Here we go, another chapter, just for you!
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Chapter 3: Chibi Wisdom

When the sun arose the next morning, Gaara was already dressed and waiting for Naruto to arrive. Since he didn't sleep, he had used the night to bathe and think. It was while he was soaking in the tub that he realized the horrible truth. Based on his own experiences with the villagers of Sand, and the reasons behind the actions, Gaara had come to the conclusion that the nine-tailed fox demon that had attacked the village was probably sealed inside of Naruto, just as the tanuki was inside of him. And Naruto didn't know it. Gaara couldn't decide what was worse. Knowing why everyone hated you, or not knowing. So long as he didn't know, he could hope, after all. While Gaara had to accept it. He couldn't change anything about being possessed by a demon.

Knowing this, Gaara had to wonder as to what Naruto would say if he knew why the villagers hated him. Would he hate himself, too? And would he hate Gaara, for telling him and ruining his hope?

A soft knock on the door drew the young boy's eyes to it, only to watch as one of the maids peeked in, apparently surprised to see such a small child up before the sun was up.

"Pardon me... Honored Son, there is someone here to see you... He's saying he's your guide. Do you wish for me to tell him to leave?" The words were hardly out of her mouth before Gaara was up and running for the door, flying past her and into the room where Naruto had been made to wait for him before. He flung open the door, a smile on his face as he looked into the room, ready to see that person who was so much like him.

"Hello again, Gaara." Iruka said, smiling down at him. Noticing the boy's disappointment, the young ninja kneeled down, still smiling cheerfully. "Naruto's usually a late riser. So I thought I would come see if you wanted to go with me to wake him up. You'll get to go inside his apartment, and see just how messy it is. Maybe if you tell him to clean up, he'll listen." Gaara's eyes widened. He WAS going to get to spend the day with Naruto! Not that there was anything wrong with Iruka, just Naruto was a person like him, a kindred spirit. He needed to see Naruto, so he could be reminded he wasn't alone, and so he could be with his best friend again.

Nodding happily, Gaara allowed Iruka to hold his hand as he led him out of the tower. The boy was glad he had left his shoulder wrap and his teddy bear hidden in his room, it felt better to walk around without it covering him. Iruka waved to people as they made their way to Naruto's home, the Sand child too shy to look around much. He thought about how Naruto mentioned Iruka knowing about the demon fox, and tugged gently on the ninja's hand to get his attention.

"Yes, Gaara?" The man kneeled to him again, smiling and waiting to hear what the child needed to ask.

"Naruto told me about the demon fox," he said quietly, noticing how Iruka's eyes widened and the smile faded. His friend had been right, Iruka really didn't seem to like talking about it. When the man nodded, he continued. "He told me how it was sealed away, but no one knows where." He turned his large eyes up to look into Iruka's. "I think I know where it is. It's in Naruto, isn't it?"

The look of pure shock was enough of an answer for Gaara. He was right. Naruto, like him, carried a demon inside him.

"Gaara." Iruka's clear, serious voice broke through his thoughts. "You must never tell anyone about it, do you understand? The Hokage declared that no one should know who wasn't there. Naruto... We don't know how it would affect him. It might upset the seal on him. The demon sleeps inside him. So long as Naruto doesn't know, the seal should remain strong. I know he's your friend, but please, don't tell him, okay?" Iruka's face was very serious, without even a hint of his usual smile. The boy looked down and nodded his agreement, causing Iruka to smile again.

"Thank you, Gaara. Now, let's go see if we can get Naruto to wake up."

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Something was poking him in the face. The right cheek, to be exact. Naruto swatted at it, sleepily, muttering about pandas. The poking paused for a second, and laughs were heard, then the poking resumed. The blonde's eyes opened and connected with a pair of eyes looking back at him, surrounded by black, set in a pale face. His mind still asleep, the boy grinned.

"Panda!" He reached up and pulled the 'panda' down to cuddle with it, nuzzling his face against it and wondering why a panda bear smelled so much like the wind on a sunny day, warm and soothing. Another laugh broke through to his hazy mind and he realized he recognized it. His eyes snapped open again to focus on his surroundings. Sure enough, his 'panda' was actually Gaara, whose face was turning a deep shade of red, and the person currently sitting on the floor nearby and laughing was Iruka himself.

Now sporting his own deep blush, Naruto released his friend and glared at his sensei. The glare didn't last long though when a laugh was broken with a sputtered "P-panda!" The blonde ended up throwing his pillow at his master, trying not to look at Gaara's confused face.

"I was sleeping!" His outburst didn't seem to faze Iruka, who was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. Naruto was busy searching for something else to throw when there was a tug at his sleeve. He turned to look into a pair of big eyes looking up at him.

"Naruto... What's a panda?" There was silence in the room as Iruka's shock caused him to hiccup and take a deep breath, calming himself down enough to answer for his student.

"A panda is a bear that has white fur, with black patches. It's very well known for having a pale face and dark-rimmed eyes. I suppose the dark circles around your eyes reminded him of it. They're often called 'cute', so think of it as a compliment. Naruto must think you're cute!" They didn't notice the surprised blush covering his face, too busy running around the room, the blonde yelling death threats at his master, who had begun to laugh again.

Gaara was already liking the day.

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They had been walking around, talking, even training, for most of the day. Gaara had wanted to see what a ninja's training was like, and was surprised at how fast Iruka could move. He could feel the sand at his feet and at his back, ready to move forward and protect him should he need it. But both of his friends were good enough to keep him safe.

With a smile, the red-head looked inside of his bag. His father had given him a little money, saying he didn't want to owe a Leaf ninja for Gaara's meals, but when Iruka had assured him that it wasn't necessary, Gaara had used the money to buy a gift for Naruto. The boy had called him a panda, so Gaara had wanted to get something that had to do with a panda so that his friend could keep it to remember him by after he left. Though he hated to think about leaving...

In the end, they hadn't been able to find anything with pandas on them. Of course, Naruto thought they were looking for pandas because Gaara wanted to know what one looked like, and he was partially right. But then Iruka had pointed out something thathe whispered to the sand child was perfect for their friend, and had managed to send Naruto away on a simple mission long enough for the item to be bought and hidden in Gaara's small bag.

A smile tugged at his lips as the others came back over to him, the blonde panting and tired, riding on Iruka's back. He couldn't help but feel a little jealous, though. He had never been carried like that. In fact, no one had ever carried him as far back as he remembered. Not even his uncle. And his uncle cared about him... Right?

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Naruto blinked down at his friend from his place on Iruka's back. He seemed kinda sad now, when he had been smiling only moments ago. Maybe he was sad because he was leaving the next morning? With that thought, the blonde leapt off of his sensei's back and hurried over to his friend, plopping down next to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Tell ya what! When I become Hokage, I'll insist you visit me all the time!" This earned him a surprised look from the red-head.

"You're going to be Hokage?" Now it was Naruto's turn to be surprised.

"I thought I told you! I'm training to become the best ninja! Then I'll be a Hokage! Then everyone'll have to finally notice and respect me!" His chest puffed up proudly as he sent Gaara an excited smile. The other boy seemed to be deep in thought, though.

"Naruto... If I took over Father's position... As Kazekage... Then the villagers would have to like me? And I could have you come visit me whenever I want?" When he nodded, Naruto saw a real smile break out on Gaara's face.

"Then I'm going to train hard! And I'll become the best ninja of my village, too! Then I'll be Kazekage, and we can visit each other all the time!"

As they headed back to the village, Iruka was pleased to notice the boys were holding hands, as though they were the best of friends and joined at the hip. If someone teased Gaara, Naruto was immediately there to stand up for him. The younger boy clung to the blonde as though Naruto had become the most important person to him. It was all very cute, really. Iruka merely smiled as he listened to their conversation, not really paying attention until Naruto began acting like himself, and started asking nosy questions.

"Um... Gaara?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you have those black circles around your eyes? And why does the sand follow you around? It's like it's always around you. Can you control it or something? That'd be so cool!" Gaara's eyes lowered and he squeezed Naruto's hand, honestly scared now.

"Yeah... I can control sand... Kind of. It protects me. And... the circles around my eyes are there, because.. well, I guess because I don't sleep." Naruto stared in shock, his eyes wide and his jaw practically at his feet.

"You don't sleep! At all? How?" Gaara just shrugged. He didn't want to tell his best friend that he was possessed by a demon. Even if Naruto was too, he didn't know, and the red-head didn't think he could survive if he lost Naruto.

"It's called insomnia, Naruto." Iruka's clear voice interrupted them, and the two demon-carriers looked up at the ninja. "Insomnia is a condition some people get where it makes it impossible for them to sleep. It's not that he chooses not to, he can't help it. Just like you can't help loving Ramen!" Just as the dolphin had hoped, the mentioning of his favorite food had him rushing off with his friend towards Ichiraku, the normal village sounds interrupted by loud, delighted cries of, "RAMEN! Iruka's treat!"

Sighing and deciding he would need to consider a mission soon just to be able to feed himself after paying twice in two days for Naruto's meals, Iruka hurriedly began to follow them.

He was just glad that Gaara didn't eat like his student did.

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HOLY CRAP that was long! Maybe I should write more of these longer chapters? hm... And in next chapter, the chibis say goodbye, and you learn what Gaara's present for Naruto is! Don't worry, though, it's not the end of the story!