisation, eyes wild. "He was holding his side! God, he has to be hurt! And I just yelled at him like that – I should have known that he wouldn't have used his sand if he had no other choice – I know how honourable he is –"
"Naruto!" Iruka got up as well and took a hold of Naruto's shoulders, shaking him lightly. "Calm down!"
But Naruto was off in his own world of anger. "And Sasuke – that bastard, he acted like he was in the right, like he didn't do anything! He must have really hurt Gaara, he had to have known he was hurting Gaara but he pretended –"
"Naruto, you will shut up and sit down this instant."
Some primal reflex, drilled into all of Iruka's students at a very young age, made Naruto's mouth automatically snap shut and his body drop obediently into his seat. He blinked.
Iruka nodded, satisfied. "Good." He knelt next to Naruto, turning the blond's head to look hard at him. "Now, you do know what caused this mess?"
Naruto nodded mutely.
"Well?"
"I jumped to conclusions again," Naruto mumbled. "And I let my temper get the better of me."
"Good. I'm happy to see that you remember your lessons, even if you don't seem to bother paying heed to them." Iruka sighed, and ruffled Naruto's hair. "Right now, Gaara is hurting. He might be the Kazekage, but he's still a young adult, and emotions around that age are always volatile. And you, as the cause of his hurt, won't do any good. If you try to force your way in there, he'll probably brush you aside, try to reject you in self-defence."
"Then what can I do?"
"Right now? You can try to calm down yourself, to prepare for when you talk to him again. He's going to be cold towards you, you can be sure of that, and I have the feeling that if you don't get complete control over yourself, you're going to play right into his trap and flare up in retaliation."
Naruto had to grin sheepishly. "You're probably right," he admitted.
"And also… there is one other thing that you need to think about." Iruka sat back on his heels, feeling a wave of sadness come over him. This was a life-altering decision, and Naruto would have to decide it himself – Iruka must not interfere, even if he badly wanted to.
"What is it?" Naruto seemed to have sense how serious he was, and had sobered as well.
"You need to think about whether you want to give him hope," Iruka said. He held up a hand when Naruto opened his mouth, looking indignant. "Naruto – from what I heard, the two of you have grown very close. He relies on you a great deal. There's a good chance that he might return your feelings, I think. But can you give him what he wants? What he needs?"
"I love him," Naruto blurted out. "Anything that he wants, if it's within my power, I'll get it for him."
"I don't doubt your feelings," Iruka assured him. "What I doubt is whether there is any sense in letting your feelings grow… in encouraging Gaara's feelings to grow. You told me that you still love this village, that you're taking this exam because you want to be officially recognized as a member of Konoha, as a jounin that protects this place. You might have planned to leave here, yes, but… will you really be able to bear to leave?"
Naruto looked confused. "Well… yeah. I mean, people in Suna have accepted me, unlike people here. And while I have friends here, it's true, but Gaara's in Suna."
"Yes, perhaps that's true, and you won't have to make that choice. But Naruto – I know the people of this village. And they can be quite practical." He took a deep breath. "When you reveal yourself to be Kitsune, Naruto, an almost legendarily strong shinobi who has no problems controlling the power within himself, the villagers will fall over themselves to welcome you back, as will the Council – they're very practical people. Everyone was afraid of you and hated you because they saw in you the Kyuubi, but when they see that you now have control over the Kyuubi, and that you've proven yourself a worthy jounin – they will welcome you back. Which is more than I can say for Suna – they only know you as Kitsune. It'll be hard for them to welcome you as the infamous troublemaker of Konoha, you're quite well known for all your pranks as a child, you know.
"And like you said, all your friends still love you. Hinata, Lee, Shikamaru, even people like Neji, Sakura – who really regrets how she treated you before, I happen to know. There's Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama and me, and you're like a little brother to us. I know Kakashi misses you, and he feels he lets you down, and I know for a fact that he'd really like to make it up to you and show that he has always respected your drive and ability to never give up."
Naruto was silent.
"I know you like it in Suna. There are no bad memories there, while there are too many here. But there are also good memories, like those of the Sandaime – he always loved you, too. And in your heart, I believe that you will always see Konoha as your home village, not Suna."
There was a tiny nod from that blond head.
Iruka sighed. "So you see, what I'm saying is… when the times comes, you will find that there are a whole lot more reasons for you to stay then you thought. And it's such a big decision that it's likely you won't be able to make a choice until you're actually faced with it, until you actually have to make, until you're confronted by it and have nowhere to run. And if you end up choosing Konoha… then it will be exceedingly cruel if you give Gaara-kun hope now. He deserves better than that."
Naruto didn't say anything for a long time; his head was in his hands. Iruka let him think, as he quietly tidied up the table.
"I don't know what to do," Naruto finally said, voice muffled in his palms. "Iruka-sensei… I don't know what to do."
Iruka's heart went out to the boy – no, a man, now. He rested a hand on Naruto's bowed head. "I'm sorry," he said regretfully, "but I can't tell you what to do. It has to be your choice. I just wanted you to be prepared. And I would like you to stay, but I don't want to hold you back, so I can't help you. I fear I've already influence you too much."
"This is so screwed," Naruto muttered.
"It is," Iruka agreed. "But that's just how it is. Naruto, I'm going to go check on Gaara – see if he needs medical attention. You have that lunch with your friends, right? Go, talk to them, put this matter out of your mind for now – you need to get some distance from the shock, so you can think clearly."
Naruto raised his head at that. "Gaara and I heal really fast, a few broken bones aren't usually any trouble. But we still feel pain, I don't know if he's feeling any –"
"Naruto!" Iruka interrupted, laughing a little. "Relax. I'll check up on him, and if there's any need I'll buy some medication."
The blond nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Iruka-sensei."
"You can stay here as long as you like, just lock up after yourself."
"Will do."
With a last look at Naruto's forlorn figure, Iruka left, heart heavy. He really wanted Naruto to stay, but… Naruto truly was happy, with Gaara, and all he wanted was for Naruto to be happy.
It was a relatively short walk to the inn that Naruto and the Kazekage were staying, and he found the room number that Naruto had told him easily. He was going to knock, when he realised that the lock was broken – he would have to remember to tell the innkeeper. Going in, he saw the only closed door leading from the small living room, and knocked.
"Kazekage-sama? I'm Umino Iruka, Naruto's former teacher. He said that he told you lots of stories about me, I'm not sure if you remember. I'm not half as scary as he makes me out to be, though." He laughed softly. "Naruto has a tendency to exaggerate things."
Iruka had used his gentlest teacher's voice, calm but firm, and not threatening at all. He'd figured that this was the best approach.
To his relief, he heard the shifting of sand from inside the room, and almost inaudible footsteps. Then the door opened, and Iruka found himself face to face with the young Kazekage for the first time. And in that instant, taking in the haunted eyes, the too-pale face, the messy hair, all thoughts of this young man being the Kazekage flew out of Iruka's head, as his mother-hen nature took over.
"Umino-san." Gaara's voice was quiet. "A pleasure to meet you. Is there a problem?" The tiny, tiny hint of worry in that voice told Iruka that Gaara was worried that the problem had to do with Naruto.
He smiled gently. "If you're asking about Naruto, he's fine – but he's worried about you. He's a bit dense, as I guess you know, and he only just realized that you were hurt, but he had a lunch appointment with his friends to keep so I volunteered to come check up on you."
"I am fine. Thank you for your concern."
Iruka's smile gained an edge of steel. "Then there will be no problems with me making sure of that, then. You know, I really have to thank you – Naruto's like a little brother to me, and I know first hand all the trouble that he manages to get himself in. I heard you literally saved him? I really can't express my gratitude enough…"
Talking lightly and cheerfully, leaving no room for argument, Iruka used gentle but firm pressure to guide the Kazekage into the dark room, leaving the door open for light – better not to touch the blinds; the open window was a sign of vulnerability, he knew. He made use of Gaara's bemusement to take control of the situation; he could see that Gaara was wavering between two instincts, one to demand Iruka leave with the authority of his Kazekage position, the other to acquiesce to Iruka's mothering because he was one of Naruto's most precious people.
Iruka felt a rush of affection for this young man – even when he was upset at Naruto, even when he felt that Naruto had rejected him, he still cared enough to not want to offend those people Naruto held dear.
Then Gaara silently pulled off his shirt at Iruka's request, and Iruka had to suppress a hiss of anger. Sasuke had done this? Sometimes he really couldn't even begin to wonder where he had gone wrong with the dark, arrogant boy. Iruka might only be a chuunin who hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time, but even he could tell deliberately aggravated damage when he saw it.
"It is not as bad as it looks, Umino-san." Gaara's voice was quiet as always. "I heal fast. This will be gone in a couple of days."
"But you still feel pain, don't you? Naruto told me about both of your healing abilities, but he also said that you can still feel your injuries." Iruka sat on the bed, patting the covers next to him. "Here, lie face-down – I want to check your ribs."
"There is no need –" Gaara began.
"Gaara-kun. Lie down on the bed."
It seemed that his teacher's voice was of universal application. Gaara wavered, and then seemed to come to a compromise between outright refusal and obedience. "I have one broken rib, but it is healing. It will be fully healed by the end of the week."
Iruka frowned. "I have a good mind to search out Sasuke and give that boy a scolding," he grumbled.
Gaara tilted his head, looking consideringly at Iruka. Then he said, "Why are you so concerned for me?"
"Why?" Iruka blinked, genuinely surprised. "Because you are important to Naruto, of course. You've done so much for him, you've made him into the strong person he is today. For that, you're important to me as well." He smiled at Gaara. "You're almost like another little brother to me."
There was a surprised, but shyly pleased light in those green eyes. Iruka could see why Naruto was attracted to this man; it was similar to the way he was attracted to Kakashi – both the Kazekage and the Copy Nin were so unused and so wary of kindness and affection, that Iruka wanted to shower them with all the affection he could give.
The sand moved, drawing Iruka's attention. A small fist of sand rose up next to Iruka, holding – a bottle? He took it and read the label – it was a balm to relieve pain. Iruka was pleased, he wouldn't have to go and buy some after all. He looked at Gaara. "Would you mind if I helped put this on you? I'm really good at applying medication of all sorts, you wouldn't believe what injuries my students manage to inflict on themselves."
Gaara moved without another word to lie face-down on the bed, a silent answer to Iruka's question. As Iruka gently began smoothing the balm over Gaara's completely bruised torso, the younger man said quietly, "Uchiha brought that to me yesterday."
Iruka couldn't stop the startled little yelp. "Sasuke did?" he said in amazement? "Uchiha Sasuke? Are you sure?"
There was a quiet huff of laughter. "Yes," Gaara said simply.
"Miracles do happen," Iruka said, still amazed. He resumed applying the balm, thoughtful. "Perhaps he really does intend to change, then. I'm glad if that does happen – I've always wondered what I could have done, to help him more."
They were quiet for a while. Then Gaara said, "You are still a teacher?"
"Yes, I can't imagine doing anything else," Iruka told him cheerfully. "I've been teaching for ages."
"Naruto told me that you do not teach chakra control in your schools, but leave it to the jounin instructor when the students form teams after graduation."
Iruka scowled. "Yes, that's right. I keep telling the Education Board that it's plain foolish, but they won't listen! I know chakra control is a very difficult subject to teach, and it needs to be tailored to the individual student, but if we could just lay the foundation for it when they're young it'll come so much more easily to them later on and – oh, damn, I've gone off into a rant. I'm sorry, Gaara-kun."
"No, I would like to hear more." There was genuine interest in Gaara's voice. "I have been reviewing the education system in Suna lately, and seeking opinions from those who teach, in order to see what needs improvement. Your opinion would be valued."
His words made Iruka pause. He was reminded, once again, that this quiet young man before him was the feared and respected Kazekage, and even as he felt admiration for the dedication that Gaara put into the job and his village, Iruka also felt sadness at the burdens that he had been carrying since young.
"Umino-san?"
Iruka jumped. "Oh – sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment." His hands started moving again. "Please, Gaara-kun, call me Iruka, like Naruto does." Then something occurred to him, and he grimaced. "Sorry, I've been neglecting to call you by title, haven't I?"
"The way you address me now is fine… Iruka-san."
Iruka beamed. "I'm glad. Okay, education improvements, you said? Why don't you tell me about your current system, and I'll give you my opinion."
They discussed Suna's education system as Iruka finished working on Gaara's back, and helped him sit up so that he could apply the medicine to his front himself. Iruka sat beside him, ready to lend a hand, talking all the while. Gaara clearly wasn't used to talking much, and Iruka carried on most of the conversation, but each quiet comment Gaara made showed an intelligent mind that was paying close attention to Iruka's words and considering them carefully.
When the balm was applied to all the bruised skin, Iruka helped Gaara bandage his torso, talking about the advantages and disadvantages of setting up schools for further studies after students graduated and became genins. Gaara made very relevant points against such a system, but Iruka spoke passionately for it, because 'teenagers are reckless and malleable kids still and need more than a jounin to teach them what they need to know, especially since jounins are so eccentric that the level of education varies with each person."
They were interrupted by a growl from Gaara's stomach. There was a hint of an embarrassed blush on Gaara's pale skin, and Iruka knew better than to tease him like he would have teased Naruto. He simply smiled and said, "It's past lunchtime, already – I feel a little hungry myself. Shall we? It'll be my treat."
"I could not –"
"No, no, don't stand on ceremony, please." Iruka grinned. "I always used to treat Naruto to ramen, and believe me, you can't strain my wallet half as much as his ramen-eating did."
Gaara smiled slightly. "His capacity for ramen is a scientific anomaly," he agreed.
"That's decided, then. Come on, I know a good restaurant nearby so you won't have to strain yourself walking so much." Something occurred to Iruka, and he eyed Gaara suspiciously. "Please don't tell me that Naruto managed to infect you with his love for ramen."
Gaara winced. "Quite the opposite."
"Oh, good." Iruka sighed with relief. "I don't really see what's so amazing about it, anyway. It's just noodles and soup."
"And the occasional ingredient that does not make much difference."
"Yes, and he doesn't even taste it!"
"He simply gulps the whole thing down."
"I don't think he actually knows how it tastes like, the way he eats it."
Their conversation and moods light, Iruka and Gaara headed off to lunch.
End Chapter Six.
The quote at the top is one of my favourites in this story, and I think it really fits.
It made me really happy to write the bit with Iruka and Gaara, you know. I've always thought that Gaara needed an older brother figure like Iruka – Kankurou can't fill the same role, because after years of being afraid of Gaara and the like, there will always be an awkwardness when he tries to show his brotherly affection. That's the kind of brother Kankurou strikes me as – deep down he really cares, but he doesn't know how to show it, and he ends up being gruff and a little awkward. Iruka's more open with affection.
I love Iruka to bits, I really do! And I'm glad some of you guys mentioned that you love him too. (:
And Naruto's choice – I still don't know what he would choose. I mean, I'd dearly love for him to choose Gaara, but… Gaara's one man. And Konoha is a whole village, with so many of Naruto's loved ones in it.
Love can't really conquer all, you know.
Some of you guys were a bit indignant about Naruto's jumping to conclusions and seemingly favouring Sasuke over Gaara, and I hope this chapter cleared it up somewhat. Naruto was only there in time to catch the end bit of their fight, you see, so all he noticed was Gaara seemingly trying to kill Sasuke. Naruto's always been hotheaded, I figured that upon encountering that kind of scene, it's more than reasonable for him to jump to conclusions.
Ashen Skies
"But you still feel pain, don't you?"
