Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Sand and Earth. Enjoy the 900-word chapter. I don't own Naruto, Masashi Kishimoto and a few others do.

Kurotsuchi spoke to Nao without her guards. It was becoming clear to Nao that the Tsuchikage didn't fear fighting her own battles.

"This assassin is in Sunagakure?" Kurotsuchi asked while resting her head in her hands. "That is correct, yes?" She questioned Nao who nodded.

"Yes," Nao responded with a dip of his head. "They are part of Suna's elite. That I know for certain." Nao stated as he let out a sigh.

Kurotsuchi knew her village wanted Nao executed. Nao was nothing more then a nameless assassin who should be murdered for trying to kill their leader to them.

Kurotsuchi didn't see a killer. She was a very blunt and straightforward woman, but she wasn't stupid. Nao looked at her with the same sorrow one would see in a soldier. A soldier who believed had failed their commander.

"Nao, what exactly did you plan to do IF you had killed me?" Kurotsuchi questioned Nao who blinked in confusion at the question.

"Nao?" Kurotsuchi asked, tapping her fingers together, patiently awaiting an answer.

"I would have gone back home, found whoever had taken my sister, and killed them." Nao stated with a bob of his face. "Then I would have died." He added to a shocked Kurotsuchi.

"You want to die?" Kurotsuchi asked only to get a nod from Nao which caused her to incline her head in disbelief.

Kurotsuchi couldn't believe someone would want to die after saving their family. She looked at Nao and carefully studied his face as he blinked and hummed.

"Yes," Nao stated without any doubt present in his tone. "I am an assassin. A dishonorable piece of rubbish that is best forgotten by the more honorable shinobi. I contemplated just falling from the tower you slept in rather then climb up and take your life." Nao said before he took a breath and looked at Kurotsuchi once more.

"I honestly held back just so you could kill me with that Poison Kunai I held." Nao stated as he looked Kurotsuchi in the eye. "That at least was a better death then I deserved after becoming an assassin." Nao put in before leaning back in his chair.

Kurotsuchi took a deep breath. This wasn't an assassin, assassins would boast, most had no shame about forsaking their village for Ryo. Nao was a broken warrior who had taken this job to protect something close to him.

Kurotsuchi could see he didn't care about living during the fight, if his sister was safe? He would have gladly let Kurotsuchi win. She could tell he held back purely even if she could defeat him in Taijitsu.

"Nao? You're not going to be executed for attempted murder." Kurotsuchi stated to Nao who raised an eyebrow in stunned surprise. "Because you're going to be my other bodyguard," Kurotsuchi said, this caused Nao's jaw to drop in surprise.

Kurotsuchi took solace in the fact 8 words were able to break through Nao's quite grating stoic demeanor.

"I… WHAT!?" Nao bellowed which caused Kurotsuchi to smile and lightly restate the words.

"You will be my second bodyguard alongside Akatsuchi." Kurotsuchi stated with a small smirk adorning her face. "I used to be my grandfather's bodyguard which changed when I took the role of Tsuchikage. Since I cannot continue to operate without a bodyguard duo? You will be my second bodyguard." Kurotsuchi said as Nao tried to stammer out words, anything that could make her reconsider.

Nao wasn't a bodyguard, that honor wasn't reserved for him. Kurotsuchi had to be playing a very sadistic game that he didn't want to play anymore.

"I…. Once again, what?" Nao asked Kurotsuchi as he stood up. "You CANNOT be serious with that idea at all. I refuse to believe you are considering that." Nao said before noticing Kurotsuchi's smile.

This caused him to slump into his chair, utterly flabbergasted that the very woman he tried to murder was going to give him a job working for her.

It confused him so much he didn't notice Kurotsuchi stand up, pat his shoulder, and start to depart from the room.

"Glad you can be a part of this, Nao. I'll get your sister rescued and then come to see you in a week." Kurotsuchi stated before she walked out.

Nao blinked in shock before quietly pursing his lips together in a nod. There wasn't really anything he could do to change Kurotsuchi's mind, and she outranked him as a government leader meaning it didn't matter anyway.

Still? This wasn't at ALL what Nao was expecting when it came down to it. Kurotsuchi had managed to play a curveball on him he didn't at all see coming. Nao supposed he should applaud for that at the very least.

Nao sighed and slowly sat up before walking to the far wall. He needed time to collect his thoughts, this was a bigger change to his life.

Author Notes

Phew, another chapter done! I want to point out Kurotsuchi and Nao will have a lot of snarky, but caring moments. I also want to apologize for the late update. It took a while to get internet back. Next chapter will be in a week and will show more of Nao and Kurotsuchi speaking. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!

P.S: Hanabi is next week maybe and Ino on the weekend hopefully.