Naruto stood silently at the gates of Konoha, as he had for the past hour. Expecting visitors was not something he was used to, but it was a welcome change to his usual routine. Normally, Naruto didn't care to waste time standing around for nothing. It was one of the reasons he had made a point of learning Kakashi's time schedule to a tee and only appearing for team meetings when absolutely necessary. Time was all he really had at this stage of his life, and he would be damned if he was going to waste it without good reason. In this particular circumstance, however, he deemed the time spent waiting to be worth it, even if only slightly. The reason for this was simple enough, if a little disturbing to those in the know.

Gaara was coming to Konoha.

Oh yes. The return of the jinchuuriki that had tried to murder several shinobi and lay waste to the village. Gaara had been the talk of the village for well over a week now. Ever since it was leaked that he would be part of the next delegation sent from Suna, the rumours and gossip hadn't ceased. Naruto wasn't worried. He knew Suna wasn't stupid enough to make another attempt at using the Ichibi against Konoha, and even if they were, Naruto had beaten Gaara once before, he would just do it again. Not that it would come to that. The Kyuubi had assured him that Shukaku, while arguably insane, was not foolish enough to pick a fight with the fox's vessel again. Speaking of the fox…

'We needn't wait here mindlessly for them,' the fox grumbled. 'I will sense when they are close. This is only wasting time.'

Naruto ignored the bijuu. It had only been a few days since his seal had been returned to a somewhat normal state and the fox was already making too many comments on his choices. Not to say he minded; in fact, he was glad to have the familiar voice back in his head. It just didn't help that a few weeks of silence had gotten him accustomed to having his mind to himself. Still, Jiraiya had only loosened the seal part of the way. Enough for the fox to regain communication, but not enough for Naruto to have access to quite as much of its chakra as he had before. Years of progress would have to be painstakingly reacquired, a fact he was not happy about. As he stood, Naruto would be lucky to draw on two tails worth of the Kyuubi before the seal locked up.

'This is where we were asked to be,' he said to the fox. 'It's not like we could have gotten a great deal done in this time anyway.' That and the fact that he was waiting here with Temari, who was proving herself to be surprisingly pleasant company most of the time.

'You could have continued your training,' the beast argued. It wouldn't outright say it, but the Kyuubi was glad that its vessel was finally beginning to excel in his own strength. While it had been temporarily locked away, the Hokage and the cursed toad sage deemed it necessary to begin Naruto's training in a more serious sense. The boy needed to learn to rely on his own strength and not that of the fox. Their previous circumstance proved just how unreliable the seal was for them in the face of someone who knew how to mess with it. 'Although I guess it would be unfair to ask you to pry yourself from your newest fixation.'

Naruto bristled at the underhanded jab. 'She is not a fixation.'

The Kyuubi chuckled to itself. It cared little for the interactions between Naruto and his betrothed, outside of a desire to ensure such a union benefitted them as much as possible. That being said, a chance to amuse itself at the expense of its host was rarely passed up. 'I do not care what you do with her, so long as you do not neglect our path,' the Kyuubi said.

With a roll of his eyes, Naruto severed the mental connection and went back to calmly waiting for the Suna delegation. Being tormented by a bijuu was not on his to do list today. Turning his attention back to the road leading up to Konoha's gate, Naruto felt the slightest of smirks tug at his lips. He was excited, much as he had been when first running into Gaara. As soon as the Kyuubi confirmed that Gaara was a jinchuuriki, the desire to pit his own strength against the Ichibi container was almost all he cared about. That sentiment was mirrored by Gaara, and when the two of them finally fought, it was as if nothing else mattered for either of them. Naruto had won, yet at the behest of the Kyuubi he had spared Gaara's life. Now, the chance to see what would happen during their second run in was making him feel almost giddy. Perhaps they could fight again, on less lethal terms. Naruto didn't care for the concept of a rival, but having another jinchuuriki to test his strength against would be telling of where he stood.

"Can you try to not look so eager?" Temari asked from her place beside him. "You're creeping out the guards."

Naruto spared a glance towards the guards manning the village entrance, causing the two men to quickly avert their gaze. "Aren't you excited to see your brother?" he asked.

"Yes. My brother. Not yours," Temari said. "You shouldn't be excited to see someone who tried to kill you, and who you beat to near death only a few months ago." Excited wasn't the word Temari would have used to describe how she was feeling anyway. Nervous maybe. Unsure at best. It had been a while since she had left Suna, since she had seen her little brother. Gaara hadn't been the same after his fight with Naruto. He was still violent when provoked, more guarded after being handed the first defeat of his life, but outside of that he had become distant. How someone so closed off already could become distant, Temari didn't know. She wasn't sure how else to explain it.

Temari didn't think bringing Gaara back to Konoha so soon was a good idea. Then again, greater minds were at work here so perhaps there was a good reason. Without her father around anymore, there was no one well equipped to deal with Gaara should he have an episode. Naruto had proven capable of stepping up to that position, though the thought of Suna relying on that fact was farfetched. At worst, Temari figured it was a last ditched effort at a show of power from her home village. After so many blows to their strength, public image, and pride, it made sense that Suna would attempt everything they could to maintain face.

Naruto shrugged. "I'm allowed to want to see someone again," he said. "Besides, it looks good to the public. Isn't that what you wanted?" He had been doing his best to humour Temari's desire to at least look the part for this alliance. Spending time with her around Konoha, training with her in the public training grounds, anything to give the appearance that they were getting along swimmingly, as much as he could stomach it that was. That wasn't to say they weren't getting along; they were. It was just that selling that idea to those watching required more effort than either of the blondes were happy with. Not that their opinion mattered. Each of their respective village's had an expectation of them, they were merely doing their best to meet those expectations.

"Good point," Temari mumbled. One of the only reasons she was waiting here in the first place was to properly greet the delegation and impart the impression that things were going flawlessly. This was, after all, the final delegation to be sent regarding the matter of the alliance. Before the week was over, she and Naruto would be married in the eyes of both Suna and Konoha, and the two villages would renew their bonds stronger than before. Appearances were more important than ever. "You aren't going to try and fight him again, are you?" Temari wasn't sure if Gaara wouldn't also be looking for a rematch. If either of them wanted it, there was little chance of stopping it.

"No," Naruto said. "I proved I was stronger. It's settled."

Temari sighed in relief. "Good. In that case, just let me do all the talking and don't give him a reason to start something. I'll handle all the political stuff."

Naruto nodded. He wasn't about to argue such a good deal. A voice in the back of his mind caused his eyes to narrow slightly. "They are here," he said. "Gaara is not with them."

True enough, within minutes the delegation was standing at the gates being screened for entry. It was mostly just a group of old men and woman, as had been the case every other time. Some of the members Temari recognised, others she didn't. Her sensei, Baki, was present again this time, as was her brother Kankuro, but like Naruto had said, Gaara was noticeably missing.

"Baki-sensei," Temari greeted with a polite bow. "I thought Gaara would be with you?"

Baki frowned and turned his one eye back towards the way they had come. "He is," he said. "There were some complications coming here. Gaara stayed behind to deal with it. He should catch up soon." With that said, Baki took the time to observe Naruto with no attempt at hiding his suspicion. That the boy was here with Temari was promising enough from his view. "Is everything here well?"

Temari smiled. "Things are good," she replied, knowing what her sensei was truly asking. It was no secret that Baki cared more for Temari's safety and wellbeing than he did the security of the alliance. She wouldn't put it past him to do something extreme if Naruto stepped out of line. Thankfully that wouldn't be necessary. "Follow me. I'll escort you all to where you will be staying this time. I can make arrangements for food if anyone needs some." Temari paused to nudge Naruto and get his attention. "You waiting here?"

Naruto looked at the horizon for a moment before shaking his head. "I'll see you at home. Gaara will come find me when he gets here."

Baki watched Naruto vanish in a body-flicker. "Should I be concerned that he is waiting for Gaara?" he asked.

"No. At least I don't think so," Temari said. "Should we be concerned about Gaara?"

"No."

Temari frowned. She trusted her sensei, but his tone left much to be desired. Still, she wasn't going to argue with him about it. If Gaara was going to be a problem, it was already too late to do anything about it. They would just wait and see and react accordingly. "Come on then," she said, getting the whole delegation to follow her as she led them to a different hotel.

It was standard practice to always move visitors of importance around whenever they visited, especially political parties that didn't fully consist of shinobi. While a ninja would be able to take care of themselves, those not trained to look for and survive possible assassinations were at risk. If a village only ever placed such vulnerable people in one location every time, then a target would eventually be painted there. No amount of preparation or thorough combing of a building was perfect, so unless someone wanted to booby-trap every single hotel, this annoying little farce was the best bet at stopping someone from causing some political chaos.

"You and the Uzumaki are living together?" Baki asked as they walked, eyeing his former student carefully. He knew such a thing was inevitable, and yet the time frame still surprised him. The fact that the two of them seemed to be cooperating was also a pleasant surprise for the Suna jonin.

"Yeah. Have been for a couple of weeks now," Temari replied. What a strange couple of weeks it had been too. Naruto wasn't difficult to live with by any means; in fact, it was better than trying to sleep while wondering if you would get crushed by sand at any moment. It was just that Temari had been finding it hard to wrap her head around the whole thing. She was officially living with her husband to be, admittedly in separate rooms, and the realisation of what that would eventually entail was creeping up on her. Temari had thought she was adequately steeled in her resolve and prepared for anything, but she was quickly finding that part of her was still a teenage girl. "It's actually going rather smoothly," she said. Baki didn't need to know about her personal problems. She would perform her duties to Suna regardless of her own mental shortcomings.

"And what of the incident that occurred with the Kyuubi?" he asked. The jinchuuriki's little rampage had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the world. News had travelled far, and it had travelled quickly. Such was the reason behind the haste for the marriage to be officiated. Should the Uzumaki boy die or be captured after the alliance was sealed, it would be of little consequence. Before, however, well… it wouldn't come to that. "Were you harmed?"

Temari shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, I'm uniquely used to jinchuuriki going a little nuts," she said with a chuckle, trying to put a little humour on the situation. It wasn't surprising that her home village had heard about Naruto's rampage. So long as she downplayed it as best she could, it wouldn't be a problem for the alliance. "Don't worry sensei. I've got this. You just make sure that everything back home stays on track and it'll all work out for everyone. I'm sure of it."

Baki allowed silence to take hold of them once more as he followed his student. He knew things were likely harder than she was letting on, but such was the life of a shinobi. Temari may have been young, and Baki could only wish he had more time to prepare her for life to come, however right now he was as proud of her as any sensei could be. He could only hope that her position in Konoha wouldn't impede her career as an exemplary shinobi.

Naruto didn't have to wait long before the Kyuubi warned him of the presence of its kin on the village outskirts. He knew Gaara would come looking for him first, it was only unknown as to what end their little reunion would lead to. Personally, Naruto hoped it wouldn't come to violence for once. He had already proven that he would be the victor, and there were other things he wished to do with his fellow jinchuuriki. Namely, talk. While normally he was happy to keep his conversation skills within his own mind, it would be unwise to pass up the chance to actually talk to someone else similarly afflicted as he was. To get an understanding of how another like him had grown, how they were treated, what they wanted in life. Naruto was curious, and his curiosity would be sated even if he had to beat it out of Gaara.

Patiently, Naruto sat and waited on the roof of his and Temari's new home. Living with Temari had proven to be a pleasant enough experience so far. She kept to herself, as did he. They never went into each other's rooms. And in return for Naruto handling all the menial tasks via his clones, Temari had taken to ensuring the two ate well. Outside of occasionally being woken up, and an incident involving a bathroom door that hadn't been locked, it was going much better than Naruto had expected. So long as he didn't have to kill Temari's little brother, Naruto foresaw things continuing as they had.

"Uzumaki."

Speaking of… "Gaara," Naruto greeted calmly, not bothering to turn around to look at the boy. He wasn't being immediately set upon by sand, so that was a good sign. "Enjoy your trip?" The stench of blood was not lost on Naruto.

Gaara frowned. "They were weak. Their lives offered little to satiate Shukaku."

'Well, at least he stopped referring to the Ichibi as mother,' Naruto thought to himself, ignoring the Kyuubi's snickering in the back of his mind. "Are you here to try and kill me?" he asked.

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

Gaara took a moment, his eyes going distant as he tried to make sense of the furious screaming in the back of his mind. "I couldn't kill you," he said. "One tail. That is all you used of your bijuu. A mere fraction of the Kyuubi's power to defeat me, to defeat Shukaku. I want to know how."

Naruto sighed deeply. "Why do you kill people?"

"It is what I am. A killer. A weapon," Gaara said. "My father created me to kill, and so that is what I will do. I will prove my existence, my purpose. I will become the greatest weapon Suna has ever known. Only then will they see. Only then will I have proved myself, my existence."

Naruto turned a blank stare at his fellow jinchuuriki. "Is that it?" he asked. It wasn't the worst reason he had heard of. Some people simply killed for the fun of it. At least Gaara was attempting to prove something, regardless of how twisted such an ideal had left him.

"Do you not understand?" the redhead asked. "You are the same. A weapon for your village. A jinchuuriki. Sacrificed for the sake of those that will never appreciate you. Do you not kill for the same reason?"

Gaara had a point, Naruto wouldn't deny that. The jinchuuriki were weapons, whether they wanted to be or not, regardless of if they were used as such or not. A kunai may have started out its life as a farming tool, but once it was brandished as a weapon, the world never saw it the same way again. Naruto had no doubt that the first jinchuuriki were made with good intentions. Then their potential as nigh unstoppable weapons had been discovered and that was the end of it. They would never be more than that in the eyes of the shinobi world, no matter what they did. Even now, in Konoha, Naruto was just an asset to be used for benefit. His shinobi training, the political marriage, neither of these were things he wanted. They were merely expected of him, and Naruto needed to follow along for the sake of his continued existence.

A jinchuuriki that didn't fall into line was quickly replaced. Or worse, as Gaara's treatment had shown.

"I understand," Naruto said, ignoring the smile that formed on Gaara's face. "But I don't kill like you do. It seems… tasteless. Why kill someone just because they are weaker than you. Wouldn't it be better to beat them and have your strength remembered for the rest of their life? A living reminder of your existence." That seemed to register in the redhead's mind as he frowned and appeared to be having some form of internal argument. Perhaps all the years of having the Ichibi screaming in his head and keeping him from sleep had done some serious damage to his understanding of the world and himself. Poor kid. The fact that he chose to avoid sleep was all Naruto needed to know to understand that Gaara wasn't a bad person deep down. He didn't desire to lose control.

"You should talk to your sister."

Gaara snapped to attention. "Why?"

"She loves you."

"No one loves me," Gaara said coldly.

"Is that what the Ichibi told you, or your father?" Naruto asked. "Have you even stopped and tried to be anything other than a weapon? To be something other than what your father wanted you to be? Do you even want to be a weapon?"

Gaara paused as his sand shifted uncomfortably against his skin. Even now his second layer of defence was clinging to him. There was never a moment where he let his guard down, not truly. He had no intentions of being vulnerable ever again. Even still… "I don't know," he said unsurely. He hadn't known anything else, hadn't been allowed to know anything else. Ever since his effectiveness as a weapon had proven a failure all those years ago, his father had done nothing but attempt to rid the village of his mistake. Between barely sleeping, the screaming in his mind, the ever-escalating dangerous missions, and the assassins sent after him, Gaara didn't have time to stop and think about what he wanted. He only knew what he needed to do, what he needed to be to survive.

Naruto smirked. So Gaara could think for himself. Good. "Your father, the Kazekage, he's dead now, isn't he?" he asked, getting a nod. "Then you're free, right?"

"Suna still needs a weapon."

"Suna just got its ass handed to them even with you as their weapon," Naruto argued. "Your father is dead, the invasion failed even with you, and now your sister is stuck here trying to mend a fragile alliance. The last thing Suna wants right now is to deal with you. That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Gaara glared at Naruto. He was right. This little venture away from his village had been a good excuse to get him away from them for a while. It helped that they could use the cover of a protection detail mission, but in the end, no one actually tried to hide the real reason behind it. The chunin exams had proven that he wasn't unstoppable, and with that realisation fewer ninja had been sent to try and end his life. It was a jarring change to his usual routine. "Why didn't you kill me?" he asked. "You could have, easily. Anyone else would have taken the chance to do so. Why didn't you?"

"Like I said, I don't kill like you do," Naruto said. "I will kill. Anyone I need to; however I have to. But you… I didn't need to kill you. I didn't want to kill you. Why would I kill the only other person I have met who could understand what my life is like? Or would you rather I had?"

"I wouldn't have hesitated to kill you. Why would I not expect the same in return," Gaara said. "All those before you have tried to kill me, and I have killed them all in return. But you…"

Naruto grinned as he stood up and took a few steps towards Gaara, his teeth baring slightly more as his fellow jinchuuriki took an unconscious step back. "You think you have to prove your existence by killing anything that threatens you. But I don't. I don't have to prove anything," he said, his eyes flashing red. "And neither do you. We exist, Gaara. As much as the bijuu sealed within us. Do you think they care what others think of them? Do you think it matters to them how powerful they are? Why should we, their jinchuuriki, care about anything that is beneath the beasts we contain?" He reached out and placed a hand on Gaara's shoulder, the sand parting beneath his fingers. "You aren't a weapon, Gaara. I am not a weapon."

Gaara was doing his best not to recoil at Naruto's hand so effortlessly bypassing his sand. Even the voice of Shukaku had gone mysteriously silent the moment the blonde made contact with him. Was this the power of the Kyuubi? "What are we?" he asked.

Naruto's eyes lost their red hue as he withdrew his hand and smiled at Gaara. "Whatever we choose to be," he said. "All we need is the strength to make it so."

They stayed in silence for a while until Gaara left without a word, leaving behind a still smiling Naruto. Whatever was going through Gaara's head, it wasn't pretty. That tended to happen when someone had to rethink their life all of a sudden. Still, Naruto had hope that he had gotten through to the boy. It wouldn't matter if he hadn't, but having another jinchuuriki on his side would be quite useful in the future. Helping Gaara stabilise himself was more than just tactical though, it was what felt right. No one else was going to go out of their way to help him. No one else, save for maybe Temari, cared what happened to Gaara. As a jinchuuriki himself, Naruto had to care. It did also help that the whole idea had been a work of two minds.

'Want to tell me what you were doing there?' he asked the fox.

The Kyuubi chuckled from within its cage. "Just having a word with my little brother, nothing more," it said. "Should I ask you the same? I don't remember the plan being to try and talk the boy down."

Naruto shrugged. 'He will be more useful to us if he tones the murdering down. It would be a shame if one of those assassins got lucky, or if Suna managed to transfer the Ichibi. We would have to start over with the new jinchuuriki.'

"Good. You're learning," the fox said. "You need not worry. Shukaku will be much more cooperative in the future. The boy will only improve from here on. A useful ally should things take a turn." The Kyuubi was pleased in the knowledge that it alone wouldn't have to concoct the bulk of the pair's plans. Naruto was still young, but he was a good listener and decent enough learner. The fox had little doubt that Naruto would surpass all but the strongest of shinobi, under his guidance that was.

'Should we worry about that?' Naruto asked curiously, turning to stare at a random tree in the distance. Without a byakugan it was impossible to see anything at that distance from behind the foliage, but Naruto didn't need to 'see' someone to know that he was being watched. Thankfully, the watcher took the hint that they weren't as hidden as they had thought and disappeared a moment later.

"No," the Kyuubi grumbled. "They will never stop watching, no matter what we do. Best to ignore it. If the Hokage were going to do something, it would have been done already."

Naruto frowned but didn't argue. It was true that whenever he wasn't under the constant eye of his sensei or Jiraiya, he was being tailed by Anbu, only for nothing to come of it. Even when he dared to train with the bijuu's chakra, nothing ever happened. While the Hokage's habit of keeping his distance was a great relief, it did raise many questions as to what angle the old man was trying to play. At least Kakashi and Jiraiya were much more up front with their intentions, as annoying as the two perverts could be at times.

Hopping down from the roof, he set off towards the hotel that he knew the Suna delegates had been taken to. Temari hadn't returned home yet, so it wouldn't hurt to check in and make sure she was alright. One could only imagine the headache and accusations he would have to suffer should something happen to her so close to the 'wedding'.

The day had come far too quickly for Temari's liking. Naruto's too if the constant scowl on the boy's face was any indication. Sadly, the only thing the two of them could take solace in was the knowledge that they were both suffering through today. Temari barely managed to banish the butterflies from her stomach as they both stood there outside the council meeting room, patiently waiting to be called in. While being before a village leader and its more notable members was not usually something that bothered her, this particular time was the exception.

Contrary to whatever Temari may have been expecting to occur on the day of the 'wedding', the event was actually far more discrete than the name implied. She supposed that made sense given that it was the marriage of two shinobi, something that was rarely a public affair. Still, this was an alliance forging bond between two of the great shinobi villages. She had expected some form of celebration or public announcement. Instead, what they were told to prepare for was no more than a slightly larger council meeting of sorts. Many important figures from Konoha would be present, along with the select members of Suna that had travelled here for this exact reason. The event needed witnesses on both sides.

"Holding up alright?" Koharu said suddenly, appearing from seemingly nowhere and getting a small, surprised jump out of Temari. Naruto didn't react at all to the old woman's presence.

"Lady Koharu," Temari greeted politely, giving the elder a perplexed look. "Shouldn't you be-"

"They have enough dusty old bags in there to give the Tsuchikage a run for his famed jutsu style," the woman said with a laugh. "I'll attend the ceremony, but all this needless chin wagging can carry on without me."

Temari smiled at the old woman's relaxed demeanour. It was nice to know that not all village elders were stuck up. "Is there anything I should be prepared for?" she asked. There was still a lot she didn't actually know about how this was all supposed to go down. Her focus, outside of trying to get close to Naruto, had been on the political deal side of things. Temari wanted to make sure that she wasn't agreeing to be a pawn in a brutally one-sided deal, and thankfully she wasn't. Konoha was surprisingly forgiving and lenient with their demands. Regrettably, that focus had left her with no time to look into what the actual marriage aspect entailed, hence her surprise that it hadn't been a bigger affair for the village.

Koharu hummed thoughtfully. "Not particularly," she said. "It will be a quick and concise matter. Everyone is already worn out from the back and forth, hammering out all the nitty gritty details of the alliance. They will want this over as soon as possible so both villages can go back to normal. Think of the marriage as no more than a stamped seal on a final document."

"Oh…" Temari grumbled. That was… humbling.

"Don't fret, dear. You are still very important, both of you," the elder said reassuringly. "But, if we are being honest, everyone knows this doesn't involve any real feelings, so its easier to just treat it as a formal event. No point wasting effort and money in times like this."

Temari nodded. She could respect that. Suna surely wasn't in a position to go throwing any money around, at least not yet. With this new alliance, hopefully in time her home would regain some of its glory.

"It might hurt a little," Koharu added, peering at Naruto curiously. "The metaphor of this being a seal was… not much of a metaphor. You and Naruto will be bound to each other by a seal. A tradition held by our late allies, the Uzumaki." The old lady smirked as she felt Naruto's eyes lock onto her at the mention of his clan. "The process can be quite uncomfortable from what I've been told, but nothing either of you can handle."

Temari narrowed her eyes, looking curiously between Koharu and Naruto. So, the Uzumaki were significant after all. That was interesting. As if on que, before either she or Naruto could react and start asking questions, the door to the room opened. Koharu offered a quiet 'good luck' to the girl before shuffling inside, leaving Temari to try and steel her nerves with a deep breath.

"Last chance," Naruto said. "Can still run… maybe."

Temari scoffed. "Yeah, right. As if you're getting rid of me that easily," she said with a not so confident grin, thankful for the momentary distraction. They had been getting along, enough for her liking anyway. The weird little jabs at each other, joking or otherwise, were starting to grow on her. She shook her head and grabbed his hand, something she knew he didn't like, yet he didn't try to pull away. "Come one. Let's get this over with."

They stepped into the room, and together they were met with the combined stares of far too many eyes, some reassuring, some judgemental, and a few full of disapproval. Temari managed to hold her head high in spite of this and Naruto only managed to further anger the disapproving by matching their stares with his own glare. They reached the middle of the room, surrounded by clan heads, the two still loyal Sannin, elders, and notable political figures on all sides, both bowing deep to the Hokage who sat before them.

"Temari, Naruto," the Hokage greeted. "I trust the two of you are ready?" Temari nodded and Naruto rolled his eyes, which was as close to a yes as Hiruzen figured he was going to get. "Very well. We are here today to officially seal the alliance between Konohagakure and Sunagakure by means of marriage between one Temari of the sand, and Naruto Uzumaki. If anyone has anything to say in objection to this, please do so now."

The room was flooded with killing intent as the shinobi members present glared down the civilian members, some of whom looked like they had been ready to voice their opinions on the matter. It wasn't as if any of them were here for their voice on the matter. This was a shinobi matter, plain and simple. The civilians were lucky to get to watch at all as a formality. No doubt the only real objections were to do with no one from their families being considered for the auspicious position. The desire of the simple minded to improve political standing was often times a pain for those forced to manage it. A few seconds passed as things calmed down and the Hokage cleared his throat in annoyance. Another interruption like that would likely not go down well.

Hiruzen snapped his fingers, a small podium suddenly appearing before the pair of genin courtesy of some Anbu, a small pot of ink and a brush atop it. "If you would," he said, gesturing to the podium.

Temari gave Naruto an awkward glance, receiving no more than a shrug as they walked up the podium. Taking stance on opposite sides, it was a surprise for everyone when Naruto was the first to make a move, placing his elbow on the edge of it and holding his left hand up waiting for Temari. She followed suite, grabbing his hand maybe a little tighter than she intended. Jiraiya was, unsurprisingly, the one to approach and take up the pot of ink. Within a few minutes, the two had an intricate seal painted across the backs of their hands that intertwined with each other's and ran halfway down their forearms. The only difference between the two was a single symbol encircled on the back of their hands. Temari's taking the form of the swirl-like symbol she had seen on the Konoha shinobi uniforms, and Naruto's taking the form of Suna's shinobi symbol, a fact that was not lost on Temari.

'Shouldn't mine be the Konoha symbol?' she thought to herself idly. Temari wasn't about to say anything, however. If these seals were going to be visible, then she would rather the swirl.

"Do you, Temari of Sunagakure and Naruto of Konohagakure, understand and accept the responsibilities and expectations laid before you?" the Hokage asked.

"Yes," the two blondes said in unison.

"Do you accept each other and promise to uphold an image befitting of shinobi from our villages?"

"Yes."

"Will you live by each other's side, protect each other, care for each other, and personify the newly forged bond and trust between our villages?"

"Yes."

The Hokage stared at the two silently, wondering for a moment if he was doing the right thing here. With a nod, he motioned for the next step to go ahead. Jiraiya moved to stand next to Naruto, and Baki next to Temari. They placed their own hands on the back of their respective student's hands and began channelling chakra into the seal.

Temari winced as the seal glowed and the searing pain began to work its way up her arm. It was as Koharu had warned her, only a bit more than the blonde had been expecting. The slightly tighter grip on her hand courtesy of Naruto told her that he was in much the same boat. Then Temari felt it. Chakra. She was no sensor, yet right now, most likely due to the seal working its magic, Temari could feel Naruto in his entirely. It was a lot. Her own chakra felt so tiny in comparison, and that wasn't even factoring in the Kyuubi's chakra, which she could also sense locked away underneath. Naruto may as well have been an ocean to Temari. His chakra was suffocating, yet she couldn't help but feel Naruto for the first time.

She didn't know if it was the seal working in a weird way, or if it was just something else entirely. All that Temari knew was that she could feel how Naruto felt, in this moment and as a whole. There was rage. So much rage, hidden, buried deep underneath everything else. It could have been the Kyuubi, yet something made her think that wasn't right. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Naruto would be angry about the situation he was in. There were other emotions swirling around, however; pride, frustration, confusion, all things that Temari could share in feeling with him. What she didn't expect to feel was hope. As soon as that sensation flickered into existence, Temari had latched onto it. Somewhere within him, Naruto had hope, though about what Temari couldn't be sure what he was hopeful about.

Then it was gone. Almost as quickly as the connection between them had been made, it was severed, the two men beside them stepping back finally. The sealing was complete. Temari sighed deeply as the pain in her hand began to dull. Looking up at Naruto, she offered him a smile that he didn't return before looking around the room curiously. No one seemed particularly impressed, as if what had happened was just another mundane thing in their eyes. She should have seen that coming. It was just as Koharu said, everyone was in a rush to get this over with.

"What now?" Temari asked, her hand still holding Naruto's.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, earning everyone's attention. There were some amused expressions in the room that were quickly corrected by his gaze. "Nothing. The sealing is complete. This marriage is official in the eyes of both villages," he said. "You two may go back to your training, or whatever else you would like. Should you be needed, we will send for you."

Naruto frowned, letting go of Temari's hand and inspecting the now slowly fading seal marking on the back of his hand. A concentrated flow of chakra saw it spring back to full visibility. "That's it?" he asked.

An indignant snort came from on of the clan heads. "Take it as a blessing, brat," Tsume said with a grin. "You two are lucky you're kids. Marriages like this ought to be consummated." Her grin only widened as the two blondes grimaced at that statement.

"Tsume," Hiruzen said warningly, silencing the woman and any others. "You may go. I will be in touch."

Temari was quick to follow Naruto's lead as they left, her fingers idly tracing the swirl now printed on the back of her hand, making a conscious effort to keep it visible for the time being. "That was… anticlimactic," she said as they walked.

"I guess that's a good thing," Naruto said. "You didn't want it to be a big deal, did you?"

"Well, no," she said. "But it would have been nice if it didn't make us feel so unimportant." The way Suna had sold her on the whole ordeal had made it seem like it was of much more importance. Oh well, it was done now. There was no point trying to complain now. "Want to go and train?"

Naruto paused in his step and looked at Temari questioningly. "What kind of training?" he asked.

Temari smirked. It wouldn't have mattered what kind of training she suggested, she knew he would accept the offer so long as she could explain how something could be useful. It was written all over his face whenever she asked him. While any other activity Temari trialled in efforts to spend more time with Naruto and make sure they were seen together would often draw a negative response, training never did. It was the one thing Naruto was always content to do with her, and she would use that to her advantage as much as possible. "Do you know any elemental chakra techniques?" she asked.

"Not yet."

"Do you know your affinity?"

Naruto nodded. "Earth." At least according to the Kyuubi that was.

Temari smiled wide, both because she was winning in the moment, and because she could see the slightest bit of excitement in his eyes. "Well, well, well," she started smugly. "Looks like you and I are going to be spending a lot of time together after all. I may not share the same elemental affinity, but both of my brothers have an earth affinity, so I can definitely point you in the right direction. If you want me to that is."

Naruto's eye twitched. "That would be… appreciated," he said.

"Come on then," Temari said, grabbing his hand and leading him away. "First stop is the library, then we can go home and start your training."

Temari almost laughed as she could feel the look of disdain on the boy's face. Still, he kept his mouth shut and didn't try and pull away from her even as she dragged him through the busy streets. The worst of it all was over with now, so Temari felt herself relax a little. She could now devote much more of herself to figuring out how to make things work between her and Naruto. Her first plan was already a resounding success; bribery.

A/N:

So, slightly shorter chapter here, and yes, I absolutely blasted through the whole wedding thing because I've read too many fics where a shinobi wedding is a big display. I've no interest in writing that kind of scene, sorry. Last chapter got some hate, understandably, but oh well. Is what it is my guys. Hopefully this fic isn't a complete disappointment for everyone.

As usual, no planning went into any of this story, especially this chapter. Flat out winging life at the moment. My only real goal in this fic is to focus on Naruto and Temari as characters dealing with this sudden change in their lives and figuring each other out. It's proving more difficult than I thought.

Reviews are always welcome, even the hater ones 'cause they are hilarious most of the time.

Thank you all for putting up with my shit.

Soul out.