Hello lovelies!
New chapter is up and ready. So please enjoy what comes your way.
Thanks for putting up with the waiting. Sometimes it's hard to get a chapter up when you have other things to do.
*Note*: I may have to put this story on yet another hiatus due to personal reasons. It's still too early to tell but in case that happens this is just a heads up. I promise though that the story will be finished. I will try my hardest to have the next chapter up whenever I can.
If you see any spelling mistakes, I can't say how sorry I am. I edited this chapter as much as I could to get rid of those.
As usual, don't own anything and please read and don't forget to leave reviews!
Now onwards my dears!
When Gaara finally did decide to leave for Konoha, his wife was not happy about it.
Hinata was very worried for him; she knew what had happened last time he traveled to her old home. He had come back looking like a zombie. Hinata definitely didn't want to see that happen again, so as much as she tried to convince him to wait longer her husband wouldn't listen to her. She knew that she constantly nagging him but honestly who was to say that nothing bad would occur once again in Konoha. What should become of Gaara if her father supposedly hurt him in more ways than one? Would he be able to withstand it? Or would he crumble never to pick himself up again? Gaara may have been one of the strongest people Hinata ever came across, but even he was not invincible to everything. People couldn't escape their weaknesses that easily.
Shikamaru was also going, since he knew that Gaara was going to need some kind of moral support even if he didn't realize it. Well that, and Temari had also threatened to beat him if he didn't go and make his ass useful. So the Nara was kind of stuck.
"Hinata I'll be back as quickly as possible".
She was standing outside the village entrance looking miserable. The bluenette really didn't want him to go but they both knew that there was no turning back from this point onwards.
"I will be fine; I won't do anything to make myself stand out".
Hinata wiped her eyes with the back of her hand; she felt like crying but refused to do so. She didn't want to come across as a crybaby.
"Tell Hena that I'll bring her back something".
She nodded still trying to keep the moisture out of her eyes. Why was it so hard to look brave? This was proving to be more then she could handle. She was a ninja for goodness sake; she wasn't supposed to show her feelings.
"Hinata". Her husband gently cupped her face giving her a soft smile "It's alright I know that your upset. You don't have to pretend in front of me".
Why was she acting like a weakling? She was a fully grown woman. Yet all she wanted was to beg him not to leave her alone again. Hinata mentally scolded herself for looking so pathetic.
She bit her lip throwing her arms around him. "I don't know why I'm feeling this way, I know that we talked about this, but I can't help but worry that you'll be hurt and you won't come back to me or the children".
Hinata tightened her grip on him "I don't want Hena or Imari to go through the suffering of having to lose their father; I wouldn't be able to tell them. I especially don't want to lose you-".
He cut her off placing his index finger on her lips "That isn't going to happen I'm not going anywhere. You know just as well as I do that this needs to happen. Our future depends on a victory so please try not to worry too much".
Hinata didn't say anything knowing that she couldn't come up with any more excuses. She would trust him; it was all she could do.
When Shikamaru arrived the Kazekage said one final goodbye to his wife before heading off into the desert. If he was honest with himself Gaara feeling slightly pessimistic; considering all that had been going on so far it was fairly easy to look to the bad side of things instead of trying to look for another way. But for the sake of his family as well as his own being he was going to remain optimistic or at least try to. He didn't know what he was going to face once he eventually got to Konoha. But he had three days to clear his head and think things through; one shouldn't let opportunities like that go to waste.
"Gaara! So happy that you made it".
That had been the welcome he got from Naruto once he arrived in Konoha. As sweet as it was for Naruto to always greet his friend they both knew that it was an attempt to try and lighten the mood before things got serious.
"Shikamaru you're back so soon? What happened this time?".
"Oh shut it. My wife made me come here, and I still have things to do here".
"Naruto I trust that preparations have been made?".
The blonde suddenly got really tense. "Yeah man…its going fine".
The Kazekage nodded slowly, he wasn't looking forward to this either but he wasn't about to play chicken and give up.
"I'm going to meet with Neji, Naruto talk to Gaara will you".
It wasn't long until the red head found himself in Naruto's office. The two of them looked uneasy but it was Naruto that broke the silence.
"I've been working with Neji to change the Hyuga clan".
"I know that already".
"Sasuke told you the recent news right?".
"Yes he showed up out of nowhere nearly scaring my wife to death".
"Then you should also know what kind of position that puts you and Hinata in since the main purpose is concerning your daughters".
Gaara didn't really feel the need to talk about this. Naruto was well aware that Gaara wasn't the kind of person that dwindled on the little things for long. Only reason he was even mentioning this was for making sure that his friend understood what kinds of pressure was on them. Naruto was actually surprised that it had been Gaara and not Hinata that showed up. He figured that Gaara was trying to protect Hinata but he knew that he didn't have the right to ask what kind of method Gaara was doing concerning Hinata's safety.
"What do you want to do?"
"I want to speak with Neji".
Naruto opened his mouth to say something but then decided it was best to wait until they saw the white-eyed male.
XXX
"I think that I might have found a lead".
"Are you serious?! All this time we've been looking in the wrong places when we were supposed to be searching elsewhere?!".
"We don't have time to go over details we have to inform Gaara about this".
"He's in Konoha dealing with other matters shouldn't we see what plays out first".
Kankuro had been rather surprised when Baki suddenly came to him with a small piece of evidence concerning Matsuri's death. He had been going at this for weeks now, frustrated that for the longest time he had been coming up empty handed. Kankuro had suspected that the case would forever be unsolved until a certain someone had decided to confess that they might know who was behind the assault.
In spite of the fact that the evidence was rather vague and could easily be passed off as a fake, at least it was something no matter how ridiculous it sounded.
"Baki I'm asking as friend, please don't act when Gaara's already in action with something else. Give me any other clues that you gathered I will take it upon myself to tell him this".
It took a hell of a lot of persuasion but Baki finally agreed. The puppet master was grateful for the submission. The last thing that his little brother needed was more problems happening at the same time; even though that was kind of already the case.
XXX
When Gaara got a moment to himself from his meeting with Neji and Naruto, he closed his eyes pinching the bridge of his nose.
It wasn't that the duo hadn't been making progress which they had. It was more like they had now hit a road block and they needed his help to get over it. That was where things started to get a little bumpy. Before arriving Neji had tried his luck for the umpteenth time at convincing the Hyuga elders to make necessary changes to the clan; they had said no as usual and that's where Gaara was needed. Since Neji by himself couldn't really do much the presence of important figures would have a different effect. That was why Neji was requesting that the Hokage and Kazekage be by his side. Both of them had been involved for some time now it was only natural that both leaders have their say in trying to put a stop to the out of control madness.
Gaara had known that it was inevitable. Still didn't change how he felt about it though. Call it a little too soon but the red head found himself unable to face the Hyuga just yet.
Yes he wouldn't be alone but last time Hiashi had been a pain in the ass and it left him with nothing. Gaara couldn't be sure that the same thing wouldn't happen again. For sure he didn't want to end up right back where he started but results could only be made if both parties were willing to make negotiations and as of now that wasn't happening.
The peacefulness was interrupted when he felt someone touch him.
"Gaara?"
Naruto placed a hand on his friend's shoulder "Hey man are you alright?".
"When can we meet with the Hyuga?"
"Neji will take care of that. He said that he'll try to get it as early as possible".
"…I see".
He was hoping that Naruto wasn't going to ask him any more questions and much to his relief the Hokage left him alone once again to gather his jumbled up thoughts. Briefly he thought about his family back home; he was concerned for them, Hinata especially.
Gaara could only wonder how his wife was holding up. Nothing had been easy for either of them yet against all the odds they had come so far.
Well, at least he was here doing what he felt was best. Sure he might not have been that eager to confront the man that had caused his family so much grief for so long. But damn it all some form of closure needed to happen one way or another. It was best for everyone.
It was almost a little too convenient that, twenty four hours later Gaara had gotten word from Neji that the Hyuga were willing to talk with him. He didn't know if this was because they were being polite since he was a Kage or if they were pulling something. Something certainly smelled fishy but Gaara wasn't about to pass on this chance. Either way at last he was going to try his luck and putting an end to this nightmare.
Neji was a little anxious as he escorted the two Kages to the meeting room. Shikamaru wasn't attending since he knew that there'd be hell to pay if an outsider was let in. Nonetheless Naruto and Gaara were already high ranking figures so Shikamaru's presence wasn't really needed to being with. The Nara did however give a furious lecture about what it was exactly they were supposed to say and what not to say; they had promised to tell him everything as soon as it was all over. He had done all he could and now it was left up to fate to decide what would come next. That's why Neji was doing his best to hide his worries. Despite his outward composure even he could not be protected by the negative aspects that came with being human.
The tension in the room was enough to make a person want to find the deepest hole and never want to come out. The Hyuga elders and Hiashi were all staring at the three as they entered and took a seat. This was nothing that Gaara wasn't used too, as he'd dealt with his council on multiple occasions. But he had to remind himself that he had to keep calm no matter what. He knew that they'd probably try to provoke him and make him fall into their hands but he wasn't foolish enough to fall for that old trick.
"Lord Hokage, Lord Kazekage it is a pleasure to have you in our home".
Flattery that was how they were going to start things up. How dumb did they think he was? Yeah, he so wasn't about to let them have their way.
"Considering that you somehow made time to fit me into your already complicated schedule I'm sure that my presence must have some kind of importance".
Gaara resisted the urge give a smug smirk as he watched every Hyuga in the room flinch. Oh yes, he was doing a marvelous job at getting under their skin. They totally deserved it for all the shit they had been giving him. He secretly hoped that Hiashi was feeling the most uncomfortable. He could've sworn out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto grinning. He didn't know about Neji though.
"Lord Kazekage is there something that you specifically wanted to discuss with us?".
It was a good thing that Gaara was a master at self control otherwise he probably would've strangled the damn man in front of him to death. Was he fucking serious?!
"I am here concerning matters with my wife and children. I do believe that you tried to make arrangements in the past. Too bad things do not always work out they way you intend for them too. But this time I think things are different since it's concerning not only my daughters but your clan as well".
This seemed to be news to the council because every one of them looked confused. Hiashi's face had become red from shock.
"What does Lord Kazekage mean? Explain at once!".
"Apparently, Hiashi-sama has been keeping secrets from his own clan. Surly you know about the recent rumors spreading around Otogakure that he's been meeting in secret with the Fuma clan".
The red head turned to the blonde sitting next to him "Would you would know what I'm talking about?".
Naruto gave a sharp nod "Well duh? I was one of the first people to be told".
That was when all hell broke loose, the council exploded with rage at the knowledge that their clan leader had been acting behind their backs without telling them his intensions ahead of time. It didn't particularly help that Naruto being the loud mouth he was 'accidentally' decided to spill the beans that he secretly been dispatching Uchiha Sasuke to find whatever information he could and report it to him. That only added more fuel to the fire knowing that an Uchiha had been asked to keep tabs on their clan. Poor Neji had been stuck with the job of trying to restore order to the room. It wasn't really expected that everyone would sit down and talk it out in an orderly fashion like adults. But then again, what the hell had anyone been expecting? It was all a matter of anything going.
Several hard minutes later Neji had managed to calm the crowd but if possible the tension had only risen higher. Everyone was sitting on a knife's edge.
How Hiashi had kept this a secret for so long was a wonder in and of itself. The Hyuga were very strict about their clan's knowledge and negotiations. They especially hated it when dirty little secrets were kept. That absolutely couldn't be tolerated; now every single one of the council was glaring daggers at Hiashi. Gaara especially was amazed that the Hyuga elders had been kept in the dark. But that gave him a huge advantage with this unexpected twist the balance of power had shifted in his favor. Now he just had to make sure that he kept his edge for as long as possible.
"Hokage-sama how long has this information been kept from us?! We Huyga have always kept family secrets to a minimum but this-this treachery is not something we expected from the main house".
Naruto shrugged "I'm not the right person you should be asking".
"Kazekage-sama surly you would know?".
On the inside Gaara felt a sense of empowerment. He practically had the Huyga elders begging him to provide them with answers all for the sake of trying to maintain the clan's reputation. This was a little too good to be true but he was going to savor the feeling as much as he could.
"This is not the first time that Hiashi has tried to stake the Hyuga for power. I do recall that he once tried to assassinate my wife in order to gain access to her body so that he could exploit your blood trait".
Another explosion of outrage once again ran its course. This time though it was a little different, for that particular incident the Hyuga had known that around the time the Fuma had wanted a member of their clan but naturally they had assumed it was a branch member. They had no idea that it had been a member of the main house and their former heir to boot.
Seems as though the gods had been smiling down on the Kazekage because he was a really good mood right now; it gave him a sweet sense of satisfaction that he had managed to cause so much dysfunction among the Huyga elders. After all the shit he'd gone through this was exactly what he needed.
Hiashi on the other hand was at a total loss. The man was really careful about covering his tracks and to know that he'd been caught red-handed was humiliating and shameful. He had walked into the meeting room so confident that the pieces would fall into his favor. He hadn't known that the three men before him had come prepared. As of now Hiashi knew that he would not sit well with his elders; especially know that they knew practically everything about his intensions and how he craved power no matter the cost. Among a sea of angry and accusing voices, it was like he couldn't hear them at all. All Hyuga Hiashi heard was the sound of his own heartbeat and how it felt like it was slowing down with each beat. All that he been trying to achieve was suddenly snatched away in an instant. It was far too hard to describe the deep feelings of anger and hurt that Hiashi felt. A certain someone came into his mind and all of his rage became focused on that one person; one way or another he was going to take revenge on them.
It had been Neji that provided all the rest of the missing pieces to the Hyuga council. Since Naruto and Gaara had done most of the talking at long last Neji felt as though it was moderately safe enough for him to speak. He had been dying to say something earlier but Shikamaru had been right when he said to wait for the right time. Neji probably would've been ignored had he tried before, so he wasn't hesitating to speak up right now. All those days of working with Naruto were starting to pay off. The Hyuga were now in a position where they didn't have any rights to be making demands for anything. Unless they wanted to further damage the clan's reputation even more.
Neji thought that it was all over, until Hiashi surprised everyone when he decided to speak in spite of the heaviness that surrounded him.
"You seem quite cocky with your words nephew but I do not think that everything will go according to what you may think".
Hiashi sounded really smug which worried Neji. Why would his bat-shit uncle have any reason to look and sound so proud?
Obviously Hiashi was going to try and have one final go before he lost the battle. Maybe it was out of desperation but he wasn't going down without effort just yet.
"Lord Kazekage, perhaps you may have acquired some sort of dominance over me. But I assure you that I have not yet begun to fight. It seems as though you still haven't figured out that I have my ways of working in the shadows".
Gaara could only raise an invisible eyebrow; just what the hell what this man talking about? Was he taking him for some kind of fool? If this was some sort of trick that he wasn't falling for it.
"Elaborate".
"Oh, you must have heard about it by now. After all it was involving the death of someone that you once considered an acquaintance of yours".
"Enough with this nonsense, you will explain yourself to Lord Kazekage at once!".
The red head had a vague idea about Hiashi was talking about. But it sounded way too ridiculous to be taking seriously. That didn't mean he could simply brush off the thought.
"What? What are talking about? I don't get it". Of course Naruto wouldn't have known since this was a matter that only the Kazekage and possibly Neji would know about.
Gaara looked annoyed now "Why should you know about matters concerning my village? Is there something that you aren't telling me".
Hiashi if possible only looked even more proud of himself. "I had hoped that Sunakagure's ruler was a smarter man, but it seems as though he does not possess the ability to look in the places where it's most dark. When I heard about a certain woman I thought it was the perfect way to leave you a gift in hopes of earning back your approval for my daughters. I should not have gotten my hopes up, but in retrospect this should have been a way to end your troubles from past misfortunes".
It suddenly clicked for Gaara about what Hiashi was referring too and his right brow twitched. "You can't possibly mean that you dispatched someone to Suna and had them do your dirty work behind my back".
Hiashi's face said all; Gaara had been right on the money. Well this was a really unexpected turn of events. For a brief moment the tables had turned; but it wasn't all that bad, the odds were still in Gaara's favor. He simply needed to turn it around; he'd have to be careful though he certainly didn't want to accidently slip up.
Naruto looked really annoyed now and he wasn't afraid to make that clear "What in Kami's name is going on here?! Will someone tell me what happened!".
"A couple of weeks ago there was the death of a prisoner that occupied one of Suna's asylums. There was practically no evidence that gave off any sort of clue as to who the culprit was. But it appears as though Hyuga Hiashi is somehow the master mind behind the occurrence".
"You flatter me Kazekage-sama".
Gaara gave a dangerous smirk "Oh but of course".
"Hiashi how dare you go and make arrangements without first consulting with us! Do you have any idea what kind of position you have put the Hyuga in!".
"I can assure you that my intensions were noble, but I simply felt that it was necessary to take matters into my own hands".
"A thousand apologies Kazekage-sama; our clan leader has put us to shame and disrespected your trust. I assure you that these deeds will not go unpunished".
Gaara had no choice but to nod his head in acceptance. But inside his rage had doubled; every time he saw this idiotic man nothing good ever came out of it. Hiashi always found ways to get under his skin no matter what.
"Hokage-sama, Kazekage-sama, forgive this interruption but I think its best we continue this discussion later. We Hyuga wish to have a word with Hiashi, we deeply apologize once again".
Naruto was certainly grateful for the much needed getaway. Seems as though Neji was too, Gaara was in no hurry to make a break for it but he knew that it was the best thing for him right now. Perhaps after the heat had died down that talking could continue in a civil manner.
"Damn…that was certainly fun". Naruto's dry humor didn't bring any relief.
The red head clenched his fists in anger. He was getting way too worked up and he knew that he needed to calm down. It wasn't going to do him any good if he lost his temper. Mentally backtracking it all made sense it a weird sort of way. It was no wonder that every time the trail went cold he couldn't figure out which direction to go in next. Hiashi had always been the one pulling the strings from the safety of the shadows. That infuriated him to no end, how the bloody hell had he not noticed ahead of time? Gaara felt insulted that he was being taking for a damn fool.
He was still dumbfounded how Hiashi had managed to pull off such a stunt without giving himself away. There was no way in hell that he'd had known about his past troubles unless someone was providing him with information on his personal life. This was something that he most definitely was going to get to the bottom of. Hiashi had pushed his luck with him for the last time.
The red head was sending murderous vibes to Neji and Naruto. They both knew who it was that Gaara would love to kill and that was making them nervous.
"Lord Gaara, before you start getting ideas it's best to wait what the Hyuga have to say".
He snapped his head to Neji, was that supposed to make him feel better "Do not play dumb with me. You heard every word in there; I have dealt with that man for far too long".
Neji kept his face firm "I understand what you are feeling and believe me I wish the same thing of my deranged uncle. But let us see what the Hyuga council says after they've talked with Hiashi. Now that my clan's pride has been dented they will try anything to restore it. My clan may not always play fair, but the Hyuga are not stupid, they know where their loyalty lies and what must be done to keep it".
Even if Neji sounded like he was nagging he did provide a point. Gaara understood that, the last the Huyga wanted was to cause a war between Suna and Konoha. That was why biding his time for the moment was necessary. He still felt very offended but as Kazekage he knew that he couldn't let his personal emotions get the better of him.
"Neji is right about this. Let's just wait a little Gaara, I promise you that I'm here to help however I can since this matter is dragging me in as well".
From experience Gaara knew that waiting too long brought consequences. Even if he didn't show it perhaps it was best to catch his breath before diving right back in. He knew that he'd have to tell Hinata about this, she'd be wanting to know about her old clan and the mischief that had been caused. Gaara wasn't exactly looking forward to telling her but he wasn't going to deny her about knowing the truth she would find out sooner or later either way. This was not something that he could keep hidden from her even if he wanted too.
Leaning against the nearest wall the red head closed his eyes and sighed. This was so not what he had anticipated.
Oh my goodness…this chapter really took me a long time since I was determined to make sure that things were moving along. I think that it turned out all right for the most part, I have a good feeling that the plot is going smoothly so far.
We shall see what happens next. Please do not be afraid to give ideas on how the story can be better.
That is all for now.
Till next time.
