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The Longest Road
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~Chapter 36. The list~
Gaara was about to leave the hut. He decided he couldn't stay in it any longer because the longer he stayed the more chances increased that the pursuers would come. There would be a fight, and in his current state he would most likely have a hard time to repel Shukaku if the demon would scent blood. For that, he needed to get away fast.
Only, he didn't have any idea about where to go.
Since the last attempt on capturing him succeeded, it was obvious he couldn't stay anywhere near Suna. They would find him sooner or later, and an old hag would try again to unseal what she had once sealed.
Talk about changing one's mind, Gaara thought sarcastically.
He gathered rations, and packed them into the pouch. His dear siblings made sure he would be supplied with necessary equipment before he would leave the country. Not that he was planning to leave Kaze no Kuni in the nearest future. He had a work to do first.
In his mind, the list had been made a long time ago. All entries on the list were the names of people who were to blame for his agonizing solitude and years of insomnia. The very first person on the list, that was Gaara's father, was already dead. Not from Gaara's hands, unfortunately, but dead nonetheless. Gaara's siblings were on the list, too. Of course, they didn't help their father in any way but they certainly added to Gaara's loneliness. However, they could wait because there was another person on the list, and Gaara's ordeals were definitely his fault. Kaze no Kuni no daimyō, who had reduced funding of Suna, outsourcing many missions to Konoha at the same time, was a main character in this play. Because of his actions, Gaara's father decided that creating more powerful ninjas was essential in order to increase the military potential and therefore reduce the threat of extinction. Shukaku had been sealed into Gaara after that, and Gaara's fate had been sealed as well; all of it was daimyō's fault.
Gaara scanned the hut's interior, careful not to leave any signs that the place had been just occupied. Having removed the blanket and the jug, he covered the floor with a thin layer of sand dust. The hut looked as if being abandoned for quite a long time. Satisfied with the result, Gaara went out, leaving the door set ajar. It's time to scratch out another name from the list, he thought, heading westwards.
The jinchūriki reached the capital city of Kaze no Kuni in a few days. It was a busy place, and Gaara didn't have a particular trouble to hide. After spending several days on spying on the daimyō, he gathered enough intel to proceed with his plan. In the evening, he watched the feast, followed by a little orgy. The ruler of Kaze no Kuni and a few selected officials indulged themselves in a way that made Gaara's lips curl in distaste and contempt. After a few hours the officials were scooped by their escorts, and dragged along towards their mansions. The hour was late, and daimyō's guards were slightly distracted. A perfect opportunity for an assassin.
Standing on a tree branch, Gaara froze while still observing the activity inside the mansion with his Daisan no Me. A few silhouettes in black appeared inside, noiselessly killing the guards. Their movements were precise and fast, their synchronization excellent, their purposefulness obvious. Gaara admired them for a heartbeat before he went inside to carry on his own mission. He entered daimyō's bedroom after all guards had been slaughtered, surprising assassins with his sudden appearance. They had left their own guards standing in the corridors and rooms, ready to prevent any possible interruptions. Gaara silenced them all, and only a few were left who had been obviously ordered to send the daimyō to afterlife.
The ruler of the country didn't look impressive nor aristocratic as he crawled on the floor, begging for mercy. He snapped his terrified, shocked eyes at Gaara, at first looking hopeful, then confused. The assassins standing nearest Gaara attacked him within a blink of an eye, and were finished off instantly. Their companions hesitated, obviously not knowing if to get rid of Gaara first or to kill daimyō even at the cost of their own lives. Gaara, for that matter, didn't hesitate, as he buried them under his sand.
Turning towards the pale-faced, wide-eyed man, who made his life hard beyond imagination, Gaara heard horrified cries and calls from below. Someone had obviously realized there were intruders inside the mansion, and the guards and servants had been alarmed. Not that it mattered, though. A few seconds were enough to assassinate the daimyō, withdraw any evidence, and escape.
"You are... the jinchūriki from Suna..." daimyō rasped, still on his knees, as he glanced at what was left of the assassins.
Gaara was surprised a little, only to realize that it was the ruler of the country, after all. He was certainly kept informed of everything that concerned Sunagakure, and he surely knew who and what Gaara was.
"You protected me," the man continued, supporting himself against the column bed, which was covered with rich bedsheets. "What do you want in exchange?" Since he got no response from Gaara, he began to specify. "Money? Position? Power? Or maybe—" he broke off, rubbing his chin with his index finger. "I would hire you as my personal bodyguard," he finally said, watching Gaara carefully. "What say you?"
Gaara certainly didn't expect that. Obviously, daimyō calculated quickly that Gaara alone would be more effective let alone less expensive than a group of guards. On the other hand, wasn't Gaara widely known as an unpredictable and highly dangerous toy to play with carelessly?
"What say you?" daimyō repeated, frowning.
Gaara ignored him as he pondered over an offer. Actually, he didn't have anything better to do, not even mentioning it would be quite interesting to play this game right. And, what was even more important, the council of Sunagakure would have to withdraw a death warrant on their infamous demon host.
Gaara grinned to himself, causing daimyō to move back. Let's see how Suna will swallow this pill!
"I accept," the redhead replied at last, and daimyō made a face as if he almost regretted the decision.
"We have a deal then," the man said, his voice and pose imperious once the threat had been completely eradicated. "And now, before you get rid of those dead bodies, tell me how much do you charge."
The end of the chapter 36.
The next chapter: Relief is only temporary