The Great Exchange

By TheCrackShipper

Summary: AU It is War. The Five Great Nations are pitted against each other. The Tailed Beasts are prowling the night, destroying lives and adding to the Chaos. Alliances must be made.

Thanks to Wedgits, xXHyuugaSakuraXx, HarmonyRose, nowe, Skye-sama, narutofan10901,and chibirain94 for the wonderful reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto


Ino had no more tears left, so when she turned to face Shikamaru and Chouji her eyes were dry. Chouji's own eyes were moist, and Shikamaru's gaze was determinedly plastered to the sky.

They didn't speak. They really didn't have to.

The mental connection was strong, no matter where they were, they always just knew when a member of the team was in trouble or happy or hurting. The emotion in the air was stifling, threatening to choke them.

Ino hugged the both of them, she held on tightly, trembling slightly.

"It's not goodbye," she whispered. It was good-bye.

"Of course not!" Chouji exclaimed patting her on the back. What if I never see you again?

"Such drama," Shikamaru sighed. I'll miss you so much, you nagging piece of troublesome.

Ino let out a strangled laugh. My boys

"We were supposed to die together like out dads," Chouji muttered.

"Oh believe me I'll make sure to let you know when I'm about to die so we can all do it simultaneously," Ino said only partially sarcastic.

"We'll know if something's wrong," Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. We're here for you.

"That's right if we catch one whiff of trouble, we're coming over there," Not even a wheel chair could stop Chouji from saving her.

"Like I need saving," Ino scoffed, "You're the idiot's that need protecting," Be safe.

"Yamanaka-san we need to go pick up Tenten-san," her escort eyed them a bit a disapproving, his gaze straying a bit too long on Chouji's wheel chair.

"Good-bye for now," Ino emphasized the for now.

"Good-bye for now," they replied in unison.

And with that team InoShikaCho separated, their team split in two.

--

Neji was saying goodbye because it was his duty.

And because he would actually miss her.

She was a reminder of a complete Team Gai. They were all that was left of the team, and now it was as though their memories would sink to the bottom of the sea along with Lee.

"Good-bye," she said simply, shouldering her very small pack. Her personal possessions were few and sparse.

"Good-bye," he replied, quite unsure of what to do now.

"Don't forget the flowers,"

"I won't,"

"Or the letters,"

"I won't,"

"Or me,"

"I won't,"

She smiled at him.

"We'll be okay, Neji,"

He wasn't quite sure that he believed her.

"We had some good times,"

He nodded.

"Let's make a deal,"

He raised his eyebrows, but decided to humor her.

She quirked her face up towards him, "When we have our first sons lets name them Lee,"

D#mn her, there was a lump in his throat, and something in his eye.

He nodded, unable to speak.

"Tenten-san," they were interrupted by the arrival of Ino and her escort, "We are supposed to go to the Hokage tower where you are to meet your Suna escorts,"

Already they were being mutated into Suna kunoichi, not Konoha escorts but Suna escorts.

"Hai," Tenten nodded, she glanced at Neji, grinned and turned toward the entourage.

It was time to start her new life

--

Kankuro waited nervously at the gates. Gaara was not allowed to leave the village for fear that he would be killed, or that the Konoha kunoichi would turn on him. But Kankuro was not going to be Kazekage and therefore he was assigned to escort his fiancée and his brother's fiancée to Suna.

The girls arrived, both wielding small packs, their worldly possessions.

Tenten's eyes widened. Ino raised her eyebrows.

"One escort?" she voiced her thoughts out loud, and eyed Kankuro appraisingly.

"One's enough," Kankuro replied curtly, secretly relieved that he had not spoken to Tenten yet.

"How long is the journey?" Tenten asked his knee, a pink tint to her tanned cheeks. It was going to be a very awkward journey.

"A day's journey if we go fast," his purple face paint hid the crimson flush on his own cheeks.

"When are the unions to occur?" Ino questioned in her most professional tone of voice.

Kankuro found the dirt fascinating all of a sudden, "Upon arrival,"

Ino's jaw dropped. Tenten involuntarily twitched.

"Upon arrival?" Ino repeated faintly.

Kankuro nodded.

"Why so eager?" Tenten tilted her head questioningly. The innocent inquiry had an underlying tone of accusation.

"Suna's worse off than you Konoha ninja," the puppeteer said darkly. He turned abruptly and started in the shade of the surrounding forests.

The kunoichi didn't look back.

They started at a good pace, but the sound of fighting was never far off. They needed to arrive in Suna before nightfall. No one wanted to be out after dark. That was when the beasts roamed. They all knew the danger they were in; the other villages were furious about the upcoming alliances. Great lengths would be taken to make sure the marriages would not take place. But Kankuro was an intelligent escort, and had the advantage of growing up in the caves, caverns, and hidey holes of the surrounding area. The girls were impressed. Sure it was one body guard, but it was one very good body guard.

They had arrived at the desert. Ino was stunned by the desolateness of the place. It was so lonely, even lonelier than a war struck Konoha. Tenten however was stuck with its beauty, its lonely beauty but a place of beauty all the same.

"Well look'ee who we have here," a raspy voice sounded out in front of them, "A couple of Konoha princesses,"

Kankuro immediately went for his puppet. Tenten pulled out her scroll, and Ino went into jutsu position.

Bandits.

--

Temari had gone with Kankuro on the journey and was now waiting in the Hokage's office. She sat on a stiff backed chair twisting a blank piece of paper in her hands. She had met the blonde boy at the Chunin exams, and though he was spirited, she didn't really see him as having leader material. There were strange rumors about him though. How his fighting style was absolutely legendary on the battle field. She really didn't know what to expect…

Suddenly the Godaime Hokage walked in, the Rokudaime Hokage trailing after her.

He had grown. He was tall, strong, and handsome, but his eyes were bitter, unhappy. The war had changed him.

"We were not expecting you Temari-sama," Tsunade frowned.

"My father wanted to get rid of me, and my brothers are to be married to your girls tonight," Temari said coolly, not even breaking a sweat. She was a master at political tactics.

Tsunade narrowed her eyes, "Since when does Suna change the written documents?"

Temari countered her gaze, Naruto was astonished. What kind of girl was this? Who could look Tsunade-sama in the eye like that?

"The fine print said marriage dates were the variable, and that dates would be decided on what seemed fit, Is there a problem?" Temari stared right back.

Tsunade rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"No just let's get on with it,"

Naruto's eyes widened, "You mean we're getting married right here, right now?"

Tsunade pulled out a large book from underneath her desk, "Yes,"

The ceremony was not as long as they thought it would be, the two said a few vows, Temari was made to pledge loyalty to her new village, a blood tie. Naruto watched on as Temari cut her thumb to sign her name in blood. She was officially a Konoha ninja.

"Do you two promise to be loyal to your village and one another until your dieing day?"

There were two resolute nods, two equal consents.

"Alright," Tsunade closed the huge book, "Sign here,"

The two signed and were officially married.

"I expect the marriage to be consummated tonight," Tsunade eyed them sharply. There wasn't even a blush, "Naruto you start your post tomorrow, you've trained in the proper procedure for the past two years, you know what you're doing,"

Naruto nodded, a strange gleam in his eye.

"Your dream has been realized," Tsunade smiled softly and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Temari fell back awkwardly. It was strange that she did not know why this moment was so significant but she felt the emotion in the air. The years of hard work realized, in a triumphant man that nobody believed in. Here he stood, Hokage, just like he always said. This loser was now a leader.

"Now have fun tonight you two," Tsunade said in a sing song voice, winking suggestively. Now there were a few faint blushes.

Uzumaki Naruto and Uzumaki Temari walked in silence to his apartment. He unlocked the door, and gently led her inside.

"I'll give you the keys, I'm not going to be home very often," he said softly. She nodded.

His apartment was small, a living room with a flat tale, a shelf of books and scrolls to the side, an inappropriate calendar, which he apologized profusely for, hastily throwing it out the window. There was a kitchen with several empty ramen cups strewn about the floor. The dishes were piled up high in the sink.

Naruto took a hold of her hand, and she looked up at him, unsure if he wanted to consummate the marriage right now.

"Temari," he said seriously, " I know that right now we don't love each other, and that we don't really know each other, but I promise for the good of both our villages we can grow to love each other," she was stunned by his words, not expecting such kind treatment from him, "I promise that I will always take care of you,"

He kissed her softly, and Temari knew that even though she might not love her husband, and even though this was a political marriage, he was a good man who would sacrifice his happiness for his village, and that endeared him to her, even if it was just a little bit.

If he was willing to try and make the best out of this situation then she was as well. She would try for Suna.


A/N: Ahh sorry for the bad ending. Hope you liked it! Please Review!