Let's start this from the beginning
Grand Assembly
- Part 3 -
"The Summit"
II
Itachi stood next to the guard station at the gates in a relaxed stance that was just straight enough to not be mistaken as lax or lazy while also remaining casual enough to avoid giving potential onlookers the impression that he was bothered or intimidated by his current company.
The latter was unlikely to happen anyway, of course, but Itachi supposed he would have been at least somewhat troubled by the way Zabuza kept staring at the side of his head without uttering a single word if he hadn't been used to Kisame's presence. If not for that, he might even have mistaken the look as an actual challenge rather than the curiosity it was.
Curiosity, and as the minutes ticked by, annoyance.
It's his own fault, he mused with a hint of humour he made very sure to keep off his face. If he has something to say, he should just do so instead of waiting for me to ask. I didn't take him for being shy.
Absently, Itachi wondered what the other man would think of being described as shy, of all things, before dismissing that thought, the bother of keeping his subsequent amusement hidden more troublesome than the insistent starring.
At least his attention is split between me and his student.
Apart from himself and Zabuza, there was also the young boy Haku had told him about, Chōjūrō, and other than his sensei, the Genin was unable to hide his nerves as he continued to shift back and forth on the balls of his feet, his eyes darting around without ever fully focusing on any one detail before moving on to the next. Needless to say, whenever Zabuza deigned to look away from Itachi's head, it was to throw the boy reproachful looks.
Itachi suspected the only reason he hadn't yet verbally reprimanded the boy was that he didn't want to do so in front of a foreign shinobi. Thus, glowering looks it was. However, judging by the way Chōjūrō's demeanour worsened with every glance, he didn't think that approach was quite working.
Fully dismissing the presence of his two temporary companions for the time being beyond the most basic awareness that never left him when in the presence of potential enemies, Itachi once more refocused on the scenery outside the gates, the first rays of sunlight filtering through the leaves and thin mist wriggling across the ground.
It wasn't so early as that the messenger who had alerted him had thrown him out of bed, but Itachi would usually be eating breakfast at this time if he wasn't on a mission rather than waiting in semi-comfortable silence at the entrance gates.
Alas, such insignificant matters as a healthy, regular schedule had to yield before the call of duty.
The Sandaime had unfortunately judged him to be the most appropriate person to greet this particular guest, and Itachi had reluctantly agreed with that assessment despite knowing that something important as greeting a foreign kage was usually left to another kage or, at the very least, a close, official associate. He had played a part in elevating her to her current position, after all, small as it may have been.
"I heard your team also managed to proceed to the finals."
So he finally grew tired of waiting, Itachi noted as he turned around to meet Zabuza's eyes. "That they did," he confirmed as if the fact hadn't been public knowledge for a couple of days now–or, for the matter, as if the man's own students hadn't most likely already confirmed it for him. "As has yours, I believe." Then, with a nod towards the Genin, he added, "Congratulations. Passing the first two exams on your first try is an impressive feat."
The words meant very little considering he was sure that all three of them knew that the success of Zabuza's team had never been in doubt.
After all, Konoha had promised them ahead of the exams that one team of their choosing would be guaranteed to reach the finals no matter what.
Not giving his student the time to reply, Zabuza said, "Perhaps we will get to see whose Genin have been better prepared, then."
"Perhaps," Itachi agreed mildly, not engaging in the blatant provocation whatsoever.
A moment later, the menacing aura that had slowly but surely risen around the other man vanished in an instant, proving that he hadn't been truly out for a fight at all. Only the man's student seemed to have been unaware of that fact if that relieved sigh he couldn't suppress was anything to go by.
"I'm looking forward to it," he then said, to which Itachi replied with a nondescript hum.
He didn't bother mentioning that he already knew the match-ups and thus doubted members of their two teams would end up facing each other. Kiri truly got the short stick in regards to their opponents, and Chōjūrō particularly so.
The boy would end up fighting a Konoha-nin alright, but not one from Itachi's team and definitely not someone he was likely to beat.
With Zabuza having said his part, the silence that followed was much more agreeable than the one earlier. It made the wait a much more relaxed affair, too. In fact, as long as he ignored Chōjūrō's nervous twitching, the sound of chirping birds and the slowly awakening village was actually quite enjoyable.
There was unfortunately very little time to take all that in, though, as it was barely five minutes later that the much-anticipated group of visitors came into view.
"Uchiha-san," Mei Terumi greeted him with a warm smile as soon as her group came within speaking distance, her twelve companions staying a few feet behind her. "I was expecting a welcome party, of course, but not to be greeted by an old friend. What a welcome surprise!"
Calling him an old friend was pushing it a bit, but Itachi supposed this was her way of honouring their villages' alliance, showing strong ties while in public even if was a mere pretence. It made sense and certainly fitted her persona from what he knew, but needless to say, he couldn't reciprocate the warm attitude himself.
After all, it was one thing for a kage to address someone of a lower status casually, but an entirely different matter for the same thing to happen the other way around. The former was being kind and even a sign of respect while the latter was the exact opposite.
"Mizukage-sama," he greeted her with a polite bow before straightening up again, making sure to school his face into a pleasant expression to take away some of the edge that accompanied his rather formal manners. "It's a pleasure to meet you again. Welcome to Konohagakure."
"My delegates and advisors told me many a tale about Konoha's hospitality over the years. I look forward to experiencing it myself at last."
"I hope we will be able to live up to your expectations."
"Oh, I'm sure you will do just fine," she chuckled, sounding entirely sincere even to Itachi's ears, before turning to her countrymen. "Zabuza-san, I take it all went well since your team's departure?"
The man's rough edges weren't gone, exactly, but Itachi noted that there was a gleam of respect in both his eyes and his body language as he bowed to her. "As well as could be expected, Mizukage-sama."
"Wonderful, wonderful." Then, finally turning towards Chōjūrō, her smile turned a tad warmer still as she continued, "It's good to see you, too. My congratulations on reaching the finals. I'm sure you will make our village proud."
"T-thank you, Mizukage-sama!" the boy stammered, his face beet red and unable to even meet the woman's eyes. "I will do my best!"
"Of course. That's all I ask of you."
Taking his clue as the conversation reached its end, Itachi turned half around and gestured towards the village proper just as she turned to look back at him. "Shall we, then? Hokage-sama asked me to lead you to his office so he may welcome you personally, but if you wish, I can first show you your accommodations so you can freshen up after your journey."
"That won't be necessary," she replied as she fell into step next to him. "We hardly travelled so hard as to not be presentable. Kiri and Konoha aren't that far from each other, after all, and we've had plenty of time to prepare for the journey."
That is true, Itachi thought. I suppose it would indeed make preparations much easier if one knows ahead of time their team was guaranteed to proceed to the next round.
"I heard your own team managed to pass as well," Terumi continued before letting out a small chuckle. "Why, the last time we saw each other, you were just a Genin and barely tall enough to see over the edge of a table yourself, and now here you are, with a team of your own. Time truly flies."
He politely copied the action before replying, "My students' respective abilities served them well for the tasks of the previous exams, but it remains to be seen how they will do in the finals. Time might fly quickly, but they haven't been Genin for quite that long yet."
"Which in turn speaks volumes about your abilities as a teacher. Who knows? Perhaps I should bring up the topic of more joint missions between our villages' Genin teams when I'm talking to your Hokage. I'm sure your expertise would benefit all our youths."
As they continued to talk and walk through the mostly empty streets, Itachi absently began to categorize the changes in her compared to the last time they met many years ago when he and Anko had accidentally landed in the Land of Water during their first C-Rank mission.
Appearance-wise, she hadn't changed much beyond what was expected of the difference between a teenager and an adult; her body had filled out, her hair had grown even longer, and while already tall back then, she now stood nearly on eye level with himself.
More noteworthy was her chakra. It had already been powerful when she was younger than he was now, enough to earn her a leading position in the rebellion despite her young age at the time, and it had grown only stronger since. Her approachable and warm demeanour might be enough to fool others into a false sense of security, but every shinobi worth their salt would know better than to take her lightly.
Merely her confidence was the same now as it had been back then. Whether it was in a cluttered, chaotic camp in the middle of nowhere or in the clean, orderly streets of a foreign hidden village, Mei Terumi walked with a sort of steadfast confidence that managed to avoid making her look either arrogant or misplaced.
The title of Mizukage suited her, he ultimately concluded.
She certainly lived up to its expectations.
But even as he was busy cataloguing and continuing to hold a light-hearted conversation with her at the same time, another part of his mind was busy trying to figure out what other motivations she might have.
Strengthening her relationship with Konoha was in her best interest. Aside from being the only of the major villages that had both the proximity and motivation to ally with Kirigakure, they had also proven over the years that they were unlikely to backstab them–something that couldn't be said to be a common trait among shinobi. With how precarious the situation in the Land of Water still was after its civil war despite all the efforts Mei Terumi might go through to conceal their troubles, she simply couldn't afford to break their alliance and subsequently remain friendless on the current political stage.
Or worse, allow herself to get surrounded by so-called allies who would stab her in the back the first chance they got.
With all that in mind, her having someone directly approach Haku to inquire about her feelings regarding her life in Konoha didn't quite fit. She and the Sandaime had come to an agreement regarding her years ago, after all.
The only thing speaking in her favour was the fact that the boy, Chōjūrō, hadn't bothered to be very careful about approaching her. If the Mizukage really had ulterior intentions, surely she would have gone about it more cunningly?
But then again, sometimes being blatantly upfront was just as, if not even more subtle than actively trying to be sneaky.
For now, Itachi had decided to wait and observe the situation while keeping his guard up. Immediately jumping to the worst possibility wouldn't get him anywhere. However, it also wouldn't be the first time a person who was supposed to be both smart and a friend made a stupid mistake that not only exploded into their own face but into those of the people around them as well.
Itachi knew that just too well himself.
Playing nice with foreign dignitaries wasn't exactly Jiraiya's favourite pastime.
Quite the opposite, in fact.
There hadn't been many occasions in the past that warranted him filling in for this part. Back when he was still a Genin, he could just stand back and keep silent while his sensei took care of all the talking, with his only job being to avoid fidgeting or otherwise embarrassing his team. Then, later, Tsunade took over when their sensei wasn't with them, with her being the closest thing Konoha had to a princess considering she was so closely related to the first two Hokage and founders of their village making her much more suitable for that role.
On the rare occasion that neither of these two was present, Orochimaru was more than capable of filling the hole they had left behind.
His old friend had always been much more eloquent than Jiraiya himself.
Unfortunately, where once reminiscing about these times of his youth was accompanied by a sense of fond nostalgia, all he felt at the thought of his former teammate now was regret and hurt.
Now wasn't the right time to let such things get to him, however, so he shrugged these unwanted sentimentalities off without any outward sign before turning towards his silent companion with a smile that was perhaps a tad more playful than polite. "It appears he doesn't mean to make a subtle entrance, eh?"
Even without specifying whom he meant, the blonde kunoichi understood him just fine.
"I'm afraid Raikage-sama isn't one for subtlety unless it's strictly called for," Yugito Nii replied evenly. "I hope that won't be a problem?"
Jiraiya restrained his amusement to a mere chuckle rather than the boisterous laughter he would have preferred. "No, no, of course not. It's us who invited him, after all, so how could we begrudge him for making haste?"
Not that Jiraiya thought there were very many occasions on which the Raikage wouldn't travel in a rush, mind you.
Whereas most who were in the man's position would have taken care to appear calm and unrushed as they arrived at their destination, even to the point of switching from running to walking comfortably several miles earlier, the Raikage clearly took great pride in all but announcing his coming from afar, his chakra blazing powerful enough for Jiraiya to sense him long before he could actually see him. Furthermore, judging by the speed with which the man's chakra signature was getting closer and closer, he seemed to be travelling faster than even what a shinobi renowned for his speed like him could comfortably keep up for very long.
Probably trying to show off a bit, Jiraiya thought dryly. Heh, so much for him not being one for subtly. He can't have held this speed for the entire journey. If nothing else, his entourage wouldn't be as capable of holding it as he is, and I doubt he would want to arrive with his companions huffing and puffing if he intends to make a strong entrance. Should I track down one of the ANBU shadowing their approach to find out when exactly he made them speed up?
That piece of information wouldn't be particularly useful, but it would amuse him.
Sarutobi-sensei would probably also like to know how well our elite could keep up with them, too.
He considered continuing to hold some small talk, perhaps by inquiring a bit about her relationship with a certain Uchiha, but the approaching group was getting closer by the second, so he ultimately–and regretfully–decided that there was no time for that.
The group of five reached them shortly after.
The one at its front was unmistakably the Raikage, Ay, standing even taller than Jiraiya by several inches and with bulging muscles visibly flexing with his every move. There was no doubt that as far as shinobi went, Ay was one of the most intimidating by his sheer aura alone.
And he has brought only two guards as well, Jiraiya noted. Trying to make a statement, eh? Bringing less than half the people he was entitled to and dividing them in half between guards and secretaries is certainly one way to send a message.
But then again, he wasn't the only one meant to present a certain image in this meeting.
Even as the group appeared before them in a flash rather than a more polite, sedated speed, Jiraiya made sure to keep his stance unchanged and without as much as a wince–just the right mix between alertness befitting of someone facing a strong opponent and a sort of dismissive arrogance to make it clear how unimpressed he was.
Walking the balance between appearing respectful enough to avoid publicly offending the man while subtly looking down on him in a way he would notice wasn't an easy act, but Jiraiya liked to think that it was something he could pull off better than not.
"Raikage-sama," he greeted the man, his voice just barely courteous enough to not be called bland. "Welcome to Konoha. I would ask if you had an easy journey, but I suppose that question would be redundant, wouldn't it?"
"It would," Ay replied just as bluntly. "The weather's too hot for my liking, but what can you do?"
Well, not like we can control the weather, now can we? Aloud he said, "I guess I won't be seeing you in the hot springs, then? I have to warn you, missing that one out would be a grave mistake!"
"We will see," he scowled before turning pointedly towards Yugito. "Where's your team?"
Such a warm greeting, Jiraiya grinned inwardly as he thought of both his own brief conversation with the man and his manner of address to the young woman. You can practically feel his care.
Yugito seemed entirely unbothered by it, however, bowing respectfully low as she replied, "Training, Raikage-sama. Seeing as all three of them managed to reach the finals, I judged their time to be better-spent training than greeting you."
Ay nodded. "Good. No need to waste time when it can be better used otherwise."
Yugito merely nodded.
Satisfied with that, Ay turned back towards him. "Well then, Jiraiya of the Sannin, show us to your Hokage. That's why you're here, ain't you?"
He briefly considered whether he should pretend to be offended by that condescending use of his title before shrugging it off. Appearing entirely unbothered would probably irk the man the most, anyway.
On the other hand, considering what he knew of him, he might also see it as a sign of weakness. Hmm…
"Of course," he agreed without delay even as various options swirled through his mind. Then, making sure to sound appropriately worried, "Alternatively, I could also show you to your rooms in case you would rather take some time to rest first. It has been a long journey for you, after all."
Judging by the subsequent harsh 'harrumph', the dig had very much hit its mark.
"No need," Ay grunted. "Just lead us to Sarutobi. We have much to talk about."
The casual name-calling could be interpreted as an insult in and of itself, but seeing as Jiraiya's previous dig had been a tad more biting than that, he decided to let it slide and call things even.
Almost as if his reaction–or lack thereof, maybe–had passed some kind of test, the Raikage's demeanour relaxed somewhat as they began to walk, and even his tone was lighter when he said, "I regret that we never had the chance to fight. There is much talk about the Legendary Sannin, but the closest I ever came to getting a taste of it myself was an arm-wrestling match against the slug princess."
"Now that is a story I have to hear," Jiraiya laughed, not bothering to restrain himself nearly as much as earlier. "But oh well, maybe we will get the opportunity over the next few weeks, eh? On that note, I have heard much about you, too. Minato talked about you in the highest terms, and I vividly remember him saying how much he enjoyed your bouts during the war."
The former was truer than the latter, and in the context of this conversation, it made for a nice contrast; passing along Minato's sincere praise was a good way to rubbing Ay's ego while saying that he had fun facing him during what were supposed to be fights to the death during a war belittled the man's strength in a way subtle enough to appear innocent.
The Raikage's face fell back into a scowl, but seeing as he didn't hide the amused glint in his eyes, Jiraiya decided his approach must have been the right one.
It was rather ironic that what others would find offending was what it took to gain this man's respect. I suppose Sensei was right, he thought fondly, even though he didn't look forward to the smug look the old man would undoubtedly wear when he gave him his report later.
After all, he had chosen him to greet the Raikage because it was well-known that Minato was one of the very few shinobi Ay openly respected, and Jiraiya was the only one who could pull the 'my student was better than you' card on him.
"A shame that he died so soon," Ay replied, and even though Jiraiya was prepared for it and knew it was a dig meant to get back at him, it took him half a second to suppress the instinctive stab of pain at the reminder. "I would have liked to fight him again, too."
Keeping his voice even, Jiraiya nodded and said, "A shame indeed."
Afterwards, the conversation became much easier. Having apparently passed judgment in the Raikage's eyes as someone worth respecting, no more insults were thrown his way, and while the man remained blunt and direct, Jiraiya was more than happy to respond in kind. He certainly preferred it to all the fancy talk he would have had to endure had he been forced to greet any of the other kage.
He was still happy when he could finally drop him and his group off at the Hokage's office, though.
Let's hope this is the last time I ever have to deal with something like that for a long time. Diplomacy just isn't my thing...
"Pah, do your people always stare this much? You would think they knew better than to gawk at high-profile guests, especially when they travelled a long way to make it despite not having to come in the first place."
That wasn't the first complaint the Tsuchikage had uttered since Tsunade had welcomed him at the gates, nor even just the second or third, and she very much doubted it would be the last. If there was one thing Ōnoki had always excelled at that didn't have anything to do with a shinobi's lifestyle, it was finding things to be offended over.
He had been like that even when he was young, but it seemed old age had only enhanced that terrible attitude of his.
"You get used to it, Ojii-san," the infuriating brat that was walking side-by-side with her grandfather and Tsunade instead of following them from a few steps behind as would have been appropriate chimed in scornfully. "And hey, at least they know better than to glare at us, don't ya think?"
The girl was the only one from her team who had joined Tsunade in welcoming the Tsuchikage, and despite that being highly unusual, she was glad for things to be that way. Dealing with one Iwa-nin at the gates had been annoying enough; dealing with more would have been hell.
Although on second thought, she would admittedly have enjoyed the opportunity to meet Pakura of the Scorch Release in person.
Getting only the woman's Genin as a consolation prize was a disappointment in the truest sense of the word.
Not for the first time did Tsunade curse her sensei for making her play nice with dignitaries again. She had thought she was done with that after she left the village, but apparently, returning to her childhood home meant annoying duties such as this were once more open game.
Fortunately, while he neither chided her for walking next to them nor seemed very interested in playing nice in general, the Tsuchikage wasn't willing to let his granddaughter get away with everything, throwing her a quick look that made her shut her mouth.
If Tsunade weren't pretty sure he behaved as he did at least partly to intentionally show disrespect, she would have been surprised by the unprofessional attitude he and his granddaughter were displaying. She supposed that much was to be expected considering how much the relationship between their villages had worsened in recent years. Still, her being the one who had to deal with it was annoying.
He might even manage to actually offend someone once he got to talk with others who cared more about such things than she did if he kept that attitude up.
"I always gather many looks everywhere I go," Tsunade said eventually, ignoring Ōnoki's incredulous look at her delayed response. "Maybe you remember having the same problem when you were younger?"
His eyes narrowed, but when he replied, he did so while ignoring the second part of her statement:
"Yes, and very strange, that, isn't it? I may be old, but I'm not senile yet, and you look almost exactly as the last time I saw you nearly two decades ago. You may not be as old as me, but you definitely should look older than you do."
"Well, what can I say?" she drawled in a deliberately vapid tone, even going so far as to casually flick some of her hair back. "I have good genes, I suppose."
There; a flippant response whose double entendre reminds him of my pedigree. Heh, I've still got it.
Tsunade might never have enjoyed diplomacy very much, but that didn't mean she wasn't good at it. Frankly, it was nigh impossible to grow up as family to two kage and student to a third without getting good at this stuff.
Even Ōnoki's granddaughter, for all that she was getting on her nerves, played her part well. Her front was very good for her age, but Tsunade had realized a minute into knowing her that a good portion of her attitude was a mere act, probably exaggerated for the same reason her grandfather exaggerated his rudeness.
"Maybe, but I have no doubt being a decent medic does wonders for one's appearance as well."
"I suppose so," Tsunade agreed, graciously ignoring the ridiculous dig at her skills. 'Decent' my ass. "But then, there are worse advantages to have, aren't there? I certainly count myself fortunate for never having to deal with the woes that come with old age."
Getting reliable information from within Iwagakure was difficult these days, but the few reports they had spoke about the Tsuchikage having severe back and hip problems. Of course, this information was hardly trustworthy, seeing as the very fact it got leaked likely meant it had been intentionally broadcasted to give enemies a wrong impression, but that didn't matter in this case. Whether it was his back and hips or any other part of his body, odds were that he suffered some downside or another from old age, so her words should sting regardless.
He didn't show any particularly strong reaction beyond a scoff and some muttered insults, unfortunately, but in a way, that confirmed it. After all, he wouldn't have kept his composure so carefully if he didn't want to hide something.
The conversation continued in the same vein, with them exchanging backhand compliments and barely hidden insults, and oddly enough, Tsunade found it surprisingly enjoyable. I suppose even diplomacy can be fun if you're allowed to insult the other person, huh?
Given their village's relationship, her being the one to welcome him was more than forthcoming enough from Konoha's side. It was almost giving too much respect, even, after all the stunts Iwa had pulled. Thus, she could afford to be ruder than she would have been with the other kage to make sure no onlooker might mistakenly believe Konoha lowered its head to its enemies.
Honestly, with how hostile relationships were at the moment, it was actually fairly surprising that Ōnoki had decided to come himself. Tsunade had half expected him to send a representative to act in his stead instead.
And if these Chūnin Exams had been like any other, that was what he would probably have done to avoid coming to Konoha.
Even he wouldn't be so stubborn to do so when he knew in advance that all the other kage were guaranteed to make the journey, however. Beyond it being a matter of pride, being the only kage of the five great nations to not be present would have drawn a very bad picture of Iwagakure, and a stubborn old fool he might be, but Ōnoki wasn't stupid enough to risk that.
Still, she thought as they finally reached the Hokage building. I'm glad it isn't me who has to deal with him for the majority of his stay.
The memory of the horrific tale in which she became the Hokage in another timeline would have made her shudder if she were alone.
Thank goodness I won't have to deal with that this time around…
Temari was glad that her father didn't bother with disguising his presence as this meant she had felt his approach long before he actually reached their accommodations and thus had more time to mentally prepare herself.
She, her siblings, Pakura-sensei, and those two wrinkly elders from Konoha had welcomed her father, the Yondaime Kazekage, and accompanied him to the Hokage about two hours earlier before parting ways with him once more to wait for him to finish at their temporary lodging. It had all been very professional with only the slightest bit of warmth sprinkled in to appear appropriately happy to see them to the numerous eyes on them.
After all, while a kage was expected to behave in a certain, refined manner when in public, especially in a foreign village, a father was expected to demonstrate at least some happiness upon being reunited with his children lest he wanted people to whisper behind his back about him being strange and too cold.
Temari could play her role as proud kunoichi and doting daughter to perfection, but the way her father's behaviour towards them and Gaara in particular changed when in public always made shivers run down her spine she struggled to ignore.
For all that he was more distant in private, to the point where calling him uncaring wouldn't be an overstatement, she found that version of him much easier to handle–especially when she had time to prepare herself.
By the time he entered their admittedly tastefully furnished lodgings, she, Gaara, and Kankurō were already waiting for him in the living room, all three of them having correctly anticipated that he would want to speak with them upon his return without having to coordinate with each other.
"The timeline appears to be still on track as planned, despite some of the complications that occurred during the second exam. No adjustments are necessary for the time being."
And as expected, their father wasted no time before jumping straight into business.
"So Konoha isn't going to confront the Tsuchikage about the mess he made?" Temari asked, playing along with the ostensible topic despite being capable of reading between the lines and knowing what he was really talking about. "Even though tried to cheat?"
"Although he pushed the line, there is enough evidence to support the fact that he wasn't outright planning on going back on his agreement with Konoha. Had his plan succeeded, Iwa would have indeed fielded the most participants in the finals by far, but there would still have been a team of every other major village present as was agreed upon as well. Therefore, and seeing as the plan hasn't succeeded, the matter will be dropped."
Kankurō scoffed. "Yeah, the plan failed alright. It's rather embarrassing that in the end, only one Iwa team managed to actually reach the tower despite them making such a ruckus running around in big groups to hunt, don't ya think?"
Temari inwardly agreed. She hadn't been worried for herself and her team, not with Gaara being there with them, but seeing Iwa so openly pull off a stunt like that had still been a surprise. It had made her think that perhaps they knew something she didn't that allowed them to be so bold. That it had ultimately done them little good was embarrassing and, if she was being honest, somewhat of a letdown.
But then again, even if they had reached the tower, their plan had been destined to fail anyway.
The Hokage had said they would be drawing random names to reduce the number of participants, but Temari would be damned if there was anything coincidental about it. After all, the only reason all major villages participated this time around was because Konoha had promised them to cherry-pick one team of their choice to reach the finals. There was no way they would risk angering another powerful hidden village by accidentally eliminating someone important and consequently excluding another village from the third round.
No, if Iwa had managed to force too many of its Genin past the second exam, she was sure Konoha would have used this very method to curl their numbers to an acceptable number.
"Their plan was doomed from the beginning," her father said as if reading her mind. "I'm sure the Tsuchikage was aware of that as well. In the end, his granddaughter's team passed, which is probably the only thing he truly cares about. Everything beyond that would have been a mere bonus; nice but ultimately unimportant." Then, his eyes narrowed as they focused on her brother. "Meanwhile, I have to resign myself to only having two of my three children participate, and I can't even blame Konoha for it because you decided to withdraw voluntarily."
Kankurō's smirk grew a tad stiffer at the rebuke. "One more person had to be eliminated and no unimportant team was left, Otou-sama. I thought it better to volunteer instead of risking them drawing Gaara's name to eliminate him."
"It is highly unlikely that they would have eliminated someone related to a kage even under such circumstances. If anything, Konoha would most likely have used this opportunity to withdraw one of the Iwa-nins as payback for their underhand tactics during the second exam. What you did was foolish, and as a result, it draws a bad picture of our village as a whole."
"We can more than make up for it," Temari quickly–but not too quickly–chimed in, careful to keep her voice even and confident while nonchalantly gesturing at Gaara and herself. "Whatever bad impression Kankurō not passing might have caused will be forgotten once we start cleaning the floor with our opponents. And, well, once Gaara wins the tournament, I doubt anyone is going to talk about whether his brother passed the previous exam or not. That, or about anything other than how dominating his presence was, for that matter."
Her father's eyes remained on her for several long seconds before he gave a barely perceptible nod and turned towards Gaara. "I assume you had the chance to gauge the other participants' abilities since your arrival. Is there anyone that could become a problem?"
Despite being the one who should be either the most afraid or the most irate with their father, Gaara was the only one of them to remain calm in his presence. Actually calm, too, rather than the act she and Kankurō always put on.
Rasa might have changed his attitude towards his youngest son many years ago, but even Temari still felt bursts of rage at the memory of how Gaara had been treated when he was younger, and if she did, so should he.
And the less she got into her distrust of his strange change of attitude towards Gaara and the three of them both, the better. No matter how many years passed, that would never not be suspicious.
"There are several competent Genin," Gaara said evenly. "However, the only one worth noting is a kunoichi from Kumogakure."
"Will she be a problem?"
The fact that Gaara didn't immediately reply and instead thought about that question for a couple of seconds was almost an answer in and of itself, but considering what Temari had seen of the other girl, she could hardly blame it.
It was the first time someone their age had managed to keep up with her youngest brother, after all.
Eventually, he shook his head. "She is strong, but I know what to expect now. Should we fight again, I will win."
That's it, then, she thought with a whisk of relief she resolutely ignored. If Gaara says he will win, that's what's going to happen. He isn't one for making claims like that unless he's absolutely sure.
"So you fought her before?" their father asked before shaking his head and continuing before anyone could actually reply. "No, it doesn't matter right now. You will tell me about it later. For now, I have work to do." He gestured towards the five Chūnin who had been silently standing behind him and would serve as his assistants for this trip, folders grasped tightly in their hands. "Aside from topics brought up during my conversation with the Hokage earlier, there have also been developments back at home that took place since your departure. Most notably, some vultures have been picking up mammals left and right, leaving behind quite the mess for us to clean up."
He didn't wait for a response before heading off with his assistants to what would be his office for the duration of their stay, and Temari took a little too long to decipher his words to call him back without incurring his wrath.
She almost did it anyway.
'Vultures' referred to unknown hostile elements, whereas 'mammals' referred to Suna's associates in bounty hunter and missing-nin circles, ranging from handlers to undercover agents and more. More specifically, it referred to Suna's associates in bounty hunter and missing-nin circles active in the Land of Fire.
In other words, what her father had said was that someone unknown had been messing with their operations with the shadier parts of society, leaving dead agents in their wake. Quite a lot, too, by the sound of it.
"Man," Kankurō sighed a minute or so after their father and his entourage had left, breaking the tense silence between them. "As if being rebuked wasn't already bad enough, now there's that as well. This is just not my day…"
"You shouldn't have withdrawn, then," Temari said, choosing to focus solely on the more light-hearted topic.
"Hey! You agreed that it was the right decision!"
"I said I understood your reasons, not that I agreed with it."
"Don't twist your words! I remember just fine what you said, and you certainly did agree with me!"
"Lies and slander," she said curtly, enjoying the increasing and exaggerated frustration on Kankurō's face.
"Dammit, you're always doing this," he complained dramatically before turning to Gaara. "Hey, back me up, would ya? She definitely agreed with me, right?"
Their youngest briefly glanced from one of them to the other without as much as the slightest change in expression before very pointedly redirecting his look out of the window. "Did you talk about it? I can't remember."
Temari let out a victorious laugh, feeling her shoulders relax a tad more at Gaara's attempt at a joke while Kankurō began to complain about his own brother never backing him up.
A scene like this would have been unimaginable when they were younger, so she took great joy in seeing how far they had come. It didn't mean she had forgotten about their father's words, but at the very least, Kankurō's attempt at lightening the mood had born fruits.
Well, it's not like we can do a whole lot with the information anyway, she decided. Whether someone is messing with our operations here or not, it's none of our business unless Otou-sama decides to make us get involved.
That would probably happen sooner or later, too, if things took a turn for the worse, seeing as Gaara was Suna's greatest asset and he rarely went on missions without either her or Kankurō at his side, but until then, it was probably better to not let it affect her too much.
For the time being, she would take all the peace and quiet she could get.
Things would become stressful soon enough.