Thank goodness this chapter was saved in one of my notes! I was so sure that this chapter had no backup from the site DX
Anyways, on to the next chapter and I think it is finally getting more interesting though I am not sure how to manage it all. It's weird that sometimes when I re-read the previous chapters, it makes me feel like I was not the one who wrote it... hahaha

Naruto is not mine, disclaimerzzzz.

Chapter 10

"Woah," Shinako gasped at the sight of sand village. It was very different from Konoha as it was made of sand. The fort, serving as gate, had stationed a couple of shinobi that was on patrol.

At the sight of Kakashi, one of them came down very quickly using ninja skills, which startled the excited Shinako.

"Kakashi, we are expecting you," the shinobi bowed as a greeting for them and for a brief moment he looked at Shinako then to Kakashi. "Please follow me."

Shinako held on to Sakura's hand as they walked, guiding her as she busied herself, marveling at the village of Sand while Naruto and Sai casually walked into the village.

"Shinako-san" Sakura whispered, "um, please remember that you are the client. In case something happens, just tell them you're with us and you'll be just fine. They are very alarmed when there is someone they don't know in the village."

"Okay..." Shinako squeaked as she continued to marvel at her surroundings.

They went nearer and nearer to the Kazekage's office and every step she took was suddenly making her heart beat faster. She doesn't know if she's either excited or scared of this moment.

"W-wait, Sakura-san," Shinako said as she completely stopped walking. She was already breathing heavily as Sakura turned.

"What's wrong, Shinako-san?"

Before she could reply, she immediately turned around and ran away. She felt nervous and confused. Despite Sakura shouting, calling her back, she just aimlessly ran through sand village, trying to find some place to think for a while. She then saw a narrow street with many things stocked on top of each other. In a whim, she went and hid there, hoping for silence.

A set of running footsteps went pass her and she indeed received the silence she wanted. She started to contemplate with what was really about to happen.

Confusion and pain were wrestling in her feelings. It felt weird for her to feel nervous upon meeting with the Kazekage. It really felt all too new! It was so different in thinking that she likes a person from actually meeting them for the first time. Reality was just dawning on her. For whatever reason, she needed to cool down from all the nervousness she felt. She obviously didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the Kazekage.

Moments after, a young resident girl saw her and crawled towards her.

"Are you okay, miss?" The girl inquired, "you are not stuck there... Are you?"

"Wah- ow..." Shinako exclaimed as she almost jumped from hearing the little girl's voice, though she did bump her head on something. "Ah, hello there. I, uh, I didn't get stuck. I'm here to think things through the silence, you know."

The girl looked at her with eyes that longed for someone she could play with. She nodded, clearly not understanding what Shinako meant. Another kid's voice seemed to be calling out the girl so she left Shinako in her solitary silence.

"What the heck..." She mumbled to herself, deciding to get out of that crummy space.

Just as she got back to the busy street, a very familiar person came in view. A girl with blonde hair, tied into two sets of pigtails along with her signature fan weapon strapped behind her, looked at Shinako suspiciously. Without further hesitation, she grabbed Shinako and dragged her.

"Ah, hey! T-Temari-san, where are you taking me?!" Shinako struggled, trying to free herself from Temari's grip.

She then stopped dragging Shinako and started interrogating her with a kunai in her hand. "Who are you and why do you know my name?"

"Ah... I'm Shinako Daijin. I'm here with Naruto-san and Sakura-san."

Temari looked at her more suspiciously. She knew that Naruto and the lot was coming but they never said they were coming with someone else other than the client and they are practically at the Kazekage's office by now. She then brought the weapon closer. "You still haven't answered my question... Why do you know my name?"

"Ah, I just know." Shinako shrugged her shoulders, then she remembered what Sakura reminded her. "Wait! I am the client! I kinda got separated with Sakura-san for some space to think ab-"

"Shinako!" Sakura called out from the rooftop of a house nearby. "Geez, wait there, okay?"

"Yes!" Shinako replied then faced Temari, "uh, see!"

Temari kept the weapon and folded her arms. "Hmmm... Then what are you doing sneaking around like that?"

"I- I was not sneakin-" Shinako gasped but was immediately cutoff by the same question.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING SNEAKING AROUND LIKE THAT?!" Sakura stomped her way to them, leaving well printed footprints on the sand. "That's it, Shinako. You are not allowed to play hide and seek while I'm around, you hear? So tell me what you will do first before running off like that, I mean, what happened? We are finally here to see-"

"Sa-Sakura!" Shinako tried as much to keep her quiet since Temari was around.

"Oh," Sakura stopped and kinda understood the awkwardness of revealing that kind of information in front of Temari. "Then... let's just go."

Shinako sighed before she said, "Okay."

.

As they went to where Kakashi, Sai and Naruto was, Shinako tried to get her mind straight but as they came into view, there was another person there.

People who passed by gave their respectful greetings. Naruto simply looked happy as Kakashi was tempted to get his book and Sai was being Sai.

Shinako clearly felt that everything became deafening. Everything was moving but a dull silence spread that moment. She looked at Sakura and she seemed to be saying something to the person who is standing in front of her. She then looked at this person and everything in her mind became blank.

"Shinako?" Sakura asked as she faced the expressionless Shinako.

"Is there something wrong?" Kazekage Gaara asked, looking at Kakashi for further explanation of Shinako's presence in the Sand Village.

"Apparently," Kakashi started, "she suddenly showed up near our village. We don't know where she is from but I believe her request is to simply escort her to the Hidden Sand Village since she wants to reside here.

"Reside here?!" Temari spoke up. "She sounds fishy! What's her real intentions?"

"We don't know." Sakura answered, "but I believe you can trust her. Her memories are still hazy despite the fact that she happens to know a lot of our past..."

"Then, wouldn't that be dangerous?!" Temari replied.

"Well," Sakura argued but Temari was right, they all suspect her to be some sort of spy. There were just too many things to question about this person "Hey, are you okay? Shinako?" She asked as she placed her hand on Shinako's shoulder.

After a second, Shinako seems to have awakened. "Oh, ah, sorry I... Ah! Kazekage-sama, it is such a great honor to finally meet you!" She bowed as low as she could, hiding her well flushed face.

Gaara looked at Shinako with confusion. "For now, let's go inside to discuss this further."

As Shinako looked up, her face lit up with a smile that made most of them present skip a heartbeat.

.

Sitting in the corner of the Kazekage's office, Shinako playfully swung her feet as they discussed about keeping her in the Hidden Sand Village.

Temari greatly refuses to the idea. "I mean come on! Don't we have enough trouble as it is? We totally don't know who she is and there is no meaning to even keep her here."

"Well, that's why we let her come here." Sakura said as she took a glance at Shinako. "Come on, I think she's not a bad person. She means well."

Kakashi then faced Gaara and added, "she also has a unique ability to copy jutsu, but she's not from any known clan that we know of. Even Neji's Byakkugan can't detect her chakra but she can still do some jutsu effortlessly."

"Unless she runs out of chakra," Sakura added, "which I clearly can see that she has no idea how to manage."

Temari decided to take a good look at Shinako, who was now admiring the sand furniture she was sitting on. "Shinako, can you come here and tell us what's your purpose in coming here?"

Shinako shyly got up and walked towards the group. "Well, if possible, I want to go to ninja school. I d-don't care if I have to be classmates with toddlers or grade school." She pouted as the thought of being classmates with kids was not an appealing thought to even consider. She can already imagine what it would be like. "Ugh..."

Gaara simply tried to think over the whole idea of Shinako staying in his village. His past didn't really help to decide if school was the best option to let her learn jutsu but all the same there was no other suggestion at hand. "Okay. You can stay and do what you want."

"Gaara!" Temari exploded. "I, ah... Did you really think things through? What if she is a spy?"

Gaara looked at Shinako giving it more thought "Um... How will you be staying here? Like lodging or who will pay your academics?"

Shinako's face fell. "Oh right... Well, I can work somewhere, like having a part time job or something to pay for the school. Lodging... well, I will try my best to do something about that. I mean I'm not a child anymore so I think learning the lessons wouldn't take much time and effort since I have this jutsu... and I can really help out somehow somewhere if you tell me to do it!"

Gaara's curiosity couldn't help but ask. "Can you really copy anything?"

Shinako scratched her head in uncertainty. "I believe so. I mean, that's how it's suppose to work. L-like what I said I have these memories that seem to know how it works but it's not like I have done it myself so I really don't know."

Gaara clasped his hands together and leaned on the table, "can you copy this?"

Particles of sand floated midair and clumps up together to form a shuriken in front of Gaara. He then looks through the hole from the sand made shuriken and anticipated Shinako's next move for passing judgement.

With a bit of uncertainty, she clasped her hands together and looked through them for a split second, targeting the sand made shuriken. Then almost with a play of the mind, sands started swirling Shinako as she focused on shaping the sand into a shuriken like form but it was no use. As soon as she started to speak, the sand fell back to the ground, making the group amazed and speechless all over again.

"I'm sorry... I am not sure how you formed them so solidly and I think the basis of your ability to control the sand and mixing it with your chakra into them, right?" Shinako said, though it sounded like she was talking to herself. "So with my state right now, I don't think I can control my chakra yet that's why I would like to learn first how to use it... And maybe develop everything from there..."

Temari got up angry. "You are really suspicious! No one could simply and easily "copy" any kind of jutsu. Don't tell me that you are like those..."

"Akatsuki?" Shinako inserted, finishing Temari's sentence. "Please... I am nothing like the Akatsuki. They are just twisted and annoying. True they try to steal jutsu that will benefit their cause but my ability and myself has no intention like that. Like what I said, I know some stuff about what had happened in Naruto's journeys... and Gaara's death was no exception." Her face started to look grave. She remembered it like it just happened yesterday. Biting her lip, she turned around, hiding her tears from the group. "I am sorry, I just... if it can be of any assurance for me to say this to you all... I want to protect Gaara-sama." With that said, she wiped her tears and faced Gaara.

Temari sat down and frowned while Sakura was happy and amazed with Shinako's declaration. Kakashi remained alert as Shinako did reveal to know about the Akatsuki and Gaara's death in that matter. But all the kazekage did was lean back on his chair, feeling a bit amused at what Shinako said.

"How can you protect me if you know nothing, right?" He then looked at Temari and pointed at the table as the sand gathered around and formed a piece of paper like material. "For now, you can stay here in the office. There is a room available beside Kankuro's room. This obviously mean you will be under surveillance. School is just three blocks away, so do your best. And if we are to summon you, for any reason, make sure you come right away. Understood?"

Shinako smiled in amazement. Her heart was beating fast again thinking that Gaara was just too cool for words.

Temari took the piece of paper and sighed. "Well, I guess that is that. Come on, let's not waste the kazekage's time any longer. Let's go to your room and I will quickly tour you to the academy."

"Isn't that great, Shinako?" Sakura smiled as she was quickly embraced by Shinako. "Whoa!"

"Thank you so much Sakura! Kakasi-sensei, Naruto and Sai!" She then went to hug the team until she suddenly froze in realization. "Oh.. and about the payment..."

Temari sighed. "I'll pay for it first then, so you better pay me back." Temari pockets her wallet and asked for the amount.

"Wahh... Temari-sama! Thank you so much!"

And I am ending this with that. Until next chapter~