Gaara walked into the large bedroom, amused by what he saw. Naruto sat on his bed with his legs crossed and was ferociously trying to file down his fingernails. Although to call them that wouldn't do them justice; in actuality they were more like claws, vicious white claws that no matter what Naruto did, refused to be broken or filed down. Naruto had a look of utmost concentration as he swiped what must have been a carpenter's metal file over the tough appendages.
Gaara watched on as the file became a blur as Naruto moved it faster and faster, harder and harder against his impossibly tough nails. Finally he stopped, grinning down at his hand as a small cloud of dust floated away from where metal had met claw. The grin immediately turned into a frustrated frown when he saw that his efforts were in vain; all he got for his troubled was a deep gash running along the centre of the file. The file was the one being eroded away, not the claw. With an irritated grunt he chucked the file into a small pile of its likewise damaged counterparts that had accumulated behind him.
"Why do you even bother anymore?" Naruto looked up in shock at the gravelly voice that had interrupted his peace. He had been so wrapped up in his task that even his advanced senses had missed Gaara's entry into the room. It did help that the two boys were nigh inseparable so Naruto nearly always had his scent nearby. He looked up at the boy who had become one of his closest friends in the seven years they had lived together and grown closer.
Seven years had done a lot for the Suna redhead; he was no longer the timid and shy little boy that Naruto had first known him as. Far from it, he had grown into a confident and intelligent teenager. It was only a shame that the physical changes were less pronounced; Gaara was always small for his age, mostly due to his premature birth. His skin was also unnaturally pale for somebody who lived in a desert, although that was for entirely different reasons.
He wore simple black shinobi pants with an equally dark black shirt with a fishnet vest underneath that just inched out past the short sleeves. Over the top he had a white sash that crossed over one shoulder which also acted as the holder for his enormous gourd which was almost as inseparable to him as Naruto. He smiled as he thought of all the times when they were young and had tried to find a better way of carrying around all of the chakra-infused sand that Gaara used, and failed. It turned out a massive container really was the best way, it was only a plus that the gourd itself was made out of the same sand.
"They get in the way." Naruto shrugged as he said it, standing up from his bed and walking the short distance to stand across from Gaara. He wasn't the only one that the passage of time had managed to change and while hardly tall himself he still managed to stand a few inches above Gaara. His previously stunted growth was more nurture than nature, a result of his poor, or sometimes non-existent, diet. Now that he was eating properly he was more average for his age group.
His spiky blond hair was untamed as it tried, unsuccessfully to fall past his forehead protector and cover his eyes. It did however manage to frame his face with two shaggy bangs that Tayuya had been trying to convince him to cut for a while now, saying it made him seem uncaring. Of course that was exactly how Naruto felt about it; he never did pay much mind to how appeared, except of course when it came to hygiene.
This was also the main reason for his very casual attire consisting of black shinobi pants that stayed unbound around his feet just above his normal black shinobi sandals. Above that he wore a muted orange T-shirt with a large black swirl design and over the top was his comfortable dark-green jacket that stayed unzipped except on mission. Despite his size and age Naruto managed to cast an imposing, yet carefree aura with his wild appearance and casual clothing; not to mention the slitted eyes, fang-like canines and the aforementioned claws.
"Would you like me to create a file for you?" Naruto just shrugged, he had no real problem with the anatomical additions to his form that Kyuubi seemed to enjoy so much. It was just they got in the way of a few simple things that frustrated him daily, he looked behind him at suspect number one that stared blankly back at him.
"Nah, I'll just stick to the normal way." He placed his hands into a seal and quickly channelled Chakra until there was a small burst of white smoke. When it cleared Naruto stood as he had before only his more wild traits were noticeably absent. Kyuubi, true to her word, had made sure that the henge was the very first technique that Naruto learned and it had come in handy ever since. "So I guess you're here because Baki-sensei wants to see us about something?" Gaara nodded, the two might have been best-friends but the redhead still wasn't the talkative type.
The both walked out together and immediately walked into Tayuya who was emerging from her own 'room'. Naruto thought that sarcastically because every night for seven years Tayuya had snuck out of that room and slept in his bed. It wasn't that he minded, quite the contrary, it was just that by now the entire household knew and he was a little tired of the charade. It was Tayuya's stubborn pride that stopped her from just straight moving into his room.
Like the two boys the young red-haired girl had undergone a few more noticeable changes in the near-decade they had all been together. She Stood just under Naruto in height but with a significantly slimmer build that might be described as lithe if it didn't hold the wrong connotations. Gone was the scrawny orphan that Naruto had first been forced into joining all those years. Her hair was longer, now reaching her lower back in an unruly mess that still managed to hold onto some semblance of shape thanks to Temari's intervention.
The red mass was tied back by a jet-black bandana that held her forehead protector, only allowing one stray lock of hair to fall between her eyes down to her nose. She wore black shinobi pants like the two boys but cut to a more feminine fit and shortened to her mid-calf. Also like the two boys she wore the standard black shinobi sandals however unlike them she wore a very light white shirt that was cut at her midriff. It exposed her stomach below her navel; or at least it would have except for the wrappings that wound around her torso.
However those did nothing to hide the two newly protruding lumps that were beginning to show on her chest. She had complained a lot when they first appeared, citing them as nuisances to her training as they always seemed to get in the way. However one day after a talk with Temari that Naruto couldn't quite hear and had left the younger girl quite red she had simply stopped complaining. Naruto was only happy, it made no difference to him how Tayuya looked yet despite him saying this a few times she only shot him evil looks.
As he walked out into the hallway he idly wondered how they felt before his eyes widened and he banished the thought. Where had that come from? The three nodded at one another, no words needing to be said between the three long-time friends as they wound their way through the complex halls of the Kazekage mansion. It was second nature by now, the winding halls each imprinted on their memories irrevocably.
Eventually the trio reached the room where Baki would always meet them for mission updates or to begin their training. As it was he wasn't there yet, unusual as he was normally an extremely prompt individual. He sighed loudly, what kind of inconsiderate sensei was late anyway?
A few hundred miles away across national borders a masked ninja sneezed loudly, unfortunately for him he was currently jumping through trees at high pace. The unexpected sneeze caught him completely by surprise and ruined his concentration just long enough for him to smack head first into the unyielding bough of a tree. He sat on the leaf-strewn ground rubbing his sore head, wondering where that sneeze came from.
Naruto shrugged, considering it was their sensei's first offense he decided to let it slide. Instead he moved over to the window and took up his normal position on the window sill with one leg dangling over the side. He reached back into his pouch and pulled out the small orange book that lay inside. With a small lick to his thumb he found the page he was on and started to read. Ever since he had found the 'Land of Fire's number one bestselling series' it had nearly become inseparable from his person.
It wasn't actually the smut he was interested in, there was a genuinely interesting story that his pre-adolescent mind could appreciate thanks to his lack of hormones at the time. He also connected with the main character of the series, also called Naruto, who shared his determined drive and spirit. Of course now that he was on the cusp of puberty those 'other' sections began to draw more notice. Gaara on the other hand rolled his eyes wearily at the sight.
"Must you keep reading that?" Naruto just absent-mindedly nodded, barely paying head to the smaller boy's words. Tayuya on the other hand took a more direct approach, storming up to his position on the window sill angrily.
"What the fuck have I told you about reading that Naruto!" The blond jinchuuriki cringed back from the steaming girl, only offering a small shrug and a frightened expression as answer. Angrily the girl snatched the book out of his hands and shot down any attempt at him taking it back with a murderous glare.
"But Tayuya!" Her eye's hardened and her hand reached dangerously behind her back into the special red leather pouch she kept there. Naruto's eyes widened and he withdrew his hand.
"I told you not to read the fucking book Shithead!" Again Naruto cringed back from the furious words. "I haven't reached this volume and I don't want any spoilers!" Naruto just nodded timidly like a kicked puppy, he wasn't the only one of the trio who had taken a shine to the racy series of books. Gaara sighed loudly and rolled his eyes again, willing their sensei to just show up so he wouldn't have to deal with his slightly perverted teammates so early in the morning.
Luckily for him just that happened and Baki entered the room in an overenthusiastic display of the Shunshin skill, neatly covering the entire room in a layer of dust and sand.
"Baki-sensei what the fuck do you think-" Tayuya was cut off as Baki sprinted across the room, kunai raised and poised to slice into her throat. She barely had enough time to pull out a senbon and counter; the ring of clashing metal immediately drew Naruto out of the book he was reading to stare in bemusement at the scene. Baki was always doing this, attacking the trio whenever he had the opportunity to test their reflexes.
"Good, I would hate to think your foul mouth would get in the way of your reaction times." Tayuya just went the faintest hue of red as Baki straightened up from his combat stance and wiped the remaining dust from his flak jacket. Even their sensei had changed in the past couple years; when Naruto had first met him he was covered nearly head to toe in bandaged from a lightning burn he received when fighting a powerful Kumo-nin. Baki had won but at the cost of a great deal of his skin; nowadays he wore a veil covering the left side of his face where the burn was strongest.
"Well anyway, you're all here so we can begin." Gaara stood from the chair he had been sitting in and Naruto happily jumped down from the window sill. This was how Baki always started their conversations when it concerned a mission; although Tayuya still looked like a dog licking its wounds. "The Kazekage himself has given us an important mission." He gave them some time to let that sink in "Your first S-Rank."
Both Tayuya and Naruto's jaws hit the ground while Gaara maintained his perfect emotionless expression that he had perfected over the years. The only indication he had even heard the shocking revelation was the slight raising of a single eyebrow.
"Awesome, it's about damn time!" Naruto was ecstatic, practically hopping around the room, the only thing stopping him from actually doing so was the memory of what Tayuya had done the last time he had. Tayuya was just as excited although she had a better hold on her emotions and kept it in long enough to let Baki finish.
"Yes, well, like I was saying..." he stressed the last word enough to get Naruto to calm down "... the Kazekage himself has given us this mission so I no doubt won't have to remind of just how important that makes it." The three genin nodded, one a bit too vigorously for Baki's liking. "Very well, then here are your mission dossiers." He handed each one out and Naruto immediately ripped the brown packaging off, his eyes hungrily flicking back and forth across the words concealed inside. Of course as he read his excited grin turned emotionless, followed by a frown, very quickly followed by a look of fury.
"What the hell Baki-sensei? Is this some kind of joke!" His answer was a very stern look that clearly sad that it was no such thing. Naruto knew it was not, Baki was not the type of ninja to joke around with anything, but he still had to be sure. "What does the Kazekage think he's doing? Going to war with the Leaf village? Is he insane?" Baki wearily noticed that Tayuya was nodding along with Naruto's sentiment.
"Naruto, we are Shinobi of the Sand. The Kazekage's word is law and you would do well to remember that!" He tried to put some righteousness into his speech but as he finished he saw that Naruto was already gone, the window open and the curtains billowing in the wake the boy left. He sighed loudly into his hand, his day just kept getting worse, first he's given this very suspicscious mission then Naruto just has to act like, well, Naruto. He couldn't help but share the boy's feelings however, it was incredibly strange, and allying themselves with the Sound village only added to that.
He raised his face from his palm only to see that Tayuya was now gone as well leaving him alone with Gaara who was curiously poking at the book Naruto had left behind in his rush. Baki slammed his head back into his hands; it was going to be a long day; that much he could tell.
Naruto sped through the village, the short distance from the Kazekage mansion to the council building taking him no time at all. He moved like lightning through all his usual shortcuts through back alleys and over rooftops. He even dived through the living room of a very surprised elderly couple who always left their windows open. He didn't have time to make his usual rushed apology as he spring-boarded off the wall outside the window and spun up onto the adjacent roof.
With a final leap he was into the office-building, racing through the cramped, earthen hallways that he knew almost as well as his home for the past seven years. It was another short distance up a few floors and through the maze of the many council halls and chambers until with a deep breath to somewhat calm himself he walked through the Kazekage's chamber door. The receptionist didn't even try to stop him anymore it had become so routine.
Immediately he knew there was something wrong, the Kazekage was not in this room, yet somebody was sitting in the chair behind his desk and for some reason had his robes and hat on. The intruder looked up, surprised yet keeping an air of calm that seemed overtly practised, he obviously knew how to play his role well. The only way Naruto even knew this wasn't the Kazekage was because he smelt all wrong.
Even Naruto knew that smells and scents could be overridden or submerged but nothing could hide from Naruto, not at this distance. There was nothing of the Kazekage about this imposter, instead he smelt of blood, deep tunnels, dampness and snakes. Naruto eyed the man wearily, wondering what kind of move he was going to make now that he was here. Instead he just looked very calmly towards what he perceived as an intruder.
"Yes Naruto, what is it now?" So the man knew his name; that was even more worrying, it meant he had done his research. He smirked, obviously not enough to know how heightened his senses were; not that many people knew that titbit.
"Who are you?" There was steel in Naruto's voice which the imposter only seemed amused at.
"Whatever are you talking about Naruto?" Naruto could hear the amusement in his voice but he didn't even realise he was only affirming Naruto's suspicions. He was a good actor but he spoke nothing like the Kazekage, even if he somehow had his voice. The man reached up and Naruto immediately tensed but all he did was remove his hat. Naruto was shocked, behind the hat was... the Kazekage, or at least his face anyway.
"Kai!" Naruto immediately tried to dispel any Genjutsu in the room but nothing happened. The imposter maintained his amused expression but anybody could clearly see his patience was beginning to wear. At that moment an ANBU operative dropped down from the ceiling, placing a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Naruto what are you doing?" Naruto turned to the specialist, with a cold gaze.
"This man is not the Kazekage, he smells of blood and snakes." The operative immediately turned to the man in question. Every member of the ANBU was privy to the knowledge about Naruto's remarkable nose; even the Kazekage himself had praised its use on countless missions. They also knew that it was never wrong, ever.
"Who are you?" Even as he said it four more ANBU dropped from the darkness of the ceiling and took up combat positions, all in the direction of the imposter Kazekage. The man sneered in annoyance, standing up, everybody in the room tensing.
"You would trust this mere genin over your own Kazekage!" The first ANBU's eyes narrowed, it didn't take someone with perceptive hearing to know that was not how the Kazekage acted.
"Sir I need authorisation. Your code now or we will be forced to engage." It was a fleeting hope; everybody could already tell that this man had no such intention of complying. And to prove them right he smiled an evil grin that looked eerily snake-like before leaping back out of the window with inhuman speed, immediately followed by the ANBU who now fully understood the situation. The Kazekage was dead; this man had taken his place and had tried to get them to initiate war on the Leaf.
Anger shot through Naruto's being and he felt a familiar burning sensation spread out from his core. It was only halted as he felt a firm hand on his shoulder; he turned to see Baki had finally caught up with him. The alien chakra retreated, leaving Naruto slightly hollow and empty inside; he felt limp, wanting to throw up. The evil smell of the imposter lingered in the room, filing his nose with death and decay.
"You don't need to follow them Naruto, the ANBU will do their job protecting lord Kazekage, even after death. Even if they cannot then what makes you believe you can take on a man who could defeat the late Kazekage?" Naruto slumped slightly, knowing it was true but he hated being this helpless. He may not have liked the Kazekage a great deal from the way he treated his children, and not just Gaara, but he still didn't deserve murder.
He nodded wearily before being led out of the office, the smell somehow lingering in his nose still. They walked through the sand village, student and pupil not saying a word to one another. News spread like wildfire in this village and only ten minutes after they had left the office news had already spread that the Kazekage had been murdered and his killer had escaped. A sinking feeling came over Naruto, knowing that they were walking back to his home, where three people would have yet to hear the news.
They hurried through the forest in silence, awkward oppressive silence that threatened to drive Naruto insane if it carried on any longer. He raised a hand to tell his two companions to stop and they pulled over into a nearby clearing. Immediately Tayuya rushed over to see what the matter was while Gaara approached in a much more sedate manner. Naruto watched his surrogate brother with sadness, even through his emotionless shell he could sense the sorrow emanating out from the sand-wielder.
"We can stop and rest here for a bit, we're already well ahead of Temari's team." Tayuya seemed ready to argue but when Naruto motioned with his head over to Gaara she stopped, biting back her words. She nodded wearily and went to fill up their canteens from the nearby stream while Naruto approached Gaara. He stood in the clearing, not quite sure what to do with himself and Naruto felt a twinge in his heart.
There was a lack of purpose there; one that Naruto knew all too well from when he was younger. A lack of purpose that he had shared until he met Tayuya and later Gaara, they had filed that hole with a need to defend those precious to him. It was something that had never occurred to him before, having nobody in his life that was worth protecting, nobody that cared about him enough for him to care about them. That had all changed with him leaving the village and now it was his turn to return the favour.
"Hey Gaara, wanna spar for a bit while we wait for your brother and sister to catch up?" The boy shrugged and immediately Naruto felt another twinge, Gaara almost never passed up an opportunity to spar with him. He cursed the council for their decision to go ahead with sending them to the Chuunin exams. He understood it of course, it would seem highly suspicious for Suna to suddenly pull out, not a week from the exams, even with the murder of their Kazekage.
It still didn't mean he liked it, Gaara needed familiarity right now, to stay at home and have time to grieve. What he certainly didn't need was to be thrown into some kind of contest of violence and espionage for some meaningless title. The three of them together had already completed over five A-ranked missions, if that didn't make them Chuunin then what did? Most of all he cursed the man he had found out to be called Orochimaru; he didn't have a lot of time to research him, all he got was that he was one of the Sannin and a rogue ninja from the Leaf.
It was all his fault, that Gaara's father had died, that they were going to these exams, that Suna now lacked its leader. The only consolation they had was the pay they were receiving from their slightly altered S-ranked mission. The council believed that Orochimaru might still go ahead with his previous invasion plan, with or without Suna. Their job was now to provide whatever aid they could to Konoha if that were to happen. He grimaced coldly, the Sand just wanted to cover their own asses and reaffirm their allegiance with the Leaf.
Seeing Gaara's reluctance Naruto gave up, he wanted to help his friend still but he would find another way. A mischievous twinkle ignited in his eye that even the sadness that had surrounded hem recently couldn't extinguish. He crept over to Gaara, one eye on Tayuya the entire time and whispered devilishly into his ear. The sand-user manage to stay impassive but Naruto could easily see the old Gaara begin to leak back out as he explained his plan.
A few moments later he was next to Tayuya, watching as she filled up the last of their canteens and placed it neatly to the side of the stream. She stood and turned around in one motion, nearly jumping out of her skin as she saw just how close Naruto was to her. Their faces were only inched apart and she could feel the breath from his nose on her cheek. Naruto faltered for a moment, the plan was in his mind but the sheer proximity between the two suddenly made him nervous for a reason he couldn't quite understand.
Tayuya's cheeks gained the slightest tinge of red, another thing that confused Naruto, she only did that when very angry or really embarrassed. Naruto thought in a split second as the two just stood there, she couldn't have been embarrassed right? They had definitely been this close before. With a start he realised, or at least thought, that meant she was angry so before she could punch him he grinned wildly and gave her the lightest of nudges.
Not expecting the sudden push Tayuya's eyes widened as she was put off balance and tumbled back. Her arms wind-milled crazily as she tried to right herself but the softened earth under her feet wasn't having it. She fell backwards with her eyes closed tight, awaiting the splash and the freezing water below her, only for an arm to reach out and securely grip her own. She opened an eye to see Naruto still grinning, firmly gripped her arm and reaching out with his other.
She narrowed her eyes at him, promising with a single look that he was going to pay for this. She reached out with her other arm for Naruto's free hand but as soon as her fingers brushed his he suddenly and unexpectedly released his grip on her other arm. Once again she fell backwards, flailing her arms madly as she tumbled over the edge of the river bank. She again closed her eyes again and expectantly embraced for the freezing water only to be saved again, this time by a blanket of silky soft sand.
She cracked an eye open and looked at Gaara, nodding to him with a thankful expression before getting up, standing on the floating cloud of sand. She stared daggers at Naruto, a glare that could have made most men instinctively reach for their most precious anatomical area. Naruto on the other hand maintained his cocky grin as Tayuya began walking across the sand towards him, hands clenched into fists.
"Naruto I'm gonna shove a fucking kunai so far up your shitter that you'll cough up senbons!" Unfortunately Tayuya only realised her mistake when Naruto shot an amused glance at Gaara. Immediately the sand under Tayuya's feet dissipated before she could jump to safety. Without anything to catch her this time, Tayuya dropped straight into the icy waters beneath her, letting out an all too girly shriek as the chill invaded her clothes.
Naruto shared a good laugh with Gaara as he cheerfully walked across to the soaked girl, casually walking across the surface of the water and extending a hand. She glared up at him from her position half in the water before an evil smirk of her own graced her features. Naruto saw this and tried to react but before he could Tayuya had taken the offered hand and sent a pulse of Chakra through Naruto's system, immediately disrupting his concentration.
For a split second Naruto sent too much Chakra to his feet, unfortunately for him a split second was all it took and he was sent rocketing into the air as he repelled the water. Tayuya snorted out in laughter as the flailing boy came crashing back down to earth and splashed into the freezing water. She walked over this time and offered the hand; she only took advantage of Naruto's trusting nature once, dropping him back into the water when she picked him up a little.
This was how Temari, Kankuro and their teammate Masa found them, sitting around a fire as the two soaked Shinobi dried off. They noticed immediately that the faintest of smiles was alighting itself on Gaara's lips as he shared a laugh with his oldest friends. This sight alone was enough to get the two older Suna shinobi smiling; they had taken their father's death hard and it warmed them to see that Gaara was still able to smile.
A few minutes later and the six ninja were racing through the trees, Tayuya and Naruto were dried off enough and they decided not to wait any longer. There was no warning, the tree's didn't get any less thick, in face the only indication they were heading in the right direction at all was Naruto's nose but sure enough the tree line dropped out from under them and they found themselves in front of a pair of impressive gates. They were currently open to allow the throng of people into an out of the village.
The familiar sight sent a wave of melancholy through Naruto as he remembered these were the very gates that he had escaped from the village through. The group approached the gate guards in their small kiosk-like hut and signed all the appropriate papers about them entering for the Chuunin exams. One of the guards, a man with spiky purple hair and a small clean-shaven beard with a linen bandage across his nose looked at Naruto curiously. The boy tried to ignore it as he walked away but he still felt the gate guard's eyes bore a hole in his back.
"What the fuck was that guy's problem? He was looking at you like the Shinigami incarnate" Tayuya had sidled over to where Naruto was walking and he just shrugged in response. She eyed him curiously, Naruto was still a notoriously bad liar, at least to her and Gaara, and he was as transparent as a wall was to a Byakugan user. "Naruto, what have I told you about lying to me?" There was a cold edge to her voice but there was no hiding the underlying concern.
"I'm worried that people might recognise me Tayuya. It's only been seven years." She nodded understandingly.
"Yeah you might be right, but don't worry. It's not like somebody's just going to see you and shout out your name like a fucking-"
"NARUTO?!"