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The next day started off as a normal one for the Kazekage, but with a slight twist - Shikadai was seated on Gaara's lap, eyes wide with curiosity as he studied the Suna shinobi that strode in and out of the office. They all bowed in his direction and spoke respectfully, occasionally passing some important-looking papers to his uncle.

"Wow, all the shinobi here are bowing to me, even though they are Chuunin and Jounin and even ANBU! I must be really great… and powerful… and awesome... " Shikadai thought, flattered by the reverent treatment he received from the shinobi, blissfully unaware of the true reason for their behaviour. Bolstered with newfound pride, he decided to ask for a small favour from Gaara.

"Uncle Gaara, can you tell Mom and Dad to let me live with you? And go to work with you everyday?" He requested with large puppy eyes.

"Erm… Why?" Gaara questioned without looking up from his paperwork, surprised at his nephew's sudden wish to stay in Suna when the boy had been pining for home just a day ago.

"Because everyone treats me so well here!" Shikadai explained as if Gaara had just asked a silly question. "It's way better than Konoha! They're even bowing to me…" He added excitedly.

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Shikadai's naiveté, Gaara tried to explain as patiently as he could. "Actually, they… " Yet, before he could go on, a series of sharp knocks interrupted him. "Come in!" Gaara ordered.

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees when the door opened to reveal three elders from the Suna Council, escorted by his former sensei Baki. The cordial but easy atmosphere had been replaced with a nervous tension, which made Gaara tighten his hold around Shikadai.

After exchanging the necessary formal greetings, one of the elders, an old man with a long white beard, cleared his throat and addressed Gaara.

"Kazekage-sama, we have been informed of a possible terrorist attack." He stated dryly, before placing Shikamaru's charred kunai on the table as proof. "The assailant appears to have used this kunai and an explosive tag to bomb the Kazekage Tower, with the intention of harming the Council."

Another old man continued after his counterpart. "And since this knife is clearly of Konoha origin, and there are only two Konoha shinobi present in Suna right now…" He trailed off and glared at Gaara, expecting the young Kazekage to follow his line of reasoning.

Gaara resisted the urge to scowl at the old men, carefully schooling his expression into a mask of undisturbed composure. "Thank you very much, but I'm well aware of the unfortunate incident, and have already subdued the culprit." He responded as curtly and respectfully as possible, for he was seething with rage inside. "These old geezers dare insinuate Shikamaru and Temari as responsible for such a crime! As if the Council hadn't given them enough trouble for their marriage…" He thought angrily to himself, but was quickly cut off by the third Council member.

"Is that so? Well then who is it?" The old man asked, seemingly unconvinced.

Gaara flicked his hand nonchalantly, before launching into his rehearsed explanation.

"Oh, it was merely a common thief who had the nerve to break into my house and steal the kunai from my brother-in-law when he went sightseeing with my sister. I chased after him and he threw the kunai at the tower in a panic. I've already made sure that there were no casualties and the wall is fixed -"

"You're wrong, Uncle Gaara!" Shikadai piped up. "Didn't we bomb the ugly tower together?" He narrowed his teal eyes disapprovingly at his uncle.

"Sh… Quiet, Shikadai…" Gaara hushed, praying that the Council members will not catch Shikadai's words. Yet his stubborn nephew blatantly ignored his attempt to protect him.

"Mom says you shouldn't tell lies, Uncle!" Shikadai accused indignantly. "I didn't break into your house…"

"What? Who is this insolent kid?" The bearded Council member demanded, pointing at Shikadai.

Gaara quickly tried to placate the livid elder. "He is my nephew, and please forgive him, he doesn't know what he is talking about…" He explained, hoping that the elders would dismiss Shikadai's words as mere childish rambling.

The second elder thumped his walking stick on the floor loudly, expressing his grave displeasure. "Gaara-sama," He reprimanded sharply. "You should know better than to allow a kid to meddle in the political affairs of Sunagakure, especially a brat from another village! It is very unbecoming and unprofessional of an esteemed Kazekage, what would the other dignitaries of the Shinobi Union make of you -"

"You bunch of old, senile geezers!" Shikadai jumped onto the table and shook his tiny fists threateningly at the Council members. "How dare you talk to my uncle like that? Only my mother can do that!" He shouted, dark green eyes blazing with fury. "And you even stole my father's kunai, you old thieves!" He crossed his arms and channeled all his murderous intent into a fearsome glare, reminding everyone in the room of the woman who was once Suna's deadliest kunoichi.

The elders' faces were twisted in rage, the furrows created by wrinkles becoming even deeper and longer while their beards were twitching as well. Gaara decided to sit back and enjoy the sight of the venerable Suna Council being put in their places by a small audacious child who was still shorter than the old men despite using the table as leverage. "About time they received a stern talking-to…" He thought to himself.

The angry silence was broken by a resigned sigh from Baki. Shaking his head, the elder Jounin said, "There's no doubt about it, gentlemen. This boy is definitely Temari-dono's son, he's inherited every ounce of her temper." The elders then huffed with contempt. "What is your name, child?" Baki inquired.

"Nara Shikadai-sama, honourable nephew of the Godaime Kazekage!" Shikadai proclaimed haughtily, straightening his back and turning his eyes to the ceiling, before boasting about his prestigious lineage as heir of the Nara Clan and descendant of the Kazekage Clan.

The Council members seemed to have recovered their gift of speech. "With all due respect, Kazekage-sama, it is best for your nephew to leave the office -"

"Shikadai-kun has no desire to meddle in any important affairs of Sunagakure, and none of the shinobi have any complains against him." Gaara stated firmly as he rose from his chair. "He has been an obedient child for the most part, so he is staying here." He then narrowed his eyes dangerously at the old men, daring them to contradict.

The elders glared at him before turning their backs and walked towards the door, while muttering something under their breath.

Gaara knew better than to let them off so easily. "And before you step out of the door," He warned, an intimidating edge to his low voice. "I advise you to think twice about troubling my sister and brother-in-law. As long as Suna is involved, their business is my business."

A loud slam was all he received in response. Shikadai pumped his fists in the air, overjoyed at his unprecedented victory, while Gaara continued with his paperwork.

"Ha! We sure taught those old geezers a lesson, didn't we, Uncle Gaara?" Shikadai asked triumphantly.

"Sure thing, Shikadai, they won't bother us anymore. Come in!"

The door opened to reveal a team comprising three fresh-faced Genin and their Jounin-sensei. Gaara cringed when he saw the yearning, fawning looks on the girls' faces, it was beyond doubt that they were part of his already huge but still growing fan club (consisting of almost the whole unmarried young female population of Suna). Dealing with them is definitely going to be a headache.

"Gaara-sama!" The girls gushed as they batted their eyelashes at their idol. "Can we get promoted to ANBU now? We want to stay by your side and protect you forever!" They swooned, hoping to win his affections. Their high-pitched voices grated on his nerves as Gaara gulped and resisted the urge to gag, unsure whether he felt more disgusted or distressed.

"Girls…" Before the sensible Jounin-sensei could reprimand her pupils, Shikadai once again pounced onto the table and even brandished his father's burnt kunai at the Genin.

"How dare you pester Uncle Gaara like that? He doesn't like you at all, he wants me by his side!" Shikadai threatened as he glared at the young kunoichi. "Argh, why can't all girls be more like Mom, she never talks to Dad in such a troublesome manner!" He thought to himself as he contemplated the eccentricities of the female population.

"You annoying kid, how dare you insult Kazekage-sama!" A black-haired Genin with her forehead protector tied around her neck was outraged that some ill-mannered child with an ugly hairdo had just ruined her chances of winning Gaara's love.

"That's right, what proof do you have that Kazekage-sama is your uncle, you little good-for-nothing squirt!" A brunette girl crossed her arms haughtily and tossed her hair, sneering at Shikadai distastefully.

"What is a obnoxious gaki* like you doing in Kazekage-sama's office, you are just getting in his way!" The third girl, a blonde, defended her friends.

Deciding to stop the quarrelsome children before a fight broke out, Gaara cleared his throat authoritatively and clarified, "Just in case you're wondering, this 'annoying kid' is my sister's child, of course he gets to stay here."

Faces flushed with embarrassment, the three Genin bowed repeatedly before Gaara, apologising profusely for their mistake.

"Sorry! Sorry Kazekage-sama! We didn't know he is the honourable nephew… We will make it up to you somehow… and we'll apologise to Temari-sama and Nara-sama as well..."

"Ha! Now you know never to cross the great Shikadai-sama!" Shikadai gloated happily, overjoyed at another victory over the hapless Genin.

Gaara rolled his eyes and maintained his usual cool expression as he beheld his nephew's wild antics. The Jounin-sensei watched the spectacle with an amused look, her eyebrows raised and a drop of sweat running down her forehead.

"I apologise sincerely for my students' lack of decorum, Kazekage-sama, they're always very… excited to see you." The Jounin bowed slightly and handed the mission report to Gaara. "The mission has been a success. " She then turned to Shikadai and smiled kindly. "Welcome to Sunagakure, honourable nephew, you really remind me of Temari-senpai, must be the eyes."

It was then that Shikadai noticed a strikingly familiar object strapped to the Jounin-sensei's back. "Uncle Gaara, look!" He pointed at her. "She stole Mom's fan!"

"Don't be silly, Shikadai," Gaara chided. "Iron fans are a common weapon of choice for Fuuton users here. You just don't see them in Konoha."

"Heehee, sorry." Shikadai smiled sheepishly at the Jounin-sensei. The team then bowed and exited the office. As soon as they left, another series of knocks resounded through the room.

"Ha! Who's here to kowtow to the great Shikadai-sama…" Shikadai boasted but his face fell when he caught sight of the two visitors. "Mom? Dad?"

Shikamaru seemed to be rather amused at his son's antics, and decided to play along with him, it would shape his first memory of Suna after all. "How's your day, the oh-so-great Shikadai-sama?" Shikamaru drawled, even adding a fake bow for good measure.

Shikadai was ecstatic, "Even Dad bows down to me! The great Shikadai-sama!" Just then, he noticed his mother standing beside his father, with arms crossed before her chest, a disapproving look on her face. "Mom! Why aren't you bowing to the great Shikadai-sama like Dad?" Shikadai ordered with folded arms and narrowed eyes, mirroring her posture.

Gaara shot a stern look at Shikadai, thinking that he should inform Shikadai about who the shinobi were actually bowing to, before all the flattery inflated his head. The last thing he wanted was for his nephew to turn into a spoiled brat.

Temari, unlike her laid-back husband, was clearly in no mood for games. "Well, Shikadai-sama," She emphasized with a caustic edge to her voice. "Care to explain to me what happened yesterday? The elders were giving us dirty looks on our way here."

"Huh? Nothing happened. Uncle Gaara brought me to the market, where we saw camels, chickens and a big fat sheep." Shikadai answered with the most guileless look he could muster.

Watching his sister's expression darken, Gaara suddenly remembered what Shikadai told him when he was spinning yarn in front of the elders. "Shikadai! What did your mother tell you about lying?" He admonished lightly.

Realization dawned upon Shikadai for a second before he schooled his face into one of utter disbelief. "Huh? Since when did she say anything about lying? You are going senile like the old geezers, Uncle Gaara!" Shikadai wagged a finger at Gaara with barely concealed disdain.

Gaara couldn't believe Shikadai had just put him in the same league as those geezers downstairs. He looked at Shikadai with the angriest stare he dared to muster, yet Shikadai seemed to have grown immune to them. "Interesting… One day ago, he was still screaming his head off whenever he saw me." He thought with mild frustration.

Shikadai scrunched up his face in deep concentration as he recalled his adventures from the previous day, before brightening up again, as if he had suddenly seen the light. "Oh yeah! I remembered what happened yesterday! Uncle Gaara and I were playing tag cum hide-and-seek in the bazaar. Then, we played Ninja; we planned and executed an attack on the Kazekage Tower, 'cos the building was too ugly and needed to be demolished!" Shikadai explained enthusiastically, waving his hands around as he talked.

Shikamaru's eyebrows shot up in disbelief as he took in his son's words. Though he knew all of them were complete and utter nonsense, he was still surprised that his precocious son was growing up faster than he had anticipated. "What can I say? He's inherited brains from both sides… How troublesome!" He thought to himself. Yet, before he could stop her, Temari stalked forward and slammed her hands on the table, glaring furiously at her little brother. Gaara maintained his stony expression, being more than used to her outbursts, while Shikadai yelped and almost fell off the desk.

"Gaara! How could you allow Dai to run amok in the marketplace?!" Temari accused, all notion of decorum thrown out of the window. "He could have gotten trampled by a clumsy camel, or scratched and pecked by crazy chickens, or kicked at by a grouchy sheep! He could have been seriously hurt…" Nobody dared to interrupt her as she went on about the dangers of the bazaar.

Gaara sighed and decided to exonerate himself. "Actually…" He began but was rudely interrupted by his rambunctious nephew.

"Ne, Mom!" Shikadai pompously shrugged off his anxious mother. "You should be worried about the useless Uncle Gaara instead!" He clucked scornfully at Gaara. "He was the one who almost bumped into a camel, got scratched by chickens and almost got kicked by a big fat sheep! The great Shikadai-sama would never allow such measly beings to touch him. Ha!"

Shikamaru facepalmed and shook his head repeatedly. "What a troublesome kid! Parenting sure is a drag." He remarked while stifling an exasperated yawn. "I should have left you in the dustbin where I found you." He stated as matter-of-factly as possible, hoping to scare his son into obedience. The trick was a Nara heirloom, for it was used against Shikamaru by his own father.

Temari could no longer tolerate her son's nonsense, he was surely testing her limits today. "Cut it out Shikadai!" Her smouldering gaze bored into Shikadai's cheeky one. "What really happened yesterday? And stop calling yourself 'sama', you're just a troublesome kid."

Shikadai's hands flew to his mouth. "Great heavens! My parents actually agreed with each other!" He gasped in disbelief as he placed a hand over his heart. "Okay! I'll tell you what happened." He quickly prattled on with Gaara's thief story to placate his vexed parents.

Gaara was mildly impressed at Shikadai's yarn-spinning skills but chose to tell the truth, starting with how Shikadai found the kunai, the chase through the bazaar and finally the accidental bombing of the Council meeting room. After he finished, he flashed a sympathetic look at Shikadai, hoping the boy was mentally prepared for his parents' reaction.

"Shikadai you baka*!" Temari reprimanded before flicking her index finger sharply on Shikadai's forehead. The boy winced as he rubbed the sore spot. "How many times have I told you that weapons are not toys?! You could have gotten yourself hurt, and blown up your uncles' house for good measure!"

"Chou baka*." Shikamaru muttered under his breath. For a budding genius, his son can be surprisingly dense at times. "No wonder one of my kunai is missing. And it's my favourite one too!" He chided as he picked up his blunt and charred weapon.

"Umm… heehee… sorry Mom, Dad… I won't do it again." Shikadai apologised with a sheepish smile. "But I realised I was wrong about Uncle Gaara, he's the most awesome person I've ever met! He can do all that cool stuff with his sand…" He rambled on with wildly exaggerated accounts of his uncle's courageous and heroic deeds, much to the chagrin of the adults.

After waiting for his son to settle down, Shikamaru reached out and ruffled Shikadai's hair affectionately. "Now that you two have finally gotten along, and the troublesome 'terrorist attack' is sorted out, let's get back to why we're even here in the first place." Shikadai pouted slightly when he understood that it was the signal for him to let the adults do their boring adult stuff.

As if on cue, Temari immediately began to discuss Shinobi Union matters, in particular Suna-Konoha diplomatic affairs. Gaara continued to sign papers and gave occasional comments, with Shikamaru offering some helpful suggestions as well.

Shikadai stared at the squarish characters in front of him as the adults discussed and signed many different papers. Soon enough, the characters turned squiggly and the adults' words became gibberish. Shikadai huffed, "How dare they ignore the great Shikadai-sama? Humph, I shall find my own entertainment then." He hopped off Gaara's lap and strolled leisurely around the office, occasionally gazing out of the window at the busy Suna streets below. Before long, he was bored by the scenery and found the perfect place to curl up for a nap. In no time at all, Shikadai was sound asleep, leaning comfortably against Gaara's sand gourd.

Hearing Shikadai's soft snores, the three adults looked up and saw him peacefully immersed in dreamland. They let out a collective sigh of relief, "At last, the great Shikadai-sama is quiet."

"Tch, troublesome kid." Shikamaru remarked. He was glad that the previously overactive Shikadai was no longer gallivanting about doing bothersome things and giving him nasty headaches.

"Lazy, just like his father." Temari commented, her tone a unique hybrid of affection and annoyance.

Stealing another glance at his nephew, Gaara's heart softened at the adorable sight. His sister and brother-in-law were surely being too harsh on the little boy. "Neesan*, Aniue*, I think my nephew is really adorable…" He offered, hoping that they would forgive the trouble Shikadai had caused.

Temari huffed at his ignorance. "Well, you won't say that if you carried him for nine months inside you, went through hell to bring him into this world and have to chase after him 24/7." She reminded him of the less-than-glamorous side of parenting. "It's even worse than S-rank missions… you should include parenting in ANBU training… develops patience as well as the ability to stay energetic and alert even when sleep-deprived…"

Gaara smiled ruefully at his sister's suggestion, before continuing where they had left off. After a long discussion, they noticed that Shikadai was still nestled comfortably against the gourd, sound asleep.

"Looks like the great Shikadai-sama is still asleep, we'll bring him back now, sorry for the trouble Gaara." Shikamaru sighed as Temari gently picked up their son. The Nara family then left the office, leaving Gaara with some peace and quiet to finish his paperwork.

When leaving for Konoha…

"Mom, Dad, do we really have to leave today? Can't we stay for one more night? Please…" Shikadai begged with his watery puppy eyes as he tugged on his mother's slacks repeatedly. The Nara family were already at the entrance of Sunagakure no Sato, preparing for their leave. Both adults have exchanged their formal wear for the standard Konoha Jounin uniform.

"No, we're going back to Konoha now." Temari responded as firmly as possible (even she was not invulnerable to puppy eyes). "Hokage-sama has already lengthened our stay in Suna to allow you to spend more time with your uncles." She explained patiently.

"That's right, son, your mother and I still have to go on missions when we get back." Shikamaru added, checking through his weapons pouch to make sure everything was in place.

Knowing that his parents were adamant on leaving, Shikadai quickly jumped towards Gaara and hugged him tightly. Gaara stumbled backwards, surprised by the gesture. "Uncle Gaara, I don't want to go back… Can you please help me tell Kakashi-ojiisan* to let me stay here? I promise I won't scold the Council again…" Shikadai murmured into Gaara's robe, a lone tear snaking down his cheek.

Gaara felt his heart pinch a little at his nephew's dejected voice, but this matter was simply non-negotiable. "I'm sorry, Shikadai, but you have to go home." He apologised affectionately. "I will definitely visit you when I drop by Konoha for official events."

Shikadai's face brightened up instantly, like warm beams of sunshine after a downpour. "Really? Will you stay at our house? I can show you the deer in our forest!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Gaara smiled. "Of course."

"Yes!" Shikadai leapt up and pumped his fist in the air, his tears blown away by the whipping winds. "Boruto's gonna be so jealous of me when I tell him about you, and imagine what Uncle Naruto will think when I tell him I got to be Kazekage before he became Hokage!"

Shikamaru and Temari rolled their eyes at Shikadai's silly plans. Of course he insisted on going to work with Gaara for some serious bragging rights. For Shikadai, to merely one-up Boruto was child's play, to one-up Naruto - the almost-for-certain-Nanadaime-Hokage* - on the other hand was a lifetime achievement.

Gaara's smile turned into a half-grimace when he pictured Naruto's reaction in his mind. "I'm sure Uncle Naruto will be very impressed." He replied evenly, ruffling Shikadai's hair. "You should get going, your parents are waiting for you." He nudged him forward gently.

"Bye! See you soon!" Shikadai gave him another hug before running off. He climbed nimbly onto Shikamaru's back, before giving one last wave to Gaara. Gaara returned the gesture, and watched on as the Nara family sped across the empty desert towards the lush green forests of Konoha, until they disappeared into the horizon.

He smiled to himself wistfully, surprised that he was missing his nephew already. Even though being an uncle could sometimes be even more troublesome than his role as Kazekage, he would always cherish any moment spent with his adorable nephew. After all, he had great hopes for the little boy, Shikadai will most definitely surpass both his parents as a shinobi.

And who wouldn't be proud to call him their nephew then?

TBC...


*Gaki - Brat

*Baka - Idiot

*Chou Baka - Super Idiot

*Neesan - Elder Sister

*Aniue - Elder Brother

*Ojiisan - Grandfather

*Nanadaime - Seventh


AN: Yay, another chapter done! Hope you found it funnier than the previous one! From Gaara Hiden, the old people in the Suna Council seem pretty obnoxious and old-fashioned, so we wanted to poke fun at them but it may be too much... We also wanted to put fangirls in their places, since they are very annoying and - according to Shikamaru - quite 'useless' (That's why he didn't marry one!) On a side note, my sister hopes Gaara gets married soon so there will be no more fangirls...

Just another interesting fact about a small detail: remember the part about Temari flicking Shikadai's forehead? Our mom used to do that to us when we misbehaved... (it's actually quite painful when executed perfectly, try it on yourself if you don't believe)

The next chapter is a bonus scene guest-starring our number one unpredictable Uzumaki family! Stay tuned :)

P.S. I am so sorry for updating so many times! Cus I always forgot to add in translations for some Japanese words used.