After the attack there was a great deal of confusion. When things were finally sorted out the Council of Wind met and temporarily took charge. A number of patrols were sent out to search and the secure the area around the village. The Konoha hunter nin and ANBU who were still nearby were driven out, though none of them were killed. After a search the bodies of the Kazekage and his guards were found under a thin layer of earth after being dumped in a shallow ditch.

Most of the Council had assumed that if the Kazekage had been impersonated that he was likely dead. The Third Kazekage had vanished without a trace and it seemed history was repeating itself. The confirmation that the Kazekage really was dead sent shockwaves through the Council and the village. When the previous Kazekage had disappeared the results had been a lost war and chaos that lasted until the Fourth Kazekage had established himself. Wanting to avoid similar anarchy the Council was determined to select a Fifth as soon as possible.

XXXXXXXXXX

When Kushina and Shinzou returned from the council meeting they were both weary. Everyone else was eager to learn what had happened so Kushina filled them in.

"We're going to discuss who will be the Fifth tomorrow, and I'd expect a choice to be made by the end of the week. Everyone is determined to have a successor in place as soon as possible."

"Any idea who it will be?" Tsunade asked.

"Nope," Kushina said. "There's no single outstanding candidate, at least three or four of the Council members think they can do it."

"What about you?" Kakashi asked with a smirk.

"Pfffft! As if," she rolled her eyes.

"Why not?" Tsunade asked. "You've done a lot of good for this village since we came here, and I think you could do the job."

"I'm not from here," Kushina pointed out.

"Is that a requirement?" Tsunade asked.

"The only requirement is that you must be a Suna ninja," Gaara spoke up. "I think you would make an excellent Kazekage mother. You would be at least a hundred times better than the last one."

The answer did not please her as much as it should have. He was your father Gaara. Even if he was horrible you should still feel something. "Well thank you for the vote of confidence son. But I don't want the job, and besides I doubt I could get enough votes anyway. Most of the Council still see us as outsiders."

"Is there going to be a declaration of war?" Saishu asked.

"About half the Council is screaming for it to avenge the assassination. The other half is nervous at the prospect of fighting Konoha when they have so many more ninja than we do. Ultimately we decided to leave it to the next Kazekage to decide. So the selection of the successor will also be a choice for either peace or war."

"How did the two of you vote?" Tsunade asked.

"Oh, we were doves," Shinzou said with a smirk. He still found it funny as hell that a pair of assassins had been the loudest voices arguing for peace.

Having heard enough Gaara quietly slipped away while the others continued to talk.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kankuro was sipping some sake as he tried to figure out what the hell to do now. The day had started out completely normal and had ended with him fatherless and suddenly appointed head of the Fourth Great House of Suna. He had actually been in a Council meeting with people wanting to hear his opinion. It was all just too damn bizarre.

He still wasn't sure just how he felt about his father being dead. The man had never been what you would call an ideal parent, being Kazekage and ruling Suna had always mattered more than family. But he hadn't been a complete bastard, and he was his father. He supposed he was sad, at least a little.

"If you drink all night you'll be hung over in the morning," Temari said with disapproval. "Do you really want to the other Council members to see you like that?"

"I don't want them to see me at all," he muttered. He looked at his sister. She had actually cried for the old man. She seemed to be handling things better now. (Certainly better than he was.) But she had been the one saddest to lose him.

Now though she was back to her normal bossy self. "Whether you like it or not you're clan head now." A frown tugged at her lips. "By all rights I shouldbe clan head, I'm the oldest."

"You don't have a penis," he told her. "Though I sometimes wonder."

Smack!

"Ow!" Kankuro rubbed the top of his head. He was just glad it was her fist that had hit him and not that damn fan of hers. "See! This is what makes me wonder!"

"Having only men lead the clans is a stupid and outdated tradition! Just look at Kushina! She does a fine job!"

"She and that whole bunch are foreigners," he told her as he continued to rub his aching head. "They can do what they want, but the real clans honor our traditions."

Temari snorted. She loved her desert home. But she did wish the place were a bit less in love with tradition and a whole lot less conservative. Having seen other places while on missions she'd seen plenty of women running businesses or noble households. Not all of them were good at it by any means. But they didn't seem much better or worse than the men doing the same jobs. And having seen Kushina she was sure a woman could excel running a clan.

"Anyway, who do you plan to support for Kazekage?" Temari asked.

"Sulamon, of the First House," Kankuro answered immediately.

Temari did not like the choice. Sulamon was 70 and could not be expected to rule for long if he was chosen. He was an arch conservative who had been head of the Department of Internal Security for close to thirty years. He was Suna's spymaster and a man who thrived on secrets and the power they could bring. He had been a proponent of the misguided attack on Leaf that had helped touch off the Third Great Ninja War and had later been one of their father's strongest supporters. If he was chosen Kazekage a war with leaf was almost guaranteed.

As she was getting ready to tell her brother he was a moron a servant nervously entered the room. "Pardon me Kankuro-sama," the servant said shakily. "But there is someone here to see you."

"Who?" Kankuro lifted the glass to his lips to take another sip.

"Namikaze Gaara."

Kankuro spat the drink back out and started to choke.

XXXXXXXXXX

Out in the main hall Kankuro and Temari saw him standing there waiting patiently. He had on the same red and black clothing the others of his family wore and a large gourd on his back.

Spotting them Gaara gave them a slight bow. "Hello Kankuro, hello Temari, thank you for permitting me to enter your home."

Kankuro had always found it unsettling the way he could be so polite while having that inside him. "What do you want? I'm busy so I don't have a lot of time."

"Kankuro!" Temari said sharply. "He's our brother! He's come here to mourn our loss!"

"No," Gaara said coldly. "I am not your brother. I do not consider either of you family. I have a family now and neither of you are included. As for the Kazekage's death I have no reason at all to mourn him."

Temari was hurt to hear him so brutally dismiss the ties between them.

Kankuro was angry. "Show some respect! Yeah, he was a bastard, but he was still your father wasn't he?"

Gaara looked at him calmly and Kankuro immediately regretted raising his voice. "The Kazekage was never my father and I do not mourn him. I did not come here to speak of him."

"O.k. then, why are you here?" Kankuro asked.

The cork in his gourd popped out and sand began spilling out onto the carpet.

"What are you doing?!" Kankuro said terrified and backed away from him as fast as he could.

"Gaara please! What is this?!" Temari called out.

"I want my mother to be selected the next Kazekage," he said simply. "If she is not, I will be very upset."

A pale and very nervous looking Kankuro stared at him. "You can't come in here and threaten me." His words lacked much punch as they were delivered in a fearful voice.

"I make no threats," Gaara said calmly. "She did not ask me to do this, I have come here on my own simply to state my own personal feelings on the matter. I want my mother to be Kazekage, if she is not chosen I will be unhappy." With that the sand began flowing back into the gourd to Kankuro's and Temari's relief. "That is all I came here to say, now if you will please excuse me I have to speak with the other council members." He actually gave them another polite bow before showing himself out.

As soon as he was gone Kankuro dropped to his knees. "Oh man! I saw my life flash before my eyes!"

"He… he wouldn't have done anything," Temari said.

Kankuro looked up at her. "You don't sound too sure."

"He's been fine ever since he was adopted out," Temari said. "I'm… I'm sure he wouldn't do anything to us."

"Do you really want to take that chance?"

Temari looked at him in surprise. "What are you saying? You're going to let him threaten you?"

"Listen sis, I know I'm no genius. But I'm not stupid enough to piss off the Shukaku."

XXXXXXXXXX

The next morning when Kushina and Shinzou arrived to the meeting they could feel the eyes of all the other council members lock onto them. As soon as they had shown up utter silence had fallen.

"Did we do something?" Shinzou whispered to her. He worried the others were blaming them for what had happened.

"I don't think so," she whispered back. She saw the look in their eyes; it made her feel very nervous. I have a bad feeling about this.

Sulamon who was the oldest member of the Council spoke. "Now that the representatives of the ninth and tenth houses are here let us take our seats and begin the meeting."

They all sat down at the table.

"I think the first order of business should be the selection of the new Kazekage," Sulamon said. "Are there any nominations?"

Kankuro spoke up in a loud clear voice. "I nominate Namikaze Kushina."

"Huh?" A startled Kushina responded.

"What?" An equally surprised Shinzou said.

"I second the nomination," another member said.

"Are there any other candidates?" Sulamon asked.

No one spoke.

"Very well, I don't think we need any discussion. I call the vote." Sulamon said. "All those in favor raise your hand."

Eight hands rose as one. Only Kushina and Shinzou were too stunned to actually vote.

"Very well," Sulamon said. "By a vote of eight to zero with two abstentions Namikaze Kushina is hereby named to be Fifth Kazekage of Suna." He looked over to her and bowed his head. "Congratulations Kazekage-sama."

Kushina blinked at him unsure of what to say. "What the hell just happened here?"

"You were just made Kazekage, defender of the pass, and supreme ruler of Suna," Kankuro said in a tone that was anything but excited. "Congrats."

Kushina stared at all the other faces in the room. The all looked deathly serious. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"No, it is most serious I assure you Kazekage-sama," Sulamon said. "You are now Kazekage, may your rule be long and bountiful."

Staring back Kushina had only one thought. Damn it I was right, things really did get worse!