Baki knew that Temari never wanted to be Suna's ambassador.
Meetings. Paperwork. Politics.
It just wasn't her style.
Training. Rigorous training. Day in and day out. The woman didn't know how to relax even if her life depended on it. The battlefield was where she belonged, not contained in a meeting room.
She only agreed to be Suna's ambassador because of her brother. It was, after all, only supposed to be a temporary position.
By all accounts the job was a massive nuisance, but when Kankuro- Gaara's initial choice- suffered a major head injury 2 weeks before leaving for Konoha, Temari was the obvious substitution. That was why she went to Konoha the first time.
Why she went to Konoha the second time (even after Kankuro had fully recovered) was because of Tsunade.
The first Chunin Exam was a success- so much so that Tsunade requested her, in particular, to help the second time the Exams came around.
The day Temari realized she was inadvertently going to remain as Suna's ambassador was the day Gaara told her, "The Hokage requested you. You can't turn her down."
The so-called temporary position just became permanent.
Though it was a little-known bit of trivia that Suna's shinobis were much more resilient and lethal in contrast to other villages- regardless of what other villages may say.
The harsh weather and limited resources forced them to be more tactful and malleable with any situation thrown at them.
Temari was no exception.
So, she didn't complain to Gaara.
And she never did in the 3 years she was involuntarily given that position.
But somewhere between the time spent travelling between villages, the never-ending paperwork and troublesome political events she now had to go through, Baki started to note Temari's improved moods.
Unnoticeable at first, but now it was sticking out like a sore thumb.
It was most evident during the days she would come back from the Leaf. She wasn't necessarily jubilant per say, but neither was she in her conventional foul mood.
Baki's first clue should have been how open Temari seemed to initiate an actual conversation with him.
No longer were they just about her brothers or her missions. Now, she would talk about her interests, her goals, her friends (yes, that did surprise Baki when Temari first spoke about someone, aside from her brothers, with such familiarity). Except Baki thought it was out of obligation, not genuine trust, that the Sunan bothered to console him.
Baki asked Gaara about it once. He shrugged. "You're on the Council now. I did tell her to be nicer."
That narrative made sense.
That narrative also didn't last very long.
In actuality it was her cooking that gave it away. It got better.
It had more flare and care put into it. Not like her usual approach- rushed and lacking in flavour.
"Hinata lend me the recipe," Temari said when she saw Baki's surprised expression after he took the first bite.
Turned out Temari was a good cook if she was patient enough, which amazed Baki more because, by nature, Temari seriously lacked in this virtue.
And he wasn't the only one that noticed.
Kankuro mentioned how much more effective Temari was in their missions precisely because she had gained an unusual amount of patience. To say that she was incompetent and incapable of finishing the mission would be a false testimony. She was just, "more focused and less impulsive," as Kankuro blatantly put it.
The reason behind her miraculously conversion remained unknown, for neither Baki nor her brothers dared to ask.
It wasn't a problem thought- it didn't take long for Baki to figure it out.
It was Nara Shikamaru.
The single decisional moment that made Baki decide it was the Konohan was when he caught them sitting on the roof of the Kazekage Tower together. He was in the village for a simple mission.
The mere fact that they were together threw Baki off.
Because if Temari wanted to, she would have left. She would have trained. She would have asked Gaara for a mission. She at least would have sharpened the blades of her fan in preparation for her next mission.
Likewise, if she wanted to, she would have stayed.
And she did.
For 5 hours.
Relaxed. Unwind. Happy.
It just wasn't her style. But Baki suspected that she learned to be sometime during those 3 years.
So when, 6 months later, Gaara offered Temari to relieve her from ambassador duties (Tsunade had finally come to terms that Temari was frankly too busy and far too valuable to be missing higher rank missions because of her ambassador duties), Baki understood why Temari turned it down.
Short and simple chapter. Sorry for the late update! :(
Anyway, read, review and thank you!
J.R