Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

Temari had known that her youngest brother was traveling across the rooftops. She hadn't tried to stop him, of course, because that would be among the most idiotic and insane decisions that she could have possibly made in her entire life. Besides, aside from the fact that trying to stop Gaara from doing something that he wanted to do was an incredibly dangerous choice, he didn't seem interested in causing damage. And so it made no sense to do something that might rid him of the very pleasant mood he'd been in lately (Or as pleasant a mood as a lunatic who proved his existence through the torture and brutal murder of others could be in). So she'd been reasonably concerned when, out of the blue, he'd snatched a young blond boy off of the ground and dragged him through the air to his location.

On one hand, she didn't want the poor kid to get killed. It's not like the people of this village were used to avoiding Gaara's wrath, and while she wasn't the kindest and most courteous person in history, it wasn't as though she was completely heartless. Besides, even if she didn't care as a person, it would be especially problematic for the Sand if said death was at Gaara's hands. But when the blond boy's companion had said that he'd seen him "do stranger," she figured that they might be able to get out of the village before anything could be connected to them to any incidents that might occur. Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw an hour later, when she'd decided to get something to eat.

Her little brother. At some random little run-down shop in the streets of the village.

Laughing.

Okay, so perhaps it wasn't a loud, echoing, bellow of a laugh or anything like that. It was more of a muffled chuckle. Not even a full chuckle, really, but considering the fact that this was Gaara of the Sand, the small sound was above and beyond what anyone could ever expect to see. And it wasn't the insane, twisted, guttural version of a laugh that he tended to growl out when he was killing someone. It was a genuinely happy, pleasant laugh. This, she decided, was proof that Gaara's shift in moods lately hadn't all been in her head.

Or maybe he's finally snapped. The prospect wasn't exactly a pleasant train of thought, and so she shoved it into the back of her thoughts. If her little brother had finally gone completely out of his mind, it seemed to be more of an improvement than anything. Besides, she was curious, especially given that the person he was there with was the same kid that she was convinced would be a bloody mess before the day was over. So with some hesitation, and more anxiety that she would ever care to admit, she walked over to see exactly what the two were so amused with.

"Gaara?"

The duo turned to look at her, and Gaara's face shifted into more controlled expression, though it was still a far softer than she could ever remember seeing on him. The blond boy glanced back and forth between them a few times, before pointing at her.

"So that's your sister, right?"

"Temari."

"Right, right, Temari." As if he didn't already know. Still, playing the part could be fun sometimes. He'd certainly managed to annoy his teachers and classmates by accurately "guessing" what they would say and how they would react in certain situations. It wasn't perfect, but it was usually close enough. "Hey, wanna join us?"

"Uh, sure. I guess. I mean if it's okay with you, Gaara." At the slight nod, she took a seat next to her brother, glancing at him from the corner of her eye as she tried to focus on what she wanted to order. The whole thing was a little surreal, and Gaara's attitude was just plain starting to freak her out. She couldn't say whether or not he'd confirmed it with the blond boy earlier, but he had actually just referred to her as his sister rather than a potential target, albeit indirectly.

What's been wrong with him lately?

As she gave her order to the old man whom she presumed was the owner of the stand, she couldn't help taking a moment to ponder that thought. She had to admit that their family really must be pretty screwed up if the first idea to cross her mind when her brother actually treated her as a person instead of a tool was that there must be something wrong with him. Yet just as she'd felt so many times since he'd started acting so strange, after getting through all of the anxiety it was somehow pleasing to see the little boy acting so much more human.

"So, Tanuki Boy here says that you guys are visiting on business. What's the deal?"

Tanuki…Boy? "Tanuki boy?"

"Yeah, y'know." Naruto hopped out of his seat and walked behind Gaara, turning him to face Temari as the redhead…Well, he pretty much held the same blank look as always, almost as if he was unaware of the contact at all. If that'd been her, they'd be finding the remains for months. Reaching around Gaara's head to point at the dark circles around his eyes and poking at them, as if his own sister wouldn't already be clearly aware of their presence, Naruto continued. "See? Just like a little Tanuki."

"That's, uh…" What exactly was one supposed to say to the person who cheerily poked fun at a sadistic murderer about his appearance? Especially when that person was basically asking you to do the same, and when you would have to live with said murderer? "Accurate?"

"Hn."

"Accurate? Well, I guess. I was kind of expecting things like 'cuddly' or 'oh that's so cute, I wanna hug him' or something. You know, all that girly-girl type of stuff. But I guess you're not really a girly type of person…"

She felt herself twitch.

"…Are you saying I'm not feminine?" Okay, so she didn't go out of her way to act like a lot of the girls her age. But kunoichi or not, she was quickly on her way to becoming a woman (At least as far as she was concerned, though Kankuro insisted she was still "an annoying little girl"), and she didn't want to come off as overtly masculine. Maybe she didn't want to be mistaken for one of the shallow brats who went around blubbering about their looks day in and day out, but it couldn't be a good sign if a boy just a couple years younger than her thought she was too boyish.

"N-no, nothing like that! I'm just saying that you're a lot more boyish than most of the girls I know!"

Another twitch, and Naruto had the distinct feeling that if he didn't clear things up very quickly, there was going to be much pain wrought upon his ten year old self. Temari and Gaara's thought processes were running along very similar pathways.

"But it's not that you're-it's just-I mean, the girls I know are really, really girly, so-"

It seemed to be getting worse. Much worse. It was nearly as bad as the time Sakura had found him just as he was showing off one of his new Sexy Jutsu to Konohamaru, whom she had apparently deemed as "way too young" for that kind of thing. His head hadn't stopped spinning for weeks after that one. Thankfully, he had Gaara to back him up this time.

"A little help here, maybe?" Gaara…well, it was difficult for someone who was doing absolutely nothing to pause, but somehow he managed to pull it off. After several seconds of contemplation, he offered his solution.

"Stop. Shut up. Sit down. Eat your ramen."

Okay, so he kind of had Gaara on his side. From a certain point of view. If you looked close enough. Even if the Sand Jinchuuriki wasn't exactly polite in his rescue attempt. Of course, Naruto couldn't just do as he was told. That would be far too easy. Instead he decided that a new course of action would be more amusing and less likely to end with his voice raising a few pitches after a blow to a particularly sensitive section of his anatomy.

"Aw, come on little Tanuki Boy, I'm just having a litt-wah!" Naruto fell backwards, landing hard on his hindquarters. Letting out an annoyed mumble that sounded eerily similar to "Stupid sand powers," which Temari was too distracted to notice as she saw small tendrils of sand settling back to the ground from where they'd silently shifted under the blonde's feet. He pulled himself back onto his seat and sent a mock-glare towards the other boy. In the meantime, Temari was staring at the scene aghast, half expecting Gaara to suddenly go mad and destroy the entire city block, and half awed that he'd been so remarkably patient with a complete stranger when he'd carelessly threatened even his own family on numerous occasions. Not to mention that he'd once again broken his normal routine and come to her defense, albeit in a different manner (And despite the fact that it was at least partially for the other boy's sake, rather than hers).

It just didn't make sense. She was, much unlike Kankuro, driven by logic. She organized. She strategized. She planned. She prepared. There was rhyme and reason to everything, and everything had its place and purpose. She wasn't obsessive when it came to having order, but she couldn't just overlook how severely Gaara was breaking the natural workings of their lives. And what's more, he was doing so without any apparent reason aside from the fact that he simply felt like it. Even as random as his actions normally seemed to those who didn't know him, she'd watched him often enough to realize that unnoticeable as they might appear, he did have a tentative sort of system to his madness.

In the end, she decided that it would probably just be better for her sanity if she took his advice to the annoying orange-clad boy herself. Stop, shut up, sit down, and eat the ramen.

However, even if she did stop trying to analyze the red haired boy she couldn't bring herself to stop observing him. Nor could she seem to take her eyes off the boy currently chatting away about any and all pointless little matters that crossed his mind. He was loud, and annoying. Gaara didn't like loud and annoying people. He killed loud and annoying people. There must have been something special about this one. But what? He was cute in an odd way, yes, but Gaara had never cared about things like that. Looking from a different angle, he did bear some similarities to their uncle, but for some reason Gaara had closed off after their father had told them of Yashamaru's death. Still, even if he did resemble Yashamaru it was only slight, and many people in their own village had those same features.

No, it was something else. As she watched the boy practically breathe in the soupy dish, she decided that Gaara was treating him with such unusual kindness because he was, to put it quite bluntly, weird. With that conclusion in mind, she turned to her meal, intent on trying not to mentally dissect the duo to figure out what made them tick. Or perhaps in Gaara's case, what was making him tick so out of order recently.

No, bad! Stop analyzing!

So she did. And when she stopped trying to do so, she found herself actually enjoying the odd little activity with her brother and his mildly insane friend. Yes, friend. Gaara had a friend. It was almost inconceivable, but she couldn't deny what she was seeing with her own two eyes. In a short time she found she was beginning to enjoy the blond boy's ramblings, which seemed to flood from his mouth without hesitation, and consisted of everything from jokes, to complaints about people who didn't understand the glory of ramen, to tales of his oh-so-brilliant exploits (also known to a select few as pranks, though Naruto seemed shocked and appalled that she would even consider his amazing art to be mere gags). The only problem was, it was bound to end sooner or later. And that time came when the messenger bird that was constantly waiting with the Kazekage's bodyguards in case of an emergency, or if he simply needed to drag his agents away from whatever they were doing, fluttered into the small shop.

Whether or not it came as a comfort that Gaara didn't show signs of any uncharacteristic behavior as they bade the strange child farewell, she wasn't certain. Neither boy seemed to be upset or surprised with the seemingly harsh departure (Of course, considering that Gaara had never actually been in such a situation, she supposed she couldn't really say if it was a harsh separation or the nicest thing that Gaara would ever do for someone). Letting the matter drop, she simply smiled and waved goodbye, walking a short ways ahead of her brother. Despite their lack of rush, it wasn't very long before they were able to spot the Kazekage, his guards, and Kankuro at the gates to the village. And considering that the Kazekage began to move towards said gates she came to the conclusion, with no real surprise, that he simply didn't care what they had been doing. Only that Gaara had behaved himself. On the other hand…

"How was it? Are you freaking kidding me, Temari? It was crap! You guys are so lucky, getting to run around the village like that. I had to sit around and listen to a bunch of old geezers yap on about the old days for hours, and then I had to sit through an even longer session of 'We'll be having this many of that for those guys in that thing' crap before I was free."

"Shut up, Kankuro." He twisted around to look at her, holding his hand up and mimicking a mouth.

"Shut up, Kankuro." Easily one of the most intentionally horrible imitations of her voice that she'd ever heard, but after the day she'd had she couldn't bring herself to do much more than chuckle and stick her tongue out at him. He returned the gesture.

That gesture was promptly rewarded with a ball of sand striking him in the face, sending the young puppet practitioner into a fit of sputtering and coughing. Temari jerked back in surprise, turning just in time for her youngest brother to pass by her, face impassive as it always was. When he was in front of their little group, he allowed himself a quick smirk before forcing the neutral expression back into place.

Sometimes, it was fun to be the immature one.

The young man, or perhaps child in the eyes of many who failed to genuinely grasp what a shinobi's life was, grunted as the blade was driven through his hands, pinning him to the pillar he'd nearly shattered upon being thrown against it.

"To see one of the Sannin in such a miserable state…What a pathetic display."

Orochimaru released his grip on the Kusanagi, instead leaning his palms one over the other on the end of the hilt and chuckling at the taunt. Regardless of the danger it may have posed, he didn't bother to avoid the Uchiha's gaze, and lowered his head to examine the unique appearance of the Sharingan with curiosity. Much as he'd expected, Itachi didn't show the slightest sign of anger or fear, staring back at his opponent with bored and dismissive eyes. Truly, he was a model representation of what those in their world aimed to become. Relentless, fearless, untouchable, and with more than what was necessary to back up those features if intimidation wasn't enough…A perfect host.

"Are you certain you don't want to take that back, my little Uchiha? You aren't in much of a position to be making insults. The rest of the Akatsuki's little minions aren't about to come running to your aid, after all. For now we're all alone. It's just you and me."

"I suppose you expected me to be surprised at this betrayal?"

"Of course I didn't. Everyone knew this was coming. I doubt there's a single person in the Akatsuki who doesn't have a plan of their own. We've all merely united until our mutual enemies are no longer so quite so threatening. My time just came a little earlier than everyone else's. I may be the first, but I certainly won't be the last."

"I see. So you do have at least some understanding of the reality behind the organization. It's true that we are all working to our own ends. However, you're wrong in one regard."

"Hm?" He pressed upward on the hilt, letting loose another chuckle when the young boy's eyes narrowed slightly in frustration, though without any true signs of pain. "And what might that be?"

"You're betrayal wasn't the first."

And the snakelike eyes widened as a familiar voice spoke quietly from behind him.

"Long time no see, Orochimaru."

Naruto stepped into the small apartment, just like countless others provided to orphans who lived on their own or those who couldn't afford anything else, with a sigh. Meeting with Gaara had been fun, and he'd never been quite as relieved as he'd been when he finally confirmed that he truly wasn't alone in this little venture. Especially considering that unlike himself, Gaara did have the means of affecting things beyond simply training and hoping that events would fall into place the way that he wanted them to. He flipped on the light and made his way to the small kitchen area, the thought of more ramen already making him practically drool.

So, what should it be tonight? Miso? Or maybe-

"Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko." Naruto whirld around as he heard the words, hand flicking towards where his weapon pouch had always adorned his leg and only just barely managing to stop the action mid-motion. The arrival's expression never changed, but Naruto would expect no less. The man calmly sitting at the small table, which was unsurprisingly still covered in the leftovers of his breakfast, was notoriously skilled at keeping his emotions in check. But why had he shown up here, of all places? Regardless, he was certain that the action had triggered some surprise. Or considering who he was dealing with, suspicion.

"Huh? Who are you, old man? You know, people always tell me not to talk to strangers." Actually, he'd never once been told not to talk to strangers by anyone, but that wasn't really the point. No, the point would be to cause as much trouble for the dark-haired shinobi as possible.

"I'm an associate of the Third Hokage."

"Yeah, and?" Still no reaction, not that it was surprising. The old man was, if nothing else, patient.

"And I would like to have a word with you in private." Naruto raised an eyebrow, glancing around the empty apartment.

"Aren't we alone?"

"Far from it. You've much to learn if you truly believe you've ever been left completely to your own devices. The Hokage has always kept you under watch, as have I."

It was true. He rarely bothered to say or do anything about it given that he'd suspected something like that several years earlier, but he was usually able to locate the people following him if he ever actually tried. But why try when he already knew that they were just keeping an eye on him? There was no ill intent, at least on the Hokage's part. If anything, they were probably there for his protection.

"Oh please. Why should I believe you?"

"You shouldn't. The nature of shinobi is deceit. But this is of no surprise to you, I'm certain. I've come to realize that you aren't quite as hopelessly inept as you seem to enjoy acting. You've developed quite the façade, Naruto Namikaze."

Namikaze? What? What was he talking about? Was he suddenly going senile or something? The idea that this guy would get his name wrong was baffling, to say the least.

"W-what do you mean Namikaze? You must have the wrong guy. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, old man."

"You would think so, wouldn't you? Names…names are quite the funny thing, at times. Some feel that name alone makes us what we are. I must disagree. Names hold little value outside of that which people give them, but people are foolish. They respect names, and titles, more than they respect those who hold them. But I digress. Suffice it to say that the presence of the Kyuubi within your body isn't the only secret that the Lord Third Hokage has kept from you over these years. I have some information that I'm certain you would like to access. That is, if you are willing to learn the truth of course. But that choice is not one I can make for you."

Heavens only knew what the aging shinobi had planned, but Naruto had never been especially fond of thinking over the risks before jumping into trouble. He was too valuable to be killed or locked away, and he had to admit that he was genuinely curious at this point. It couldn't hurt to go along with things for now, right?

"Fine, but who the heck are you?"

"I tend to the roots that act as Konohagakure's foundation. You may call me-"

"Danzou, I must wonder, what are you doing here with this child?"

AN: A little shorter than many of you were probably hoping for, considering how long it's been since I updated. And I really can't apologize enough for all of the delays. If I were a billionaire, then maybe I could stand to put fanfiction over real life on my priority list, but until then…Anyway, I'm hoping that I can start updating all of the fics I plan to continue (Including this one) more often in the near future. At the very least, I can say that I really doubt it will be another year-long break before I can get another one out. Thanks to everyone that's been sticking with my stories through all of this. Hope you enjoy!