Chapter 10
Temari (the next day, approximate time: 3:00 PM)
She, Kankuro, and… him were called to the Kazekage's office that afternoon. Baki, one of the Kazekage's most elite shinobi, stood in the corner. The top of his head was wrapped in bandages, securing to his head what we could think of as a ghutra, which he wore hung as a curtain obscuring the left side of his face. On his exposed right, a congenital clan-marking shaped as two reddened triangles streaked across his bronzed cheek towards his eye. But aside from those small quirks, Baki resembled any other Suna-nin in the regulation flak vest and shinobi uniform.
All of the rest of them were dressed in their most formalized battle gear, and he had changed from his ripped up poncho from the day before and into baggy cargo pants and a black t-shirt. Temari's mouth twitched in irritation. She was dressed wearing a (slightly too large) lavender purple shoulderless dress pinned at the back atop mesh armor, Kankuro was wearing his layers of puppeteer blacks—the uniform for Suna's Puppeteer Corp, and her other brother was wearing nothing but a t-shirt and cargo pants.
The nerve. If Temari's youngest brother wasn't as… powerful as he was, she wouldn't have hesitated to lecture the boy about proper armoring and attire as a shinobi, especially for a formal event like meeting their new sensei. Dressing like he did was suicidal for anyone else—only, Temari knew that stating such a thing would mean her death, rather than his, so she bit her tongue.
The Kazekage peered at his offspring with narrowed eyes. Temari straightened her back. Being the oldest and, really, the only one to have truly graduated from the instruction of their Sunagakure Shinobi Academy, she had to be the demonstration of maturity for her younger siblings.
But why is he here?
The Kazekage spoke, "Temari, Kankuro, and… Gaara. From this day forth, you have all officially graduated from your tutor's instruction, and now have attained and exceeded the shinobi rank of genin."
Temari jumped. What?
Kankuro, she understood. She and him were critical in evacuating the civilians during Shukaku's—Gaara's rampage—but Gaara?!
A shiver ran down her back. What is Father playing at? After everything that happened yesterday?!
Her father, the Lord Kazekage slid two hitai-ate, black headbands with a piece of metal fastened to it, bearing the symbol of Sunagakure—an hourglass with a bar on top—to Kankuro and Gaara. Temari had already received hers the year previous, and was even treated with the prestige of being (unofficially) a chunin and so simply watched the scene.
Kankuro stepped forwards to pick his hitai-ate up without hesitation, but Gaara simply let his sand lift it up and bring it to him. Temari watched his movements carefully out of the corner of her eye.
By default, the hitai-ate of Suna were given to genin upon graduation from the Academy, but being the children of the Kazekage and the lackluster curriculum of Suna's nin-Academy, none of them used the Academy as their primary form of instruction or education. As such, them being enrolled in the Academy was just for show and private tutoring straight afterwards was a must.
An early graduation at age nine rather than eleven was a rite of passage, it seemed, for the children of the Kazekage.
Temari had already met Baki as her instructor for wind-style jutsu, her specialty; Kankuro had his tutor from the Puppeteer Corp, and Gaara more-or-less had Yashamaru as a tutor. But attainment of the shinobi rank of genin meant Gaara, a seven-year old, was skipping the Academy experience entirely.
Temari, internally, was agape despite her mouth being firmly shut.
The Kazekage continued, "From this point on, you three will function as a true shinobi team under your new sensei, Baki."
They all turned to face Baki, who bowed with his head. What? Temari and Kankuro both did the same, bowing to their sensei and soon-to-be team leader. Temari's mind whirred. A genin instructor—meaning missions—so soon? With Gaara? What's going on here?
Gaara simply crossed his arms over his chest.
They all saw Baki stiffen slightly, but no one said or did anything. He introduced himself, and the Sand Siblings simply nodded along. Temari, of course, having already been acquainted with the man. A frown played at Temari's lip upon seeing Gaara's lack of an external reaction.
After a moment of silence, Gaara spoke. "Is that it?"
No one responded. You're kidding me, right? "Is that it?" A droplet of sweat beaded down Temari's forehead and the Kazekage narrowed his eyes. "Is that it?"
Gaara narrowed his eyes and walked out, taking the silence as a dismissal.
Temari caught a look of disapproval on the Kazekage's face, but no one said a word to protest Gaara's leaving.
Author's Note
Yes, Suna proctors their own in-village Chunin Exams too... because I swear, with a ratio of one-to-five Suna-nin even making it to the preliminaries (not to mention the other villages), that's the only way they're going to be able to crank out jonin... And I'll be damned if Konoha is just overwhelming more powerful (even before Naruto goes off and tips the power balance) simply because they're the main village in the series.
One other note: Yes, Gaara's skipping the Academy experience... Guys, I don't even know why he would have gone through it (like he supposedly did on his Naruto Fandom Wikia or Narutopedia page)... no one would want to teach him... or be in a class with him, even more so than Naruto because unlike Naruto, there wasn't an assassination attempt on him at age six or seven that destabilized his mental state, before he was supposed to enter the Academy (I assume...)... so..
Gaara (approximate time: 3:10 PM)
Following the destruction of his uncle's home, Gaara was ordered by the Kazekage to live in the farside of the Kazekage's compound. It was the same compound his siblings resided in, and the Kazekage himself. But, he was left the most deserted wing of the compound. That was fine.
He didn't need them—the servants—the people—his siblings—or even his father.
If anything, the closer residence to the Kazekage, the most powerful man in Suna was to control him, control them. That was also fine.
What was not fine were the eyes following him as he walked back to the compound he now lived in. Those damned, cursed, judging eyes. His heart hammered in his chest. Thump-thum. Thump-thum. Thump-thum.
He just wanted to rip them out of their sockets—those eyes. Those eyes that followed him and told him he'd always be alone, even in a crowd. Gaara knew, now, that those eyes he once thought may one day offer him love would now never offer any at all. Never offer anything at all.
All of those people, so happy, so loved. "Love". What a meaningless word to us. Look at them—it would be so easy for us to just take it. Take their lives and their meaningless existence with them.
Shukaku giggled inside of him at the thought. HuMAniTY's SucH A WaSTe, Shukaku responded, TheY HavEn'T GoT ANy PuRpoSE iN LiFE. LiTTLe CaTtLe.
No purpose except that meaningless word, "love". None of it will ever go to you—what do they matter? "Love only yourself," Gaara mentally repeated.
Gaara walked on, letting the feeling and desire for blood wash over him. Both his and Shukaku's. He had resolved never to put on the hitai-ate of Suna, a place that neither accepted him when he was a child, nor when he was a demon. The hitai-ate in question simply found itself attached to the straps of cloth that held his gourd, dangling from the back of it like afterthought. He was a weapon, and he had no loyalties. He—They simply needed the blood on their hands to define their existence.
YeSSSsssss… Shukaku gumbled. ALL oF THeM ArE MeaNiNgLeSS. HoW SimPLE To SnuFF TheM OuT. WhAt BeTtEr A PuRPoSE ThAN To KiLL ALL oF ThEM? ALL of ThEiR WoRTHLeSs HuMaNiTY?
—A meaningless humanity that never meant anything to us... wE CaN kiLL THeM aLL, ToGeTHeR.
Gaara paused in his tracks, letting the desire for blood to wash over him. Gaara—They—sensed people nearby, servants of the Kazekage. What did those lives matter to him—when his purpose was to destroy all of them, being a product of hate meant to seek revenge upon Suna? Gaara held his hand up as those servants—officials or whatever—rounded the corner. They froze upon seeing him standing there, Gaara's arm outstretched. FeAR.
"Sand Coffin," Gaara said with his dry, slightly raspy voice from his own screaming the night before. The words flowed eerily naturally out of his lips.
The sand from the interior of his gourd sprang forth, encasing them and their movements, stanching their attempts to scream.
"SAND BURIAL!" he yelled.
The people within the "sand coffin" screamed, their final moments spent in a container of sand that collapsed from the inside, squeezing them to death with enough pressure to grind bones into dust. His power. Gaara was so much stronger with Shukaku by his side—using his strength to accomplish the task his mother sent him from birth rather than fighting it.
You were made to kill, Gaara mentally whispered to himself.
Gaara stood there a moment longer, relishing the feeling and the rush of it. Breathing in the scent of blood, feeling the blood pound in his ears. The movement and the sensation of it so easy and so natural to him.
Mother, Gaara called with his mind. Mother, are you proud of me now?
Temari (approximate time: 3:10 PM)
Temari and Kankuro left shortly after Gaara, careful to maintain a safe distance from him. She and her brother were held back along with Baki-sensei to be briefed by the Kazekage.
The Kazekage informed them that there were now among the strongest teams in Suna, and that she, as an unofficially promoted chunin-level shinobi at the age of ten, was to function as interim commander of the team should Baki ever become injured or incapacitated, as was to be expected.
However, she and Kankuro were to attend the Academy as usual. To keep up appearances until the spring, for Kankuro to have a standard graduation with his class. Temari watched the news pass on her brother's face—rather than joy, his countenance was mixed with a sadness Temari didn't quite understand.
Temari loosened her grip on the edge of her red sash. It made no difference to her, really. Everyone at the Academy all knew she was simply waiting to be permanently assigned to a shinobi team, and had the prestige of taking a few dangerous missions with hardened jonin-ranked teams.
Handling Gaara would just be another very dangerous mission she'd take—only without the benefit of a whole team of senior jonin to back her up.
The Kazekage then went on to list the things that she and her brother should do to prevent any other rampages, which meant treading on eggshells around him.
The missions they were to go on, Temari realized as her father spoke, and the timing of the formation of the team were all to keep Gaara away from the village. At the risk of herself, her brother, and Baki-sensei. Her team—Baki's team was going to be the youngest functioning shinobi team taking jonin-level missions in Suna and possibly all of the Elemental Nations. And the most dangerous to enemies and themselves alike.
The thought left a bad taste in her mouth and poured the fire of anger into her veins.
…
Temari and her brother Kankuro rounded the corner, only to have their hearts drop into their stomachs like a rock into a well. Gaara had left the scene, and was probably already where he had headed but what he left behind horrified the two remaining Sand Siblings.
Shreds of cloth. Bloodstained sand—Gaara's infinite weaponry in the desert left behind. Streaks of red that painted the adjacent wooden wall and patio leading to the Kazekage's compound in an explosive mural. The smell. She and her brother gulped and fought the urge to gag.
Even as shinobi, they seldom saw such a violently bloody scene.
"We're going to have to work with… that… for a while, now, aren't we," Kankuro said in a mix of anger and disgust, snapping out of it before Temari.
Temari nodded mutely.
Katiya (the next day, 1:00 AM)
The shinobi after her didn't stop, and Katiya was losing strength. They had grown in number, from one team to three, and Katiya still refused to kill any of them. Yet.
Katiya was counting the blows that passed. The jutsu that she survived, knowing fair well that the next one could strike true and kill or fatally wound her (since Katiya knew they were after her alive). Katiya knew that that was the only reason why she was still alive as well—the shinobi sent after her careful not to hurt her too badly, but that could all change with the arrival of a messenger hawk and a Kazekage with a bad day.
Temari (approximate time: 5:00 AM)
Temari had woken up early with Kankuro to stretch out and do some exercises in the morning chill since neither managed to sleep that day. She had the distinct sensation that Gaara had watched them leave the Kazekage's compound from his perch on the roof, but since leaving, she had shaken off the feeling.
"So how long d'you think we're gonna last with him?" her brother asked jokingly once they were out of earshot of the compound.
Temari remained silent, the same thought playing out with more serious undertones in her own mind.
"Oh, come on, lighten up. Father wouldn't send us out on missions if he thought he was going to kill us. Suna wouldn't make any money like that."
Temari's eyebrow twitched. Suna wouldn't make any money only if Gaara killed us before the mission.
Kankuro slapped his hand onto his sister's back. "We're going to be fine."
Temari shook her head. "It's not that. It's the fact that Father's fine risking our lives like this, putting us with him—doing all of this for some spare penny and 'the village'," Temari spat. The one thing that was truly bothering her.
Kankuro looked at her blankly. "What d'you mean?"
Temari sighed, exasperated. "Come on, you see what he's doing, don't you? He's making this team with us and him so we'd be out of the village. Because any casualties outside the village don't matter 'cuz they're not going to ruin Father's popularity. He doesn't give a damn about our safety, or the risks we're taking, or how strong we're getting—it's all about how much money we can take in and how good he looks to the villagers!"
It was almost hilarious how little his children mattered to the man that bore them.
Kankuro averted his sister's fiery gaze, understanding. "I know," he whispered, "but what can we do?"
Temari clenched her jaw. Nothing. We can do nothing but sit here and take it.
Katiya (approximate time: 5:00 AM)
Her wooden staff shattered against the head of one of her attackers. He fell with a harsh thud, and she was left holding splinters. Katiya couldn't take it anymore—there was no other way out.
What does it matter, anyways? What do they matter?
Katiya gritted her teeth and dumped the shattered staff.
They're doing this—all over a bunch of orders—
A small voice crept into her head.
—so what would it matter if they were to die? They're just pawns. They'll be replaced, but you? No. What do they matter to you? They'll keep coming and coming until you stop them.
When danger attacks, make sure you stop them so that they'll never come back.
The three teams of shinobi—nine shinobi stopped to watch her.
They'll keep coming and coming and coming. They'll keep coming unless you stop them.
"You giving up now?" one of them called.
Katiya looked to the ground, slowly and imperceptibly pulling her hand to the pouch farthest to the right—the one that held her Sealing Scroll of water.
You can't come back to Suna anyways, not yet—you saw Gaara. There's nothing to come back to. You won't have to worry about their families hating you—they'll never know.
Katiya put her hand on her scroll. But I will, she thought, mentally countering herself.
But the darker side of her, the one that kept her alive continued, You can't keep holding back—some point or another… it'll come to them or you.
Katiya narrowed her eyes, which begun to water with the weight of the decision she had to make. It was hardly her first kill—but it didn't make it any less difficult.
You're already weakening. They'll keep coming until you make them stop. But you can ensure your own safety. Kill them, make yourself too deadly a target, they'll never come after you again. Thousands of people die every year, just like them, doing their duty for their Kage and country. Even more, from assassination missions like the one they're currently on for you. Or Gaara.
Katiya closed her eyes, making her decision.
She gripped her scroll, ripping it out of her pouch with a feral rage. Unfurling it with a flourish and a decisive pull, she drew the scroll and the inky characters on it taut. With a poof of smoke, water gathered from the Land of Waterfalls rushed out with the battering force of a small tsunami in the direction of her attackers. Discarding the now empty scroll, she slammed her hand into the sandy ground.
They may have families, but it was their choice to become a shinobi—their choice to take this mission themselves. They've made their choice, knowing the risks. Now I have to make mine.
One truly skilled in water manipulation would have used their chakra to turn the water mucilaginous and sticky for the purpose she had in mind—but the sand would have sufficed with even less chakra expenditure. She pushed the water into the sand, letting it fill all of the gaps between the large sand particles, while making use of the Suna-nin's general lack of familiarity with water-style jutsu to her advantage.
When danger attacks, make sure you stop it... so that it'll never come back.
The sand began to sink under the Suna-nin's weight, the jutsu the shinobi were using to stand on the sand no longer effective.
The shinobi reacted in fear as they began to realize what they were standing on as the muddied earth pulled them down. Quicksand. But before they could launch any jutsu or pour chakra into their legs to pull themselves out, Katiya leapt up, ripping off her headscarf while forming hand signs from her vantage point above her enemies.
Now, doing this, she didn't think she'd ever be able to walk into Suna again—not without a heavy heart and a riot of pitchforks and torches.
Uma, tora, hebi, hitsuji, saru, inoshi, uma, TORA! Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu! Katiya mentally called, a jutsu she knew would kill them as certainly as the fish caught and speared by Land of Waves fishermen.
The shinobi that were pursuing her were caught, unable to use a Substitution Jutsu to get away, their legs trapped by the quicksand. Their fates were sealed. A fireball arced downwards, all of them burnt to ash in a fiery desert, with no time to react.
Ashes, all of them.
Katiya watched the water steam from the ground, and the smoke rise from the glassy surface of the sand. She dusted her headscarf off before re-wrapping it around her goggled head, barely a hint of skin to indicate the person beneath.
She walked on.
Author's Note
Alrighty! 12/15/2020, I am ALIVE.
Note I forgot to make earlier: if you're fond of Avatar: the Last Airbender, yes. I did steal the whole water-out-the-air thing from there. This is a fanfiction, I'm allowed to do that... I think. (Please don't sue me)... Stay safe in 2020, guys.