A New Path Chapter 15 : Wanting
Synopsis : Gaara reveals the options his siblings came up with, and now, Naruto must make a decision that will forever affect his life. Meanwhile, the Leaf shinobis meet the Kazekage, while in Konoha, Tsunade delivers some bad news to Asuma and Kurenai.
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Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.
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Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.
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WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.
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NOTE : With the new version of editing from ffnet, I can no longer use the stars or many other signs to indicate the change of place, and so I decided to simply place the name of the location in BIG LETTERS and BOLD. So hopefully this will help.
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JUTSU LIST
None in this chapter.
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JAPANESE WORDS
- Baka = Idiot -
- Dobe = Dead last -
- Naze = Why -
- Hai = Yes / Yeah -
- Arigatou = Thank You -
- Gomen = Sorry -
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Recap
Temari smiled as she left the room to leave Gaara and Naruto to talk.
"She's nice." Naruto commented as he had his back turned to the sand-nin.
"When she isn't afraid of me." Gaara added, much to Naruto's sadness.
"I know that feeling all too well ..." Naruto commented at his turn, as he turned around to face the sand-nin. "How about we go train? I could use the exercises and new experience." The boy suggested with a small smile as he walked towards the nearest door to him.
Quickly, as he passed by Gaara to exit the kitchen, the sand-nin quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist and held him in place. Naruto looked down to his wrist, wondering why Gaara held him, and so, he locked eyes with the red haired boy and saw the serious expression this one had, which worried Naruto ...
"Gaara ... What is ..." Naruto wanted to ask, but Gaara quickly replied faster than he could ask his question.
"We need to talk." Gaara informed him, as Naruto's eyes showed he was now worried.
END OF RECAP
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Chapter 15 :
Naruto took a step back, definitely worried to how serious Gaara sounded like, while the sand-nin simply observed his new found companion, a bit concerned that he might have been too blunt.
"Gaara you're creeping me out ..." Naruto let out.
"It wouldn't be the first time." Gaara reminded the boy.
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto shouted, so that the sand-nin wouldn't think that he was like the Villagers of Hidden Sand.
"It wasn't my intention." Gaara corrected himself, only to please the boy.
"Ok ... But why the sudden seriousness?" Naruto asked as he walked closer to the sand-nin.
"Because, the decision you'll make after our little private talk, will change your life forever." Gaara specified as slightly turned around to open the door.
"Oh ..." Naruto let out and decided it would be best to let Gaara do the talking and for him to simply listen.
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HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE TOWER
---- Hallway ----
All Leaf shinobi, for the exception of Naruto, waited patiently and silently, until Kazekage's secretary would come and fetch them. All lost within their own thoughts, some more then others, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Sasuka and Sakura were the ones mostly upset after the harsh words exchanged between Naruto and themselves.
"That idiot! Saying I'm annoying! He's the one annoying! Because of him I can't be with Sasuke right now!" Inner Sakura hissed, while the girl's exterior remained mostly unchanged, for the exception of anger that showed in her eyes.
She then remembered that her precious Uchiha Sasuke stood only inches away from her and decided to take another look at the boy in question. Sasuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, but his slightly lowered while he stared at the floor.
Sakura continued to observe her long time crush, unaware that Shikamaru and Neji were observing her as well. Although the lazy-nin and the genius usually showed no concern, this was after all, a very delicate and serious situation.
"Che, hasn't she done enough damage already?" Shikamaru thought as he let himself fall backwards, until his back met the wall to support his weight.
"That female ... She's more a burden than help for Naruto ..." Neji thought and glared at the girl, purely disgusted by her behavior in such a situation.
Beside the Hyuga, Shino stood beside him, silent like always, but Neji could feel that the situation form this morning bothered him a little, after all, Naruto wasn't one to lose his temper so easily, at least not like that.
Kiba on the other hand, sat on the ground with Akamaru who sat on his lap. Kiba's head was low, but he was aware that both Jounins and the single Sennin stood in front of him, whispering about this morning's event.
"Kakashi, I'm sure he didn't mean to say that ..." Gai whispered to his eternal rival, hoping to cheer him up.
"Gai ... The problem is ... Everything he said was true ..." Kakashi let out as he closed his single visible eye and sighed.
"Kakashi. Concentrate on our current mission. You can blame yourself once our meeting is done with Kazekage." Jiraiya spoke loud enough for the Jounins to hear.
"Hai." Gai and Kakashi spoke out, they knew that usually they shouldn't let their feelings and emotions get the best of them, but the situation was nothing but ordinary.
"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama will not see you." The young secretary informed them, as she opened the door to the great shinobi's office and stepped aside.
With that said, Jiraiya nodded to show he understood, while Kiba stood uo, Akamaru in his arms and headed towards the office as well. The rest of the genins soon followed, and of course, Sakura was right behind the Uchiha, as the group followed the Sennin and the two Jounins.
---- Kazekage's Office ----
The Leaf shinobi entered the room, and noticed how is dwelled in a complete darkness, for the exception of the light that came from the door they just used, as well as the few lit candles that were placed on the walls of the room.
"I knew those Sand shinobis liked darkness but not to this point ..." Kiba thought as he soon felt a warm body under his own clothes. The moment they entered the office, Akamaru felt the intense and strong chakra which the Kazekage emitted and quickly made his way into his master's jacket.
Jiraiya took point when he finally came to a stop, a meter away from what seemed to be a desk, as well as the dark figure that sat behind it. Kakashi and Gai stood by his side, only inches away from the legendary Sennin, while the genins had absolutely no clue how they should behave. One thing they shared though, they couldn't wait to get out of that office.
The genins separated equally on each side of the office. Neji, Sasuke and Sakura were on the left side of the room, where Kakashi stood, while Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino were on the right side, where Gai stood as well. The group remained silent, until they heard the voice of the Kazekage who addressed them.
"I'm happy to see you were not late ..." Kazekage commented, his elbows rested on the tables, his fingers tangled in each other. Although the room was dark, there was a single candle that only lit a part of the desk, where it showed clearly that the Kazekage was there, but all the Leaf shinobis could see, were his arms, hands and his eyes.
"We wouldn't want to seem disrespectful after how you let us stay until the Sand storm passes." Jiraiya carefully explained. The people knew him to be a trickster from his younger days, but right now, he was dead serious on this conversation, and it was easily felt by all who were present in the room.
"That is good to know, since I've heard of the reputation one of you has." Kazekage spoke with such a low but frightening tone that sent shivers down the genins spines.
Some of the genins gulped, aware that the Kazekage was clearly referring to Kakashi, while the copy ninja simply shrugged off the comment made on his part.
"I wasn't aware my reputation was known in your Village as well!" Kakashi let out and smiled under his mask, which earned him the immediate glare of his eternal rival.
"Kakashi!" Gai screamed within his mind.
"We keep a close eye on well known shinobis like yourself." Kazekage specified as he uncrossed his hands and laid back comfortably in his chair. "With that said, I'd like to know more about this missing-nin and your presence within my Village." The man demanded a clearer answer than the ones given by the leader of the Anbu team who intercepted them last night.
"Two days ago, the genin known as Uzumaki Naruto left Konoha without permission. We were able to track him which led us to your Village. Hokage- sama gave us our passes to allow us access without causing any more 'misunderstandings'." Jiraiya explained the best way he could.
Knock Knock
All heads slightly turned towards the door, while the Kazekage's eyes narrowed. The door slowly opened as the Anbu team walked in. Jiraiya and both Jounins immediately stepped aside, to leave the middle space free for them to take. The Anbu leader took point, while the other two kneeled beside him, heads lowered to show their high respect for their Kazekage.
"You called for us?" The leader spoke as he raised his head and locked eyes with the Kazekage.
"Hai. Since the Leaf shinobis are to stay here for the next few days, I wanted to know what has been done." Kazekage asked.
"They are currently staying at your son's house, along with the missing-nin they found here." The Anbu leader explained, but before he could finish, a kunai passed only inches away from hi face to embed itself in the doorframe.
"What the..?" The Leaf shinobis wondered what just happened, until the Kazekage explained himself.
"This will be your last warning. Never refer to that child, as my son." Kazekage clearly stated with pure hatred in his voice.
"Forgive me." The leader quickly apologized as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Knowing they will stay there for the next few days, who is in charge of their missing-nin?" Kazekage asked as his voice remained cold.
"Your ... Gaara." The leader quickly corrected himself. He knew if he made the mistake once more, next time, the kunai wouldn't miss its target.
"Nani?" Kazekage was not pleased with the answer he received. More than that, he quickly took back his proper sitting position but his hands firmly pressed against the desk.
"He insisted on observing the missing-nin." The leader continued, but feared what the great man's reaction would be.
"That child always did what he wanted ..." He thought as he knew that the Villagers feared his own son due to how unstable he was. "Very well, Gaara of the Sand will continue his guard on the missing-nin until the Leaf return to their proper Village." Kazekage cleared up as he stood up and walked around his desk, to come face to face with his Anbu.
"Understood." The Anbu leader nodded as he retreated, soon followed by his two companions. As quickly as the light entered the room, as fast as it faded away once the Anbus left and closed the door behind them.
Kakashi, Gai and Jiraiya returned to their former position, while the legendary Sennin found himself face to face with the great Kazekage. The man crossed his arms and placed them behind his back, while his face was still covered by the quilt of his robe, as well as the large hat.
"You will remain in Gaara of the Sand's house until the storms passes. Once you're ready to leave, Gaara will stand down and return to you this missing- nin. From that point, if anything happens, we are no longer responsible." Kazekage clearly explained to them. After all the Sand-nins were known to be very direct upon matters that didn't concern them to much.
"We understand, and are very grateful of your hospitality." Jiraiya spoke with sincerity, but deep down, he cursed those sand-nins.
"I'm sure that since you're also here, you'd like to discuss the 'misunderstanding' that occurred during the Chuunin exams a few weeks ago." Kazekage walked back behind his desk and sat down, aware that all eyes were on him.
"Che, if he hadn't betrayed us and allied himself with the Sound, the Third would still be alive ..." Kiba thought, while Akamaru growled.
"Misunderstanding eh? They had a grudge against Konoha for a long time. Surely when there's a new opportunity they'll simply do it again." Neji thought as he glanced over to the Uchiha and the female who stood to his right.
"Misunderstanding my ass! Because of you I almost lost my Sasuke! If we were stronger, we'd kick your sorry sand ass for good!" Inner Sakura shouted, while her exterior, she couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Because of them ... They showed me I wasn't strong enough ... I was inferior to that dobe ... Even if we become allies again, I'll never leave my guard down again." Sasuke thought as his exterior remained neutral and uncaring.
"We mostly wanted to know the facts that pushed you into allying yourself with Orochimaru and the Sound." Kakashi specified.
"That is a matter that only concerns the Sand, and I will only discuss it with your Hokage." Kazekage clearly stated as he locked eyes with the Sennin.
"We understand. I will personally inform our Hokage of this matter. But for now, I assume until we clear things up, we are once again, allies, for now." Jiraiya informed the man.
"Rest well Konoha shinobis. Orochimaru betrayed and used us as well. Thus there will be no further communication with that shinobi and the Sound." Kazekage reassured them as he could, but knew that they would still suspect the Sand.
"We are pleased to hear that." Gai added.
"With that dealt with, when the Sand storms ceases, I will send you an Anbu team to alert you of it. In the mean time, if you need anything, I'm sure Temari and Kankuro can satisfy your needs." Kazekage stated.
"Arigatou for taking time to see us. We will take our leave. I'm sure you're a busy man." Jiraiya mentioned as he lowered his head in respect and turned around.
Kazekage simply nodded, as Gai and Kakashi showed their respects as well, before following the Sennin as well. The genins weren't sure how to react, and so, Shikamaru faced Kazekage and to everyone's surprise, he bowed as well before retreating the room with the Jounins and the Sennin.
"Do we really have to bow before that two timing bastard?" Inner Sakura thought.
"Hn." Sasuke shrugged it off as he simply did the same although he didn't want to.
Each genin showed their respects and finally exited the room. Out of the darkness, they stepped into the light and warmth of the sun.
---- Hallway ----
Shino was the last to step out of the office, as the secretary closed the door behind them. The Leaf soon gathered all around, while the genins only wanted to get the hell out of there.
"God! I thought Gaara was creepy but he's even creepier!" Kiba let out, as Akamaru finally crawled out of his master's jacket and rested on his head.
"Like father like son." Jiraiya thought.
"Now that we've dealt with this, what now?" Sasuke asked.
"We'll go back to the house and I'll have a talk with the boy." Jiraiya informed them.
"The rest of you will train with me and Gai." Kakashi continued.
"I'd rather talk to him." Sasuke coldly stated.
"Sasuke. After what happened this morning, it's best if you all stay away from him for the rest of the day." Jiraiya ordered them.
"Che ..." Sasuke let out as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.
"We will not talk to him, unless he talks to us." Neji informed the Sennin as he trailed behind Uchiha.
"If those two come across Naruto, it's going to be troublesome ..." Jiraiya sighed as he rubbed his temple form the upcoming headache he knew he would have.
"That's my line." Shikamaru reminded the Sennin.
"Shut up kid." Jiraiya spat out. After all the Sennin used all of his patience this morning and the meeting with that Kazekage.
"We better get going." Kakashi said as he glanced over to the Sennin before he took his leave as well.
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KONOHA VILLAGE
---- Tsunade's Office ----
Although it was still early in the morning, Tsunade wasn't able to get much sleep throughout the night. Even though she knew that Jiraiya and Kakashi managed to get Naruto back, she just couldn't shake this bad feeling she was getting.
Tsunade continued to think, unaware that she walked up into her office and stared out the window to see how the Villagers slowly woke up to start their morning chores, unaware of the current situation they were in.
"You asked for us Tsunade-sama?" A female voice came from the other side of the room.
The Sennin turned her head and shook her current thoughts out of her head. For the moment, they were other matters that could be far worse than Naruto illegally missing.
"Kurenai, Asuma. I'm glad you could come earlier." Tsunade greeted them as she walked over to her desk and partly sat on it.
"We didn't get much sleep either ..." Asuma informed her as he popped up a new cigarette and prepared to lit it, until he felt glared at.
"If you dare smoke in here, I'm throwing you out." Tsunade threatened him. Obviously, she was in a bad mood.
Asuma new when he should listen and so he simply discarded it, putting it back into his pocket.
"Did something happen while we were gone?" Kurenai asked.
"Surely you remember the Akatsuki?" Tsunade wanted to be sure that the Jounins knew before she continued.
"Kakashi briefly spoke of them when Uchiha Itachi came back here." Asuma confirmed, while Kurenai was worried to where this led.
"Could it be ... They haven't found out about Naruto have they!?" Kurenai asked, concerned that this would only complicate the situation they were in, even more.
"I doubt it. The only shinobis aware of Naruto's disappearance are those sent to Hidden Sand Village, those present in this room, Shizume and Iruka- sensei." Tsunade cleared that up for them.
"Then why speak of that organization?" Asuma questioned.
"The last report I received, informs me that they began to move again. A team of two were dispatched." Tsunade began on a serious tone.
"Itachi and Kisame I presume?" Asuma let out, worried to where this could lead.
"Most likely, since one of them had Sharingan eyes." Tsunade confirmed.
"Konoha is barely standing out on it's own after we lost the Third Hokage. And we still don't know when Orochimaru will strike again to get Uchiha Sasuke." Asuma let out, worried about their current situation.
"I'm aware of that. But I can't ignore the fact that the Akatsuki are moving once again." Tsunade firmly stated.
"What do you wish for us to do then?" Kurenai asked.
"Sand storms in Hidden Sand Village last no more than 3 days. 1 days has already passed. When we reach the third day, I want both of you, accompanied by an Anbu team to head straight into that Village." Tsunade informed them of a new mission they would take.
"What? But why?" Kurenai asked, confused to why she would send so many shinobis into Sand Village.
"I hope that I'm mistaken by saying this, but the last known location of those two Akatsuki members, were near Hidden Sand territory." Tsunade cleared up things, while the Jounin's eyes widened.
"That's not good ..."Kurenai let out as she placed a hand over her mouth.
"That's why I need both of you to get there as soon as possible, to inform Jiraiya and the others of the possibility of them showing up." Tsunade finished and took a deep breath.
"Consider it done." Asuma reassured the Hokage.
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HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE
---- Gaara's House, In His Room ----
Silence filled the bedroom, as Gaara carefully closed and locked the door behind them, while Naruto didn't dare to speak up, unsure of what he might hear. The sand-nin returned his attention back on the kitsune, while this one seemed more insecure than ever.
"Answer me Uzumaki ... You could simply leave at any time you wish and escape from those Leaf's grasp, so why, why do you stay here?" Gaara asked as he closed the gap between himself and the boy.
"I ... I don't know ... I just know that I only have a 2 days left with you ... And something tells me I should cherish that time, before it becomes impossible ..." Naruto truthfully answered with a sad tone.
Gaara raised an eyebrow. He didn't really expected the boy to answer him that way, and so this brought forth more questions within his dark mind.
"Tell me ... Do you love me?" Gaara bluntly asked, only inches away from the object that showed him all these strange and new emotions he felt.
"Wh ...WHAT!?" Naruto shouted, totally not expecting that 4 letter word, coming out of the sand-nin's mouth.
"Answer." Gaara demanded with his strange but deadly eyes.
"I don't know ... All I know is when you're around, the pain just fades away ... And I've never felt like this with anyone else ... Not even Iruka-sensei ..." Naruto replied as he looked at the ground, as though ashamed of how he felt. "Why ... Why did you want to know that?" He shyly asked.
"Because ... I feel the same way ..." Gaara answered.
"Oh ..." Naruto let out since this caught his attention. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that he felt like that around Gaara, now knowing he felt the same way.
Gaara stepped away from the blond boy and walked closer to the small window above the bed he never used for himself. Naruto observed carefully to how the sand-nin reacted after their strange conversation.
"Was this the thing that was suppose to change my life forever?" Naruto asked innocently, as he took once step towards the sand-nin but stopped when this one turned around and faced him.
"Iie. What we've just discussed is due to what I believe you would call 'curiosity'." Gaara informed, while Naruto's eyes showed that he didn't quite grasp what the sand-nin told him.
"So what was it then?" Naruto asked.
"My siblings came up with two options." Gaara started, when he noticed he had Naruto's complete attention.
"Options for what?" He asked.
"If you had a chance to escape, would you take it?" Gaara asked.
"Anything would be better than to go back to that place ..." Naruto replied with haste.
"That is why my siblings came up with two options." Gaara reminded the boy as he continued. "Since I am your guardian during your stay here, I could easily stall the Leaf to give you a certain advance. If you are a good enough shinobi, then you'll be able to outwit them so they do not catch you. With that, you won't be returning to your former Village." Gaara explained carefully.
"But if I did that ... They could kill you ..." Naruto reminded the sand-nin.
"I'd like to see them try." Gaara added.
"But I'd be alone again ..." Naruto whined as he lowered his head, but he could still feel those eyes that stared at him.
"Hai, but you wouldn't be forced back into the Village that hates you." Gaara reminded the boy.
"You really want me to go that badly?" Naruto lifted his head as he locked eyes with Gaara.
The sand-nin remained silent, as he didn't expect the blond to say such an unexpected thing to him. Naruto took a few steps closer towards Gaara, his eyes all watery, tears on the verge of being spilled.
"Don't you want me to stay?" Naruto asked with a saddened tone.
"This isn't about what I want." Gaara reminded the boy as this one finally reached him.
"Since when huh? You've always gotten what you want no matter who stood in your way! Be that selfish bastard that I know!" Naruto screamed his lungs out, while he clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.
Gaara's eyes widened by the kitsune's words, as he noticed how much pain Naruto was in, just because for once, he wasn't being selfish. Because he thought that Naruto would be better off without him and the Leaf. Then again, since when did he even care about what happened to the boy. Care? A word he was unfamiliar with and yet it crossed his mind, as Naruto broke down right before his eyes.
"Even if it's just for 2 days ... I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!" Naruto yelled out as he fell to his knees and on to the ground.
Something inside Gaara hurt, as the sand-nin paced a hand over his heart. Seeing Naruto hurt, pained Gaara as well. And so, the boy did something unexpected to his normal nature, he kneeled and pulled Naruto onto his lap. It didn't take long for Naruto to wrap his arms around the boy's waist and cry into the boy's arms.
"I want you to stay ..." Gaara whispered into the boy's ear with a calm voice.
Naruto raised his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, but a light of hope could be seen within those deep blue eyes.
"You don't have to lie to me ..." Naruto mumbled through his sniffles.
"I'm not. I want to know if I can truly love and be loved. The only person that can help me, is you." Gaara spoke as he grabbed the blond by the chin and pressed his lips against the blond.
Naruto couldn't help but close his eyes once he felt those soft lips against his own. Although it lasted only a few seconds, he greatly enjoyed it and now knew that Gaara spoke the truth and didn't lie to him. Naruto couldn't help but burry his face into the sand-nin's chest and smile.
"I know you said you wouldn't want to leave, but there's still one option left ..." He whispered within the boy's hear.
Naruto knew that he already couldn't think of separating himself from Gaara for reasons he had no control over, but knew that he couldn't simply leave the Village, he would have to enjoy the few days left to be with him, but it couldn't hurt to find out what the second option was. Could it?
"What was the last option?" Naruto showed interest in the matter as he looked up to see Gaara's eyes.
"Your Kage Bunshin? How good are you with it?" Gaara asked and smirked, while Naruto was a bit confused to why the sand-nin would be interested into his favorite Jutsu.
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SAND'S TRAINING GROUNDS
They had been roughly training for a straight hour now, but although they were present in body, their minds were more occupied with Gaara and Naruto.
"Temari, Kankuro. Training's over." Baki, their sensei, informed them.
"Why sensei?" Temari asked, as she closed her big fan, while Kankuro's puppet, Karusa, was on defense.
"Your minds are elsewhere." He bluntly told them.
"Gomen sensei, it's just with having the Leaf and Gaara under the same roof ..." Temari began to explain, but Baki quickly understood what that child meant.
"I understand. Until the Leaf leave, your training will be postponed." Baki informed them.
"Hai ..." Both student replied, as their sensei wasted no time and left in a swirl of sand.
Temari leaned back against a tree, while Kankuro carefully wrapped Karusa back within the normal 'backpack'.
"You're thinking about Gaara and Naruto too." It wasn't really a question but more something that confirmed it.
"Hai." Kankuro replied as he looked over to his sister and noticed how she stared towards the sky, but this one was simply covered with the sand storm that was close to the Village.
"I hope he makes the right choice ..." Temari commented as she lowered her head and looked over to her brother.
"Either way ... The Leaf lose." Kankuro commented before he started to walk away, to get back home, in hopes that it was still in one piece, and the Leaf wouldn't be there.
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GAARA'S HOUSE
---- Gaara's Room ----
Gaara finished explaining to the boy about the second option, but this one still remained very similar to the first, with a small twist in it. Either way, Naruto wouldn't go back to Konoha and that's what was important to his eyes.
"It is your choice to make." Gaara finished as he knew Naruto would have to think a while before he could give an answer. After all, this would change his life forever, the question that remained, was if he could actually go through with it.
Naruto's hand gripped more the fabric to Gaara's shirt, as the silence, completely consumed the room. It took a few minutes before Naruto even dared to speak up, after all, the second option was very similar to the first.
"You're right Gaara ... I can't stay ..." Naruto began and took a deep breath.
"You still have 2 days to make your decision ..." Gaara reminded the boy, not wanting to pressure him.
"Iie. It's the only way ..." He began before he cleared his voice so that Gaara could hear him. He then released Gaara and lifted his head to look into those pale green eyes. "I'll leave ... I'll leave Hidden Sand Village ..." Naruto answered, but something abnormal happened.
Naruto's lips, formed an evil smile.
TBC ...
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I know the chapter was shorter than the last one, but I kinda didn't have any other choice but to cut it there. Or else it would have been an even longer chapter and would have taken a lot more time to write.
Just so you people know, something major happens in the next chapter, and that's the second reason why this one was shorter, I didn't want to mix up the themes and all, so I hope you still enjoyed it although there wasn't any fluff stuff in this chapter between our favorite and yet strange couple to be, Gaara and Naruto.
Chapter Length : 5, 700 words!
33 Reviews! I'm very happy I have more people reviewing. This helps me a lot you know! So I began writing this chapter first before any other story. Plus I've been working on two new short stories that two reviewers asked me to write about, so hopefully those till be out soon as well.
Option number 2, the option will COMPLETELY be revealed in chapter 17, since I gave you hints on what it was, but I doubt you'll be expecting what I have in mind. But you can try and think of it and mention it in a review if you want.
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REVIEWS
Licht Sieger : Unfortunately I doubt that adopting Naruto would be legal since he's branded as a missing-nin, but that was a nice guess. Glad you enjoyed the reason Kazekage was alive. Honestly, I had to think of a logical explanation to why he was in the first place since I had totally forgotten that he was dead in the manga ...
Foamy and Foolproof : Argh! So sorry for the mistake! I read that chapter like 5 times hoping I didn't make any mistakes due to it's extraordinary length you know! I'll try to correct it when I actually have time!
Renn : Well I leave you in more suspense, I gave hints onto what Option 2 was, and it will be completely revealed in Chapter 17! At least now I know where I'm going to that point, the aftermath, have no clue yet lol.
Kuroi Hikari : It's ok you don't always have to write long reviews, I still appreciate the fact you took time to write that small sentence. I hope not to disappoint you!
Silver Neo : My god! Long review you left me! I always think about you when I write this story, because of your funny little story! And no, Naruto isn'T marrying anyone! Still a nice try to guess though, I gave more hints so try and guess again! I so laughed at Sasuke's small comment about hurting your feelings. Keep it up!
Arbil : Nope, Option two is not another war. A war, I haven't planned a war until maybe chapter 35 or something. Man can't believe I just gave some info away, then again I can't believe this story might be over 35 chapters too ...
Rubymoon17 : My errors! Damn I thought I got most of them, although I was tired form writing so many different chapters and stuff. Sorry if they were mistakes, I really do try hard not to make any!
Jinky-kuropika / TheTrueSilver / silverbluenchantress / Sin / Death Phoenix / MC-88 / kitsune / Ria Sakazaki / RPG obsessed Book Worm : Glad you reviewed and liked it! Hope to hear from all of you soon!
Peter Kim : You're close to what I have in mind, but you actually finally gave me the greatest idea to how to develop this new story I'm working on! So thanks a bunch! Was like stuck on the first chapter, like what will I write next but you gave me an idea to continue it and post it someday, hopefully soon.
Junkyard Jester : Glad to have a new reviewer that likes the story!
KizuPL : No worries! I so hate it myself when the authors simply discontinue their own fics! That's why I promised myself to never discontinue one fic, unless I'm 6 feet underground! So rest assured!
xXFissshBonesssXx : Thanks, and I totally agree, I'm such a Sakura hater you know? I'd kill her if I could. Continue your fics too, I happen to like one of them very much and thanks for reviewing!
Jen : Well Jen I appreciate the review, but people either want fics detailed or not, and in my case, at the very beginning, I was told to detail things and now I'm sticking to it.
Red Rose : Yep, I tried to describe the kitchen as good as I could, but when a kitchen has two door at each end of the room, well I kinda suppose it's big. Hope it wasn't confusing.
Sora : Glad you enjoy this fic! And thanks for reviewing, you'll soon find out how things turn out!
Sachiroyurei : Of course Gaara will comfort Naruto! I know I make Sasuke being so mean and all, but deep down Sasuke can snap anything when the name Itachi pops up. Hope your own personal situation goes better!
Neko : I appreciate that you like the fact I take my time to detail as I can, since another reviewer didn't like the fact that I actually detailed too much.
Nikkler : Glad you enjoyed this chapter! Hope your story is doing well! For the option, oh you're going to hate me at first when the next chapter comes out that's for sure, because there's a lot of angst going on and all, but keep reading to find the twist.
Fluffy-kins : Well I helped Nikkler with chapter 5 of her story. I was glad to know that I wrote good fight scenes so I helped her out with that chapter! Glad you got to know this story and hope to hear from you soon!
Chibi chidori 16 : Well now you know what Gaara wanted to talk about!
Kage Jounin : I'm so happy to know and to be told by many that this fic is among the greatest Gaara x Naruto right now. If I update sometimes late, pelase understand that I'm only 19 years old, my main language is French, I have two part time jobs, and part time school, which are evening classes. So through all that, I have to deprive myself of sleep sometimes to even finish my school work in time.
Shadow Eclipse : Well, Kankuro's slightly involved in chapter 2, but unfortunately I won't show off his puppet yet!
Ash : Oh you're getting ahead of yourself! They'll fight alright, just a bit later. Something does happen between them before the major twist happens so stay tuned and review! As for Sakura, I hate her too!
Jenniyah : Well the plan it completely revealed most likely in chapter 17, but I did leave hints for you people to think about.
Ryouseiteki : Well I did warn about some OCC from time to time ... But I'm glad you enjoy this fic and placed most of them as your favorites. So I hope you enjoy this!
Kutsu : I'm glad to know you love them! As for the fanart mentioned in your other review ( Return To Me ) I don't mind at all! Just make sure to let me see the final result! Would be nice. Cuz I'm only good at writing not drawing ...
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Next Chapter :
Sparks fly between Naruto and the Leaf shinobis, while the sand-nin and the kitsune take their plan into action. Plus, an unexpected twist, that you might have either expected or not.
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Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?
Read and Review!
And check my other stories if not already done!
Until next time!
Ookima
Synopsis : Gaara reveals the options his siblings came up with, and now, Naruto must make a decision that will forever affect his life. Meanwhile, the Leaf shinobis meet the Kazekage, while in Konoha, Tsunade delivers some bad news to Asuma and Kurenai.
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Pairings : Main pairing will be Gaara x Naruto.
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Disclaimer : I don't own Naruto but wish I did. Because if I did, I'd be rich and happier.
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WARNING : Contains shonen-ai, in other words boy loves boy, don't like then don't read.
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NOTE : With the new version of editing from ffnet, I can no longer use the stars or many other signs to indicate the change of place, and so I decided to simply place the name of the location in BIG LETTERS and BOLD. So hopefully this will help.
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JUTSU LIST
None in this chapter.
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JAPANESE WORDS
- Baka = Idiot -
- Dobe = Dead last -
- Naze = Why -
- Hai = Yes / Yeah -
- Arigatou = Thank You -
- Gomen = Sorry -
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Recap
Temari smiled as she left the room to leave Gaara and Naruto to talk.
"She's nice." Naruto commented as he had his back turned to the sand-nin.
"When she isn't afraid of me." Gaara added, much to Naruto's sadness.
"I know that feeling all too well ..." Naruto commented at his turn, as he turned around to face the sand-nin. "How about we go train? I could use the exercises and new experience." The boy suggested with a small smile as he walked towards the nearest door to him.
Quickly, as he passed by Gaara to exit the kitchen, the sand-nin quickly grabbed Naruto's wrist and held him in place. Naruto looked down to his wrist, wondering why Gaara held him, and so, he locked eyes with the red haired boy and saw the serious expression this one had, which worried Naruto ...
"Gaara ... What is ..." Naruto wanted to ask, but Gaara quickly replied faster than he could ask his question.
"We need to talk." Gaara informed him, as Naruto's eyes showed he was now worried.
END OF RECAP
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Chapter 15 :
Naruto took a step back, definitely worried to how serious Gaara sounded like, while the sand-nin simply observed his new found companion, a bit concerned that he might have been too blunt.
"Gaara you're creeping me out ..." Naruto let out.
"It wouldn't be the first time." Gaara reminded the boy.
"That's not what I meant!" Naruto shouted, so that the sand-nin wouldn't think that he was like the Villagers of Hidden Sand.
"It wasn't my intention." Gaara corrected himself, only to please the boy.
"Ok ... But why the sudden seriousness?" Naruto asked as he walked closer to the sand-nin.
"Because, the decision you'll make after our little private talk, will change your life forever." Gaara specified as slightly turned around to open the door.
"Oh ..." Naruto let out and decided it would be best to let Gaara do the talking and for him to simply listen.
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HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE TOWER
---- Hallway ----
All Leaf shinobi, for the exception of Naruto, waited patiently and silently, until Kazekage's secretary would come and fetch them. All lost within their own thoughts, some more then others, Kakashi, Jiraiya, Sasuka and Sakura were the ones mostly upset after the harsh words exchanged between Naruto and themselves.
"That idiot! Saying I'm annoying! He's the one annoying! Because of him I can't be with Sasuke right now!" Inner Sakura hissed, while the girl's exterior remained mostly unchanged, for the exception of anger that showed in her eyes.
She then remembered that her precious Uchiha Sasuke stood only inches away from her and decided to take another look at the boy in question. Sasuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed, but his slightly lowered while he stared at the floor.
Sakura continued to observe her long time crush, unaware that Shikamaru and Neji were observing her as well. Although the lazy-nin and the genius usually showed no concern, this was after all, a very delicate and serious situation.
"Che, hasn't she done enough damage already?" Shikamaru thought as he let himself fall backwards, until his back met the wall to support his weight.
"That female ... She's more a burden than help for Naruto ..." Neji thought and glared at the girl, purely disgusted by her behavior in such a situation.
Beside the Hyuga, Shino stood beside him, silent like always, but Neji could feel that the situation form this morning bothered him a little, after all, Naruto wasn't one to lose his temper so easily, at least not like that.
Kiba on the other hand, sat on the ground with Akamaru who sat on his lap. Kiba's head was low, but he was aware that both Jounins and the single Sennin stood in front of him, whispering about this morning's event.
"Kakashi, I'm sure he didn't mean to say that ..." Gai whispered to his eternal rival, hoping to cheer him up.
"Gai ... The problem is ... Everything he said was true ..." Kakashi let out as he closed his single visible eye and sighed.
"Kakashi. Concentrate on our current mission. You can blame yourself once our meeting is done with Kazekage." Jiraiya spoke loud enough for the Jounins to hear.
"Hai." Gai and Kakashi spoke out, they knew that usually they shouldn't let their feelings and emotions get the best of them, but the situation was nothing but ordinary.
"Excuse me, Kazekage-sama will not see you." The young secretary informed them, as she opened the door to the great shinobi's office and stepped aside.
With that said, Jiraiya nodded to show he understood, while Kiba stood uo, Akamaru in his arms and headed towards the office as well. The rest of the genins soon followed, and of course, Sakura was right behind the Uchiha, as the group followed the Sennin and the two Jounins.
---- Kazekage's Office ----
The Leaf shinobi entered the room, and noticed how is dwelled in a complete darkness, for the exception of the light that came from the door they just used, as well as the few lit candles that were placed on the walls of the room.
"I knew those Sand shinobis liked darkness but not to this point ..." Kiba thought as he soon felt a warm body under his own clothes. The moment they entered the office, Akamaru felt the intense and strong chakra which the Kazekage emitted and quickly made his way into his master's jacket.
Jiraiya took point when he finally came to a stop, a meter away from what seemed to be a desk, as well as the dark figure that sat behind it. Kakashi and Gai stood by his side, only inches away from the legendary Sennin, while the genins had absolutely no clue how they should behave. One thing they shared though, they couldn't wait to get out of that office.
The genins separated equally on each side of the office. Neji, Sasuke and Sakura were on the left side of the room, where Kakashi stood, while Shikamaru, Kiba and Shino were on the right side, where Gai stood as well. The group remained silent, until they heard the voice of the Kazekage who addressed them.
"I'm happy to see you were not late ..." Kazekage commented, his elbows rested on the tables, his fingers tangled in each other. Although the room was dark, there was a single candle that only lit a part of the desk, where it showed clearly that the Kazekage was there, but all the Leaf shinobis could see, were his arms, hands and his eyes.
"We wouldn't want to seem disrespectful after how you let us stay until the Sand storm passes." Jiraiya carefully explained. The people knew him to be a trickster from his younger days, but right now, he was dead serious on this conversation, and it was easily felt by all who were present in the room.
"That is good to know, since I've heard of the reputation one of you has." Kazekage spoke with such a low but frightening tone that sent shivers down the genins spines.
Some of the genins gulped, aware that the Kazekage was clearly referring to Kakashi, while the copy ninja simply shrugged off the comment made on his part.
"I wasn't aware my reputation was known in your Village as well!" Kakashi let out and smiled under his mask, which earned him the immediate glare of his eternal rival.
"Kakashi!" Gai screamed within his mind.
"We keep a close eye on well known shinobis like yourself." Kazekage specified as he uncrossed his hands and laid back comfortably in his chair. "With that said, I'd like to know more about this missing-nin and your presence within my Village." The man demanded a clearer answer than the ones given by the leader of the Anbu team who intercepted them last night.
"Two days ago, the genin known as Uzumaki Naruto left Konoha without permission. We were able to track him which led us to your Village. Hokage- sama gave us our passes to allow us access without causing any more 'misunderstandings'." Jiraiya explained the best way he could.
Knock Knock
All heads slightly turned towards the door, while the Kazekage's eyes narrowed. The door slowly opened as the Anbu team walked in. Jiraiya and both Jounins immediately stepped aside, to leave the middle space free for them to take. The Anbu leader took point, while the other two kneeled beside him, heads lowered to show their high respect for their Kazekage.
"You called for us?" The leader spoke as he raised his head and locked eyes with the Kazekage.
"Hai. Since the Leaf shinobis are to stay here for the next few days, I wanted to know what has been done." Kazekage asked.
"They are currently staying at your son's house, along with the missing-nin they found here." The Anbu leader explained, but before he could finish, a kunai passed only inches away from hi face to embed itself in the doorframe.
"What the..?" The Leaf shinobis wondered what just happened, until the Kazekage explained himself.
"This will be your last warning. Never refer to that child, as my son." Kazekage clearly stated with pure hatred in his voice.
"Forgive me." The leader quickly apologized as he lowered his head and closed his eyes.
"Knowing they will stay there for the next few days, who is in charge of their missing-nin?" Kazekage asked as his voice remained cold.
"Your ... Gaara." The leader quickly corrected himself. He knew if he made the mistake once more, next time, the kunai wouldn't miss its target.
"Nani?" Kazekage was not pleased with the answer he received. More than that, he quickly took back his proper sitting position but his hands firmly pressed against the desk.
"He insisted on observing the missing-nin." The leader continued, but feared what the great man's reaction would be.
"That child always did what he wanted ..." He thought as he knew that the Villagers feared his own son due to how unstable he was. "Very well, Gaara of the Sand will continue his guard on the missing-nin until the Leaf return to their proper Village." Kazekage cleared up as he stood up and walked around his desk, to come face to face with his Anbu.
"Understood." The Anbu leader nodded as he retreated, soon followed by his two companions. As quickly as the light entered the room, as fast as it faded away once the Anbus left and closed the door behind them.
Kakashi, Gai and Jiraiya returned to their former position, while the legendary Sennin found himself face to face with the great Kazekage. The man crossed his arms and placed them behind his back, while his face was still covered by the quilt of his robe, as well as the large hat.
"You will remain in Gaara of the Sand's house until the storms passes. Once you're ready to leave, Gaara will stand down and return to you this missing- nin. From that point, if anything happens, we are no longer responsible." Kazekage clearly explained to them. After all the Sand-nins were known to be very direct upon matters that didn't concern them to much.
"We understand, and are very grateful of your hospitality." Jiraiya spoke with sincerity, but deep down, he cursed those sand-nins.
"I'm sure that since you're also here, you'd like to discuss the 'misunderstanding' that occurred during the Chuunin exams a few weeks ago." Kazekage walked back behind his desk and sat down, aware that all eyes were on him.
"Che, if he hadn't betrayed us and allied himself with the Sound, the Third would still be alive ..." Kiba thought, while Akamaru growled.
"Misunderstanding eh? They had a grudge against Konoha for a long time. Surely when there's a new opportunity they'll simply do it again." Neji thought as he glanced over to the Uchiha and the female who stood to his right.
"Misunderstanding my ass! Because of you I almost lost my Sasuke! If we were stronger, we'd kick your sorry sand ass for good!" Inner Sakura shouted, while her exterior, she couldn't help but smile at the thought.
"Because of them ... They showed me I wasn't strong enough ... I was inferior to that dobe ... Even if we become allies again, I'll never leave my guard down again." Sasuke thought as his exterior remained neutral and uncaring.
"We mostly wanted to know the facts that pushed you into allying yourself with Orochimaru and the Sound." Kakashi specified.
"That is a matter that only concerns the Sand, and I will only discuss it with your Hokage." Kazekage clearly stated as he locked eyes with the Sennin.
"We understand. I will personally inform our Hokage of this matter. But for now, I assume until we clear things up, we are once again, allies, for now." Jiraiya informed the man.
"Rest well Konoha shinobis. Orochimaru betrayed and used us as well. Thus there will be no further communication with that shinobi and the Sound." Kazekage reassured them as he could, but knew that they would still suspect the Sand.
"We are pleased to hear that." Gai added.
"With that dealt with, when the Sand storms ceases, I will send you an Anbu team to alert you of it. In the mean time, if you need anything, I'm sure Temari and Kankuro can satisfy your needs." Kazekage stated.
"Arigatou for taking time to see us. We will take our leave. I'm sure you're a busy man." Jiraiya mentioned as he lowered his head in respect and turned around.
Kazekage simply nodded, as Gai and Kakashi showed their respects as well, before following the Sennin as well. The genins weren't sure how to react, and so, Shikamaru faced Kazekage and to everyone's surprise, he bowed as well before retreating the room with the Jounins and the Sennin.
"Do we really have to bow before that two timing bastard?" Inner Sakura thought.
"Hn." Sasuke shrugged it off as he simply did the same although he didn't want to.
Each genin showed their respects and finally exited the room. Out of the darkness, they stepped into the light and warmth of the sun.
---- Hallway ----
Shino was the last to step out of the office, as the secretary closed the door behind them. The Leaf soon gathered all around, while the genins only wanted to get the hell out of there.
"God! I thought Gaara was creepy but he's even creepier!" Kiba let out, as Akamaru finally crawled out of his master's jacket and rested on his head.
"Like father like son." Jiraiya thought.
"Now that we've dealt with this, what now?" Sasuke asked.
"We'll go back to the house and I'll have a talk with the boy." Jiraiya informed them.
"The rest of you will train with me and Gai." Kakashi continued.
"I'd rather talk to him." Sasuke coldly stated.
"Sasuke. After what happened this morning, it's best if you all stay away from him for the rest of the day." Jiraiya ordered them.
"Che ..." Sasuke let out as he shoved his hands into his pockets and walked away.
"We will not talk to him, unless he talks to us." Neji informed the Sennin as he trailed behind Uchiha.
"If those two come across Naruto, it's going to be troublesome ..." Jiraiya sighed as he rubbed his temple form the upcoming headache he knew he would have.
"That's my line." Shikamaru reminded the Sennin.
"Shut up kid." Jiraiya spat out. After all the Sennin used all of his patience this morning and the meeting with that Kazekage.
"We better get going." Kakashi said as he glanced over to the Sennin before he took his leave as well.
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KONOHA VILLAGE
---- Tsunade's Office ----
Although it was still early in the morning, Tsunade wasn't able to get much sleep throughout the night. Even though she knew that Jiraiya and Kakashi managed to get Naruto back, she just couldn't shake this bad feeling she was getting.
Tsunade continued to think, unaware that she walked up into her office and stared out the window to see how the Villagers slowly woke up to start their morning chores, unaware of the current situation they were in.
"You asked for us Tsunade-sama?" A female voice came from the other side of the room.
The Sennin turned her head and shook her current thoughts out of her head. For the moment, they were other matters that could be far worse than Naruto illegally missing.
"Kurenai, Asuma. I'm glad you could come earlier." Tsunade greeted them as she walked over to her desk and partly sat on it.
"We didn't get much sleep either ..." Asuma informed her as he popped up a new cigarette and prepared to lit it, until he felt glared at.
"If you dare smoke in here, I'm throwing you out." Tsunade threatened him. Obviously, she was in a bad mood.
Asuma new when he should listen and so he simply discarded it, putting it back into his pocket.
"Did something happen while we were gone?" Kurenai asked.
"Surely you remember the Akatsuki?" Tsunade wanted to be sure that the Jounins knew before she continued.
"Kakashi briefly spoke of them when Uchiha Itachi came back here." Asuma confirmed, while Kurenai was worried to where this led.
"Could it be ... They haven't found out about Naruto have they!?" Kurenai asked, concerned that this would only complicate the situation they were in, even more.
"I doubt it. The only shinobis aware of Naruto's disappearance are those sent to Hidden Sand Village, those present in this room, Shizume and Iruka- sensei." Tsunade cleared that up for them.
"Then why speak of that organization?" Asuma questioned.
"The last report I received, informs me that they began to move again. A team of two were dispatched." Tsunade began on a serious tone.
"Itachi and Kisame I presume?" Asuma let out, worried to where this could lead.
"Most likely, since one of them had Sharingan eyes." Tsunade confirmed.
"Konoha is barely standing out on it's own after we lost the Third Hokage. And we still don't know when Orochimaru will strike again to get Uchiha Sasuke." Asuma let out, worried about their current situation.
"I'm aware of that. But I can't ignore the fact that the Akatsuki are moving once again." Tsunade firmly stated.
"What do you wish for us to do then?" Kurenai asked.
"Sand storms in Hidden Sand Village last no more than 3 days. 1 days has already passed. When we reach the third day, I want both of you, accompanied by an Anbu team to head straight into that Village." Tsunade informed them of a new mission they would take.
"What? But why?" Kurenai asked, confused to why she would send so many shinobis into Sand Village.
"I hope that I'm mistaken by saying this, but the last known location of those two Akatsuki members, were near Hidden Sand territory." Tsunade cleared up things, while the Jounin's eyes widened.
"That's not good ..."Kurenai let out as she placed a hand over her mouth.
"That's why I need both of you to get there as soon as possible, to inform Jiraiya and the others of the possibility of them showing up." Tsunade finished and took a deep breath.
"Consider it done." Asuma reassured the Hokage.
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HIDDEN SAND VILLAGE
---- Gaara's House, In His Room ----
Silence filled the bedroom, as Gaara carefully closed and locked the door behind them, while Naruto didn't dare to speak up, unsure of what he might hear. The sand-nin returned his attention back on the kitsune, while this one seemed more insecure than ever.
"Answer me Uzumaki ... You could simply leave at any time you wish and escape from those Leaf's grasp, so why, why do you stay here?" Gaara asked as he closed the gap between himself and the boy.
"I ... I don't know ... I just know that I only have a 2 days left with you ... And something tells me I should cherish that time, before it becomes impossible ..." Naruto truthfully answered with a sad tone.
Gaara raised an eyebrow. He didn't really expected the boy to answer him that way, and so this brought forth more questions within his dark mind.
"Tell me ... Do you love me?" Gaara bluntly asked, only inches away from the object that showed him all these strange and new emotions he felt.
"Wh ...WHAT!?" Naruto shouted, totally not expecting that 4 letter word, coming out of the sand-nin's mouth.
"Answer." Gaara demanded with his strange but deadly eyes.
"I don't know ... All I know is when you're around, the pain just fades away ... And I've never felt like this with anyone else ... Not even Iruka-sensei ..." Naruto replied as he looked at the ground, as though ashamed of how he felt. "Why ... Why did you want to know that?" He shyly asked.
"Because ... I feel the same way ..." Gaara answered.
"Oh ..." Naruto let out since this caught his attention. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that he felt like that around Gaara, now knowing he felt the same way.
Gaara stepped away from the blond boy and walked closer to the small window above the bed he never used for himself. Naruto observed carefully to how the sand-nin reacted after their strange conversation.
"Was this the thing that was suppose to change my life forever?" Naruto asked innocently, as he took once step towards the sand-nin but stopped when this one turned around and faced him.
"Iie. What we've just discussed is due to what I believe you would call 'curiosity'." Gaara informed, while Naruto's eyes showed that he didn't quite grasp what the sand-nin told him.
"So what was it then?" Naruto asked.
"My siblings came up with two options." Gaara started, when he noticed he had Naruto's complete attention.
"Options for what?" He asked.
"If you had a chance to escape, would you take it?" Gaara asked.
"Anything would be better than to go back to that place ..." Naruto replied with haste.
"That is why my siblings came up with two options." Gaara reminded the boy as he continued. "Since I am your guardian during your stay here, I could easily stall the Leaf to give you a certain advance. If you are a good enough shinobi, then you'll be able to outwit them so they do not catch you. With that, you won't be returning to your former Village." Gaara explained carefully.
"But if I did that ... They could kill you ..." Naruto reminded the sand-nin.
"I'd like to see them try." Gaara added.
"But I'd be alone again ..." Naruto whined as he lowered his head, but he could still feel those eyes that stared at him.
"Hai, but you wouldn't be forced back into the Village that hates you." Gaara reminded the boy.
"You really want me to go that badly?" Naruto lifted his head as he locked eyes with Gaara.
The sand-nin remained silent, as he didn't expect the blond to say such an unexpected thing to him. Naruto took a few steps closer towards Gaara, his eyes all watery, tears on the verge of being spilled.
"Don't you want me to stay?" Naruto asked with a saddened tone.
"This isn't about what I want." Gaara reminded the boy as this one finally reached him.
"Since when huh? You've always gotten what you want no matter who stood in your way! Be that selfish bastard that I know!" Naruto screamed his lungs out, while he clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut.
Gaara's eyes widened by the kitsune's words, as he noticed how much pain Naruto was in, just because for once, he wasn't being selfish. Because he thought that Naruto would be better off without him and the Leaf. Then again, since when did he even care about what happened to the boy. Care? A word he was unfamiliar with and yet it crossed his mind, as Naruto broke down right before his eyes.
"Even if it's just for 2 days ... I WANT TO STAY WITH YOU!" Naruto yelled out as he fell to his knees and on to the ground.
Something inside Gaara hurt, as the sand-nin paced a hand over his heart. Seeing Naruto hurt, pained Gaara as well. And so, the boy did something unexpected to his normal nature, he kneeled and pulled Naruto onto his lap. It didn't take long for Naruto to wrap his arms around the boy's waist and cry into the boy's arms.
"I want you to stay ..." Gaara whispered into the boy's ear with a calm voice.
Naruto raised his head, tears streaming down his cheeks, but a light of hope could be seen within those deep blue eyes.
"You don't have to lie to me ..." Naruto mumbled through his sniffles.
"I'm not. I want to know if I can truly love and be loved. The only person that can help me, is you." Gaara spoke as he grabbed the blond by the chin and pressed his lips against the blond.
Naruto couldn't help but close his eyes once he felt those soft lips against his own. Although it lasted only a few seconds, he greatly enjoyed it and now knew that Gaara spoke the truth and didn't lie to him. Naruto couldn't help but burry his face into the sand-nin's chest and smile.
"I know you said you wouldn't want to leave, but there's still one option left ..." He whispered within the boy's hear.
Naruto knew that he already couldn't think of separating himself from Gaara for reasons he had no control over, but knew that he couldn't simply leave the Village, he would have to enjoy the few days left to be with him, but it couldn't hurt to find out what the second option was. Could it?
"What was the last option?" Naruto showed interest in the matter as he looked up to see Gaara's eyes.
"Your Kage Bunshin? How good are you with it?" Gaara asked and smirked, while Naruto was a bit confused to why the sand-nin would be interested into his favorite Jutsu.
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SAND'S TRAINING GROUNDS
They had been roughly training for a straight hour now, but although they were present in body, their minds were more occupied with Gaara and Naruto.
"Temari, Kankuro. Training's over." Baki, their sensei, informed them.
"Why sensei?" Temari asked, as she closed her big fan, while Kankuro's puppet, Karusa, was on defense.
"Your minds are elsewhere." He bluntly told them.
"Gomen sensei, it's just with having the Leaf and Gaara under the same roof ..." Temari began to explain, but Baki quickly understood what that child meant.
"I understand. Until the Leaf leave, your training will be postponed." Baki informed them.
"Hai ..." Both student replied, as their sensei wasted no time and left in a swirl of sand.
Temari leaned back against a tree, while Kankuro carefully wrapped Karusa back within the normal 'backpack'.
"You're thinking about Gaara and Naruto too." It wasn't really a question but more something that confirmed it.
"Hai." Kankuro replied as he looked over to his sister and noticed how she stared towards the sky, but this one was simply covered with the sand storm that was close to the Village.
"I hope he makes the right choice ..." Temari commented as she lowered her head and looked over to her brother.
"Either way ... The Leaf lose." Kankuro commented before he started to walk away, to get back home, in hopes that it was still in one piece, and the Leaf wouldn't be there.
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GAARA'S HOUSE
---- Gaara's Room ----
Gaara finished explaining to the boy about the second option, but this one still remained very similar to the first, with a small twist in it. Either way, Naruto wouldn't go back to Konoha and that's what was important to his eyes.
"It is your choice to make." Gaara finished as he knew Naruto would have to think a while before he could give an answer. After all, this would change his life forever, the question that remained, was if he could actually go through with it.
Naruto's hand gripped more the fabric to Gaara's shirt, as the silence, completely consumed the room. It took a few minutes before Naruto even dared to speak up, after all, the second option was very similar to the first.
"You're right Gaara ... I can't stay ..." Naruto began and took a deep breath.
"You still have 2 days to make your decision ..." Gaara reminded the boy, not wanting to pressure him.
"Iie. It's the only way ..." He began before he cleared his voice so that Gaara could hear him. He then released Gaara and lifted his head to look into those pale green eyes. "I'll leave ... I'll leave Hidden Sand Village ..." Naruto answered, but something abnormal happened.
Naruto's lips, formed an evil smile.
TBC ...
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I know the chapter was shorter than the last one, but I kinda didn't have any other choice but to cut it there. Or else it would have been an even longer chapter and would have taken a lot more time to write.
Just so you people know, something major happens in the next chapter, and that's the second reason why this one was shorter, I didn't want to mix up the themes and all, so I hope you still enjoyed it although there wasn't any fluff stuff in this chapter between our favorite and yet strange couple to be, Gaara and Naruto.
Chapter Length : 5, 700 words!
33 Reviews! I'm very happy I have more people reviewing. This helps me a lot you know! So I began writing this chapter first before any other story. Plus I've been working on two new short stories that two reviewers asked me to write about, so hopefully those till be out soon as well.
Option number 2, the option will COMPLETELY be revealed in chapter 17, since I gave you hints on what it was, but I doubt you'll be expecting what I have in mind. But you can try and think of it and mention it in a review if you want.
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REVIEWS
Licht Sieger : Unfortunately I doubt that adopting Naruto would be legal since he's branded as a missing-nin, but that was a nice guess. Glad you enjoyed the reason Kazekage was alive. Honestly, I had to think of a logical explanation to why he was in the first place since I had totally forgotten that he was dead in the manga ...
Foamy and Foolproof : Argh! So sorry for the mistake! I read that chapter like 5 times hoping I didn't make any mistakes due to it's extraordinary length you know! I'll try to correct it when I actually have time!
Renn : Well I leave you in more suspense, I gave hints onto what Option 2 was, and it will be completely revealed in Chapter 17! At least now I know where I'm going to that point, the aftermath, have no clue yet lol.
Kuroi Hikari : It's ok you don't always have to write long reviews, I still appreciate the fact you took time to write that small sentence. I hope not to disappoint you!
Silver Neo : My god! Long review you left me! I always think about you when I write this story, because of your funny little story! And no, Naruto isn'T marrying anyone! Still a nice try to guess though, I gave more hints so try and guess again! I so laughed at Sasuke's small comment about hurting your feelings. Keep it up!
Arbil : Nope, Option two is not another war. A war, I haven't planned a war until maybe chapter 35 or something. Man can't believe I just gave some info away, then again I can't believe this story might be over 35 chapters too ...
Rubymoon17 : My errors! Damn I thought I got most of them, although I was tired form writing so many different chapters and stuff. Sorry if they were mistakes, I really do try hard not to make any!
Jinky-kuropika / TheTrueSilver / silverbluenchantress / Sin / Death Phoenix / MC-88 / kitsune / Ria Sakazaki / RPG obsessed Book Worm : Glad you reviewed and liked it! Hope to hear from all of you soon!
Peter Kim : You're close to what I have in mind, but you actually finally gave me the greatest idea to how to develop this new story I'm working on! So thanks a bunch! Was like stuck on the first chapter, like what will I write next but you gave me an idea to continue it and post it someday, hopefully soon.
Junkyard Jester : Glad to have a new reviewer that likes the story!
KizuPL : No worries! I so hate it myself when the authors simply discontinue their own fics! That's why I promised myself to never discontinue one fic, unless I'm 6 feet underground! So rest assured!
xXFissshBonesssXx : Thanks, and I totally agree, I'm such a Sakura hater you know? I'd kill her if I could. Continue your fics too, I happen to like one of them very much and thanks for reviewing!
Jen : Well Jen I appreciate the review, but people either want fics detailed or not, and in my case, at the very beginning, I was told to detail things and now I'm sticking to it.
Red Rose : Yep, I tried to describe the kitchen as good as I could, but when a kitchen has two door at each end of the room, well I kinda suppose it's big. Hope it wasn't confusing.
Sora : Glad you enjoy this fic! And thanks for reviewing, you'll soon find out how things turn out!
Sachiroyurei : Of course Gaara will comfort Naruto! I know I make Sasuke being so mean and all, but deep down Sasuke can snap anything when the name Itachi pops up. Hope your own personal situation goes better!
Neko : I appreciate that you like the fact I take my time to detail as I can, since another reviewer didn't like the fact that I actually detailed too much.
Nikkler : Glad you enjoyed this chapter! Hope your story is doing well! For the option, oh you're going to hate me at first when the next chapter comes out that's for sure, because there's a lot of angst going on and all, but keep reading to find the twist.
Fluffy-kins : Well I helped Nikkler with chapter 5 of her story. I was glad to know that I wrote good fight scenes so I helped her out with that chapter! Glad you got to know this story and hope to hear from you soon!
Chibi chidori 16 : Well now you know what Gaara wanted to talk about!
Kage Jounin : I'm so happy to know and to be told by many that this fic is among the greatest Gaara x Naruto right now. If I update sometimes late, pelase understand that I'm only 19 years old, my main language is French, I have two part time jobs, and part time school, which are evening classes. So through all that, I have to deprive myself of sleep sometimes to even finish my school work in time.
Shadow Eclipse : Well, Kankuro's slightly involved in chapter 2, but unfortunately I won't show off his puppet yet!
Ash : Oh you're getting ahead of yourself! They'll fight alright, just a bit later. Something does happen between them before the major twist happens so stay tuned and review! As for Sakura, I hate her too!
Jenniyah : Well the plan it completely revealed most likely in chapter 17, but I did leave hints for you people to think about.
Ryouseiteki : Well I did warn about some OCC from time to time ... But I'm glad you enjoy this fic and placed most of them as your favorites. So I hope you enjoy this!
Kutsu : I'm glad to know you love them! As for the fanart mentioned in your other review ( Return To Me ) I don't mind at all! Just make sure to let me see the final result! Would be nice. Cuz I'm only good at writing not drawing ...
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Next Chapter :
Sparks fly between Naruto and the Leaf shinobis, while the sand-nin and the kitsune take their plan into action. Plus, an unexpected twist, that you might have either expected or not.
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Thanks again for reviewing I highly appreciate and keep those reviews up so my brains doesn't decide to go on a new writer's block ne?
Read and Review!
And check my other stories if not already done!
Until next time!
Ookima