Harbinger

by tigerowl

Naruto's friendship with his teammates Gaara and Haku is put to the test as they prepare to deal with the threat of the Akatsuki. The secrets Jiraiya has kept come to a head, and Naruto must shoulder the responsibility of protecting much more than the Leaf Village. Continuation of Forlorn. AU NaruHina, GaaSaku, NejiTen, ObiRin, OCs *Taoism, Self-Indulgent World Building, longfic

46. The Wind's Shadow

Note: A sincere thank-you goes to hellraven-ovo, dreaddragonknight, SpicyWifey, fiveflyingsquirrels, tashrivastava, Red Wings, samsaraknight, arsenicminds, Hacked Off, ShadowFoxKage and other readers for your reviews of the last bundled update.

Chapter Soundtrack: "Forever Lotus" by RUDE

Chapter 46- The Wind's Shadow

When Jiraiya woke him with a sharp shake in the middle of the night, Naruto unclogged his throat with a gurgling sound and sat up drowsily. They had settled down in sleeping bags under an acacia tree— the last tall plant visible against the sparse horizon of desert.

"Here you go…" Jiraiya crammed a biscuit in his student's teeth and patted his cheek, "Open those eyes, young Sage, we have a desert-crossing to start."

Naruto chewed sleepily as he slipped out of the bed roll, folding it up, "Ero-sensei…don't you see there are stars out still?"

"Technically, there are always stars in the sky. Sunlight scatters in the atmosphere during the day and reduces their visibility…eh," He lightly slapped Naruto's cheek again as he nodded off over his travel bag, "What I'm trying to say is, no excuses. Wake up. We want to stay cool while we cross."

"Yeah, yeah." Naruto brushed him off with a yawn and pulled the bag over his shoulder.

"It's gonna be hot as balls." Jiraiya began marching ahead of the youngster, "You'll thank me later, Naruto."

"How are you so awake right now?"

"Determination. And I also took a bite out of a knuckle of ginger, so that zing helped."

Naruto made a face at him.

"What? I spat it out." Jiraiya defended.

"Got any more of that?"

"No. Just some biscuits, water, a few boxed meals…" The man began to pick up the pace as Naruto fell in step beside him, "And if you're really starving by tomorrow you can kill a hare for yourself and eat that."

"I'm not gonna kill a bunny-!"

"They're not bunnies, desert hares are jerks. Not cute."

"Oh. But still, I'm not so inclined to kill living things now after, you know, becoming one with Nature." Naruto made a case for it, "I'll fast instead."

Jiraiya laughed in disbelief. They had sped up to a full-fledged run, skimming over bonafide sand flats. "Kid," Jiraiya told him, "I finished that training too, and I still know that a meal is a meal. Respecting nature isn't about denying death. It's about recognizing and asserting yourself in the duality of the universe. Life matters because death accompanies it."

Naruto huffed, "Thanks for the early morning philosophy. I'll decide later if I'm hungry."

The southernmost reaches of the Land of Wind were a vast sprawl of dunes and flats, punctuated by rock formations. Though he didn't say so, Naruto was mildly impressed by the terrain. The sky seemed huge. The field of view appeared as though it had expanded with no features to interrupt it. As sunrise hastened and dimmed the stars, Naruto accepted another biscuit as they kept moving. The desert's chill was abating. He felt it was extremely necessary to point out each sighting of life as they moved along.

"Look at that mouse hop!" And, "That little owl's sitting on a cactus!"

"If you really want your mind blown," Jiraiya advised, "Use Sage Mode and feel the energy of the creatures underground as it heats up out here. There's all kinds of stuff."

So of course Naruto had to try it and he admitted he was sort of amazed. It was not at all as lifeless as he would've expected.

He marveled at the desert's hidden abundance for a few minutes as they pushed ahead, and then let his Sage chakra wear off. Naruto retreated into his thoughts as Jiraiya picked out a route to Suna from memory. 'Hinata said hello to me yesterday…but she kind of kept it short.' He frowned to himself, 'It sounded like she wanted to tell me something, but she was shy and distracted.' Naruto twitched his nose. Maybe he had said or done something to offend her after all. Or maybe she was nervous about his imminent homecoming?

'I don't get it! I know we can't be equally enthusiastic all of the time— but I was excited to hear from her and she was just…' Naruto admitted to himself that she seemed distant, if a bit flighty. Granted, Hinata had explained that her elders had observed her training bout with Neji outside of the Main House that morning. Perhaps the residual judgment weighed on her?

"I can hear you grinding your teeth." Jiraiya said sidelong to his student.

Naruto unclenched his jaw, "Oh."

"Relax." Jiraiya soothed.

"Sorry."

"What's bugging you?"

Naruto vaulted over an exposed peak of igneous rock and then said, "It's probably nothing…"

"That's what I used to say when I was a kid and Orochimaru went missing for days on end." Jiraiya gruffed.

"Jeez! It's not that bad, at least I don't think so." Naruto defended, "Hinata didn't seem like herself when she said hi to me, yesterday."

"She's got a lot going on in her life." Jiraiya supposed, "And it'll get a heck of a lot busier when you're home whimpering like a puppy around her."

"Yeah, I know that."

"Remember, she's still going to be occupied by her clan and responsibilities. She'll always have a lot on her plate." His teacher went on, "You've been smothered with attention and affection from her pretty much since you entered the Academy. As you get older, the both of you will realize that time starts to slip by faster and your priorities shuffle like crazy. It's a learning process."

Naruto wanted to roam into the hypothetical explanation, "What if she doesn't-?"

"Naruto, that girl loves you. You don't have to doubt it."

He released a sigh tinged with tension.

Jiraiya gave him a slanted smile, "It's never going to be as bad as your imagination spins it."

"I just want to know if anything's on her mind. Usually when Hinata's stressed out, she'll talk to me."

"Then the next time she drops in, ask her. If she doesn't want to get into it with you then try to respect that. If she does, listen carefully." Jiraiya suggested.

Naruto was obliged to take such advice. He and Jiraiya carried on for a distance as the morning sun rose, and Jiraiya eventually halted, "Oh shit, hold on." He measured along his outstretched arm, squinting, drawing an angle from the sun's position, "We veered off to the east a bit, whoops. That explains why we didn't see that crag I was looking for…"

"Get your head together, Ero-sensei."

Jiraiya shushed him and set out again with their course corrected. By noon, hawks and buzzards drifted by on thermal updrafts in the sky, and dry heat had stymied the quick pace Naruto and Jiraiya had started out with. They trudged tiredly for a while. Naruto gave thanks for the lightweight clothing he was wearing. He stripped off his sage cloak and wrapped it like a turban to cover his head. His face and scalp had been baking.

"Not a bad idea." Jiraiya decided as he pulled off his outer vest, fastening it over his brow.

"Why the hell does anyone want to live out here?" Naruto rasped.

"It's a wise choice defense-wise." Jiraiya shielded his eyes and peered out on the horizon, "No one really bothers trying to invade the Sand Village, have you noticed? It's a major pain in the ass."

"I'll say."

"Should've bought some sunscreen before we crossed the border."

"We could roll in some mud." Naruto suggested.

"That would imply there's water around here somewhere, and I've got to tell ya…" Jiraiya panted, "You'll probably find buried treasure first."

"Could we buy water with it?" Naruto quipped.

"Nope. The rations we brought with us— don't waste a drop."

Jiraiya was pleased when he located an anticipated landmark. A shaved face of sedimentary rock provided a merciful stretch of shade. He and Naruto rushed into the shelter and sat down, wolfing down boxed lunches and trying not to consume too much water.

"I wish Gaara could come out here to get us." Naruto tipped his head back against the wall of stone behind him.

"This is a formative experience. You have to make this crossing on your own in the future for missions, and he knows that."

"Yeah, but what if you keel over from heat stroke or a heart attack while we're out here?" Naruto speculated jokingly.

Jiraiya declared, "Gaara has always been comfortable with taking risks and jeopardizing my life."

Naruto chuckled at the truism and then put away rubbish and containers in his bag. As Jiraiya rose to stand he added, "I'm tougher than I look. I have my complaints, but this isn't really so bad."

For the rest of the day their pace was halved, and the end-of-summer sun beat down relentlessly. Jiraiya asked a few times for breaks, particularly when there was shade available. They ate their remaining meals even as the sun set. By nightfall, they had set up their bedrolls beside a small campfire as the temperature dropped. Jiraiya summoned a small mustard-colored toad that kept watch for them beside a nettle of sagebrush. Naruto stared up at the stars to let his mind begin to go blank, and then there came a soft yelp from Jiraiya on the other side of the flickering flames.

"What is it, Ero-sensei?" Naruto sat up and noticed a scorpion of curious size perched on Jiraiya's chest as the man laid flat on his back.

With good half-asleep reflexes, Jiraiya swiped the critter off and it scampered sideways to avoid the fire. Naruto could have sworn he heard a whispering sound, and he leaned down to regard the arachnid.

Jiraiya sighed shakily to calm down, "Guess that's par for the course, out here…waking up to find something crawling on you."

"I think it said something." Naruto observed.

"It's a bug."

"I don't think they're technically bugs—"

"Don't parse details with me, just go to sleep!"

Naruto leaned down and turned his ear toward the creature, "Come again?"

In a small voice the scorpion repeated, "Suna."

"Yeah!" Naruto laughed, glad to see his hunch was right, "You're one of Gaara's little dudes aren't you?"

"Gaara-sama said…to keep watch." The scorpion explained. Its human speech was not well-developed.

Jiraiya sat up again because he was surprised that Naruto had spotted a Summon animal quicker than he had.

"Would you tell Gaara we're nearly there? He's expecting us." Naruto requested.

The scorpion said nothing more before scuttling off, presumably to deliver the message.

Jiraiya gave Naruto a grunt of commendation for his perceptiveness and then rolled over to sleep. The next morning, Jiraiya's toad had sidled up beside Naruto after the fire had died out in the night. Naruto awoke with a yawn and dismissed the faithful sentry before nudging his teacher.

Jiraiya sat up and began shaking sand out of his long, white ponytail. Naruto snickered.

"This stuff gets everywhere. I tasted it in my food last night too." Jiraiya grumbled.

They buried the remnants of the campfire, packed up, and set out at a brisk pace while the air was still cool. All that remained were their water rations, and by mid-day those had been depleted as well.

Bathroom breaks in the desert were an odd experience, Naruto decided. Either companion merely had to turn their back and keep a distance, but it was strange being in a wide expanse of desert in which, truly, neither could tell if they were being watched or not.

The early afternoon was not as hot as the day before, at least Jiraiya didn't think so. He and Naruto had not wrapped their heads up for protection, though perhaps they should have. A single, fat cloud drifted overhead in the sky.

Naruto narrowed his eyes as he looked ahead, "Is that another landmark?" There was a dark feature on the horizon.

"Yeah, it's called Sunagakure." Jiraiya snarked.

"Whoa-! Really?"

"Yep, that's the stone plateau that the village is carved into. That is— if I'm not going blind and insane." He turned his empty canteen over and prospected for a single drop of water, "We're on course so that should be it. Or it's a mirage. So don't—" Jiraiya's face fell as his student had already taken off in a full sprint. It was still quite a distance, not that it mattered in the least to Naruto. With a guttural sound, Jiraiya pushed himself as well, trying to incentivize such exertion in the heat, 'There will be beautiful women and cold drinks there-!'

Jiraiya was not sure how much time passed, but he made it three-quarters of the way before plopping down on his backside and groaning. He admired the strength and gumption of his pupil, no two ways about it; he just missed the days when youth was on his side. He rested for a while and then noticed a vulture behind him, creeping curiously towards him on its awkward, taloned feet.

"Beat it, shoo." Jiraiya waved it off tiredly. All that did was make it stop and sit beside him.

"Well, I find this telling." The man mused out loud, "Might as well wait and see if I bite it, you ugly buzzard. I know time's not on my side anymore." Jiraiya tossed a handful of sand at it, "But dammnit I have a lot to do! So much to write. Kids to whip into shape. Women to immortalize in my work…"

The vulture spooked and took off when a vaguely yellow flash appeared beside Jiraiya. He glanced up in stupefaction at Naruto.

Naruto wore a look of concern that was mostly amusement.

"How'd you do that?" Jiraiya asked.

"I marked your travel bag yesterday, in case something like this happened." Naruto grinned at him.

"Oh." Jiraiya was rather delighted by his thoughtfulness, and took Naruto's hand as the boy helped him to his feet, "Thanks, kiddo. I didn't mean to fall behind-!" He felt a bit queasy as Naruto teleported a second time, holding fast to his companion-cargo, and transported him to the gate of the Hidden Sand Village. Jiraiya bent for a moment and placed his hands on his knees, "-heh! Herp—!" He restrained the urge to hurl and then slowly stood upright.

Naruto plucked his anchoring knife from the ground and apologized, "Ero-sensei, sorry— I just made it here and thought I should bring you over."

"Much appreciated." Jiraiya settled himself and kept walking, "I was a prospective lunch back there."

"Are you-?"

"I'm fine." Jiraiya insisted, "I just need a long drink of water and some air conditioning."

It took a good deal of patience and maturity for Naruto to proceed at a respectable pace alongside Jiraiya. His head snapped around wildly as they passed through the intake ravine of the gate, and it led them into the bustle and noise of the city. Like a good sport, Naruto stopped in the first convenience store they could find and bought his teacher a bottle of water to guzzle. Jiraiya perked up after that, touring down the main avenue and scanning over the crowds that weaved between dusty buildings.

"This place seems a lot more crowded than I remember." Jiraiya muttered.

"So where can we find Gaara?" Naruto was beaming, almost twitchy with excitement.

"Well I'd wager his ass is trapped in an office chair in the Administrative Building which is…" Jiraiya spun in a small circle, "Give me a second. Er…" Jiraiya rubbed his chin and noodled on it, "All this development and remodeling is throwing me off."

Naruto prepared a hand sign, thinking he ought to send a deluge of Shadow Clones to track down his dear friend, but Jiraiya batted at his hands.

"Cool it, kid. Don't get trigger happy with jutsu here, remember: you're a guest in Suna." The man advised as he traipsed along, "This way. I'm decently sure we take this road to the end and then hang a right…"

Near the end of the street, Naruto sidetracked for some rainbow shave ice and nipped it as they continued on. Jiraiya had passed on the treat. They hit a roadblock of people congregated near stalls selling goods from the Tide Village. Jiraiya shoved Sand citizens out of his way as politely as possible, "Good grief! Since when do these people have money to spend? That line wraps around the friggin' block."

"Wanna take a—?"

"No, I need oxygen. I'm getting claustrophobic." Jiraiya toddled along to the other side of the plaza, where foot traffic had thinned, "Phew. I'm surprised no one's recognized me yet. I had my pen handy for book signings."

Naruto mocked him from over his cup of ice, "Maybe they don't sell your trash novels here?"

Jiraiya puffed his cheeks and rounded on the whelp, trying to smack the ice treat and mash it in Naruto's face. They scuffled like juveniles for a moment until Jiraiya stilled and stared down the avenue. When Naruto did not notice anything amiss right away, Jiraiya swiveled him around to look. They spotted Gaara who was completely oblivious to them, his face wracked with worry. He rushed into the front entrance of Suna's hospital.

"That doesn't bode well." Jiraiya observed.

Naruto tipped the last dregs of shave ice into his mouth before tossing the cup into a waste bin. He led the way as they backtracked to the hospital and slipped through the automatic doors. Further into the lobby, Gaara had concluded a check-in at the secretary's desk before moving down a hallway on the left. Naruto was about to give chase like a hunting dog, but Jiraiya held his arm back for a moment, "I just want you to think for a second about why Gaara is distressed and in a hospital."

Naruto wilted at the thought, "Will do."

"This may not be good. I mean, he'll be glad we're here, but it may make this a shitty meeting. Just saying." Jiraiya sighed and released him, "Go find him."

It was not so simple a task as it took Naruto about fifteen seconds to realize a set of double doors in the annex could only be opened by pushing a button on the wall. By then, he'd completely lost sight of Gaara, but he took a moment to breathe and collect himself. He gathered Natural Energy while unconcerned doctors flitted around in the ward, and nurses traveled briskly between monitors and rooms.

In Sage Mode, Naruto easily detected his friend climbing up a stairwell to the next floor, sensing the density of Gaara's chakra. He held back the grin that kept tugging at his mouth, knowing that the circumstances of their reunion would probably not be good. Naruto slipped into an empty patient room, pushed up the window's sash, and leaped up the building's exterior. It was quicker than stairs.

He scaled a concrete terrace and slid open a door, dusting his hands off. Naruto shook some of the sand from his short cloak. Just then, Gaara exited the stairwell on the far end of the corridor and paused. He may have thought it a hallucination at first. Gaara gave his eyes a hard blink. Naruto was still shaking his clothes out somewhat inconsiderately, shedding the desert's residue onto the tile floor. He looked up like he had been caught red-handed by Gaara, several meters down the hallway.

Naruto laughed in spite of himself, and then tried to swallow the reaction because Gaara had been upset downstairs and still appeared to be. 'Shit! I can't be an asshole. I need to be considerate! Keep it together-!' He cleared his throat and covered half of the distance towards the stairwell, sheepish, "I know this probably isn't the best time or place…but, uh…"

Naruto had only just blinked when he missed Gaara close the gap, wrapping both of his arms around Naruto's shoulders. The startled feeling dissipated almost immediately and Naruto returned the squeeze, elated.

A phlegmy sound came from Gaara's throat. He stood back to compose himself after the hug, "This isn't a bad time or place, Naruto."

"But you look freaked out! I saw you run in here and I thought…" Naruto indicated with a wary face, "Something bad happened."

"Something did." Gaara confirmed, proceeding a few doors forward, "Though Haku salvaged what he could."

Naruto lit up with unfettered joy as he followed along, "Are you telling me that Haku's-?"

"He isn't here. I wish." Gaara stopped to tell Naruto sincerely, "I'm glad you are."

The turbulent swirl of euphoria and disappointment was giving Naruto whiplash. When he followed Gaara into the recovery room, he had a better understanding of what was wrong. Temari was sitting in bed with two monitor hookups, bad-mouthing a nurse who was in no mood to be argued with.

"I've recovered already. I was fine by the time I got to Tide, and I made it here on my own power." Temari sniffed, "Get this junk off of me."

The nurse tried to expound upon policy about observations and physician's recommendations, but Temari ignored it completely when she saw her younger brother walk in.

"Thank God. Gaara, tell them to discharge me. I've had it." She paused to blink at a much taller, leaner Naruto beside her brother, "Holy shit."

Naruto started off with, "Hi! What happened to you?"

"Momochi Zabuza." The nurse flinched at the name and Temari snickered, "You should see what he limped off with."

"I don't think his injuries were of your making, going off of the report Hisauji gave me." Gaara crossed his arms and waited for Temari's explanation.

She only gave him, "It didn't go as planned."

"You tried to get Haku back?" Naruto gathered.

Temari sighed and then gave the nurse a scornful look as he exited the room.

"I…couldn't. I just made it worse." Temari admitted in a low voice. Naruto plopped down into a visitor's chair to process the bad news while Gaara elected to stand and brood.

"Two of my subordinates were killed when Zabuza ambushed us. Haku was very polite while we arrested him." She reclined into her pillows to recount the events, "He even tried to save my team, and I don't think Hisauji, Tokumaru, or Muta would've survived if he hadn't been there."

"Nor you." Gaara's rebuttal was clipped.

"You gave me the clearance to go."

"You demanded clearance."

"You can tell me NO when it's a mission." Temari reminded him, "Don't make this completely my fault."

"When I don't humor your requests, you become incredibly difficult, bordering on subversive. And I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to execute that retrieval as soon as you found him." Gaara admitted, "But as a team captain, you were responsible for that mission and the loss of Kori and Mitsuie. You could have waited and surveyed the town first. You could have done any number of things."

"I know." Temari agreed tensely.

"Now he's lost to us. Haku is a hostage of a nukenin in the truest sense of that phrase. If he tries to leave, innocent people on that island pay the price. If I send reinforcements, there will also be consequences." The Kazekage listed the repercussions.

Her hands fisted on the bedsheet crinkled on her lap.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Gaara was glad to see her alive, but still deeply troubled.

Temari noted Naruto sitting with a pensive expression, trying to spin the scenario through his head. She gave a dry laugh when Gaara asked if he and Naruto should personally go to Nanakusa, "You think that would work any better?"

"We would not be nearly as careless or vulnerable." Gaara retorted.

"You're fucking jinchuriki." Temari hissed, "You want to cross country borders while the Akatsuki are out there? With or without an escort? Don't preach to me about taking risks."

He gave her a dangerous look before Temari went on, "Besides, the Exam is coming up. You're required to observe proceedings and head the panels. Naruto is participating." She reminded him, "Hidden Sand is going to be majorly occupied with heightened security and re-worked mission schedules. So who do we send out there to get Haku? A team from Hidden Leaf? How are you going to explain this to the Hokage?"

"Enough." Gaara snapped.

Silence hung in the room until Naruto asked the woman, "Are you okay?"

"Thank you for asking." Temari said as she shot Gaara a see what you forgot to say? look, "I'm fine now. Every orifice on my body bled uncontrollably after Momochi used some weird jutsu with that sword. Haku held him off and then saved my life." She added, "And yeah, it hurt like hell. I'm lucky I made it."

Naruto astutely asked, "Is he okay?"

"For a while he wasn't, but I tried to encourage him before I got out of there." Temari told him, "He can still make the best of things, for now. He has good friends there who also helped me." She threw in another jibe at her brother, "By the way, when you see him— Haku— he's breathtaking. As in, more beautiful than anyone alive, well-groomed or whatever you call it…and he's got way more muscle tone than Gaara."

Gaara said nothing and kept his expression flat, but Naruto chuckled at the observation, "Really? Well he's not leading a life of luxury. He probably fights way more often than we do…"

"He did try to kill Zabuza." Temari recalled, "But he fucked up. That's why I left in a hurry."

"Like…he didn't really kill him?" Naruto verified.

"Yeah. Someone took pity on that asshole dying on the street and brought him into the health office, so he survived. And Zabuza was pissed off."

Gaara rolled his eyes.

"We can learn from that." Naruto assessed sunnily.

"Right. Make sure the job is done." Temari agreed.

"What if Haku is dead as a result of Zabuza's retaliation?" Gaara pressed.

Temari got defensive again, "Do you want me to go and check? Send his rabbit back with a message and find out, Gaara. Stop trying to guilt trip me. I know you're mad."

"You were responsible—"

"I know."

Naruto tried to break it up, "Guys, you need to-!"

"This was too personal. I never should have sent you." Gaara decided.

"You trusted me with this. The only reason you know anything about where he was, was because I got it done." Temari countered.

Naruto's eyes bounced between the feuding siblings.

"It's his fault too. Haku caused undue risk to all of us by attempting something this stupid—"

"You don't get to call him stupid because he wants to know where he comes from." Temari snarled, "You always had that luxury. You had a family, a name, a village! Don't shit on him because he hoped others like him were out there. And while he's at it, he's saving people's lives and sending you intel on activity in the Land of Water."

Gaara was pacing a bit, frustrated by her points, "He still shouldn't have enlisted the help of a rogue ninja."

"Like he had any other clues to start with-?"

"You—" Gaara's temper careened off a ledge, "Put him ahead of things that are far more important; things I rely on you for here. You need to stop thinking about him and communicating with him—"

"Or what?" Temari's anger was laced with laughter.

Naruto was wide-eyed in the corner.

"Or I'll kill him myself, because I know he'll be your demise someday and he's too selfish to forget you and let you live your life." Gaara finally let on to his ulterior motive for some kind of resolution. That he did not approve of Haku's love for her.

"Live my-? I already tried that." Temari barked,"You can't tell us how to feel— have you been so fucking perfect?"

"He's a liability at this point—"

"He's your friend and you love him."

"He is and I do." Gaara confirmed harshly, "But you shouldn't."

Temari plucked hook-up lines from her arms and tossed them aside, ignoring the alarm pings of the monitor. She pushed herself to her feet to stare Gaara in the face, "So you've got a problem with that?"

"He's become too much trouble for you. You need to stay away."

She was grimacing. It was then Temari understood the fulcrum of Gaara's irritation with Haku. She retorted calmly, "You don't get to tell me what I do or who I do."

Naruto fought through a fog of shock and amazement to cover his ears with his hands. This was too much. He wasn't sure if he ought to stop it, because the argument was probably some necessary form of communication between Gaara and his sister.

"Not him." Gaara stuck to his resolve.

"Even if Dad had demanded that, I still wouldn't give a half of two shits." Temari informed him, "It drives you nuts. He was your friend first, but then he picked me and that hits a bit too close to home. Everything is fine with Haku as long as your sister isn't involved."

"I could not have said that any better myself." Gaara agreed through clenched teeth.

"He's already seen me naked." She flung taunts at him, "He fed me and cared for me when I was too weak to move. He slept beside me with that angelic look on his face—" Temari concluded, "What I still don't get is: why can't you abide by the person you trust who treats me that well and goes that far for me?"

Before Gaara could come up with a slipshod answer, Jiraiya ambled into the room. He greeted the three youngsters with, "I heard shouting so I assumed it was you."

Gaara instantly deflated. Temari was wobbling on her feet, lightheaded, but her brother thankfully got off of his high horse and helped her back into bed. They mumbled apologies at each other.

"Ero-sensei! Crap, I should've gone downstairs to get you." Naruto had forgotten about him.

"It's alright, I can find my own way." Jiraiya walked over to Gaara and clapped his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Don't you look riled up?"

Gaara sighed but accepted a fond pat on the head, "It's good to see you, Sensei."

"So…" Jiraiya scanned his eyes over to Temari, who he knew was Gaara's sister although they had never been introduced, "Seems like something went down."

"I couldn't get Haku back." Temari gave the short answer.

"Huh." Jiraiya quirked his mouth, then he turned to Gaara and Naruto, "Why don't you two head outside and catch up? I've got some questions for…" He was sheepish, "What was your name again, miss?"

"Temari." She exhaled tiredly.

"Temari." Jiraiya logged the name away in a rusty memory bank, "Tell me about your mission."

Gaara tried to intervene, "I can—"

Jiraiya stopped him, "Not now. You need to cool off. Go with Naruto and I'll meet you at your house. I'm going to need a nap after the trip we had."

As the young men obediently left the room, Jiraiya dragged a visitor's seat to the bedside and plopped down into it.

---

Gaara decided that he didn't want to exit in front of hospital-dwellers while half manic, so he took the door of the balcony that Naruto had come in from. Naruto followed a few paces behind him, descending down sills and ledges until they landed near a loading dock behind the building.

Sighing heavily, Gaara leaned against the wall and shut his eyes. On the far side of the concrete pitch, laborers were moving supplies off of pallets. They continued making a racket and shouting orders at each other while Naruto stood beside his friend in silence. He watched Gaara's face and puzzled over what to do. How could he lighten the mood? How were they supposed to reconcile themselves with Haku's captivity?

Ever the hardy soul, Naruto had witnessed Gaara's scandalous tiff with his sister and managed to shrug it off. Both had made valid points. Naruto felt mature enough to digest the barbs he had seen them launch at each other, 'Hopefully they won't fight like that all of the time while I'm here…'

When Gaara cracked an eye open and flicked it over to Naruto, he was surprised by the smile on his friend's face.

"I know this is like a tense moment, or something, but I just can't—" Naruto batted at his whiskered cheek as if to ward away the happy expression, "Nope. I can't be upset. Even after all of that."

Gaara swallowed a small laugh and relaxed a bit, shaking his head.

"We'll figure it out, Gaara." Naruto offered succinct reassurance.

"I've told myself that for over a year." Gaara admitted, "But I haven't figured it out."

"Well, I wasn't around to help you strategize." Naruto shrugged a shoulder to show off his Sage cloak, "Sages are wise. I'll brainstorm with you."

Gaara was tempted to mock his good friend in jest as he readily would have in the past, but he opted not to as Naruto gave his arm an encouraging nudge. Something about him felt noticeably different. Maybe it was a psychological effect; that Naruto's return and upbeat mood acted like a contagion and lifted his spirit. But it was more than that, Gaara thought. It felt like life itself radiated off of him. Whatever it was, Gaara appreciated the odd phenomenon.

The Kazekage took another deep breath and then formed a hand sign to create a Shadow Clone. Gaara sent it eastbound in the direction of the administrative building. Then he began to lead Naruto through a series of back alleys where shade was plentiful, mentioning, "You look sunburnt, Naruto."

"I heal quick! My skin will clear up by tonight." He was still buoyant as he kept up with Gaara, "What'd you make that clone for?"

"To get work done at the office. Normally, I attend to my duties in person, but today…" Gaara was rubbing at a tense knot in his neck, "I would rather go home and rest."

Naruto was curious, "Clones can do that kind of work?"

"With practice, they can focus on it. I don't recommend it. Shadow Clones are not as reliable if an emergency arises. Some of my Jounin are also offended when they have to speak to a clone of my making as a surrogate. They prefer an audience with the real me." Gaara supposed, "It's a proprietary thing."

"Guess it is, otherwise you'd always have a clone do the work for ya, right?"

"I would." Gaara seemed calmer when he leapt up to the roof of a brick building on their right, and Naruto followed as Gaara explained, "The first report that came in from the Tide Village late last night…confirmed two deaths on Temari's team, three serious injuries, and that my sister was a captive." Gaara shared a bit of his mindset, "You can understand what my stress levels have been like today."

"I might be able to empathize." Naruto wagered.

While crossing rooftops toward a large, multi-story house straight ahead, Naruto noticed some of Suna's Academy students being chaperoned down on the street below. He goggled at the sight of their fresh, babyish faces.

"Look at 'em, Gaara! Are those new students?"

"They just passed their entrance exams—"

Naruto was hooting in delight, "That's cute how they all walk in a line! Where are they going?"

"At the end of this block is the Shirogane clan's puppet museum and workshop. It's for a class trip." Gaara was amused by Naruto's thrilled, fawning exclamations. Perhaps Naruto's extended stay within the human-less Toad Valley made the sight of children a novelty again.

They touched down before entering what Naruto called a "whopper" of a residence. When entering, Gaara flicked his hand at his friend to sift the sand from Naruto's clothing and travel bag, and then willed it outside. They removed their shoes before moving into the living area.

"So this is…your family's house?" Naruto wanted to make sure they had not wandered into a rich stranger's abode.

"It's been passed down for generations. More people used to live here in the past." Gaara slipped the strap of Naruto's bag from his shoulder and set it aside near a staircase, "You can put this away shortly." He pointed out a sectional in a sitting area, "Rest for now. Do you want water?"

"I'm okay, but I guess I should drink some anyway."

"One of my messengers told me you were faring well in the desert." Gaara said as he ventured into the kitchen for refreshments, "Though the crossing was harder on Sensei."

"He really did his best." Naruto sunk into sofa cushions and leaned back, groaning in relief. He stared up at tall ceilings as a thought occurred to him, "Hey, Gaara?"

An affirmative sound came from the kitchen.

"You said your sister was a captive…but did she say how she got away?"

When Gaara returned with a contemplative frown on his face (because he had not asked Temari that) he handed a glass of water to Naruto before he also took a seat.

Naruto went on, "I don't remember much…about Zabuza…but if she was hurt, I don't see how she got out of there without—"

"Haku must have fought him, then." Gaara tried to imagine the scenario, "More than once."

Naruto was slurping the water, thirstier than he thought he was.

"That's why, at the moment, we have no idea if Haku is severely injured or in good health. If he came to an agreement with…or killed Momochi…" Gaara ran through the options, "We need to reach out to him again."

"Ero-sensei will probably have a suggestion, when he gets here."

"If I didn't have the exam to think about, I would be on my way to that island right this moment." Gaara's fingers raked an anxious pattern over the sofa cushion.

"Can the Kazekage actually leave his village without, you know, an entourage or retainers?"

"It's customary for village leaders to be accompanied. Not that I don't disregard customs when I need to…" He leaned back and shut his eyes, "Though this is no time to be foolish enough to travel alone…or think that I have the correct ninja at my disposal for a follow-up retrieval."

"Well I could—"

"No." Gaara interrupted him, "I know better than to take such a risk."

Naruto suggested they change the subject. He wanted to appreciate the fact that they were sitting around doing nothing together once again. Gaara consented and then informed Naruto that, yes, he could put his feet up on the coffee table to relax because everyone else around here did it.

That reminded Naruto, "Hey, is your brother around?"

"I sent Kankuro on a mission. He was the one who sent me Muta's communication about Temari's capture." Gaara recalled, "Kankuro was also shocked that he didn't need to go looking for Temari— she flew to Tide on her own. I still have him working on a training module, down there. Hidden Leaf is also assisting with a Tide Sealing Corps program."

"How long will it be before those guys can actually handle things on their own?" Naruto wondered.

"It takes time. We forget that our ancestors were constantly asking for the help of other clans and warriors, just to survive in ancient times. Shiogakure's position as a new village is not so different from that."

"Huh, you've got a point there."

Splaying sideways, Gaara stretched out on the couch to get comfortable. He hugged a throw pillow and pointed out to Naruto, "You completed Sage Training."

"Yep. It definitely broadened my horizons." Naruto finished his drink before he too flopped over on the other section of the sofa, "You should go to the Toad Valley, Gaara. Not to bust your ass training though, just for a vacation or something. It's awesome there."

"I might just do that, whenever I can finally take a vacation." Gaara agreed, "I don't think I have any desire to become a Sage."

"The food isn't the best or the worst there."

"So I've heard."

"Yeah. I'll ask Ma or Pa to hold onto this anchor knife in the valley when you want to go, then I can get you there with Hiraishin." Naruto formulated the most practical method of transportation, "The jungle road takes too long, and we can't reverse-summon you there without a contract…"

Gaara tilted his head back to look at his friend, "Anchor knife?"

"This is the only one I have that's got a jutsu-formula attached to it. When I get home I should probably have more of them made." He slipped the kunai from a holster on his belt, "Or maybe I could stick my formula on other stuff."

With an upside-down view, Gaara glimpsed the unusual kunai that his friend had held up. It was of an older, less practical design. He went out on a limb as he assessed, "That belonged to your father."

"Yeah. That's why Ero-sensei gave it to me." Naruto sighed and put the knife away.

"Hm." Gaara had shut his eyes and stuffed the pillow beneath his chin.

It occurred to Naruto that he had never really discussed his newfound parentage in depth with Gaara. Certainly Gaara had read about it in one of the last letters Naruto had sent him, but back then he had no comment on the matter.

After decompressing and lazing about for a while, Gaara spoke up, "It seems a shame…"

Naruto cracked a tired eye open to listen.

"That my terrible father lived as long as he did…and yours, a good man, died." Gaara concluded, "I think it's unfair."

"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Even so, it will still bother me."

"Don't let it bother ya. Ero-sensei told me plenty about my mom and dad…and I feel fine with most of it now." Naruto was a bit sentimental about it, "And if things didn't happen the way they did, I don't know if I would've met you or Haku otherwise. So don't regret it."

A dry chuckle escaped Gaara, impressed by Naruto's perspective on the matter. Indeed, his friend had come back a Sage.

---

That same hour, down south in the Tide Village, Utakata was mildly amused as the young Tide genin named Inari caught up with him outside of the administrative building. Utakata wasn't very popular with children since he'd had a prickly disposition upon arrival, but this particular boy had taken a liking to him.

"Heya Utakata, looks like you're back from a mission—" Inari was being nosy, "What'd they make you do? Did Grandpa ask the council to send you for super-secret stuff? Did you-?"

"It was a routine inspection of cargo vessels, some of which have illegal goods coming from and going to the Land of Water." Utakata fed him the honest, boring truth, "I only beat up three thugs."

"Only three?"

"Not every mission has to be sensational. Count yourself lucky when the stakes aren't high." He gave the rim of Inari's hat a tug, "You know when you wear this that no one can see your hitai-ate, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know…" The boy pulled it off, "It just reminds me of my dad. I should get used to not wearing it every day."

"Hat or no, he is with you." Utakata soothed his young companion. He fiddled with his bubble-blowing pipe as he walked, wondering at his newfound benevolence and social grace while Inari chirped in the affirmative and recalled fond memories out loud.

This place had transformed him; most notably in a literal sense. Utakata glanced down at his outfit, having swapped out his preferred yukata in exchange for dark fatigues and Shiogakure's vibrant, blue Jounin vest. He even sported the Tide Village's headband, an accoutrement he had forsaken since he'd run away from Kirigakure as a teenager.

More surprising than the physical changes were his now frequent mingling with Tide Villagers— a hodge-podge of social classes, ninja, runaways, and businesspeople, all of whom had readily accepted him as one of their own. Strange types were welcome so long as they bore no ill-will, and Tide inhabitants had a sixth sense regarding newcomers who were phony or malicious these days. Unwelcome types were frequently chased out.

His reserved, guarded tendencies had declined in favor of laying down roots in a new and safe home. Utakata much preferred this lifestyle to being on the run.

Inari had gotten his attention again by mentioning, "Yeah, anyways, I saw your girlfriend at the Academy today when I stopped by. She is so nice. She's been tutoring students in Water Style all day, but I thought you said she's only working part time?"

"She's supposed to be working part-time."

"Why? Hotaru-chan told me you guys need to save up money for something."

"We do, but she doesn't need to push herself so hard." Utakata explained, "She just arrived."

"Yeah, I was wondering! What took her so long? She only got here like couple of months ago, but you've been together for a long time. That's weird."

The man clarified, "Two years. I asked Hotaru not to come here right away so that she wouldn't garner too much attention. A portion of her clan has been stalking her, and past confrontations with those outlaws gave us grief. That's how we met."

"She's got family issues?"

"She did. I eliminated a few of her relatives who meant to do her harm, before coming here." Utakata turned off of the main street, Inari keeping up as they approached shinobi training offices, "I believe we can live here without worrying about the Magaki Group."

"Good. The students like her way more than you as a tutor, just sayin'." Inari poked some fun, "Oh, and Menma told me a bunch of Leaf and Sand ninja are back in town!"

"For training. The Sealing Corps' director passed away and the cadets were not prepared to handle things without his leadership."

A valid question from Inari, "Who'll be the new director?"

A heavy sigh answered, "I have no idea. This village is still rather disorganized."

Inari folded his arms behind his head as they proceeded down a road lined with flower boxes, "Maybe a little. Do you think we'll ever have a Kage help run things?"

Utakata gave him an incredulous look, "What? Here? No."

"But, like, I heard some people talking about voting for a Namikage! Someone strong like you or that Saizō guy— you could hold that job down! Then we could join summits and stuff and look way tougher…"

"That's ridiculous." Utakata disagreed, "This village still lacks a steady foundation and an adequate number of experienced shinobi. You certainly won't see me vying for that position, if the council were silly enough to create it."

"How can you be so uninspired?" Inari hissed childishly. He wanted the dream to become reality, yet Utakata did not share the vision.

"Let me tell you something, you starry-eyed novice—" Utakata warned him sternly, "Don't ever think that a village will be more prosperous just because it possesses a Kage, or think that a village can't succeed because it doesn't have one. Many villages have councils or pseudo-figureheads and that's enough. And look to the Mist Village for an example," Utakata went on, "It has had four Mizukages and the village remains in shambles. Prosperity does not correlate with a powerful ninja holding office."

Inari gave his time-worn companion an annoyed look before conceding, "You're definitely right about that." Then he muttered, "But I still want one, it'd be cool. The Star Village has a Hoshikage and she was awesome."

"Inari, that's a ceremonial title. Hoshigakure isn't invited to Kage Summits."

"Maybe this year it'll be different!"

Utakata resisted a small smile, "Petition for it, if you feel that strongly. Tide, Star, Waterfall, Grass, Dream, and others haven't been represented thus far. Maybe they need to hold their own meetings?"

Jolted by the suggestion, Inari playfully punched his friend in the arm and left the training district to campaign for the idea.

Utakata passed the gate for the Sealing Corps' building and received a nod from a guard. He helped himself to tea and honey at a refreshment table, and then poked his face into the open door of an auditorium. Apart from many Tide Village greenhorns, the only ninja present that Utakata recognized was Kankuro of the Sand Village. They had gotten along rather well nearly two weeks ago over dinner. Beside Kankuro was a turban-wearing Sand kunoichi with a large sealing scroll.

Discreetly, Utakata caught Kankuro's eye and beckoned him over, then he spoke with the puppet user outside of the lecture hall, "Hello again. Who are all of these people?"

"The bunch at the front, see them? All from Hidden Leaf." Kankuro spoke softly, "Hi, by the way. Let's see if I remember their names…the Leaf Sealing commissioner who's speaking now, that's Shimura Mochinaga. He brought two Sealing analysts with him from Leaf and they're good. Putting Tide cadets through their paces now…" He pointed to the middle-aged Leaf kunoichi, "That's Sarutobi Hosoka, and that—" Kankuro pointed to a man correcting a Tide cadet, "Is Wada Agoro."

Utakata took a sip of his tea, "How disgruntled they all look…"

"Well, they want to train these up-and-coming Sealing experts the way they would in Leaf, but Tide newbies lack the confidence and discipline. It'll be a bumpy ride." Kankuro shook his head, "The Sand training program did hold their hands a lot. I guess that didn't do much good when it came time for cadets to pass practicals."

"Who is that?" Utakata meant the Sand kunoichi.

"That's Maki." Kankuro informed him, "She's our new Sealing Commissioner."

"She's young to be a commissioner." Utakata noted her appearance and pretty face.

"Pff, not so young anymore. She's your age—" Kankuro stopped himself when he saw Utakata's eyes widen in offense.

"Are you saying I'm not young?" The man grumbled, "I'm not even thirty yet."

"Your file said twenty-six—" Kankuro felt like rolling with the joke and antagonizing him because Utakata's reaction was entertaining.

"-well don't say it aloud—"

"If you feel so young there's no reason to be ashamed of the number, is there?" He lightly elbowed Utakata's flak jacket, "Why so uptight all of the time?"

"I'll send you back to the Kazekage stuffed inside that puppet you're carrying on your back." Utakata warned quietly.

"Man, you can't take a joke-!" Kankuro snickered, "Utakata, I work with fossils in my village, that's how ancient most of our veteran ninja are. Don't sweat age as long as your skin still has elasticity. That's the way we see it at home."

"By that line of reasoning, I suppose I should have no complaints." Utakata emptied his cup in a gulp, "I'm only sensitive because I am older than Hotaru."

Kankuro vaguely remembered the name, "Isn't that your—?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, you mentioned her during your visit." He nodded as he remembered, "What, she's about…twenty—?"

Utakata shook his head.

Kankuro was momentarily appalled, "Younger? Holy shit."

"Nineteen isn't much difference." Utakata defended, "She's a thoughtful, down-to-earth adult."

"I can say I am just barely that." Kankuro felt enlightened, "But it sounds like you're a lucky guy."

The men hushed up when Maki approached them, "Shimura-sama just asked us to leave. We're distracting the cadets…" She brushed past Kankuro and Utakata, "Why don't we go to the annex and see how the Sensory Corps is doing? A Leaf Sensory Specialist is supposed to be visiting too."

They migrated westward through the building, even though Kankuro was under the impression the Sensory Corps in Shiogakure was in decent shape. The look on Utakata's face suggested to him that Tide sensors in fact also needed work. When they passed through the archway and glimpsed into a conference room, a gaggle of Tide ninja animatedly invited the visitors in. A handsome Leaf ninja with long blonde hair sat in the center of a ring of Tide sensor-ninja.

"Ah, so this is him." The Leaf ninja got a look at Utakata, "Don't fret. This sensory team was telling me what it's like to feel your chakra. You are very distinct."

"I prefer if you refrain from discussing…my chakra…so openly." Utakata advised.

"It's alright. All of this is kept in confidentiality. We're focusing on density distinctions and what to do in the rare event two or more chakras we sense feel identical to us. Oh." He gave a small bow of greeting from where he sat, "I'm Yamanaka Inoshishi, Sensory specialist of Konohagakure; you've probably heard of our leader, Inoichi."

"Yeah, we may have heard about you guys." Kankuro was pleasant, "Kankuro of the Sand. This is Suna's Sealing Commissioner, Maki." When Kankuro introduced his companion, she gave an acknowledging nod and smile.

Inoshishi was heartened when the jinchuriki introduced himself, a bit more relaxed, "And I am Awa Utakata."

"Very pleased to meet you." Inoshishi was genuinely affable.

"Your lesson appears to be going better than the lecture for the Sealing cadets." Maki pointed out, "They looked miserable in there." The comment earned a titter of laughter from the Sensors.

"Well, Leaf's Sealing Corps can be…very rigid." Inoshishi rubbed his nose as he searched for a description, "I don't think we've ever seen new recruits with so little practical experience or without backgrounds in their specializations."

"That's because Leaf is spoiled with talent." Kankuro teased.

"Quite an accurate diagnosis, actually." Inoshishi agreed, "Utakata-san, do you know Reijiro? He just joined Tide's Sensory Corps recently, after leaving Hidden Mist."

Utakata scanned his eyes over a twiggy, dark-haired man at a desk who quailed under his gaze. Kankuro gave an acknowledgment that Temari had even worked with him, not long ago.

"I, uh…" Reijiro shrunk in his seat, "…was probably still in the Academy while you were in Kirigakure, Utakata-sama…"

"I think I do remember you." Utakata rested his hand on his hip, "Bragging to your classmates that you could take me in a fight."

The Tide sensory group had another laugh at Reijiro's expense, but the recent inductee snapped back at them, reminding his new friends of the stupid shit they claimed on a daily basis. Of course he had no desire to fight Utakata; he'd been a dumb kid then. Inoshishi sort of lost control of the class after that, and Tide ninja chatted amongst themselves and even pestered Kankuro and Maki with curious questions.

Some of the sensors that were familiar with Utakata turned to him, complaining about another popular Mist-defector who now lived in the Tide Village. The grievance was with the other Jounin council co-chair, Kiriyama Saizō, and that today he was getting married on the beach and he had not invited anyone from the Sensory and Sealing Corps to attend. The group had taken offense to the exclusion now that they had gotten to know each other so well.

"Yeah, it stinks that he only invited other Mist transplants like him, but not any of us." One fellow groused, "I'm surprised he didn't invite you, Utakata-san."

"I was invited." Utakata made sure they knew it, so he could listen to their groans of frustration.

Utakata continued to scold the easygoing, epicurean group, "If I were in his place, I wouldn't have invited any of you whiners either. I seriously doubt Saizō could afford to feed so many gluttons."

They weren't even mad at the observation. The group laughed until Inoshishi was able to rein them in again to resume the lesson. Maki suggested they visit the Jounin Council building to see if any other needs of Tide's standard forces weren't being met, but Utakata said he would only join them halfway across town. He had just gotten off of a mission and had shopping to do.

"That's fine." Kankuro led the way out of the building and back onto the colorful esplanade, "I don't suppose you heard about my sister's team passing through here?"

"Who didn't? They were a bloody mess." Utakata remarked, "What were they doing?"

"They were supposed to retrieve a friend of the Kazekage's from an island in the Land of Water, but Momochi Zabuza threw a monkey wrench into that assignment. It's a long story…but Temari nearly didn't make it out of there." He recapped.

"They should not tread carelessly around Swordsmen of Mist."

Kankuro was a bit tense, "If Momochi ever turns up around here…"

"No need for you or the Kazekage to worry," Utakata assured him, "Zabuza would meet a swift end if he crossed me in this village."

They parted at the market with pleasantries, and while the Sand ninja continued on Utakata idled around food stands to look for deals. He handled most of the shopping. Since Hotaru had begun to work in the Tide Village, she often got too caught up in teaching or making acquaintances. She did her best to adhere to the times she quoted him, but she was almost never home early enough to cook anything.

Utakata bought trout fillets that looked appealing, and a basketful of vegetables that had been grown locally. Around that time, a lazy, squeaky, masculine voice in the back of his mind asked him, Isn't that the beer you like over there?

'It is.' Utakata smiled to himself as he walked past a display of alcohol, ignoring it.

Get some! This market is dirt cheap. How long has it been since you lived this easy?

'We won't be having that today, Saiken. You can get a buzz some other time.'

Sure, I've got an idea then. We should go back to the shop that sells those make-you-high lollipops and sweets, and you can get something next door for your lady too like a milk-tea or whatever.

'Sorry, no treats. If Hotaru can't indulge then I won't either.'

She won't care! Saiken protested.

'Knock it off, you crybaby slug.'

Watch how you're talking to me, bubblehead!

It was friendly banter, as it often was. Eventually the Biju he hosted settled down and accepted that a healthy dinner would be served that night. Utakata only heard the occasional whine as he bought paper goods.

After that, he crossed town to the oldest part of the village, where shady trees stood tall in rows beside spacious houses. He liked that the area was less crowded than the newer, more developed parts of the Tide Village. It was only a short distance away from the docks on the lagoon. Hotaru sometimes cast a fishing pole out there on quiet mornings. Just a bit further of a walk, sandwiched between the beach and forest was where Tazuna still lived with his daughter and Inari. Utakata could hear the boy's dog barking in the distance.

Utakata crossed a grassy yard overgrown with clover and violets, then unlocked the front door of a rental cottage. Before going inside, he noticed an osprey soaring triumphantly up from the lagoon with a fish clenched in its talons. He entered and shut the door, but pulled up the blinds of the sitting room's window so he could watch the hawk land and dine on its prey in the front yard. Utakata went from room to room putting away items, pulled his vest and fatigues off in the bedroom, and redressed in the yukata he preferred lazing about in.

Afternoon light shone through the windows and brightened the place. Utakata didn't realize he was smiling to himself. He was only vaguely aware that he was not scrounging around for food like he used to, searching for shelter or settling beneath a lean-to or tree for the night. There was no longer any pressure to flee pursuers from Mist on a near daily basis, fight against rogues and criminals who saw him only for bounties on his head. The pain of being away from the home he once knew, and of being unable to trust anyone he came across had abated. Though Utakata was uncertain how he'd gotten so lucky, he had finally run to the right place, 'And with the right person…'

Saiken muttered at him to remember to refill on soap-mixture before he forgot, Don't want to be caught unaware and unable to use jutsu…

'It wouldn't be the end of the world. I have you.'

Yeah, but I can't do it all! You're our first line of defense.

He did as instructed and refilled containers of liquid he kept on hand for missions. For the rest of the afternoon, Utakata toiled making a stock for soup and other delicacies for an evening meal. While waiting on a pot to simmer, he sat at a table beside a small window that overlooked the side yard and lagoon. Utakata jotted recollections down on a pad regarding the last place he had eaten, as he now had a proclivity for reviewing eateries and was a popular food critic. Oh, how civilized life had changed him! His days of running through the wilderness felt so far away.

Hey make sure you mention how that place serves desserts too…Saiken reminded him of features he missed. His Biju was also very enthusiastic about flavor and food. Utakata sometimes wondered if he should credit Saiken as a collaborator for reviews.

The sun sank lower in the sky, the soup came together, the trout fillets roasted, and the cries of seagulls out over the water quieted. Crickets began to replace the sea's music. He finished writing and, with all food prepared and covered, decided to relax on a lounger with a whimsical shibori print on it. Hotaru had bought the chair, citing that she appreciated its 'personality.'

She's gonna be home late again. Just eat.

'I'm going to wait.'

Utakata, that girl is always making you wait. Why not have some wine before she gets back? See, then she won't be missing out.

'As thanks for the patience she has had with me, this is the least I can do.'

She's supposed to be working fewer hours.

'I know.'

Remember when she used to want you to teach her jutsu, and that she followed you around and bugged you? Only you could be her teacher! Now she's the one off teaching little guppies. It's coming full circle, my friend.

'She wanted to learn how to better defend herself from those in the Tsuchigumo clan that betrayed her. It wasn't that she personally wanted to learn anything from me.'

Oh yes she did.

Red-faced, Utakata thought, 'Shut up.'

Ha! Just kiddin'. She loves you a lot which I find impressive. Only your mom and Shishou cared about you before this, so after them I thought it was all going downhill.

'Whenever you're ready you can stop having an opinion, Saiken.'

You need my opinions— you even write them down!

'I listen to you because for so long you were the only one listening to me. You're important to me. But please…don't bring up embarrassing subjects.'

Nothin' to be embarrassed about!

'You apparently don't know how to be embarrassed, Saiken.'

I think that's a good thing, though. The slug sighed, It sure is nice here. Comfy bed, and a whole house to yourself with the little lady. Comfy chair…hey, how about that wine now?

'I told you already, no.'

Why is it that when she can't have something you make a point to not have it either-?

The door creaked open and Hotaru bustled inside, stepping out of her shoes in one practiced motion. She nearly slid on the waxed wood floor, bending fast in a bow of apology, "I'm sorry! You wouldn't believe how crazy the classes got."

"It's fine." Utakata blinked when she rushed over to him, reaching to hold his cheeks in her hands. She seemed teary and her shoulders tense. Even while anxious she was a pretty woman— light, sandy hair and deep green eyes.

"You're not mad?" Hotaru double-checked.

"No." Utakata confirmed again with his face scrunched.

Hotaru exhaled roughly and released him, setting her day bag down. She motioned for him to relocate to the table when she moved still-warm dishes and the soup pot. She was taking deep breaths to calm down.

"Gosh, I am just out of control with these emotions lately." She shook her head to try and snap out of it, "I promise I won't be out that late again. Today was rough, even for overtime pay at the Academy."

Taking a seat across from her, Utakata said as he lifted chopsticks, "I really don't think you should be working at all."

"We need the money. All that traveling was fine while we were broke, but staying in one place adds up." Hotaru ladled soup into bowls while eyeing the other dishes on the table hungrily. She was grateful that Utakata added morsels to her plate first.

"It is more expensive to live here, but I'll be paid better for missions." He tried reasoning his way through the minor disagreement, "And you don't have much control over class capacities and how long student training will take. If you like to do it, I understand. But you need to tell the administrator."

"Tell him what?" Hotaru spoke through a mouthful of delicious, flaky trout.

"That you'll be taking leave within the next month."

"I'm sure I can go another two months without getting tired."

"Let a doctor tell you whether or not that's possible."

"Fuh." Hotaru was in a better mood while eating, "Fine, then. But what if the administrator fires me? I'm worried I won't get my position back."

"Then they don't deserve you."

"Utakata, I'm serious! I really like working for the Academy."

"If they have no employee protection policies, then I don't see the point in you working there."

She would not relent, "Well I do, so maybe I'll ask Tazuna-san if he can put a word in for me when I go back."

The debate went on and on in circles until dinner was finished. Utakata fussed when she tried to clean up, and took over the more intensive tasks. He let Hotaru run along to rinse off and bathe, and worked while Saiken offered commentary on his personal life that he didn't need, once again.

When night cloaked the world outdoors, Utakata locked the place up and drew the window shades. He retired to the bedroom and rolled onto the mattress with a yawn. He would probably be asleep by the time Hotaru was done with her bath. Saiken joked that he was really an old man at heart.

Utakata stared over at the room's desk, where Hotaru's collage of newspaper clippings and photos of goofy Tide Village inhabitants was still an incomplete piece. She was proud of his published contributions to newsletters and daily papers. She snipped out his articles to save them, even though Utakata thought it a frivolous pastime. Hotaru explained that it was just a joyful reminder of how much their lives had improved. After a time, his eyes drifted shut, but he hovered on the edge of consciousness— aware of sounds and motion in the room.

Hotaru had pulled on her pajamas and clambered into bed, trying not to disturb him at first. She tested him with a whisper to see if he was still awake.

"Sorry that I didn't ask you about your day..." She said quietly.

"We had other things to discuss." Utakata croaked a reply without opening his eyes.

"Want to tell me about your mission?" Hotaru had sidled up next to him, adjusting her pillows.

"It was rather boring. Lots of boat shipments. There were not as many criminals as we expected trying to pull a fast one on inspectors."

"Because you were there."

"Or they were just slacking off. They weren't afraid of me initially."

"You got home on time, I bet. Did you get to see anyone today?" Hotaru wondered.

"Sabakuno Kankuro and Suna's Sealing Commissioner were in town. I met some Leaf ninja too…" He paused for a wide yawn, "Spoke to them. Saizō's wedding was today."

"That was today?" She chirped.

"Did you want to go?" He opened his eyes to get a read on her.

"I kind of wanted you to introduce me to your friends from Mist." She mumbled.

"Well," Utakata was amused, "We weren't friends when we lived in Kirigakure, though we are now. I didn't know it was important to you."

"I guess it isn't really. I'm just trying to meet more people in the village."

"I will introduce you to them as soon as our paths cross again." Utakata snaked his arms around her waist, "It will probably be a more memorable meeting, since Saizō won't be distracted by festivities. He may taunt me about not being married though."

"We'll get around to it." She tucked her hands under her chin, beaming, "There's just been so much to think about, lately."

"Yes. We need to keep our priorities straight. On that note…" He rubbed the small of her back and asked, "Will you stop procrastinating a doctor's visit? You need an appointment."

"I couldn't get one this week." Hotaru provided a lame excuse with a small smile.

"You never bothered scheduling it." Utakata pointed out.

"I know, I know. I just got nervous when I walked into the office the other day…so I walked back out." She admitted sheepishly.

"Hotaru," Utakata pulled her into his front, "You can't quit like that. I need to know how to take care of you now that we're expecting a child. You need to be informed too."

She was nodding and poking the bare skin of his shoulder, uncovered by his robe.

"I'll go with you in the morning." He brushed his lips against her forehead, "To talk to someone. If they can see you right away, I'll stay if you want me to. If it's busy, we'll find something else to do."

"That would make it easier." Hotaru agreed with a sigh.

"You have nothing to worry about." Utakata told her.

She tucked her face against his neck, breathing in his scent, "I know. I've just had a bad feeling since yesterday."

"Oh?" His voice was pleasantly scratchy, "About what?"

"I can't put my finger on it. We should stay away from the beach. I think we should also ask the Sensory Corps to be more vigilant. Something's just not right." Hotaru tried to make sense of her suspicions.

Utakata raised a brow at her, but he would not dismiss her intuition, "I'll pass that along."

"Thanks. It could be nothing, you know."

"Let's hope it is."

She relaxed and told him, "I'm not trying to worry you, Utakata."

"Do I," He paused to yawn, "…look worried?"

---

"What's with all of this lettuce?" Naruto demanded an explanation.

Gaara shifted Naruto to the side, away from plates of food that needed preparing. He took over the work at the table, cutting marinated short ribs into small slices, "It's for ssambap."

"What the heck is that?"

"A Joseon dish. It's popular in Hidden Sand now." Gaara clacked a measuring cup in front of his friend, "Fill that with water for the rice."

"I just got here and you're putting me to work…" Naruto did as instructed, smiling because he really didn't mind.

"If you intend to eat here, you'll help." Gaara informed him, "It's different with my brother and sister around. They're better at this."

Naruto added water to the rice cooker and flipped the switch, which was about the only job his friend thought he could handle. That— and mixing together a dipping sauce in a bowl. Though Gaara claimed his siblings were more learned in cooking, Naruto was still quite impressed by his skills.

By the time the meat was grilled and the rice was done, Jiraiya had turned up. He stood in the egress of the kitchen to admire the sight of his two students being homebodies, "This is precious."

Naruto was sloppily setting the table, "You could've helped, Ero-sensei."

"No way, I had to take that bath. It restored me to a pristine shine." Jiraiya merrily seated himself while Naruto made a face at him, "Cool it. It's great seeing Gaara domesticate you, kid. You've become a shaggy beast and you need to learn how to hold a house down."

"Not why I'm here; but okay."

Gaara set a tray of grilled meat slices and lettuce on the table. When Jiraiya also asked him what in the heck this stuff was, Gaara gave him the same answer he gave Naruto. Recipes in his family were eclectic and sourced from many regions. Gaara thanked Naruto for his assistance when rice was scooped into bowls.

"Hey, don't you have any sake in this palace of yours?" Jiraiya wondered.

"No." Gaara dashed the thought.

"Don't speak to your master like that." He raised his chin impatiently, "Obviously you do. Your sister told me she needed a drink when she gets out of the hospital tomorrow."

"That doesn't mean you're entitled to the wine here. All of it belongs to Temari, anyway." Gaara dismissed it, "You might be my master, but I'm the Kazekage."

Sitting down, Naruto's delighted hoooooooo approved of the comeback, which only irritated Jiraiya. It had yet to sink in for Naruto that his friend was in fact a village leader. Things felt rather commonplace in their current environment. Jiraiya grumbled and accepted a cup of tea instead.

The phrase Itadakimasu had only just left Naruto's lips as he crammed a lettuce wrap into his mouth. It was overstuffed with meat and rice, but no wayward bits of food escaped his maw. Each human-diet meal since leaving the Toad Valley had been a joyful experience.

"So," Jiraiya said as he picked up meat slices with chopsticks, "I've had a thought about what to do for Haku. Speaking to Temari cleared a few things up for me."

Gaara was slightly mystified, "Like what?"

"Well, based on what your sister told me, Haku is being treated like a prisoner and plaything by Momochi Zabuza." Jiraiya stuffed a lettuce wrap and concluded, "Since Haku can't get that gorilla to give him the baseline of respect he deserves, and believe me, Haku's written to me saying that he's tried…" He took a bite, "I'll just talk to Momochi."

"…?" Naruto's mouth was full, but the dumbfounded look on his face was a recognizable response.

Gaara wrapped a piece of lettuce so tight that its contents spilled out the sides, "…Sensei."

"Yeah?"

"Momochi Zabuza isn't the kind of person you can just talk to." Gaara provided a reality check.

"In the traditional sense, no, he's not." Jiraiya agreed, "But there's some utility in sending me. I'm flexible. I can negotiate or sneak up on someone in Sage Mode to rough 'em up. You two stay here to concentrate on the Exam, and I'll see what I can do for Haku."

"But why even bother reasoning with him?" Naruto downed his food while gesticulating dubiously.

"Because even shitheads have a part to play, sometimes. Might as well try to direct that bastard's bad temper and energy into something useful. You know, like actually figuring out Hidden Mist's situation. That's a boon to us." Jiraiya expounded on the idea, "I doubt Momochi is used to taking orders from a supervisor…it's been a long time since he's done that. But that'll be healthy for him— it could keep his sorry ass alive if the Mist Rebellion decides to off him because he's too wild. I've gotten rowdy spies under control in the past. It's worked out great."

"You want to make him one of your spies?" Gaara highly disapproved, "…he tried to kill my sister. He killed two of my ninja."

"Gaara, he tried to kill pretty much all of you at one point or another. I do genuinely regret that harm came to your people, make no mistake." The man reminded him, "But a bit of psychology can work wonders. Leave it to me. Oh, and he wouldn't be my lackey…" Jiraiya cleared that up, "He'd be Haku's."

Naruto lost an entire wrap in a saucer of dipping paste, shocked again, "You lost me, Perv."

"There's an attachment there that can be leveraged. Inexplicable as it may be, Temari told me about it. It seems to be one-sided, so…" Jiraiya smirked, "Let me just talk to that asshole and see what can be done. We could get valuable intel or cooperation out of this, or at least get Haku out of there if that's what he wants."

Gaara sniffed, "Of course that's what he wants."

"Right." Jiraiya sighed, "Now I'm going to ban this topic of discussion for a while, at least until I'm ready to set out south for crisis intervention."

"Are you gonna give it a few days? You're still kind of beat." Naruto observed.

"Yeah." Jiraiya was chewing, "I want to do at least one book signing before I mop up another one of my kids' messes."

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto was somewhat relieved, though Gaara seemed to be google-eyed and tense after the discussion. "Is there anything you can tell me about the exam, Gaara?" He wanted to snap his friend out of it.

After a few deep breaths, Gaara wound down again, "There are a few things I can share ahead of time that won't give you an unfair advantage."

Naruto was all ears.

"There weren't many Genin enrolling from Konoha at all. Including you, there were three in total. The third enrollment may be called into question because it lacked the correct application permissions. I'll look into that in the morning. Rosters are finalized by the end of the week." Gaara explained, "If the third Leaf enrollee is disqualified, you'll be given a single-entrant replacement. That individual may come from any village."

"Isn't that kind of…?" Naruto shrugged it off, "Actually, that doesn't bother me."

"It shouldn't. Most participants in this exam will be strangers to each other. Few complete teams entered. With that in mind, teamwork will still matter…but adaptation and critical thinking are more important. Ad hoc solutions will be necessary to complete tasks." Gaara informed him, "There are no formal 'stages.' A series of simultaneous objectives will be assigned to all teams to test them and their capabilities."

Jiraiya was chuckling. Some unique, fresh hell was probably in store for unsuspecting trainees.

"Alright. I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that exam dishes out." Naruto was feeling good about it.

"My only advice to you is: don't let your teammates drag you down, if they aren't equipped to pass." Gaara offered, "Individual assessments are required for an exam like this, since some teams will be unfamiliar with each other. Your points and evaluation do not ride on those accompanying you."

"Good advice." Jiraiya agreed, "Don't let wimps hang onto your coattails, Naruto. If you take pity on them and try to support them so they can pass…that doesn't help them when they're Chunin that can't handle the missions they're assigned."

"Come on, I know that." He swirled meat in the dipping sauce.

With the conclusion of dinner, Jiraiya was kind enough to take part in the clean-up. Gaara showed them to their rooms afterward, and then Jiraiya patted the boys on their heads before retiring to sleep. Gaara directed Naruto to the bathroom, "Clean up here. I'll leave your bag in the room beside mine."

Left in solitude within the wide, tiled room, Naruto gladly stripped off his grainy clothing. His scuffed-up skin, complete with a lopsided farmer's tan, was a sight to behold in the vanity mirror, 'Jeez…I didn't know I looked this rough…' Bathing tools and a stool had been neatly tucked aside after Jiraiya had used them earlier. Naruto rinsed himself as the tub filled, finally starting to feel a bit of weariness. It had been a while since he had traveled cross country with Jiraiya, or had to think about how he socialized in the setting of a ninja village. His brain was rapidly recalibrating.

'Yeah. Come to think of it, it's been a while since I've worked on a team…' Naruto lathered his hair while thinking about the Accelerated Exam's requirements. 'Something about simultaneous tasks…points…I'm gonna guess we'll be tested out in the desert.' Which he could live with. 'And I won't know the people on my team very well at all. If they really do start dragging me down…' He arrived at a key question, 'What am I supposed to do? Would I lose points for abandoning them? Or for trying to drag them along? What if they're brand new rookies who have no idea what a promotional Exam is like?'

Naruto rinsed himself and sighed. Maybe an evaluator's explanation on the day of the test would clear up that last concern. Surely the orchestrators of the Exam had kept in mind that unacquainted teams would pose a challenge. He stepped into the tub and hoped that there was some kind of unorthodox system in place; that maybe the test was an exercise in cooperating with the ninja of other villages as well as one's own team. 'That'd make sense, since Gaara likes to arrange alliances when he can. We prefer it when other villages aren't hostile…'

He leaned back in the water but did not fully relax. There was a tingle that travelled from his head down to his fingertips, and then an involuntary jerk of his arm created a large splash of water. Naruto realized he was hearing Hinata's screech of embarrassment in his head.

"Hinata!" He kept his voice down, "It's alright! Don't leave. I won't look or anything." Naruto wanted to placate her before she terminated the jutsu's link, "Just finishing up a bath, I can get out and dress if—"

Her voice came again in a warble, N-No, it's fine…

He sat, angling himself comfortably to stare only at cupboard on the wall stocked with soaps and other bottled luxuries. He might've laughed at his girlfriend's timidity on any other occasion, but Naruto felt as if Hinata were a butterfly on the loose lately. When he had left the Toad Valley, she had been evasive on that visit. Startling or embarrassing her further would not be conducive to having productive talk.

Naruto kept his voice down, knowing that Gaara could probably overhear him next door talking to himself, "I know it's only been about, what? Five days now? But I've missed you. How have you been?"

I am well! I'm sorry that I've been so busy, Naruto-kun. Kurenai-sensei asked us to help her pack belongings because she will be moving to a new home soon once she is married. And missions have—

"Married-?!"

To Asuma-sensei.

"Whoa." Naruto had not been aware of that.

Missions take up a lot more of my time than they used to…and I sat to observe a Village Council meeting for the first time, when my father brought me along. Neji-niisan will do that sometimes too.

"Huh. Was it boring?"

I think others found it boring, but everything was so new to me I was able to listen and pay attention. Hinata added in summation, Everyone is doing well…and if I knew exactly when you would be home, I would be counting down the days on my calendar!

Naruto chuckled, "Hah! You'd do that for me?" His face dropped slightly as he recalled how she had acted distantly when she had last contacted him, "Hey, Hinata…is there anything that you want to tell me?"

—! Tell you? Her nervous reaction carried into his body, making Naruto's fingers curl along the edge of the tub.

"Yeah." He muttered, "It's just…I felt like you didn't want to tell me much the week before. I miss you and I could be totally wrong about this…but I just want to know that nothing's wrong, or that you're not mad at me?"

I'm not mad at you at all. Hinata quickly offered that assurance, pulling herself together, Nothing is wrong, Naruto. I've been distracted… She halted the train of thought.

She wanted to bring up Kurama, the seal, the things Kurama told her, and talk about what she supposed Kurama was…but Naruto had drawn himself into a ball in the water, feeling her residual nervousness. Though she spoke to calm him, neither of them truly felt that way.

Please don't worry. She tried again, There is nothing to worry about, Naruto. I feel like I've learned so much lately, and it's a lot to take in. I have many…questions. Hinata bolstered him with: We can talk about anything we want to when you are home. Anything at all!

Naruto stretched out again and took a breath, "There is a lot I want to tell you…"

We can have snacks and talk all night!

"You want to see me stuff my face with junk? Because that's the first thing I need to buy and eat when I get home." Naruto warned.

I've had delicious ramen lately, and the restaurant owner and I talked about you. He can't wait to have you back, Naruto.

"—you're eating ramen?"

With Chouji-kun and Tama-chan, sometimes. Hinata confirmed.

"I didn't have any fear of missing out until just now." He folded his hands on his chest, smiling, "We have a lot of dates to go on…ma-aaajor catching up to do."

Her voice was fluttery, I know.

Naruto nearly got hung up on the thought of kissing her, carding his fingers through her hair and stroking the skin of her slender neck. He shuddered and warded the thought away.

Naruto-kun?

"Yeah?"

I am not exactly sure where you are right now. It feels like…

"Oh! This is Gaara's house." He could hear her delighted stammering in his head, "I was kind of gross after crossing the desert so he made me wash up. Ero-sensei went to bed already."

Gaara-kun and Haku-kun must be so happy to see you! Hinata's voice reached new, squeaky heights.

Naruto's facial muscles froze in an unconvincing smile, "Yeah. They are. I think…" He cleared his throat a little, "I'm the most excited."

Hee hee! I can't wait to talk to them again. It's been too long. Hinata added, When will the Accelerated Exam start, Naruto-kun?

"The day after tomorrow…uh…at least that's what I remember the invitation saying."

Is Haku-kun participating?

"Nah…he's kind of…busy with something else." He phrased it feebly.

Oh. Her silence was thoughtful before she went on, I don't know if there will be other Leaf applicants who will join you.

"Me neither. Gaara told me there were only two others, and one of them may be disqualified already. Something about paperwork…" Naruto relaxed a bit more, "Even if I have to meet new people and work with them, it'll be fine. I've done that sort of thing before."

That's good! I'm confident you will pass.

"Thanks."

But really, what I want most of all… Hinata had subconsciously arranged his hands to fidget, pointer-fingers aligned …is for you to be home. I'm trying to be patient, but I catch myself daydreaming about it all of the time.

"Yeah?" Naruto shut his eyes while smiling.

I keep thinking about you visiting me at my house, like you used to. While I gardened or spent time with my family…I liked how you would surprise me sometimes. A small sigh sounded in his head, When I know you're home I'll rush through my routines and team obligations a little.

"I might do that too." He admitted, "I might…bug you, every day."

N-No— I mean! You won't bother me. I want to see you every day, Naruto.

"Good, because it's going to be hard for me to keep my distance." Mischievousness inched into his grin, "I might squeeze you a little when I hug you."

I would like tha—

"Sneak up on you from behind, sometimes…"

She promised sweetly, If I notice, I'll pretend I didn't.

"Maybe I could get away with holding your hand while we walk around town?"

I don't see why anyone should object to that!

"Some people don't like me."

I don't care what they think. Hinata asserted.

"Phew." Naruto's smile stretched a bit more, "I guess we shouldn't care. Though I won't…kiss you in front of anyone."

—! Her bashfulness was evident.

"So…" His voice was a touch lower, "It's not going to be like it was when I left, you know."

What isn't?

"Kissing."

Oh. She inadvertently made him gulp.

"I'll probably…be closer to you— be more greedy." Naruto supposed, "Maybe not so shy and innocent."

I…I… Hinata composed herself …don't mind that.

"Well, why don't you tell me what you'd like?" He adopted a rakish, flirtatious tone, "I'm definitely going to kiss you when I get back, Hinata…but how do you want me to do it?"

A stir of commotion in the bathwater revealed that Hinata's tendency to fidget was manifest. She clamored nonsensically in Naruto's head for a few seconds. Then she went quiet.

Naruto apologized in case that had been a step too far, "Sorry…I didn't say that to embarrass you."

It's alright…if you…really want to know... Hinata raised his hand up and poked Naruto's face with a fingertip, Kiss me here.

"Just on the cheek? That's kid stuff."

There's nothing wrong with that.

"Is that what you really want?" He asked.

…not really.

"Then where?"

She tapped his lips and Naruto grinned again, feeling vindicated.

I want…many kisses, Naruto-kun.

"For you, I have an endless supply."

Not just my mouth… She worked up some courage, Would you…kiss here too? Hinata prodded his shoulder.

The idea still seemed within bounds, at least he thought so. Naruto concurred, "I sure will."

Then his hand traveled laterally and rested on his neck, And here.

A fluttering sensation stirred in his stomach, a heat that was both coy and hungry rising up to color his face. Naruto agreed slowly, "…and there. I will."

Hinata did nothing more after that. She didn't have to. His mind had already wandered ahead to other conclusions, anticipating what she would want. It was thrilling for all of a moment before Naruto had to lean back and cross his arm over his eyes, trying to calm down. How many times would he have to cope with the embarrassment of his girlfriend being completely aware of how turned on he was?

...I'll… There was a satisfied, rascally edge to Hinata's voice, Go home now.

He replied in a short breath, "Yeah, maybe…"

I promise I will talk to you again in a few days, Naruto-kun.

"Okay, that's fine. Uh…" Naruto cleared his throat softly, "Should I be apologizing for…anything…just now?"

Never. Her answer was bold.

Then, just as suddenly as she has appeared to him, Hinata departed. Naruto wondered at the speed with which she had gone from being timid about encountering him in a bathtub…to teasing him and maybe even approving of the compromising position she had him in. Naruto took several deep breaths and tried to relax, 'I have no idea how I'm supposed to…keep my cool around her when I get home.' He slumped down in the water, 'Just when I think I'm clever and sexy, Hinata schools me…!'

Before his imagination could meander again, Naruto rose up from the tub and drained it. He dried off while grumbling to himself, trying to reason with a boner that really needed to quit it. Eventually, the excitement subsided and he ventured down the hall to his guest room, rummaging for sleep clothes in his travel bag. Naruto dressed and then fetched a toothbrush. He hung his towel to dry in the washroom and brushed his teeth, still tangled in thought, 'It's alright. It's awesome seeing Hinata go beyond that shy side of hers— not that I minded it! She was still cute! But I like every side of her. I can't wait to…learn more about her.'

Good grief was he easily aroused. Frustrated, Naruto spat and rinsed in the bathroom sink and shook himself from head to toe like a dog, trying to get a grip. It was too risky to think about her even for a few seconds. He was wired to respond to even the barest hints of his girlfriend. It was going to be challenging seeing Hinata on a daily basis without making a fool of himself. Naruto calmed down again and examined his reflection in the mirror, 'Oh. I put my shirt on inside out.' He pulled it off, corrected it, and slipped it back on, 'I'm losing my damn mind.'

He arrived in Gaara's room unceremoniously, and was confused by the sight of his friend bent over a writing desk. "You're not still working, are you?" Naruto wondered.

"Technically, no." Gaara spoke over his shoulder, "I'm just making note of what my sister told me today. And Sensei's plan. In the event all of this…spirals out of control…I need to keep my facts straight if I am asked to explain it to the Hokage."

"Oh." Naruto understood.

"Tsunade-sama would not only be displeased with my lying about Haku…but that you and Sensei were complicit in it as well." He finished scribbling on a notebook page and leaned back in his desk chair with a sigh, "It's in our best interest that we make things right."

"Well, it's kind of tricky trying to figure out how to do that." Naruto sat crossed-legged on a nearby bed, "Ero-sensei wants to see what he can do for Haku, so…we just need to focus on the Exam for now. After that, we'll go over what we've learned and see how we're supposed to react."

"What if it meant you could not return to Hidden Leaf right away? If we had to respond quickly to help Haku?" Gaara pushed up from his seat and shut off a desk lamp.

Quietly Naruto admitted, "That…wouldn't be great…but I'd—"

"You've been away from home long enough, Naruto."

The room grew heavy with silence as the fact hung there, and that both understood it would be highly impractical of Naruto to travel to another nation for a reason not yet disclosed to the Hokage. He keened over with a groan, mashing his face onto a folded throw blanket. He wanted to help Haku. He also wanted to go home and begin streamlining his life again.

Gaara fiddled around the room putting books away on shelves and laying out clothing for the morning over an armchair in the corner. "Naruto," He said, "Don't feel guilty about it."

"I can't just—!"

"I am the one who let Haku go in the first place." Gaara reminded him, "Therefore, I need to do something about this.

"What kind of a friend am I if I'm not helping you guys? No matter who's responsible for what?" Naruto flattened out on his back lengthwise.

Gaara assured him, "You're still a good friend. You just need to accept there are things you must prioritize. As I have."

"Huh."

In the opposite direction, Gaara settled down on the bedspread parallel to Naruto, studying the cracks of the ceiling. He shut his eyes after a while and folded his hands on his chest. He was dealing with the stress better than he had earlier, Naruto noticed.

"So…you haven't actually told anyone else about this situation, have you?" Naruto was curious.

"No, I haven't. I dislike having to lie to Sakura every time she asks about Haku." Gaara admitted.

"Same here. When Hinata asked me about him before, I didn't like fibbing…"

Gaara cracked an eye open, "What?"

"Oh. I…talked to Hinata." Naruto explained haltingly, "…while in your bathtub."

Gaara swiveled his head to glower at his discourteous guest.

"Come on, she surprises me every time she uses her jutsu and overlaps with my consciousness. Don't get mad at me." Naruto defended, "We have to talk a lot! It keeps us updated. Keeps the romance alive…"

"Don't keep romance alive in my bathroom."

"Chill out. You're just jealous you don't have a radio-brain communication method to talk to Sakura every day." Naruto teased.

"I am, actually."

"It's weird."

"It must be." Gaara empathized, "I watched Hinata use your jutsu in the Tournament."

"Yeah, I didn't really think that one through…" Naruto conceded, "I just want to put in the extra effort before I go home because…I didn't get to speak or write to Hinata for a while. I almost died in the Toad Valley and I was—"

Gaara held up a hand to pause the narrative, "You nearly died?"

"Well, I nearly became a toad statue permanently." Naruto amended.

"How?"

"If someone absorbs too much Natural Energy without mixing it properly with their own chakra, it's possible to that they'll petrify into a toad statue." Naruto folded his arms under his head, "There are a lot of risks involved with Senjutsu training, and I thought I was being careful enough."

Gaara seemed mildly alarmed, "You didn't tell me you could have died doing that."

"I'm fine." Naruto pointed out.

"If something happened to you…"

"There'd be nothing anyone could do about it. Ero-sensei, Ma and Pa told me their hands were pretty much tied when I turned to stone." Naruto recalled, "But they said…the Fox saved me."

Shifting sideways to pay better attention to the odd tale, Gaara blinked, impressed, "So you've made progress?"

"With what?"

"Getting to know your Tailed Beast."

"No."

"That is something that you need to do." Gaara insisted.

A dry reply, "Things seem to be okay as they are."

"I hope that soon you'll see the sense in establishing something better than okay." Gaara was sincere, "That's what you both need. I trust Shukaku with my life."

"You have got to be kidding me. That thing nearly wrecked Konoha—!"

"He's not a thing, Naruto."

Naruto blew an irritated raspberry, "I don't get it. How can you change your minds and become friends just like that? How do you know the One-Tail isn't going to kill everyone you know and love?"

"He won't." Gaara said simply.

"That doesn't help me understand any better."

"I can't be the one to make you understand. You need to find your own way to understand each other." He consoled Naruto, "You can. Open yourself up. Be willing to get hurt again, even if it's frightening. Be willing to listen."

"I…"

"Sakura listened to me, when I told her." Gaara added.

Shocked, Naruto sat up slightly when he heard the news, "You told her you're a jinchuriki?"

"I did. She wasn't afraid or upset at all. Although…Sakura had an unusually broad education on Biju and their origins, so that certainly helped." Gaara recalled, "She said that introducing me to her parents was more nerve-wracking, by far."

"She kind of always was gutsy." Naruto was nodding to himself.

"I like her parents."

"Do ya? I heard they can be a little overbearing."

"They can. We still get along."

"That's good!" Naruto was thrilled with the news, "So, you're kind of set up then! Covering your bases in case—"

"I want to spend my life with her." Gaara's interruption was heartfelt.

Naruto hushed up and stared at him. His friend definitely meant it.

"When I'm not occupied by official tasks or things that need my attention, I've been modeling my future and anticipating how I'll retire from being Kazekage." Gaara filled him in.

After a few beats of confusion, Naruto picked his ear with a pinky finger as if he had misheard, "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"If I can, I would like to retire from my position as Kazekage in the next few years. It could take longer to get things settled." Gaara made it clear as day for his friend, "While I am honored by this responsibility, it's helped me realize what I actually want to do. I would rather marry Sakura and raise our children in the Leaf Village."

He barely made it through the statement before Naruto was sitting upright and beating the faux-chinchilla fur throw with a fist because he could hardly contain his emotions. His face said he was troubled by Gaara's choice to forsake a Kage position (a sore spot for Naruto,) but his laughter indicated that he approved of Gaara's intentions. It reminded Naruto that his friend was a leader. Gaara was the wind's shadow. And he wouldn't always be.

"That's— you want to—!" Naruto lifted the folded blanket and cheerfully walloped Gaara in the head with it, "…holy shit. You're gonna do that for real? Did you talk to her about all of that-!"

"I did."

Naruto continued beating him happily, "So she's cool with all of that— and you'll be in Leaf! You'll probably have an army of grumpy kids with cute chubby cheeks, and I could be their uncle and—"

"I've only been able to negotiate 1.5 children so far, due to Sakura's stubbornness. I'll round that up to 2."

"—crap and you've gotta get married, so you'll have to take missions again and make money obviously—" Naruto was grinning, "So you can still be on a team with me and Haku, if you wanted!"

"It's possible. High-level missions may require us to join different squads or complete solo assignments." Gaara shielded his face when he got tired of being smacked with a blanket, "I may answer to you someday when you are Hokage."

Naruto ceased the beating to consider it, "Whoa. I never thought of that."

"I'll try not to tell you how to do your job." Gaara quipped. For that, Naruto gave him a final face-slam.

Eventually, Naruto tilted over while chuckling uncontrollably. He still remembered the days in which Gaara had been too hesitant to reveal his true feelings or be close to others. To hear from his friend that he wanted love and family, which they had never been lucky enough to enjoy as children, was a precious, momentous thing. Naruto thought of Haku, who had also expressed his wish for a simple life. Their dreams echoed one another.

Gaara fussed at pillows to prop his head up with. He was tired but also interested in talking, at least until Naruto gave up and retired next door to sleep.

"That's awesome." Naruto concluded.

"Let's see if I can make it happen. There will be obstacles, like Haku's safety, for example. The Akatsuki and inter-village squabbles won't make anything easier." Gaara listed some hindrances.

"You don't have to deal with all of that on your own." Naruto assured him, "And…uh…are you sure you'd want to leave Hidden Sand?"

"Reasonably sure, not completely sure. Much of my family's history is here. And Temari and Kankuro will probably stay."

Naruto added, "It's just something to think about. I wonder if Sakura-chan would be alright with moving to Suna…?"

"She offered. I don't think it's right to take her away from her family and friends. I also doubt Tsunade-sama would appreciate it. She has come to depend on Sakura for many things…" Gaara's head sank back into a goose-down pillow, "It doesn't matter what I have to do or give up…I just want her."

"Hmm." Naruto gave his friend a suspicious look.

Gaara reclaimed his throw blanket, wrapping himself in it as if he were ssambap.

"You haven't outright told me yet, but I think I already know…" Naruto mumbled.

"Know what?"

"You've had sex."

Gaara held quite a poker face before confirming it, "I have."

"Like, a lot?"

"Only a few times. Sometimes I get carried away thinking about it, though." Gaara stared at the ceiling again, "I think maybe Sakura gets as distracted as I do."

"Probably." Naruto laid there for a while thinking and then said, "It's strange. I remember how much you liked her when we were younger…and you never did anything. Never said anything. You were shy, kind of like Hinata was."

He didn't notice Gaara puffing his cheeks slightly in protest, disagreeing.

"I mean, the only time you spoke up was usually when you were steaming mad, remember?" Naruto snickered, "Then you yelled at whoever ticked you off: Me, Haku, Sakura, Sato…anyone."

"I make a point not to do that anymore."

"Except when your sister pisses you off." Naruto dug at him.

"Drop it." Gaara sniffed.

"Fine, but then…how did you figure out, you know…that you were going to do it?" Naruto dared ask the controversial question, "Did you plan it? Or did you ask Sakura?"

Gaara recalled, "Actually, she planned it."

Wide-eyed, Naruto gave his friend a flustered look.

"The timing was…well. I didn't expect it. I just wanted to be honest with her about being a jinchuriki. I had no idea that she wanted to…" Gaara stopped, realizing he hadn't given the milestone in his relationship much thought, "I didn't think she wanted me that way."

"Wow." Naruto was likewise stumped, "Guess it helps that she just outright told you."

"It was acute clarification."

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do about Hinata." The words tumbled out before Naruto could stop himself from oversharing. He slapped his forehead slightly when Gaara redirected his attention on the new subject.

"What do you mean, what you're supposed to do?"

"She…I think…it's not subtle anymore." Naruto chipped off some words, embarrassed, "I think we…know. We talk about the future and…flirt…all the time."

"You've corrupted her with your bad influence." Gaara smirked.

"No. I know perfectly well Hinata doesn't have to do anything for me, and I reminded her of that. But that's…beside the point now." He inhaled deeply before going on, "Hinata wants to…and I just don't know…what it's going to be like living at home— doing everything by the book, if there even is such a thing. Like, how am I going to avoid making her dad and clan hate me? Are we even allowed to date? I can't figure out how I'm going to stand next to her and not go crazy, just ask Ero-sensei, I've—"

A pillow clobbered Naruto in the face.

"You'll learn." Gaara said flatly, "If you care, you'll take the time to learn and respect her and her traditions. And if she wants to be intimate and you decide to go for it, that really won't change much."

"It won't?"

"It won't if you're cautious. I imagine Hinata will be, going off of the fact that Sakura is one of her closest friends. They discuss things just as we do."

"Huh. You're right."

"If you have questions I will do my best to answer them." Gaara offered.

"I've gotten graphic details from Ero-sensei's books, but I might need to sift reality from fiction based on what I read." Naruto was hugging the pillow at that point.

Gaara agreed, "You might."

"Hey, do you think Haku—?" Naruto got a second, more painful pillow to the face, "Ow! What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Don't bring him up." Gaara growled.

"I wasn't bringing him up in the current context." Naruto informed him, "You are hair-trigger, ya jerk."

"Hmf."

"I was just going to ask if you think Haku would want to stay in Leaf if you end up living there. But maybe that's not a good idea. Not until you are over this petty shit." Naruto prognosticated, "If your sister stays in Sand he probably will too."

"Naruto, this isn't up for discussion." Gaara hissed.

"I think it should be. You need to talk about it to emotionally unconstipate yourself." He shifted on his stomach and crushed the offending pillows beneath him, "Here's a fact: Haku told me he wants to have a family. He doesn't want a high position or grandeur— he never cared about that stuff." Naruto went on, "So take that how you will. It's why he doesn't give a crap about these Exams, because the way he sees it— he can take an Exam whenever. But I'm confused about why you're mad that he cares about your sister. Haku would probably do anything for her. I think that makes him trustworthy."

"There are times when I need convincing that Haku is in fact still good and trustworthy." Gaara admitted, "And most of the time, I am unbothered by the fact that he and Temari return each other's affections…" He reluctantly explained himself, "I regret letting him go when we set out for Suna. That is what frustrates me."

"Just that?"

"I thought I was doing what a friend should by letting Haku search for his clan, but I didn't have much time to think it through." He exhaled roughly, "Shortly after that, Suna was searching for candidates and then nominated me to be Kazekage. Nothing about that process was simple or enjoyable. It was chaotic. If Haku had been there with me, I think of how different the transition would have been. Even now, having his support and guidance could significantly help things."

Naruto stewed over those details and listened to Gaara's summation.

"There is no talking Temari out of her pursuits, and if she wants him, Haku has no resistances when it comes to her. I may not like it, but I know I can't trifle with what they have." Gaara wrenched his pillows out from beneath Naruto to return them to their original spaces, "Yet I see how this dangerous waste of time and the distance between us can jeopardize everything. Sensei is even obligated to intervene, at his own peril. We need Jiraiya now more than ever, as adults. I don't want to risk losing him and Haku."

"I get that." Naruto nodded, "Though could you…try not to take your worries out on everyone? Your sister's safe now. And Ero-sensei knows what he's doing. If we take this piece by piece it's not so bad. We're smarter than we used to be."

With a small grunt, Gaara conceded to his point.

"If you're not going to cry and have a nervous breakdown, I'm off to sleep." Naruto gave his friend's arm a slap, "We've got to be up bright and early for tomorrow!"

---

By morning, the Leaf guests were fed and dressed, providing Gaara with joking commentary as they observed him go about his typical rounds as Kazekage in the village.

"See that statue gallery in there?" Jiraiya pointed out seated figures through the window of the council building. Naruto glimpsed inside with an impish smile.

"You know those councilors are alive." Gaara said archly.

"You can hardly tell." Naruto was restraining a flood of teasing that could get him walloped.

"I forgot how crumbly and old the elders are in this village." Jiraiya muttered, "We can be impressed that they've outlasted many of their peers in other villages, but I bet it inhibits progressive policy in Suna."

"Why don't you go soften their stances on inter-village policy and public programs? I could use an advocate." Gaara held the building's door open. He was surprised when Jiraiya decided to make himself useful and went in to schmooze Sand elders.

"Think they'll listen to him?" Naruto wondered as they walked away.

"I have no idea."

"What now? Can I shadow you while you finish the rest of your duties?"

"You can, but I need to stop at the hospital to bring Temari home. She's been discharged."

With that, Naruto accompanied him to keep peace between the two Sand siblings on the journey back to the mansion. It was pleasantly surprising to find that Gaara was not as irritated as he'd been the day before, and Temari had re-examined her role in the disaster while making apologies. Naruto beamed at their brief hug outside of the house. The sentiments did not last due to a turban-wearing Chunin jogging up to Gaara with a stricken look on his face.

Gaara turned to the subordinate, "Are you alright, Enoru?"

"Kazekage-sama, I know this will sound unusual, but I was on my way to the communications tower when I noticed a carrier pigeon get killed by one of our returning hawks. It wasn't well trained so I apologize…I didn't know a message was coming in for Gama-sennin." He caught his breath, holding out a hand with a scroll flecked red at the edges from the pigeon's accidental demise.

"I don't think he was expecting any correspondence. The Hokage sends things to him via messenger hawk." Gaara accepted the message and unrolled it. He dismissed Enoru.

"Who sends something by pigeon?" Temari was leaning against the doorframe as she and Naruto waited for Gaara's assessment.

"I don't know this person." Gaara said as he scanned the end.

"Let me see it." Naruto pulled the parchment flat when Gaara gave it to him. He trolled his eyes over the panicked, messy scrawl on paper to the signed name, "Obito!"

Gaara and Temari gave him puzzled looks.

"He's—!" Shoulders taught, Naruto froze and realized it would be difficult to explain, "He's…uh…" Naruto rolled up the scroll, "He's one of Ero-sensei's spies…and used to live in Konoha."

"You've met?" Gaara asked.

"Yeah, he's got a really cute kid!"

Mercifully, Jiraiya was marching up the street, visibly annoyed that Sand's counselors had not warmly welcomed his intrusion. He joined the gaggle at the front of the house and could not say a word before Naruto shoved a message in his face, "-eh! What're you-?"

"Ero-sensei, I think something's wrong! I didn't read it all." Naruto stuffed the scroll in his master's hand, "Obito sent this with some country bumpkin messenger bird!"

Jiraiya's eyes stretched to the size of saucers, alarmed. He hastily read the correspondence.

Jiraiya-sama,

I'm sorry about the arrival of this message— I am in transit at the moment with few means of communication in the Land of Rivers. Immediately after the Akatsuki's most recent meeting, I left to hurry ahead to the Land of Waves. Any day now, the leader of the Akatsuki known as "Pein" will be making his way there personally to capture the Six-Tails jinchuriki. I don't believe I can stop him…but I will do everything in my power to the help the people of the Tide Village and warn them of what's coming.

Jiraiya looked up to rub the corners of his eyes, unnerved. The sound of his pupils' inquiries was garbled and drowned out as he continued on.

I haven't been able to reach out to Rin. The outpost here only had one carrier pigeon. Please tell her I'm sorry. I had every intention of going home to her and Yuma. She won't be pleased that I'm running late. Well, to tell the truth I don't know what will happen. I haven't been doing well recently. I think it started months ago, I'm not sure— but for the last eight weeks solid, I've been hallucinating. I don't know how to describe it exactly. At first I thought it was my imagination or an illness…but I suspect something is wrong with my Sharingan.

These delusions can make it hard to fight properly. If I don't come back, please make sure Rin and Yuma get to the Leaf Village as quickly as possible. With things as they are now, I want them somewhere safe. Our home is not as secure as it used to be.

Naruto's voice came in clear, disrupting, "What's he traveling for? Going south—?"

"Shut it, kid, this is a report on the Akatsuki!" Jiraiya hissed.

Please request reinforcements to be sent to the Tide Village. We don't have much time at all. Keep your students safe, as the Akatsuki has agreed to study and attack targets assigned to them, including the Kazekage and Naruto. Both of Kumogakure's jinchuriki and the Seven-Tails jinchuriki will also be surveilled. I fear they may already have sunk their claws into the Four and Three-Tails, but I have no definitive confirmation.

If you can, find me in the Land of Waves. Take care.

Obito

A great, dampening lethargy seemed to sweep over Jiraiya, making him stand with eyes unseeing as he stared down a long avenue into the heart of Sunagakure. He didn't even notice Gaara pluck the scroll from his hand, concerned about its contents. Naruto patted his master's back, trying to snap him out of his funk.

"If he doesn't have anything witty to say," Temari assessed, "Then things have gone to shit already."

Naruto shared a brainwave with her, "You are exactly right. I don't think I've ever seen him like this." He gave Jiraiya a small shake, "Ero-sensei? What happened?"

"…I'm just…taking a second." Jiraiya rested his hands on his hips, gave his back a stretch, and groaned, "Fuck me sideways…there may be no fixing this…"

Gaara closed the space of their circle halfway through reading the message, jutting his chin up accusingly, "Why does this spy of yours complain about complications with his Sharingan?"

Temari and Naruto gasped, and were then bulldozed indoors as Jiraiya spread his arms and pushed the three youngsters into the house. The door creaked shut behind him as they shuffled in, listening to Jiraiya's justification through gritted teeth, "Gaara. Don't utter dangerous words in public spaces. This is a fucking mess. There's not enough time to explain a fraction of what's going on here."

"Then I need your cheat notes version of it," Gaara demanded, "Or Tsunade-sama will be hearing of this."

Jiraiya gave his insubordinate student's earlobe a yank as a penalty, "You want to kill me? Tsunade can't hear about this until she is seated and liquored up. Stone cold sober and she'd pop my head off like a beer cap…" He held his forehead and shifted from foot to foot, "How far is the Tide Village from here? Can I get there in less than a day at top speed? How about an elite squad of yours?"

Gaara had batted Jiraiya's hand away and rubbed his sore ear. He finished reading the message and then returned it to Naruto, where Temari read it over his shoulder.

"You'll need a day and a quarter, at minimum. And you can't move that fast." Gaara estimated, "My best available team now probably won't arrive before two days' time, but it will have to do." He made a hand sign to create a Shadow Clone, which promptly set out to summon Sand ninja. Gaara added to Jiraiya, "I'll have them ready for you as soon as I can, and I'm sending a warning to the Hokage…without one alarming detail." He crossed his arms.

"Uchiha Obito," Jiraiya began, "Is a one-eyed teddy bear of a human being who lives with his family in a northern mountain pass in the Land of Earth. He's been getting me intel on the Akatsuki for years."

Gaara was back on a steed comprised of pure skepticism, "He's trustworthy?"

Temari tacked on, "How is there another Uchiha living?"

"I'll tell you, but the both of you guarantee this information does not get to another living soul, understood?" Jiraiya pointed a finger in each of their faces, "He was never around for the Uchiha massacre. He's been considered KIA because his team believed he died on a mission in the last war. Obito was a crippled amnesiac used for labor and henchman work by early Akatsuki members. I found him after I dragged Naruto, Gaara, and Haku back to Hidden Leaf when they were little snot-nosed brats. We agreed to work with each other to get info to Leaf."

"A cripple with one eye." Gaara, now half-believing the explanation, could not see utility in such as individual.

"Yep, Obito gets around just fine. Until now he did, at any rate." Jiraiya disclosed off-handedly, "His other Sharingan eye is with Kakashi."

That nearly blew the collective brain matter out of Gaara and Temari's heads, while Naruto just nodded understandingly. Since he was previously made aware of such sensitive information he could keep some composure. Jiraiya was making his way up the stairs to retrieve his travel bag and other necessities.

Naruto filled the silence with the Sand siblings as they stood in a daze in the living room.

"We can't help." Naruto wilted at the thought, "This Akatsuki guy…sounds like bad news."

Temari's distant, foggy reply, "Yeah."

"I should go to the office…write to every contact I have." Gaara supposed.

"Gaara…didn't you say you know the jinchuriki in the Tide Village?" Naruto recalled.

"Utakata." Gaara confirmed, "Kankuro, Temari, and I have gotten to know him. Even in so little time, he's become a friend to many in Shiogakure."

"How are we supposed to divide up Jounin assigned to supervise portions of the Exam tomorrow? It's at least three days contracted work, and 122 foreign Genin will be here." Temari tugged on one of her pigtails in frustration, "We don't have the manpower to deal with the Akatsuki right now, Gaara. We have to keep our teams here."

"I know that." He took a deep breath.

"Then Baa-chan is going to have to send teams from Leaf." Naruto's solution sounded simple enough.

"I don't know if she can do that with enough speed." Gaara motioned for them to follow as Jiraiya descended the stairs and exited through the front door, "It may take days for a response from Konoha. That's assuming she has cells ready that can deal with S-ranked criminals. She's already kept me in a loop regarding the movements of Dintei Bi's faction, Orochimaru, and emerging intrigue within Hidden Leaf— though it was kept vague."

"She'll do what she can." Naruto insisted.

"None of us doubt that, Naruto." Gaara agreed, "It's just that…the Akatsuki picked an ideal time in which other villages are occupied."

"There have to be snitches in our villages, then…slipping information to the Akatsuki." Temari gathered as they followed behind Jiraiya to the administrative building, "They waited for Sand's Exam and Leaf's committing of platoons to track other criminals."

Gaara was bristling, "It's time I find such turncoats and stamp them out."

---

Obito was nervous as hell.

It had been two full days and nights of running south, with hardly any breaks. He was exhausted, hungry, and feeling incredibly vulnerable without a mask. He'd taken it off to be less conspicuous while passing through the Land of Rivers and a portion of the Land of Fire. At the coast, he finally stopped in a seaside gift shop to buy snacks and power bars.

The cashier gave him a strange look, "There's a café about a kilometer from here, you know. Just across the Great Naruto Bridge."

"Thanks, I need to…eat now." Obito plopped down on an oversized beach cooler. He crammed food in his mouth and wished other customers would pop into the store to make things less awkward. The cashier blatantly stared at Obito's scarred face.

"I just ran a marathon and you looking at me like that makes me self-conscious." Obito barked moodily, "I know I'm overdue for some cosmetic work, alright?"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to—"

Obito waved it off and chewed.

"So…" The teenaged store attendant leaned on the counter, "Was it a charity run? Sometimes they organize those in the Tide Village."

"Not exactly." Obito was glancing around at racks of beach wear and clothing, "Hey…what do people like to wear in Shiogakure? I'm headed there now."

"Oh! Well we just got a lot of new t-shirts and tanks in. I see people buy our jackets a lot. They're pretty soft. That blue section over there is what villagers gravitate to." The kid perked up, smelling a sale, "You interested?"

"Yeah." Obito rubbed his chin while stuffing the last of a granola bar in his mouth, "What's that?"

"A wetsuit."

"I like it. Give me that sweatshirt there." He pointed the boy towards the blue jackets on the wall. It wasn't that he was genuinely interested in any beach shop nonsense, but rather Obito wanted to look as unrecognizable as possible. If he crossed the Akatsuki again, he didn't want to blow Tobi's identity.

In a twist, the boy offered a discount and talked Obito into not just the sweatshirt, but knock-off Tide Village fatigues (on sale), silicone gel bracelets, unnecessary layering tank tops, and even sunscreen. Obito stood at the counter and wondered why he was shelling out so many notes again. Rin would have his head. Before paying, he noticed recreational swimming goggles on a display. He smiled at the sight of it.

"Going swimming after the race?" The shop keeper sure hoped so.

Obito lifted an orange-tinted pair of goggles and tested the band around his head, amused that they fit. He handed over the money, "I'll take these too."

After that, to the shop keeper's eternal confusion, Obito went to the changing room and shed his dark, muddy clothing for the colorful, nonsensical get up he had just bought. He slung a travel bag on his back, stuffed his dirty clothing into it, and saluted the teenager as he strode out.

'I hope I look like the cringiest tourist there ever was.' Obito thought to himself. He feared that maybe such a move was still Tobi-like, but the Akatsuki didn't know him well enough to detect it.

He took off in a swift run, slightly bolstered by the junk he'd eaten. At the entrance of the Great Naruto Bridge, he realized he would be dodging herds of tourists and beach-goers. Obito kept up the pace and avoided them, 'I can't believe this bridge is named after Naruto…and all of these people are here daily! Do they even know who Naruto is?' He expected at least Tide Villagers would know. He also had to think about what his next move was, 'I know I need to warn the administrators and Jounin in Tide as soon as possible…but I really need to let Rin know what's going on.'

After the crossing onto the island, Obito noticed fortified barracks with ninja coming and going. Behind it was a communication center, where trained osprey and seagulls were entrusted with messages by their handlers. Obito hung a right and decided to try his luck with sending a scroll north, 'This doesn't look as ramshackle as that pigeon coop I went to…' Past a picnic area and wooden gate, he arrived at a front desk where a kunoichi with a Tide headband was seated. She got one look at Obito and immediately judged him.

"Need directions?" She asked while examining her fingernails.

"No, thanks. I need to send a message." Obito said politely.

"Citizens and visitors send their correspondence at the post office, or express center where couriers can fulfill requests." The kunoichi droned in boredom, "231 Main Street on the left."

"I can't send my message with a courier, it needs to be a messenger hawk that knows how to reach the Land of Earth." Obito explained, "My town, Shincha, is very small. It's ninja related business, so I'm in the right place."

"It is?" She quirked a brow at him, "You're a ninja?"

"Yeah." He was getting impatient.

"You're not a Tide ninja…"

"Obviously not. I'm a Leaf ninja."

"You just said you live in Shincha…?"

"I do."

"Well your outfit is ridiculous and you have no headband." The girl said dismissively, "Quit pulling my leg! Get out of here before I call a supervisor."

"I don't have time for you to hassle me about how I look. I'm here to protect your village from the Akatsuki!" Obito dropped his hands on the counter with a thump, "So get your supervisor or whatever! I need someone to—!"

"Is there a problem over here?" A boy poked his face around the corner, frowning. He was a Genin.

"Inari! Get this bozo out of here! He says he's a ninja but he's just some nut trying to use the messenger hawk system." The girl complained.

Inari strolled inside with his hands in his pockets, giving Obito the up and down, "Wow."

"Please don't waste my time." Obito took a breath to relax, "I need to send a message and then speak to someone in charge. I have a warning about the Akatsuki."

"The Akatsuki?" Inari at least had a clue, "He's talking about the Akatsuki and you're trying to kick him out? That's serious!" He motioned to Obito with a hand, "You're a ninja right? Follow me. I'll help you send your message."

"Thanks." Obito gratefully followed the boy to the interior of the building, "Are Tide ninja aware of the threat level the Akatsuki poses? Even villages of your size should be mindful."

"They're all still learning and getting the memos." Inari snarked as he climbed the stairs, "My grandpa is the leader of the village for now, so the top brass knows what's up! A lot of my friends are Jounin, so you can talk to them after this." He pushed a door open and Obito stepped into an aviary, "I'll get you a pen and paper. What was your name again?"

"Obito." He shook the boy's outstretched hand, "I work for the Toad Sage."

Inari grinned, "No wa-aaaaay!"

"Way."

"So! Hidden Leaf!" Inari laughed, "I've got friends there." He handed over the implements as Obito bent over a writing table and tapped out a message for his family.

"By any chance is one of your friends the namesake of the great bridge of this island?" Obito teased.

"Yeah actually!"

"I thought so." He smiled a little, "I also know Naruto."

"Hm! Small world."

---

Note: Snapping it off here before your eyes roll back and burn in their sockets. Hidden Sand's Exam will be posted shortly!

Chapter 47- Lucky Seven