Don't worry, the chapter refers to the mission, not the story. i think i may have rushed this one. Ah well, just means the stories finally reaching thje imprtant bit.
Disclaimer: I wouldn't dare try to pass of Masahi's work for my own. not 'cos i'm afraid of lawsuits or anything, the guys just awesome, ok?
Almost over
Gaara found the next few days to be rather boring. For some reason, Naruto kept holding onto a rubber ball, staring at it like it was a puzzle.
They finally stepped through the gates of Tanzaku town. It appeared there was a festival of some sort going on. Market stalls were set up in the streets selling to hundreds of eager looking people. Naruto looked up & down the street in awe.
"Come on." Jiraiya said, heading for a side street, "Lets check out one of the bars."
"Are you crazy?!" Naruto exclaimed, "We're underage! Are you trying to be a bad influence on us?"
"Bars are the best place to go for information." Jiraiya replied, ignoring Naruto's outburst, "There's a lot of people with a lot of time to kill."
"Hmph." Naruto huffed, folding his arms, "Like I didn't know that."
Gaara shook his head & followed the two. It wasn't long before they found a bar.
"Alright, here we-" Jiraiya froze.
He was having a staring match with a woman in the bar.
"What are you doing her?!" the woman demanded, looking shocked & a little annoyed. Jiraiya chuckled.
"I should have known I'd find you in a bar." he said, taking a seat opposite her in the booth she was occupying. Naruto made to move forward, but Gaara grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait." he said.
"What are you doing here?" the woman repeated. Jiraiya leaned back in his seat.
"Looking for you." he replied.
"Why?" she asked, looking annoyed.
Jiraiya became serious. He leaned closer to the woman & she leaned forward too.
"As I'm sure you've heard, Sarutobi-sensei was killed by Orochimaru." Jiraiya said, "Konoha needs a new Hokage. The elders & I agree that you are the best choice."
The woman looked stunned. She slumped back into her seat, her eyes drifting off into space. The woman sitting beside her looked worried.
"Tsunade-sama?" she asked.
"So this is Tsunade." Gaara thought.
"Hey, what are you saying?" Naruto asked, "I thought she was going to heal Sasuke, now you're telling me she's going to be Hokage?!"
"Oh right." Jiraiya said, remembering the two, "These are Uzumaki Naruto & Gaara."
Tsunade's eyes shot to Naruto, staring hard at his face. She then turned to Jiraiya.
"Is this your way of trying to coerce me?" she asked angrily.
"Not at all. He's sorta my new protégé is all." Jiraiya replied, gesturing to the two to sit down. Gaara sat first, Naruto sat on the edge of the chair. Tsunade looked at Gaara.
"So who's this guy?" she asked, "Another protégé?"
"Watch your mouth." Gaara told her, darkly. He needed her, but he wasn't going to let her talk down to him like a dog. Tsunade smirked at him.
"Maybe you should watch yours, brat." she replied.
In an instant, she was pressed against the wall, Gaara's arm mutated into the Shukaku's. The four around Gaara stared at him, gaping. Tsunade's face revealed the most shock as she saw Gaara's eye change to the Shukaku's as well.
"Who are you?" Gaara snarled, "To speak down to someone, when you don't even know their capabilities?"
"You- you're the Shukaku Jinchūriki!" Tsunade exclaimed, grunting with effort as she tried to break free of the sand.
"I can see you gathering your chakra." Gaara growled, "You intend to use your strength to break free. But what good is elephantine strength if you can't build the momentum to use it?"
"Gaara, let her go!" Jiraiya ordered. Gaara glared at Jiraiya, only to be met with a serious stare. Gaara grunted & released her. Tsunade fell back to her seat, breathing a little heavier. Suddenly, she lunged at Gaara, her hand flying straight through the sand, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck. She then threw him across the room, out of the entrance & into the wall opposite. Gaara got to his feet as Tsunade appeared before him, grabbing him again & throwing him into the air. Gaara didn't even have time to recover from this, however, as she leapt up to him & kicked him back down to the ground. If not for the sand, his chest would have caved in completely from impact with the ground. Gaara groaned & turned, looking out of the newly formed crater he was centred in. Tsunade stood on the edge, cracking her knuckles. Gaara's vision was blurred, but he thought he saw Naruto point angrily at Tsunade & yell something to her that sounded like a challenge. Tsunade appeared to accept as, not long after, Naruto was lying beside Gaara, unconscious. Tsunade smirked as she looked at her handiwork, but raised her brow in surprise as she saw Gaara get to his feet.
"You're pretty resilient, aren't you?" she asked, with a superior grin.
"And you're pretty cowardly, aren't you?" Gaara countered, "You would have to be, to attack someone who backed down."
Tsunade eyed Gaara as he stood, a look of surprise on her face. She had expected him to be unconscious for several days, yet he stood before her, almost undamaged.
Gaara picked Naruto up & carried him out of the crater. He then gently rested the boy on the ground before looking up at Tsunade. Her assistant stood by her side, Jiraiya stood by Gaara.
"I'm sorry Jiraiya, but I refuse your offer." Tsunade said, "Nothing will make me return to Konoha."
She turned on her heel & left, her assistant following her. Jiraiya rubbed his forehead & sighed.
"Come on." Jiraiya said, picking Naruto off the ground, "We'll check into a hotel & try again tomorrow."
Gaara nodded & followed Jiraiya. He was annoyed at himself for making his mission more difficult. He shouldn't have lost control, but he stood by what he said. Tomorrow, he would convince Tsunade himself.
* * * * *
Almost a week had passed since the incident. They couldn't find Tsunade anywhere & Jiraiya was beginning to think she skipped town. Naruto had been out for days on end working on an 'A-rank jutsu'. Last night he had gotten the hang of it, almost completely mastering it. Right now, he lay in his bed, snoring.
"Well, I'm gonna go look for Tsunade." Jiraiya said, making for the door.
"I'll look too." Gaara said, making for the door. Jiraiya stopped him.
"Sorry, kid. I don't think she'll be exactly responsive to you."
Gaara looked up at the old man.
"I made a promise to many people that I would do everything in my power to help Lee-san." he replied, "Last night I made that promise less likely. I must make up for my actions, if I am to keep my word."
Jiraiya considered him for a moment. He let Gaara past. Gaara nodded in thanks & left, Jiraiya behind him. They stepped out into the streets & Jiraiya stopped him again.
"You go that way." he said, pointing to the left. He went to the right.
Gaara scoured the streets for Tsunade, but was having no luck. He realised with a groan that Jiraiya was probably sending him where she wouldn't go. But he persevered & as luck would have it, he found her sitting in a small outdoor bar.
"Where's your assistant?" he asked her.
"I ditched Shizune a while back." she replied, without looking up. Gaara took a seat next to her, noticing her annoyance.
"You here to ask for my forgiveness or something?" she asked, smirking slightly into her cup. Gaara shook his head.
"I won't go back on my words for any cost." he said, "No, I'm just here to talk."
Tsunade scoffed, "You want to convince me to become the Hokage, don't you?"
"I won't lie." Gaara replied, "My siblings & I abandoned Sunagakure after finding out about the attack on Konoha. We intend to join Konoha's forces, but without a Hokage present, there is no-one to enlist us. So yes, I do want you to become Hokage. But that isn't the only reason."
Tsunade looked to him, interest in her eyes. Gaara leaned forward on the tabletop.
"During the chunin exams, and beforehand, I had trouble controlling the beast within me. Recently, I have learned to control the urges the beast gave me, but in a moment of weakness, I crippled a Konoha genin. His name is Rock Lee, and I am ashamed of what I have done to him. Being a shinobi is all that matters to him & I took that from him. I vowed to do everything in my power to correct the damage &, as it turns out, you may be the only way."
Tsunade had listened to his words, but she looked away as he finished.
"Sorry." she said, "But I'm not a medic-nin anymore, I can't help you."
Gaara dropped the subject. Persistence wasn't going to help.
"So, you were pretty impressive back there." Tsunade said, in an attempt at a bright tone, "I never believed a Jinchūriki could have such control over the Bijū."
"It's not that easy, my Bijū is a bloodthirsty monster. He taps into my anger & I lose control slightly, but not enough to place the blame on the Shukaku. Although the benefits are useful."
"Yeah?"
"The eye for instance. I can see chakra. Where it's going, what it's doing & who it belongs to. But that's not all. I can also see Remnant chakra."
"Remnant chakra?"
"I can see where a particular shinobi has been, based on the chakra trail he or she leaves behind. You have Orochimaru's Remnant chakra all over you."
Tsunade cringed at his words.
"What of it?" she asked, "We crossed paths by coincidence, that's all."
Gaara leaned back in his chair.
"Another thing about Remnant chakra is that it also reveals what state the person was in when they left the chakra, so don't lie to me. Orochimaru wants you to heal his arms. He offered you something in exchange."
Tsunade stared into the dregs of sake in her cup. She seemed to be remembering something.
"What were their names?" Gaara asked.
Tears were welling in Tsunade's eyes, but she was fighting them back.
"I don't feel like telling you that." she said, trying to make her voice sound strong. Gaara nodded, showing he understood. They sat silently for a while, neither looking at each other.
"I was wondering…" Gaara said, drawing Tsunade's attention, "If I could ask you some advice."
Tsunade blinked. She looked up at Gaara, her brow raised.
"What is it?" she asked, curious.
Gaara was staring into his hands.
"What does it mean…" he started, unsure of how to form his words, "If a person occupies your thoughts, even if you haven't seen that person in a long time?"
Tsunade looked surprised at what he was saying.
"A person occupying your thoughts?" she repeated. Gaara nodded.
"I can't keep my mind off this person. But the problem is, that person wants something that conflicts with what my goal. I don't know what to do."
Tsunade stared intently at him. He could tell she was thinking carefully.
"This person… is a girl?" she asked. She got her answer when Gaara glanced nervously at her. She smiled to herself.
"Yes… but if I choose to stand by her, then the very thing I have been doing for all this time could be put at risk." Gaara said.
"Well…" Tsunade replied, thoughtfully, "I guess, if that's the case… then you have to decide what is more important. What she wants, or what… you… want."
She suddenly seemed to realize something as she got to her feet.
"I've… I gotta go." she said, running off. But as she turned, Gaara noticed her tears falling.
* * * * *
As Gaara made his way back to the hotel, he saw Jiraiya standing outside it, holding onto his stomach.
"Hey," the toad sage said, wearily, "I'm guessing you're the reason Tsunade's in a mood? She barged right past me & popped me one when I tried to stop her."
"I think I may have brought up some painful memories for her." Gaara replied. Jiraiya stared at Gaara.
"So it wasn't my imagination. She was really crying then?" he asked. Gaara nodded, "Phew, you really are a piece of work."
He got up & made to head inside the hotel, but Gaara stopped him.
"Wait, there's something you should know." he said, a hint of urgency in his voice, "She has been in recent contact with Orochimaru. He wants her to heal his arms."
Jiraiya looked shocked. He turned around & began running after Tsunade.
"Go get Naruto!" he ordered. Gaara ran inside. He hurried into their room to find Naruto eating instant ramen. One look at Gaara's face & Naruto grabbed his coat, gulping down his mouthful.
"What's going on?" he asked as they ran across the rooftops. Gaara activated his Shukaku eye & looked straight ahead.
"The sannin are fighting." he replied, "Orochimaru came to make Tsunade heal his arms, but apparently she refused."
"Wait, that snake guy's here?" Naruto asked. Gaara replied with a nod.
They reached the battlefield to find a large dust cloud settling. To the left, Jiraiya & Orochimaru were fighting. It seemed the punch Tsunade gave Jiraiya had affected his chakra control, he was having trouble against the crippled snake. To the right, Tsunade was on the ground, shaking. Someone stood near her, his arm drenched in blood.
"Kabuto!" Naruto yelled, "What are you doing here?"
"Naruto-kun." Gaara said, touching the other boy on the shoulder, "Look at his headband."
Instead of the Konoha emblem, a musical note marked the metal plate, the symbol for Otogakure.
"Naruto-kun, you deal with him, I'll assist the old man." Gaara said. Naruto ran off to fight Kabuto. Gaara headed over to Jiraiya & Orochimaru.
"Stay back!" Jiraiya warned, "I'll stop him."
Orochimaru smirked.
"Stop me? You can barely stand!" he goaded, kicking Jiraiya in the stomach, sending him flying. He then turned to Gaara.
"What a surprise to see you here, Gaara-kun." he said, wearing a snake-like grin, "How's Madara-kun?"
Gaara didn't respond vocally. He placed his hand in his pocket & pulled out the ring given to him by Pein. He rolled it around in the palm of his hand before returning it to his pocket. Orochimaru looked murderous.
"That ring is mine!" he snarled, "Give it to me, or I will take it from you!"
Gaara took a challenging stance. Jiraiya appeared by his side. The three looked ready to fight when they heard a shout.
"RASENGAN!"
They all looked in Naruto's direction as Kabuto was sent spinning into a rock. Jiraiya grinned.
"Looks like he finally got it." he said, turning back to Orochimaru, "Now it's your turn!"
"Kabuto-kun!" Orochimaru ordered. Kabuto appeared by his side & began pulling up Orochimaru's sleeve.
"No! Quick!" Tsunade exclaimed, appearing on Gaara's other side. Together, her & Jiraiya formed hand signs & slammed the ground.
"Kuchiyose no jutsu!" yelled four voices.
A giant smoke cloud appeared, completely covering the battlefield. As the smoke dissipated, four titanic beasts stood tall.
"Manda! Katsuyu! It certainly has been a while!" bellowed a giant red toad.
"Gamabunta… Orochimaru!" Manda hissed, "Why did you summon me here?"
"Quiet!" Orochimaru ordered, "You obey me!"
Manda's eyes narrowed, "I shall expect a hundred sacrifices for this."
"Hey, wait. Who's the new guy?" Gamabunta asked. The other two beasts, plus their riders, looked in shock.
"Kousou, our enemy is the snake & the two on his back." Gaara said to the giant sandworm.
"Hai, Gaara-sama!" Kousou exclaimed. Gaara used his Sabaku Fuyū to lift himself into the air. Kousou then leapt into the air & burrowed underground.
The sannin's summons shook as the ground beneath them moved. Suddenly, thousands of tiny sandworms erupted from the ground, crawling over Manda's body & biting him.
"Oh this just got a whole lot easier!" Gamabunta grinned, charging forward, drawing his blade.
"Katsuyu, attack!" Tsunade ordered.
"Hai Tsunade-sama!" Katsuyu replied.
* * * * *
"Ha…hah."
"Huh…huh."
"Hoah…Hoah"
"…"
The three sannin were keeling over, breathing heavily, their summons disappeared. Gaara stood, arms folded, staring at Orochimaru. The snake shakily straightened his posture, smirking at the three.
"It matters not." he said, "There are other ways to heal my arms. And you can keep that."
He looked at Gaara as he said the last part. Then he sunk into the ground, cackling. Kabuto fixed his glasses, smirked & disappeared in a Shunshin. Jiraiya & Tsunade looked at Gaara, their breath returned.
"That's quite the summon you got there." Jiraiya said.
"Yeah, what was that?" Tsunade asked.
"The sandworms revere Shukaku as their god." Gaara answered.
"Their god?"
"Yes."
The three of them turned to Naruto, who was unconscious after his fight with Kabuto.
"He's really something isn't he Tsunade?" Jiraiya asked.
"No." she replied, "No first names. You know what you have to call me now."
Jiraiya grinned.
"Hai, Hokage-sama."
* * * * *
"I promise, from this day forth, I will protect Konoha with my life as the godaime Hokage!" Tsunade announced.
Cheers erupted from all of Konohagakure as Tsunade gave her speech. Fireworks shot into the air & music began playing. Gaara stood among the crowd, Temari & Kankuro by his side.
"You fought Orochimaru again?" Temari asked, shocked. Gaara nodded.
"We are almost finished here." he said, "During our fight, I used the Shukaku's eye to see how long Orochimaru could continue to inhabit that body. He has about a week left."
Kankuro looked upset at that.
"Is that really all the time we have left?" he asked.
Gaara looked to his older brother.
"You don't have to come." he said, "You can stay here with her, if that's what you want."
Kankuro shook his head.
"Family comes first." he replied, earning a smile from Temari.
"Good boy!" she told him.
Gaara turned & left the celebrations, his siblings close behind.
"So what's there left to do?" Temari asked. Gaara sighed.
"Unfortunately, all the work I put into increasing Sasuke's hatred for Itachi will make it all the harder for me to make him change his mind." he said, "I need to use this week carefully."
As they walked through the crowd, the people illuminated by the fireworks, Gaara looked around to the faces he had grown so accustomed to in his short stay. Ino was standing on a crate, waving at a friend in the distance. Shino was leaning against a wall with his father, surveying the crowds. Kiba was grinning at the fireworks, Akamaru cowering in his jacket. It had only been a short time, but Gaara was used to these faces. They were familiar & friendly. He sighed.
"Don't forget," he reminded himself, "there is a face you'd much rather see."
Lee. The face Gaara didn't want to see. He spotted him standing off to the side. Gai was standing beside him. It was now that Gaara saw the full extent of the damage he'd done. He had heard that Tsunade had visited Lee almost immediately, but clearly nothing had been done yet. Gaara did his best to avoid their gaze, he still felt the shame of what he had done.
Gaara hurried into the empty side streets, Gaara & Temari on his heels.
"Gaara, is something wrong?" Temari asked, concerned.
"I'm just not ready to face him yet." Gaara replied.
"Wow, this really hit you hard, didn't it?" Kankuro asked, frowning at Gaara.
"I'll catch up with you guys." Gaara said, walking off. Gaara turned a corner, nearly bumping into Sasuke. The two stared at each other in surprise for a second, before Gaara averted his gaze. Sasuke glared at him, but was faintly curious at this surprising show of weakness.
"Sasuke-san." Gaara said, "I see you are healed."
It was Sasuke's turn to look away.
"Yeah, I guess you were right." he replied, obviously pained at the admittance. Gaara watched Sasuke closely, as he came to a decision.
Sasuke passed Gaara, almost disappearing around the corner.
"Sasuke-san."
Sasuke paused.
"I do not wish to be your enemy anymore." Gaara said, "I apologise for the things I have done to you this past month."
Sasuke turned to face Gaara.
"Does this mean you'll answer my questions?" he asked, folding his arms. Gaara shook his head.
"Not yet." he said.
"Then keep your apology." Sasuke replied, disappearing round the corner. Gaara sighed & walked away.
He found a small park with a bench under a tree. He sat down on the bench & breathed deeply. He reached inside his pocket & pulled out the ring. He held it between his fingers, the moonlight making it shine.
"What are you doing?" he thought, "You need to get your priorities in order. You have a mission. Don't lose sight of that."
"Hey."
Gaara turned his head to the right. Sakura was standing not far from him. He hastily pocketed the ring.
"Mind if I join you?" she asked. Gaara shook his head & she smiled. She sat down.
"It's a nice night." she said, looking at the moon.
"Yeah, I always liked the night better than the day." Gaara agreed.
"I heard from Naruto that you're trying to help Lee." she said. Gaara stared at the ground.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" she added, seeing Gaara's look.
"I hope she can help him." Gaara said, thinking of Tsunade.
"From what I heard, she's the best medic-nin there is."
They fell silent. They both knew it was unlikely that an injury like Lee's could be healed easily.
"I wish I could go back & reverse my mistakes." Gaara said, still staring at the ground.
"But… if you never make any mistakes, how will you learn from them?"
"What did I learn from my fight with Lee? That deep down I'm still a monster inside?"
"Hey, you're not a monster!" Sakura exclaimed, placing her hand on Gaara's shoulder, "You made a mistake & your upset about it. That's not a monster."
Gaara looked up to Sakura, who was smiling warmly at him.
"Do you have any siblings?" he asked. She looked surprised.
"Uh… no, I don't." she answered.
"Shame, you'd make a great older sister."
Sakura blinked.
"You think so?" she asked. Gaara nodded. She smiled again.
"Now I know what to pester my parents about next!" she said brightly.
Gaara chuckled. Sakura yawned.
"Well, I'd better turn in." Sakura said. She waved to Gaara before leaving. Gaara waved back. He got up himself & headed back to the hotel.
"They're determined to make this difficult." Gaara thought, before smiling. In little over a week, he could be talking to her in person. She was worth the wait.