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Gaara of the Desert was, according to most female ninja, simply hot. At 25, he still had his mop of red hair that was perfectly disheveled and his blue eyes just stood out that much more. He had an arrogant swagger and exuded an intangible confidence. Yet, he still retained that air of danger and he flaunted it well. He was considered to be the "Bachelor Kazekage" because his interest in women was simply non-existent at this point in his life. It wasn't that he didn't like women, it was just that he considered them fickle and superfluous. Simply, most girls wanted the title and not the guy behind it. Many had tried to confront him and ask him for a date, some had tried to sneak into his chambers, but those women usually failed in their endeavors. Some of the girls that he knew growing up, had tried to hide behind falsities and mock pleasantries, but they also failed in getting him to notice them. His theory was simply this, they didn't want anything to do with him then, and he sure as hell wants nothing to do with them now. According to Gaara, there were really only several females he actually acknowledged. His sister, of course, Uzumaki Hinata, she was from a prestigious clan and Naruto's wife, and last but not least, Sakura Haruno. This brought him back to the situation at hand.
"Please state your name and rank and registration ID for the court."
"Gaara of the Desert, Kazekage, 56-001" Taking his seat, he unhooked the gourd from his back and sat crossed legged and armed. He raised an eyebrow at Kaneda when he approached the stand.
"So, Kazekage-sama, how long have you know Miss Haruno?"
"13 years."
"And in that 13 years, how would you describe your encounters with the defendant and her team?"
"Evolving."
"Would you care to explain that?"
"No." Shikamaru smirked from the sidelines. He knew Gaara was one tough cookie to crack.
"You are aware that you are under the edict of the court to reply?"
"Yes."
"Please explain what you mean by evolving."
"At first, I wanted to kill them. Then once Akatsuki took the demon from within and killed me, it was the combination of Sakura-chan, Chiyo-sama and Naruto-sama that brought me back to life. After that, we became closer acquaintances of sorts, and here we are ten years later, friends."
"Why did you want to kill them?"
"It was what I existed for. It was my only reason to live at the time."
"What makes you want to live now?"
"Emotion, the ability to feel, friends, and the power to change the world. To simply be alive and to be human makes me want to wake up every morning. My villagers and my siblings, whom up until a decade ago, were mere food for my inner demon, are a great motivation. My life is my mission and mine alone. I was given a second chance to change my skewed view of mortality. This is a mission I cannot fail again. This is why I live."
"Would you consider yourself vulnerable to emotion then?"
"OBJECTION! RELEVANCE?" Shikamaru cried valiantly from the desk where he was currently sitting.
Utatane looked at Kaneda.
"Counsel please state relevance."
"Just trying to decipher if he is susceptible to being swayed emotions and the wiles of a crafty woman." Kaneda snickered at Shikamaru.
"No, I am a shinobi. I show no emotion in my career. I am anything but vulnerable. Don't ever question that aspect of me again. I've killed for less, you insolent worm."
"Gaara-sama, do not threaten the prosecution." Mitokado reprimanded him and told Kaneda to resume.
"Thank you, Council." He tried his best intimidation glare but it merely floundered when he saw the pure hatred of him in Gaara's eyes. As Chief of Operations, he was used to hiding his emotions behind a mask, however, this was proving difficult now.
"Gaara-sama, if I may call you that.."
"No, you may not."
"Fine, Kazekage-sama, there have been reports of the defendant leaving the territory and heading towards your village. What were the purpose of these missions?"
"Those are confidential. I will say that they were for medical purposes."
"But why would she have to leave in the dead of night for them, if they were innocent in spirit?"
"Have you ever traveled to my village during the day? I thought not. It's in the middle of the desert."
"So she traveled at night, and how long does it take to reach your village?"
"Three days easy."
"One can accomplish a lot in three days on the road. Did she ever discuss Konoha business topics with you when you met?"
"They were of medical concern, nothing else."
"Were there any other people in the room whom were present during these meetings?"
"Yes. My brother, Kankuro, my sister, and usually my Head of the Nursing Department.
"Did she ever talk about Sasuke?"
"No."
"Did she ever talk about her pregnancy with you?"
"No, why would she?" Gaara raised his non-existant eyebrow at Kaneda.
"I ask the questions here, you respond." Gaara narrowed his eyes at the patronizing idiot. Did Kaneda not see that he wouldn't get Gaara to fink on Sakura? It was hopeless.
"Would you ever send your Head Nurse to another village for medical purposes?"
"Depends on the situation."
"Do you see helping another village before your own as treachery?"
"No."
"Thank you, no further questions."
Kaneda sat back down in his usually flair and smiled at Shikamaru in what was clearly a smug style and Shikamaru snarled at him with disgust. Stupid paper pusher that Kaneda. He went on occasional missions, he wasn't an ANBU captain, he was Chief of Operations, which meant he oversees the ANBU, orders uniforms and finds creative ways to stick golf pencils in the ceiling tiles above his desk. He was appointed the position when Ibiki retired, and most ANBU thought he was a managerial yahoo. Sure they took orders from him because of his title, and he signed off on all reports, but he was a slime ball. Sure he may be head of the Department, but he was a desk squatter, with some authority to make arrests. This mission he was handed must have been seen as a big boost for his career, hence the current circumstances.
Approaching the bench, Shikamaru smirked at Gaara.
"Gaara-sama, if I may call you that…."
"You may."
"How is Temari?" From the audience, Ino visibly flinched. He would bring her up wouldn't he, she thought to herself.
"Fine."
"So, there have been attacks on several of yours and our local lords and men of prestigious positions. Sakura-chan has healed many of the more intricate cases here, but she has offered herself to your village as a consultant. Do you find that strange that she would want to help a person in need?"
"No. When we were twelve and I had her pinned to that tree ready for the kill, through some special magic of her own, she created a feeling that was forlorn to me. Love. Love for her teammates and life in general. I stopped my attack and was overcome by Naruto and I knew then that she was a person whom was meant to be something greater than what she was. She was able to project her feelings through my sand, and this small woman showed me just how pure the world can be. She wasn't dark and sinister like me, she was light. Her nindo, along with Naruto's changed me in some ways. Of course back then I didn't see it, but now I do. War wasn't won based on how many people had been killed, but on how many lives were saved. Her nindo is that she would rather preserve life than take it away. Since I've known her, all she has shown is compassion, yet there still lingers the ninja. The knowledgeable and deadly shinobi still exists, but she has been an angel of mercy on several occasions, and for that I am here today. She has shown me that it is OK to help others. When she saved my brother, she in a way, saved me as well. I would go to great lengths nowadays to help a person in need. It is my job and my responsibility to do so. So no, I don't find it strange."
"Wow, you've just answered my next few questions. Ok, moving on."
"Do you think it was wrong of her to heal with Sasuke, then?"
"No, she was doing her job."
"And sleeping with him? Good or bad?"
"I would say that was wrong. But, in retrospect, I can see why she did it as well. She probably knew that she couldn't physically restrain him until help arrived. If she had called out, he probably would've killed her, so her only recourse was then to pray that he was emotionally weak enough to succumb to her advances. She hoped he would be so drained that he would listen to reason."
"So you support her then in her actions?"
"No, I can just see the logic behind them. I am after all a male, what do I know about the inner workings of the female mind? Females have always been baffling creatures to me, I am just trying to put myself in her shoes. I've known many a shinobi that have given in easily when it comes to the fairer of the opposite sex, it is real tempting when you haven't satiated a thirst. I have also been a victim thirst, but mine was of a different kind. The temptation overrules the mind and all else is forgotten. Just ask Dosu Kinuta. Temptation is a powerful weapon and she was using it in her strategy."
"During the visits to Suna, has any of her medical advice ever gone astray?"
"No. If anything, the vast improvements to our village health has greatly risen from her knowledge. Our overall survival rate has increased and our ninja are now trained in medicine as well as jutsu and what not. We have created a better shinobi because of our affliations with Konoha."
"Define what your definition of a traitor is."
"Traitor can mean many things. As Kazekage, I don't look at one incident to determine if treachery has been committed. I look at the overall circumstance. In my village, her action would've rendered a loss on her pay scale, and the raising of her children by herself would've been punishment enough. But, had she been harboring a fugitive for a long time and healing him often, then she would've been put to death immediately."
"OBJECTION!"
"On what grounds?" Ebisu pushed his sunglasses up with his left middle finger and looked at Kaneda.
"What does his methods of punishment have to do with ours?"
Shikamaru looked at the dais and responded.
"Just showing how gray of an area, this matter really is. Most of this is circumstantial. This is all I am proving."
"Overruled." Kaneda slumped in his chair. The proceedings were not going according to plan. This seemed so cut and dry, and Kaneda knew it was time to resort to plan B.
"Nara-san, please continue."
"Thank you. Last question, Gaara-sama, because I know you are an important man, if your sister had been put in Sakura's shoes, what would've been your reaction?"
"I would've forgiven her then killed the son of a bitch. Then I would've asked questions."
"Would you have turned a blind eye?"
"No, as the Kazekage, I can't, but I still would've been supportive. She is a member of my village, after all. We stand behind our villagers, except for the select few."
"Thank you. No further questions, Council."
Tonbo looked at Gaara and excused him from the stand.
Mitokado, clearly tired from the hours of testimony asked for the next testimony.
Kaneda stood and dusted the imaginary dirt from his suit and put on possibly the brightest and whitest smile Shikamaru had ever seen.
"Gracious Council, I hereby call forth Akina Uchiha."
"OBJECTION! OBJECTION! She's a child. This will likely scar her." Shikamaru protested most vehemently.
"Yes, but her mother could've fed her insider information." Kaneda sneered.
"Overruled, he has a point."
Sakura's eyes widened and she shot a glance to her daughter whom was clearly terrified. Shizune leaned down and reassured Akina.
Shikamaru approached the dais and asked for a special request.
"Can my client please see her children for a few minutes then? She hasn't really seen them in a week."
"Yes, but you have ten minutes. Starting now." Ebisu pointed at the clock above the dais and was actually timing it. Jerk.
