A/N: I have zero excuse for my lateness.
Yes. Haku is a girl.
No, I don't have timelines for my other fics.
Yes, I'm still writing all of them.
Oh and drug trigger warning for this?( I guess it's my job to warn people now) xD
... I'm not sorry, you're sorry. Anyway, here we go!
xXx
"Damn, looks like we just missed em sir." A gaggle of Root agents shifted carefully through the compound. The building itself looked like it went through Hell. Dozens of bodies both dead and groaning in pain littered the compound grounds. The lingering odor of miasma still wafted about the air of the enclosed space.
"What are your orders, Sir?" An owl masked Root operative asked as he directed his attention to a rather older Anbu Root Commander, identified by the cross Leaf on his uniform collar.
"That irritable blonde would have done something stupid to leave his trail. Case the area and don't come back until we got a direction."
The heavy sound of sirens could be heard approaching the compound and the man turned to walk towards the entrance as the predictable mob of KPD policemen charged in.
"Why the hell is Root here? This is police business. Escort your men out of here, this crime scene is closed."
"This "riot" was a terrorist attack against the state. Which makes it our business Chief?-"
"Iruka."
'First an entire parking lot blows sky high in conjunction with a prison riot. And now some root losers are casing my scene?... Why do I feel like Naruto's behinds this mess?'
"I'm going to need some documentation Sir. The Hokage is dead, so I'm curious as to who gave a Root Commander the right to even show up here."
"Funny you should say that. Chief Iruka." The man removed his own Elk mask to reveal a left eye covered completely by bandages and a head full of short black and graying hair.
"I happen to be the authority on both those matters."
"Danzo... Men" Iruka looked over his policemen. "Pack it up, it seems we're not invited to this party.
"Yes Chief. The collective responded as they began to back out of the compound.
'I've really gotta get in touch with Naruto.'
"Not so fast, Chief." Danzo placed a hand on his shoulder before he could take a step. "The great state of Konoha may just have need of you yet... Just you that is."
Danzo used is free hand to make a gun like figure. Aiming his imaginary pistol at the exiting police, he pulled his trigger and from behind them a hailstorm of bullets took out the police crew.
xXx
Many years ago before shit got complicated
"Just try it."
"That's ok, I'm good."
"Cooome onnnn, stop being a dork."
"Kiba, I said no."
"This shit will chill you out." Kiba looked Gaara from head to toe, an exaggerated look in his eye as he commented on how rigid Gaara had became since they'd started "real missions" as a team.
"Fuck off already. Kiba I said no." Gaara said with a gruff as he attempted to focus back in on the tactics book he'd been reading through.
"Psh. Fine." Kiba walked away grumbling (I'm just trying to help, you stubborn tuniki) over to the living room couch to plop down in between Haku and Sasuke.
Following another successful mission, Gamma squad has taken residence in the "club house." A very typical town home space paid for by their employer, fully furnished, and the fridge was always stocked. A nice place to lay low between missions, and most of the team took to living there 24/7 as to save their own hard earned money. Save, Sasuke who lived at his family's manner. Only coming over to smoke or play Xbox with Kiba.
'Baka.' Kiba was the only other guy who got on Gaaras nerves at even close to the extent Naruto did.
"Mother insist you guys come by again. She's been going on and on about you losers." Sasuke said as he ignored the tenth reminder message from his mother on his phone.
Sasuke's mother had famously taken to the squad, treating each of them as her own child, having been so ecstatic of the idea of her youngest son to follow in his fathers footsteps. Joining the W.E.T and becoming his own man. And with Sasukes father so recently passed, she's been pouring much more attention into the young adults. None of them complained. It was a mother figure that most of them admittedly needed. The world was a harsh and cruel world. But it had some light to it, and Momma Uchiha did good to remind them of that when she could.
"It's honestly been pretty fucking annoying." Sasuke said taking the blunt Gaara rejected from Kiba, while shifting through a pile of disorganized game disc Kiba left beneath the tv. The former action of which Kiba had been trying to convince Gaara to do for what felt like hours, but was in reality a really annoying back and forth spanning about 5 minutes.
"I don't even get the appeal..." Gaara muttered to no one in particular. Watching from the kitchen just 10ft away as Kiba sparked up a tightly packed blunt, taking a few cough inducing hits before passing it to Sasuke, who puffed twice and passed it to Haku.
"It relaxes you, dummy." Haku chimed in. Taking a deep drag before coughing.
'Well, guess I'm not as quiet as I thought.'
"I don't need to be any more "relaxed" Have you met me? If I was anymore relaxed I would die."
"YOOO, SHARE!" Naruto came bustling out of the bathroom when he smelled the smoke in the air. Gaara deduced a while ago that the blonde would try anything Kiba put in front of him.
"... On second thought. You got another one of those?"
"Fucking finally! Here." Kiba fished out another from his pocket, passing it to Haku who snuck over to Gaara and pulled him into the dinning room.
Sasuke was busy holding Naruto at arms length. More for the sake of fighting than not wanting to share. Kiba jumped into the fray and eventually it was a wrestling match in the middle of the floor full of 'Fuck you!'s and 'Fight me bitch!'
Ah, family time.
Gaara realized something that always made him uneasy as the girl approached. Haku was a pretty tall girl, or perhaps Gaara was just short. Both?
But whatever the truth, when Haku approached him, her face was just beneath being level with his. And Gaara realized how much he'd been avoiding her lately. The truth of that matter was that Haku made him nervous.
Really nervous.
Everything about her was perfect. Her long black hair, her big beautiful brown eyes, and the girl knew her way around a senbon.
The weapon that is.
'...That's what I'm into now? Strange.' Sure She was easy enough to work with, but anything beyond a working relationship was something he'd only really accomplished with Naruto, a life long friend. Other people confused and aggravated him on most levels. Let alone a beautiful girl? All of this combined with her close proximity was enough to give him a nauseous level of anxiety.
But then something powerful hit him, the smell of her.
She was close enough to where the smell of blueberry hair wash was louder that the smell of marijuana in her hands. He felt the heat begin to rise in the room and he had to take a step back. That's when he realized the stove directly behind him.
'Trapped like a rat.'
"Trying to runaway from me?" She asked between fits of coughs.
"Doesn't it hurt?..." He asked to divert the topic, but he was genuinely nervous about this new experience as well.
"Only a little. But that just means it's working. Have you ever smoked anything before??" She asked, to which he shook his head no.
Her face lit up like she had an epiphany.
"Then maybe you should start with second hand smoke." She said before taking another drag, this time much longer than before.
"How do you mean?"
"Do you know what a shotgun is?" She said with full lungs.
"Yeah, we've trained on how to use so many different... Oh." His feeling of naiveté set in when she pulled his face close hers. She opened her mouth in a wide 'O' and prompted him to do the same as she poked at his cheeks.
He obeyed.
The result was her mouth a mere breath from his, breathing out her lungs into his.
"Now Inhale, slowly." She said as the smoke already swayed into the chasm of his open mouth.
The smoke was thick, but it wasn't harsh. He assumed from the pre-filtering on her behalf. So he breathed it in no problem, immediately feeling the unnatural 'haze' that fogged his brain due to the lack of oxygen. But nothing to make him understand the hype.
"I don't think I'm doing it right."
"Hmm, I think I need to be a liiiitle closer." She insisted.
She took another drag and pulled his face in once more. The smoke filled his lungs again and he began to think it maybe wasn't working.
"I don't think this works, I don't feel high."
"You prefer I let you do it yourself then?" She offered the blunt to him with a puzzled look on her face.
"N-no, I didn't say that."
"Then hush. You'll feel something eventually, promise. It takes time ya know" Gaara wasn't to sure if Haku knew what she was doing.
To him that is.
'Yeah, I definitely feel something...' But it was just the warmth of her. She pulled him in once more, but this time he made sure that it'd work. He made sure to place both hands on her hips as she inhaled. And when she moved to breath out, he pressed their already close lips together and took the very breath from her.
She pinched him on the shoulder a bit when his mouth began to do more than inhale
"Gaara!" She smacked him on the shoulder but made no move to make any distance between them. "A little warning next time..."
"Well you started it." He said with a chuckle.
That turned into more of a laugh that she joined into while making to rest her head on his chest. And eventually they were both laughing like fools, grasping at each other to keep from falling to the ground.
Until they did anyway.
In the next room over the good spirited fighting had devolved into staring at the ceiling. Both groups had managed to find peace in each other's company, masking the gritty truth of what they'd experienced that day. Gamma squad had their 10th successful mission. The missions had been getting far more dangerous and daring as their success continued. Today, Gaara had been commended on his success as a leader. A leader that saw to the death of 12 foreign mercenaries through tight planning and wit. Rookie of the year they said. Naruto had insisted on a celebration of sorts, but Gaara had never really enjoyed mission success. Ever since their first duo mission in which Naruto almost bled out on the floor. These days, they all celebrated with a little company. Indulging in one another's presence, and whatever form of escapism Kiba brought with him that day.
Finding solace was a little easier with one another.
So right now instead of thinking of the dead, the anxiety, and the extreme level of expectation that had been put on him.
Gaara thought about how hungry he was.
And how little Haku weighed on top of him. Or how his hand, didn't really look like his hand, but more like a puppet appendage attached to him. All of this combined with how relaxed, yet, giggly he was.
"I don't giggle?" He said as he raised his hand toward the ceiling. Examining its foreign design. Laughing all the while, he took in the shape and detail of each finger.
"Sure you do."
She positioned herself to straddle him.
"Woah-"
"Shh." This time when their lips met each other there was no smoke. Just flames.
'Awesome.' Was his last thought before his mind drifted away with everything else.
xXx
Present Day
Gaara looked to the badass brunette on his left.
'Guess Naruto's not the only one who has a type.' He thought as he looked to see Naruto and Ino distancing themselves from Gaara's vehicle.
"Act natural." He said.
"Last I checked it's called 'acting' for a reason." Tenten bit out behind a clenched smile.
"Woah now, this? This has you nervous, of all things." Gaara asked as he rang the doorbell.
It was Gaara and Tenten's job to distract those in the estate. The four of them had gotten through the gate (almost 3miles down a private driveway) with no issues. Thanks to making a call to their secret weapon. Gaara gave Naruto a quick nod before he saw the two blondes disappear into the trees line surrounding the large property.
'His ideas have worked so far... but did he really have to put himself on the stealth part of this mission?'
"Well you said Momma Uchiha treated you two like family... thi... this is a lot right now ok?!"
Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and back to the quarrel at hand.
"You're unbelievable. She's not even my real mom-"
"Oh! My littlest boy has finally paid me a visit!!" A fair skinned, black haired woman who appeared to be in her late fifties opened the door with the smile and charisma befitting the happiest of mother's.
"Not you're real mom huh?..." Tenten heaved a heavy breath and put back on her best fake smile.
"Nice to meet you Mrs. Uchiha, I'm-"
"Tenten!" She exclaimed before the girl could finish her introduction. "I've heard just so much about you from Gaara and Naruto." The older woman was busy embracing Gaara in a seemingly spine splitting hug.
"Oh? Is that so." Tenten couldn't help the smirk that graced her face as she watched Gaara's face fade to bluefrom a lack of oxygen and then flush red from in relentless wave of embarrassment."
'Awe, he's cute when he's purple.'
"And look at you!" She released the man much to the relief of his lungs. "Even more beautiful in person, my Gar Bear must have great taste. Has he asked you out yet?"
"You know I'm standing right here right?" Gaara wheezed.
"I guess you can say he did... Gar Bear you say?" Tenten asked, raising a eyebrow at a recovering Gaara.
The scowl of the man in question seemed to mirror the direct mood of:
(I'll end you if you speak of this)
"Momma Uchiha I'm 27. You don't have to baby all of us so much-"
"Oh they just think they're so grown up because they're out their with their big boy careers." She said to Tenten who nodded in agreement. The two took quickly to conversation as the entered the home, leaving a stumped Gaara behind.
'This isn't going to end well for me. I can tell.' Gaara thought as the elder Uchiha corralled them into the living room. Lingering about were a multitude of different guards and branch family members. Some of which Gaara was certain he'd seen at the compound not too long ago.
"Oh there you are son! Look who came to visit." The small room adjacent to the living room found Sasuke cleaning an assortment of his guns. Stopping at the familiar sound of his mother (ecstatic) amongst company.
"Let me guess." Sasuke turned to see Gaara and expressed no level of surprise. "One of your many children?"
'So he was expecting us then.' Gaara thought.
"Don't tease me boy. And be nice to Gaara! I have to go start cooking if you're having company over."She bustled out of the room before she could hear any of the younger Uchiha's complaints.
There was a pregnant silence in the room once the woman left but Gaara figured it best if he kept up facade for at least a little longer.
"Hate to ask but can we, ya know."
Sasuke looked cautiously around the room before nodding his head.
"Yeah, but out back. I don't want to hear mothers complaining."
Moments later the three found themselves comfortable in lawn chairs in the vast back yard of the manner.
"Here. Would you like to try?" Sasuke held a rather large blunt to Tenten.
Tenten smiled that innocent smile that said she'd never done anything crude in her life and Sasuke respectfully backed off. Gaara noticed with some level of relief how he wasn't the only one to fall for Tenten's innocent facade.
'If you only knew.'
"You boys do you." Was all she said.
"Suit yourself." Much like in their youth, Sasuke and Gaara could bake in silence with no real need to push a conversation. A perfect way to relax after a not so relaxing existence.
He accepted the gift with open hands.
He took it with the familiarity of a worker ready for a break and he blew the breath of a worker long tried and tired.
"How've you been Sasuke?" Gaara said as he did the honors, taking another breath as he passed it to him.
"Tense." Sasuke said as he took it from him. "Typically a lot going on in the city means 'no good' for the for the owners a prison compound."
And he was right.
Hell had broken loose across the city and if he was being realistic that only met more work, more prisoners. But with the conpound being in pieces and no doubt swarming with cops, he supposed that was a moot point.
"Where's the idiot at?" Sasuke asked
"Naruto's exploring other options, tracking down this group that's been trailing us."
"Group?"
"Yeah... the Akatsuki? Ever heard of these jokers?"
"No, but whatever you two have gotten into I can tell you that you really shouldn't be snooping around anymore."
"Sad, I figured we'd dabble in the detective field for a while." Gaara said only partially joking.
"I mean it. Gaara. Whatever you've done in the past couple of days, it's worth skipping town." Sasuke said, surpringly uptight for a man who'd been coughing up marijuana smoke for the last ten minutes.
"Yeah? You seem nervous? What's got you so bent out of shape, Sasuke?"
"Man, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." Was Gaara's retort. His typically stone poker face on display.
"..." Sasuke took a break from staring back at Gaara to nod over at Tenten.
She got the message.
"I can see you boys have a lot of catching up to do. I'll uh, just go see what Momma Uchiha is up to."
"What does she know?" Sasuke asked once Tenten was out of earshot.
"Nothing. She was caught in the crossfire at my coffee shop and I've been afraid to leave her alone ever since, I don't need a bunch of Root wannabes after her."
"Hm, didn't figure you the protective type."
"And I didn't figure you the deflective type. Talk."
"Hn. Fine. Did Naruto mention anything uh... strange after you rescued him?"
"He may have mentioned something I want both sides of."
"We knocked him out for his own good... But you're going to fuck this whole thing up if you keep digging. You know, any other time I'd tell you. You know I mean that Gaara. But I know what's going on here... you're here for Kakashi and I can't help you with that. Trust me when I tell you I'm giving you chance on chance to leave this shit be."
"You know a lot more then you let on, don't you?" Gaar said, more of a statement than a question.
"All I know is that Kakashi knows who and why. Would'nt spill for the life of him. But I trust the old man. So should you. This whole assassination thing is just the surface of this shit storm."
xXx
Tenten looked from around the doorway she's gone through to see Naruto In the bush. A knife hand waving back and forth horizontally against his neck.
'Nothin.' Tenten surmised. She signaled back form him and Ino to retreat and got a nod in response
xXx
"Sasuke. Tsunade is dead. If you know were Kakashi is, you have to tell us. That woman made you who you are."
"And I'm grateful! But that doesn't change the fact that she's dead."
"And you think that strips us of our loyalty to her?" Gaara could feel himself start to simmer just talking to the man.
"This is bigger than us. I think the best thing for all of us is if you leave this to Kakashi. I can put in a word for you with Danzo and this can all just-"
"You got ties to that scum?!"
Sasuke could only answer with silence for what felt like the tenth time that day.
"Sasuke dear, you have more visitors." Momma Uchiha Interrupted. And the two were suddenly grateful the never actually got around to sparking another round.
It might break a mother's heart.
"Awfully popular today Sasuke. Got some company I happen to know?" Gaara asked calmly as he reached for the revolver tucked at his hip.
'Shit, if he's really working with Danzo that could be Root at the door.'
"I wasn't expecting any... Mom, who is it?" Sasuke made sure not to draw attention to Gaara's defensive state and startle his mother.
"Sasuke dear you should really tell me when all your friends are coming over. I'm so under prepared! You haven't all been in the house at the same time in years."
"Who's here mother?" Sasuke was concerned now. Apparently running home seemed too obvious a choice for safe haven. But with everything going on he thought the guards would have sense to better screen their guest.
"Well Kiba And Haku of course. Do you mean to tell me it's a surprise visit? Ah, So sweet of them. I'll have dinner ready in an hour!"
Gaara and Sasuke shared a tense pause. There was a reason Gamma Squad wasn't to fond of "reunions".
"What are you playing at Uchiha?" Gaara bit out in a harsh whisper.
"Don't flip this on me. I didn't call those losers."
"Then who did?"
"... I knew this wouldn't end well." Gaara surmised before noticing Sasuke shift in his seat to get a better grasp at the gun on his own hip. But his suspicions weren't directed at him, rather, their new guest.
"Gaara?"Tenten entered back into the back yard. "Do you know these people-"
"Hello Gar Bear!" Haku rushed the Gaara before he could react. "Gripping him in a tight hug from atop his lap.
Gaara felt himself slip between the realm of pleasantly surprised and that of confusion. Both of which were trumped by the harrowing feeling of danger looming just behind him.
"Gaara. Who's this?" Haku asked as she stopped her affectionate assault on Gaara to look up at a fuming brunette.
'Is Tenten the source of this awful aura I'm feeling?' He could feel her eyes burning literal holes into the back of his head.
"This is-"
"I'm his girlfriend." Tenten interjected, not so subtly.
"Ah. Finally settled then I see?" Haku only smiled down at him. Not bothering to remove her arms from around his neck or to even move from her new "seat" for that matter.
'God she's beautiful.' Tenten thought to herself. She was angry as it was, but her own thoughts only pissed her off more as she noted the lack of physical flaws on the woman. 'China doll black hair, paler than the moon, lashes for fucking days. And is this whore wearing a choker?!... Imma kill him.'
"Gaara. Dear. can we talk for a minute?" Tenten said with a smile.
A twisted, man killing smile.
Gaara was already holding his breath but the gulp that went down his throat somehow seemed like his last when he heard the venom in her voice.
"Haku, stop stirring the pot." The groups attention turned to the last member of Gamma Squad. Kiba entered the back yard, as well as the conversation. "We didn't come here to cause trouble. We came on business."
"Hmph...You're no fun anymore." Haku abandoned her place and moved to stand next to him. Gaara let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and Tenten's death glare noticeably lessened even if just a little bit.
"Mind telling me what the fuck you're all doing here?" Sasuke stood, but his guard remained as high as ever. "First sunshine and this complete stranger of a girlfriend stroll in, and now you two? Are my guards fucking idiots??"
"We've known you since before you stopped wetting the bed. It's really like walking into our own home at this point." Haku had a good natured laugh Sasuke's expense but the youngest Uchiha wasn't having it.
"I asked you both a question." Sasuke persisted. Now much more irritated.
"Maybe you should start by telling us why you've got these two goofs at your house of all places?"
"Nice to see you too Inuzaka." Gaara acknowledged.
"Who the fuck are you calling a goof? Asshole" Was Tenten's much crueler response.
"Hn. Sweetie I don't have any idea who the hell you are. I meant that damned fox. I know he's here, I can smell him." Kiba lifted his head to the sky and sniffed at the windless air. "And a strong scent of lavender too."
"What are you on about-"
"Save it Gaara. You know nobody can hide from an Inuzuka." Kiba distanced himself from the group to yell into the yard. "Come out you blonde idiot! Don't be shy now!"
"You're wasting you're time Kiba. No one else is here-"
"Ah!" Kiba held up a hand to silence the man. "It looks like he brought someone along with him as well?" Kiba sniffed again as he closed his eyes to better take in the environment. "A girl? Interesting... Haku if you don't mind."
Kiba turned back to look at the woman whom nodded in compliance.
"Where at?" She asked eagerly.
"Rigggghtttt abooooout." Kiba a pointed finger scanned the back yard carefully.
'Tell me this idiot left already.' Gaara's poker face was strong, but Naruto had a tendency to bring out the doubt in him.
Kiba's point finally settled on a bundle of waist high bushes near the far left edge of the yard.
"There!" As soon as the words left his mouth two senbon were sent flying at the bush.
"AaaAaaAaHhHH!" A "manly" scream echoed through the estate as Naruto fell, writhing in pain from the bush's concealment. Clutching at two noticeably limp legs with both hands. "You bitch I need these legs to kick your face in!!"
"Yeahhh, I don't want that problem." Ino came out with her hands up. "Don't shoot. I'm with the idiot!"
"So I should ready some more senbon." Haku muttered as she brought two more to aim.
"Haku play nice." Kiba gently pushed her hand back down. "Gaara." Kiba turned to look at his once long time friend.
"A bush? A real master of the shadows Naruto... alright so we cased the place. Happy?" Gaara said as the group turned to him. Naruto tried (hard) to clear as much ground to reach Haku with just his hands gripping at the ground. But proceeded at a snails pace in the seemingly infinite yard.
"Thought you'd find Kakashi?" Sasuke asked.
"We thought we'd find answers... Not more "friends" of Gaara." Tenten answered for the both of them.
"Oh I'm more than a friend, Dear." Haku teased. She sent Gaara a wink and the flush of his face began to quickly match that of his hair.
"Ohh you must really want to lose that eye. Ok then." Tenten reached for her hunters knife as Haku again reached for her man.
"Easy tiger." Ino reeled Tenten back in before she leapt on unsuspecting prey.
"If we could all save the games for later, that'd be great. We came here for a reason. Gaara." Kiba clasped both hands on the shoulders of the shorter man.
"Me and Haku are here on behalf of a mutual friend of yours. Trust me me when I say you should really consider lying low for a while."
"While Danzo takes over the entire country?!" Naruto yelled from mid field. "FAT CHANCE."
"He's right you know." Gaara said. "All these leads are building into something. We just need a little more. So if you know something. You need to either speak up." Gaara pulled the mans hands away from him and raised his own. "Or get the Hell out of our way."
"Gaara, we're not the enemy-"
"Then who is?" Gaara swung once at Kiba's head and met air, almost instantly following with a knee to the midsection that grazed against rib as Kiba moved to dodge.
"You ask a loooot of questions don't you? Why can't you just let shit be-"
Gaara's onslaught continued when a right hook came for Kiba's mouth, this time clipping the jaw but being rewarded with a punch to Gaara's own browline.
"Come on Mutt, you know I bruise easy." Gaara rubbed at the area to make sure the knuckle didn't cut too deep.
'Just a dribble.'' He thought, swiping away a budding pool of blood.
"Are they always like this?" Ino whispered to Sasuke.
"Only on days that end in Y." He replied.
"Come on boys, put some effort into it!" Haku shouted.
Gaara faked another hard right, causing Kiba to step back before Gaara dropped his body weight low and charged him from the middle, bringing the bigger man to the ground. Using the momentum from the crashto flip him, pulling Kiba's arm behind his head in a chicken wing motion.
"I swear to God I'll break it."
"Do it!" Haku shouted.
'What the fuck is wrong with her.' Tenten and Ino collectively thought.
"I hate that I miss days like these..." Sasuke muttered to himself.
"SOMEONE PICK ME UP SO I CAN DECK HAKU IN THE FUCKING FACE." Naruto shouted, still a good 50ft away.
"Kiba. Last chance." Gaara warned as he placed his weight down with his knee on the back of Kiba's neck, pulling his arm up taught like a wishbone.
"This isn't even fair! You're the one who specialized in hand-to-hand!" Kiba huffed out.
"Kiba..." Gaara pulled harder and the first pop could be heard.
Kiba let out a grunt but didn't yield.
"Did you ever think that maybe you can't get a hold of Kakashi, because he doesn't want you too?" Kiba finally responded.
"Perhaps...Explain." Gaara made the mistake of loosening his grip and lifting his knee. Kiba capitalized by pulling the redhead off of his back by kipping both legs under himself and using his superior size to back drop them both back into the ground. Gaara took the brunt of the fall and struggled to find his air. Typically he'd brush the fall off easily but he noticed the undeniable added force of metal coming from Kiba's right leg. A metal that hurt like a son of a bitch when it was brought down ruthlessly on his diaphragm after the initial fall.
"Maybe." Kiba stood once more but instead of punishing Gaara's mistake once more he offered a hand. "You should trust your Mentor. But more importantly your team."
Gaara contemplated a moment, looking back up at the man.
"Come on, you need us. You two are getting sloppy, it's a miracle you've even made it this far." He said as he nodded over to Naruto who was now within grabbing distance of Haku.
"Come here you little-" Naruto grasped at straws trying to capture one of Haku's legs.
"Ahaha! Catch me if you can cripple!" Haku a Shouted.
"Hey! Keep the cripple talk to a minimum..." Kiba chimed in on their goofy situation.
"Oh calm down peg leg, at least you can still walk." Haku teased Naruto as she dangled a foot in front of him and repeatedly jumped back when his hand would get close enough.
"I see your point." Gaara accepted the hand and Kiba hoisted him back up.
"Ah, see? Gamma squads back together again." Kiba proclaimed.
"Temporarily." Gaara looked between Kiba and Sasuke. "You two seemed awfully convinced that Kakashi can handle this himself. But I'm not sitting on my ass to just await an outcome."
"We're not saying you should. Kakashi gave me and Haku a call saying you'd need our help. He gave us your location and we rushed here no questions asked."
"What kind of help?" Gaara asked.
Kiba raised his shirt to show two spare magazines and a silenced 9mm.
"The wet kind." He said with a toothy grin.
"And he told me you were coming to my house before he fucking vanished. You really think it was that easy just to get on my estate?" Sasuke revealed. "He thought you might choose the hard way though. I told him I'd try and talk you out of this but obviously that was a waste of time...he said to tell you that if you don't mind dying. Meet him were you two met him for the very first time."
"Finally. A solid lead... Thanks I guess. Was that so hard?" Gaara asked.
"You mean after everything we've warned you of, you still want to get involved in this?" Kiba questioned.
"Kiba, we're god damned Warrior Eliminators. We signed on to die a long time ago." Gaara said with a straight face. "So. You coming or what?"
"Ahaha... well what teacher says, goes. You in Uchiha?"
"Only if you promise to tell mother we have to go ASAP. Her cooking is terrible..." Notoriously so, one might add.
"Guess you guys got yourself a team." Kiba and Gaara shook on it.
"Well it looks like you're mentor or whatever gave you guys the shit job then." Tenten said.
Kiba laughed at the notion. "Well yeah I mean it'll be kinda boring being a Tunuki body guard or whatever but-"
"No I mean... Have you heard the list of enemies these two have made in literally two days?" Tenten asked.
"Let me guess." Sasuke said. "Naruto's obnoxious ass, pissed off some civilians maybe trashed a couple stores looking for "evidence" or something equally moronic."
"Haha yeah and then maybe he got into it with some prisoners during that riot? Sasuke, I heard you made him wear a dress to get in??" Kiba was holding his stomach with his growing laughter.
"I did! It was priceless-"
"How about blowing up my entire club." Ino interrupted. Sasuke and Kiba had no real prior interaction with her before, so her abruptness was a bit jarring.
"Huh?" Kiba and Sasuke both stopped laughing to listen to an eerily calm Ino.
"Kidnapping a Hyuuga heiress. Killing at least a dozen ANBU root on my fine marble floors... Blowing a crater down into the sewer, no doubt leaving a bloody mess of casualties behind." Ino said.
"Watching the explosive demolition of almost all of their coffee shops by their new stalker/explosive bounty hunter psycho that's part of a larger group of psycho bounty hunters." Tenten elaborated further.
"Leading said psycho's on a pursuit for us. One of which managed to find my home."
"We're Ino then killed one of them..." Tenten continued for her when she noticed the look of pain on her face.
"Thanks... Helping Panda there murder an entire gang known as The Paths of Pein." Ino pointed out.
"Oh and attempting to assassinate her husband who happens to work directly for Danzo." Tenten finished.
"Oh and the huge office building. They blew that shit up before all those criminals escaped." Ino finished.
"... HOW?!" Came the collective response of both Kiba and Sasuke.
"Well. It is like, almost halfway through the week. We get bored ya know." Naruto pipped in. Finally shaking the numbness in his legs as he wobbled his way up with the help of a nearby lawn chair. "It's light work making enemies at this point."
Naruto jumped in place and finally got his legs moving.
"Oh and cabbage guy! I kinda exploded a cabbage vendor with Gaara's car... that one was my bad." Naruto said as he embarrassingly rubbed the base of his neck.
"Mr. Uchiha!" One of the estates many body guards burst out through the house door and onto the lawn. "There's been many odd characters, armed and dangerous, spotted near the front gate. Itan hasn't responded and the priority team and branch men are already protecting Mrs. Uchiha. All protective measures have begun!"
"Again..." Sasuke held Naruto tight by the collar. "You bring trouble Every. God. Damn. TIME!"
"Ahh so what's your best guess boys? Riot escapee? Or petty cabbage vendor?" Tenten asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Ooooh! I hope it's the fucking Mercenary Psychos!" Haku guessed, all but jumping with joy.