Chapter 6 -Deals in the Desert

Naruto couldn't stop a slight smile as he walked through the streets of Suna, as he'd done many times in the past, or future. Though most of the people here looked somewhat wary of him, there were some who greeted the supposed Jiraiya with genuine smiles and friendly nods. Getting into his role took a little mental gymnastics, though the few years he'd spent alongside the Toad Sage while they travelled throughout the Land of Fire and surrounding nations certainly gave him plenty to work with. Certainly a lot more than he usually would've had for an infiltration mission. Of course, most of that was the more carefree, lecherous Jiraiya. For a meeting with the Kazekage, even he would've gotten serious.

Naruto had infiltrated Suna, once – with Gaara's knowledge he'd gotten close to a suspected information broker who was thought to be in contact with foreign spies, and he'd followed the man for the better part of three days before he'd finally struck gold. That had been early in his career, and in retrospect he'd drawn out things for far too long.

"Were your border guards sleeping on the job?" Naruto asked after a while as he wandered after his guide, his eyes roving over the oddly bulbous buildings that were one of the characteristic features of the village, the sandstone walls being another. "Given your surprise at my arrival, I take it that you didn't spot me until I was right at the wall. Are the border guards getting rusty?"

Admittedly, Naruto had noticed a handful of scouts along the way here, but they hadn't spotted the Genin. The Land of Wind was pretty huge and empty, especially in peacetime, so he'd simply taken some of the lesser-used trails, taking him rather close. It also helped make him seem more formidable than he really was, when in reality he was simply taking advantage of a security flaw that wasn't fixed until Gaara came to power. Of course, the village itself was very effectively defensible, as if to make up for the situation outside it. Located in a rocky valley, it was already solidly protected from attack by any significant force and surrounded by plenty of ammunition for powerful Doton techniques.

The Chūnin didn't answer his query, of course – he probably wouldn't even have done it if Naruto had appeared as himself. Suna's shinobi had always had a pretty strong grasp on discipline, and the fact that Gaara's father was said to be even stricter than his son certainly wouldn't make them any more laid-back. A guest of the Hokage they'd definitely treat with respect, at least, and he reminded himself of his mission. Two small scrolls in his pocket would make all the difference, here – if he could prevent this particular piece of history, he'd be going above and beyond anything he'd done so far.

Killing Mizuki and Gatō were minor things: The former wouldn't have had much more influence anyway, after he was taken in; Gatō's troops might still be a problem in the future, but they were at least leader-less now, and unlikely to go after Wave, which hardly had money to spare. Getting closer to his team, to make sure that things didn't degenerate into the mess that it'd been the last time around, was more of a personal goal than anything. Although it was perhaps silly to think of it this way, he felt obligated to fulfil his promises to the Sakura, Kakashi and even Sasuke that he'd left behind.

Instead of bringing him back, he'd make sure that Sasuke never had a reason to leave – and at the very least a friend to rely on; one that wouldn't just take a Chidori to the chest, at that. He'd make sure that he'd fulfil his promise to Sakura, and keep him around.

He'd promised Kakashi – time and time again – that he'd be the Leaf's sword and shield and take care of the nasty things in the shadows, but that he'd never lose his spirit. Kakashi had jokingly ordered him to do that when he first donned the hat of the Hokage, and though it was said in jest at the time, Naruto had smiled and nodded.

Sasuke – before the disastrous end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, in which the Uchiha Clan was finally destroyed, they'd met once more on the battlefield. He'd had tears in his eyes – in his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan eyes. There, he'd made the last promise. A promise to the last Uchiha.

Naruto glanced up and blinked as he realized that he'd been ignoring his guide for the last few minutes, far too wrapped up in his memories. Marshalling his thoughts he focussed on the here and now, leaving the rest for later. The two finally approached the huge spherical building that stood at the centre of Suna. Naruto only remembered seeing it himself in the days that Gaara already ruled here, so spotting decorations and colourful banners was rather odd. His friend had never cared much for aesthetics, really.

A tall man stood with his arms crossed before the entrance, wearing a loose fitting blue kimono with a white jacket and an all too familiar hat. This was him, then: One of the few Kages he'd never met in person, due to his early death. The leader of Suna looked somewhere between stern and curious, his eyes clear and calculating. Naruto smiled hesitantly, leaving the Chūnin escort behind.

It was a popular misconception that one could sense someone's chakra, and determine their identity through that alone, perpetuated particularly among those who have little to do with actual shinobi. Naruto had spent far too much time with oblivious targets to really take that idea seriously any longer, and he was glad about it. Yes, a Hyūga would probably figure things out pretty quickly, and expose the fraud. Yes, a chakra sensor could potentially determine such things as elemental affinity which might differ from a target's. Yes, demonic chakra was rather noticeably different from the normal variety, and he'd have to make sure not to use any of it. All of that didn't change the fact that the vast majority of shinobi – Genin or Kage alike – couldn't do much more than gauge the relative amount of chakra that someone was unconsciously releasing through their tenketsu, without using some awfully obvious jutsu.

Naruto didn't have to worry about how much chakra he had – being a jinchūriki and an Uzumaki made his reserves slightly ludicrous. Even when using dozens of Shadow Clones at a time, his main body remained responsive enough to be trouble for almost any shinobi. Disguising that much chakra required a lot of mental fortitude, though, and he'd found that it was time well-spent to train such attributes. For one, it also helped him with planning. He'd never be among the best – he had always been a bit of an idiot when it came to a lot of things, and he didn't think that was technically a curable condition – but usually simpler plans worked just as well.

His great amount of chakra had one very helpful characteristic: It was impossible to make more chakra than one normally could, to imitate another shinobi, but on the other hand chakra control would allow one to decrease the amount released subconsciously. In other words, if he had enough time he could imitate practically anyone's chakra amount, while Sakura would never be able to approach even half of the more powerful shinobi. (Though, Naruto remembered, with the kind of skills she'd learned from Tsunade, she didn't need that.) Thankfully he's spent more than enough time with Jiraiya to have a pretty accurate idea of his chakra reserves, and he could match that easily enough.

"Kazekage-dono," he muttered at last, bowing slightly.

"Jiraiya of Konoha, one of the notorious Sannin,"the Kazekage responded. His gaze was sharp and judging as he took in the white-haired shinobi in front of him, glancing at the large scroll bound to his back for a brief moment. He gestured to the door. "Please, come in."

Naruto followed, appreciating the differences between the current building and the one that Gaara had maintained while he was the Kazekage – there were a lot more pictures and paintings around, this time, and there was a vaguely golden sheen to many things. That was probably courtesy of the Kazekage's manipulation of gold dust, which he'd used to respond to his letter. He was led to a sizable conference room that was presently empty, and a shiver ran down Naruto's back as he realized that this was the place Gaara usually met with civilian leaders and foreign Kage, as it was easily defensible. A large round table made of sandstone dominated the middle of the room, with chairs all around it. The door closed behind him with a muffled thump.

It was then that the Kazekage turned to Naruto with narrowed eyes, raising his arm as a stream of gold dust spread around it, forming what appeared to be a glove. "The letter you sent me contained a great deal of information that is not publicly known. Has Konoha fallen so low that they would spy on their own allies?"

Naruto swallowed. "The information I gave in my message was that which I have personally found out, from sources outside this nation. There is a distinct lack of tactical information, as you might have realized. Knowing the personalities of foreign Kage is merely good business, and hardly against any laws." He smirked as the Kazekage scowled. "As you have already surmised, the message I sent was a ploy to gain an invitation. A private one, at that." He raised his hand and a spinning blue sphere formed in it in an instant; even the Kazekage would recognize the Rasengan. "I don't wish to get violent, but I will if I need to. You know my reputation: It's well-earned."

The Kazekage stared suspiciously for a few long moments longer. "Trickery to get a meeting, despite our nations being formal allies? Let us dispense with the pleasantries, my time is valuable. Why are you here?"

"I haven't come by order of the Hokage, if that's what you're wondering," Naruto started. "That's why I sent the letter. Though I respect him and his ability to keep secrets, there are those within the village that are less than honourable, and I would rather keep this matter from spreading too far. The Hokage has too many eyes and ears in his vicinity at all times." He put a hand in his pocket and retrieved a small scroll that he'd written himself, based on what he remembered. It contained the best information he had on the locations and identities of Oto's forces. The top was labelled by a symbol of two crows, one of the symbols he'd come to use in the wake of the Fourth Shinobi World War; few realized it was in honour of a fallen clan. He cleared his throat and offered the scroll. "A Konoha Missing-nin, my old teammate Orochimaru, is planning to assassinate you."

The Kazekage removed his hat, placing it on the table as he opened the scroll. For a time all was silent, as the man read the details with a critical eye, occasionally glancing at Naruto who had no trouble looking serious. This, too, was a critical moment. Finally, the man sighed. "So, he wishes to double-cross me?"

Naruto blinked. The only way that sentence made sense was if Orochimaru had already made an agreement. How early had the plan to take down Konoha started? It was months yet until the Chūnin Exams. He narrowed his eyes as he spotted an opening. "Konoha is not foolish. Orochimaru offered an alliance that would favour Suna; together you agreed you would take down my village. You accepted."

The Kazekage's gold dust swirled agitatedly, as he shook his head. "I placed the good of my own village first and foremost, as is my duty as Kage." He hesitated briefly, and then sighed. "So, Konoha knows."

Naruto would have grinned if the timing wasn't so awful. "We've known what Orochimaru was planning for some time, but recent events required intervention," he said, turning his glare at the Kage. "You were planning to break the alliance agreement with Konoha. Betrayal is a serious crime, and you will realize that something like this cannot be ignored. You may kill me, though it may be harder than you suppose, but that knowledge would not vanish. The most likely future that awaits you is filled with blood and strife. Right now, though, there is still a road away from the precipice of war."

Compared to his original plan – to secure stronger ties with the Kazekage and prevent his murder, this opened new possibilities. The man clearly had not expected Naruto to know about the would-be alliance with Orochimaru, and any element of surprise was now lost, it would seem to him. The Kazekage, if he was half as wise as Gaara turned out to be, would realize that preventing a war with Konoha was worth quite a lot. They'd required another nation to even consider an invasion, and it was doubtful Oto would go beyond its agreements and actually defend the desert nation.

"You came here to state your demands, that's what this is about," the Kazekage realized. "Is that why Sarutobi isn't the one here? He would not have the heart for solving problems via underhanded trickery, I'm certain. You wished to stop a conflict without him aware that it would ever have happened, then?"

Naruto ignored the jibe, scowling. "Cancel all agreements with Orochimaru and his shinobi, and there does not have to be a war of retaliation, this time. Right now, only a few people know about Orochimaru's plans, and two thirds of them are in this room." Naruto worriedly realized that technically all of them were in this room, even if the real Jiraiya might already suspect some things. "Make up for your – transgression, and we will both walk away from this alive."

The Kazekage narrowed his eyes. "How can you possibly offer this? You mean to tell me that Konoha would not pursue would-be invaders? I did not think your nation would have reconsidered the consequences of treachery."

Naruto smiled. "I never said there would be no toll on this road, did I? We will return to that. Turn on Orochimaru, and Konoha will not begin a war with you. We have a quarrel with Orochimaru, as you can imagine. It takes precedence over petty squabbles over ill-planned invasions. The destruction of Oto's shinobi forces would go a long way towards repairing the damage done by your mistake."

"You are asking me to betray your own teammate?"

Naruto shrugged. "Is betraying those who would betray you so deplorable? Orochimaru will consider you a traitor, perhaps, but he won't dare to attack a Kage in his own city; not without a lot of back-up, which would start a war in itself. Conflict will erupt, of that there is no doubt: It will be with Konoha, or Oto. Choose wisely."

The Kazekage frowned, staring at the scroll for a long time. Finally he snarled and dropped it. "You spoke of a toll. What is the price of this – peace?"

Naruto smiled thinly. "Your son."

"Dead Last."

Naruto's clone turned, blinking. Sasuke sat few feet away, his fingers entwined as he gazed with narrowed eyes over them. A shiver ran down his back as Naruto nodded. "Hmm?"

"You've been keeping secrets," Sasuke stated. "You're better than you've let on in the academy. Why?"

"Why, what? Why didn't I play the big show-off, like you?" Naruto snorted. "You know how people treat me. It's not about something silly like playing pranks, either. As long as I was just a third-rate academy student, nobody would take notice of me, and I could study what I wished. It was the only way it could work: I don't have anyone to rely on." He stared at the Uchiha for a few moments. "I figured you would understand that."

Sasuke was silent for a few moments. "How strong are you?"

Naruto shrugged. "I never really went against anyone seriously, so I wouldn't know. Maybe we can have a little match sometimes, so you can tell me. I figure I'm stronger than Kiba, though."

Sasuke nodded and turned away just as Sakura arrived, huffing and puffing. She took a few moments to catch her breath, before glaring at Naruto. "Why did you let me run all the way here when you were both so much quicker? I had to take to the streets before I was halfway across the village!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Sakura-chan, it was a race, that was sort of the point. A race that I won, by the way."

Sasuke scoffed, looking away. Sakura muttered something uncomplimentary as she rubbed her feet from the long run.

"Well done, all of you," Kakashi stated as he dropped down next to them; Sakura nearly jumped a hole in the air in surprise, Sasuke and Naruto just raised a hand in greeting."Naruto - I think you'll find that you tied with Sasuke. I was watching."

Naruto looked askance at Sasuke, and smirked. "Next time, you're going down!"

Kakashi shook his head. "There is clearly room for improvement, but I'm quite proud of all of you. Sasuke, you need to train more on your chakra control, as you left broken roof tiles from the village's gate all the way here." He looked sharply at the black-and-orange clad ball of energy next to him. " Naruto, you really need to keep focus better. Sakura – well, you simply need to work on your chakra exercises, since your reserves are quite small, right now. That's also why you couldn't keep up the whole way - you had to stick to the streets after you kept slipping down the walls, after all."

"I need to keep better focus?" Naruto muttered, glancing at Sasuke. "It was a race, I was keeping up with Sasuke, what's a better focus than that?"

"Perhaps if you'd thought for yourself, you would have realized that you were both taking a detour, and there was a quicker path to the target," Kakashi answered, smiling. "Nevertheless, I am impressed by your improvement over only a few days, at least in technique."

Naruto nodded eagerly, though he couldn't help feeling a little worried. He and his clone brethren had been alone for a few days now – getting closer to a week – and some of them were going a bit loopy; Kakashi probably hadn't connected the dots yet, but it wouldn't be much longer, now.

The Kage Bunshin technique was never meant to be used as a long-term replacement clone. Extending the lifespan of existing clones by infusing them with the chakra of other ones would work for a while, but it did nothing to stop the mental decay. Shadow Clones were approximations of the original – they weren't actually people, and their ability to absorb information was limited by what the chakra used to create them could sustain. Granted, Naruto's had a lot of chakra, but even his replicas had a limit – and that resulted in some peculiar behaviour.

Just yesterday, one of the clones that had been talking to Sakura had spontaneously decided to try and kiss her, and moved in – it took another clone and a sharp blow to end that particular copy's aspirations, and thankfully the girl hadn't said terribly much about the incident. The day before that, one of the longest-living clones around had decided that there wasn't any reason in waiting and decided to take down Kabuto himself; he too was stopped by the others.

This self-policing would work for a time, but sooner or later the defective clones would outnumber the regular ones. Thankfully, though there were quite a few clones that ended up focusing on one particular aspect of the original's character, some of those were good things. Two clones had gotten thoroughly engrossed in making seals, to the point where they almost didn't need to talk anymore, understanding each other's thought processes instantly; they were technically the same person, after all. A third had ended up being an academic, interested in studying and spreading information; he was the first of the clones to mess up with the team and started expounding on things he really shouldn't, but the damage was minimal.

Then, there was him. The clone that had focused on the team, to the exclusion of almost everything else. He'd promptly been chosen to continue working with them; he certainly hadn't complained. A stray thought about how strange it would be for the Boss to receive such oddly warped memories from different aspects of himself occurred to him, but the clone figured that such thoughts were better left for someone else.

"I believe that we're just about done for the day," Kakashi noted, smiling. "We'll go for another race when you've all had time to improve."

There were three nods, and Naruto saw his opening. "Kakashi-sensei? I finished that seal we talked about," he blurted suddenly, grabbing the small tube that contained it from his jacket. "Before we go... Could you take a look?" He removed a single seal and quickly handed it to his teacher.

This design was considerably more complex than the one he'd shown to Sakura, though it looked deceptively simple, due to the fact that several brust strokes were covered by others, separated only by a very thin layer of resin. It was a time-consuming process to make these, but he had half a dozen ready, and had already tested out one himself. Kakashi looked critically over the seal, glancing at Naruto with an uncomfortable level of respect. Naruto had a suspicion that the man was seeing rather someone else in his place.

"Well, we already finished today's mission, so I suppose we have a little time," Kakashi agreed. The seal quickly started to glow; he placed it on the ground and backed away.

The seal sparked into activity and there was a brief but intense electric surge through the air as little arcs crisscrossed across the soil. The sound was remarkably similar to that of Kakashi's attack, the Chidori, and the man smiled in recognition. Finally it died down, and the seal fell apart into little pieces, burned out.

"That looked like it worked," Kakashi muttered, glancing speculatively at Naruto. "You specifically made this for my attack, didn't you? That was too close to be a coincidence."

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously. "It's just an experiment, really – I thought that it wouldn't make sense to make really generic ones, so I limited it the same way as your attack."

Kakashi nodded, grabbing a second seal from Naruto's hand and, after a moment of consideration, placing it on the back of his own. Grasping his wrist, he prepared to unleash the Chidori; in an instant his hand sparked alight with the full force of the attack, and then some. The Raiton chakra coated his entire forearm now, and it didn't appear to be harming him. "Incredible," he breathed, before quite suddenly the attack vanished, the last of the technique dissipating into the air. He coughed as acrid smoke spread from the burned-out seal.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, turning to his teammates. Both of them had been looking on with interest, and Sasuke in particular was eying the seals.

"That looked pretty cool," Sakura admitted. "Sasuke-kun, you should learn a lightning technique, then you could -"

Sasuke cut her off. "Dead Last - Naruto."

Naruto looked at the Uchiha in surprise. "Yes?"

"Make one of those for Katon, if you have the time. I'll test it for you."

Naruto's smile couldn't be wider as he nodded eagerly.

"This is an admirable first version, though there are obviously some drawbacks to this design," Kakashi commented, tapping Naruto on the head and attracting his attention. "I'd call it a C-Class seal, which is actually pretty impressive for a Genin." He gazed down with a stern look, then. "No more experimentation until your teacher arrives, alright? Especially no tests with your teammates. One of those seals could kill you if you don't know what you're doing."

"Yes, sensei," Naruto answered tiredly. "When is my teacher supposed to be here, anyway?"

"Just keep an eye on the bathhouses," Kakashi muttered.

"You cannot be serious!" the Kazekage exclaimed, fuming.

"Oh, don't worry, you're probably thinking of the wrong son," Naruto answered lightly, brushing his long white hair out of his face. "I am talking about the one you attempted to assassinate on several occasions."

The Kazekage glared. "Gaara. Why do you even bring this up? You know what he is." The Kazekage's gold-dust swirled around his feet in agitation. "I cannot afford to lose such a valuable asset merely for the promise of continued peace!"

"The demon is killing him," Naruto observed, and the Kazekage started. "Shukaku is slowly draining away what little sanity the boy has left, and you're aware of it; otherwise, you would never have tested him." He savoured the shock that appeared in the Kazekage's eyes at that statement. "In time, you will not have a son – you will have the One-Tail free in your village, channeled through a mindless body. It will destroy the entire village before it bothers to move on."

"So, what, you are taking him away for the safety of Suna?" the Kazekage asked. "I don't believe a word of it."

"I am a Seal Master, as you know." Naruto silently apologized for stealing the title he'd hoped to gain himself, some day. "I wish to repair the inferior seal the boy currently has. I will not, however, do this when there's a risk that he would be used as a weapon against us. As such, I would take him away from here, until such a time as our alliance is once more secure."

"Gaara cannot be controlled or reasoned with," the Kazekage said shortly.

"That is my concern, not yours. He will officially remain a shinobi of Suna, as he is now." Naruto shook his head, staring at the Kazekage. "I will not take his choices from him - I will merely remove some of yours. I know you do not consider him of a higher value than this village's safety. I have experience with jinchūriki, I know how to approach these beings. Take the offer."

Gaara's freedom from Suna's loathing, that was one thing he could make sure of, now. Yes, the Kazekage's son would still be the insane murdering bastard he'd originally been at the Chūnin Exams. Yes, he'd probably get quite upset when he realized that the one who had bargained him away from Suna was no older than himself – at least physically - and had done so under false pretenses. The presence of the Kyūbi would probably not make things any easier, either. But - it was Gaara. He understood what the boy was going through.

One thing he'd definitely make sure was that Gaara would still be a Suna nin – if he ever wanted to be Kazekage again, he'd need that. Although the job had fallen into his lap rather than it having been a life-long dream, he remembered well the long reign of the Godaime Kazekage. Under his leadership, the village had flourished. Gaara had cherished the respect that he'd gained, just like Naruto, with their service to their home villages.

Making a bargain with the Kazekage was extremely dangerous, Naruto knew, but he'd need to do it. He'd have to shoulder the burden of the consequences, as well; it was good that he had sturdy shoulders. Naruto knew that the Kazekage didn't love his son – it wasn't until his resurrection in the Fourth Shinobi World War that he'd learned of the great things that his son was capable of, or so Gaara had related to him. Only then had he shown a hint of compassion. Right now, getting the boy to Konoha was possible, because the man saw no value in his son. Perhaps, this time, reconciliation would be possible without either side being dead.

The Kazekage muttered something under his breath, shoulders slumping. "Very well, then. Gaara will go to Konoha – but only for a year. After that, he shall choose to abandon his home village entirely, or return. That, and distancing myself from Oto, is what I can give in exchange for the continued alliance."

Naruto nodded. "Then we are agreed. Where is the boy?"

The Kazekage looked away. "Find him yourself. I wash my hands of this whole affair." The man turned away and opened the door, leaving without a backwards glance.

"What a cold person," Naruto muttered, wandering out of the Kazekage's building with a deep frown. This wasn't going to end well – the Kazekage would not so easily get rid of a jinchūriki. It had been an opening shot - a bargaining chip. He hadn't expected the Kazekage to immediately accept. More likely than the man being compliant was that he saw it as an opportunity to have the Ichibi in Konoha, without needing the Chūnin Exams as an excuse. Perhaps he still intended to invade Konoha on his own, or betray him as well, and maintain the agreements with Oto.

What he needed, now, was the sensible Gaara. Without him, the Suna invasion plans would collapse. Without him, any clever trickery the Suna leader had invented would be pointless.

He rubbed his temples and groaned. Another Shadow Clone had popped, back in Konoha. He was running out, and the last few had been decidedly – odd – in terms of memories. That wasn't really new: He'd spent ten days away, once, leaving a legion of Shadow Clones behind, and by the eight they'd decided to make a giant human pyramid in the middle of town. He was running out of time, and Kakashi was getting suspicious of the increasingly erratic Naruto.

Before he went back, though, he needed to fetch Gaara without getting crushed, and he needed to find one other citizen of Suna.

Author's Note: Murderous Gaara before the Chunin Exams, without even the Hokage knowing about it, let alone the man he impersonated? Naruto's really getting himself into trouble, like this...

So, no Naruto vs. Kazekage fight as some inexplicably expected. It's not as if present Naruto -could- win in such a situation, barring perhaps Kyubi. We'll get to Gaara, ? and the trip back towards Konoha after this, as well as Kakashi's unmasking of the clone conspiracy. Jiraiya's also approaching Konoha, and he's as of yet oblivious that he just became a target of the Kazekage. ;)