Image is Everything
Part Five: Gaara of the Desert

Gaara of the Desert is not concerned with a petty thing like image. He exists solely to kill every one around him... how other people perceive him is simply not an issue.

So, even if you find that bottle of hair dye and broken eye pencil in his trash can, don't ever accuse him of dying his hair red and wearing eyeliner. Unless you want to end up in the hospital like Temari did.

"Here you go, little boy." The store clerk smiled as he handed the bag to the boy. "One bottle of red hair dye and three liquid eyeliners."

Gaara glared at the man before making his way out of the store. "It's not for me."

"Eh... I never said it was..."

On a hill outside the store, Neji, Itachi, Kisame, and Kiba, who had been walking by and wanted to see what was going on, watched as Gaara walked out of the store.

"There he is," said Neji.

"What's he doing in our village?" Kiba comforted Akamaru, who had started shuddering when he caught sight of the sand boy.

"He sneaks here every month to buy something from our convenience store. Okay, plan Itachi Becomes a Hero starts now."

Kisame nodded, putting more dirt on himself. He needed to look beat up. Then, he quickly ran towards the sand boy. Just as Neji explained, when he got close enough a wall of sand came out to block the younger boy, and Kisame deftly propelled himself off the sand and into the wall behind him.

"Why?" He yelled out for the benefit of the citizens walking around. "I was just running by when you attacked me! Why would you do such a thing?"

"Huh?" Gaara eloquently asked.

Kisame dramatically stumbled forward, clasping his chest and falling over. "I... I don't think... I'll make it."

Gaara watched, very confused, as the other boy collapsed.

"Hmph." Itachi appeared from a cloud of smoke. "I don't usually like to get involved, but when you attack my friend... then you must pay."

Itachi waited for the townspeople to exclaim things like 'Wow! Who's that heroic boy?' or 'What a hero to save his friend like that.' Instead...

"Isn't that Uchiha Itachi? The boy who killed his family?"

"The nerve of that boy to show his face in this town again."

Itachi frowned slightly, disheartened as the townspeople dispersed.

"What's going on?" questioned Gaara, clutching his hair dye as if he were protecting something truly precious to him.

"Never mind," said Kisame, getting up, obviously unharmed. "It didn't work."

Gaara was still confused, but he decided it would be best to just walk away.

Neji and Kiba ran down to where Itachi and Kisame were.

"Good job!" Itachi yelled at Neji. "Your idea didn't work at all!"

"Maybe if you hadn't slaughtered your family years ago it would have!"

"Never mind that, help me think of another plan."

Kiba scratched his head, wondering if he should help or run away. "You know, if you want to change your image and become a hero, there's another type of hero you can try to be."

"Keep talking..."

Kiba gulped, hoping Itachi wouldn't hate the idea and kill him. "You can be a romantic hero."