"What can I do to help?"
"Are you positive? You can't back out."
"I don't run away."
Gaara looked out over the village. It seemed peaceful enough. He was willing to admit that this Kazekage job had been much more than he'd originally thought. Surprising, really.
If the paperwork wasn't enough than it was definitely eerie calm of the world.
There was no inner fighting, no war, and most dangerously of all, the Akatsuki had just disappeared. They had stopped popping ever since…
He wasn't gonna let him down. It might be hard but whatever they throw at him, he can bring it back tenfold.
That's what he'd do.
Gaara looked up at the blistering blue sky. The sun beaming down on his face only enough to make him look away. A bird flew over the horizon.
It was shaping up to be a perfectly normal day.
But they'd have to try harder to fool him.
Gaara closed his eyes, focusing on his chakra. It shot out, lashing at the bird high in sky. Long, almost tail-like forms of sand barreling towards the bird. It swooped in air, desperately flailing to avoid the surprise attack.
Gaara stood motionless, fixed on the bird. Now that it was closer, he could clearly see the man on it's back. A black rope with red clouds. The Akatsuki. Should've known they'd come back for number One.
…
Tsunade stared out the window. The world was too quiet. With no wars, no fighting, no nothing; it was hard to believe that any of this was permanent. Maybe it was her just her paranoia but it still worried her.
It felt off.
Tsunade absentmindedly fiddled a bottle cap. She hated to admit it but she had taken back to drinking again. It was the only thing that seemed to calm her nerves.
She wished she could play with her neckla- his necklace, but just like him, it was gone.
Tsunade's tapped her fingers. Orochimaru was still a big problem. He had to be dealt with. But there weren't any leads. Nothing. No clues… no nothing…
It was infuriating. Not knowing what he was planning. Orochimaru that is. Sometimes, she thought what would've happened if she had been better. Kept him on a tighter leash. Helped him become better instead of just blindly admiring him. She wondered if they could've been together. Then again, it was never love. It was just a crush.
Still, her mind often fled to those thoughts, tapering off whenever there was paperwork to be done. If she was correct, Sakura was volunteering at the hospital again. The girl had gotten much stronger. More than Tsunade would've ever thought. Kakashi was still taking solo missions, which was a relief. She didn't know what she would have done otherwise.
The bitterness of the whole situation was not that there was no danger or threat, but more a thick blanket of boredom that laid over the village. Life was dull.
And it was starting to get on her nerves.
Tsunade opened up her desk and pulled out the Orochimaru file and scanned through it. It contained a list of information that MIGHT be about him, along with the picture of the curse mark. It also contained a picture of him. He was smirking, like he usually was, but now she was able to clearly see how pale and hollow his face was. How snake-like he truly looked. His beady black eyes staring directly into hers.
The eyes of a murderer. She closed the file, almost putting it away before something caught her eye. It was labeled as a rumor. She opened up again, reading the page intently, scanning for the line that caught her eye.
There it was.
'I heard that he joined a group called the Akatsuki'
…
Gaara breathed heavily, trying to collect himself. The opponent was strong but he wasn't going down without a fight. The Akatsuki member specialized with explosive clay, and Gaara had to admit that this fight was tiring him out. He could always use his trump card if the need were to arise. The man seemed to charging one last attack. Good. At least he had him on the run.
If he could've chosen, he would've chosen a much safer place to fight. With the city this, someone might get caught in the crossfire. Currently, the evacuation was taking place but if that bomb was as bad as it looked, it might already be too late.
It was large to say the least, but Gaara could handle it. They weren't going to win. They had to know that right?
Then it hit him, the large bomb, the arelial attacks, the reason they were in the village. He was going to bomb them. He had to stop it.
Hey guys! Sorry this chapter was a little short, they'll get longer. Believe it or not, I do want to work on this a lot more than my other ones. Here's a sneak peek! Orochimaru's plan to finish off Sasori turns sour when someone else show up instead. Watch out for the next installment September 13!