AN: So my sister did a bigger share of the chores (got to love siblings as roommates when you move out you already know the other's habits) and requested this update as a reward.
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The mission ended easily enough. As soon as the target arrived, Temari and Kankuro handled his entourage to delay their getting to the inn at the same time. Gaara was waiting under the moonlight up on a roof and had the man grabbed and crushed, the only sign of the carnage the few pieces of sand sliding over the roof tops by his feet. It happened so fast there were no witnesses.
Temari and Kankuro were doing just fine with Baki hiding up where he could step in if need be, but it didn't matter. Gaara was still craving bloodshed and when the first hisses of sand were heard, the siblings darted out of the alley they had cornered the five ninja in. Between Temari's wind attacks sending all their attacks back at them and clever use of Kankuro's chakra strings to make them off balance it had been an unfair fight from the start.
That sand though..it came pouring like a wave seeping over the roof and the walls into the alley, splashing as if it was liquid before it engulfed the nin who were too startled to scream. They were completely crushed by an endless barrage of sand that constricted, before slipping back to Gaara. Not a sign of the nin remained but metal that had been on them and their weapons , which were quite well made for such incompetence. Any organic material, was always somehow broken down by the malevolent chakra in Gaara's sand.
"Let's go." Gaara growled, impatient for all his eyes were wide and the pupils blown he knew there'd be no further prey for him.
"Ah hey Gaara let's collect the gear..it's pretty nice you know?" Kankuro started, when that eerie gaze settled on him Kankuro raised his hands and quickly pulled up the only thing he thought may help. "Less we have to spend time trying to replace later..."
Temari chuckled nervously. "Maybe they have something Sute could use..girl's always losing her weapons.."
Gaara tilted his head then and nodded. "Get them. I'll wait outside the village."
Baki just groaned and then turned, holding out a scroll to the other kids. "Is there a real reason you want all the gear..? It's just kunai and shuriken.."
"Yeah but we go through a lot of our own with how often Sute uses them against Gaara's sand. It tends to render them chunks of metal not really fighting fit.."
"Why is her weapon stash your problem?" Baki asked, aware they were somewhat all friends but still.
"Girl's got quick fingers." Temari said with a shrug and a wicked grin. "If she'd been born an orphan she'd be the top pickpocket I'm certain. She steals all the time just to put strange things in their place. We'd complain more but sometimes it's the only time we see Gaara amused if someone's not dying.."
"Why would he be amused at her theft?"
Kankuro reached into his pouch and pulled out a battered bunny rabbit toy in plain brown cotton material. "She likes to put stuff like this in it's place."
"You still have bun bun?" Temari asked.
"Hey it's cute!"
"...let's go." Baki said, trying to get the idea of Kankuro with a tiny stuffed rabbit out of his head.
"Seriously Kakuro, why are you carrying around that ratty thing?"
"Because it's funny. Since it's so small it's a good practice on puppetry anyways."
"It's a rabbit."
A wiggle of Kankuro's fingers and where the stuffed toy was sitting in his hand, being honestly the size for a baby, it stood up and waved it's stubby arms at Temari as if asking if she wanted to fight.
"...Ugh." Temari looked away before her amused grin was visible. "Can't believe my brother is the one who plays with dolls.."
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"Now then..what goes into the mixture to create symptoms similar to a heart attack?" Nanashi was asking as he watched Sute on her tip toes, putting the scrolls they used that day back.
"Any mixture?"
"Oh?" The elder waited, curious as to what the girl was coming up with.
"Well..if I used a little of the red bellied scorpion venom, I could then pull in some of the shinobi's blood plant..if I wanted it to be more subtle I would probably stick to one of the mineral components..are we talking fast or slow acting?"
"Hm. Don't rely on scorpion venom, it can be hard to take with you. As for the shinobi's blood remember it tends to have a very well known shade, hence the name.." Nanashi was pleased she was thinking creatively though, it was generally not an easy task. And she was not discussing uncommon tools either, Sute had a tendency to go for the least difficult option which while having a greater chance to be discovered, was also the most likely to be overlooked as people suspected rare and dangerous methods first. It seemed even her nature in hiding in plain sight with her chakra was coming across in her subtle poisoning methods. It was a ..unique take on it.
"I see then.."
There was a sudden knock and Nanashi lifted a brow. Only ANBU would be coming to this location, so hidden away was it so it must be someone on Rasa's behalf. After all, Nanashi was always wokring on dangerous intel in here and that Sute was permitted to come to the hidden records room with him was a rare indulgence.
"Enter."
"Pardon, Elder. The Kazekage wishes you to go to the gate. Baki's team has been sighted." Message given the ANBU vanished and Nanashi hummed. If they had been sighted, fast as the Kazekage's children could move, they would just be reaching the outer gate if they left now to meet them.
"Gather your things Sute."
"Yes, Elder." she answered respectfully but it was truly his own things the girl carried. Aside from her weapons and few scrolls in a bag she would carry for herself, it was something the girl asked to do. Nanashi certainly was not about to object to the child carrying his own bag for him. Taking an easy pace as he was an old man after all, they moved through the village. Only when he saw Rasa did Nanashi tap Sute on her shoulder.
"Set those down, girl. You'll want to greet them no doubt." He was not going to curb the child's natural desire to see the few friends she had.
"Thank you! Hello Lord Kazekage." Sute said with a happy smile to the man who inclined his head her way, despite his hat tilting from the action. It did not take long though before Sute was racing ahead, impatient to meet the siblings who had been gone over a month for how far they had needed to venture out.
"She is in high spirits this afternoon." Rasa commented idly and Nanashi smirked next to him.
"The girl learns swiftly. Her first sedation attempt was a success on a chunnin I had brought to my workshop for the purpose. She's very clinical about the entire thing, I have no doubt she'll do well in time."
"Good." Rasa glanced over to him. "We are making the first overtures with a new hidden village closer to Konoha. I do not wish a weakness. If possible speed up her skills, especially in medical endeavors and sedation."
"Oh?" But Nanashi nodded. For Rasa to tell him such meant he did not think this would be of any advantage, but every ally was needed even if likely the other village was doing this to try and sneak intel or gathering hostages. In which case, yes, Sute was a liability. He would need to adjust his focus. "Pity. She is very creative. I would have loved to focus on poison more."
"She has a place." Rasa reminded him. Subtly, but that she was first belonging at Gaara's side, not Nanashi's apprentice.
"Yes, sir."
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Gaara could still not truly sense Sute, but he felt the flicker of the miniscule bit of his sand he had left on her wrist. Her gangly form was rushing towards them with a laugh, all three siblings keeping abreast and just ahead of Baki. He was of course, in the back. The more vulnerable position. Waving to them wildly her linen clad form rushed at an angle, clearly going straight for...
Temari?
Gaara scowled and stopped, causing the others to do so as well, his arms crossed as he snatched Sute up from mid stride as she was nearly in tackling range. With the girl dangling from her left ankle upside down, and despite how exceptionally lethal the sand was that held her precariously, Sute just grinned happily.
"Welcome home, Gaara."
His eyes narrowed. "You were going to Temari."
"I want a hug and you wouldn't have liked me to try for one from you." Sute pouted, her own arms crossing over her and completely ignoring that the blood was starting to go to her head. A tiny shift of her chakra kept it from doing so but not a flicker could be felt.
"Aw I feel so loved. Didn't want to hug Kankuro eh, Sute?" Temari grinned hoping to dispel some of the tension.
Sute twisted a bit, once again making the observers blanch as she simply kept her hands on the sand behind her to brace herself and stay in that position. The little blonde had no worries about touching the substance most everyone in Suna would do their best to avoid. "I knew you wouldn't read anything in to it." She said simply and then 'eeep' came from her as the sand shifted, sliding over so that she was in front of Temari, almost at eye level. If still upside down.
The two girls blinked at each other a moment before dissolving into giggles and managing the supremely awkward hug before Sute was flung upwards and then caught again, seeming to vanish into the sand as if she had been dropped into a sink hole trap, but it dissolved away, leaving her entirely dusted over and laughing.
"I missed you Gaara..but that was new! Kind of fun." Her eyes were locked on Gaara and her smile was wide as she placed her hands behind her, fidgeting and Kankuro rolled his eyes.
"Sheesh I don't get a hug?"
"Nope!" Sute said and tapped her chin. "If I can't hug Gaara why would I hug you?"
"Then why do you hug Temari?"
"Because Temari's awesome?"
Baki watched Sute deflect Kankuro, and Temari's smirk but the girl was constantly looking back to Gaara with a wide smile. Apparently she needn't have waited much longer as Gaara just nodded.
"You have been busy." It was a statement, knowing she would have kept herself occupied.
"I have a lot of new information, yes." Sute smiled widely and that was all it took for Gaara to step forward, a swirl of sand engulfing them before both Sute and Gaara were gone. Baki almost said something but Temari and Kankuro were already walking forward.
"He was more patient than usual."
"Eh, you know Gaara..but I bet he won't show up until we've filled out the mission paperwork. He sure does hate doing paperwork..not that I blame him. I hate paperwork! I always have to redo it so many times!"
"That's because your handwriting sucks, Kankuro."
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Gaara reformed in one of the more empty areas of the village, up on the highest roof he could find and crossed his arms as he leaned back. It was all the encouragement Sute needed to start telling him about her experiments and how the progress was going with sedating the local ninja the elder kept finding for her to practice on. It took almost an hour, with stopping to drink from her water bottle, before her wild arm motions finally made her pay attention..
"Eh? Did my bracelet get bigger?"
"...I added to it." He admitted after a pause and one eye opened, noticing as Sute's eyes went wide before she smiled. Her conversation continued, not drawing too much attention to his action for which Gaara was grateful.
Ever so slowly, his muscles relaxed listening to his friend. He was home.