Disclaimer: I do not own any aspect of Naruto. Naruto is the property of Masashi Kishimoto and probably Shonen Jump, with license to Viz Media
Warnings: Minor spoiler for the last anime filler arc. If you squint you might see some angst or it might look like humor…it depends on your point of view. Might be boring…more plot with just a little fluff.
To Change the Hyuuga
Chapter Eight: All in a Day's Work
When Gaara walked out of the Hokage's meeting with a brief nod and a big shovel dumping all the work on Temari…Temari wanted to scream.
Initially she was too shocked to think. Then she wanted to chase after him and demand an explanation. Finally she had wanted to scream. Temari was the defacto Kazekage for the day-long negotiations and she hated politics.
As the Jonin liaison with Konoha and as her father's daughter, she had more then enough experience and skill to do the job. But long negotiations and tedious details bored her to tears.
But when Temari saw Hinata chase after her little brother with a shy and nervous smile…all her anger disappeared. Well, most of it. The image of a pretty young woman following her idiot lord of a husband flashed in her mind.
Flashback
"Nee-san, what are they are?" Gaara asked.
"Eh?" Temari muttered. She looked at the couple that Gaara was examining. The wedding couple. Kankuro, Temari and Gaara were assigned as additional protection for the event. They were waiting for all the guests to depart.
It was a political marriage between the nephew of the Land of Wind's Daimyo and the daughter of the Land of Grass's Daimyo. They were close in age and the marriage was a simple gesture to maintain the peaceful relationship between neighbors. There was no great gain by either family, just the routine business of politics and arranged marriages.
Except… when the bride had tripped on her own kimono, the new husband had rushed to her side to help her up. And when the groom had accidentally knocked over his new father-in-law, the Land of Grass's Daimyo, the bride had quickly intervened and helped smooth over the embarrassing moment.
The Sand Sibling Shinobi observed all this and a handful of other incidents that indicated that these two young people cared for one another.
It confused Gaara. He had not observed such tenderness between men and women. He had been so sheltered in his life. Isolated within the world of elite shinobi, exposed only to the harsh demands of power and methods of death. Is this what life could be like?
Temari thought about her response. Gaara seemed to be sincerely interested in the dynamic of this couple. It was difficult to explain romantic companionship to your formerly psychotic little brother.
She sighed. "It is common to marry someone for convenience, to share your life with someone to make ' living' a little easier."
She added with distaste, "Or to further someone else's objective."
Termari glanced at her brother as he listened and observed. "These two are fortunate."
Temari's watched as the pretty young woman followed her idiot lord of a husband to the privacy of their new home. "These two are fortunate because they may have found some happiness too."
Temari thought of her crush on the young leaf shinobi. If she pursued a relationship… it would completely lack ANY convenience.
Troublesome, indeed…but she might be happy for a time.
"Nee-san," Gaara said interrupting her thoughts. "I would like to be fortunate one day."
"Temari nee-san, I would like you to be fortunate too."
End Flashback.
Temari stared at the empty doorway that Gaara and Hinata had left through. She knew what Gaara was thinking. Temari muttered to herself, "Damn it, Gaara's owes me a drink when this meeting is over."
Temari was a sister who had learned to love her little brother, a little late, but all too well. She turned her attention to the pile of scrolls required for the discussion. She flashed a huge grin at Tsunade and said, "I guess it's up to us girls, eh Tsunade-sama?"
When Gaara walked out of her office, Tsunade wasn't sure if she should cheer for him or weep for herself. On the one hand, Gaara was considering the closer relationship with Konoha that the Hyuuga proposal could create. On the other hand Temari was going to be a bitch to negotiate with.
She sighed when she saw the huge grin on Temari's face. It was going to be a long day.
When Gaara and then Hinata walked out of the Hokage's meeting, Shikamaru smiled. He smiled the smile of an overly smart young man who was happy for his friend and for his own future.
Hinata had a few more days to pursue Gaara. The best-case scenario would be the signing of the Hyuuga proposal. The worst-case scenario would be a clear rejection. Most likely it would be somewhere in between. The odds were in Hinata's favor. In her own quiet way, Hinata had become one of the most persuasive people of their generation. She listened extremely well to what people said. More importantly, she listened to what people did not say. Hinata was not particularly fast or clever but she was particularly thoughtful. She could take her observations and apply her critical thinking skills carefully to figure out the best way to connect with other people.
It was one of the reasons people trusted her
And loved her.
Gaara was far more fortunate then he knew. But this served Shikamaru's purpose as well. With Hinata in Sunagakure as the Kazekage's wife, Shikamaru would be one step closer to the permanent alliance he felt was necessary for his own future wife and family.
Still…as he looked at the defacto-Kazekage and the Hokage face off over the stack of documents…it was going to be a long day.
Twenty-three revisions later, including 12 corrections, 8 eliminations and three additions, the new 'special relationship' between Sunagakure and Konohagakure was concluded and signed.
It was a groundbreaking formal agreement of collaboration and cooperation to share intelligence and resources on areas of mutual interest. It was tricky. They had to define the categories of secrets; intelligence that could be shared between the Kage's but not with the council of elders or between the Jonin's but not with the council of elders. There were secrets which could be shared with the council of elders but not with the Jonin's or shared only within the context of a well defined mission, but could not be reported or shared formally and so on.
Terms that might be acceptable politically might be impractical in the field. Terms that heavily favored the Kages' judgment were terms the council of elders would not accept.
In the past, the two villages shared information on an as needed basis under the general terms of the peace agreement. If Konohagakure need help, they asked. And vice versa. Under the 'special relationship' the two villages would work together on specifics areas of mutual interest. They would offer information of use and actively help each other before a crisis occurred. It was a big step forward and had the potential to dramatically enhance the intelligence capability and political power of both villages.
It had taken eight months of dispatches back and forth and many informal meetings to reach this point. At the end of a very long day, Tsunade and Temari were glad to be done with it. They had produced an agreement that they were certain would be accepted by the council of elders in both villages.
Temari's face twitched as she endorsed the agreement on behalf of Gaara. Gaara had worked hard on this agreement. He would be pleased it was complete. But still…hopefully Gaara would not regret delegating the final work and credit to Temari. Hopefully Gaara was…enjoying…his time with Hyuuga Hinata.
Temari's thoughts were interrupted by a cup of sake thrust in her face.
"Time to celebrate. Temari-chan," Tsunade said with a wink as she downed a cup of sake.
With a wide grin, Temari took the sake cup and drank it all.
Eight sake bottles and twelve orders of snacks and desserts later, the entire delegation from Sand and the Hokage's team were feeling pretty good.
Another hour later and the still slightly inebriated Sand team returned safely to their embassy to find that the Kazekage had still not returned.
Nara Shikamaru escorted them home and offered to stay with Temari while they waited. She easily accepted.
Aburume Shino had delivered the message from Gaara that he would return later. But Temari was still anxious to see her little brother. Ask him how his 'date' was. She smiled in anticipation as she began to nod off.
Later that evening, Gaara walked past his sister. She was asleep on the couch with the Nara.
As Gaara approached the doorway to leave the room, he heard the Nara clear his throat quietly. Gaara paused and turned back to see Shikamaru looking levelly at him. As if to say 'well?'
Gaara returned his glance with a small smirk and continued to his temporary office to review the new dispatches from Suna and Temari's notes from today's meeting.
Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes again. 'Must have gone reasonably well.' He thought. 'Still, Hinata-chan has her work cut out for her with that one.'
The next morning brought cloudy skies and strong cold wind. Temari warmed herself with hot tea. "Well?" She asked her little brother.
Gaara looked up from his desk. "You did well."
He put down the scroll from Hinata. "Thank you, Nee-san."
Temari blinked in surprise. ""Uh, your welcome." She replied slowly. "And?" She inquired.
Gaara arched a hairless eyebrow at her. "And?" He looked confused. "And the terms are better then I had hoped. You are very good at this."
Gaara was more confused as Temari seemed to explode with frustration.
"Hey! I want to know about you and Hinata!" She exclaimed.
"Oh." Gaara replied in understanding. He went back to looking at Hinata's scroll.
"Oh? Oh? OH!" Termari stormed. "you give me 'Oh' after I agonize about the definition of 'imminent danger', and 'reasonable likelihood' for fucking hours yesterday!"
Gaara looked back up to his older sister as she towered over his desk and glared at him. She looked a little green. Must have a 'hangover'. Gaara sighed. "What did you want to know?" He asked cautiously.
Temari relaxed immediately. She sat down again. "What did you do? Where did you go? Do you like her?" She asked.
"She prepared demonstrations of the Hyuuga bloodline limit. We went to the Hyuuga clan home." He replied easily. "Here. Take a look at this summary of the Hyuuga."
Temari scooted over to look at the scroll. She whistled. This was highly confidential material. A researcher like Kabuto would have a field day with this kind of information. There were probably one or two people in Suna who would sell their soul for a scroll like that.
"She-she must really trust you." Temari commented.
"Or she has other reasons. Or the information is less valuable then it appears." Gaara replied smoothly.
"Yes, that's possible too." Temari agreed. "Answer my last question." She said softly. They were now sitting close together as they studied the scroll. She wondered if he would just ignore her again.
Gaara sighed. "I think… I think I like her."
Temari smiled. It was worth a whole day of hell with Tsunade and the scribes writing, debating and rewriting. Temari sipped her tea contentedly and sat with Gaara studying the scroll.
"Kazakage-sama. Glad you could join us today." Tsunade said as the Sand Nin delegation entered her office.
"Hokage-sama." Gaara acknowledged as he sat down.
"No need to get comfortable Gaara-sama. As you know, Temari-sama and I completed the 'special relationship' agreement last night." Tsunade said. "We only have a few more items left to discuss and we have three more days. We should take a break today." Tsunade smiled as she glanced over to Hinata.
Gaara was unaffected. "No, we should complete the other items today. I have duties to return to in Sunagakure. If we complete them today then we will leave earlier than planned."
Hinata wasn't surprised or disappointed. Gaara was Kazekage because he was strong and because he was devoted to his village. Anything that kept him away from the Sand village had to be dealt with quickly.
Okay…Hinata was a little disappointed. She really wanted more time with him. From the time she had arrived at the Hokage's office to the time Gaara had sat down, Hinata had come up with four ways to separate him from his team so she could kiss him senseless. But he might not be interested if he just wanted to complete his work with Tsunade-sama.
Gaara's eyes flicked over to Hinata as Shizune started off the meeting with the agenda. She didn't appear to be upset or disappointed. Perhaps she was ready for him to leave after all. He licked his lips slightly as he remembered their kiss goodnight in front of the Sunagakure Embassy. She had seemed reluctant to end it. In fact as they stood in the cold night air, she was one who pressed herself against him and to deepen the kiss. And then, just as he was about to pull away, she would take a short short break to nuzzle he collar and hug him, running her hands along his back. Then she would kiss him again. Hyuuga Hinata repeated this delicious sensuous treatment several times.
The passion of a deep and intimate kiss followed by the warmth of her affectionate caresses. It made Gaara feel…liked? Or something? It was a confusing but pleasant sensation.
Gaara pushed his thoughts of the Hyuuga woman to the back of his head as he focused on the meeting.
Throughout the morning, Gaara kept discrete watch on Hyuuga Hinata.
The way she moved. The gentle sway of her hips hinted at the feminine figure beneath her bulky clothes. The way she twirled her pencil between her small pale but strong fingers.
The way she talked. Her voice was calm and poised. Her few comments were thoughtful and insightful.
Gaara caught Hinata looking at him once. She smiled and blushed nervously before licking her lips. The pink tongue pulled down slightly on her upper lip before Hinata turned away and blushed more deeply.
Gaara could guess what she was thinking about. If it had been in his nature, he would have grinned in anticipation. Instead he focused on the document Temari handed to him.
In early afternoon, Hinata was called out of the room. When Gaara sent Tsunade an inquiring glance, she ignored it.
Fortunately, Temari asked bluntly. "Where is Hinata going?"
Tsunade sighed tiredly and replied. "She was needed at the hospital."
Temari looked surprised. "What? Why? She is not a hospital medic nin."
Tsunade explained as she reached for sake and had Shizune take it away from her. "Hinata has developed her Byakugan in ways that can greatly help other medic nins or in special cases."
Temari continued to inquire. "So----oooo What? It must be a special case or you wouldn't allow her to leave suddenly. What's up?"
"It's Uchiha Sasuke." She replied.
Temari's mouth closed with an audible click. "Well, back to work then." She mumbled. She didn't look at Gaara. She didn't glance at Shikamaru for clarification or for a promise of further clarification later. Temari knew that the topic of Uchiha Sasuke was highly sensitive and Tsunade would not provide further information. There were still secrets that the Hokage kept.
However, Gaara was quite surprised that Temari stopped asking questions. He wondered why.
He wondered why The Uchiha would need Hinata.
It was strange.
Hyuuga Hinata sat down next between Matsuri and Temari. Gaara had not joined them for dinner. Seven elite sand shinobi and one Hyuuga began dinner at the Sunagakure Embassy.
Hinata had arrived with a basket full of fresh fruits from the market and offered it to the Embassy chef. She was unsure of how to proceed to talk with Gaara. Matsuri invited her to eat with the group dinner and suggested she wait to speak with Gaara until after he had completed his correspondence from Sunagakure.
Hinata subtly activated her Byakugan to detect poisons. It was not a well developed technique, but something Hinata, Hanabi and Neji had been working on. They could sometimes detect the faint chakra patterns from certain toxins.
The sand shinobi seemed to welcome her warily. They spoke about the food they typically eat in Sunagakure. They asked her about the Konoha fruit she had brought to share.
They knew she might be the future wife of the Kazekage. They knew Gaara had not yet accepted her. They were respectful and friendly, but distant.
Except for Temari and Matsuri. The younger girl and the older sister seemed smiled a lot and asked about her medical training.
It was strange.
After dinner, Hinata wondered if Gaara was ready to see her yet. Hinata waited with Matsuri while Temari went to check.
"He is a great man." Matsuri said suddenly.
"Yes?" Hinata replied politely.
"You know he saved my life many times. I feel so fortunate." Matsuri continued. It seemed like her eyes were…twinkling?
"Ah." Hinata murmured. For a moment her mind wondered back to the Forest of Death and a rain of blood. Then she thought of the battle to rescue Matsuri in the land between Konoha and Sunagakure. It was before Gaara became Kazekage. It was the first time Hinata had seen Gaara show concern for another. His concern for Matsuri. The young girl waiting with Hinata. The young pretty girl.
The young pretty girl who was probably in love with Gaara.
Hinata blinked at the realization.
Hinata observed the Matsuri. She was blushing slightly just from speaking about Gaara. Not blushing in a way that anyone would notice. But Hinata was an expert on blushes. Matsuri had a slight pink tinge just around her ears. The girl at least had a crush on Gaara. Maybe a little hero-worship too.
And Matsuri knew him well. She worked directly for the Kazekage. The girl was among the seven elite sand shinobi trusted completely by the Kazekage for his travel outside Sunakagure.
Hinata fought the small pit of misery forming in the pit of her stomach. She tried so hard to change herself, but her self-confidence still wavered at times. Hinata straightened her shoulders (as she was starting to hunching over) and forced her self to continue to analyze the situation.
Matsuri respectfully handed the fresh tea to Hinata. She commented on things she admired about Konoha while visiting. Matsuri also mentioned some of the things she loved and missed about Sunagakure.
Matsuri… was being nice to Hinata… So it was unlikely that Gaara had taken her as a mistress. Even the most controlled and disciplined woman would reveal some jealousy toward the woman pursuing her lover. Hinata as Jonin level Hyuuga could not detect that kind of jealousy. It was an unrequited crush…at least for now.
Matsuri was a pretty young girl; trusted by Gaara, probably in love with him and probably got to see him everyday. She would be available to him if ever he decided he wanted her.
Hinata's grip on the teacup tightened. Could Gaara be faithful to his wife? Was that something that he understood or accepted? Many powerful men and women believed themselves to be beyond such simple principles.
The small pit of misery in Hinata's stomach took on new life. Hinata forced a fake smile on her face and chatted with the oblivious young sand nin.
"Gaara, Hinata's been waiting for you for most of the evening. Are you ready to see her?" Temari asked.
"What did you find out?" Gaara asked in response.
"Um, about what Gaara?" Temari replied cautiously.
"Medical skills. The Uchiha." Gaara glared at his sister. She was thinking the same questions as he was. They were similar in that way. Why did the Uchiha need Hinata? What special skill did she have? Or was that a ruse for some other relationship she had with him. What could be so important that the Hyuuga Heiress was pulled out of a Kage level meeting?
Temari signed and rubbed her eyes. "Damn it Gaara. There is nothing to tell. She said she had been working on new applications of the Byakugan working in conjunctions with other medic nins. She said in special cases when the damage to a person is through their chakra system -the use of the Byakugan may lead to an entirely new method of healing or therapy."
Gaara ignored her while he thought about this information.
"But you know that is still too vague to answer your real question. What is her relationship with Uchiha Sasuke? Over dinner Hinata didn't mention his case specifically. And I didn't ask." Temari spit out. Her baby brother could do the rest himself. At some point, if Gaara wanted Hinata, he was going to have to point some effort into it.
"Gaara, it's not like you have to TRUST her." Temari continued, "But you have to be able to at least TALK to her about this kind of stuff."
"I'm going to send her in now." Temari declared and walked out.
Hinata walked into the office nervously. In the short time with the young sand nin, Hinata's confidence had dropped off a cliff. It was a bad habit of hers, doubt fed doubt. It didn't help that she was tired. Working with Sasuke at the hospital all afternoon was exhausting. She had not taken the time to clean up since she was unsure how much time Gaara had before he left for Sunagakure. Instead, Hinata had rushed to the market to buy some seasonal fruit to bring directly to the embassy.
But clearly Gaara was in no hurry to see her. He had her wait through dinner indicating that he was too busy for her. Telling Tsunade that he wanted to leave as soon as possible was possibly evidence of his general disinterest in Hinata. Maybe even respecting her request to wait before they had sex…was just because he didn't care. Doubt fed doubt.
The Hyuuga Heiress, determined to change her clan and herself was suddenly unsure if Gaara could possible even like her.
The scenario that really scared her was that if he did marry her, it might be a loveless faithless marriage. Hinata could still try to build the Sabaku no Hyuuga but it would be much more difficult if Gaara was a husband in name only. Gaara could gather his mistress or mistresses to compensate for anything Hinata could not fulfill. Hinata was sure that Matsuri was one of many MANY girls who would love to catch Gaara's attention.
Unfortunately, Hinata's attack of nerves came at a bad moment for Gaara too. She stood near the doorway, eyes downward and poking her fingers together. She looked nervous.
Gaara wondered what happened to the woman who grabbed his hand and pulled him through the streets of Konoha.
Did she feel guilty for something?
Gaara narrowed his eyes. He moved to the front of the desk and observed her with the eyes and skill of and elite ninja but the mind of a hormonal teenager. Which is to say, not much thinking at all.
She looked so…sweet and…shy. Gaara found it difficult to hold his suspicions. He found that he wanted to…to…hold her?
Strange. He had not felt that way before. None of his previous girlfriends created this feeling. Not even before or after sex. The desire to hold and be held.
Suddenly aware of his intense gaze, Hinata straightened up, looked away from her poking fingers and walked forward. She put on her bravest smile. "K-Kazekage-sama. Thank you for seeing me." Hinata said formally.
Gaara was surprised by her sudden change in demeanor. His gaze softened a little as she approached him.
She held out her hand uncertainly for him to hold or shake or reject or whatever.
Gaara took her hand and pulled her forward. She stumbled a little into his tight embrace. Hinata felt her face redden. But as he held her, she felt her insecurities fade back into the small dark place inside. She turned her face toward him and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. Hinata breathed in the smell of wind and ever-present sand in his scent. She felt the warmth of anticipation begin to flood her body.
Gaara felt his desire for 'that feeling' rise as Hinata snuggled even closer. He gently nudged her toward the small couch in the office. He let go of her for a moment before he moved one arm behind her knees. In one fluid movement, he swept her off her feet as he sat and pulled her across his lap. Gaara bought his arm from under her legs to grasp her waist and twist her so her upper torso faced him.
He subconsciously used his sand to help unzip her jacket while Gaara began and series of gentle but intimate kisses: along her face, on her lips, and down her neck.
Hinata moaned as Gaara's hot breath and wet mouth touched her skin. She began the –now familiar- move to run her hands along the line of his neck to twist up into his fiery red hair. She loved the feel of his hair between her fingers.
Gaara massaged her covered breast and grinned as she arched appreciatively into his hand. Hinata found that she didn't care that Gaara had made her wait for hours for this. It felt so good to be held and touched by him.
The moment was interrupted when they both sensed a presence by the office door. They paused and Gaara sighed.
"Matsuri, bring in the tray and leave it. You are relieved for the rest of the evening." Gaara spoke absently.
Hinata stiffened involuntarily as Matsuri entered the room with her eyes averted. Hinata shifted to move off of Gaara's lap, but Gaara stopped her with a firm hand on her thigh. She blushed but stopped moving. Matsuri was in and out in a moment. A small tray with Gaara's dinner and tea was left on his desk.
"Embarrassed to be seen with me Hyuuga Hinata?" Gaara said with a small amount of bitterness.
"What?! NO!" Hinata exclaimed. She was shocked that he would suggest such a thing. She didn't want Matsuri to see her crush in the arms of another women (or with the woman on his lap in this case)…is was just rude. "I-I –I didn't want to be rude toward Matsuri. That's all. She has a crush on you…you know." Hinata blurted out.
Gaara stared at Hinata as though she was speaking a different language. Hinata blushed deeply. Gaara must have been completely clueless about Matsuri. Or maybe clueless about how to treat a girl with a crush. Or maybe both.
"Well it's hard to see someone you care about with another person." Hinata mumbled as she looked down at Gaara's chest. It was hard to hide when they were sitting like this.
Gaara was confused. Again.
He lifted Hinata face so she was looking at him. "Explain." He demanded quietly
Hinata blushed harder. "If you like someone, it is uncomfortable to see them with someone else. Matsuri likes you." Hinata couldn't help herself she continued a little hopelessly. "Probably along with half the single female population of Suna." She winced at her own words as she realized her had voiced her own fears.
But Gaara seemed to understand. "So you had concern for Matsuri's feelings."
She nodded.
"And you believe that other females also feel this way." Gaara continued
Hinata nodded.
"This bothers you?" He inquired.
"I-I-I …" Hinata stopped and took a breath. "I don't like the-the idea of you….ummm….being with other women." She blushed a bright red and looked away. "It makes me…ummmm…unhappy." Hinata finished quietly.
Gaara caressed her thigh absently while he considered what she had said. Hinata had leaned in to rest her head on his chest and closed her eyes. She could admit that she felt insecure and envy or jealousy. She felt weak and stupid. She had no claim on him and he had made no promises.
Maybe he would reject her now for being too…troublesome.
Hinata refused to look at him. It felt good to be held by him though she was vaguely worried about what he would do or say next. She wanted to enjoy holding him and being held by him for a few more moments. The long nights and long days were wearing on her. The physical and emotional rush of attraction combined with her weariness, left Hinata feeling drowsy.
She wanted to kiss him again, but she didn't want to keep forcing herself on him. Hinata wanted to know what he was thinking. Did he think she was foolish? Or silly? Or maybe he didn't mind? But why had he kept her waiting all evening?
If any one of the Rookie nine or Lee's team had seen them, they would have been shocked. The shy sweet Hyuuga Heiress snuggling and almost dozing on top of the cold, distant Kazekage. It was a measure of Hinata's success that both she and Gaara felt so comfortable with each other after such a short time.
Gaara watch as the Hyuuga Heiress relaxed further into his embrace. His blue eyes taking in the sight of such innocence…he could not believe that this woman would be jealous over him. He had no experience in such emotions.
He was surprised by Hinata's simple honesty. She had admitted to a vulnerability of sorts. Gaara's previous lovers were strong and confident Jonin who made their desires clear. He did not have the capacity to focus on more then one woman at a time. A woman was either a nin or not. Either strong or weak. If a woman chose to be with Gaara and he accepted, then he was with her. It was simple and clear. At least from Gaara's point of view.
Temari and (occasionally) Kankuro helped him by telling him he should to do something on a special day or that he should say something complementary or intimate. Gaara scowled at the idea that he might have to ask his sister for help in this case.
But Gaara understood that Hinata cared for him. Not just as a political ally, but as a man. It made him wonder at his own feelings. Gaara had missed Hinata's presence after she left the meeting today. He had wondered where she had gone and what was more important then a Kage meeting. So rather then think about her, he had focused on Sunagakure. When he returned to the Embassy, he had buried himself in the work of his Village.
It was difficult to gauge who was more surprised when Gaara finally spoke.
"The Uchiha. What is he to you?"
Author's note: Please review! Please?
Ah well, I admit I've been short on time and ideas. Hope this chapter worked. Pacing still seems too slow. Thanks again to everyone for the reviews. It really helps to motivate me to keep working on this story.
I want to acknowledge few excellent comments/requests that help me in the writing this chapter.
Jayfairchild's comment/request about seeing Gaara a "tincy bit more aggressive"
firegoat's request to see Temari and Tsunade's reaction to Gaara's playing hookie.
For Krillian, I will continue to work in more family reaction going forward.
The "special relationship" between Konohagakure and Sunagakure is modeled after the "special relationship" between the CIA and MI6. An agreement of cooperation and collaboration. I'm not really sure how much of that is fact or fiction. It's just something I remember from this very old British series called "Sandbaggers" (excellent BBC series by the way –if any of you know it, review or pm and tell me, I will be shocked and amazed!)
