Title: A Demon's Tale
Author: swiftstar85
Genre: Drama/Friendship/Romance
Rating: T for some strong language, violence, suggestive material, and crude humor.
~Chapter One~
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, though I wouldn't mind if I did.
It had almost been two months now since the day Sunagakure Village had received it's freedom from the Akatsuki. And for two very long, hard working months, the people of the village worked hard to restore all that was destroyed. They had rebuilt the ruined buildings and restored the Gates of the Sand Village. They had not only worked on the village, trying to repair it, but they worked on their social skills a little. They knew they hadn't been the most friendly people of the Hidden Villages. But it was all because of their new Kazekage that they were changing in a positive way.
Gaara had worked very hard on restoring order in the Hidden Sand Village for the past two months. He had gone through a lot of sleepless nights, not that he slept anyway, and helped fix all that was broken. He had buildings rebuilt and being repaired and even himself had fixed the Gates of Suna. He had even passed a few new laws. The new laws suited the people just fine. Especially the Law on Bullying children. Some Sand Ninja didn't like that though. Especially the bullying ninja who had tortured the young boy, Chiquoi. It was rather funny actually. Not too long after his recovery, Gaara had gone into the Village, just to visit with some of the villagers and let them get to know him. It was then he saw the young child, Quoi getting beaten up on again. Stone faced, the young Kazekage went over to intervene. Calling out sand, he knocked the Sand Ninja right on their butts after they had gotten down kicking Quoi around. They had angrily stood up and looked at who had shoved them only to come face to face with the cold tempered Fifth Kazekage himself. They really hadn't known what to say when they saw him. But Gaara sure knew what to say.
His face very impassive and cold, he looked the Sand Ninja each in the eyes as he used his sand to help Quoi stand up and push him towards Baki for him to take care of him. "The bullying will stop right now. If I catch you ever beating on the boy again, or any child in this village, there will be a terrible price to pay." He said coldly before he turned and looked around at all of the Sand Ninja, very sternly. "That goes for everyone. The child abuse in this village has gone on long enough. It will stop! The children are our future and we are beating that future into the dust! That will not do! No more hitting children just because you feel like it! If they need to be punished, there are other ways of doing it! But the beatings will stop! If they don't, those who beat the children," He turned sharply and looked squarely at the Ninja who had been hitting on Quoi. "You will deal with me."
With that said, he turned and walked straight over to a surprised Quoi. The young child, obviously, remembered Gaara as the man who protected him from the Akatsuki, Deidara. He was just stunned to learn that he was the new Kazekage. And as the Kazekage approached, the boy threw himself to the ground, bowing before him. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama! I'm sorry for being such a....." He really didn't get to finish.
Gaara had bent down next to him and gently touched his back and shoulder, making the boy look up in surprise. The young red head just slowly shook his head as he lightly pulled him back to his feet. "Don't grovel in the dirt, Quoi. Not for me. Not for anyone. Future Sand Ninja will stand up tall and full of pride." he told him gently. "And you will become one of my most proud Sand Ninja, won't you?"
Quoi stared at him with surprise and alarm but his eyes filled with tears as a meek smile appeared on his face. He nodded vigorously as he clutched onto Gaara's arm. He looked very touched that the Kazekage would say something like that. "I will sure try, Kazekage-sama! I will do my very best!" His face then fell a little as he looked slightly away. "But.....the instructors say that I'm a failure. I can't do Jutsu very well. They say that I'm an insult to the Great Sand Village." He told him, miserably.
"Hmm." Gaara hummed with a faint smile on his face before he stood before Quoi. "Is that what they say? Well, if that's the case, then I guess they aren't very good instructors if they think you won't be a Ninja. I suppose you'll need a better Instructor. Therefore, I will take you on as my own apprentice. I will teach you myself."
Everyone looked surprised at Gaara's decision. Some of the ninja even shouted out their protests, including a few of the bullies. They shared their concerns that the Kazekage shouldn't even try to waste his time on the boy who always goofed around and got into trouble. Of course, Gaara silenced them with a stern look as he placed his hand onto a stunned Quoi's shoulder and gently pushed him towards his older sister. "Temari, Quoi now lives alone in his house, as I understand it. He's still a little too young to be living by himself. So why don't you just set him up in our house? He can stay with us. Unless you and Kankuro thinks that's a bad idea."
Temari smiled and shook her head as she took Quoi by the shoulders. She and Kankuro were both smiling and shaking their heads. They obviously agreed with Gaara. So without even saying anything to their youngest brother, they both led Quoi home to pack so he could move into their mansion.
"Kazekage-sama, why would you want to waste your time on......" One of the Sand Ninja was saying.
Gaara turned his eyes sharply onto that Ninja, giving him a very stern look but he shook his head after a moment. He slowly turned just to look at each of the Sand Ninja. "I can see that we're having problems teaching the future generations of Sand Ninja. Obviously, none of you have been trying to teach the children. Well, that will change as well." He looked at Baki. "Baki, I will leave it to you to reorganize the new Ninja Academy. You will go through each Sand Ninja and decide who is right to teach and who is not. If anyone has any problems with the new changes, direct them to me." He told him.
Baki smiled curtly but nodded as he looked around at the uneasy group of Sand Ninja. "Yes, sir. Leave it to me." he told him before he began barking orders at a few Ninja to meet him early in the morning at the old Ninja Academy. And Gaara knew very well that he could depend on Baki to restore order of the Ninja Academy.
That was nearly two months ago, and now it was two months later.
During the past two months, Gaara had worked very hard on the restoration of the Sand Village. He had done a lot and had worked harder than anyone else had. Everyone admitted that he had. He even found time to train Quoi, which he learned had the same attitude as Naruto, which, again, amused him. The boy was very enthusiastic and optimistic about most things. He was always excited about getting started with learning Jutsu. And it was hilarious when Quoi always got onto Kankuro's nerves, just like how Naruto did. There were times in the Kazekage mansion that Kankuro started yelling at Quoi for being so annoying. At first, Quoi would cringe under his rage and expect to get beaten by him. But then three different things would actually happen.
One, Kankuro would draw back, realizing that he was actually causing a little harm on the boy.
Two, Temari smashed her giant fan against his head, sending him crashing into the wall.
And three, Gaara practically made his older brother eat sand while he simply looked at his new apprentice and told him that he didn't need to be afraid of an idiot like Kankuro.
It was at that time, Quoi began meekly standing up for himself by telling Kankuro to shut up and leave him alone. Although, Kankuro would start shouting again, but soon after, those three things happened again. Slowly, Quoi learned that he could defend himself without Temari and Gaara standing up for him. Of course, Kankuro and Quoi didn't always argue and bicker. Whenever Quoi got a little excited and started talking about how he was doing okay with training, the Puppet Master would smirk at the boy and reach over, ruffling his hair as if telling him good job. Even Temari started to compliment on the kid. All three siblings were growing very fond of Quoi in their own ways.
Many things were changing for Suna and in a positive way. The people were becoming friendlier and braver with one another. They were happy with Gaara as the Kazekage because of all that he had done and was doing for them. They were growing to love him, in a way. The Fifth Kazekage didn't get angry when people were loud in the early morning or when they accidently spilt water all over his feet and pants from being so nervous when he made his visits in the Village. He never got angry at them. He would just softly tell them that it was okay and there was no harm done. He was becoming apart of their lives and they warmly welcomed him.
And if that wasn't enough, the newly reorganized Ninja Academy had opened only a week after Baki was put in charge of it. He had gone through and spoke to many of the Sand Ninja and Instructors, deciding and choosing who was worthy of teaching the future of the Sand Ninja. There had been a lot of Ninja he went through to find the right Instructors. But with a little bit of patience, he managed it.
Two months later, almost everything was going just as Gaara hoped it would. Almost all of the buildings were restored and the people were happy. He felt a little proud of all of the accomplishments that all of the village had done. But....there was still the fact that he felt a little homesick for Konohagakure. He missed the people of the village, the green trees, the cool rain. He had even had a large green house built in the mansion, having lush greenery planted inside it. His gardens were meant to help him remember the forests of the Fire Country. But it just wasn't the same. Gaara especially missed Naruto, Sakura and the rest of his Leaf friends. He missed all of them and would stare off into the night with a lonely look on his face. He longed for them again. Especially for Sakura. He really wished he could see her more often. It wasn't really fair on either one of them if they were going to be together that they couldn't BE together. They couldn't spend time with one another if they were so far apart. That was why he made his decision.
And that was why all activity in the Council room stopped when the young Kazekage made the announcement that he would be leaving the Hidden Sand Village for a little while.
There was a very long silence as everyone stared at the young Kazekage with surprise. They couldn'e believe he had just said what they thought he did. The Elders all looked more alarmed than Baki, Temari and Kankuro did. They were actually aware of Gaara's intentions. He had spokent with them the night before.
"Lord Kazekage?! You're leaving?! But.....but.....the village.....you're our Kazekage! You can't leave us! We need you!" One Elder complained.
Gaara just turned his eyes onto that Elder and slowly shook his head as he went over to the window, looking out at the village below. "The Sand Village is progressing fairly, Elder-sama. The rebuilding process is going well enough without me having to watch the builders all of the time. As it is, there's hardly anything else to rebuild and repair. The people knows the laws by heart now. They have had no troubles with it and the Ninja Academy is doing just fine with Baki in charge of it. I have done all of the scroll work that needed to be done and don't need to do anymore for now." He explained quietly. "The Sand Village can manage without me for a few weeks. I only want to travel to the Leaf Village and check up with them, see how they are doing. Besides, I am aware that the Chuunin Exams are coming up. So I want to be there to watch them. And I will be taking Quoi with me."
"Quoi?!" One Elder exclaimed in shock.
Another shook his head, looking as if he didn't agree at all. And he really didn't. He and many of the other Elders didn't agree that Gaara should take his apprentice. "Lord Kazekage-sama! You cannot be serious! Quoi isn't even a ninja yet! He hasn't even become Genin! He doesn't take his ninja studies serious enough and he's always goofing off! You cannot even think that he'll be ready for the Chuunin......."
He received dry looks from not only Gaara, but his siblings and Baki as well. Temari just shook her head as she folded her arms over her chest and gave the Elder a very annoyed look. "He said he was taking him with him, not entering him in the exams." She replied dryly.
The Elder flushed with embarrassment. But others shook their heads, still protesting to the idea. They didn't actually say anything but one finally did. He stood up, frowning at Gaara. "Kazekage-sama, forgive me for speaking out of place but I must protest on both accounts. You are needed here in the Sand Village. And your apprentice, Chiquoi is not ready to leave the village for anything. He's a complete goof off and he can barely hold out against you and in a way, you take it easy on him because he's still a student." He shook his head at the young red head. "What if the Akatsuki comes after you again, due to you still possessing Shukaku? How will you fight them with Quoi at your side? The boy cannot fight and surely you can't protect him at the same time."
The very mentioning of the Akatsuki made Gaara's eyes narrow a little too seriously. It was a look that still made the Elders a little uneasy. They knew better than to mention them in front of him. Especially on how much he hated them. "If the Akatsuki knew what was good for them, they will stay the hell away from me." The young Kazekage said almost too darkly. "Besides, if they were going to attack me again, they would have done it when I was weakened. They don't plan to be coming after me for a while. I know that for certain. And even if they did, there would be nothing holding me back from destroying them. I would not let them hurt Quoi or anyone else. If it eases your minds at all, I won't be going alone with him. Kankuro will be coming with me."
Of course, the Elders all sweat dropped and look far from being at ease. For it, Kankuro glared at each one of the Elders who looked doubtful.
"As it is, don't worry about Quoi. He will be fine with me. I would not put him in any danger. The reason of my taking him is because he goofs off too much." Gaara explained and got confused looks for his words. He only shook his head as he looked each one of the Elders in the eyes. "Quoi is old enough to learn that he cannot goof around his entire life. He needs to be shown that. That is why I am taking him to the Hidden Leaf Village. There is only one ninja that we all know that used to goof off as much as Quoi does. And even today, he's one of the strongest Ninja we know." He told them.
A few of the Elders smiled, already knowing who their Kazekage was talking about. There was only one ninja that goofed around that was pretty strong. They knew that Gaara could only be speaking about his best friend, Konoha Village's number one, maverick ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. So the one Elder that wasn't against Gaara's decision just nodded. "Very well, Lord Gaara. Enjoy yourself on your trip." He simply said.
All of the other Elders whirled around looking at him with horror. "Ebizu-sama!!" They all shouted in unison.
The oldest Elder rolled his aged eyes and waved away their protests as if they were just bothersome flies. He didn't seembed bothered at all by the younger Elders. "Young ones, stop badgering already. The Lord Kazekage is still a youngling. He's not even 17 years old yet and he's the Kazekage. We picked him to become the Fifth Kazekage because of his power and because he had saved the Sand Village. But he has not seen enough of the world yet. The former Kazekages, the First, the Second, the Third and the Fourth has traveled the world in their time and has learned much. The Fifth, however, has not. He has only seen the Forests of the Fire Country, the sparkling waters of the Wave Country and the Desert of the Wind Country. He has not seen the high mountains of the Rock Country, or traveled through the storms of the Lightning Country. Nor has he ventured the grassy pride lands of the Fang and Claw Countries. He must do these things if he wishes to learn more. He can't do that by just sitting around here, doing paper work all of the time." He then looked at Gaara, smiling. "I know we apointed Gaara as the Fifth Kazekage, and it is his duty to run this village and pass laws upon the Village. But I think he should take the time off. Since he came to us as the Fifth Kazekage, he has spent numerous nights working harder than any of us put together. He has only slept twice since the past two months. Unlike us, he can go that amount of time without sleep. So out of every one in the entire village, our Fifth Kazekage has worked the hardest and longest. So, I say, allow him to go on this trip with his apprentice. I think they will be both be fine. As my sister, Chiyo-baasama used to say, one student learns faster when doing." he finished. "I think that Lord Gaara's student will learn more out on the field than he will in a class room."
There was a very long silence as everyone took Ebizu's words to thought and heart. They knew he had a point. They all knew that Gaara had done a tremendous amount of work, unlike them. He had even done some of the rebuilding of the buildings. So they could not deny it. Therefore, they knew that they should grant him his request.
With a sigh, one of the oldest Elders nodded as he stood up and stood tall. "Very well then. If we all agree with this then, I believe two weeks is fair enough....." he paused when the air became very thick as Gaara, his brother and sister and Baki gave him a stern look for it. They all knew very well that two weeks was not enough time for Gaara's vacation. Not if he was going to relax a little. ".....Uh....."
"Four weeks, if not five." Ebizu butted in. That should be enough time for you to travel to the Hidden Leaf Village and relax a little, Gaara-sama." He smiled gently at the young red head. "And it might just give you some time to finding your old teammate with your friends."
Hearing that, Gaara's face softened. He knew very well what Ebizu was talking about. He had shared his concerns with the old man about Sasuke and how he left the village. The old man had kindly listened and had offered his advice to helping getting Sasuke back. It had been pretty good advice too. Gaara thought so anyway. He would consider on his advice, along with Naruto and Sakura. So with a nod, Gaara turned slightly away. "I will be leaving in the morning then with Quoi and Kankuro. The three of us will travel straight to the Hidden Leaf Village. In the mean time, Temari will be left in charge with Baki in her stead." He told them before he left the meeting.
The news of leaving the Sand Village actually excited Quoi to no limit though. When Gaara had told him that night that they would be taking a trip to the Konoha Village, he literately started bouncing around the room, cheering and annoying the crap out of Kankuro. The young boy had gotten way too excited that it was literately making the Puppet Master go nuts. It actually made both Temari and Gaara smirk as they watched the Puppeteer try and chase him down to stop him from getting so excited. By the time night fell, Quoi was still excited and could hardly sleep. It was when Kankuro decided to gas him with Sleeping Gas to make him shut up and fall asleep.
Gaara's main attention throughout the entire night was on the thought that he was going to see his friends again. It made him smile to think about them. He wondered how they were doing. He also wondered when Team Kakashi was going to be heading out to the mission to get Sasuke back. He hoped they hadn't gone yet. He wanted to be with them when they did, which made him frown. He wondered if it was a good idea in taking Quoi with him. There could be a chance that he would have to leave him in the Leaf Village for a little while if Team Kakashi really was going out on the mission. If that was the case, maybe it was a good idea to leave him in the Sand Village. He was starting to wish he could turn back the time a little and take back his word of taking Quoi. The Elders might have been right on this one. But it was too late now.
"Gaara, I'm going to go to bed now. Just coming to wish you good night." came Temari's voice from his doorway. But he didn't turn away from his window. She noticed the look on his face though. "Hey, you okay?"
The young Kazekage didn't reply for a moment but stared out into the night sky. He let out a low sigh, too quiet for Temari to hear though. "Do you think I'm being a fool?" He murmured quietly. He could sense the surprised look on her face at his question. There was a pause before he turned his sea-foamed colored eyes onto his oldest sibling, frowning a little. "Do you think me a fool for taking Quoi from the Village? He's not a ninja and yet, I'm taking him away from his home when he's not ready. I shouldn't take him, should I?"
There was another pause before Temari's face softened and she moved towards him, her arms folding over her chest as she tilted her head to the side. "Gaara, you are Quoi's mentor. His teacher and his friend. And you are the only person he has in this world now. It's up to you if you take him or not. Not the Elders and not mine. But if you truly want my opinion, I think you should take him with you. Even if it does get a little dangerous. You are strong enough to protect him and you can. If the Akatsuki was to attack you and Kankuro, and Quoi, you both could protect him because he's only one person. There would be only one person you had to protect and not an entire village. And I know you can. Yes, Gaara. Take Quoi with you. He'll learn a lot faster if you take him out of the Village." She shook her head as she looked out the window, towards the Ninja Academy. "The Ninja Academy still needs work and Baki's doing his best. But it's no place for Quoi. He's not the kind of kid who should be in a classroom all day, learning all of the basics. He'll learn faster out there, with you. He's like Naruto, in a way. And even you helped him understand things while on missions and stuff like that. It'll be the same for Quoi."
"If Team Kakashi goes on that mission for Sasuke's Retrieval, there's no chance I can take him with me, Temari. It'd be too dangerous." Gaara added, merely glancing at her. "What then?"
Temari met his eyes, smiling softly at her brother. "Then leave him in the Leaf Village. He'll learn more there than he will here. Leave with your old teacher, Iruka if you have to. Or Jiraiya, though I don't know if that'd be a good idea. But if you leave Quoi here, he'll be so mad at you by the time you get back. He'll think you're ditching him." She told him.
Gaara snorted with mild humor as he looked back out the window at the night air. He figured she had a point. But then again, if he left Quoi in the Sand Village, the young student would still think that. Still, Temari had a point. If he left Quoi in the Sand Village, there was no way he would survive without Gaara. He knew very well that the bullying Sand Ninja blamed the young apprentice for getting into so much trouble with the Kazekage. He had heard all of the rumors of how they wanted to pay the little brat back for their demotion. Even if he was the Kazekage, he couldn't stop the hatred that filled their hearts, after all. He could protect Quoi by killing the Sand Ninja himself, but what kind of leader did that for one boy just because the Ninja didn't like him?
'No, Temari is right.' Gaara thought. 'I should take Quoi. He'll be in more danger here. Baki or Temari won't be able to protect him from the Sand Ninja all of the time while I'm gone.'
'Ugh. But he's so annoying. Cute, but annoying.' Shukaku grumbled.
A smile curled on Gaara's lips at the sand demon's words and he glanced to the side as if looking at the demon, himself. 'I can't believe you just said the word cute.' He teased the demon, getting a little growl from the demon.
'Shut up!' The sand demon growled but Gaara could feel a little heat within his head. He almost grinned, knowing that the Sand Demonic spirit was blushing.
Temari saw the smirk, nearly grin, and smiled herself. She knew very well that when Gaara went quiet and then suddenly started smiling like that, he was talking to Shukaku. She couldn't help but laugh within to think that Gaara still had the Shukaku and they were on better terms. In truth, it had surprised her and everyone else when they learned he still had the sand demon. But to think that Shukaku was more like a friend to her little brother now, it was laughable. Stunning, but laughable. But shaking her head, she reached over and tapped Gaara's shoulder, getting him to look at her again. "I'm going to sleep now. I think it's best if I do because if I'm going to be running the Sand Village while you're gone, I better be ready for a very boring day tomorrow." She remarked, now rolling her eyes.
Gaara smirked seeing that look. He knew very well she was talking about the scroll work. They both hated doing all the paper work and having to fill out forms. It was a wonder that they hadn't lost their minds doing them yet. "All right. Good night, Temari. We will be leaving early in the morning." He told her. Then he watched as his sister left the room before he went back to admiring the star lit sky. 'I'm on my way, Sakura, Naruto. I'm coming to full fill my promise.'
Early the next morning, Gaara had to wake up Quoi, which proved to be quite the chore. The kid slept like a rock. He was nearly impossible in waking up. But the young Kazekage had his ways of waking up his apprentice. It only took morning rolls to do that. The kid might have been a deep sleeper but with a whiff of breakfast, he woke up faster than he usually fell asleep. Which was actually pretty fast.
The young Kazekage also had to see to that Quoi packed the right supplies, since he really didn't have any experience with camping or even leaving the Village. In fact, the young boy had never even been outside of the Gates of the Sand Village. So Gaara pretty much had to stand in his room and tell him what he needed to be ready. He instructed him to make sure he had the right clothes, which became very tough. All Quoi had was summer wear. And he knew that it would be a little colder in the Fire Country than the Desert of the Wind. He figured they would have to purchase some clothes for Quoi when they reached the Fire Country.
Finally, the three of them set out on their little adventure towards the Land of Fire. Temari, Baki and several Sand Ninja were seeing them off of course. Even some of the Elders had decided to get up to see them off. They wished Gaara, Kankuro and Quoi luck on their journey, and they did really mean it. Some of them seemed to be happy that Gaara was taking his apprentice. One even commented on the fact that after this trip, Quoi would probably would take things more seriously about his ninja studies and learn a lot more. Especially after visiting the Leaf Village. Even they had to admit it, but the Leaf Village was the best place to actually learn the ways of the ninja. Especially a kid like Quoi. They knew very well that the Hidden Leaf Village might help their young Kazekage put his young apprentice in line. If they didn't, they knew that a certain blonde best friend of the Kazekage would. It made many of the Elders grin at the idea.
The journey started out just fine. Gaara, Kankuro and Quoi really didn't have any problems at all as they started out across the desert. But as the sun rose higher, it proved just to be a little too much on Quoi. He wasn't really used to traveling at all. So half way through the day, he nearly collapsed from the heat and exhaustion. Kankuro rolled his eyes and decided to carry him through the rest of the way when he got too tired.
For almost three days it took them to get to the Fire Country, due to Quoi being needed to carried when he got too tired. He was starting to make it a habit of asking Kankuro to carry him. Even though the Puppet Master didn't mind it so much, due he considered it being apart of his training, Gaara started to scold his young apprentice and told him that he would have to walk from now on. He knew very well that Quoi was just being a little lazy.
"Quoi, I know you're young and you're not used to walking so long, but you need to learn." Gaara scolded him after he had asked Kankuro to carry him again, even though he wasn't tired. "If you're going to be a ninja, you need to train yourself to start walking for a long period of time."
So after that, Quoi began walking and didn't complain about it.
Still, it was a little tough on Gaara's apprentice. Especially they finally did reach the borders of the Fire and Wind Country. As soon as they reached the forests and started travelling through the paths, it proved to be very cold on Quoi's part. Especially at night. Gaara could hear Quoi's teeth start chattering as he laid in his sleeping bag. With a faint smile on his face, the young Kazekage would give his apprentice his jacket to wear at night, just to stay warm. The best part was, the young apprentice was enjoying the scenery. He had never seen so much green before. The Country of Fire was a whole new world for the young ninja student.
It was around noon when the Gates of Konohagakure Village appeared at the end of the main road. A certain peace settled over Gaara, making him faintly smile as he, Kankuro and Quoi approached the village. He felt as if he was now home. He had missed this place a lot. It wasn't his true home, he knew that, but it was where he had grown up. It was the one place that he felt he belonged to.
Leading the way, Gaara walked right through the gates, pausing to look at the two guards, who looked so bored that they could fall asleep at any minute. But when the three arrived, they were immediately jolting up right. One of the guards was one that Gaara didn't know. But the other was one of the old bullies who used to pick on him. When that guard saw Gaara, he relaxed with a grin curling on his face. He actually looked pleased to see the young red head. "Well, well, well. Look who's come home." He murmured as Gaara approached him. "Welcome back, Gaara." He then blinked looking brightly. "Oh! That's right! It's now Lord Kazekage, isn't it?" Gaara smirked at the old bully and shook his head as he stood tall. He couldn't only nod, which made the Ninja in front of him cringe a little and rub the back of his neck with a sheepish smile on his face. "Geez. Makes me wish I didn't pick on you when we were kids."
That perked up Quoi's attention. He frowned a little as he took a few curious steps forward and looked up at the guard. "Wait. You used to bully Lord Gaara?" He asked, frowning.
The Leaf ninja looked down at Quoi, almost surprised that he was even there. He hadn't even noticed the boy at all. His attention had been on mostly Gaara. But after a second, he smiled faintly and nodded. "Yeah. I was a real bonehead as a kid. Most of the kids back then were. But we've learned our lessons over the years." he then turned his eyes back onto Gaara, motioning to him. "I mean, look at the kid that I used to bully! The Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village now! He's really showed us, haven't you?" he asked, enthusiastically. "Now, we just have to wait to see that blockhead friend of yours become Hokage like he keeps badgering us about. It should be interesting when he does become Hokage."
The mentioning of Naruto only made Gaara smile faintly before he looked towards the village. He knew it wouldn't be too long before Naruto and Sakura heard that he was back in the village. The news traveled very fast in Konoha. So it wouldn't be long when they came looking for him. In the mean time, he looked to Kankuro and Quoi. "We're going to go see the Lady Hokage first. I think it best if she knew we were here first." he told them, whom both nodded.
The Ninja, however, frowned as if he thought that was a bad idea but then he shrugged. "Okay. But becareful. She's in a mood today. At least that's what I heard." he warned them.
Gaara frowned at hearing that but he figured that he would find out what was going on once he got to Tsunade's office. He could only wonder though. So, glancing over at his brother and apprentice, he motioned them to follow. He lead both of them down the street, now ignoring those who stopped to stare at him with surprise. Many of the people of the village recognized him and had heard what he had done in the Land of Wind. Some even smiled and waved at him cheerfully, greeting him. It made the young Kazekage a little happy to see that most of the people were happy to see him. He had never been welcomed like this before. At least by most of the villagers. The Leaf Ninja hardly had a problem with him since they had gotten to know the real him.
And Gaara was right when he knew that it wouldn't take long for the news of his arrival to get around.
Because as soon as he and his two companions were almost at the Administration building, Gaara felt a certain Chakra energy now zooming towards him. A certain familiar Chakra. Smiling, he turned around to see a very energetic blonde ninja running towards them, grinning like the idiot he could act like now and then. "Gaara!! Hey, Gaara! You're home! You're here!" Naruto was yelling as he rushed towards his best friend.
Of course, he wasn't alone. There were actually others with him. Rock Lee was running after him as well as Kiba and Akamaru. They were all grinning as they hurried towards him, Kankuro and Quoi. However, Gaara felt something grab a hold of his jacket, which made him blink in surprise. He turned his head and looked down at who was holding onto him, only to see his very nervous looking apprentice. Smiling, Gaara, shook his head and turned his head back only to see Rock Lee lunge forward, looking ready to hug him.....only to run head long right into a sand wall.
"Don't even think about it." Gaara said, though he sounded amused. He then turned his attention onto Naruto as he moved closer and threw his arm around his shoulder. He merely glanced at his best friend, who was grinning at him. "Hello, Naruto."
Naruto just kept on grinning, not even noticing Quoi at all while Kiba and Akamaru had. They were looking at him with interest as he cringed a little and moved closer to Gaara, who didn't pay any attention to him. "Man, Gaara! It's about time you got back! I've been so bored lately! And Granny Tsunade wouldn't let us go on a mission 'cause we have to have new teammates! It's only been me and Sakura!" He then grinned when Gaara's eyes lit up a little at the sound of Sakura's name. "Oh man! Wait till Sakura sees you! She's going to totally flip! She's been kind of depressed because you were stuck in the Sand Village."
Gaara's face softened to hear that and he looked down at the ground as he thought about Sakura. "I've missed her too." He murmured to his best friend. "I've been doing a lot of thinking about you and her. That's why I came here."
The blonde knucklehead ninja just grinned at him as he pulled away from his friend and gave his shoulder a light punch. But then he turned his attention onto Kiba and Akamaru as they moved closer, their eyes still on Quoi. The dog like ninja just folded his arms and nodded to the boy next to Gaara. "Hey, Gaara. Who's the kid?" He asked. Now, Naruto blinked in surprise and looked at Quoi, who cowered a little.
Smiling faintly, Gaara looked down at Quoi, pulling slightly away from him. And when he tried to move closer again, the young Kazekage used his hand to pull him off softly. "Quoi," He told him quietly. "What did I tell you before? This village is full of friends. You don't need to be afraid."
Quoi glanced up at Gaara before he took a deep breath and nodded. He forced a smile onto his face and moved forward where the others could see him. He gave each of them a respective bow from the waist. "Hello. I'm Chiquoi. Quoi for short. I am Gaara-senpai's apprentice and have come to accompany him here. He wanted to show me the village he grew up in and even show me what a ninja really means." he told them, sounding way too formal.
"WHOA!!" Naruto exclaimed in shock before looking wide eyed at Gaara. He even stepped back while pointing at the young boy next to him. "Gaara! You have an apprentice now?! When did this happen?!"
Gaara looked at the blonde and shook his head as he kept a faint smile on his face. He could only reach over and place his hand onto Quoi's shoulder. "Not too long ago. Right after you left the Sand Village after you saved my life." His face softened a little with a hint of sadness on it. "Quoi's parents were murdered by Sasori so he technically didn't have anyone to take care of him. He was too young to be on his own so I took him in." He told his friend, whose face fell a little with his own sadness. Even both Kiba and Rock Lee frowned softly as they looked at Quoi, whose own face fell a little and he lowered his eyes.
"Now, if the damn kid would stop getting into so much trouble." Kankuro suddenly spoke up giving him a dry look, his arms folded over his chest. Quoi shot him a returned look, which caught the Leaf Ninja's attention.
Gaara, however, nodded in agreement with his brother though. He met Naruto's eyes again when the blonde looked at him. "Unfortunately, Kankuro has a point. My young apprentice does get himself into too much trouble by pulling pranks and not paying attention to his ninja studies." he stated, giving Quoi a look, who grimaced.
"Hmph." Kiba snorted as he smirked and looked at Naruto. "Sounds like someone we know." He remarked. Naruto shot him a look as if telling him to shut up.
However, Gaara nodded as he looked at his best friend. He was glad that Kiba actually said that. It only meant he could get down to the point faster than he had expected. "Exactly." He recieved a surprised look from the blonde but he only shook his head. "Naruto, you are the reason I brought Quoi with me. He's exactly like how you used to be, always getting into trouble and always goofing off. I thought it'd be best to have him come meet you. If you know what I'm trying to get at."
Naruto blinked a few times as he listened to his friend, before he tried scratching his head, looking somewhat clueless. It only made Kiba and Kankuro pull a face and look at Gaara as if he was crazy for even thinking that the blonde could even help. But then Naruto clicked his fingers as if he caught on so suddenly. "Oh! Yeah! I get it now!" He said excitedly before he reached over and punched Quoi over the head, who yelped painfully. "Stop goofing around, kid! If Gaara really is teaching you, then stop wasting his time by goofing around and not taking his lessons seriously!"
"Ow." Quoi said with tears of pain in his eyes while Gaara rolled his eyes and folded his arms. That wasn't exactly what he had in mind for Naruto to do. He would have said something to his blonde friend about the abuse Quoi had been through already in his life, but someone beat him to it.
"NARUTO!!!" came that outraged voice that made Naruto jump and sweat drop fearfully and Gaara's attention snap to attention.
Both of them, along with everyone else turned around to see Sakura now stomping towards them, looking extremely pissed off. Her eyes were flaring up with anger in them and her fists were tightly balled up. She had been hurrying towards then after hearing that Gaara had came back. She had been so excited to see him that she almost missed the part where Naruto slammed his fist into the young boy's head, the one standing next to her boyfriend. But after seeing him hit the kid, her temper snapped so she turned her attention onto her energetic friend instead.
"Naruto, you did not just hit that kid, did you?!" Sakura snapped as she stomped towards them, looking ready to pound on the blonde.
Naruto stepped back, looking terrified of the pink haired Kunoichi. He tried to raise his hands in his own defense and wave them at her as if trying to reassure her that he didn't do anything wrong. "Sa-Sakura! I sw-swear......! I didn't hurt him! I di-didn't do it too hard!" He stammered over his own words.
Sakura walked right up to them, her fists onto her waist. She gave Naruto a very suspicious look before turning her eyes onto Quoi, who flinched at how hard she was looking right now. She was pretty scary when she was angry, even Gaara had to admit it, though he did it silently and with a smirk on his face. "Did he hurt you?" Sakura asked Quoi, who swallowed hard and slowly nodded. He knew it was better than lying to this scary girl. He definitely did not want her to be pissed off at him. "NARUTO!!!" Sakura yelled before punching the blonde, who went flying down the road.
Both Kiba and Kankuro began roaring with laughter while Quoi stepped back with shock and fear. Gaara could only smirk and shake his head as he watched Sakura punch his best friend and sent him flying away from them. This was Sakura after all. 'She is so perfect.' He thought with amusement.
'You got that right!' answered Shukaku within his head, obviously grinning. 'She's definitely the perfect mate for us!'
Gaara felt his face heat up at the word mate. He really wish that Shukaku wouldn't call Sakura that. Yes, he wanted to always be with her. He might have even wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. But to think of the word, Mate? That brought a few suggestive thoughts to his mind, and he knew very well that it was Shukaku who put them there. 'Shukaku, don't you even think about it.' The young Kazekage warned his inner demon threateningly. His only answer was the demon laughing at him.
"Gaara!" Sakura suddenly spoke up brightly, breaking him out of his silent threats to the demon. She had turned to him after a moment of beating on Naruto and leaving Quoi even more terrified of her. She just smiled brightly when Gaara looked at her. She then threw herself towards him and hugged him tightly, which he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close to him. They held each other for a very long moment before pulling away and looking into each other's eyes. "Welcome home, Gaara. I've missed you so much." Sakura said softly as she pressed her forehead against his.
The young red head just smiled at her as he looked into her emerald stare, hands resting on either side of her face. He felt complete again just to have her in his arms. "I missed you too." he told her softly before pulling her into a kiss. Everyone watching just smiled, even Naruto after he stood up, rubbing the huge lump on his head. They were just glad that Sakura was smiling again. She hadn't done it for a while since she came back from the Land of Wind.
Once everyone settled down, Gaara, Kankuro and Quoi went with Sakura and Naruto to go see Tsunade, just to let her know that he was there. Of course, when they first arrived to the office, the two Sand Ninja and the apprentice realized that the guards hadn't been exaggerating when they said that Tsunade was in one of her moods. As soon as Sakura knocked on the door for them, it swung open, revealing a very pissed off looking Fifth Hokage. She had almost started yelling at whoever was on the other side of her door but when she saw Gaara, she stopped aburtly, surprised to see him.
But after a moment of talking with her and telling her why they were there, Gaara suddenly got a feeling that Tsunade was more than happy to see him. Her eyes had grown very bright when she saw him and she had this strange smile on her face as if she was thinking of something. She just had that sly look about her that told him that she was up to something.
"Gaara," Tsunade began, pausing to glance at everyone in the room. "I need to speak to you alone. It's important that I do." She told him.
Everyone blinked in surprise, while Gaara frowned curiously. He hadn't been in the room for more than ten minutes with everyone and she was already dismissing everyone but him. He saw Kankuro and Quoi both hesitate, looking at him with a frown. But after a moment, the young Kazekage slowly nodded as he turned his eyes onto the others. "Leave us, Kankuro, Quoi." He then glanced at Naruto, who was really being hesitant. He knew very well that his best friend wanted to stay and hear Tsunade out. But he knew very well that it was just him that she wanted to talk to. "Naruto, please. Let us talk alone." Gaara requested.
There was another pause before everyone nodded and left the room. Even though Quoi hesitated before leaving but Kankuro grabbed a hold of his shoulder and pulled him out, closing the door after him. There was another long pause before Gaara turned his eyes onto Tsunade. Tsunade took a deep breath and sat up taller. "You couldn't have come at a better time, Gaara. This helps me a lot with a serious problem I'm about to face." She told him.
"What is it?" Gaara asked seriously now frowning. He didn't like the tone of her voice. But then his head snapped up when he felt an unfamiliar presence. He jerked his head around, with sand already started to shoot out of his gourd but he stopped when Tsunade held up a hand suddenly.
There was a man who just appeared in the room, seeming to just come up right out of the ground. He was an unusual fellow. He was wearing the outfit of an ANBU, which Gaara had seen before due to some memories of Ibiki Morino. So this was an ANBU. He had a tiger like mask on his face, hiding his identity from him. He wore a katana on his back. There was also a curious aura surrounding him, as if he was curious of who Gaara was and what he was doing there.
Tsunade, on the other hand, just looked at him, motioning him a little closer. She waited for a moment as the two other occupants of the room relaxed from being around each other before she lift her head. "We're in a serious bind, Gaara. Tomorrow, Team Seven is going on the mission to retrieve Sasuke," She faintly smiled when Gaara looked surprised and more alert of her words. "We've been waiting for you as long as we could. I know you want to go on this mission. You've been wanting to help get Sasuke back since he even left. So you arrived right on time." Her smile was gone and she was serious again. "However, Kakashi is still in the hospital, recovering from his injuries he recieved from fighting the Akatsuki. So there is no leader for this mission. Until now." She glanced back at the ANBU standing a little ways from Gaara. "As for him, he's going to be leading Team Seven now. Yamato, remove your mask and meet the Kazekage of the Hidden Sand Village." She told him.
The ANBU nodded and turned towards Gaara, while removing the mask from his face. It suddenly occured to the young Kazekage of how creepy this man's eyes were once he met them. They were a little big. Now, this Yamato wasn't a hideous looking man. In his own sense, he was a little hansome, actually. He had dark brown hair and large dark eyes. But it was those eyes that had Gaara just a little uneasy. There was something about them. "Well, the Kazekage, himself. I've heard a lot about you from my superior, Ibiki Morino." The man, Yamato spoke with a faint smile on his face. "He speaks very highly of you. I wasn't every expecting to meet you though." He told him.
Gaara merely nodded back in greeting before turning his eyes back onto Tsunade, serious as ever. "How serious is the situation, Tsunade-sama?" he asked quietly.
Tsunade shook her head as her eyes narrowed slightly. She folded her hands together and rest her chin on top of them, still looking too serious. "Very, Gaara. It's serious enough that I have to add Yamato as captain of Team Seven. You remember the elder, Danzo, don't you?" She nodded when Gaara's eyes darkened. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, he's demanded of me to add one of his people to Team Seven for this mission. I don't like it. It's a little too suspicious that Danzo is doing this."
Gaara frowned as he lowered his eyes. "So you believe he's up to something." He said though making it sound more like a question.
"No." Tsunade answered, gruffly. "I know he's up to something. Danze usually minds his own business. I know for a fact that he was not happy at all when Sasuke left the village. But then again who wasn't? The fact is, Danzo does not like the Uchiha Clan. He wanted to force Sasuke back to the village, due to he had wanted him to become a member of his ANBU department, the Root Department. Just as he wanted you to be." She nodded when Gaara frowned sternly. "I know from my former teacher, the Third Hokage that Danzo is only interested in power. He has never liked me becoming the Fifth Hokage. In fact, when Saturobi-senpai died, he tried to immediately become the Hokage. But the other two Elders, whom you have met too, wanted Jiraiya to become Hokage. But you know Jiraiya. He refused because he doesn't want to be stuck in the office, which brings my surprise that you're here. So the title was passed to me instead. But you already know that. The point is, Danzo didn't want you to become the Kazekage because he was going to request that you become an ANBU from the Root Department. To him, you are a weapon. He wanted to use you as a tool of war." She shook her head when Gaara's face only darkened to hear that. "I know. Not happy news."
"So what does he want his man to do?" Gaara asked, darkly, still very sour to hear what Tsunade said.
Tsunade shook her head as she lowered her hands again onto the desk but then motioned to Yamato. "That's what I'm trying to find out. Yamata, here, is to keep an eye on the Root ANBU, as well as lead Team Seven to the bridge where Sasori's spy was suppose to meet Sasori. Unfortunately, Danzo does know about Yamato. So if he's up to something, Danzo's ANBU will know about him. But," She smirked as she dipped her head lower. "If you join this mission, he won't know about you. Danzo doesn't even know that you're here and by the time he hears about you being back and going on the mission, it'll be too late to warn his ANBU about you." Her face grew stern once again. "I can't order you to do anything because you are the Kazekage, Gaara. But I am requesting that you join Team Seven for this mission. I need you to look after Naruto and Sakura, as well as help Yamato keep an eye on the Root ANBU. Due to the Shukaku inside of you, you can't sleep. But Yamato must have his rest like everyone else. So if the ANBU sneaks off in the middle of the night, you can be able to keep an eye on him. Just to make sure. Will you please help us?"
There wasn't even a pause as Gaara nodded sternly. He knew he had to go on this mission. There was no way he couldn't go. And he wouldn't let Naruto and Sakura go without him. He had made his promise to Sakura as well. So he would go with them. "I will, Tsunade-sama. The only request I have in return is my apprentice, Chiquoi. I can't take him with us on this mission. He's not even a ninja yet. But knowing him, he'll throw a fit. Would it be possible if you had someone keep an eye on him? Kankuro will be in charge of him while I'm gone, but they tend to bicker and fight as bad as Sakura does with Ino." He informed the Fifth Hokage.
"I see. I'll probably have Iruka keep an eye on him then." Tsunade told him. "He can take care of him while he's here. He'll be safe in the Leaf Village. And if you'd like, he can attend some of the classes at the Ninja Academy. He'll be more than welcomed."
Gaara merely nodded, already knowing that Quoi wouldn't like that. But he knew he couldn't take his apprentice with him. It was too dangerous and he needed to go on this mission. He promised Naruto and Sakura. So he gratefully accepted Tsunade's offer, all the while glancing at Yamato, who met his eyes. He didn't know what it was about the ANBU but there was something about him. Gaara could sense a certain strength about this guy. But being as he was, he wasn't going to even ask. All he could do was prepare his brother and his apprentice for what was about to happen. But his thoughts were also on the ANBU Tsunade was warning him about. Who was this Root ANBU and what in the hell was Danzo up to?