Naruto decided he hated the desert. The sand was impossible to traverse, even with the chakra control exercise he had been taught to walk across it evenly. It was like water walking, only the irregularities in the sands consistencies and structure made it much harder. The heat was terrible, like a dry sauna without any of the relaxation, and a plethora of insects trying to get through his loose outer-desert garb for even a hint of shade. Not to mention the heats effect on his chakra smithing techniques.
He couldn't figure out why, but the heat somehow made his materials sluggish, like they were somehow resisting him. And they responded to his chakra manipulations far slower than he was used to. He was currently moving small pieces, barely the mass of a ryo piece, across his arms, over his chest, and down to the other hand. And it just felt wrong, almost like it was fighting him. But it made little sense.
True, heat obviously had an effect on his materials, that's basic metallurgic chemistry. And heat was more or less how he was able to mold and shape his materials when chakra smithing. But that took some very intense heat and chakra control techniques, nothing even close to the heat in the desert. The two were so far apart that the desert was closer to icing over than to reforging metal the same way Naruto did.
He knew he was missing something, some crucial variable in the equation was hiding itself from him, but he hadn't the faintest clue what it could be. Was the desert environment lacking something that Konoha wasn't? Could the type of heat have some metallurgic properties he wasn't aware of? Hell, for all he knew the heat was just messing with his chakra control, even if that was rather unlikely, seeing as how he was used to spending hours in an equally hot workshop. But all he was sure of was that he had a lot of homework when he got back, maybe he should buy some almanacs about desert weather conditions to compare against his notes, or…
As soon as he allowed himself to start on the tangent of all of the work he would need to do to start his research into the deserts properties a flick to his forehead brought him back to the forefront. "Your control is slipping Uzumaki."
He rubbed the spot his traveling companion had hit with her index finger just below his forehead protector. He hadn't noticed, but he was leaving small tracks in the sand behind him, meaning his feat were sinking ever so slightly into the sand. "I have a first name, you know." She was correct, but he didn't have to enjoy that fact, and his reply was trying to hide that.
"Ah yes, fish cake, you do have a first name. But some of my talks with sensei about proper mentorship have lead me to believe in the importance of a proper balance in relationship." She answered sagely, as if her logic made any sense to him. "He also said it was important to have a bond of mutual trust and respect, so I believe it is important to address each other properly." Which only served to confuse the younger man further.
"Wait, you talked with the Hokage about me? In an attempt to… improve yourself? Is that why you always stayed in his office after our meetings?" The veil covering her pale face wasn't enough to hide her sly smile.
"Oh no, I talked with him about you far before the Chunin exams. Those meetings were explicitly more in-depth discussions about our little trip we are currently on. You know information a little above your pay-grade, internal sand village political elements, who to talk to, our own sources, possible concessions… who to kill if they provoke us." She let the last one hang in the air over them, but Naruto just brushed it aside having gotten used to her constantly trying to seem enigmatic and grand.
Over the past three weeks since his first meeting with the Sandaime, Naruto had been spending a lot more time with Orochimaru and the Hokage. While Jiraiya had been sent off on some mission Naruto had not been given a lot of information about. He was looking for someone important, or at least that was the implication Naruto got from Jiraiya short goodbye.
Most of the blonde's time had been spent in meetings with the Snake Sannin and the Hokage about the situation with Suna, and preparing the blonde for the trip to Suna he was currently on. While Konoha had technically been able to 'force' an unconditional surrender from Suna's forces from their de facto field commander Baki, who had been captured alongside the Kazekage's three children.
That surrender, and the Sand's acceptance of it, was tenuous at best. While Konoha did technically have the legal authority to press their terms upon Suna, It is all based in the legalities of international treaties, agreements, and historical precedence that ninja tended to follow only when it best suited them, and Daimyo's followed only slightly more. Meaning that it was just as possible that Suna would say to hell with the political consequences and continue their war out of shear spite, as it was that they would agree to Konoha's terms.
These talks would basically boil down to treaty negotiations in which Konoha had the much stronger upper hand. Both politically, morally, and militarily. But that doesn't mean they would be simple or easy, especially not if Sarutobi wanted them to work out in the best possible scenario.
In between these long and dry meetings about foreign political climates, decorum, etiquette, plans, and more plans. The blonde had also been spending more and more time with Orochimaru as a sensei. Which he knew was a part of the Sandaime's plan, so he often allowed the sessions to go on much longer than he normally would, often cutting into his smithing and research time. But he figured that time spent learning under someone like Orochimaru would be worth it, and he was proven correct.
She was terrifying with a sword, something the Uzumaki already knew firsthand, but training with her when he was pretty certain she wouldn't kill him was doing wonders for his speed and technique. Her insistence on working on his taijutsu had originally annoyed him, as he kept his taijutsu up to par, but rarely spent any extra time improving it. But she had made certain that he was not lacking, "No student of hers would ever be completely unarmed, even without chakra."
A phrase Naruto would hear a lot in their time together. "No student of mine…" "Any student I've ever had…" and "A student should not embarrass their Sensei". She seemed quite intent on getting him to think of her as his master, and himself as her apprentice. He soon realized that, much like her teammate, she had a flair for the dramatic, even if she loved to say the contrary. Naruto wondered briefly if all S-ranked ninja were just off like that?
That was when Naruto really thought about her earlier words. "Wait wait wait, you talked with the Sandaime about training me before the Chunin exams even took place?" She nodded her assent to his question. "And you still beat my teammates to a pulp, leveled multiple acres of forest doing the same to me, and stabbed me with my own weapon in the Forrest of Death?"
"Of course I did little fish cake." Her grin widened as she cackled lightly. "Sensei was quite clear on the importance of clarifying the division in power and knowledge between student and teacher. Also I guess I needed to keep my cover with Danzo." The last part was added as if an afterthought, Naruto only balked at this.
"You spent the entire fight kicking me around like a rag-doll! I knew the 'division of power' in the first three seconds of the fight, before I was even sure of your identity. You didn't have to break one of my favorite swords, beat me within an inch of unconsciousness, and then impale me, to teach me that." The complaints were real, but there was no true menace in his voice. True, he certainly thought it was brutal overkill, but Jiraiya and Kakashi had both injured him during previous spars. He was sort of known for being a punching bag in training with the Kyuubi to fix him up. Although the toad sage abused that fact far more than Kakashi had.
"And that is why you" she said gesturing towards him "are the student. And why I am the teacher." She flicked his forehead protector this time, still faster than he could react. The small metallic ting of the contact rang through his ears. "And when you can stop me from doing that. You will understand." Another sagely tone entering her voice, as if she was speaking gospel for him to religiously write down.
"Pfft! I think, you just have the S-rank ego to match your personality." She just gave him a look, as if to say 'of course I do, have I not earned it?'.
"You are still slipping in the sand. I believe you overcorrected from your previous mistake." He glanced behind himself to confirm her statement, and of course she was correct. Just from the glance he could tell that he was diffusing too much chakra, just enough that he was now almost pushing himself away from the sand instead of sticking to it. While her tracks were invisible, or as invisible as one could possibly make something, his looked disturbed. Not like footprints, but the sand had obviously been moved and compressed by something unnatural. More than enough for any adept shinobi to track, let alone one that had grown up in this barren environment.
"You should not be focusing as much in correcting for changes in consistency. But instead on the individual grains of sand. Feel how they push against each other, and then trying to imitate that." He took her advice in stride, literally, and the improvements were immediately noticeable. While not as perfect as hers, his tracks were far more hidden, and his steps were easier and lighter.
He noticed her nodding at his progress. And couldn't help but feel a little pride in her acknowledgment. Another thing that he would never let her see, her ego was robust enough.
Soon Naruto's train of thoughts returned to their previous track. Which consisted almost entirely of passing the time by thinking of reasons he hated the desert. He missed his team. He and Shino talking about a wide range of topics, like how Naruto's armor could be a perfect lightweight solution used to significantly improve the Aburame clan's taijutsu, and Naruto explaining that it was a good idea but they would need to develop their own chakra smithing techniques, as he could only keep the weight down because he was constantly molding it and moving it. Which required more chakra than probably any single Aburame has access to.
While Shikamaru would complain about the heat, or lack of heat, Naruto being a nerd, the clouds, or lack of clouds, Shino's kikaichu, and really anything he could call troublesome. And Kakashi would stand over them all, pretending that he was too cool and aloof to be interested in their conversations and antics while he dodged Naruto's attempts to discretely stick bits of his metal on his personage to prank him. The time he pulled his pants down in River country not forgotten.
Naruto sighed, probably a little louder than he should have, judging from Orochimaru's glances. But it's not like they were traveling discretely. They were a mostly diplomatic envoy to the Sand village to discuss their now technically voided treaty, due to the whole 'not-so-secret failed invasion'.
Allowing boredom to get the best of himself, he pulled a heavy scroll from what appeared to be the many folds of his loose burnt-orange pants, but what was really from one of the many seals on his legs. A small metallic pencil-like object appearing in his hand as he began scratching out notes on the unfurled scroll. This once again earned him Orochimaru's perceptive gaze. She studied the object he was using to mark the scroll. Seemingly surprised by its use.
"A pen" Naruto told her, "It stores ink in a chamber inside it and parses it out as I apply pressure." Naruto was rather proud of it, he didn't invent the concept but it was something normally reserved for a class much higher than his own. As they required a very high level of precision to manufacture. But he was uniquely qualified to create something with such a high level of detail, the only one he had ever seen in person sat in the Hokage's office as a gift from the previous Daimyo to Hiruzen. And that one was crafted by a master in Iron Country.
"I know what it is," she said managing to sound a little indignant. "I am just surprised to see you with one. Did you make it yourself?" Now it was Naruto's turn to look indignant.
"Of course I did. Even if I could get the ryo needed to actually buy one of these beauties, I wouldn't have the connections to buy it from someone." He slid the scroll in his hands into the empty loose orange cloth tied on his hip like a sword belt, he used it as a scabbard to hold a weapon he wanted to visibly carry. A quick knot secured it to his person as he tossed the pen to his sensei for her own inspections.
She caught the airborne anomaly adeptly, allowing it to briefly twirl over her fingers in an unnecessary display of showmanship before her eyes scanned it. It only took her a brief few seconds of study before she spoke up. "Built in three chambers, the tip must be flexible enough to open with pressure." She took another brief moment to contemplate "I would assume the only piece you need to keep in its original form would be the capsule you use to hold the ink."
Naruto was only mildly surprised she put the general mechanics of it together so quickly. She was a Sannin, the one of Hiruzen's students who took the most to his own pursuit of knowledge. She continued her musings while fiddling with the steel end-plate before it popped open, much to the Uzumaki's surprise. "Wait!" But he was too slow, as the compartment opened up a slim senbon glistening with the telltale sign of poison, was ejected at a high speed directed towards the curious Sannin.
Before Naruto's hands could cover even half of the very short distance between them, a small snake shot out of Orochimaru's sleeve and took the poisoned needle strike from the weapon, disappearing with a small puff of smoke. "My my Naruto-kun, trying to usurp your master so quickly." The steel that settled in her eyes and grin lasted only a moment, reminding Naruto of their encounter in the forest before quickly morphing into a grin, "I've never been more proud of a student."
There it was again, Naruto thought to himself. His hand, which had previously been frozen in place halfway between himself and his now proud sensei, quickly moved to rub the back of his head in an embarrassed motion. "Heh, uhhmm thank you? I think?" Orochimaru's response was only to toss the pen, with the latch compartment opposite the tip still open, towards her still nervous student who quickly moved to catch it.
"Think nothing of it, I would have been far more disappointed if it had just been a normal pen. Besides, if you had truly caught me off guard with that I would have deserved the consequences." He supposed she was correct, the spring-trapped compartment had an advanced firing mechanism, but nothing quick enough that any worthy Jonin would be hit by it without some clever tricks, let alone someone as wily and dangerous as the Snake Sannin.
She nodded to the rather large scroll Naruto had been writing notes in previously, "you should stow that before we get much closer to suna if you don't want them searching it." Naruto figured she was most likely correct, as they got closer to the village it was more and more likely that there would be prying eyes watching them. So after he quickly reloaded the pen's mechanism he sealed it with the scroll back in its proper place. After thinking for a few moments he also unsealed his Jishaku blade and tied it into the same orange cloth the scroll had been hanging from previously.
They continued onwards, setting a slightly quicker pace now. It was probably another half hour before Naruto noticed they had some not-so-unexpected company. He couldn't quite feel them, they were definitely too good at what they did to be felt like that. But he could certainly notice small differences in what had previously been more naturally formed dune faces. They shifted in odd ways when hit by the wind, either there was bedrock unnaturally close to the surface, or some form of shelter, that's probably how their outer patrols stayed hidden.
Not too long after, around when Sunagakure's walls came into view. Naruto's guess was proven correct as one by one three Suna ninja seemingly walked out of the windward side of a large dune. One man with a veil covering his face, flanked by two Suna Anbu, often designated DUNE by foreign intelligence.
They casually slid down the dunes as they stepped out, managing to not disturb the sand below their feet, at least not in any way Naruto could notice. They came to a stop at a respectable distance, most likely out of deference to the legendary ninja Orochimaru. Or maybe out of fear, it seems she has managed to garner quite a lot of that in her time away from the village.
"Greetings Konoha dignitaries." The familiar man in the center greeted them with a semi-formal bow, which the two shinobi flanking him mirrored to a lesser extent, staying more alert so as to allow him to act as a diplomat as opposed to a ninja. "Kazekage-Sama asked us to greet and escort you to our village for your talks. Please, if you would follow me." And with a sweeping gesture towards the dune behind him, Naruto noticed as the sand began falling and seemingly disappearing into itself. All to reveal an earthen road leading them to the main village entrance. More ninja could be seen on the dozen or so other dunes between their party and the village. Disappearing back into their hiding places after performing similar techniques to reveal the rest of the path to the gates.
'Theatre', Naruto thought to himself. This was their way of showing their strength to a village that had so easily and publicly rebuked what should have been an overwhelming show of force in a sneak attack. A village that had coerced the Sand's submission in what should have been their moment of victory.
The rest of the trip was quick, without the need for sand walking and scaling dunes the time it would have taken to reach their walls was significantly reduced. Baki, Naruto finally remembered the man's name, Jonin sensei to that terrifying Gaara and his siblings, who just so happen to be the children of the reigning Kazekage. He must still be very well trusted to be in charge of the Kazekage's children, their jinchuuriki, and greeting the victorious foreign dignitaries. Even after he was the one who headed their forces in the surrender. The Hokage and Orochimaru had postured that he would be punished in some form.
Possibly a sign of Suna's reluctance to continue any further conflict with the leaf? Naruto wasn't certain, but he could certainly make educated guesses based on previous research. And sand ninja has been often known to be rather blunt in their politics and secretive in their combat, so these actions would certainly align with that 'foreign policy'.
The now named Baki raised a hand before letting it drop, Naruto felt a pulse of chakra with the action. The obvious signal resulted in a section of the grand tiered walls of the sand village to begin falling, similar to how the dunes had previously. Naruto shaded his eyes as he looked upon the walls, the late morning sun making it hard to do so, probably by design. At least a dozen ninja could be seen dotting the various levels, Naruto assumed more were there, he just couldn't see them.
The veiled man beckoned them in with an inviting gesture, the angle of the sun allowing Naruto to properly see the man's face through the veil for the first time. Tanned leathery skin greeted him, as well as scars indicative of his most likely vast battle experience marred his face. This was a very experienced shinobi, further proving Naruto's earlier assumptions about Suna's diplomatic intentions.
As the moved through the "gate" Orochimaru gestured for Naruto to move to the appropriate place on her right hand side and slightly behind her. His somewhat formal place as a student and accompaniment to the diplomat, as opposed to a guards place on her left and 'weaker' side. Naruto huffed a bit at this thought, as if Orochimaru had a weaker side.
This only really mattered because they were going to be publicly welcomed by the Kazekage and a representative of the Wind Daimyo's court in lieu of the Wind Daimyo himself, so formalities were to be adhered to.
When they entered into the village proper, the Kazekage was there with an entourage of what Naruto assumed was his personal guard. Alongside a slimmer man with an angular face, he had an air of nobility and the body of one as well. Muscles indicative of basic swordsmanship trained from a young age, but he had obviously never seen combat, he had probably never even been in a real spar.
Baki moved to his spot at the right hand of his Kage, his position was more equal to his leader, yet enough to still show deference. His place as the right hand man was now obvious. This was also ceremonial, but one with much more purpose and meaning, it probably would have been done with or without the Daimyo's representative.
"Orochimaru of the Sannin." The Kazekage spoke like an orator now, not the gruff shortness Naruto had heard snippets of before. "It is our pleasure to welcome you to Sunagakure for these peace talks. We hope your will of fire has guided you here well." He said the we part while gesturing to the representative who stood on all-but equal grounds with him. His verbal speech may have sounded like an invitation, but his demeanor sent an entirely different message.
Naruto couldn't quite catch all of the double speak but he got the gist, 'I hate that Konoha is here, and I hate that YOU are here. Yet I lay the blame at my own feet'. And the Uzumaki couldn't outright blame him for some of his dislike. Sending the Sannin who was instrumental in sabotaging the invasion alongside her brand new apprentice, who also just so happens to be someone the elemental nations thinks defeated Rasa.
The blade tied on Naruto's hip in the way of a wandering warrior certainly didn't help. It was meant more for show than actual practicality, a holdover from the warring clan era. Display the weapon proudly, and to also display that you have the ability to keep it in good condition even without the proper protection of a scabbard or sheathe. Send the message of strength and wealth. Not that it cost Naruto anything more than a little chakra to keep it in excellent condition. The Third's idea, of course. He had brought it up in one of their briefings to discuss this trip.
Although in Naruto's case, he had already been carrying most of his weapons like this because it was how the Sage was said to have carried his weapon. At least that's what some very old manuscripts had described how he had carried it when he bothered. Also, because he thought it was cool when he was in the academy. Sarutobi had just recommended that Naruto specifically do so for this meeting.
"My Rasa-Dono, you are certainly the epitome of a formal host. Konoha is more than happy to send my envoy to discuss the terms of your peace." Orochimaru's answer was as tactfully tactless as Naruto had been expecting. The political equivalent of holding out your middle finger and telling the other person to eat shit.
"Oh my Orochimaru-Chan. I never could have believed the stories but they must be true. A poisonous beauty equal to that of your teammate Tsunade-Hime." And here comes the Daimyo's lapdog, somehow managing to piss both parties off. If Rasa's straight lined lips and Orochimaru's icy stare were anything to go off of.
Orochimaru, allowing a smile to grace her lips while the ice in her gaze never faltered, turned to the Daimyo's representative. "Oh my, Kenshibu-Hiko, you flatter me. Should I ask why your father could not make the occasion?"
This guys a fucking prince? Naruto nearly fell over at this little bit of information. His only saving grace was years training his body in kenjutsu that allowed him to cover his falter in balance with an appropriately deep bow for foreign royalty. It was supposed to be some clerk of the court, a token gesture to display the Daimyo's sovereignty over the sand village.
"This must be Uzumaki Naruto. My father mentioned your name. You are the one rediscovering your families lost art in black smithing, are you not?" The man stepped forward, his ceremonial Kimono now obviously emblazoned with the sigil of the Daimyo's house. Naruto allowed himself to leave his respectful, and totally not on accident, bow.
"Yes, uhh Hiko…" he was completely unsure of how to properly address the Daimyo's son. But his words didn't seem to piss the man off too much, so he continued. "I've spent most of my life researching the art of Chakra Smithing, only it was not a singular technique of the Uzumaki clan. They just so happened to be the most well known-" the Daimyo's son cut him off with a simple turn.
No longer facing him as he returned to where he had been standing a few moment previously, he spoke over his shoulder "yes very interesting. We'll need to discuss your blacksmithing at a later date."
The little shit had the gall to call it blacksmithing again? After he had so politely told him the correct term without publicly calling him on it. Fucking political bullshit. Naruto was about to call the pampered prince on his disrespectful bullshit before Orochimaru cut him off with a look.
"Well. With the introductions out of the way. Shall we begin our business?" Surprisingly, the most tactful statement to diffuse the situation came from Orochimaru. The Kazekage took this as a blessing handed to him by the devil, and invited them to join him as they walked with him to the meeting place. Naruto assumed it would be whatever their version of the Hokage tower was.
Naruto figured that Orochimaru simply did not want to deal with her own Sensei's disapproval if she had outright started a political incident this early into the negotiations. Or worse, had her little joke from earlier about who needed to die if the worst happened actually been serious? At least Naruto assumed it was a joke. Although it would probably involve killing the princeling, so maybe he hoped it wasn't a joke?
Either way, this was going to be a long mission.
Naruto is certain now that he misspoke earlier. It turns out the desert is not the absolute worst place to be stuck. He had been 'standing guard' outside of the 'Honorable Conference Chambers' located on the same floor as the office of the Kazekage in Suna's equivalent of Konoha's Hokage Tower.
The ridiculousness of his technical role as a guard for a meeting that consists of people so far out of his league that he would barely be a speed bump in their fight. Not to mention the meetings location in the center of Suna's operational power, and no less than four DUNE agents visible in the hallway, and probably a few more that he couldn't see. Which Naruto realized was something he caught himself saying far too often. The idea that there were people around him, most likely within first-strike distance, that were simply far enough out of his league that he couldn't stop them if they decided to kill him. It irked him far more than he would ever let show publicly.
True, he had a unique capacity to survive that first blow, depending on how brutal they decided to be. What with his tenant allowing him to heal torn muscles and shattered bones in a matter of minutes if it was necessary, and he was willing to deal with the pain. But the fact that he had to rely on the Kyuubi to not even level the playing field caused him some serious anxiety.
Although, all these thoughts on his abilities brought to forefront the real reason his post was a joke. If things went south, he would be what held Orochimaru back. Naruto himself wasn't certain that Orochimaru could outright beat Rasa. But according to Jiraiya, she was probably the Sannin best suited to take the Kazekage down, certainly as an assassin and most likely in unprepared open combat. Her widespread knowledge in chakra and ninjutsu supposedly putting her above her teammates outright combat capabilities. Although Naruto thought whatever technique the Sannin was using to tank the Kazekage's massive gold-dust drill techniques certainly looked powerful.
So lost in his own train of thoughts the blond Uzumaki hadn't noticed his unexpected guest approach him at his 'post' outside of the conference room doors, until they were already stood a few feet in front of him.
"I hear you are the one who stopped Father after you stopped me and the invasion began." Gaara of the Sand, the terrifying redhead stood before him, the dead look Naruto had seen on his face before hadn't changed. But he looked quizzically at the Uzumaki across from him. "How?"
For his part, Naruto did not look as scared as he thought he would have been. He managed to keep his face serious, instead of the bored expression he was previously feeling. "I'm not sure what you mean. Jiraiya-Sensei basically just used me like a kunai to stop your Father. If that's how you classify defeating someone, then this blade" he said as he tapped the sword on his hip, "is what beat you in the finals, not myself." Not the same weapon, but Naruto assumed his Suna counterpart got the half joke half message. He grinned at this thought, some wry feeling of a craftsman, thinking about their creation winning something, even if it was the Chunin exams.
"They say your weapon," the boy said as he half-reached and half pointed towards Naruto's visible sword "defeated my Father. How?" He didn't appear to be getting agitated, but Naruto hadn't seen him since he beat him in a fight and then his father blindsided him, so he decided that drawing this out is a bad idea.
"I don't think I can give you the answer you are looking for Gaara-San. But I can say that I wasn't really worried about beating your father in the moment." He paused to think for a moment, reliving the bloody aftermath of the Chunin exams. "I was angry for one, but beneath that I was terrified. For myself in a fight way out of my league, but mostly for my friends. I had no idea where my teammates or Jonin-sensei were, and my sensei at the time was fighting your father in a battle so far out of my league I could barely follow. And I just wanted it to stop. I was terrified that my friends were dead or dying, and I just wanted them to be safe…"
Gaara looked confused at this. Which was a much better reaction than what Naruto had been prepared for. The boy seemed to slump slightly as he continued thinking on Naruto's words, the gourd on his back looking a lot heavier than it had previously. "I- I would like to talk about this more. Uzumaki." Gaara hadn't even looked up when he spoke to Naruto, but Naruto still somehow felt as though they had made deep eye contact when he asked.
"I'm stuck on 'Guard Duty' until Orochimaru-sensei is done with her meeting. But I supposed nothing is stopping me from meeting with you when it's over." The redheads head tilted in a non-verbal question when the blonde said this.
"That ceremonial position only needs to be observed when the Daimyo's own guard is present." He looked up and down the hallway, "and I do not believe they are." Naruto's eyes widened slightly at this revelation. He just now realized Orochimaru had been messing with him.
"That bitch!" He said loud enough for Gaara to hear, but still glanced behind himself toward the door to make sure Orochimaru had not heard him. "I've been out here for over an hour." He threw his arms up in the air in an exasperated manner. "No wonder the Kazekage chuckled when she told me to stay on guard out here."
Without another thought Naruto abandoned his 'post' and gestured for Gaara to lead them both out. Figuring going out to lunch with a kid who had previously suffered a psychotic break and tried to kill him was better than what he was currently doing.
A sensation both familiar and odd to Naruto touched around the edges of his senses as Gaara led him through the cloth door of a shoddy-looking bar and restaurant. Well, restaurant might be a strong description, but they definitely have food. It took the blonde a few moments to figure out exactly what the odd feeling was. They were being avoided…
He had been so focused on following the redhead and listening that he hadn't quite noticed until they got to what he assumed was their destination. But now he noticed that even when they had been on the busier streets no one came within five feet of them if they didn't outright avoid the two by ducking into shops or adjacent streets altogether.
Now Naruto didn't really clear whole city streets when he walked by, but he certainly never had to jostle for space even on the most packed streets. Even before he became a shinobi, who are basically always given extra space when navigating through traffic, he had been avoided and ignored. He knew now that it was because of his status as the Kyuubi's jailor and their own fear of the repulsive force that represents, not that knowing that makes it feel much better.
But this level of avoidance pointed to a very different social dynamic between Jinchuriki and the public. "So they always go to these lengths to… give you your space?" Naruto didn't actually make a physical gesture to reference the civilians but Gaara still understood him implicitly.
"As long as I can remember…"
"We allowed you to escape. We allowed your children to return to your village unhindered and unharmed. Konoha has been nothing except for generous and forgiving, even after we withdrew your knife from our back." Orochimaru leaned forward in her seat as she hissed the words out.
"I believe that we have already formally acknowledge that, Orochimaru-Dono." The honorific felt like sand coming out of Rasa's mouth. But he certainly was not in any position to bypass formalities or egos. "But that trade deal could quite literally cripple our village's economy."
The white-faced beauty's expression soured. "Only if you look at it from a shortsighted and imbecilic perspective." If those words had left the mouth of almost anyone on the planet in almost any other situation while in this office Rasa would have crushed them to death with his Gold Dust. But it was Orochimaru of the Sannin after Suna was forced to accept an unconditional surrender.
"Fine. Then lets say I'm an imbecile." He steepled his fingers under his chin, hiding the grimace he was certain sat on his face. "Explain how removing almost all tariffs and taxes from our trade with Konoha, giving you all of our limited revenue, and allowing for free trade over our borders, could possibly not cause financial ruin."
"Because you are an imbecile, and you are looking at a trade partnership like a competition. We are only keeping your additional revenue to pay for the damages you caused in your imbecilic support of an internal coup. And with this new trade partnership comes a deeper economic alliance allowing your own merchants further reaches across the continent. Not to mention access to our almost exclusive shipping lanes with Wave country."
The Kazekage was obviously more than a little confused. And Orochimaru could tell. She had never seen the man quiet like this. Yes he had always been quiet before, sparse in conversation, and blunt as hell. But he had always been quiet by choice, he had always obviously had something ready to say, he just chose a cold demenor instead. Now though, he was quiet against his will.
"It would be foolish to diminish you any further than we already have. Your completely routed invasion and full defeat have done enough to punish your reputation internationally." For once, Orochimaru seemed to relax back into her chair. "We have decided that it would be better to create a 'stronger' alliance."
"I'm the what to the who?" Naruto spewed the words out over a bowl of questionable-looking ramen sat cooling on the table in front of him. Gaara sat across from him with a raised eyebrow, he obviously hadn't expected the blonde to react to his words like that.
"I'm sorry, was I mistaken?" Gaara looked genuinely confused. The two had been talking for nearly fifteen minutes. They had already sat down and placed an order with a skittish but polite waitress, Gaara ordered with a hand gesture and Naruto simply asked for ramen. Then Gaara verbally referenced a dossier he had read on Naruto, the one his Father gave him before the Chunin Exams, and the Bladesmith just froze up.
Naruto tilted his head down towards his food for a moment, "I actually don't know." His hand came up to scratch the back of his head, a habit he really needed to break. It was unbecoming of the Snake Sannin's student to have such an obvious tell, or some such bullshit Orochimaru loved to say to him. "I've been led to believe my mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina, but I don't actually have any proof. And the Hokage has not seen fit to share any further information with me about my family…"
The words hung in the air. Gaara simply sat there and stared. For once it wasn't an attempt to terrify someone he wanted to kill, but one of complete confusion. He simply didn't have the social skills to handle the situation he found himself in.
"Fuck" Naruto let out loud enough for anyone inside the restaurant to easily hear. Breaking the fragile silence they had surrounded them. "Of course that's how I fucking find out. I've spent countless hours surrounded by some of the most well-informed people on the continent, and I find out who my Kami damned father is from the social pariah of the village that just invaded us." He threw his hands up in the air, his shoddy bowl of ramen knocked over by the abrupt action. The broth spilled out and flowed over the edge of their table and onto the floor.
The dripping of the spilled liquid could be heard hitting the wooden floor, subtle, but not inaudible. Soon the sound of sand sliding in a controlled mass could be heard, acting like a mop for the liquid, and dulling the consistent dripping sound. Even in his emotional state, the blonde did not miss the small stream of sand that had left Gaara's gourd.
"They have a great lizard tongue here. I wouldn't like to give them a reason to not serve me." Gaara's simple, almost childlike, response to Naruto's mess broke the blonde out of his stupor. If Naruto didn't know any better he might say he was just some kid who didn't want to get in trouble, but the images of the trail of bodies he left in the forest of death clashed with that thought in Naruto's mind.
Gaara obviously cared immensely for this place to put in the effort to keep it clean. The redhead didn't strike Naruto as one who particularly cared for cleanliness. Naruto had seen the kid kill whole genin squads in his sand and then stuff it all back into his gourd, guts and all.
The waitress, after a wary glance from the kitchen counter into the dining room, quickly came out and laid Gaara's aforementioned dish down in front of the redhead. Who had one in his hand before the plates hit the table, taking it from the waitress's hand. Naruto took notice that she didn't flinch away from Gaara's hand, even though it darted out so quickly towards her on its way to the skewered fried lizard tongue.
'Could it possibly be she isn't afraid of Gaara?' The blonde mused to himself momentarily. He thought back to her actions, and it was hard to tell if she looked skittish because of himself or his redheaded counterpart. Her eyes tended to flit toward the blonde apprehensively, while they lingered on Gaara a lot. "Does she know who I am?" Naruto gestured toward the retreating form of their waitress.
Gaara's head tilted at this question. "Her father owns this restaurant, she helps out in her spare time. But she is actually an academy student. I believe she may have an idea of who you are from the Chunin exams." Gaara's eyes also followed her out of the dining room. He didn't turn back to Naruto until the cloth flaps dividing them from the kitchen settled. "How could you possibly know that she knows you? Do you recognize her?"
"At first I thought that she was afraid of you, like the others we saw. But now I actually think she might be afraid for you." Gaara seemed to ponder his words for a few moments, almost chewing them over before his eyes lit up.
"Because you are the one who stopped me in the finals. She believes you might be back to kill me." Gaara seemed satisfied with his line of thought. Always so focused on life and death. The Uzumaki couldn't fault him though, it's all his fellow Jinchuuriki knew. "Why would she care about attempts on my life? Could my father have-"
"I doubt your father gave an academy student an assignment to protect or observe you, Gaara. She probably just cares for you. She doesn't want to see you get hurt."
Again Gaara sat and pondered the blonde's words. He seemed to grasp them, but at the same time, he was unable to fit them into his worldview. "But why? I'm nothing to her. Nothing to her existence other than a threat."
It was Naruto's turn to think about his conversation partner's words. Gaara's worldview was even more restrictive than he already thought it was. He thinks strictly in terms of kill-or-be-killed. It's like he's constantly in a state of being cornered. Constantly about to have his throat slit or slit someone else's throat. "How do you live like that?" Naruto asked. "With your only thoughts involving the next killing blow?"
"What do you mean? The only thing that's ever mattered is the next kill. Kill the enemies of Suna, kill the enemies of the wind Daimyo, kill my enemies, mother's enemies. It doesn't matter, as long as my own existence is proven." His hand drifted up to the additional seal that now sat on his forehead.
It only appeared to be a black band wrapped around the Kanji for love that had always been on his forehead, but it was actually the mark of Jiraiya's fix for his seal. Simple yet well thought out, it separated the mind of the container from that of the prisoner. Allowing Gaara to block out his Bijuu's influence, in turn allowing him to sleep without losing control. The Toad Sage added it sometime after the redhead passed out and was locked up in Konoha's infirmary.
Naruto sat there exasperated for a few moments. How could he possibly explain this to him? He didn't even really know what he was trying to say to him. Seeing his life now, they were so similar. It would have been so easy for Naruto to end up like the redhead. If the Hokage had been a little different, his seal a little less secure, or if he hadn't gotten his first team, Masamune-Jiji, Ichiraku's a little less friendly…
Naruto paused as he realized what he could say. "Gaara. I was lonely just like you. I had been ignored or left alone for as long as I can remember as well. The Hokage was occasionally there, but he was a busy man, and I was just some kid. But I found a place a lot like this, a ramen stand, and I thought it was the food of the gods. Blessed by Kami herself."
The blondes gaze drifted towards where the ramen had spilled. "Teuchi-Jiji and Ayame-Chan were some of the first people to really see me. They made me feel human. And I think that is the key to life. Find the people important to you." He finished and realized a smile had come onto his face.
Gaara only appeared to be more confused. Enough that he actually stopped munching on his beloved delicacy during the story. "How do you prove your existence against another's then?"
"I don't. But I know I have someone waiting for me to come home, with a smile on their face, happy to see that I came back safe." Naruto wasn't certain when he had locked eyes with the other container, but he realized he couldn't look away. Gaara was observing him, observing his every twitch and facial expression. He was searching for something but Naruto wasn't certain what.
"Eventually, I got my first team. And it was like finally stepping out into the sun after only seeing it by peaking through the blinds. Do you remember when you first approached me outside the meeting?" Naruto waited for Gaara to acknowledge his question, nodding in the affirmative. "I was scared. Scared that someone important to me could have been hurt, and I know that those people were scared for me as well. Hell, the last thing they saw before the stadium became an all out battlefield was a Kage blindside me, they were definitely scared for me."
Naruto paused for a moment, gauging the other container's reaction. For his part, Gaara showed little on his face. Other than an intent focus on Naruto. They both continued to sit their and study each other, neither having the faintest idea of what could be racing through the others head. "I guess what I am trying to say, is that you can find validation and meaning in those around you. The people who are important to you. Because you are there for each other."
"But they failed you. They left you, your file labelled your first team MIA on your successful mission to wave." The blonde's face soured at Gaara's words, but not for the reason the redhead thought.
"That was not a successful mission. It was a fluke that should have ended in my death, and did end in the death of the people I loved." Another emotion Gaara didn't quite recognize. He's heard people cry or sob as they pleaded with for their life, but this was nothing like that. The sadness in Naruto's voice was visceral and raw, but his face remained like the steel he was now famous for.
"And they sure as hell did not leave me. I left them. They were with me until the end, cut down by Zabuza, and when my turn came I lucked out." He paused for a long moment. "My point being," his voice cleared itself of the raw emotion that had previously embued it. "Is that they did care for me, and my new team does as well. You just have to find them. Protect them."
Gaara took this information in, but before he could begin to formulate a response the flap covering the entrance swung open and revealed two Suna Anbu. Obviously, they were here for Naruto. The blonde raised his hand as he stood to great them, allowing them to escort him somewhere, most likely back to the 'Honorable Council Chambers'. The blonde turned to give Gaara a grin before leaving, his hand moving in a short wave visible for only a moment before the flap fell still and they were gone.
Gaara sat alone, his half finished dish still in front of him. After a brief few moments of contemplation, his eyes having since travelled back to his dish, he began eating again. His thoughts however were nowhere near as calm as his exterior presence might indicate. His mind worked in overdrive as he chewed the perfectly fried tongue, analyzing the blonde and his words.
'He had hurt me, he had attacked me and threatened my existence' the redhead thought to himself. 'But he had done so out of necessity. He did not kill me, he is like me.' Like a funhouse mirror, distorted, but still so similar. He would need to think on these thoughts further.
Well here it is. Figured I would put it out early, it's not like I've really been following much of a schedule so far anyway. Excuse syntax mistakes and some storytelling inconsistencies, I'm my own editor and it can be a little hard to catch your own mistakes sometimes. Thanks for reading, let me know what you think.