Yes finally, it is here, I'm so sorry, I was supposed to posted in August, please forgive me.
Chapter 4 :
"Better now that you're here, thank you sensei" Temari admitted, throwing herself into his arms.
The gesture surprised him, it was not in the habits of the oldest of his students to behave like this but for once he decided to say nothing. She just needed comfort and reassurance because she might be strong, courageous, and honest, she was still a little girl. The other two members of the trio came closer to them and gave their teacher a beaten dog look.
"Okay, come for a collective hug, but it's exceptional" he sighed.
No sooner had he finished his sentence than they were already both in his arms, on either side of their sister. The scorpion checked that no one saw them, his reputation would be tainted if one learned that the terrible and ruthless Akasuna No Sasori consoled children.
"You're better?" He asked Temari when he put an end to the hug.
She pulled away last, well after her juniors and smiled with all her teeth.
"It's time to go home, otherwise your parents will worry and I'm going to be reprimanded" he said.
He stood up and led his small group, and then they went to the residence of the Sabaku No. Glancing quickly behind him, he found that the siblings seemed more relaxed, especially the girl. It was as if a huge weight had been removed from her shoulders. Jealousy and envy were common in the ninja's world, and started very early, well before the academy. The fact that Gaara, Kankuro and Temari were victims of it was not surprising, they were born in one of the most prestigious clan in the whole country of the wind, they were gifted in school and were under the protection of ninjas from ANBU, who would not have liked to be in their shoes. Sasori had found himself in a similar situation as a child, he also came from a recognized clan and he too was born with certain facilities. That was the past and it had even hardened him, he hoped it would be the same for those three.
"Sensei we arrived" Gaara told him.
"All right, so I'll see you tomorrow" he said
The siblings interpreted this as an order, they had to cross their door which was a few steps away, and this without delay.
"Good night Sasori-sensei" they greeted him.
He merely nodded as an answer.
"Temari," he called out to her, "this boy is blind, you are a very pretty princess.''
"Big sister, you're sick, you're becoming all red," he heard the last of the siblings ask in a worried voice.
"It's nothing Gaara, she blushes that's all, Temari is lo..." began his brother before being interrupted by the hand of his sister on his mouth.
She then grabbed the door handle, opened it, and pushed her younger brothers inside before they could add anything. She closed it behind her, not without having first gratified her teacher with a grateful smile.
The scorpion did not know why he had told her that, it was not a lie, on the contrary, Temari was indeed a very beautiful little girl and the artistic instinct of the jonin told him that she would one day become a lovely woman, like her mother. He had just felt that hearing it would be good to her and would restore her confidence in herself. Confidence was important, especially in a country like theirs, Temari could not afford to be weak, others would devour her if they detected the slightest doubt about her appearance or abilities. Rasa had entrusted him with his children, so it was his duty to watch over them and their well-being. This was the reason he repeated himself in a loop until he came home.
The next afternoon, he came as promised to get his young team to train them. He wanted to enjoy every spare moment to make them improve, with his missions the time he had to spend them was not as consistent as he wanted, so he had no option but to do with the one he had. The lack of time was offset by the application and dedication of the three young future ninjas. They listened to everything he said to them, nodded once they understood what he wanted from them. They started again, putting into practice the advice of their mentor.
Three living puppets, that's what they were, docile puppets he modeled in his own way, balls of clay that he would change into fearsome warriors. At the end of the session he was satisfied, they still had some progress to make, but for the moment they were fulfilling his goals. The one who surprised him the most was obviously Gaara, despite his young age and his years less in practice he had little delay on his brother and sister. The adult did not put all this on the account of Shukaku, certainly the demon had to help the little boy, but he had to have a great inner strength to befriend the giant tanuki and to control his chakra so well.
Everyone was not so lucky, like all the shinobis still alive whether they were active or retired he had heard the rumors that came from the land of fire. It was six years ago, merchants who had come from Konoha had said that the nine-tailed demon Kyubi had ravaged the village, and that the fourth hokage and his wife had sacrificed their lives to protect them, as well as their child in which the monster had been sealed. This news had shaken the Sabaku No family, and fortunately Karura had already given birth or she might have been disturbed by this news and lose the baby.
Sasori put an end to the exercises and accompanied his students who seemed tired to their home. He did not spare them, he could not, if he did it then he would not do them a favor, he would make them weak and spoiled, he would make a perfect little princess and little princes, but it was not what they wanted.
The next day he was still resting but he had people to see, so he asked them to practice without him. He could have entrusted them to Pakura who was also resting and who was going to take care of her pupil Maki, but Sasori refused that anyone other than him, apart from their family of course, take care of them. He did not share them, they were his, and it was up to him to train them, no one was allowed to intervene. He was an artist and they were his creations, and art was a lonely process.
Everything went as he wished, his name was famous even among civilians, largely due to the eccentricities and jokes of all kinds of his grandmother, people had learned that Sasori was serious and did not waste his time in stupidity. His reputation was doing him a good service, and no one refuses on hearing that it was for the princess and princes of Suna.
The next day he collected his three students, early in the afternoon, he had been in the meeting all morning to discuss the level of puppeteers. The three Sabaku would miss the lessons of the afternoon, but given their level it did not matter. School at this age was used mainly to learn to read, write, count, geography, and the basic arts of shinobis; running, throwing kunais and shurikens. Nothing really complicated, especially for those three. The academy would only be there to deepen their training, if Sasori and their mistress felt that they needed them, otherwise they would directly become genins.
They were in front of him, eager to begin what had been planned for them the one who had become their sensei since several weeks.
"All right, so today I've programmed you a treasure hunt, so I could evaluate your logic, your geographical knowledge, and your reflection in a limited time" he explained.
They were excited, it was the first time they had been given this kind of exercise, and they wanted to succeed in this new challenge that presented itself to them.
"In limited time" Gaara repeated slightly nervous.
He had never liked activities with an allocated time, mainly because he was younger than his brother and sister, and he did not want to penalize them because of his inexperience. The jonin stooped to his level and planted his irises in the bluish ones of his youngest pupil. Not a word was uttered, and yet this silent exchange gave him the strength he sought. He gave him a huge smile as a sign of gratitude, while the Akasuna briefly ruffled his hair. Just as he had done with Temari, he played his role as a mentor and helped the last of the family to gain self-confidence. A shinobi had to build himself a solid armor, and this was especially true for Gaara because of Shukaku. It was not necessary that the demon take power and become uncontrollable.
"We begin, we begin" Kankuro exclaimed, hopping on the spot.
"All right, here's the first clue, if you can solve the riddle and join me in less than two hours you'll have a surprise," he informed them, handing them an envelope.
He waited a few seconds, in case they had questions, and once he was certain they had understood, he disappeared. The little brown man opened the envelope and pulled out the sheet it contained.
"Desert Treasure" was written on the little piece of paper. The three children threw themselves little puzzled looks, they were not very advanced, and their sensei was no longer here.
"The treasure of the desert, and what is that?" Kankuro asked
"Let's think, what's a treasure?"Temari asked
"It's a very valuable thing" Gaara replied.
"Right" confirmed his sister, "the treasure of the desert is what represents value for this one."
"Wait both of you, a treasure can also be what makes the richness of something, what differentiates it from what surrounds it" contradicts their brother.
Temari turned to him and stared at him as if he had just said the stupidest thing in the world, as for Gaara he was confused.
"What you said make nonsense Kanky, what differentiates Suna is the fact that it is a desert, and what makes up a desert is the sand, but all that is around us is sand. In other words, what we are looking for could be anywhere! "She exclaimed.
"Water!"cried the last of the siblings, tapping his left fist in the palm of his right hand.
His two elders opened their mouths wide, but yes it was this of course. Water was a precious commodity for a country like theirs, and this lack of water was a specific feature of Sunagakure, so that was the answer to the riddle.
"Sasori-sensei wants us to go buy him a bottle of water?" Gaara wondered.
"I don't think so Gaara, it would be too simple, and then I do not see the point of sending us shopping in his place" his brother contradicted, shaking his head.
"Where can we get water elsewhere than in homes and shops ...?" Their eldest asked herself.
"It must also be a special place in our country" Kankuro added.
"The blue shinobis" understood the blonde," the blue shinobis were ninjas responsible for the good management and distribution of water when it was very very rare."
"You're right, at that time it was more difficult to find water, and Suna did not count a lot of shinobis using the suiton, so the kazekage and the council had to find a way for everyone to drink," the oldest boy remembered.
"In my memory there is a blue shinobi station still in operation in the street of cactus, commented" the carrier of the demon.
"All right, so let's go, I'm certain we'll get the rest of the riddle" his eldest said.
They set off towards that street, determined and impatient to continue this little game which amused them enormously.