Chapter 5
Strange Eyes

Months passed…

The training Nomasaki endured was unlike any she had faced in the mountains.

As a genin-level shinobi, she was pushed day in and day out to hone her strengths and identify her weaknesses. Under the tutelage of their sensei - Hashira, the three genin were subject to his unforgiving training regimen and his by-the-book Suna teachings. Even from his calm and friendly demeanor, Hashira had the iron-strong shinobi code hardened into his teaching style. Quickly she realized what she had ultimately signed up for, but she accepted the challenge as it gave her a chance to decide if she chose the right path.

"Become a shinobi… or chose death"

The words that masked tracker-nin spoke to her months earlier still haunted her in the dark recesses of her thoughts. The more she pondered his words, the more she realized how similar both were to another. At least becoming a shinobi would be a slow death, she assured herself – but then again, it could arrive quicker than intended. Already, they were hearing stories of the other genin perishing while on their assigned missions. Enemies in distant lands were jumping at the opportunity to strike at the once-feared village and their waning strength. The failed operation in Konoha only propelled more enemies to seek them out. Sunagakure was in its dire straits, heeding calls for more shinobi to their daimyo but their calls were going unanswered. Maybe that was why I was asked to become a shinobi, she thought.

She came to them.

She remembered walking home from a mission where she and her teammates witnessed a grieving mother weeping over a tarp-covered boy, his limp and bloodied hand protruding from the white sheet over his body. She could smell the scent of death circling around him, the stench burning through her nostrils in warning. "That's what happens when you jump into battle without thinking" she remembered Shinto say, "It's sad to see another comrade go like this". The sight irked her as she walked by, churning the lunch that sat in the pit of her stomach.

She had seen enough death in her short lifetime, that was for certain.

Using what little money she rationed from her share of earnings from her team's D-rank and C-rank missions, she got herself an apartment outside the crowded plaza. It was a tiny, dingy one-bedroom unit with a nice window on the third floor of a large stucco building that wrapped around an alleyway. Seeking comfort from the harshness of war that plagued her, her new home was a welcome environment. She had acquired many books to read and had a nice warm bed waiting for her at every day's end. Despite her neighbors' kindness, some of the villagers she encountered on her way home and back again distrusted her for being an outsider – giving her sharp glares on her walks through the village streets.

'Foreigner', as they called her – as well as 'outsider'.

Although they knew little to nothing of her kekkei genkai or her long-lost clan, they still shunned her because she came from another village. The undeniable prejudice of other villages shone through the cracks of their harsh glares. It was clear upon their scowling faces.

In contrast to lands where clans were praised, Sunagakure was a village unlike the others. In that, coming from a clan was deemed most undesirable. Memories of the Warring States Period were still fresh in the minds of the elders who crowded the council chambers of the village and the land's capital, echoing sentiments of disgust and fear. It was especially so if that clan was from an outside land who did not bear allegiance to the people of the desert. Since the dawn of their culture, the Land of Wind had been comprised of settlements occupied by not clans - but 'families'. They were not clans, she was reminded – similar, but one does not dare speak of them in the same breath before the elders. Of the thousands of families that resided within the vast country of desert, held once in hierarchy were four 'noble families' whose names were lost within the vast sands of time. Only one of the families still remained in Suna, their bloodline thin and scattered to only three known descendants. The Kazekage clan, as they were called by the elders in recent years – the lineage of their leaders of the past and future. Gaara's clan, she soon realized – or family.

In the Suna culture, it was customary for people to wed in arranged marriages in efforts to keep their bloodlines pure from imperfections such as incest and debauchery. The numerous great families of the Land of Wind had done so for centuries, ensuring that no kekkei genkai be disrupted or interfered with another – and that their loyalty to their lords remained strong. It was a convoluted concept to her. She understood the fear and mistrust part, but the blood imperfections struck her as hurtful. Looking back at herself, she remembered her mother, a pure Yamamori born on the mountains – and her unnamed father that she never knew. She was a not a pure-blood, she reminded herself.

She was a half-blood - and Hanone made sure that she did not forget.

She wondered if that made the villagers look down at her more – if they knew her truth, that is – and she was hopeful that they did not. Luckily, her teammates and captain did not look at her that way – or at least she did not sense any contempt from their kind and friendly glances. For the first time since meeting Hanone in the snowy meadow, Nomasaki felt welcomed. Despite her fresh start in the desert, her heart still yearned for small Yamagakure in the far north. Her homeland was all but forgotten to the outside world.

And Hanone was nowhere to be found...

"You sure you can't train with us?"

Turning to her teammates in the sunset, Meiyumi gave a shrugging nod. "My mom is making a big deal out of dinner tonight because my grandparents are visiting." She sighed. "Sorry, maybe some other time. "

Shinto nodded back, an air of sombre in his friendly dark eyes as he waved to his parting comrade. "No worries! See you later, Meiyumi."

Nomasaki stood timidly near him as Meiyumi's back disappeared into the crowded street. Meiyumi was her crutch, the teammate she was most familiar and comfortable with. The medic-in-in-training was patient and attentive, something Nomasaki needed desperately in a friend - especially in a land where she felt a total stranger. And now she was alone with Shinto, her outspoken and brash teammate who thrived on energy and dango. Shinto was the near complete opposite of her. He was confident, loud, and welcoming - whereas she was insecure, quiet, and shut off from others. Perhaps she ought to learn from him.

"What about you, Nomasaki?" Shinto asked. "Are you turning in?"

Bringing herself to meet his eyes, she gave a shy smile before averting her glance. "Yeah, I should." She replied. "We had a long day, and I should brush up more on my jutsu... -,"

"I'd say!" He snorted, jolting her. "Your genjutsu is... well, it's bad. You should try to learn the Release technique. That would probably help."

Blunt, as she expected. Shinto was not one to beat around the bush, so his honesty was a welcomed intrusion. Bashful, she smiled gratefully. Before setting off to her apartment, she found her steps pause on the sand. Wondering how to parade around the question, she hesitated.

"What will... you do?" She pressed, shyly. "Are your parents also... -?"

"I... don't have any." He said flatly. "Not anymore, at least. They died a long time ago."

A chill passed through her as the wind flew in the space between. His eyes averted hers as he spoke, pain marking his usual pleasant expression. Feeling the weight of his words in her heart, she gave a sympathetic glance from her strange violet eyes. Him, too... "...I'm sorry." She said, quietly, hanging her head low in guilt. "I didn't realize."

"It's alright. Don't worry about it." His smile returned, masking his grief. "You don't have a family either, right?" Seeing the alarm in her glance, he turned back to the setting sun. "There were rumours going around when you came here, about you being the last of your clan. No wonder some of the other genin were so nosy... first an outsider, then a loner... You and I are the same in that way, at least."

Catching her by surprise, she suddenly felt closer to him as a teammate - a teammate who shared the same sorrow. Perhaps even closer than Meiyumi. The strange air around him was peculiar to her, the always-smiling ninja despite his faults and brash-headedness giving her some oddly needed comfort. He seemed nearly similar to Gaara almost, although only at surface level. Their differences in chakra were obvious to her.

"In that case," She said, breaking through her timid hesitation. "I will stay for a bit. You're right, my genjutsu does need some work."

Shinto smiled. "I'll try to go easy on you, then - since my genjutsu was top of our graduating class."

Joining him, she finally felt accepted by her comrade.

For nearly an hour, the two trained on the sand-ridden field beyond the walls that sheltered the village of the desert. Shinto was prided for his genjutsu abilities, his earth-release acting as his second wind - and his foreign-born teammate was the near opposite. Even after his help, genjutsu was still not her forte. Perhaps she had to train more. But something in the back of her mind gnawed at the realization that her genjutsu would always remain at sub-par.

As the sun sank deeper into the horizon, the two genin sat upon the cooling sands and soaked in the last rays of daylight. For once the sand was bearable to her.

"There's somewhere I've always wanted to go, a place folk around here call the 'end of the world'."

"End of the world?" She asked, curious. "What's that?"

Shinto smiled to her at his side. "The ocean, of course!"

"The ocean?"

"Yeah," He nodded, looking back to the orange skies ahead. "It's a place I've always wanted to see. I've heard the elders talking about it, about how at the end of this desert there's a sea that touches the sky. I want to see if that's true with my own eyes."

It was at that moment that Nomasaki realized she had never seen the ocean either. Knowing only her homeland in the snowy north and the sands of the south, an ocean was something unheard of to her. Only in her imagination when she would read books would she picture it in her mind - what it looked like, what it smelt like, what it felt like.

"If it's okay," She pushed herself to speak, catching his attention. "I'd like to see this place someday, too."

Nodding at her, Shinto grinned. "Deal!"

And so a pact was made between comrades.

Near out of breath, Nomasaki stared up at the clay wall that seemingly touched the sky.

The morning sun was as blinding as ever as she tried to see near the top. Shinto was only twenty-steps in before he fell, landing to the ground with a thud and a curse. Meiyumi was at the top, shouting encouragements down to her teammates while Hashira-sensei offered tips from below. Learning to use chakra to walk on surfaces was proving to be difficult - and Nomasaki was learning the hard way. Her knees were covered in dirt and bruises and her elbow hurt where she fell on it.

Her limit was thirty-steps, she decided. Eyeing the wall she felt small and intimidated. Gathering up her courage, she knelt and focused her chakra to the soles of her feet. She dashed towards it in her sights, sharpening her mind to focus only on the running part. Before she knew it, she passed ten-steps - then twenty - then thirty. Fifty-steps was the halfway mark and it was now within her reach. She could hear Meiyumi shouting her name - and for the first time she thought she could make it. Her foot suddenly broke through the clay underneath. Earth shattered into splinters and within seconds Nomasaki was plummeting to the ground. Before she could hit the ground below, she felt a rough texture catch her from her fall. Surprised, she looked down to see Shinto forming a hand-sign and a large cushion of earth holding her above the ground. Gaining her footing, she hopped off and saw her sensei making his way towards her.

"Hashira-sensei," She spoke, trying her best to not sound timid. "I can do fifty-steps. If I try to go further, that happens."

Hashira looked up at the shattered hole that lay upon the wall. "I see." He glanced to her. "This exercise is designed to not only test your chakra control, but to help you build it as a strength. Wasting chakra is one of the worst things you can do on a mission. It not only wastes time, but it can also potentially waste your life. How are you focusing your chakra?" Preparing herself, she nodded and took her stance. Hashira examined her carefully. "You're using too much. Try focusing your chakra to just the soles - think of it as magnetics. If you use too much, you'll be forced off. If you use too little, you'll fall. Focus your chakra somewhere around the middle."

"O-Okay." She nodded.

"Shinto," Hashira called. "You should try this advice as well."

Eyeing the wall once again, Nomasaki tried to not feel intimidated. This time I'll do it, she convinced herself. Heeding her sensei's advice, she knelt and focused her chakra once more. If she was using too much, she had to use less. Imagining the soles of her feet as magnets, she allowed her chakra to form. Once she was ready, she started for the wall again. Running, she made it to ten-steps, then twenty, then thirty, and then fifty. Shocking her, she saw sixty - then seventy, eighty, and even ninety. As she reached one-hundred, she met Meiyumi's cheering face. She near startled herself when she realized that she was no longer sideways.

Meiyumi gave her a high-five. "You did it!"

"Thanks." Nomasaki smiled. "Hashira-sensei's advice worked!"

Catching her off guard, she sensed someone approaching. Climbing down the wall was the easier part, believe it or not - and Meiyumi followed close behind her to see what was going on. A messenger was with Hashira-sensei, talking with him briefly before disappearing in a cloud of smoke from the Teleportation Jutsu. Shinto ran to meet them where they stood. "Training's over for today," Hashira announced. "All genin are to report to the Assembly Hall in the Kazekage's estate. Orders from the elders. We'll meet up again tomorrow before going on our first C-Rank mission together."

After Hashira disappeared from his jutsu, the three genin were left besides themselves.

Standing quiet beside her teammates in the assembly chamber, Nomasaki listened to the jonin commander speak.

As the commander's booming voice filled the room, it gathered the attention of every genin from the prodigal to the absent-minded. While listening carefully to the commander's words, she sensed that dark chakra again. Burned into her instincts and memory, she knew exactly what it was. Calm and collected, he stood beside his older siblings - not inching during the meeting at all with his duty-first attitude and stoic expression. Gaara, the expressionless jinchuriki of Shukaku. While the assembly ensued, the murmured voices of the other genin whispered to each other under their breaths – astounded, awed, and terrified of his presence.

"Is that Gaara…? The jinchuriki…?"

"I heard he's also the Fourth Kazekage's son…! That's why he's so strong…!"

"Rumor has it he's next in line... but we'll see how far he gets in the next Chunin Exams…!"

"Don't make eye contact - he's the jinchuriki of Shukaku…! You never know when he'll snap again…!"

Shyly, she gazed at him from afar as he stood with his siblings – trying to ignore the dark chakra emanating from him and the comments from the other genin. Deep down, she hoped that one day he would notice her again and lend his friendship, for they were so different yet so alike at the same time – near foils, almost. Although his chakra terrified her, she felt as if her senses were trying to trick her. The loneliness he endured was painted all over his blank stoic expression, burned forever into his mysterious ringed eyes.

Were her comrades right, after all?

Begrudgingly, her teammate Shinto leaned his whisper towards her - not taking his eyes off the jinchuriki for a second. "I can't stand how they let him become a ninja...!" He whispered, annoyed. "It's bad enough he's even in this room...! What were the higher-ups thinking…?!"

"He's not dangerous..." She whispered back, his comment striking a hidden nerve. "His chakra isn't the same as Shukaku's... Trust me, it's nothing to worry about..."

"Hm...? What's gotten into you all of the sudden...?"

Caught off guard, Nomasaki averted her glance, slightly flustered from the jokingly-made accusation. "N-Nothing,"

"Silence!" A nearby jonin chided them. "This is an important assembly, save your squabbling for later!"

Both of them jolted in their stances, awkwardly directing their attention towards the front of the room as they stood in formation before the speaking jonin officer. While she stood, she bit her tongue - swallowing her pride against her teammate's prejudice.

Like the others, Shinto's feelings against Gaara were just as volatile as the others while they murmured their fears and disappointments within the chamber. Catching her curiosity, she slowly glanced towards where the feared jinchuriki stood. At the front of the formation, Gaara stood silently besides his older brother and sister, listening carefully to the orders being given. Startling her, she saw the gleam of his turquoise eye meet the direction towards her timid glance. Jolting, she quickly adverted her attention, pretending as if she never looked his way. His curious glance retreating, she looked back to him, her violet eyes holding both empathy and guilt.

Her feelings complicated her mind. She was a thirteen-year-old barely beginning to grasp the social norms of Sunagakure and the roles of her emerging adolescence, not to mention she was still a fresh recruit to their forces. Sadly, she thought to herself as she could hear the leader of the assembly continue to speak - why would Gaara want to bother with a genin like her? She had asked herself that question every time she saw him along the village cliffs, looking up at the night sky from afar and alone. Would he ever speak to her again? Despite her deep fear for the chakra of his tailed-beast, she deeply wished he would.

"Guard duty?" A genin questioned, dismayed. "Are you serious?"

"We're in dire times," The jonin commander answered, his scarred face evoking an unmoving stern glance. "Every night for the next few weeks, two genin will be randomly selected to stand guard along our gates." Gesturing towards the wall behind him, the genin followed with their eyes. "At the front of this room, you can find your name on this posted schedule. Any questions can be deferred to your jonin instructors."

Once the assembly was done, Shinto pulled his way through the crowd of restless young shinobi eager to find their names. It was a sea of Suna headbands and unrest. Reaching the front, he scanned quickly for his name while Meiyumi and Nomasaki soon joined him.

"Guard duty? You've gotta be kidding me!" He scoffed. Pausing his finger on the sheet, he let out a relieved gasp. "Oh, hey! I don't have to until next week!"

"You're lucky," Meiyumi groaned. "I have to tomorrow, I'm going to lose out on so much sleep!"

"Nomasaki, where's your name at?" Shinto asked, turning to her as he saw her scanning the schedule. "I don't see you anywhere."

As she looked at the schedule before her, she could not see her name either. Maybe they forgot her, she thought – or maybe they did not want an outsider on their border. She was going with the latter.

"I don't see it either," She answered. Suddenly, she saw the first character to her name written clearly on the top slot. She was to guard that night. "There I am, but who is -?"

Her finger upon the sheet flinched.

Gaara's name was written beside hers. He was to be her partner for that night. Nervously, she retracted her hand, turning to face the stunned expressions of her concerned teammates. Meiyumi was more enthusiastic, at least. As Shinto read the name silently to himself, he let out a curse under his breath.

"Good luck," Meiyumi said, feigning a smile. "Let us know how it goes!"

Walking past Shinto, Nomasaki paused as she met his furrowed brow directed towards her. His dark eyes were full of anger and concern, both emotions circling endless in his gaze. She knew he was not angry at her, but he was ultimately worried for her safety. Whenever Gaara was mentioned by name alone, Shinto grew angered. His hatred for him was strong.

"Be careful with him, Nomasaki." Shinto warned. "Don't get too close."

Heeding his words, she gave a small nod. Try to dissipate the discomfort she felt from his concerned glance, she lightly smiled. "Thanks, Shinto."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice,"

It was Baki's voice she heard. Turning towards the other side of the room as she walked to the door, she saw Gaara standing before his jonin instructor alone. Although she was not able see his face, she could tell that he was not pleased.

"As a member of the regular troops," Baki continued. "You can't afford to miss much time. Just do your assigned guarding tonight, and from then on you can resume your normal duties."

Dismayed, Gaara turned away. "Fine…"

Watching him leave the assembly hall made her gut twist inside. Was he upset that he was paired with someone so inferior in strength? Perhaps. Solemnly, she left the confines of the hall with the hopes of her guard duty finishing quickly.

She suddenly lost her interest in speaking with him.

The moon was full that night…

Standing alone on the village's mighty stone wall of a gate, Gaara looked on at the blue sands of the desert with a narrowed glance. He could feel his blood boil subtly as he took in the moonlight, his tailed-beast twisting and writhing inside. As with any full moon, Shukaku was screaming to be let out, its chakra gnawing at his psyche with each passing breath. Sensing someone approach from behind, he shot his narrowed glance towards the doors at the top of the winding stairwell. Closing the door behind her, Nomasaki walked to her post, the hilt of the katana strapped to her back gleaming in the moonlight. Relieved it was only her, he calmed his stance. Her quiet steps unnerved him, making him even more weary of Shukaku's insistence that he lash out. Keeping control that night was going to be a difficult task.

As she stood at her assigned post, she brought herself to look towards him. Examining him from afar, she noticed that he did not have a blade equipped. Guard duty offered a multitude of weapons for the assigned shinobi to use at their disposal – with her choosing the sword. All he had was his gourd of sand, strapped heavily to his back while he stood.

"You didn't take up the blade?" She asked, breaking the silence.

"My sand is strong enough," He answered, glancing to her. Looking at the gleaming hilt at her back, he found himself becoming curious. "You know how to wield a sword?"

"Sort of," She confessed. "I'm more familiar with kunai, actually… but I want to be safe."

From meeting his ringed-eyes, she felt her nervousness return as she could feel Shukaku's chakra in the air between them. It felt even stronger than earlier, reminding her of the words he once spoke to her of the full moon. It was a full moon that night, she remembered, noticing its shape above in the darkened sky. As she reflected on the words she heard earlier, she looked upon the horizon ahead with a firm glance.

"I seen you ask if you could change your guard duty. I'll try to make up for that."

Surprised by her words, Gaara turned to her. Meeting her calm purple eyes, she gave a light smile and nodded. It was at that moment that he realized what she meant. He saw a timid sense of determination in her glance, unaware of the truth.

"That's not why I…-,"

"I may be a new recruit," She said. "But I'll do my best."

She meant it. Finding himself grow concerned, he averted his glance for a moment. The reason why he wanted to change shifts was because of his fear of hurting her. It was a full moon that night and Shukaku was growing restless. If it were at a different time, there would have never been an issue to begin with, but it appeared fate had other plans. Maybe the elders hoped they would kill each other, he thought. He would not put it past them.

"I meant to say, I've noticed you joined our ranks." He spoke, turning back to her. His eyes were narrowed slightly, masking his hidden dread as his tailed-beast gnawed inside. "Why?"

"Oh," She began, surprised by his question. "Well, I…-," She averted her eyes, saddened by the memories that haunted her. "I have… nowhere else to go. My home is gone, I have no family, and my guardian…-," She hung her head low. "…He's still missing."

"Your guardian?"

"Yeah… we were separated during the attack on Yama." She nodded, meeting his eyes. "I hope he's still…-," Her words came to a stop before she could speak. They choked in her mouth as she realized what she was saying. Her eyes widening from the realization, she swallowed her intuition as her gaze met the stone beneath her. "…alive."

It has been months since she fled her country of snow and ice, and Hanone had not appeared. Not even when she would try to convince herself to summon him, she trembled at the thought. What if she summoned a dead wolf, she thought to herself – what if he was dead? The thought disturbed and saddened her to no end.

"…You've never stood guard before, have you?"

His calm voice drawing her in, she rose her head to meet his gaze. "No, this is my first time."

Turning back to the vast expanse of desert beyond the village wall they stood upon, she was near awed by the sight. All around where her eyes trailed endless waves of sand were painted blue by the moonlight above, the dunes swept by the gentle cool winds of the summer night. It appeared almost like water, or even snow in her vision. For the first time, she thought the harsh desert land was beautiful.

"I never realized how large the desert was. It looks as if it can go on forever!"

Taking in her words, his ringed-eyes followed her gaze. If for a moment, her friendly words brought him temporarily relief through distraction of the beast that lurked inside his faulty seal. "You'll get used to it." He spoke through a small smile.

A brisk wind blew past.

Suddenly, her senses struck her. Whipping her head eastward, Nomasaki's violet eyes widened from the feel of the chakra. It was approaching them quickly and aggressively. Her instincts chilled her, her body preparing itself to fight. Taking notice of her fearful expression, Gaara turned to her, his eyes narrowed while his skin crawled.

"What's wrong?" He questioned. "Do you sense someone?"

"Do people usually arrive in Suna at night?" She asked, her voice calm but eyes afraid. He gave no answer. Reaching for the hilt of her blade, she prepared herself. "I see… It's intruders, then."

In a wisp of the violent winds, an assassin clothed in black from head to toe swept up the wall and entered into the view of the moonlight. Only a brief glimmer of his plated chest gave any indication that an enemy was amongst the night. Up above, the foe plummeted down with a dagger in hand. Quickly, Nomasaki blocked his blade with her katana. Grasping the hilt with both hands, it took near all her strength to hold them back. As they fought for control of a counter, her grip suddenly tightened, her wolfishness seeping through her jaws as she released a fanged breath. Pushing them back, she swung the blade towards them.

Jumping backward, the assassin met the contact of Gaara's sand. Swirling around them, the foe leapt and bounded along the wall's surface, avoiding capture from the swift streams of sand that flew towards him. Lurching against a platform, the black-clad foe shot through the oncoming waves of sand towards them. Seeing an opening, Gaara readied himself for attack. Suddenly, he felt a pulse shake through his blood from the demon under his skin. Before he knew it, the sand took the form of Shukaku's arm and flung towards the foe – and his partner who stood close by.

"Get back!" He shouted. "Move, now!"

Hearing his yells behind her, it was already too late.

Unrelenting, the sand flew towards the enemy and clasped them at last, all remnants of their black clothed figured masked by the fast-moving grains. As the sand propelled towards the foe, it knocked Nomasaki onto the cold and hard stone at her feet. Her body hit the stone with a thud, the katana bouncing out of her hands and sliding across the marble.

"Nomasaki -!" Gaara shouted, cursing under his breath. "Damn it -!"

With the crush of his fist, the assassin vanished into the sand at his will, blood spurting from its hold and painting the stone in red. Twisting inside him, Shukaku's cries for control were getting harder to ignore. He did not know what was worse – the sight of the moon or the sight of the blood. He felt as if he could go mad at any moment.

-Crush her…!- Shukaku bellowed inside him. -Now is your chance…! Kill her…!-

Shaking off its intruding thoughts, Gaara rushed to her side as his sand returned to his gourd discarded on the stone. With a wince, she lifted herself up from her scrapped knees. She hit the ground hard, her knees pulsing from the impact still. Kneeling down beside her, his frightened eyes saw a light gash across her cheekbone, the blood leaking slowly from her wound. It was his fault. His sand was the culprit. With a wince, she held her palm against it to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry -!" His voice was panicked and guilt-ridden. "This is why I told you to stay back -,"

"It's… It's alright," She winced, meeting his eyes. "It's just a cut, that's all." Her eyes widening as she felt the chakra around them, she turned towards the scattered blood upon the stone. Catching a brief glimpse of the shattered steel emblem that marked his allegiance, it was a shape she did not recognize. As if claws. "Is he… dead?"

Following her gaze, he nodded at the sight of the blood. Shukaku's grasp over his psyche was lifting, but nonetheless he still felt uneasy. Suddenly, he realized something. Turning back to her, his eyes became bewildered.

"You've never…?" His words stopped.

She knew what he was trying to ask. "Have you ever seen someone be killed?" was a question left unspoken, and she averted her eyes in shame. Sensing her answer, he felt guilt swell into his chest. He might have frightened her, he thought.

"I'll give you advice, as a comrade." He began, closing his eyes as he stood. When he opened his ringed-eyes, his expression was cleansed of emotion. "If you plan on being a shinobi, you have to accept death as part of your duty. It's kill or be killed in this world, with those two sides fighting for control. Sometimes it comes down to a choice." Gesturing towards the bloodied stone, his gaze softened, her eyes following. "You can't always show mercy when your enemies are bent on killing you… like that one."

"I understand," She spoke with a subtle nod as she looked down. "I'm… sorry."

"I can see it in your eyes,"

Catching her attention, she looked up to face him. Standing, the sting of her wound eased as she met his turquoise eyes. There was something different about his glance, she thought – there was a glint of sympathy in his eyes.

"You're a kind-hearted person. I understand that this is difficult for you." He said. "The shinobi lifestyle will become easier with time, I assure you."

Relieved, she gave a nod as light smile formed on her lips. "Thanks, Gaara."

As his sand passed her the dropped katana, she returned it to the sheath on her back and finished her scheduled guard duty with him. The night was long and tiring, but that was to be expected if one stands guard. To think there are shinobi who nothing but just that, she thought to herself in amazement.

Soon enough, the moon faded beyond the sands as the sun started to rise…

As she walked through the streets alone, she noticed that the streets were near empty that morning.

Alarming her senses greatly, she sensed a shiver. Brushing off her instincts, she continued on her way home. Making her way into a darkened alley pathway towards her apartment, she could feel a looming presence edging closer – her senses once again bothering her, alerting her to every inch of her surroundings. Startled by the chakra's feel, she continued on her way home with cautious eyes – frightened by their advances, her pace in the alley becoming faster.

Suddenly, a kunai was thrown at her from the distance – prompting her to run for cover. Swiftly, she dodged a second one – flipping backwards to avoid her, solidifying her stance in the sand as she readied herself for combat.

"Heh, heh…"

Jolting from the menacing chuckle, she turned around to face her willing opponent.

Upon seeing them, she froze.

As the fading sunset gleamed onto their headband, she could see where their allegiance. It was the claws again – the same emblem that marked the shinobi who attacked them that night. Ishigakure, from the Land of Claws – the nation that shared a border with her homeland. Towering above her in his threatening stance, she could feel his strength in the air around them. Chunin-level and above, she suspected - and he was not the only one. When she looked around herself as she nervously took her fighting stance, she found that she was surrounded by three more.

"Is this the one we've been looking for?"

The towering Ishi ninja before her nodded. "Sure is…" He replied. "She has that rare eye color… No doubt about it, she's a Yamamori wolf."

Gulping, Nomasaki felt her legs trembling below as she backed herself into a corner. "W-What do you want from me?" She stammered, nervously.

The leader of the squad smirked at her frightened expression. "Your Kekkei Genkai," He answered. "What else?"

When Gaara returned from guard duty, he scanned through the village streets as he arrived closer to his home.

Noticing the present absence of life in the plaza, something seemed odd to him - the quiet scene speaking a thousand words as he felt an unfamiliar chakra presence nearby, Shukaku stirring inside of him from the feel. He could tell that it was not from Suna.

Something was amiss.

Hearing a bump in the nearby alleyway, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Outsiders…?

"Keh!" Shukaku scoffed in his psyche. "That wolf is gone... I was starting to think she'd never leave...!"

He froze in his steps. Sensing the beast stir silently within him, he gave into its will for conversation. What do you mean, he asked inside his thoughts - speak. No surprise to him, his tailed-beast refused to give an answer. Much to his dismay, Shukaku was too proud to explain himself. Staying silent within its botched seal, its voice disappeared within his mind once more.

Unsettling him, he reluctantly resumed his path back to his home...

Within the village alleyways, a squad of ten concealed ANBU sprinted towards the village's exit in flashes of bounding shadows.

Following commands to investigate the sudden silence of the downtown core, they hid amongst the rising darkness. Halting in their pursuit, their shocked glances found the bloodied bodies of the slain ninja who were unfortunate enough to be guarding the perimeter that day. Their bodies painted the sands red as the squad of ANBU looked on in disbelief and urgency.

They were certain that an enemy has infiltrated their village…