Chapter One: Hospital
Dirt crunched beneath their black sandals as they walked through Konoha village. The buildings surrounded the trio as a fresh gust of wind blew nearby wind chimes and the pings of the chimes combined with the chatter of the villagers.
Gaara felt his silk Kazekage robe rub his skin as Kankuro and Temari walked behind him.
"I'm kinda surprised we haven't seen Naruto yet," Kankuro admitted as they continued to walk through the busy village. His and Temari's black outfits looked out of place compared to the villager's vibrant and colorful attire.
"Yeah. Didn't Tsunade say that he had just come back from a mission and that we were bound to bump into him?" Temari asked as she adjusted the large fan attached to her shoulders. Gaara nodded.
Although he would have been happy to see an old friend, his mind was preoccupied with the meeting he was scheduled to have with Tsunade. As they approached the steps of the Hokage's building, Gaara turned around to look at Temari and Kankuro. He held his diamond shaped Kazekage hat in his left hand and glanced down at the muled dark blue that embroidered his hat and ran down the middle of his robe. It reminded him of his duties as a Kazekage.
"You can enjoy the village's commodities and stores, while I am discussing matters with Tsunade," Gaara said in his usual dull voice as he dismissed the two. The two nodded at the red haired man as they went their separate ways.
Gaara turned around and placed his Kazekage hat upon his head, letting the fabric that draped off it to cover his shoulders. He began to ascend up the stairs and continued to head closer to the Hokage's office. As he entered some narrowing hallways, he heard a unsettling groan.
It was a type of groan that wasn't unfamiliar to Gaara. It was a groan of unbearable pain. He noted that the labored grunts and snapping sounds were coming directly from Tsunade's office but Gaara was well aware that the noises were too deep to belong to Tsunade.
He stood in front of the door and gave it a knock. The noises grew quieter and Tsunade whispered something affirmatively but with a hint of kindness.
"You can come in, Gaara," Tsunade said and Gaara opened the wooden door to her office. The hinges creaked as Gaara smelled the sour mix of sweat and blood. His nerves became heightened at the smell and he had to calm his heart.
He saw the messy office of Tsunade and noticed that she stood in front of a familiar friend who was sitting on a makeshift physical therapy table.
"Hello, Gaara!" Lee called happily from the his seated position on the table. The door clicked shut as Gaara saw Lee fully.
Lee was stripped almost completely naked except for black, short boxers that clung to his thighs. Gaara noted the abundant amount of scars both fresh and old. He saw the unbelievable amount of bruises and wounds but what caught Gaara's eye was the large pink and purple scars that ran up Lee's left arm and leg. It made his left arm and leg look as they had been mauled and reassembled. Gaara knew that the scars were from the surgery he had received after the Chunin Exams. He felt guilt sit in his stomach. Gaara knew that, if not for Tsunade, he would have taken away Lee's ability to be a ninja. For Lee, that would have been worse than death.
"Gaara?" Lee questioned as the Kazekage.
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