So, we skipped past Saturday and went straight to Tuesday of the next week. Sorry, that was not intended. I did not take into account how busy I would be the entire weekend. I am still extremely busy. I doubt that I will have time to add anymore chapters this week and I it may run into next week as well. I took my living room apart and need to put it back together. That will take time. Meaning that posting will take a back seat for a bit. Sorry, but IRL always takes precedence. Let's get onto the chapter!

THE WILL OF FIRE

PART THREE

Chapter 8 - The New Kazekage

Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Kushina, and Kakashi raced towards the border with the Land of Wind. Three days ago they had been sent to meet with the new Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand. They were to determine the state of the Sand; what Gaara's intentions were; and if the Sand could truly be allies once again. While Lord Third had not gone to war after their participation in the invasion it was not off the table. It was just the option of last resort. Lord Hiruzen did not like the rumors he had heard about a group called the Akatsuki. They were amassing far too much power for his liking. Another Great Ninja War was on the horizon. Now was not the time fight useless battles. So, he sent these four to see if he could avoid conflict. He hoped that these familiar faces would open the Kazekage to an agreement. It was a risk, but it was one that he had to take.

For Naruto he was just excited to be with his old teammates again. A week and a half ago he thought they would never work together again as a team. Now, why were back together. It was great to have the old team Kakashi together again. Even if it was for just one mission. It felt right. It made him happy. That was worth a million missions alone.

What didn't make him happy that they were heading towards the Sand Village. He still hadn't forgiven them for attacking his village. Or for helping Orochimaru kill his father. He knew that it was stupid, but a part of him blamed the old Kazekage for it. It was almost almost like he was the one who summoned the Lord First and Second. Even though that was not one of Lord Rasa's jutsu. It was absurd, but he felt that way. The man was horrible. After everything they did to help his son he still attacked the village! They were supposed to be allies. Yet, that was not how they treated them. It was unforgivable!

Naruto tried to remind himself that Gaara wasn't responsible for his father. He did not choose to attack the village. In fact, Gaara and his siblings stayed out of the way during the invasion. They did not help nor did they hinder the agenda. They stayed neutral as his world collapsed around him. A part of him was also angry for that. It wasn't their fault yet he was angry. Naruto couldn't help it. It's just that his father's death hurt his family so badly. He didn't really want anything to do with him right now.

There was also the issue of his mother. She was sent right along with Naruto and his team. Officially, she was along to bridge the gap between Gaara and the Leaf. She was one of the few that actually formed a bond with him. Being a former member of the council and the widow of the Fourth Hokage gave legitimacy to their group. She could speak on behalf of the Leaf. Unofficially, that had nothing to do with it. It was a mission to get her out of her house and away from those darned books! She needed to focus her attention elsewhere. A mission to the Sand with her son would help her refocus her attentions. It was perfect. So long as you weren't Naruto Namikaze that is.

He did not want his mother along. It was embarrassing! No one else had their parents tagging along. It made him look like a momma's boy. Which he was, but that's besides the point. He was supposed to be manly. How could he be that way with his mom around? It was impossible! He would never catch Sakura's eye this way. For there was no way that he could flirt with her while his mother was watching. It was just icky! It really hurt his groove. It was bad enough that he was on this mission. The last thing that he wanted his mother to act as a chaperone!

This mission already sucked and they hadn't started it yet. It almost didn't matter that the old team was back together. His mother was the third wheel on this mission! Naruto wanted her to go home. Not that she could go home mind you. He just wanted her to go there. When Lord Third said he was going help him Naruto didn't know this was going to happen. He was kind of ticked at the man. This is not helping him. It was making things worse! Thanks Old Man. He grumbled.

They stopped a short distance before the desert's border. It was getting late and it was best not to proceed without resting. There would be plenty of dangers out there. It was best not to add exhaustion to the mix. Plus, it would only take a few hours to get to the Sand Village. They did not want to surprise them in the middle of the night. This was a diplomatic mission after all. There was no point in driving themselves to point of exhaustion. The Sand could wait. Sleep could not. It was time to make camp. They could proceed to the Sand Village tomorrow.

Naruto helped find firewood and find water as his mother prepared to make dinner. One thing that great about her being along was that they got to eat her food. His mother was a goddess of cooking. It was way better than to eat whatever they could catch. She would find a way to make basic food taste great. It was one of her superpowers. One that Naruto never got tired of. His dad used to say that there was nothing on this earth like his mother's cooking. Naruto had to agree. It was heaven eating whatever she made.

The group seemed to share his opinion since they ate almost three helpings each. It was just some stew that his mother came up with, but it was delicious! Each spoonful was as good as the last. It restored the moods of everyone around her. They relaxed and started to wind down for the night. It was turning out to be a great night. Even Naruto started to enjoy himself. He didn't care about the mission. He didn't care about being embarrassed. He didn't even really think about flirting. He was just plain content. Life was good.

His mother volunteered to take the first watch. The others settled down to sleep, but Naruto couldn't. Now that he was feeling better he felt guilty about the way he was treating his mom. He wanted to say that he was sorry. So, he got up and sat down next to her.

"Can't sleep?"

He shook his head. "Can I sit here a while?"

She smiled at him. "Sure." She wrapped her arm around his shoulders. "You're always welcome, you know that."

"Thanks."

He leaned into her as she kissed his head. Just like he used to when he was little. He needed the support of his mother. He wasn't quite ready to grow up just yet. That was fine with his mother. Things had changed too much already. She decided to sing to him like she used to when he was a baby and before they knew it Naruto had fallen asleep.

"Good night sweetheart."


That's it for now. I will post as soon as I can.