Red. Blood red, that's all Naruto saw as he blew apart the sand with attacks of raging wind and decimated the sparse desert vegetation.
'Rip him! Shred him! Devour his heart!' the sand around Naruto turned into glass as his Chakra erupted from within him with the blazing intensity of living rage.
'When this is over Orochimaru I shall show you Pain not even Hell could Fathom from it's darkest Depths!' he mentally roared as he crushed a rock in his hands for a vent for his frustration. His eyes flashed briefly before he placed the palm of his hand against the side of his head and rubbed it, trying to release his anger by concentrating on the action of rubbing his temples in small, steady circular motions.
'Think of Temari-chan, calm down so she doesn't suspect, because if she suspects… she'll die.' gradually his chakra stilled and began to decrease as he continued on his path towards Konoha.
'Mark my words Orochimaru, I will destroy you when this is all said and done.' a familiar scent wafted towards him and he smiled, 'I'm getting close to Temari-chan, the scent of the desert Rose is getting closer.' his eyes picked them out from the desert still half a days walk away… for a human. Naruto grinned as he dashed forward, covering the ground faster then most could count to one hundred and adjusted his speed to run next to a smirking Temari.
"What's the matter, couldn't wait to see me again?" she teased, Naruto rolled his eyes before he reached out and tucked her under his arms like a parcel.
"Hardly, I simply didn't want your blood to be thinned out from sun stroke as you die before I got a taste." Naruto grinned at her as she growled at him and tried to escape, totally ignoring his dark jibe.
"Put me down you jerk. I can run by myself."
"Maybe I like having you close." Naruto smirked when her face turned pink. 'Naruto 1, Temari 0' and so the game began. The necklace around Temari's throat glittering in the harsh desert sunlight.
"So… I guess dad told you about the invasion, you okay with it?"
"Given the choice between Konoha or you… I admit it's a hard choice but…" Naruto looked at her and Temari's breath caught at the look he was giving her along with a tender smile, "The choice would be you each and every time Temari-hime."
Temari tried to fight down her blush as she hit him upside the head, "I'm nobodies princess." she growled.
Naruto smiled slightly at her before something totally bizarre caught his eye, ten feet away Garra was smirking ever so slightly. Naruto looked at him surprise before a small smirk of his own surfaced. 'Ah ha!'
"Uzamaki, please remain silent for a moment." Baki commanded without turning around, "I would like to inform you all on the plan."
Naruto frowned at him momentarily before shifting his gaze into the distance where the first of the trees were coming into view thanks to his Vampiric eyes. "Go ahead."
"No one knows that you three are the Kazekage's brat's besides the Hokage." Baki stated roughly. "And that's the way we want it. When we enter I want you to look around town to get familiar with it while I get us hotel rooms. Don't make trouble and do not bring attention to yourselves."
'Uzamaki, I need you to make sure Garra doesn't kill anyone while were here, you're the only one strong enough besides me to control him so you stick with him.' Naruto rolled his eyes. 'Other then that… I guess you should start saying good bye to Konoha.'
Naruto shrugged, "Nothing to say good-bye to, although I guess I should get Haku and the rest on Suna's side." Temari shot him a look of irritation before she looked away and ran closer to Kankuro. Naruto blinked, 'What was that?'
The moon had risen and the group had made it to the trees with time to spare, the sand team had camped down for the night and Naruto had detached himself to, err… 'stomp the old hunting grounds' as it were. Temari sat next to Konkuro as she sulked silently, Konkuro for his part was doing his best to ignore her after all, she's a girl and therefore the problem would be something so complex it would make his head spin three minutes into the explanation.
Garra stared at his sister across the fire, "…Why are you upset?" he demanded.
Temari looked at her brother in slight shock before shrugging uncomfortably, "… I just realized that we're about to be thrown into Naruto's old life… and I wonder if he had anyone precious to him here." she muttered, down cast.
"He has already made it clear that he likes you better then them." Garra grunted. "He has chosen to side with us, not his old life."
Temari was silent for a moment as she stared at the ground, "But what if he had feelings for some girl here?"
"If he chose some other girl over you he would be a fool." Garra stated evenly. "A very dead fool." he added.
Temari smiled at her younger brother, "Thank you Garra. That made me feel better." Garra simply grunted.
An hour later Naruto returned looking a bit happier then before. And threw himself down across the fire from Garra. "… Temari is worried." Garra stated, staring into the fire's dim embers.
Naruto glanced towards Temari's tent in surprise, "Why? Is it about the plan for the Chunnin exams?" They were in Fire country now, it was best to be discrete.
"No." Garra surprised him. "She is worried that you could have old… 'friends' here that may keep you apart." he stated again, still glowering into the ashes.
"I told her that she doesn't have to worry." Naruto muttered.
"Most females believe only what they can see to be true." Garra shrugged when Naruto looked at him in surprise, "Since I don't sleep I often wondered at night and listened in on arguments and other things, it makes me feel… normal sometimes. Nine out of ten of the arguments I heard were about things like this, doubts about the other's commitment to the other." Garra stood ad leveled a heavy gaze at Naruto. "If you are unfaithful to my sister I will kill you. Vampire or not you may still prove my existence." Naruto grinned at him.
"If I am ever unfaithful to her I will let you kill me. Temari means so much to me that I would happily end my non-life for her." as he leaned forward into the fire's dim light his face was thrown into sharp relief as the shadows danced across his face, "She is all that I need."
"But you had others that you held close." Garra growled, still in suspicion.
Naruto fiddled with a stick, slowly grinding it to dust between his finger tips, "Yes." he admitted. "And like I told Temari, it was a hard choice but I have chosen her over them."
"But if you were to face them you would not kill them."
"No, I wouldn't. But if you were to face Temari and Kankurou could you tell me in truth that you would kill them?"
Garra blinked, "Temari and Kankurou know not to cross me."
"But you would not kill them." Naruto stated.
Garra narrowed his eyes, "Oh… wouldn't I?" he asked menacingly.
"No, you wouldn't. You say you would but you would never kill them." Naruto smiled at him, a small swift smile that mirrored Garra's when he was in his 'mood'. "you forget that I know you better then you think Garra… we're both monsters after all."
Gaara suddenly sprouted a look Naruto had never seen on his face, he seemed confused, "How do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Make them love you." he demanded
Naruto paused, "I don't know Gaara… I have tried to figure out why people approach me when they know me for what I am… I have concluded that humans are beyond explanation. And I in no way 'make' them love me, if anything I tried to scare them away. Didn't work."
"… Do you feel love?" he asked quietly.
Naruto hesitated, "I don't know, this concept of love is… foreign to me. I believe I know it, as each time I look at Temari I feel… something strange."
"Do you feel this way with anyone else?"
"Haku." Naruto responded quietly. Sand lifted briefly around Naruto before settling again.
"… it must be hard for you to go against Konoha if this feeling is the same you have for my sister."
"I already told you, I plan on brining Haku over to our side."
"And is she rejects you, and tries to tell your Kage? are you prepared to kill her?"
Naruto's head snapped around, his eyes blazing, "Killer Her?" he hissed dangerously, his eyes bleeding crimson.
"She would endanger our mission… as well as Temari." Garra's sand rose up between them slightly as Naruto's hands slowly ground the earth around him to dust.
"Haku would not betray me." Naruto growled.
"Be that as it may, are you prepared for the possibility? It is my… understanding that women sometimes act rashly at those they perceive to be precious to them when they cause them anxiety or break a promise to them. I have seen many such case in my village."
Naruto growled briefly before forcing himself to calm his mind. "If this occurs… you have my word she will not interfere with our plans. But she will not be harmed"
Garra nodded, accepting this. "And what of this Uchiha?"
Naruto stilled momentarily, "I have sworn to protect Sasuke, before the invasion becomes under way I will secure him and hide him away from the village."
"And if you cannot?"
"…There is no 'cannot' in this picture Garra. I succeed or I die."
"But if it interferes with Temari's safety?"
Naruto was immobile, suddenly a living statue. "…" wordlessly he turned and sat with his back to Garra, there was no more conversation at the fire that night.
"So… this is Kohona." Temari tried to sound nonchalant but unfortunately her mind was an open book to Naruto. 'He's leaving this for me? All this beauty?' briefly Naruto saw through her mind's eye the comparison between Suna's harsh deserts and Konoha's lush trees and plants. 'This place is Eden.' she thought miserably. Naruto handed her passport to the Chunnin guard while she was distracted, he didn't need one seeing as the Chunnin recognized him on site.
'Oh fuck, is that-!' "N-Naruto-kun." he swallowed nervously. "Were you sent to p-pick these people up?" Naruto turned slightly so his Suna headband was facing the guard. 'Oh fuck.' were his thoughts. "Just remember that leaf's still your first home right? Hehe, don't wanna hurt any of our gennin."
Naruto smiled disarmingly, "No… of course not." walking past the pale guard he lead the Suna team deeper into his hometown. Ibiki stopped them.
"I'm going to get us a hotel, don't wait up." and he vanished in a blur.
He was about to ask if they wanted a tour when a large rumble sounded, surprised everyone looked at Garra. Stoically the red head looked down at his belly.
"… I am in need of food, take me to an eatery Naruto." he stated. Beside him Temari's lips twitched in amusement.
"err, okay then," truthfully he only knew of one place that ten-ten had liked to take him every once and awhile. "Hope you like Ramen."
"… what is Ramen?"
Twenty bowls stood stack one atop another as another steaming bowl of shrimp ramen was placed before a serious faced scarlet haired boy. "I like Ramen." he stated, digging into his bowl. Beside the boy one Chouji Akimichi stared, dumbfound, 'What is this guy, has he no end?'
"Err, Naruto-san…" Naruto looked over to see Ayame standing there nervous, which was strange fore the brunette as she was usually very forward with the Vampiric blond.
"Yes?"
"Not to be rude but… how are you going to pay for this?"
"… I'll be right back." he stated, turning to Temari he stared her in the eye. "Stay with Garra until I return." he commanded.
Her eyes twitched once before giving him a mock salute, "yes Naruto-sama, would you like me to do anything else while you're gone?"
"Hmm, whip cream, strawberries, and rope?"
"What?"
Naruto laughed.
"Welcome back." were the first words he heard stepping out of the bank.
"… Hokage-sama." The old man smiled around his pipe and waved slightly.
"How are you little one?"
"I'm not little." he huffed. 'I'm a fucking vampire. Nothing about a vampire is supposed to be little and cute.'
Sarutobi grinned, "Better then." the Hokage glanced up at the bank, "Whatever could be needing money for?" he humed innocently, though Naruto swore he saw his eyes sparkling mischievously. "Could it be for that rather sudden gathering at the Ramen stand? I hear a young red head is drawing quite the crowd."
"… Gaara… plus crowd… well this can't be good."
Arriving on scene Naruto quickly scanned the area for blood or dismembered body parts, finding a surprising lack therefore he looked around for Temeri.
"Perhaps she is with her brother." Sarutobi suggested, watching Naruto closely.
"Huh? Whoever said I was looking for anyone unparticular?"
"Your eyes," Sarutobi grinned again, a cloud of smoke willowing from his pipe. "have a very warm look to them."
"Are you trying to insinuate something old man?" Naruto asked cooly.
"Me? Never." he grinned, showing surprisingly white teeth for such an old user of tobacco. "It's just that the look in your eye reminds me of someone."
"If you're about to say my father then-"
"Of all the women I imagined your father to fall for I had never imagined your mother being one of them. They hated each other for so long I often wondered if I may have one day learnt that they had killed one another. But I knew, even before he himself knew, when I began to see that look in his eye."
"and they lived happily everafter the end. I'm kinda lookin for someone-"
"Uzumaki." Gaara suddenly appeared.
"God damn it gaara quit sneaking up on me."
"While it is reassuring to know that I have the capability to sneak up on you we have another problem." so saying Gaara pointed off to the side where Naruto finally located Temari, and sitting just beside her, chatting amiably was Haku.
'Well shit.'
Yeah I know I have done anything in like a year. I know this is a bullshit short chapter. All I can say is I'm sorry for taking so long.
Thank you all for being so patient. (If there are any left.)
And The chapters will be longer, much longer, from now on.