Disclaimer: Naruto and its characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. However, the original characters and plot of this fic belong to me.

Author Notes: It's good to know that after 9 weeks, people's interest in this story hasn't dwindled. I'm getting back into the mood of writing this quite easily and it's thanks to all of your support. Enjoy.

Chapter 13: Intertwined Destinies

Letting out a long yawn and stretching his mouth to the largest extent he could, Naruto rose up into a sitting position. The weary blonde rubbed his eyes and took in the surroundings of dry, hot sand. It seemed as if he had fallen asleep on top of the rocky hill he had ventured to the night before. The beads of sweat running down his face and the scorching heat were the reasons for his awakening.

He sat there calmly; the sun shining down on him and illuminating his face as well as his partially crimson eyes. He ran his hand over the rocks which were covered with sand. The sizzling yet smooth feeling of the sand running against his skin was pleasant as he grabbed a handful and rose to his feet.

He had a focused demeanour as he put out his hand and observed the sand falling to the ground. His life felt the same as he realised he had, at one point, taken a handful of all the things in life which made it worth living. However, they were all now slowly disappearing and moving away from him. He let out a sigh as the last grain of sand fell through his fingers.

His eyelids gradually closing, he inhaled the rough smell of the environment. A gentle wind blew past him, filling his senses with peace as it entered through his clothes and touched the skin of his body. Taking a deep breath, he opened his eyes and stared across the village of Suna and towards the sun in the horizon. Walking forwards until he was at the edge of the drop, he put his hand out in front of him as distant words echoed through his mind.

"Look beyond yourself Naruto; tell me what you see."

Little by little, the focused and stern expression across his visage changed into one of solemnity as he closed his hand tightly into a fist and let it drop to his side, "I see nothing."

Brushing his clothes to get rid of the dirt covering them, he bent down and picked up his hat. Shaking it slightly, he placed it on top of his head before turning around. He refrained from moving as he realised there was another person in the vicinity. His clothes were black with a white sash tied around the waist. The most peculiar thing was the gourd on his back which looked like it was made of sand.

The jinchuuriki began to walk closer to the individual, in order to see where he was concentrating. He stood a few feet away from him before noticing the oddly shaped stone which had a name carved into it. He understood what it was as he wondered how he managed to miss it in the night. "That's a strange place to have someone's grave."

Naruto waited for a response as the red haired man opened his eyes and spoke, "It is peaceful here."

The black clothed man closed his eyes again as Naruto read the name on the stone aloud, "Chiyo…" He looked at the ground as he knew the pain of losing someone, "I'm sorry."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and began to walk away from the small plain as he heard the man speak again, "Sabaku no Gaara. What is your name?"

The jinchuuriki froze as he heard the name since it sounded familiar. Scanning through his mind as quickly as he could, he turned around and spoke questioningly to the man, "The container of the Shukaku?"

Gaara faced the blonde, intrigued as to how he would know such a detail given that he had never seen him in Suna before. His silence was enough to answer Naruto's question.

The retired shinobi scratched his forehead, "I was told Akatsuki sealed the Shukaku. You were the first of 8; you should be dead."

Gaara stared at the whiskered man, feeling a little confused. "How do you know all this?"

Naruto stood still as the sand was swept up by the strong wind. He answered in a calm tone, "You were like me…once."

As the words travelled through Gaara's mind, he thought of the bijuu he contained before his resurrection. Looking at Naruto, his demeanour became severe, "Who are you?"

Naruto put his hands in his pockets and adopted a lazy stance, "I was told that there were 7 jinchuuriki in this world."

Gaara eyed the man cautiously as he heard him speak of matters which weren't ordinary, "I never knew there were so many."

Naruto looked at the sky, "The only difference between us was the bijuu we contained and our locations. The most important thing was the same for us all." He looked at Gaara with his crimson eyes which seemed fiercer than moments before, "Do you know what that is Sabaku no Gaara?"

Gaara's expression changed into one of slight concern as he was reminded of the thing which constantly haunted him. The idea that he would never be accepted for what he truly was; human, "You were hated too."

Naruto took out his hands from his pockets and pointed at the shinobi, "For those like us two, there were only 2 paths; one which lead us to fighting for acceptance, the other where we fought to feel alive."

Gaara felt confused as he was standing in front of someone who was like a mirror image of him, "What are you trying to say?"

Naruto tightened his hands into fists before getting into a stance, "Which path did you travel? I want to know the answer to this question."

XXXXXXXXXX

Sakura made sure she had all her things as she picked up her backpack. She had slept very easily during the night due to being exhausted after hanging around with Temari. Even though she constantly refused any alcoholic drinks, Temari kept on offering and her persuasive methods only became worse once she had drunk too much. They had ended up getting in trouble with the bartender when the sand beauty refused to stop drinking and her actions ended with the bar closing early for the night, leaving many people dissatisfied and upset.

The hardest part of the night was trying to control Temari and taking her back home safely which, once accomplished, felt as if a great burden had been lifted. The rest of the night had gone by quick as the medical ninja had gone to her room in the hotel and relayed the story to Tenten. Her kunoichi friend only laughed as she remembered a similar occurrence on one of her earlier trips to Suna. At this time, Ayame was already asleep and the remaining two women followed soon after.

Sakura tucked her hair behind her ear, "Are you ready?"

Tenten made sure she had all of her weapons before nodding, "Yeah."

Ayame was already at the door and opened it, "No problems here."

The three women left their room and walked through the corridors of the large hotel whilst making small talk. As they approached the room where the men were sleeping, Sakura asked a question that had been lingering on her mind, "Ayame, did Naruto buy anything awkward or do anything strange while he was with you?"

Ayame had a puzzled look since she didn't understand why the blonde would do that. She shook her head as she answered, "We weren't together that long; he left after I bought the ingredients."

Sakura acknowledged the response as Tenten knocked on the door of the men's room, "Hey, are you awake? Open the door!"

They could hear sounds of shuffling before the wooden door was opened and Neji was standing in front of them, ready to go. "We've been awake for a while now. Lee and Gai even did their ritual morning laps."

Tenten shrugged, "Well, at least that's out of the way."

The three women walked into the room as Gai was stretching and Lee was holding his book, deep in thought. Sakura addressed them all, "Shall we leave then? It's only 2 hours until noon."

Gai stopped stretching, "We'll leave as soon as Naruto-kun returns."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Where's he gone?"

Neji folded his arms and rested against the wall, "He didn't spend the night here so we don't know."

Sakura was speechless momentarily before finally uttering her retort, "You didn't look for him?"

Neji closed his eyes, "No."

Sakura had numerous scenarios play out in her head as she speculated whether this was a big mistake on her part. She probably missed out on him doing something which may have been vital towards Team 7 figuring out his objective. Nonetheless, she questioned Neji without revealing her motives, "It's our mission to protect him and Ayame. What if he's hurt?"

Neji picked up his backpack and moved towards the door, "I think he'll be alright. We're leaving now so we can look for him."

Sakura listened to the confidence in the Hyuuga's words, as if he had complete trust in Naruto being able to take care of himself. She was surprised by this in view of the fact that he wasn't supposed to know anything about the jinchuuriki. However, she knew Neji was one of the smartest shinobi in Konoha so him being able to gauge Naruto's strength was a possibility.

Lee stood up from the bed and packed away his book swiftly, "We need to find him then."

The group walked out of the room as Ayame spoke to the taijutsu specialist, "Why do you sound so excited?"

Lee grinned, "I need to ask him something."

XXXXXXXXXX

Gaara stared into the vicious eyes of his opponent, prepared to defend himself. He didn't imagine such an occurrence when coming to visit Chiyo's grave.

Naruto had a slight smirk appear across his face as he began to run across the rocky plain, his hat becoming loose and falling. Gaara swiftly threw his hand outwards, as sand from his gourd rushed towards the jinchuuriki approaching him.

Naruto moved to the side, narrowly avoiding the sand but was surprised to see that it followed him. Beginning to jump backwards, he avoided the sand which repeatedly smashed into the ground. His rucksack fell from his back as he looked at Gaara, who was making motions with his hands, 'He's controlling it.'

The jinchuuriki got on to all four of his limbs and began doing small jumps and rolls to avoid the incoming sand. Gaara had never seen such a fighting style before, but his slight fascination nearly cost him as he haphazardly moved his head to dodge a projectile. A slight twinge of pain entered his senses as blood began dripping from his cheek. He glanced backwards to see the stone which had cut him open.

Naruto continued rolling across the ground, picking up sharp stones at every moment his hands touched the earth. Flipping back onto his feet, he threw the multiple stones into the air before forming hand seals, "Doton Tataki Supurinkuraa!"

Gaara looked at all the sharp stones thrown into the air; his expressionless visage changing into one of slight concern as small balls of clay exited from the ground below Naruto. The red haired shinobi couldn't spot the sharp stones anymore as he saw the jinchuuriki across him grin.

Naruto jumped to the side as sand nearly crushed him from behind. He formed seals with one of his hands in an instant, "Futon Eagun!" The balls of clay and pointed stones rushed at Gaara, engulfing him. Sounds of hard thumps entered Naruto's ears as his vision was impaired by all the dust rising from his attack. He waited to see the results as the smoke cleared. Upon seeing a sphere of sand where Gaara was previously standing, he raised an eyebrow.

The sand began to recede as Gaara's anatomy became visible and his gourd reformed on his back, "I don't want to fight you."

Naruto listened to his words before sighing, "We don't often get what we want."

Gaara had a sombre look on his face, "Have I done something to hurt you in the past?"

Naruto observed the shinobi's demeanour, "No."

Gaara looked at the whiskered man as he heard his words, "I have no choice then."

Naruto smirked, "You could say that."

Naruto began to run towards Gaara as the red haired man was the first to act, "Sabaku Fuyu!" A platform of sand fashioned itself underneath Gaara's feet before taking him into the air.

Naruto looked at the floating man, wondering how he could close the gap between them. However, he didn't have much time to think as Gaara began to form hand seals, "Sabaku Kasui!"

Naruto was cautious as a sound of rumbling could be heard. His eyes widened in shock as he realised it was coming from underneath him. He dived to the side as a large spike of sand exploded from the ground where he was moments before. He let out a deep breath but became silent as more sounds of rumbling could be heard. "Damn!"

Jumping to his feet, he began to run as he avoided the sand spikes unearthing themselves. Gaara watched in concentration as the blonde suddenly leaped to the top of one of the spikes.

Naruto gave out a sigh of relief before glancing at Gaara who put out his hand and closed it. The spike Naruto was grasping lost its hard shell and turned into grains of sand, crumbling. The jinchuuriki landed on his back before he could hear the sound of something approaching him from underneath. He rolled to the side as the spike of sand cut him slightly on his ribs, making him let out a grunt of pain.

He gritted his teeth, lunging to the top of one of the spikes. Before it turned into soft sand, he jumped to another and continued the process until he was underneath Gaara. Leaping into the air, he formed hand seals, "Teisei Anoyo Yajuu!"

Gaara tried to move his sand platform but he knew he was too late as a strange feeling entered him. He could hear the wind as if it was whispering. Instantly, he used his remaining sand to shield himself as the wind smashed into the sand and broke right through it. He screamed in pain as he was slashed on his leg before the platform he was standing on was completely thrown away. As he fell to the ground, he could see some blood escaping his leg.

Gaara turned his head as he saw Naruto descending with him but getting ready to drive a fist into his face. He threw out his hand, engulfing Naruto in sand before using the rest of it to cushion his fall. Rising to his feet, he suspended the jinchuuriki in the air while he was trapped in the sand. A few beads of sweat dropped from Gaara's features, "I don't want to kill you."

Naruto stared at his opponent with an expressionless face. Gaara became weary as he saw his sand gradually fall from the blonde's body but not at his command, "How?"

Naruto brushed the sand from his clothes, "You use your chakra to control that sand. All I had to do was release the same amount to cancel the effect." He grinned at the confused Gaara.

Gaara couldn't understand the man across him. A few moments ago, it seemed as he had wanted to kill him but now he had the smile of an innocent child across his face. "It is over?"

Naruto walked across the rocky plain, searching for his hat and rucksack, "Yeah, I've found out what I needed to."

Their conversation was cut short as they heard someone run towards them. The girl of 12 years stopped a few feet away from Gaara. She began to analyse the situation, taking into account the condition of the two men and realising they were fighting. Her silence was met with a nod from Gaara who wanted to know the reason for her presence. She cleared her throat, "Sensei, the ceremony is going to begin. They were calling for you."

Naruto looked at the young girl who had just called Gaara her teacher, "What ceremony?"

The young girl looked at Naruto, "To become the Kazekage."

Naruto was visibly shocked as Gaara finally spoke, "Tell them I'll be coming shortly."

The girl ran from the sandy plain as Naruto addressed Gaara, "She's your student."

Gaara nodded, "She is one of 3; a team entrusted to me."

Naruto held his hands behind his head, "A former jinchuuriki becoming a Kazekage." He tilted his head, "So, they're finally accepting you?"

Gaara had a serious expression, one which showed regret, "I have done a lot of terrible things to the people here." He turned to face the grave of Chiyo, "I was given a second chance; I'm going to use it for the good of this village."

Naruto folded his arms, "From fighting to feel alive to fighting for acceptance. Most people stick to the path they first started." Gaara listened to the peculiar words, "The strongest of people are those who can change and strive to achieve their goal. In this time, few people understand this."

Gaara could hear the sorrow through the man's words but was surprised to feel some remorse himself. He questioned whether it was because of what Naruto contained and how he was so similar to himself.

Naruto picked up his rucksack and put it on his back whilst holding his hat, "The name's Uzumaki Naruto. It was nice meeting you."

Gaara nodded, "Likewise." Turning around, he began to walk away from the huge hilltop.

Naruto sighed as he could feel the presence of Gaara vanish. He placed his hat on top of his head, noticing that some clouds could be seen in the sky.

"That was a nice speech." The new voice was followed by footsteps as Genkei stopped next to his summoner.

Naruto checked his shirt to see how much blood had gotten on it, "You must've heard better in your time."

Genkei laughed, "Even though you're hurting so much yourself, you still find time to help others. What makes their grief call out to you?"

Naruto spat out some blood, a side affect of his health, "Those who don't believe in themselves, show their weakness in their eyes."

Genkei wiped his tail over the sand, "How would you know this?"

Naruto had a despondent look on his face, "I see the same eyes in my reflection." He began to walk away, "I'm going to see the ceremony and then find the others. We were supposed to head back early."

Genkei didn't say anything and let Naruto leave the summit. Observing the clouds in the sky, he coolly spoke, "I promise I'll help you find that harmony…even if it costs me my life."

XXXXXXXXXX

Kakashi tapped the door as it opened with a creak. Walking inside the dusty apartment, he refrained from touching anything. Over the past few days, his mind was clogged with thoughts of Naruto and what he may have to do if the seal is indeed weak. He had decided to come to the apartment to see if he could find any clues about anything at all concerning the jinchuuriki.

Walking towards the small table and chair, he began to look over the room and behind the dirty dishes which seemed to have gone unwashed for years. Not finding anything, he moved into the bedroom. He looked at the poor condition of the abode and shook his head, wondering how the jinchuuriki managed to live here upon returning. Scrutinizing the room, his eye caught sight of a few papers scattered underneath the bed.

He moved towards the bed and picked up the papers from underneath it. Brushing away the little amount of dust covering them, he began to read. His eye displayed his jubilant incredulity as he continued to read with full interest, engrossed in the writing. "He…he…he…"

"Why are you stuttering?" The cool voice belonged to Uchiha Sasuke who walked into the bedroom.

Kakashi cleared his throat and addressed the man, "Why are you here?"

Sasuke brushed some dirt from his shoulder, "I wanted to see if I can find something."

Kakashi folded the papers in his hands, "I've already checked; there's nothing." He asked something else on his mind, "You're taking a lot of interest in him."

Sasuke ignored the question, "What's that in your hand?"

Kakashi put the papers in his vest pocket, "Nothing of importance. It's just something I'm assuming he wrote."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, as he began to put pieces of the puzzle together and came to the conclusion that it must be something along the manner of Jiraiya's writing. Nodding, he made a move to the open door, "I'm leaving then."

"Sasuke…" Kakashi stopped on his name as he didn't know what else to say.

The Uchiha looked back, "What is it?"

Shaking his head, the jounin spoke almost in a whisper, "It's nothing."

Sasuke left the apartment as Kakashi gave a sigh and began to walk towards the window. He could see the troubled feelings of the Uchiha every time they met but regardless of how much he wanted to help his former student, he didn't know how to.

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto stared in awe at the magnificent celebration; summoned birds were flying through the sky letting confetti fall onto the masses below. A thundering bang sounded off as he instantly drew his eyes to the red and green sprinkle of colour next to the clouds. The people gathered were cheering wildly as he couldn't help but let a smile adorn his face. Looking towards the balcony of the huge building he was standing in front of, the visage of Gaara became visible as the newly appointed Kazekage walked out in front of everyone.

Naruto could see the shock on his face upon receiving such a reception. He remembered the words of Gaara as he saw the red haired man look over the crowd and right at him.

"I was given a second chance; I'm going to use it for the good of these people."

The crimson eyes of Naruto met the emerald orbs of the Kazekage as he spoke, the noise of the crowd drowning out his voice, "A true leader places his people before him. You will make a great Kazekage…Sabaku no Gaara."

Naruto smiled one last time before turning around and walking through the crowd of people who were leaping for joy. Straightening his hat, he continued travelling down the street. He wasn't really sure of where he was going but hoped that he'd end up finding the others.

"Naruto-kun!" Lee's shout rung through Naruto's ears as he turned around to find the rest of the group running in his direction from the swarm of celebrating people.

Lee stopped in front of the blonde, "I wanted to apologise."

Naruto was confused by the taijutsu specialist, "Eh?"

Lee slammed his fist on his heart, "Please forgive me, Naruto-kun."

Tenten grabbed the man from his back and pulled him, "You could've waited and greeted him properly first."

Ayame waved at the jinchuuriki as Neji gave him a silent greeting. Gai was about to speak but Naruto interrupted, "Forgive you for what?"

Lee gave a thumbs up to Naruto, "For disrespecting your work. I'm sure you put a lot of effort into it." He put up his finger, "On that note, I was wondering if you could…"

Sakura pushed the spandex wearing jounin as he went crashing into the floor, "That can wait." She faced Naruto, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

Naruto had a puzzled expression, "That's how you greet someone?"

Sakura pointed her finger at his chest, "You're supposed to stick with the group. You have no…" She stopped her lecture as she saw a damp area of red on Naruto's shirt, "What happened to you?"

Naruto looked at his ribs as everyone had their full attention directed at him, especially Neji. Scratching the back of his head, he gave a nervous laugh before pointing at the large hill in the distance, "I fell off that and hit a pointed stone."

Sakura's mouth fell open, "Why did you go there?"

Naruto shrugged, "I'm a visitor; I wanted to see the sights."

Sakura shook her head, "Whatever, I need to patch you up."

Naruto took off his rucksack, "Just don't get too used to the feeling of my body."

Sakura clenched her fist, "What was that? Maybe I shouldn't help you at all."

Naruto turned around and began walking, "Okay."

Lee quickly rushed to his side and began rapidly speaking, making Tenten intervene. Neji shook his head as Ayame just laughed before they also joined the group. Gai was left dumbfounded as he tried to make sense of what had happened. The voices of Sakura and Naruto continuing to argue could be heard as he despondently spoke, "I was completely forgotten."

"GAI-SENSEI!" The spandex wearing team leader brightened up instantly as he heard his student's yell and ran after the group to join them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Kanurou stared at his brother who seemed different than before. He could see the strengthened resolve in his eyes as he had a slight smile across his face. The scene brought a grin to his own face as he folded his arms and enjoyed the celebration.

Gaara looked over the people of his village before speaking, "Temari, Kankurou, have I changed?"

Kankurou nodded at his younger brother, "Yeah."

Temari addressed the red haired man, "What happened?"

Gaara stared at the birds flying in the sky, "The strongest of people are those who can change and strive to achieve their goal. That was what was said to me."

Kankurou was intrigued to know who his brother had encountered, "By who?"

Gaara began to look through the crowd to where Naruto was previously standing, only to find he wasn't there. He conjectured about the jinchuuriki he had met and what his future would hold. Once again letting himself enjoy the festivity, he pondered whether their paths would cross again, "Uzumaki Naruto…I'll remember the name."

Doton Tataki Supurinkuraa - Earth Release Clay Sprinkler (Original)

Futon Eagun - Wind Release Air Gun (Original)

Sabaku Fuyu - Desert Suspension

Sabaku Kasui - Desert Spike (Original)

Teisei Anoyo Yajuu - Whisper Of The Beast (Original)

Author Notes: How can a summon lose his life? Genkei's words will be explained later on and people got a little dose of action with this update. I have bigger and more epic set pieces planned but they're quite a long way away. This story has finally been set up and the next few updates are the calm before the storm. Look forward to it and peace out.