Principle of Nature
Chapter 6
The Past, the Present, and Impractical Jokes

xXx

Naruto,

Did you at least make stew of it? I heard rabbit stew is alright, if you make it with the right seasonings. I hope you at least did something useful with that rabbit. I went to a lot of trouble sending someone to hunt one down. And the Desert Jack Rabbit is the closest thing we have to a national animal. Well, besides Sand Beasts, but those aren't nearly as cuddly. Or edible.

It was a kingly gift, you should be grateful.

In other news, you didn't mention how charismatic your kunoichi is. My head medic would be in love with her if she was male. And this is saying something, since Asana tends to terrify all of the hospital staff. In fact, Asana-san's very similar to Sakura, except she can't ground one's bones into dust.

… can Yamanaka do that? Should I be wary of her temper? I'm not sure what to think of your Leaf kunoichi. Every time I meet a new one (or at least am put into a position where we are in frequent contact), she ends up surprising me.

Anyway, I'll end this letter now. I have to get some of this ridiculous stack of paperwork done... Your kunoichi is creating far too much for me. So is that Sai too (also, if he tries to paint one more picture of my sister naked, I will kill him).

-Gaara

P.S. My team of nin is on its way.

Naruto blinked, eying the letter closely. It looked like Gaara's handwriting. He sniffed it. It smelled like Gaara (and a messenger hawk). But since when does Gaara ramble?

xXx

Shikamaru stifled a yawn as he, Sakura, Genma and Itachi waited at the gates for the approaching Suna team that he couldn't see yet. To his left, the couple was having a soft, quick-spoken argument over whether or not Sakura should have forced Naruto to make Itachi take this mission. To his right, Genma was chewing on a toothpick with his hands in his pockets, looking as bored with life as Shikamaru himself was.

The shadow-user stifled a sigh and looked ahead, finally catching sight of his friend and sometimes-penpal as she and her team appeared through the forest. Itachi and Sakura fell silent, and the guards - a couple chunin - looked up curiously. Shikamaru shifted his gaze from the blonde walking in front of her team, to the woman on her left.

Tall, darkly tanned skin, long black hair tied into a braid that hung down her back and moved as she walked. Her eyes were dark, probably either brown or some variation of, Shikamaru couldn't tell at this distance.

On her back was a single scroll, similar to Kankuro's scroll he'd seen, strapped vertically in place. She wore black shorts, showing off shapely, mesh-wrapped legs, and a dark crimson halter top, with bandages wrapped all the way down one arm.

It was all very normal for a nin. Her mouth was painted a rich red some shades lighter than her top, and there were two tight spirals on either cheekbone in the same color. As she drew nearer, Shikamaru also noted what appeared to be a purple web tattoo'd onto her throat.

Beside her walked a tall youth with choppy brown hair and a pair of black, simple shades over surprisingly light skin for someone from the desert. He wore a Suna-issued Jonin vest over a white tank-top with equally colorless mesh sleeves sewn into it. Standard tan shorts, leaving his lower legs bare, and nin sandals.

The last member of the party was an annoyed looking older man with a shock of close-cropped white hair and incredibly dark skin. His clothing was all a light brown; shorts and a sleeveless shirt left open to reveal a scar-torn, hairy chest.

Temari offered the Nara a bright smile as they drew to a stop before the Konoha welcoming Committee. "Hiya, Shikamaru," she greeted, looking relieved to finally be here.

He waved, effecting a bored expression. "Ossu."

The woman turned to draw his and the other escorts' attention toward her teammates. "This is Meza," she gestured toward the older man, who just stared at them. She apparently took this behavior in stride because she continued on with barely a pause. "Kumo."

The other female winked flirtatiously at Shikamaru, before her gaze flickered over the other escorts. "Greetings, Konoha Nin-san," she purred, accent thick and voice deep.

Temari rolled her eyes and waved off-handedly at the youngest of the group. The boy couldn't be more than eighteen. "And that's-"

"Hello, hello, I'm Matsumoto Takeo, nice to meet you! You must be Shikamaru!" the boy interrupted (Temari, while annoyed, didn't seem surprised). "I have heard all about what a wonderful person you are! It's a pleasure to finally meet you! Thank you for having us!"

The other woman - Kumo - reached out and put her palm over his mouth. "Shush," she chided, amused.

Genma snorted. "Nice to meet you too, Matsumoto-san. I'm Shiranui Genma, and I'll be your escort."

The youth focused his attention on the brown-haired Jonin, bright tawny eyes flickering over him before he beamed. Meanwhile, Kumo dropped her hand, revealing his expression of delight. "Nice to meet you, Shiranui-sempai!" the youth chirped.

Sakura bowed slightly to Kumo. "And I am Haruno Sakura, Kumo-san. I will be your escort."

"It's a pleasure, Haruno-dono," Kumo murmured, offering the other kunoichi a smile.

Itachi spoke up then. "I am Uchiha Itachi. I am to escort you, Meza-san. I hope we get along." It was impossible to tell if he actually cared or not, though, and Meza offered no response but a nod.

Temari cleared her throat. "Alright, then. I suppose we're to debrief with the Hokage?"

Shikamaru nodded. "Yeah. This way. We've got them from here, Inuzuka."

"Alright," Taji murmured from his spot at the guard booth.

xXx

"Kankuro-kuuuun! Kankuro-kun!"

The Puppeteer paused and turned, blinking as he caught sight of a familiar energetic female. His gaze flickered over her, and he was amused to note she was getting a bit of a tan. "Ino-chan," he said in response as she stopped before him. He quirked a grin, letting his face light up. "Nice to see you! Where's Kami-chan?"

"Eh?" She blinked and glanced automatically over her shoulder, then grinned. "Guess I lost him." But at his look, she giggled. "Okay, I did it on purpose. Actually, I was looking for you."

His expression didn't change, though inwardly he was suspicious. "Oh? What did you need?"

Offering a smile, she shifted her stance, deliberately making herself seem less threatening. He wasn't fooled, but it was interesting to note that she seemed to have done so unconsciously. "Um, well, are you busy?"

Kankuro didn't glance toward the path he'd been about to go down; no need to let her know where he'd been going. "Depends on what you want," he replied. At some point before midnight, he needed to stop by the Play House and speak with *Shedo no Ooka. But that was his only set obligation for the day.

Before him, Ino's smile softened, and Kakuro had to resist the urge to be impressed. The girl had manipulation down to habit. "Well, actually... I was wondering if you would be able to show me around the food district. Aoi-san was mentioning that there are some delightful restaurants, and I'm curious about the local stuff. It's all so different than Konoha food."

Though he didn't know what he'd been expecting, that was definitely not it. "Oh... uh..." His brow furrowed slightly. She must have either arranged to have a few hours off, or been given it. He had noticed that she'd been very hard at work since she arrived a week or so ago. Far more so than her fellows.

He contemplated asking 'why not Aoi', since she'd been talking to him about it anyway, but realized Aoi's wife would likely get upset. Gaara was out of the question for obvious reasons. Kami wasn't exactly Mr. Social. Baki had duties outside of his mission as escort. Temari was gone. Ino didn't know Santi, and the other people from the hospital were probably either at work or busy with their own lives...

He suppressed a sigh, realizing that he was probably the only one she knew with a loose enough schedule to go with her at such short notice. "Sure. I'll show you around," he agreed finally, grinning. "Could be good. Sexy lady on my arm..."

Ino's surprised face was nothing less than hilarious at that, before she laughed. "Oh please. You probably have a different sexy lady on your arm every other night," she teased. "Show the way?"

Nodding, he adopted a thoughtful expression as he redirected himself away from the alley to his right. "Hmmm... That's a valid point. But you know, with you, I can claim to have been on a date with an exotic foreigner."

Her laughter really was uncomfortably disarming. No wonder his brother preferred dealing with her most out of the Konoha team.

xXx

Naruto was being very suspicious, Shikamaru noticed as they filed out of the Hokage's office. He had practically been speeding them through that damn meeting, and it was kicking up worrisome flags for the Nara.

However, all concern evaporated when he realized who was waiting outside to do her mission report. The Nara groaned inwardly as his charge detoured. "Hinata-san!"

The Hyuuga girl blinked and gave the blonde kunoichi a timid smile. "Hello, Temari-san."

Temari waved off the rest of her team. "I'll catch up."

Kumo nodded and nudged Takeo along ahead of her, and Meza followed silently behind. They all appeared to be ignoring their escorts for the most part.

"How have you been?" Temari was asking the girl before her.

Shifting her weight, Hinata shrugged slightly. "Um... Okay. Busy, mostly... N-Naruto-sama is quite busy too, and I help him when I can..." She glanced toward the Hokage's office, clearly just as eager to see her betrothed as he was to see her.

Temari noticed, and grinned. "Alright. I'll let you get going. We'll visit later, okay?"

Nodding, Hinata offered a brief bow and hurried into the Hokage's office. The door shut behind her, and Temari snorted. "They're cute," she said thoughtfully. "Wish my brother had a girl like that."

The Nara just offered a lazy shrug as they wandered down the hall towards the elevator. "Doesn't he have that... Chunin girl?"

Blink, blink. "Matsuri?" Temari asked, surprised, and snorted. "Hell no. Where the heck did you get that idea? Gaara has never been interested in her; she's too much like family."

He gave her a flat look, and she just smirked back at him. "You're so troublesome."

"Pfft. Would you deal with me otherwise?"

"I'd be worried for my safety if you weren't," he corrected mildly.

Temari leered, Shikamaru blinked, and the elevator dinged open.

xXx

Kankuro was a bit annoyed. Ino talked. And talked. And talked... About everything and, shockingly, nothing at all. He had long since noticed that while her gossip was full of information, most of it was basically useless to a nin. It was all so domestic.

And oh my fucking god, just shut up! he thought unhappily as she suddenly shifted topic. To his disbelief, her mouth clicked closed. "Uh... um, Kankuro...? Is that..."

He followed her gaze, brows sweeping up. "Yep," he replied as they picked up their pace. "Shush. He's probably taking a break."

"Kay," she breathed, and shut up. A timid smile that he'd never noticed before spread across her face.

Fucking fangirls. "Yo," he greeted about ten feet away.

Gaara didn't so much as flinch in surprise, despite the fact that Kankuro had been suppressing his chakra. He did turn his head though, and nodded to them. "Kankuro. Ino-san."

Ino smiled brightly back at him, prompting a smile from the redhead. "Hello, Gaara-sama."

Inwardly twitching, Kankuro watched as his brother gestured for them to take seats across from him. Green eyes lifted away from the kunoichi and the Kazekage, glancing at the outdoor cafe's sign. Maaki's Grill. Kankuro had been here before, and it was alright.

He sat down beside Ino, across from the empty seat next to his brother, and suppressed a sigh. Sakura's so much easier to tolerate. Why couldn't she have come?

"-take your order?"

The puppet user looked up, and blinked. "Glass of water and some yakitori," he supplied.

The waitress smiled politely and directed her gaze to Ino. "And you?" The smile slipped some, curiously enough.

"Um... Tea? And... can I have a look at a menu and decide what to eat in a bit?" the blonde asked, shifting her position slightly. Her tone was polite, impartial and kind.

"Sure," the waitress replied, stepping over and snagging a menu from a nearby table. She glanced it over and handed it off to Ino. "I'll be back with your orders."

She left, and Kankuro glanced at Gaara. The Kazekage was already holding a cup of chilled juice, nursing it and eying Ino thoughtfully. Ino at first glance didn't seem to be aware of it, but after a moment, Kankuro realized she was quite focused on the menu for a reason.

Are you kidding me? He gave a mental shake of his head and looked at his brother again. "So. Break?"

The redhead nodded, looking down at his juice as if he hadn't been staring at the blonde with no subtlety at all. "Yeah. Baki suggested it was about time I take a breather. It's been busy lately."

"Mm." Baki suggested, did he?

Then Kankuro reconsidered, and glanced surreptitiously at the girl beside him. Yamanaka Ino. Charismatic, sweet, honestly thoughtful. She had talents with politics, and knew when to defer to someone else or not. She also possessed a well-honed sense of tact, as evidenced by her more public dealings with her teammate Sai.

If nothing else, she could keep Gaara's focus on herself, which would allow Kankuro to move a bit more freely with his own plans. Even if the two of them didn't end up together...

Well, it was a haphazard plan at best, but it had some merit.

With that thought, Kankuro swallowed a smirk and got up. "Actually, I had somewhere I needed to be soon," he fibbed. "I'm gonna get that yakitori to go, eh? And since you had some time off, Gaara..." He smiled innocently. "How about you finish helping her sample dishes."

Ino was giving him a wide-eyed, faintly panicky look, which only served to amuse him further. He quickly hurried off before either of them could protest. And, as luck would have it, the waitress was just gathering together their dishes.

In his wake, the two at the table blinked at each other, before Gaara cleared his throat. He couldn't help but wonder just what his conniving brother was up to. "I hope you don't mind," he offered finally, not sure what else to say. He could spend a couple extra hours out. Baki probably wouldn't mind.

Shaking her head slowly, the blonde appeared to be fighting against some sort of emotion, and settled at last on a small smile. "No, of course not, Gaara-sama. Um... but, if you have to get back soon, I can put the rest of it off until another time..."

"No, it's fine," he reassured her. "Baki will probably rejoice. He's been calling me a work-a-holic behind my back recently."

That prompted a giggle from her. "It's not very 'behind your back' if you know about it, is it?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile. "No, I suppose not. So, what have you decided on?" He nodded toward her menu.

Blue eyes lowered to the pamphlet that she honestly hadn't read yet. "Um... I can't decide. Any suggestions?"

"Grilled chicken."

She grinned, relaxing at the prompt response. He smiled back. This wasn't going to be so bad at all.

xXx

"Sometimes, I wonder if you aren't being a narcissist with how much you stare up at that," Yamato drawled, finding his Kage once again perched in a hidden spot, gaze fixed on the monument. But he knew that Naruto came here to look at his familial predecessor, and not himself.

In front of him, Naruto chuckled. "Does seem that way, doesn't it? Actually..." He climbed to his feet, and turned to look at his former team leader. "You knew Yondaime-sama, didn't you?"

Blinking, Yamato shrugged, wondering what was going on in the blond's head. "Erm, sort of? Not well," he replied, baffled. "I didn't deal with him personally- that's more Kakashi's area. He was Yondaime-sama's student."

"Yeah, but he's in Suna," Naruto replied, and sighed heavily. "I just... wish I could have met him, you know? My mother too. I wish I could have known them both."

Yamato's gaze softened as he watched the blond turn back to look at the monument. "He was an honorable man," he murmured. "And, though I never met her for more than minutes at any time, Kushina-sama was said to have had... quite the fiery temper, but she was honorable as well."

Beaming at him, Naruto gave a nod. "I knew it!" he declared cheerfully. "They're my parents!"

With that, the Hokage vanished, and Yamato's gaze shifted to the stone carvings. If only I had more to give him...

xXx

This is very short, I know. But I'm stuck on how to continue, and this chapter has been sitting as it is for several months. So I figured it was time to just post it, and hope that can tide you peeps over until I manage to write more.

Thank you for reading, please review!

Translation Notes:

*Shedo no Ooka: Ooka of the Shade (roughly)