Child of the Ashes Chapter 11: sand and wind, a naruto fanfic

My gaze slid thoughtfully across the square. In the meantime, the dealer was standing behind the counter again. People had gathered in small groups and were whispering about the incident. When I thought about it, it would have been easy to scurry through the crowd and grab a few purses here and there. If only the Kazekagen's children weren't present. Gaara in particular had my full attention. With his sand, he could spot any enemy in the area. He was also difficult to assess. Would he be interested in a thief like me?

Actually, I didn't want to take the chance. On the other hand, this was a unique opportunity. Kaito stood close to me. He was silent. He had never interfered in my actions or tried to stop me from doing anything. He wanted me to learn from life. Of setbacks and triumphs.

Inwardly, I began to weigh up my options. If Kankuro discovered me, there was an even better chance that the outcome would be mild. Not because of a lack of combat experience. But because he had far fewer scruples than his younger brother. The people in the alley hardly knew him at all, but Gaara was still a completely different class.

I pressed my lips together in annoyance. The more I hesitated, the more valuable time I was losing here. Did I really want this? But I had to. After all, it was the end of the month and soon the Kazekage would have the taxes collected. If I didn't steal anything...how long would the orphanage be able to survive financially? Kairi's husband was already pouring enough money into it. One day I would find out where it was going. Probably into the economy. By hook or by crook, Sunagakure was trying to put everything into the economy and the financing of the academy.

"Let's take a chance," I said and set off at the same time as the other two. We flitted through the crowd like shadows. The other two were smaller than me and therefore had it easier. But I had always struggled with my size.

So I had to use other techniques. Instead, I walked through the middle of the crowd. Where everyone was standing very close together, I pretended to listen to the merchant who was now complaining to a few chunin. Many of the people seemed rather amused by his misfortune, others happy that there was a little excitement here for once. Just as I was making my way back with my pockets reasonably full, someone bumped into me. Not intentionally, as I noticed from the apologetic look. Nevertheless, everything inside me tensed up at that moment. I hadn't been paying attention.

Kankuro's eyes widened in surprise and I deftly dodged the hand he extended in my direction. Then I started to run as fast as I could. The air hissed behind me. A letter bomb drilled into the ground right next to me. I jumped to the side to avoid the explosion. I made hook after hook. Again and again he tried to hit my blind side. But I was already used to this game. As I turned into a darker alley, I heard his footsteps slow down. I sat crouched behind a dustbin and watched the Suna nin as he stood in the dim light of the alleyway and seemed to be looking for me. I almost expected him to move on. But Kankuro didn't move. He seemed almost unsure. Well, ... he was a bit younger than me. He was twelve years old... if that...

I only became aware of Kaito's presence when he moved in the shadow of the opposite wall. He kept a watchful eye on the situation. Because now Kankuro's siblings had also arrived. While Temari whispered softly, trying to stop her brother from going into the alley, Gaara took a step forward. I noticed the sand gathering in one place. An eye was now floating not far from me. A frightening and practical technique. Admittedly inconvenient for me.

"It's her," Gaara said, turning to his brother. That was my cue to flee. But the sand beneath my feet began to shift. I jumped back and dodged the long arm that reached for me. The walls of the house next to us shook. I noticed the unease emanating from his siblings. After all, people lived here too. But that didn't interest the genin in front of me in the slightest. He only had his eyes on me. My thoughts were racing. If I disappeared into the secret passage now, they would know its location and that there was an underground network. One that I had expanded over the last few years. And not only that. Slowly, my hand moved to my hip, feeling for a familiar grip.

I could still feel Kaito's presence next to me. He already seemed to suspect what I was up to. He would probably be able to get out of this situation easily, as the siblings hadn't noticed him. I wasn't even sure if he was known to the city guard. After all, he always kept a very low profile and rarely got involved in anything. But that didn't explain why he kept checking up on me. Even if a lot of time passed from one meeting to the next. He came back.

I gathered chakra in my feet and jumped against the nearest wall, spinning under the next arm of sand. It seemed he didn't want to kill me. Maybe he should just capture me and put me in prison. After all, my robberies were not so unknown. It was just that they didn't follow a pattern and didn't always take place at the market. Sometimes I chose the most impossible conditions so that no one could assess me. That way I could survive. Just like Akuma and Yui.

Gaara was used to people running away from him instead of standing up to him. Standing up to him was just stupid. Many of the Asshubōn tried to escape him by taking to their heels. And even though I didn't know if my plan would work, it was the only way to get out of this situation unscathed.

Once again, I gathered chakra in my feet, pushed myself off the wall with all my strength and jumped. Gaara's sand piled up right in front of him, ready to stop me. But now that he couldn't see, my hands formed a few finger signs in a flash before my fingers clutched the whip on my belt. I could feel the chakra shooting through them. My arm movement described a clean circle and I watched the sand recede.

"Jutsu of the wind whip wheel."

Temari

She's crazy.

That was all I could think as I watched the girl storm straight in our direction. Gaara immediately sent his sand in her direction. She kept dodging it. I could feel the chakra circulating through her body all the way here. It was strong, no question. But she wouldn't be able to compete with my brother.

I only noticed the object she was carrying on her hip when she pushed herself off the wall of the house and flew towards us at an unnatural speed. A wall of sand immediately built up in front of us. Gaara always covered his protective wall with several layers in the event of direct enemy attacks. As he was doing now. But too slow.

Wind, the power of chakra and the force of the impact drove the sand apart for a brief moment. It was enough for Gaara to pause for a moment. Time that Asna took advantage of and disappeared into the next alley in a flash.

I was frozen. Kankuros seemed to feel the same way. Not only because of this extremely successful escape attempt, but also because of the coldness that crept into our youngest brother's face. Nobody dared to stand in his way. At least no one our age. He only listened to his father sometimes and he seemed to have at least a little respect for Baki.

But something had changed since Shukaku broke out. One of Kankuro's friends had died under the ruins. He still resented him. I was also afraid of my brother now. But at the same time, it made me sad to see him like this. I was the eldest here and had the responsibility. Father didn't care what happened to Gaara as long as he could control himself.

Nobody seemed to care that he was suffering from a lack of sleep so that Shukaku wouldn't break out again. Even though Kankuro looked at Gaara angrily most of the time, I knew that he was worried too.

Fortunately, Gaara turned away from the alley. We walked side by side in silence. No one dared to break the silence. Thoughtfully, I stopped and looked back the way we had come. She had probably gone back to the Quarter of Ashes. I didn't know what she had done with the money she had taken, but we had to inform the city guard.

„I remember the first time I saw her. Back at the orphanage," Kankuro said next to me. „She's not to be underestimated."

„You only wanted to help her, Kankuro," I said quickly. He had been reproaching himself. After all, he'd been in his father's ear for a long time because the girl had been so terribly emaciated back then. Even more so than the other children. And he kept talking about her appearance.

She was unusually tall for a girl, hair down to her shoulders, one blind eye and one golden eye. I'd never been this close to her before. For someone who lived in the Quarter of Ashes to pull off a jutsu like the one before...that was unusual. And could be a threat to others.

Master Raidon kept insisting that the people there, the Asshubōn, were rebels who rejected the Kazekage. And the more they stole from us, the more people believed it. I didn't know what to think. After all, these people belonged to our people. Why were we rejecting them instead of helping them?

„Kankuro. There you are," a bright voice sounded next to us and I flinched. Azarni, a friend of Kankuro's, had appeared next to us with her mother and was beaming at him.

„We were supposed to train together today. So you can show me your latest technique, remember?" she babbled excitedly. I stood there silently. Still too absorbed in my thoughts.

„Is everything all right, Temari?" Kairi turned to me worriedly.

I nodded slowly.

„I was just thinking about where Gaara might be," I lied.

„Kankuro. There you are," a bright voice sounded next to us and I flinched. Azarni, a friend of Kankuro's, had appeared next to us with her mother and was beaming at him.

„We were supposed to train together today. So you can show me your latest technique, remember?" she babbled excitedly. I stood there silently. Still too absorbed in my thoughts.

„Is everything all right, Temari?" Kairi turned to me worriedly.

I nodded slowly.

„I was just thinking about where Gaara might be," I lied.

„I didn't see him, I'm sorry. Has something happened?" she asked. Kairi had always been nice to us. I'd even had dinner at her house once. That had been shortly after Gaara's outburst. When Kankuro had refused to enter our house. Out of fear of his own brother. She didn't force herself on us and supported us wherever she could.

No matter whether it was us or the children in the home. I knew that many people were talking about her, spreading bad things about Kairi and it made me angry. What's more, our father trusted her, even though she wasn't afraid to speak her mind. Maybe that's why he respected her.

„That girl you once had at the orphanage broke through Gaara's defense," Kankuro answered Kairi's question for me.

„He's exaggerating...Gaara didn't manage to strengthen his sand wall, so she was able to break through it. We were too surprised and couldn't stop her."

Kairi nodded slightly.

„Good thing no one was hurt."

Then she turned to her daughter to say goodbye. I watched her go in silence. I almost felt as if she hadn't just meant the three of us.