Chapter 9
The sun rose like every morning on the land of the wind, awakening all those whose work began early. Karura Sabaku No had left her bed at the same time as her husband, and she was preparing breakfast.
"The first mission of our children is worrying you Karura," he guessed as he observed her.
"Am I so transparent ?" She asked embarrassed.
"I've known you for quite a long time and I live with you, nothing about you escapes me." He replied.
"... Yes I'm worried, of course I am, our children are still so young Rasa, and you and the council send them away from me, and that bothers me. I'm terrified at the idea they have a misfortune and Iwould not be there to protect them, it's the worst feeling a mother can feel.'' she says.
Her husband slowly approached her and hugged her tightly, she snuggled against him and encircled his waist with her arms, enjoying the moment of intimacy that was given to them.
''Karura, I understand your fears, you carried our children for nine months, you were connected to them long before me, you love them, you only want their happiness and that is normal, but you have nothing to fear, trust me. Sasori is very attached to them, he would never risk putting their lives in danger. He is the best shinobi I know to train and watch over them.'' he affirmed.
"I, too, have faith in him and I have no doubt of his dedication to our daughter and our two sons, I have seen him behave with more gentleness and respect than he has ever done with some adult ninjas," she confirmed.
''Then why are you worried if you believe in him ?''
" Rasa do you remember how old our children are? They may well return safe and sound from this mission but having lost their innocence, perhaps with the years you have forgotten but I still remember very clearly the trauma that followed me for weeks when I had to kill for the first time. I was thirteen years old Rasa, and I had nightmares for nights, they are too young, it will destroy them.'' she complained.
"My darling, it's your eyes and your heart that blind you and keep you from seeing them as they pasts weeks our little Temari has improved her stamina to the point of becoming the best of her class, our little Kankuro spends his spare time reading books about puppetry and puppeteers, and our little Gaara, he becomes more and more an accomplice with Shukaku, I sense it through his chakra, as I feel he wants to learn as much as possible to succeed me one day. They are ready Karura, and if that had not been the case, I would never have agreed to this mission, "he affirmed, staring straight into her eyes.
The kunoichi that lay dormant in her did not doubt him for a single second, she had seen him so often take command of missions in which she had participated that she trusted his decisions. It was different for the mother who lived in her, it was in her instinct to want to protect and defend her offspring at all costs, and having to entrust their safety to someone else went against her role as mother.
"Karura, everything will be fine." Rasa repeated, kissing her on the forehead.
She did not answer, there was nothing to say or do that would drive her husband to change his mind. She finished preparing breakfast and went to wake up her children. It was easier than other mornings, they were so excited by the prospect of finally leaving the village and traveling that they did not feel like lazing in bed. Their enthusiasm was contagious, and even if it did not dispel their mother's fears, she smiled, contaminated by their joy and impatience. She had been in the same state when she had left Suna for the first time .
They had just finished dressing and putting on their backpacks when blows were knocked on the door. The housewife went to open it and it was without surprise that she discovered Sasori.
''Good morning Sasori-kun."
"Good morning Karura-san, are they ready?" he asked her.
"Yes, while waiting for you they recite the rules of shinobis, I will look for them don't move" she said.
She came back a few seconds later with her three children, who in turn greeted their teacher.
"Vey well if you have everything you need and you're ready we'll go right now" he warned them.
"Okay, sensei" they said in chorus.
"Are you sure you've taken all the necessary?" he asked them.
"Yes sensei we have everything that was on the list" Gaara said.
"Excellent, so I just have to give you this, you put them on and then you say goodbye to your mother" he commanded.
"What is it?" Kankuro asked, taking what their teacher handed them, soon imitated by his sister and brother.
These are identification bandanas on which is inscribed my registration number and the village to which you belong" he explained.
"Why it's your number and not your name which is inscribed?"Gaara questioned him.
"If you ever get lost, which will not happen if you want to leave again on a mission with me, these bandanas will be used to find out which village to take you backto, but some ninjas have some hatred or resentment towards me and they would see in you the perfect way to take revenge on me if they saw my name written. Few of my enemies know my number, it reduces the risk of rapprochement between you and me, and it increases the chances that you will be saved even if I repeat it, the chances that you are going astray are almost nil'' he insisted.
His three students nodded in approval, it made sense, their teacher did that to protect them. Temari tied the fabric she had in her hands around her neck, her first brother placed it on his forehead, the same way their sensei wore his headband, and Gaara chose to put it around his right arm.
"Listen to Sasori, obey him and everything will be fine" their mother told them, dipping her eyes
into those of the man in front of her.
"Everything will be fine," he repeated, in a confident tone, which was worth a promise.
She answered him with a thankful smile, he would watch over her children at the risk of his life, and would defend them as if they had been his own, with him they risked nothing.
"Say goodbye to your mother, it's time to go" he said.
Each in turn they hugged their moms without lingering too much, for it was not necessary to abuse the jonin's patience.
"It's good sensei" the only daughter of the trio stated.
So Sasori set out, and the three Sabaku No followed him, without any more lingering at their doorstep. They turned one last time and addressed a last glance to their mother, to whom she answered with an immense smile.
The Akasuna No roamed the streets without paying attention to what was around him, which was not the case of his little proteges, who had their eyes that sailed incessantly from right to left and from left to right. It was the first time they crossed these streets at this hour and they were watching all that life that was unknown to them. They met merchants who were preparing their stands, civilians who were going to market or going to work, cats lounging on the edge of the roofs ... It was sometimes difficult for them to imagine a life outside of the one of the shinobis, for them it was a parallel world and these two worlds never mixed.
They eventually reached the guard post where the two guard ninjas stood, they were there to control the entrances and exits of the village. Only another person was there, a man who had left their home before them, a man they had been disappointed to miss.
"Sasori on time as always" the head of the country remarked unsurprisingly.
"One does not change old habits especially when they are good" he replied.
"You're right, so if everything is in order, I will not delay you further" he said.
Rasa then fixed his irises in the ones of the readhead , and he clearly understood the message he was transmitting: "Watch over my children" were the words he could read. Without speaking, he replied that nothing would happen to them, not as long as he was alive. The puppeteer resumed his journey when he had permission from his supervisor.
"Do not worry daddy everything will be fine, uh I mean do not worry kazekage-sama everything is going to be okay," Kankuro said, bending his chest, which made Gaara laugh.
"I'll watch over them," Temari promised, rolling her eyes and pushing the brown man.
Their father noticed that his youngest child was still there in front of him, looking a little intimidated, he crouched down and stroked his hair.
"You are strong and brave, you do not have to be afraid, Sasori is there, as well as your elders and you know how protective they are to you, and then you have Shukaku, he is there too to defend you, is not it Shukaku?''
The adult felt a change of chakra emanating from his boy but this change was not threatening and he translated it by an approval of what he had just said.
"Go otherwise your teacher will grumble" he told Gaara.
''Okay, thanks daddy'' he replied with a smile.
He walked briskly so that the others would not wait longer. The jounin responsible for them did not comment on the minutes they had lost because of him. He stared at the horizon for a long time before turning to his students.
"Listen to me, the desert can be your best ally as it can be your worst enemy if you do not master it. Never underestimate it if you want to stay alive. You will put yourself in Indian file behind me, Kankuro you will be behind me, then Gaara and Temari you will close the march.''
"Good sensei," they replied.
They placed themselves in the order stated by their teacher and finally crossed the boundary separating the village from the desert. The Sabaku No were overjoyed, they had so often dreamed of discovering the world that existed outside of Suna and now today this dream had come true. Sasori, who glanced at them from time to time to make sure they followed, had noticed their enthusiasm, the happiness they had to venture outside the huge defensive walls of Sunagakure. That brought him back to his very first mission when he became a genin. During this time he was a little older than them and unlike them he had managed to defend himself but he had felt the same feelings as they (deep inside him of course, a real ninja did not show never his emotions). For the children behind him it was another situation, they were not yet shinobis and they still had all their innocence, innocence that he was determined to preserve for some time.
''We are going to take a break here, we have made good progress and you have to rest a bit" he informed them as he stopped.
The area was flat, and one of the few rocks in the windy country came out of the sand, was a perfect natural roof for the girl and the two boys, giving them enough shade to house all of them. It was almost noon, and the sun was at the zenith, this heat did not bother the leader of the group, he had gotten used to it over the years, but it was not their case, this intense heat was painful for them to endure and there was no air to refresh them.
"We are going to stay here for a moment, if you are hungry and thirsty it is the moment, later it will be impossible" he announced.
"This stop will be longer than the others?" Kankuro asked.
''Yes, the others were here to help you catch your breath, this one is essential because it's too hot for you to keep moving forward, so it's the perfect opportunity for you to recover" he said.
The Sabaku No removed their bags from their backs and opened them, they extracted their bento and their gourd. They were restoring themselves while their sensei stood guard, attentive to the slightest noise, the slightest suspicious movement.
''You do not eat Sasori-san?"Gaara questioned him.
"Do not worry about me I'm not hungry, I took a suitable breakfast to hold until tonight, because if we continue at the same pace and no storms are triggered then we will be joining Koseki at dusk"he said.
"We will succeed sensei, you can count on us, we will run to be exhausted if necessary but we will be on time" Temari promised with determined tone.
The brunette to her left stared at her as if she had fallen on her head, and the red on her right looked at her uncertainly, even if he did not show it, their reaction amused Sasori, they were still so innocent, and for a man as impassive and indifferent to the world as he was, it was pleasant to see, and intriguing. He wondered how three children of a couple of ninjas, dreaming to become ninjas and who can not ignore the sacrifices that this career choice involved could still be candid, still full of life ... It was a mystery and also a disadvantage because the day this innocence would shatter what kind of individuals would they become?
"Sasori-sama, can we know what is the contents of the package we bring to the inhabitants of Koseki?" the blonde asked.
"These are material to make weapons for Suna," he replied.
"What kind of weapons, shurikens, kunais?" Kankuro inquired, very interested.
"I can not tell you, it's a secret only known by the kazekage and Koseki's weapons makers" he explained.
"So these are new weapons" the boy concluded.
"Finish your meal and save your breath by stop talking, we'll be leaving soon" he warned them.
"Okay sensei!" they exclaimed.
The puppeteer continued to scan the surroundings, the sun was slightly less hot, and if they wanted to reach their destination as soon as possible, they should not stay here too long.