The Will of Fire: Kindling the Flame

by Star of the West

Narumi Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Saburo Haruno have just graduated from the academy. They have now taken the first step on the path that will lead them into the adventure of a lifetime. The journey of team seven and their comrades has begun.

19. Vast Sands

Narumi trudged forward, eyes fixed on the large, smooth, sand-colored cliffs ahead of her. Jiraya had planted himself behind her, firmly in the middle of the line they had formed and not-so-subtly creating a physical barrier between her and Sai, the pretty ROOT kunoichi that had been assigned to accompany the two of them.

Narumi had hoped that the ROOT girl would be able to start helping her right away, the way Danzo had promised. Unfortunately, Jiraya had put a stop to that the first time he caught the two of them working on the meditation techniques that Sai had offered to teach her.

The blonde had been upset when he forced them to stop, but the sannin had been unusually serious when he forbid her to attempt any further training with the ROOT kunoichi. He had insisted that it would only conflict with the training she was supposed to be receiving from him, and that was that.

In fact, ever since they'd left the village, Jiraya had done everything he could to keep the two of them apart. The first night after he'd caught them practicing together, he'd taken Narumi aside and warned her that ROOT was not what she thought it was, insisting that she be careful and wary with the other girl.

Narumi still wasn't sure what she thought of that. She trusted Jiraya, but Danzo had been very kind and helpful to her. And he understood. Jiraya didn't understand, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to. What if he was disgusted with her? Afraid of her? What if he hated her like the villagers did?

Shaking her head, she squinted against the bright heat of the desert sun, and focused on the approaching gates of Sunagakure. Ero-sennin had said that he had a message to deliver for Tsunade-baa-chan before they started off on their travels, and Narumi had been relieved.

Everything was happening so fast, and some of the people she loved best were casting doubt on what she had thought would be the source of her salvation. Right now, she wanted to talk to someone who would understand how she felt and why she was afraid. And the only person she could think of who she was sure would understand was Gaara.

Frowning, Narumi shook her head to clear her thoughts, and called back to Jiraya.

"Hey, Ero-sennin? I thought you said that Sunagakure was at those cliffs? I don't even see gates, much less a village."

Jiraya bopped her lightly over the back of her head, half-heartedly scolding her.

"Don't call me that when we're on official business. It reflects badly on the village. And it's only natural that you can't see Suna. They don't use walls and gates like Konoha does."

Narumi frowned back at him in confusion, turning around to walk backwards so she could face him.

"What do you mean?"

Jiraya shrugged, adjusting the wide strap across his chest that held the large scroll at the small of his back.

"All hidden villages are slightly different, and all have at least some level of natural defense. As you know, in Konoha we rely on the deadly flora and fauna of our forests as our first defense, and the strength of our walls and gates should anyone make it past the forest."

Shrugging, he glanced up at the looming cliffs ahead, the deep shadows they cast on the sand at their feet growing steadily closer.

"Suna is different. Their natural terrain becomes their walls. Those cliffs? They're honey-combed with tunnels, balconies, and watch stations that are constantly patrolled and manned by Suna-nin. The village itself is situated in a valley surrounded by the cliffs, and the only way in or out is through that cleft in the cliff-face."

Here he nodded towards the cliffs, and Narumi turned back to face the front, squinting her eyes and peering forward. Sure enough, she could see a dark slash in the pale stone of the cliff, though she couldn't see through it.

"But Ero-sennin, shouldn't they still have walls? I mean, if an enemy can manage to infiltrate the tunnels you talked about in the cliffs, wouldn't the village be helpless?"

She didn't notice the way Jiraya's brows shot up, or the surprised and approving smile that spread across his face.

"In theory yes, that is a problem. However, the tunnel system inside those cliffs is incredibly complex. Suna has a special division of shinobi specifically trained for patrolling and manning the cliffs. They're the only ones who are truly at ease in there. They say even other Suna-nin can get lost in the cliffs if they don't have a division member with them to guide them out."

Narumi shot him a doubtful glance, before turning an uneasy gaze on the cliffs they had nearly reached. They suddenly looked more menacing than they had a moment ago, reaching up to block the sky without any of the soft foliage or dappled light patterns that she was used to.

"Defenses that can even be dangerous to your own village? I'm not sure I like that..."

The older shinobi shrugged and ruffled her hair absently. She nearly flinched away from his touch, startled by the sudden contact and the memories of her nightmare killing sprees. The sannin didn't seem to notice, just continuing calmly with what he'd been saying.

"Well, technically the forests of Konoha can be dangerous to our own ninja. Our profession isn't a safe one. But I agree with you, the idea is...unsettling."

Sai suddenly spoke up from the back of the group, her tone one of idle speculation.

"It is an efficient deterrent to enemies, is it not? That is the purpose of fortifications."

Narumi frowned uneasily, but didn't get the chance to reply. They were just moving into hearing range of the ninja stationed at the base of the cleft that led into the hidden village, and they couldn't afford to speak so freely of their tentative allies.

As they came up to the cliffs of Sunagakure, Jiraya stepped up beside her to face the chuunin guard who had moved out in front of the cliffs to meet them. The Suna-nin eyed the three of them somewhat warily, but the slight nod he offered Jiraya was perfectly civil.

"Jiraya-sama. The council is expecting you. These are...?"

The white-haired shinobi laid a hand on Narumi's shoulder as he replied, his voice equally polite and distant.

"This is Narumi Uzumaki, my apprentice. The other girl is called Sai."

The chuunin's eyes widened slightly, and sharp grey eyes flickered down to Narumi, who instantly set her shoulders and looked away when she saw the wary suspicion and disgust in the mans gaze.

"The Kyuubi jinchuriki? I'm not sure-"

Jiraya cut him off, voice sharp and precise as a finely honed kunai, hand tightening slightly on Narumi's shoulder.

"I already told you, this is my apprentice. If you'd like to take issue with that, I have no problem returning Tsunade's message and letting her know that Konohagakure's messengers are not as well received in Kaze no Kuni as we'd hoped."

The chuunin blinked, and stiffened slightly, before nodding and backing away.

"I'll let the council know you're here."

Turning, the chuunin hurried back through the long, narrow path cut into thick stone walls that towered above Sunagakure, protecting the majority of the village from both enemy attack and the brunt of passing sandstorms.

His partner moved to the center of the path, blocking their way, while two others made themselves visible from their stations on ledges carved out a good ten feet above their heads. The sannin snorted, turning to address both the young kunoichi, though his eyes stayed on Narumi.

"We'll be spending tonight here at the very least. Maybe tomorrow night as well, depending on the situation. Then we'll get going, okay?"

The blonde kunoichi nodded silently, glancing back at Sai. The other girl offered her an odd, almost plastic looking smile, and turned her eyes to the shadows of the path between the walls. It wasn't long before the chuunin returned, beckoning to the three of them.

"Please follow me. The council will see you now."

Black eyes flickered down to Narumi, and the big man smiled at her.

"See? We'll be done in no time at all."

As the three of them followed the chuunin into the shadows of the walls, Sai moved up beside Narumi, brushing back a strand of shining black hair from her face.

"So this is your first time in Sunagakure, Narumi-chan?"

The blonde blinked, and then offered her a small grin, eyes lighting up a little more as her gaze flashed from side to side.

"Yeah...this is actually the first time I've been to any hidden village besides Konoha..."

Just as she said this, they emerged from the shadows of the cliffs, the bright desert sun revealing the village proper of Sunagakure. Narumi stared, eyes widening and mouth parting in a surprised 'oh'.

Suna wasn't like Konoha at all. Though the ground was hard-packed dirt, webbed with cracks instead of dunes, sand was still everywhere, hovering over the village in a light haze that colored the edges of the sky yellow and thickened the air she breathed.

The buildings were brown, bubble-shaped or cylindrical things with domed roofs and tiny circular windows. They seemed to rise from the ground like growths, the same color as the hard baked earth from which they seemingly sprouted, and truthfully they reminded Narumi most of the nests of the great white ants that dwelled in these arid lands.

Covered walkways connected most of the buildings, creating an odd web of structures that criss-crossed the street. The whole village would probably look like one big growth from above. And the whole place was colorless. Even the shinobi. They all seemed to wear shades of brown, their skin wind-burned and darkened by the sun until they matched their clothing.

The chuunin didn't pause, hurrying towards the center of the village. Narumi and Sai followed after him, Narumi still staring around at the village with wide eyes, both girls quickening their steps to match the mens longer, swifter strides.

As they went, Narumi caught several glances from the people in the street. Some wore the brown uniforms and khaki flak jackets of ninja, while others wore long white robes and head-cloths. All had an air of sharpness, a hard edge, that was noticeably lacking in Konoha.

One of them, an older looking man in uniform, narrowed his eyes when he saw her, gaze flicking over the whisker-like scars on her cheeks and the leaf symbol on her hitae-ate. The way he looked at her, with disgust, fear, and subtle contempt, made stiffen her spine and turn her own eyes to Jiraya's broad back. That man knew what she was. She could feel it.

The Uzumaki girl shuddered, resisting the urge to scrub her hands up and down her arms. She was used to being hated for what she carried. But something about this village made her nervous. She much preferred her own home.

Eventually, they came to a large, spherical building with a large kanji painted on one side. Unlike most of the buildings they'd passed, this one had walkways branching out in all directions, connecting it to every building surrounding it, like it was the nerve center of the entire village.

As the nameless chuunin led them up to it, Sai leaned over and murmured in her ear.

"This must be the Kazekage's Dome. Their version of Hokage Tower."

Narumi nodded absently, craning her neck and leaning her head back to stare up at the curving wall of the building. She nearly walked into the doorframe, quickly redirected by an all-too-elegant white hand on her shoulder, before she looked down and paid attention to where they were going.

They were lead into the dimly lit, rounded halls of the building, and escorted up several flights of stairs before the chuunin turned aside and opened a door, gesturing to the two girls.

"The kunoichi may wait here while you address the council, Jiraya-sama."

The white-haired shinobi nodded, and ushered the two girls into the room.

"I'll be back later."

Narumi glanced back at him uncertainly, and nodded. Sai smiled politely at him, as oddly cheerful as ever.

"We will await your return, Jiraya-sama."

The older shinobi narrowed his eyes slightly at the ROOT kunoichi, murmuring quietly under his breath.

"I'm sure you will."

After a moment, he spun on his heel, and stalked down the hall. The chuunin who had been leading them scrambled to pull the door shut, leaving the two girls alone in the room, listening to the sound of hurried, fading footsteps as the two shinobi moved away.

Narumi turned away from the door, surveying the room they'd been left in curiously. It was simple enough. A couch and two chairs arranged near the center, a small table with a bowl containing a few pieces of fruit, and a calligraphy scroll hanging on one wall.

The large window running along one side of the room signified that this was meant as a waiting room for guests of the village who the Suna-nin weren't worried about vanishing on them. So either they were being underestimated, or they were being trusted.

The dry, desert air shifted slightly, and Narumi frowned, sniffing delicately. A new scent was seeping into the room from the corridor, laden with boredom and the raspy dust-and-shell scent of sand. A guard then.

Scowling, Narumi turned away, rubbing absently at her nose. The air here was so dry and hot that it was almost painful to try and scent anything. She'd found that out to her cost their first day crossing the dunes, when she'd managed to give herself a nosebleed.

Moving across the room to the window, she pulled it open and leaned out slightly, crossing her arms and bracing them on the windowsill. The wind whipped at her bangs and braid, tugging at her clothes and spraying nearly invisible grains of sand across her cheeks as she peered out over the strange village before her.

Her eyes flickered over the buildings, and then past them. She could just catch a glimpse of what had to be the training grounds. Stretches of bare, hard-packed earth, bleached and cracked from the sun, and places that were almost entirely covered in tumbles and outcroppings of stone.

"Ne, Sai? This whole village is brown. Don't they have any color?"

A low chuckle sounded behind her, and the other girl moved up to stand beside her, flat black eyes flicking disinterestedly across the impressive, sand-swept vista before her.

"Well, it is certainly nothing compared to Konohagakure. But perhaps we could admire it another time?"

Blinking uncertainly, Narumi glanced at the other girl. She hadn't meant to say anything bad about the place. After all, she had friends here, and she would never insult their home. After all, this was their village. The place they fought for. Shaking her head to clear her uneasy thoughts, she cocked her head at the other girl.

"Well what else do you wanna do? Just sit around and stare at the walls while we wait for Ero-sennin?"

Sai showed no reaction to the nickname, despite the fact that she herself always addressed the man with utmost politeness and almost exaggerated respect. Instead she merely gestured towards the furniture in the center of the room.

"I was merely suggesting that we might benefit from some training while we wait. I could help you with your meditation techniques."

The Uzumaki's eyes widened slightly, and she froze, transfixed by the calmly smiling girl in front of her. Her mind spun as she realized what the ROOT kunoichi was offering her. The techniques that Jiraya had patently forbid her to learn. Sai knew she wasn't supposed to teach Narumi those, but she was offering to do so while Jiraya was otherwise occupied.

Narumi swallowed hard, wavering. She wanted to learn those meditation techniques badly. If she could learn those, if she could learn what the ROOT ninja could teach her, Danzo had promised that she would be safe to return to her team. Safe to go home to her friends.

But Ero-sennin told her not to, and he wouldn't do that without a reason right? She had promised him she wouldn't train with Sai without his knowledge and permission. Swallowing hard, she tried to think of a way to explain to Sai why she couldn't do that.

While she she was still searching for words to express herself, the door swung open behind them. Half apprehensive, half relieved, Narumi turned around to face the doorway, exclaiming as she did.

"That was fast! Is everything alright, Ero-sen..."

When she caught sight of the person standing in the doorway, she abruptly trailed off. Rather than the large man she had expected to see, there was a slight boy standing there. Tousled red hair, familiar dark-rimmed sea-green eyes, and a large gourd strapped to his back.

"Gaara?"

The boy had been staring at her until now, but when she called his name, he shifted and looked away. Frowning, Narumi took half a step forward, drawing in a long breath. The red-head's scent had lost that frightening metallic taint that had been so prevalent before, and was now laced with copious amounts of anxiety.

As she made to move closer to him, Sai stepped slightly in front of her, one hand resting lightly on her arm as the ROOT kunoichi leaned over to speak softly in her ear.

"Narumi-chan. Perhaps you should be careful? The ichibi jinchuriki is not stable."

Narumi's eyes widened, and she stared at the other girl, mouth dropping open in blank surprise at the veiled jab. Gaara, like she herself, had sharper senses than normal thanks to his tenant, and she knew he'd heard when she saw his shoulders stiffen. When he spoke his voice was clipped.

"Uzumaki-san."

The blonde spared half a second to think that perhaps Jiraya was right about not trusting ROOT. Deliberately grinning as widely as she could, she shook off Sai's hand, dodged the other girl, and bounded across the room to throw her arms around the Suna jinchuriki in an enthusiastic glomp.

"Aw, come on Gaara. My names Narumi. Na-ru-mi! What sort of a friend calls you by your last name?"

The other jinchuriki had stiffened a little more under her sudden touch at first, but now he relaxed. Lifting his hands uncertainly to return the gesture he shot her a look that was equal parts confusion, exasperation, shyness, and affection.

"Narumi then."

Feeling pleased with herself, Narumi's grin widened until her eyes squinted closed, and she loosed a positively fox-like chuckle. Backing up a step, she loosed the boy from her exuberant embrace, and seized his hands in hers, chattering animatedly to him without even glancing back at the other Kunoichi.

"Much better! I was just wondering how I was gonna dig you up! How'd you know we were here?"

Gaara lifted his shoulders in a gesture almost too smooth to be a shrug, eyes glinting warmly back at her despite the deadpan expression he shot her.

"I heard there was a very loud, blonde Konoha-nin in the village. Who else would it have been?"

Narumi snorted indignantly, yelping a protest.

"Hey! That could just as well have been Inori! And I'm not that loud!"

Gaara cocked his head, looking faintly puzzled.

"Who?"

Narumi released one of his hands to wave hers carelessly through the air in an unconcious imitation of Kakashi, voice slightly distracted.

"You know, Inori Yamanaka? Blonde guy, made it to the third exam, hits on everything female?"

Gaara frowned slightly, and then a light seemed to flicker on behind his eyes.

"Ah! Is he the one Teruyoshi-Aniki fought?"

Narumi nodded enthusiastically.

"That's the one!"

Gaara nodded solemnly.

"Yes, I remember now. Aniki calls him 'the pretty boy'."

For a moment, Narumi just stared at him, blankly. Her eye twitched once. Then she slapped her free hand across her mouth, eyes widening as she choked, and her shoulders began to shake violently. Gaara's eyes widened as well, and he reached out to touch her shoulder, looking slightly worried.

"Narumi? What is it? Are you alright?"

Wrapping her other arm around her stomach, Narumi bent over a little, shoulders shaking hard and eyes squinting shut. Soon, it proved too much for her to restrain, and howling peals of bright laughter rang out. Throwing her head back she laughed long and hard, tears of mirth gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"T-thats...just...too...perfect!"

Gaara blinked uncertainly at her as her laughter slowly died away. When she could finally breathe and speak fairly normally again, she wiped her eyes and flashed him a grin. Reaching up and seizing his arm, she tugged him towards the door.

"Well, come on then. Show me this village of yours!"

Gaara followed after her, giving in to the insistent tugging on his arm and looking slightly surprised.

"Are you sure?"

Nodding emphatically, she threw him a look that indicated he'd just asked a question to which the answer was obvious.

"Of course! You've already seen my village right? It's only fair I get to see yours!"

They hadn't yet reached the door when Sai spoke up, face impassive.

"Narumi-chan, we are supposed to wait here for Jiraya-sama. To leave would cause trouble with-"

This time, Gaara was the one who interrupted, his voice smooth and cool.

"It is alright. As long as she is with me, the council will not mind."

Sai's brow furrowed slightly, and she stepped forward.

"It would be remiss of me to allow a teammate to wander alone..."

Narumi shook her head, feeling faintly malicious. She had no real reason to dislike Sai, but she didn't like the way the other girl had talked about Gaara. So when she spoke her voice was filled with false cheer and reassurance.

"No, don't worry about it Sai. I'll be fine with Gaara. Besides, like you said, we're supposed to wait for Ero-sennin. If we're both gone when he gets back, he'll worry."

Before Sai could do more than blink in consternation, Narumi had whipped around the corner, pulling Gaara after her and closing the door firmly behind them. The guard outside the door focused on her immediately, fingers twitching towards his holster. Gaara fixed the man with an even stare and murmured quietly.

"It's alright, Jin-san. I'll keep an eye on her."

The older man didn't seem at all comforted by that. In fact, he looked distinctly grim at the prospect, muddy grey-brown eyes flickering back and forth between the two young ninja. But he nodded stiffly and turned his eyes back to the wall in front of him.

Narumi frowned slightly, confused at the mans attitude. But when Gaara simply turned and strode down the curving hall, she hurried to walk beside him, dismissing the guard from her mind.

"So, where are we going first?"

Gaara appeared thoughtful, glancing out a small window as they passed.

"Well, perhaps the training grounds?"

Narumi lit up excitedly.

"Cool! What are they like?"

Gaara shook his head, eyes warming slightly in amusement as they descended a flight of stairs.

"You'll see."

The kunoichi huffed, puffing out her cheeks and squinting her eyes at the other boy.

"Stingy."

Gaara loosed a low chuckle at the accusation just as they entered the entrance lobby of the dome. Narumi's eyes widened, and she stared at him speechlessly for a moment. Then she beamed, her entire face lighting up in delighted glee at the sound she'd managed to pull from her fellow jinchuriki.

Neither of them bothered to acknowledge the blank stares of shock and hard-eyed suspicion from the other Suna shinobi present. Gaara strode to the door that led outside, and held it open, tossing a glance at Narumi.

"Shall we go?"

Narumi bounced out the door, mouth twisting slightly as a burst of fine sand sprayed across her face. Spitting slightly, she cupped a hand protectively over her nose, shielding it from the stinging grains, and scowled a little.

"Dang Gaara, I don't know how your nose isn't shredded with all this sand..."

The redhead blinked, closing the door behind him and leading her into a covered walkway. Narumi sighed in relief as the light, ever-present sting of the sand lessened, almost not catching the puzzled glance her friend sent her.

"My nose?"

Gesturing vaguely towards the dusty haze around them, she kept the other one cupped over her nose.

"Your nose! I can't hardly smell a thing."

Gaara stopped and eyed her in confusion for a moment. Then his eyes lit up in comprehension.

"You mean..."

Here he faltered for a moment, before continuing a little more quietly.

"...your bijuu? It enhances your senses?"

Narumi blinked, hand dropping slightly in surprise.

"You mean yours doesn't?"

Gaara shrugged, looking both thoughtful and perplexed.

"Well, I'm can feel things with my sand...and I've got really good eyesight."

The Konoha kunoichi lifted a hand to rub the back of her neck in her customary fashion as the two of them walked along the covered pathway.

"Huh. That's weird. Maybe different bijuu have different effects?"

Gaara furrowed his brow slightly, and folded his arms over his chest.

"So, your nose?"

The blonde nodded.

"Yep. Actually, all my senses are pretty good, but my nose is even better than an Inuzuka's!"

Pale eyes flickered over to her, alight with interest.

"Really? And the sand interferes with your sense of smell?"

Nodding again, more vigorously than before, she rubbed her nose again.

"Yeah. I mean, I can still tell where people are and who they are, but...outside I can't hardly tell anything about them."

Gaara cocked his head at her in an inquiring fashion, and somehow conveyed a lifted eyebrow. Shrugging, she tried to find words to explain the odd and almost crippling limitation on her sense of the scents around her.

"Back home, even if I've just met someone, I can tell by their scent if they're angry, or happy, or nervous. I can tell by someones scent if they're more likely to attack or talk, things like that. Even emotional scents. Everyones scent changes depending on those things. But here, there's so much sand scent in the air that it blocks most of those nuances."

Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head slightly.

"Stings too."

Gaara looked quite impressed.

"So you can smell emotions?"

Narumi shrugged.

"Well, not out here. At least not well. But yeah, basically. I thought we all could."

At the mention of 'we', Gaara's shoulders relaxed, and he shrugged casually.

"I guess not. You'll have to tell me more about this some time."

The blonde grinned brightly at him, tapping the back of one hand against the front of his shoulder in a friendly gesture.

"Yeah, sure."

At the end of the walkway was a door into another building. Gaara opened it and they both slipped inside. Narumi took a deep breath of blessedly still, sand-free air and sighed blissfully before looking around. They found themselves inside a long, curving corridor with a stone floor that seemed to run the circumference of the building.

Gaara led her around to another door, and they stepped out onto another covered walkway. For a while they walked in comfortable silence, but soon Narumi began to notice the veiled suspicion and fear in the glances that the residents of Suna were throwing them.

Oh, they were discreet enough. Narumi had suffered much worse at the hands of her own village. But of all the things that had been directed at her, she had never seen such widespread fear directed at her.

"Gaara? What's up with them?"

The fire-haired boy glanced at her in surprise, eyes flickering from her to the heavily robed and veiled people around them.

"That? They...they're afraid of you. Because they know you're like me."

Blinking, she threw him a curious look.

"They know about me?"

Gaara lifted a shoulder in self-conscious half-shrug.

"I didn't tell them. But...there may be a law in Konoha, but there isn't here. Or in any of the other villages. Nin from outside Hi no Kuni know exactly who you are, the same as they do with me. Jinchuriki are kept as close track of as is possible."

Surprised, she shot him a look, before turning away. They'd come quite a ways already, and were approaching the outskirts of the village. Not far off, they could see the wide expanse of a hard-packed plain dotted with jagged outcroppings of rock and swept here and there with small dunes.

"Well. I probably shouldn't be surprised. I'm just...not used to people talking about it openly."

Gaara gave her a long look, and she drew in a long breath, annoyed when she was unable to read what he was feeling or thinking through the heavy dry earth-and-dust scents clouding the air.

"Are you upset? They might not mind as much you know, if you only didn't so...openly...enjoy my company."

Frowning in surprise, she tilted her head back and threw him a serious look. When she spoke, it was slow and serious, and probably would have shocked the daylights out of her teammates had they been there to witness it.

"That's just foolish. You're my friend, and if they don't like that, it's their problem. Besides, just because they can talk about bijuu openly doesn't mean this is anything new. I can certainly handle it."

Gaara stopped in his tracks.

"But...you're not like me and..."

Scowling, Narumi turned, planted her feet, and slapped the other boy gently upside the back of his head.

"Don't be stupid."

The completely flummoxed look her fellow jinchuriki sent her would have made her laugh in any other situation. Now she just glanced away, frowning slightly as images of her comrades corpses flashed through her mind.

"Besides...I don't think we're all that different. Good and bad both."

Still lost in thought, distant and slightly pained, she wandered away from Gaara, staring blankly down at the piles of sand her feet were scuffing through. Once again, a fierce longing for her own homeland rose in her. The solid, dark strength of good, rich earth. The towering trees with their thick trunks and branches. Dappled green and gold light filtering through the softly rustling forest canopy.

The sand and baked earth beneath her feet remained stubbornly bleached and dry, refusing to become one with the colorful strength of the forest her minds eye presented her with. Before she could think much on that, a hand closed firmly around her elbow.

Startled, she looked up as Gaara dragged her forward into the training ground. When the rounded buildings of the village were far enough away, he pulled her around into the shadow of the far side of the rock outcropping and released her, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning slightly at her.

"What's wrong?"

The blonde flinched slightly, hitching one shoulder up almost defensively.

"I...there's nothing..."

Tilting his head and bending a little to the side, Gaara easily brought his face back into her field of view, meeting her gaze evenly. She offered him a weak smile. The Suna-nin snorted.

"Why are you outside your village? The sannin are known for their wandering, and you're traveling with one who identifies you as his apprentice. What's going on?"

Narumi stiffened slightly, and then sighed heavily. She'd wanted to talk to him about this after all. She just hadn't expected it to be quite so soon. Putting her back against the rock, she slid down the outcropping until she was sitting on the ground, wrapping her arms around her legs and dropping her face into her knees.

Grateful for the deep shadow cloaking her, she mumbled halfheartedly.

"It's a long story.

With a slight rustling of clothing, and hissing of sand, Gaara folded himself down next to her. Around them rose walls of sand, arching over their heads and creating a secluded grotto to provide them a bit more privacy.

"I'm listening."

Drawing in a shuddering breath, Narumi allowed her eyes to slide closed, fighting against the memories of blood and fire and burning flesh.

"You...you remember when Oto tried to take Sasuke?"

When the other boy murmured an affirmative, she forced herself to speak again.

"I...this is gonna sound so stupid but I had a...a nightmare."

Letting out her breath in a hiss, she searched for words to explain.

"It was...I was dreaming about being taken over by Kyuubi. At least I think I was. There was all this blood and fire and everything was burning. Everyone...was dying. I was killing everyone and I couldn't stop myself."

Her voice caught, breaking slightly as she spoke, and her hands tightened painfully where they gripped her arms.

"I tried, Gaara. I tried so hard...to stop, I mean. But I couldn't, and the village was burning. Just touching people killed them."

There was a long moment of silence. Then Gaara spoke, his voice tentative and soft, obviously unsure quite how to respond to this.

"It was just a dream."

Narumi shook her head, voice strained and distressed.

"But it wasn't Gaara. I did run beserk, and I..."

Curling in a little more on herself, she almost didn't finish her sentence. She wasn't sure even Gaara could forgive such a thing being done to a family member. After all, weren't family precious people?

"...I burned Teruyoshi. I r-remember it. He was only trying to help me and I hurt him. I was so angry. He was stopping me and I just wanted to..."

Here her words choked off, and she couldn't bring herself to finish. A long, painful shudder ran through her body, and she bit her lip nearly hard enough to draw blood.

"What if I can't stop next time? What if I kill someone?"

Gaara spoke up firmly, his steady tone steady and sure.

"You won't. You're stronger than that, Narumi. Stronger than I was."

Shaking her head, she whispered against her knees, squeezing her eyes shut against the burning wetness threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"But what if I'm not? Everyone know's I'm going to lose control sometime. I can see it in the way they look at me. I'm afraid, Gaara. I don't want to hurt my comrades. All I ever wanted was to protect the village."

Reaching up with one hand, she tangled her fingers in her bangs, gripping the strands tightly near her scalp and tugging in frustration.

"It...it scared me Gaara. Really badly."

There was a long moment of silence, during which a warm, calloused hand came to rest on her shoulder, squeezing gently in an awkward attempt at comfort.

"Is that why you're traveling with the sannin? Didn't your teammates object?"

Narumi winced slightly, dark hair and green eyes flashing through her mind, followed by the shadowy image of an old, scarred man with a smooth, smooth voice.

"...um...yes and no."

The silence turned questioning, and she sighed heavily, lifting her face just enough to release her bangs and wipe away the moisture at her eyes with the heel of her hand.

"I needed some...time...after that dream. I woke up in the hospital you know. So I went out."

The soft snort from Gaara almost made her smile, but she pressed on determinedly.

"I was really upset, and I made it out to the outskirts before I stopped. And I met this old guy there, someone who knew O-jiji."

Gaara threw her a puzzled look and she swallowed hard.

"Sandaime. Anyway, he was nice to me, and we ended up talking about my dream. I told him I'd already hurt someone and he thought...Danzo said that if the council found out, I'd be removed from the active duty roster."

Gaara's grip suddenly tightened convulsively on her shoulder, his body went stiff, and his voice rigid.

"Danzo?"

Flinching slightly against the pressure of his grip, she glanced up with a tiny frown.

"Yeah, that was the guys name. Gaara? Something wrong?"

Washed out blue eyes suddenly hard and cold, he shook his head slightly, his voice taking on an edge that didn't seem to be directed at her.

"No, don't worry about it. What happened next?"

Still confused, but obliging, Narumi continued, her voice tentative as she watched him curiously.

"He told me that if I could learn to control Kyuubi that things would be different. I wouldn't be a threat anymore. He said that if I joined a division he commanded, ROOT, then I could learn how to not be dangerous."

Shrugging, she drew in a long breath.

"I didn't want to leave my team. But I was a danger to them, so I volunteered. Baa-chan was upset. She told me to wait until I turned seventeen to make up my mind. Ero-sennin took me as an apprentice, and here I am."

A shadow flickered through her eyes.

"Ero-sennin says I shouldn't trust Sai and the rest of ROOT. But I need to learn to control Kyuubi."

As she spoke, she lifted a hand into the air in a helpless, ineffectual wave, trying and failing to describe her feelings. Glancing over, she was caught in Gaara's worried frown.

"Narumi, listen to me. I understand how you feel, but I think Jiraya is right. You shouldn't trust Danzo."

Surprised, Narumi turned fully to face him, frowning and bracing her hands on her ankles.

"What do you mean? I thought you'd be all for me working on getting control of my bijuu?"

Gaara's frown deepened.

"Yes, but...I met Danzo. He came to your hospital room while my brothers and I were present. Something about him...I can't explain it, but I think you should be careful."

Narumi dropped her gaze, reaching up to stroke her braid absently as she thought.

"But Gaara, I really do need to get some control over this. And ROOT are the only ones who can teach me."

The redhead was silent for a moment, thinking deeply. Then he looked up.

"I know some meditation techniques that help me to deal with Shukaku. If you would like, I could teach you those."

The golden-haired kunoichi lit up, beaming at her companion in a relieved fashion.

"Really?"

Pale cheeks tinging a light pink, Gaara looked away in embarrassment and snorted lightly.

"Isn't this what friends do?"

With anyone else the question would have been rhetorical. But this was Gaara. The sand masked the tell-tale hints in his scent that she usually looked for, but Narumi could hear the hesitance and tentative questioning uncertainty in his voice. Leaning over, she gave him a light hug.

"You're a great friend, Gaara."

Gaara leaned a little into the hug, and Narumi leaned her forehead against his hair in an affectionate, almost sisterly gesture. She remembered what it was like before she met Ikyue-sensei. The way she'd craved an affectionate touch, and how blissful she had felt the first time the chuunin teacher brushed her hair for her.

The two of them stayed that way for a bit, before Gaara cleared his throat softly.

"I promised I'd show you the village."

Pulling back, Narumi nodded enthusiastically, lunging to her feet and bouncing forward out of their little sand grotto.

"Right! Let's go!"

Gliding after her at a more regal pace, Gaara withdrew the sand that formed their grotto and led her back towards the village proper. As they went, a sudden thought struck her and she shot a questioning look at her friend.

"By the way, how come your council are the ones taking the message from Tsunade-baa-chan? Doesn't your Kazekage object?"

Gaara blinked, and then frowned slightly. He managed to look both uncomfortable, pleased, and determined.

"Things are...somewhat strange in Suna at the moment."

Frowning, Narumi slowed slightly as they turned and followed the edge of the village, not entering any of the streets but merely skirting along the outside edge of the training grounds.

"What do you mean?"

The red head shrugged his shoulders, resettling his gourd on his back before speaking.

"After we discovered what had happened to the Yondaime Kazekage, there was, of course, a certain amount of disturbance. After things had settled somewhat, the council was convened to choose the next Kazekage."

Now the red-head looked uncomfortable.

"When they came out of their deliberations, they told us that the candidate they had decided on was still too young to assume full responsibilities, but that they would be instated when they came of age."

Sighing slightly he shot her a glance.

"They didn't say who it was, but later on I was called in and informed that I'd been chosen as Godaime."

Narumi froze, stopping in her tracks and staring at her friend.

"You're Kazekage? Are you serious?"

She didn't know wether to be more impressed or envious. The red-head hitched his shoulder, his expression a little odd.

"Technically yes. The council is taking on the role of regency until I come of age. But Narumi, the only reason they chose me was because they wanted to put a leash on me."

The blonde frowned at him, confused.

"That's just silly. If you're Kazekage you're leader of the entire village. The strongest shinobi in Kaze no Kuni. How could that be a leash?"

Gaara looked down.

"Baki-sensei explained it to me. He sits on the council you know. I've become less predictable as well as less immediately dangerous, and it makes them nervous. If they appoint me Kazekage, they have an excuse to keep a ridiculously close eye on me."

Looking distinctly upset now, he dropped his gaze.

"My appointment...it's a joke at the moment. If they declared who they'd chosen right now, the entire village would rise up in protest. They might accept me as a weapon, but never as Kazekage. The council's counting on that, actually. Surround me with SCORPION units now, retain a ridiculous level of power for themselves, and then appoint a 'proper' Kazekage later when the village objects to me."

Snorting almost bitterly, he narrowed his eyes.

"They'd probably be able to get a puppet into office easily enough considering how good they'd look compared to me. No one would object as long as I was prevented from taking office."

Alarmed and concerned, Narumi struggled to find words to comfort her friend. She'd never once felt like anyone was trying to leash her before. She supposed O-jiji and Baa-chan had protected her from that. Gaara suddenly lifted his eyes and fixed her with a small, fierce, determined smile.

"I'm going to change that though. I'm going to prove my loyalty, and protect the village with everything I have. By the time they announce me, I'll have proved myself. And then I'll be the best Kazekage Sunagakure has ever seen!"

Blinking, Narumi cocked her head and looked at him intently. Then she flashed him a vulpine grin.

"I know you will. You're gonna be a great Kazekage!"

Snatching his hand, she laughed and bounded forward.

"Now, come on and show me this village of yours, oh great Kazekage-sama!"

---

Three hours later, after Gaara had shown her every major feature from the Academy to the great stone statues of the Kazekages past (which she had been duly awed by), the two of them walked down a street in the quickly darkening dusk.

Narumi's stomach grumbled, and she rubbed her abdomen, making a slight face.

"Man, do I miss Ichiraku's right now. What I wouldn't give for a nice bowl of Miso ramen!"

Gaara shot her an amused glance.

"I don't know about ramen, but there's an excellent curry stand nearby."

Whooping Narumi pumped a fist in the air. It wasn't ramen, but food was food, and she was hungry.

"Alright! Lead the way!"

Shaking his head slightly, the red-head turned down a side street and led her to a small restaurant that bore a slight resemblance to Ichiraku. Instead of standing open, rice-paper doors kept out the sand. When Gaara slid the doors open, she peered over his shoulder to find low, traditional tables with flat cushions for seating arranged on tatami mats, and staff in simple kimono and aprons.

As the two of them moved into the restaurant and slid the door closed behind them, she drew in a deep breath. Clean air laden with deliciously savory aromas slid over her, and she nearly melted. With a deep sigh, she let her eyes slide half-closed in pleasure, and drifted dreamily after Gaara.

One of the waitresses noticed them, paled, and retreated swiftly into the back of the shop. Narumi frowned in confusion, noticing that no one else approached them. Gaara didn't seem to mind, merely crossing his arms patiently.

A moment later, an elegant woman, her chestnut hair streaked with soft silver at the temples and swept back into a heavy roll at the base of her head, glided out to speak to them. Her kimono was much finer than the others, and from her almost regal demeanor, Narumi assumed she was the shop owner. When the woman reached them, she inclined her head, her voice calm and polite.

"Gaara-sama. A table, perhaps, for you and your guest?"

The redhead nodded back, equally grave and polite.

"That would be very welcome, Yamada-san."

Inclining her head, the woman turned and led them to a table in the back corner of the restaurant. It was somewhat removed from the other patrons and allowed both Narumi and Gaara to put their backs to the wall while keeping an eye on the rest of the restaurant, while at the same time helping to keep them out of sight of the other patrons.

Narumi might not have been used to the overt dread and fear these people showed Gaara, but as a jinchuriki herself, she could easily see that this arrangement was designed to provide the most comfort for both them and the other patrons.

Settling on a cushion with her back to the wall, she looked around as Gaara took a seat at right angles to her. The woman, Yamada-san, clasped her hands gracefully in front of her.

"Is there anything I can get you?"

Narumi blinked, surprised. She had been sure this was the shop owner, but why would a woman like that lower herself to taking their orders. She'd seen such happen in Konoha a few times, but that was when the patron was someone very highly honored indeed, like O-jiji. Not when the demon brat came to call.

Gaara, however, took it in stride.

"Green tea for me, and an order of katsu curry."

When the other jinchuriki's eyes flicked to her, Narumi thought for a moment before speaking. She didn't often eat curry in Konoha. Those tended to be the more upstanding shops that didn't like to serve her, so this was a rare treat in her book.

"Melon soda, and...beef curry please."

Yamada-san bowed slightly, before turning and gliding away into the back of the shop. Slowly, the soft murmur of voices and the scuffing of tabi-clad feet moving over tatami returned to the shop, and Narumi was able to relax slightly, turning bright eyes on her companion.

"Whoa. Is it always like this?"

The boy shrugged, apparently unconcerned.

"To an extent. They are still worried that I will become volatile again."

Narumi snorted softly, and propped her chin in her hand.

"Well that's just silly."

Ignoring the wry look she got in return for that comment, she looked around curiously.

"I haven't had curry in ages. How do you serve it in Kaze?"

Cocking his head slightly, he frowned.

"I believe it is less spicy than some of the variations more popular in Hi no Kuni. Spicy food is less common here, as we prefer not to use an over-abundunce of fluids quenching the taste of our meals."

Narumi threw back her head and loosed a short, bright laugh, flashing that vulpine grin again.

"Ah, don't be like that! A little spice in the food puts fire in the belly. Back home, Rock Lee, the guy you fought? He has this stuff that he loves called 'the curry of life'. That stuffs hotter than a young volcano in a mood."

Whistling slightly at the memory, she shook her head in admiration. Gai-sensei had brought Lee a pot of the stuff when he was hospitalized, before Narumi had left to find Baa-chan. She and his team had been visiting, and he'd insisted on 'youthfully' sharing the stuff. She'd thought her tongue was frying, but she'd loved it.

Gaara shook his head as well, though his tone was very dry and tolerant.

"Leaves. Mad, the lot of you are all mad."

Chuckling at the accusation, she stuck her tongue out slightly at him.

"Jealous much, sand boy?"

Before he could reply, a brazen voice called out to them just as a familiar spicy-warm scent caught Narumi's attention.

"Gaara? And Narumi? What are you guys doing here?"

Looking up, the golden-haired kunoichi found herself looking right into the striking green eyes of Teruyoshi. Blinking, a twinge of guilt raced through her before she suppressed it. The older boy was staring down at them, a faint pink tinge spreading across his cheeks and his eyes wide in surprise.

Gaara frowned slightly up at his somewhat out of breath brother, and Narumi blushed self-consciously when she realized that he hadn't once looked away from her. Suddenly feeling incredibly embarrassed, she dropped her gaze to the table, frantically wondered if something was stuck in her braid or if she had something on her face.

The redhead spoke up, still frowning in confusion as he eyed his apparently transfixed brother, and suddenly shy friend.

"We are having dinner. What else would we be doing in a restaurant at this time of day, Aniki?"

Jumping slightly, the older shinobi reached up to scratch the back of his head, looking anywhere but at the two jinchuriki as he mumbled furiously.

"Right, right. Stupid question."

Sighing softly, exasperated with his brothers odd behavior, Gaara gestured towards the cushion opposite the small, square table from Narumi.

"Are you going to join us, Aniki?"

Still not looking at the suddenly withdrawn kunoichi, the dirty-blonde boy muttered something that sounded vaguely like assent as he dropped onto the cushion. There was a moment of silence before Teruyoshi cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to the kunoichi across the table, looking oddly determined.

"So, when'd you get in Beautiful?"

Shifting a little, the kunoichi lifted a hand to stroke her braid in a repetitive, soothing motion.

"A few hours ago."

Gaara watched curiously as his elder brother forced himself to relax, leaning back and whistling slightly.

"A few hours? What have you been doing all that time that you're not with the other leaves?"

Narumi shrugged, still looking vaguely uncomfortable, but mastering herself as she met his eyes.

"Gaara's been showing me around. I've never been to another hidden village before."

Teruyoshi lifted an eyebrow, voice turning teasing.

"What's this? A sheltered flower of a kunoichi who's never traveled before? You surprise me Beautiful!"

Indignant blue eyes snapped up to meet dark green irately, the shade of them shifting until it exactly matched the hot, vibrant blue found in the heart of a flame.

"I am not a flower! And anyway, I bet you hadn't been to other villages either until you came to Konoha!"

A grin broke out on Teruyoshi's face as he flinched exaggeratedly.

"Ouch. Still as much a spitfire as ever, I see."

Putting on an aggrieved tone, he tapped two fingers on his chest, just over his heart.

"Your lack of faith in me wounds, Beautiful. Right here."

Narumi scowled, and Gaara fixed his brother with a blank gaze, voice totally deadpan.

"May I point out that she is correct?"

Teruyoshi shot him an exasperated look as Narumi grinned triumphantly.

"Whose side are you on anyway little brother?"

Gaara was saved from having to answer when Yamada-san returned to the table in the company of a timid looking waitress bearing a tray with their food.

"Teruyoshi-sama. I was not aware you would be joining Gaara-sama for dinner as well. Is there anything you would like?"

The oldest of the three ninja waved a hand casually threw the air, apparently relaxed by the banter the three had just been engaging in.

"Nah, I'm fine."

Gaara frowned, cocking his head slightly and eyeing the dirty-blonde.

"Aniki? Are you not hungry?"

Teruyoshi shot him a confused look.

"Huh?"

Gaara's brow furrowed tightly as the maid placed the food and drink she was carrying in front of him and Narumi.

"You came to the restaurant to eat, didn't you?"

There was a moment of confused silence between them, before Teruyoshi suddenly flushed again, eyes darting inadvertently towards Narumi, who was regarding them both with curious eyes, her head slightly cocked to the side as she observed the interaction.

Gaara was just about to ask what was wrong when Yamada-san interfered, a warm glint in her eye and a slight softness to her voice.

"Perhaps you are thirsty rather than hungry, Teruyoshi-sama?"

Nodding fervently, Teruyoshi turned relieved eyes on the elegant older woman.

"Right, right. I was thirsty. Um...can I get a cold tea?"

Yamada-san offered him a slight bow, before retreating with the waitress. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence at the table before Narumi shrugged and clapped her hands together cheerfully.

"Itadakimasu!"

The tension broken, the three of them settled down to eat. Narumi chattered brightly throughout the meal, occasionally scowling and bantering with a smirking Teruyoshi as she savored the curry. Gaara himself relaxed back, settling in and allowing himself to be drawn into the flow of conversation, making quiet replies and comments here and there, and enjoying the feeling of being completely and totally accepted by the company he kept.

Several times throughout the meal, he noticed one or the other of his companions become flushed or awkward, though he could never understand quite what triggered it. This happened more often with Teruyoshi than with Narumi, though she often picked up on it from him, and became withdrawn in turn, stroking her braid nervously.

Around that time, if he didn't interject something to return things to normal, Yamada-san would return to smoothly inquire if they needed anything else, or to engage one of them in polite small talk. By the end of the meal, Gaara thought she'd grown quite fond of Narumi by the way her tone softened when she spoke to the young kunoichi.

When they finished eating, Narumi yawned, covering her mouth and blinking sleepily at the two of them.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought."

Gaara nodded.

"You have travelled quite a long way. Perhaps it would be best if you returned to the guest quarters for the night?"

Narumi hummed her agreement before an expression of consternation crossed her face.

"Oh. I don't know where they are..."

Before Gaara could say anything, Teruyoshi spoke up hurriedly, almost eagerly.

"I'll walk you."

Then his face flushed, even brighter than before, and he sat back a little, mumbling slightly.

"I mean...that is, if you want to."

Narumi stared, and then looked away, a line of pink spreading across her nose and cheekbones as she lifted a hand to stroke her braid.

"Yeah...thanks."

There was another moment of silence, wherein Gaara looked back and forth between the two of them in utter confusion. While he was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on, Narumi cleared her throat and laid a few coins on the table beside her plate.

"Um...I think I'll just head outside. Get some air."

If Gaara had had eyebrows, they'd have vanished into his hairline at that. He knew very well from Narumi herself that she found the outside air of Kaze no Kuni frustrating to deal with.

Not noticing the look he was giving her, Narumi stood, lifting her arms over her head, arching her back, and stretching with the smooth, sleepy grace of a cat. Gaara watched in confused disbelief as Teruyoshi reddened further, eyes following the oblivious kunoichi as she walked through the restaurant and out the sliding paper doors.

There was a moment of silence between them, with Teruyoshi watching the door and Gaara watching Teruyoshi. Then Yamada-san glided up, knelt quietly beside his elder brother, and murmured so softly that only the two boys could hear her, her eyes sparkling with what looked like amusement.

"Congratulations, Teruyoshi-sama."

Teruyoshi jumped, looking suddenly mortified. Leaping to his feet, he muttered something under his breath, dropped the money for his tea on the table, and all but bolted for the door. Yamada-san lifted a hand and chuckled softly into the sleeve of her kimono, and Gaara stared after his brother, mouth slightly open, eyes wide, and mind spinning as he tried to figure out exactly what had just happened.

---

Sasuke slumped wearily across the table, cheek pressed against the cool surface of the aged wood as he stared blankly at the wall. His entire body ached, and his chakra coils felt like they'd been threaded with red-hot steel wires.

Damp strands of black hair clung to the nape of his neck and flopped wetly across his face. A cool breeze fluttered in through the open window, caressing the bare skin of his back and tugging at his white shorts, temporarily relieving the oppressive heat of the unusually warm day as he sat shirtless and freshly showered in the kitchen.

Down the hall, he heard the heavy shambling steps of his roommate. Groggily, he lifted his head, and turned so that he was looking at the doorway into the hall. Not long after, Saburo staggered into view. The Uchiha winced at the exhaustion etched into his teammates face.

"You look awful."

The rosette shot him a half-heartedly dirty look.

"Thanks, Sasuke. Cause you just look like a dewy rose on a summer morning."

It took all the strength of his famed Uchiha pride, but the raven-haired boy managed to draw himself up and regard his friend cooly.

"I am an Uchiha. As such, I could never allow myself to fall so far as to be driven into such a state by a woman."

For a moment, the two boys stared at each other. Then Saburo dragged himself over, and brought a fist crashing down on the top of the Uchiha heirs head. Hissing in pain, Sasuke clutched the top of his head and dropped his forehead to the table in front of him. As Saburo hobbled away, he muttered under his breath.

"You know, I'm really starting to understand why Narumi-chan uses Teme for you. And I'd like you to say that to Shishou's face. Or even Mitsurashi-san's for that matter."

Sasuke tilted his face to glare at the rosette from one eye.

"I liked you better before."

Ignoring him, Saburo made his way to the refrigerator and opened it. Sighing at the blast of cool air, he leaned against the door for a moment before shaking his head and staring contemplatively into the depths of the appliance.

Rousing himself, Sasuke braced his hands on the table and rose slightly, glaring suspiciously at the back of his teammates sweat-soaked shirt.

"Saburo? What are you doing?"

Absently the other boy tossed the answer over his shoulder.

"Oh, I just thought I'd make some dinner."

Ebony eyes shot wide open in alarm, and Sasuke shoved himself away from the table, twisting around as he did. His legs refused to move exactly as he wished them too, protesting loudly and tangling with each other, sending him clattering to the floor along with his chair.

Saburo had whirled at the loud crash, and instantly moved over to the dazed looking Uchiha on the floor.

"Sasuke? Are you alright?"

Seizing his opportunity, the other boy levered himself off the floor and snatched Saburo's shoulder, voice deadly serious.

"Anything but that!"

Saburo blinked slowly, confusion spreading through his expression.

"Wha-?"

Hauling himself up, Sasuke fixed the other boy with a steady, grave stare.

"Please, don't cook. I'll do it, alright?"

Understanding dawned and the Haruno scowled at the darker boy indignantly.

"Hey! Sasuke!"

A lazy voice spoke up from near the window, and both young shinobi looked up to see their sensei leaning against the windowsill, peering at the two of them over the top of his orange book.

"Maa maa, what's all this?"

By now, the two of them were used to the eccentric jounin popping up at odd times throughout the house, and neither bothered to react to his sudden appearance. Instead, the rosette's scowl deepened, and he crossed his arms mutinously over his chest.

"Sasuke won't let me fix dinner."

The single visible eye blinked at the two of them in slow surprise.

"Sasuke? While that's excellent practice for dealing with your first lady friend..."

Reddening slightly, Sasuke dialed up his glare.

"What dinner? He can't cook! He tried the first week he was here and it was awful! I couldn't even tell what it was! Burned and soggy! How is that even possible?"

Kakashi looked distinctly amused as he glanced between the equally stubborn boys.

"Come now, Sasuke, it can't be all that bad."

Sasuke's expression turned nearly comically indignant, and his voice rose slightly in pitch.

"Not that bad? He tried to boil water for tea last night, and almost set the kitchen on fire!"

Stifling laughter, Kakashi cleared his throat.

"Surely that's a bit exaggerated?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his lips compressing into a thin line as he mutely pointed up. The jounin's eye flicked after his finger curiously, and then he stared. Around the upper walls and the edges of the ceiling were very distinct scorch marks.

There was a long silence, and then Kakashi cleared his throat, tucking his book away into his weapons pouch.

"...right. Well then, how about I fix you boys something?"

Saburo still looked a little put out, but he nodded his acquiescence after a minute.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke eyed him suspiciously for a minute, but then nodded sharply, mumbling his thanks before righting his chair and collapsing back across the table. Saburo hesitated a moment, before Kakashi made a gentle shooing motion with his hand, eye curving up in a warm smile.

"Go ahead and shower Saburo. I'll have Sasuke come get you when the food is ready."

The green-eyed boy nodded quietly, offering his sensei a grateful smile before stumbling out into the hall and vanishing in the direction of the bathroom. For a long time, there was silence in the kitchen aside from the sounds of Kakashi moving about and preparing food.

Sasuke shifted so that his chin was on the table and he was staring out the window.

"Sensei?"

Kakashi glanced up in the direction of the student that was the most similar to how he used to be, noting the distant look in his eyes.

"Hm?"

The boy frowned for a moment, pale brow wrinkling as he folded his arms on the table and rested his chin on them.

"Do you think Narumi's alright?"

The jounin stopped for a moment, devoting his full attention to the boy. Sasuke hadn't spoken of his blonde rival since he'd first found out she'd left the village. The Uchiha had also exhibited a surprising amount of hostility towards Danzo since he'd found out about the man, though thankfully only when he was alone with Kakashi and Saburo.

Keeping all this in mind, Kakashi chose his words carefully, trying hard to think about what Minato-sensei might say in this situation.

"Yes, I think she'll be fine. Jiraya-sama is with her after all. He's rather fond of her, you know."

Nodding slightly, Kakashi turned his attention to the pan of vegetables he was stir-frying.

"I don't think you need to worry about her."

Sasuke blew hard at a strand of hair hanging across his face, frowning hard at the view of the darkening village.

"It's not fair. She should be here, with us."

Kakashi sighed quietly, feeling troubled. He had heard from Tsunade some of the reason why Narumi had been so eager to get out of the village. While he was sure they didn't know the whole of it, it was obvious that Danzo had manipulated the girls fears regarding the kyuubi.

On the one hand, Kakashi was immensely proud of his student for being so determined to protect the village. On the other, he really wanted to rip Danzo's worthless throat out and leave the man writhing on the floor.

Allowing his eye to slide closed for a moment, he addressed a mental comment to his deceased sensei, half wondering if his words actually reached the man, and if they did how he felt about a student who had failed to protect his daughter so many times over.

'What would you think of us, Minato-sensei? You died for this village and this is the way your daughter is treated...'

Shaking his head slightly, he offered Sasuke a small smile.

"She had her reasons, Sasuke. The...power...that these people want from her is very dangerous in the wrong hands."

The Uchiha's head shot up and swiveled, a suddenly crimson gaze fixing intently on Kakashi.

"You know something you're not telling us, don't you? Something about that 'power' that you said this person who made her leave wants."

Kakashi met the boys gaze, inwardly cursing the sharpness of geniuses. After a moment, he lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"Maa, I do know some of it."

The dark boy made as if to stand, eyes widening slightly, voice half imploring, half demanding.

"Why? What is it? What's going on?"

Kakashi did sigh this time, frustrated at his own inability to help his students.

'Being a sensei was supposed to be easier than this. Isn't the sensei supposed to be the one who has all the answers and never feels helpless?'

The mental cry went unanswered, and he had to take a moment to master his tone of voice.

"I can't tell you, Sasuke."

When the boys sharingan started to whirl faster, Kakashi hurried to placate him.

"It's not that I don't want too, but if I were to do so, I'd be in direct violation of one of the laws of Konohagakure. Perhaps when you're older you'll find out, but when you do it will likely be from the Hokage or Narumi herself. I can't say anything."

Sasuke's eyes had widened slightly, fading back from bloody scarlet to soft ebony as he stared at the silver-haired jounin in consternation.

"Sensei?"

Kakashi shook his head slightly and turned back to the stove.

"Don't worry, Sasuke. Jiraya-sama will take care of Narumi. You and Saburo just worry about your training. After all, you don't want her to come back stronger than you, do you?"

There was silence except for the faint hissing sounds of the vegetables and soy-sauce in the pan, before Sasuke spoke up, voice even and deceptively calm.

"I understand, Sensei."

The two of them continued in silence until Saburo returned, looking much better for the cleanliness, if still overly tired. Kakashi fixed three plates of food, setting them quietly at the table and joining his students. Neither boy remarked on his presence, though he did catch them exchanging a glance.

Deciding to break the tension, he offered Saburo a smile, voice cheerful and relaxed as ever.

"So, Saburo-kun. How's your training with Tsunade-sama going?"

The rosette shrugged, swallowing a bite of food, and clearing his throat before answering.

"Brutal. Shishou's definitely gonna kill me before winter."

Kakashi's eye crinkled up with restrained amusement at the description. That certainly sounded like the monstrously strong medic he remembered.

"Oh? Have you learned anything then?"

Saburo nodded ruefully.

"Someone told her about that weird attack I was able to use in the chuunin exams, and she had me do it again. Once she figured it out she got all excited over it. Said that I'm..."

Here he paused and a look of great concentration crossed his face.

"That I'm sending my chakra into the opponent and somehow causing it to implode, which crushes the muscles and bones, ruptures the blood vessels, and damages the chakra coils to a certain extent."

Kakashi stared, and there was a moment of stunned silence at the table. The boys probably didn't understand just how unusual and devastating an attack what Saburo had just described would be.

Apparently unaware of Kakashi's incredulity, Saburo shrugged and took another bite, before continuing.

"She said it's crude, but similar to chakra scalpel attacks, so now she's got me training to be an iryo-nin on top of everything else."

Kakashi watched the two boys digging into their food with the urgent eagerness that only boys who trained very hard could manage, and shook his head slightly. He'd expected a certain level of preformance from Narumi as the daughter of his sensei, and from Sasuke as an Uchiha prodigy.

But apparently, Saburo wasn't going to settle for being the normal shinobi on the team. This team was on its way to being ridiculously powerful. Pretending not to notice the sidelong glances the boys were throwing him, trying to get a look at his unveiled face when he ate, he allowed himself a wash of pride.

His students were growing up quite well. Now if he could just manage to keep both the boys alive for the next few years, and pull them all back together at the end of it, he might just be able to face his own team with pride when the time came.

---

A/N: Oh, wow. It really has been forever since I updated, and I am so, so sorry for that. I am very ashamed of myself. I can't really explain it. You know that saying 'the shit hit the fan'? Well, this was more just like life hit the fan, splattered all over the walls, and then laughed at me. Nothing particularly bad, but things kind of got away from me. I most sincerely apologize to everyone.

To 10-iz4, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Romance will continue to be a lower-key element in the story, but it will be present.
To kitsunehluvuh, Jiraya's certainly going to do his best. As will Gaara and his brothers, all of whom are quite suspicious of 'the old coot'.
To jayley, Normally, a candidate for root would be a young child who would have undergone significant testing before being hand-selected by Danzo for the program. The standard procedure has been disregarded here however, because Danzo gets the final word in all things ROOT, and he wants a supped-up fox weapon. Also, in this fiction ROOT is not unsanctioned. There was an attempt by the fourth to disband it, but he was working on that shortly before his death, and very few people know of it. Sarutobi was quite lax in dealing with them because Danzo was an old teammate, so by this time, ROOT is too extensive to be easily done away with. Also, efforts to get rid of them are not as extensive as they could be because most people who know about them at all still assume that ROOT is basically loyal to the Hokage, and have no idea what sort of methods are used in their training and the execution of their missions. As it is, they're barely tolerated, but they have a lot of power and a lot of secrets. Also, as you can see, there will be some chapters covering the in-between time, though time skips will occur.
To Ceralyn, Yes, I have Sai accompanying Narumi. However, as you can and will see, a few changes have been made. Do hope you'll continue to enjoy that relationship.
To Shuuwai, thank you for the review and the encouragement, they are greatly appreciated!
To firehottie, Yep, as I told jayley, there will be chapters covering the period between fourteen and seventeen. Time skips will occur, but in smaller doses than in cannon. Mainly because there's just SO many possibilities for those years!
To Zandamh, Yes, training will be included. There will be a heavier focus on that in the next chapter as this one was focused more on helping Narumi get over the initial nerves and horror created by Danzo's twisted little mind jutsu. Psychological repercussions are not to be underestimated you know.
To Emma the Deadly, thank you so much for the review. It makes me happy that you enjoy the story so much. I hope you've enjoyed this last chapter, as I am in fact going to be ignoring the cannon trick of vanishing three years. Very excited to do so in fact (*w*).
To yellowcardgirl13, Thank you very much for the compliment. It's quite flattering to have my story praised by someone so widely read in the sub-genre. While I can't really speak to whatever end, successful or not, that Danzo may yet come to, it is quite gratifying to find the villain so intensely disliked. I wasn't sure I could write him sneaky and conniving enough. Also, thank you for the support for Teruyoshi. He accepts the sentiment with much blushing and embarrassment, I assure you.
To Deathgun, Thank you very much for the review. I really wasn't sure if I did the right thing flipping so many characters, but it really was ever so tempting. It's very reassuring to me to hear that people enjoy the result. I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters, and thank you again for the encouragement.
To ChaosIdeals, I must admit, every time someone tells me how much they hate Danzo it rather makes me cackle. He is the villain, and it pleases me greatly to hear that he's suitably unlikable. Also, no one really needs to worry about late reviews. After all, I was the one who was latest with this last chapter, and I am most ashamed of myself. The reviews were all lovely and wonderfully timed to remind me to write.
To the anonymous Guest, thank you for the review, and the suggestions. I will keep those in mind.
To Wheelchairmaniac99, I hope you continue to enjoy the story. Romance will continue to be a more minor factor. I'm afraid I'm still very new to that genre, and generally prefer to write adventure-type stories, so the fic will remain largely in the adventure vein.

Explanations!

To start off with, the dynamic with Jiraya, Narumi, and Sai. Narumi is still very much freaked out by that dream she had, due in large part to subconscious suggestions planted in her mind by the ROOT Yamanaka who gave her the dream in the first place. As a result, she's terrified that she'll hurt her precious people, and clings to Sai, who has become, in her mind, the life line to being able to repress that destructive tendency. Danzo of course planned this out when he planted Sai. Jiraya is very wary of the ROOT girl, and tries to keep her and Narumi separated as much as possible. But as much as Narumi trusts Jiraya, she firmly believes that he doesn't understand how 'dangerous' she is to those around her. She also doesn't want to talk to him about it because she's ashamed. She thinks that if he actually understood, he'd want her to go to ROOT and learn from them too. There's also the factor that in the dream, none of her precious people blamed her, even when they were dying, so she's got the idea planted in her head that they trust her too much and she doesn't deserve it. Yep, ROOT royally screwed our lovable blonde over.

There is a mention in the fic of Jiraya reacting rather badly when he finds Narumi and Sai practicing 'meditation techniques'. He didn't really have a concrete reason for that, just a gut reaction wherein he felt very uneasy about letting that continue. As it happens, that was actually the product of his experience as a shinobi reacting to the situation. Sai was, in fact, following orders to teach Narumi techniques that would make her receptive to hypnotic suggestion, and thereby make her more susceptible to manipulation and control by ROOT. At this point, Sai is still very much a creature of Danzo. That may change later on, but for now, Jiraya is very right to be wary of her.

When Gaara walks in on Narumi and Sai, he's somewhat nervous because its the first time he's met up with a conscious Narumi since he tried to kill her under the influence of Shukaku, and he's still very tentative and shy about the whole 'friend' thing. Narumi can sense that to a certain extent, and being Narumi, wants to reassure him that she is definitely his friend and that is that. And this is where Sai makes her first big misstep in her attempts to 'handle' Narumi. She implies that Gaara is dangerous and insane within both their hearing. It was an attempt to endear herself by expressing concern in order to allow her to carry out her mission in regards to Narumi, but it backfires. Badly. The whole manipulation of Narumi thus far has been based on her protective instincts towards her precious people, of whom Gaara is one. So her trust in and liking for Sai immediately takes a huge blow. She takes steps to reassure Gaara that she doesn't agree with or care about Sai's opinion of him, and make her stance on the issue as clear as possible to the ROOT kunoichi. In doing so, she actually does herself an enormous favor without knowing it by taking herself away from the influence of someone intentionally trying to destabilize and control her, and into the company of someone who will help steady and ground her. Two birds, one stone, all that jazz.

Also, the reactions of the people of Suna are because of their previous interactions with Gaara. For them, the assumption that jinchuriki are blood-thirsty monsters has been tested and found true. So the idea of two of them bouncing around together is less than comforting. Narumi picks up on this to an extent, but deals with it an a similar manner to the way she deals with the people who hate her in Konoha. Gaara is aware of it, but is completely unbothered for the moment. Deep down, he feels he deserves it because he has terrorized his own village in the past. However, in the here and now, he has a friend who is not even remotely afraid of him, and he is happy enough in her company that nothing else can really bother him.

Narumi eventually talks to Gaara about the whole situation that developed after she woke up, because he's a jinchuriki and her friend, and she trusts him to give her good advice and understand why she's reacting the way she is. That is to say, she knows he'll take the threat she represents seriously without being afraid of her or hating her. Which is big at this point. She instinctively realizes how dangerous she could be if she truly lost control, and most of the people important to her don't see that. They just see the bouncy, happy, kunoichi side of her. Gaara himself is a little uncertain of how to go about comforting and advising her, but he does his best. Also, he, like Sasuke, is very very angry with Danzo. More so in fact, because he had a bad feeling about him ever since the old coot first showed up in Narumi's hospital room. So, Danzo gets added to Gaara's mental 'enemies' list. And while he may be gentler and more stable now thanks to Narumi, he's still Gaara. If he thought he could get away with it...well, let's just say Danzo would be introduced first-hand to a whole lot of single-minded sand.

I included a little discussion that revealed some of the ongoing politics in Suna because it's one of the things that has always bugged me in cannon. Yondaime kazekage killed by Orochimaru, twelve-year old Gaara starts changing, and poof, three years later is the Godaime? Not that I object to Gaara being Godaime at all, but there are problems. Either they left the seat of Kazekage suspiciously absent for a good three years before they appointed Gaara, which seems incredibly unlikely, or they appointed him in a more acceptable period of time. But that would mean they would appoint him at a time when almost no one trusted him, which is equally suspicious. I hope the idea I came up with to explain the situation isn't too wildly improbable or difficult to understand. But yeah, basically no matter which village your in, Councils have greedy bastards on them.

The dinner scene! I'm pretty sure the parts with Gaara and Narumi exclusively are self-explanatory. So, on to Teruyoshi! The boy actually heard that Narumi was in the village, and promptly ran to see her. Only to find that Gaara had already left with her. He spent about an hour chasing all over the village and just missing them, before bursting in on them in the restaurant. Where he was promptly horribly embarrassed and decided to try and pass the whole thing off as a coincidental meeting. Unfortunately, he's figured out by now that he likes her (still in the crush stage, but he's figured it out), and therefore isn't as smooth as he'd like. Which leads to Narumi being embarrassed and shy as well, only she has no idea why. Gaara, of course, is quite lovably dense when it comes to matters of the heart, and hasn't a clue what's up with either of them. He's actually very confused by it. (Note that Gaara has no romantic feelings for Narumi at all. He just thinks of her in a sister/friend sort of way).

Poor Gaara attempts to diffuse the odd situation, and only ends up making it worse. But Teruyoshi agrees to eat dinner with them. About then, Teruyoshi gets very irritated with himself, and with something of the mindset of a kamikaze pilot, does his best to conduct an ordinary conversation while acting as normally as possible (it about kills him to call her beautiful without turning red though). Fortunately, over the course of the meal they manage to overcome a lot of that awkwardness and act somewhat normally. Gaara, however, still picks up the odd vibes and is utterly mystified, the poor boy. Yamada-san, the mistress of the establishment, is not nearly so dense, and is greatly amused by the scene of 'young love'. Teruyoshi just about dies when she congratulates him. So overall, Narumi has a pretty good time of it in this chapter.

The boys, on the other hand, are driving themselves into exhaustion. Saburo's been living with Sasuke for a while now, and they've gotten used to each other. Saburo's utter hero-worship has worn off, and Sasuke is comfortable enough around Saburo to open up and relax around him. Both have been training until they drop, literally on some days. Sasuke has been working more intensively than ever with Kakashi. Saburo, on the other hand, decided that if Narumi was going to train with a Sannin, he might as well ask for such training as well. He's quite determined to not be the weak link of the team, and is very aware of his civilian heritage, so he wants to counterbalance that. Tsunade at first refused to train him, but Saburo was very persistent, and even when she got impatient and knocked him into walls he kept coming back. So eventually she tested his control, expecting him to utterly fail and go on his way. When she found out how good his control was (worse than cannon!Sakura, but still pretty impressive) she decided to take him on because he had 'the goods and the guts'. Then of course, she found out about that instinctive attack of his, and promptly had a field day. She's actually quite proud of her new apprentice, and though she'd never tell him, she thinks he has amazing potential.

It's quite normal now for both boys to drag themselves home completely exhausted, unless they've had a mission in which case they spar afterwards in one of the dojo's located in the Uchiha complex. Normally Sasuke will fix them something to eat, because he is used to cooking for himself. Saburo's attempts at the same have been rather spectacularly horrible though. Negative talent to such a degree that Sasuke has a wary respect for the lack of skills and classifies Saburo's cooking as a weapon of mass destruction. Kakashi has also taken to popping up around them frequently, mainly because he's feeling more over-protective since Danzo managed to do such damage to Narumi right under his nose. This is why neither boy is at all surprised when he's suddenly just there in the kitchen.

Also, both boys are still very upset about Narumi's leaving. Sasuke, however, has taken it hardest. He doesn't talk about it because he blames himself for failing to protect someone precious to him yet again. He may not know the details, but he gets that someone drove Narumi out of the village, and that she is in danger from both that person, and the akatsuki. He also realizes that he can't help or protect her the way Jiraya and Kakashi can. So he focuses all his energy and self-loathing over the incident into forcing himself to get strong enough that this can't ever happen again. He's very determined about it. It's actually quite similar to Kakashi's utter devotion to protecting his comrades after Obito's death. The only difference being, Sasuke still has a little bit of that darker, avenger mentality floating around, though it doesn't drive him the way it does in cannon. So basically, he may or may not have a vague idea that when he gets strong enough he's going to assassinate the bastard that split his team up. A.K.A. Danzo.

Last of all. The rest of the village, including the Konoha twelve, don't know about Narumi being gone yet. She's only been gone a couple weeks, and the people who notice her absence assume either that they're just missing her, or that she's out on a longer mission outside the village, like when she went to find Tsunade. However, it won't be much longer before the rest of Sasuke and Saburo's age group come around asking questions. Dun dun dun!