Chapter 13 - A Sudden Encounter

"Well, that was a quick getaway . . ." Shukaku mumbled as Gaara traveled through Konoha's alleyways in a cloud of his sand. "Never took you as someone so eager to spy on their competition."

"And what did you take me for Shukaku?"

"Definitely not someone that embraced the espionage aspect of the ninja arts. . . You're more of a smash first, ask questions later kind of guy."

"I'll admit it. Outside of your influence, I do tend to not waste time in battle,"Gaara conceded as he reappeared on top of an apartment building, blocks away from his designated lodgings. "Still, even I have to do some actual spying from time to time."

"Well, this place will not make things easy for you. Konoha is vastly larger than Suna. It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack here!"

"That would be true if Sasuke was from an ordinary family," Gaara pointed out as he looked down at the street below. "But he's from a noble clan, and the large homes of noble families tend to be much easier to find than an ordinary apartment."

"Okay, true, but you still have to find the damn place though . . ."Shukaku bit back. "So, how do you plan to do it? Are you gonna ask for directions, cause that's just way too funny of an idea to take seriously!?"

"Is it really that odd for someone like me to ask for directions?"

"One: you're a fucking prince fleshbag! People of your station tend to order rather than ask," Shukaku was quick to say, sounding way too happy to explain things to him. "And two: you are naturally intimidating, whether it's because I'm sealed in you or because you can barely smile to save your life. Take your pick! You're more likely to scare people rather than reassure them."

"Just because I'm a prince doesn't mean I can't be nice to people, or at the very least show some manners," Gaara grumbled. "And as for the intimidation thing, I blame that on both you and how I was raised."

"And I will take my share of the blame gladly . . . So . . ."

"So, what?"

"Are you going to ask for directions?"

"No."

"Then what do you plan to do then?" Shukaku asked as Gaara turned his head, just in time to see his siblings move across the rooftops in the opposite direction. "And where the hell are they going?"

"They're probably heading for the noble district," Gaara admitted, vaguely remembering Baki telling them about the area in a prior conversation. "Most of the ninja nobility usually keep their homes there."

"Shouldn't you be going after them then? Last time I checked; the Uchiha Clan is a noble family. Them having a home in that district seems like a no brainer to me."

"True, but the Uchiha Clan aren't like most families," Gaara mumbled. "Despite its large size, the Uchihas aren't a very social group. They prefer their privacy . . ."

"Which means they'll prefer living somewhere secluded, not smack dab in the middle of one of the most well-known districts in this entire village."

"Exactly . . . Besides, the noble district is usually home to the smaller clans or the ones that were more recently established."

"Pretty much the small fry in the pecking order then. . ."

"Well, yeah . . . Stronger, more established clans like the Uchihas and Hyugas would have moved out of that neighborhood a long time ago. They would establish their homes somewhere else; somewhere a lot less cramped."

"Alright then, if I was a member of a large, influential clan, but I didn't want to live in the noble district, where would I establish my home instead?"

"I would pick somewhere secluded that will ensure my family's privacy. It also has to be a spot that can be well-guarded, with vantage points that work in my clan's favor, just in case of an attack . . . The area would have to be very spacious. After all, the bigger the clan, the more room it would need."

Knowing what he needed to do next, Gaara initiated his Third Eye jutsu, closing his right eye shut as the sand-made eyeball formed in front of him. He then sent it out into the village, keeping it out of sight so that no civilians or shinobi would spot it and think it was hostile.

As a foreign prince, it wouldn't be a good idea to initiate an international incident by any means after all.

Gaara ended up surveying the village for almost a full hour before finally finding what he was looking for in the westernmost edge of the village. Canceling his jutsu, he quickly disappeared in a cloud of sand, reappearing on the rooftop of an abandoned building a few minutes later.

Walking over to the building's edge, he looked across the street at the solid wall of painted granite surrounding the block. Beyond it, the Uchiha Clan's property didn't feature a singular manor. It was a large compound filled with a mix of traditional and modern buildings painted in shades of white, black, gray, and blue.

The tall, iron gate at the front was manned by two guards, both wearing the traditional clan robes that featured their famous high collars. At the top of the gate stood a dark blue flag, stamped with the image of a traditional red and white uchiwa fan stamped in its middle, the clan's family crest.

"There's no mistaking that symbol. We're in the right place alright."Shukaku mumbled as he observed the scene from his vessel's eyes. "The brat could be anywhere in there!"

"And sneaking into the place undetected isn't going to be easy," Gaara added as he moved back a couple feet. "If any one of those Uchihas look in the direction of my Third Eye with their Sharingans activated, my cover will be blown immediately. . . News of the matchups would be known to all the clans by now, so they could be safeguarding their little prodigy in there to make sure none of his secrets get out."

"Hmm, if that's the case, the guards would already know to look out for you just in case you did try to make an appearance," The tailed beast was quick to point out as Gaara suddenly heard footsteps coming up behind him. "What the? Now who the fuck would try to sneak up on you!?"

"Who knows? No self-respecting shinobi would try a sneak attack in broad daylight, in the middle of a crowded village no less. Plus, the approach is just too noisy to be a valid attempt."

"So, at the very least, the person isn't competent?"

"Or they're not trying to sneak up on me in the first place," Gaara suggested. "Maybe they're trying to alert me to their presence."

"But why though?"

"Well, let's find out. . ."

Gaara slowly looked over his shoulder to see who the stranger was, only for his eyes to widen slightly at the sight of the Fire Princess standing a little off to his left. Dressed in a flattering, light blue sundress that barely went past her knees, her hair fell freely down her back, stopping just past her waist as she silently watched him in return.

"She's definitely not dressed for a fight."

"I can see that. . . What are you going to do now? Talk to her?"

"What are you doing here?"

"Well. . . Real smooth fleshbag, real smooth."

"Shut it Shukaku!"

"Hmm, you see, I was enjoying a nice stroll through the village square when I spotted a very peculiar sight disappearing into one of the alleys," She explained, her tone never wavering under Gaara's hard glare. "After all, it's not every day I get to see a floating eyeball moving around, so I decided to follow it . . . I figured it was your doing once I spotted the bits of sand it was leaving behind."

"I've always told you that you needed to tighten your control on that technique."

"Again, shut it Shukaku!" Gaara growled before returning his attention to his fellow royal, who was waiting for his response.

"Ah, look at that face! She's waiting for you to speak. . . Are you going to keep her waiting because if you are, that would be so rude of you?"

"Shukaku, I really don't need your sarcasm right now!" Gaara growled again before looking up. Now seeing that Shizuka no longer stood in front of him, he turned to see that she was now standing close to the edge, taking in the street below. "What are you doing?"

"I'm checking to see why you're up here in the first place, and considering who you face first in the finals, I'm not surprised," She told him as she looked up. "You're not the first person to spy on their opponent before a final, and you'll definitely won't be the last."

"Am I really that obvious?" The words escaped the redhead's mouth before he even realized what he said.

"Not really . . . Your face is a blank slate most of the time, so it's hard to guess what you're honestly thinking about."

"Should I take that as an insult or a compliment?"

"I'll let you decide that for yourself."

If Gaara could see the tanuki right now, he would have scowled at him.

"Sorry, I don't wear my emotions on my sleeve."

"Oh, I've noticed. You definitely come off as the strong, silent type if you asked me," Shizuka mused as she looked down at the Uchiha compound. "Anyway, there's no point in scoping out Sasuke's place. He's not home."

"What?!" Gaara grumbled, annoyed that his target was eluding him without realizing it. "Where is he?"

"Out training somewhere with Kakashi-sensei. They've been gone since the preliminaries were declared over."

"And how do you know this?"

"When the Showcase is going on, It's common policy for senseis to alert the hosting monarch that they are taking a remaining competitor out of the village for personal training. Got to make sure that all the competitors are accounted for at all times of course . . . I just happened to be in the room when Kakashi-sensei came in to make his request to my father."

"Oh really?"

"Nah; Naruto told me over breakfast. Was a little annoyed because Kakashi is his sensei too, but he understood in the end."

"And I should take your word for it?"

"Technically, you shouldn't. To you, I'm just the strange princess that you've only recently met after all . . . I could be trying to lead you astray for the sake of her fellow countryman," She explained as she crossed her arms behind her back. "It's up to you to decide if you want to take my word for it or not."

"She has a point fleshbag," Shukaku mused. ". . . I like her kind of thinking."

"That's what I'm afraid of. . ." Gaara admitted as he watched her, trying to gauge how truthful she was being from her face alone. ". . . She's really trying to misdirect me isn't she?"

"Isn't misdirection one of the prime tenants of being a ninja?" Shukaku bit back. "Plus, she's right. It's up to you to believe her if you want, but something tells me she's not truly trying to lead you astray."

"Thanks. . ." Gaara mumbled, figuring it was best to just cut his losses at this point. "You wouldn't happen to know where Sasuke and his sensei went off to, would you?"

"I would love to, but my knowledge only stretches so far," She admitted as she took a seat on the edge, crossing her legs at her ankles like a proper lady would. "I know that they're out of the village, but I don't know exactly where they went. You'll have to find that out yourself."

"Hm, figured as much . . . Why?"

"Why what?" She asked in return, watching as his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Why are you telling me all this? Why are you giving me this intel?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "We're from different kingdoms. We are rivals in the Showcase."

"We are, but so is everyone else that remains in the competition. . . If telling you what I know about Sasuke's whereabouts will help give me a leg up, then so be it," She admitted, looking not the least bit repentant. "After all, getting an advantage over your opponent is a part of ninja life, so it can't be helped. Plus, Sasuke acts way too much like an emo prick for his own good. . ."

". . . So, this is your way of getting back at him, hoping that my antics will knock him down a peg or two," The redhead concluded, ignoring Shukaku's chuckles.

"Smart, and knows what she wants . . . Now I really like her."

"Of course, you do. . ."

Sarcasm was dripping from Gaara's mental voice, but he quickly focused on the girl in front of him before Shukaku could even offer a rebuttal. Looking back on Shizuka, she looked to be off in her own little world. However, he knew better, especially since he knew about her special condition, one that was nearly identical to his own. "Does your . . . occupant annoy you as much as mine does?"

". . . At times," She admitted, a little caught off guard after being interrupted from her own conversation. "She either sleeps or remains silent for the most part though. I'm guessing it's not the same for you."

"Hardly! I probably got stuck with the tailed beast that talks too much."

"Hey!"

"Is that why you don't sleep?" Shizuka then asked, more curious than anything else.

"Not really . . . Simply put, if I fall asleep, the chances of Shukaku taking over my body increase exponentially."

"And when you say exponentially, you mean it's pretty much a given."

"Pretty much. . ." He agreed.

"That sounds like Shukaku alright, well, from what Ryuna has said about him."

"Ryuna's been talking about me?!"

"You thought she never would?" Gaara asked in return, but the tanuki didn't bother to answer back.

"Can I ask you something personal?"

"It depends on the question you're asking." He admitted, not really saying yes, but curious enough to not say no either.

"What seal was used to seal Shukaku in you?"

"Huh?" Shukaku smartly asked as Gaara's eyes widened slightly. "Did she really just ask that?"

"The seal tends to make all the difference for us jinchurikis," Shizuka explained as she got back to her feet. "A seal that's rightly configured can safely hold back a tailed beast's power so that it doesn't corrupt your mind and chakra in a negative way. . . Improperly configured seals, or ones not designed to handle the chakra load, will lead to unintended consequences. Maybe that's the case for you. . ."

"Is it really that possible?"

"How the hell should I know, and if I did, why would I ever tell you when my main goal is to be free from you?" Shukaku asked, though there wasn't much bite to his words. "Anyway, I don't need to remind you that your homeland has always been very inconsistent with the sealing arts. You guys can handle the basic sealing techniques that everyone else knows, but when it comes to the advanced stuff? Boy, your kingdom isn't known for producing masters."

"Well, that answer was helpful . . ."

"I don't know what seal was used to seal Shukaku into me," Gaara stated, speaking the truth. "And why do you even ask? I doubt that you're as knowledgeable in the subject as you're trying to let on."

"Huh, good catch . . . My parents are considered sealing masters - my mom more so than my dad - and they've been teaching my brother and I what they know, but thanks to their royal duties, the lessons tend to be few and far between," The blonde admitted, even looking a little miffed over it. "Anyway, I better get going. I've taken up too much of your time, and I'm sure you want to get back to finding Sasuke."

"Are you really going to let her leave like that fleshbag?" Shukaku asked as the two watched her walk away.

"What do you expect me to do Shukaku? Say goodbye?!"

"Well, you could thank her for the intel, for starters."

"Wait a second. Are you seriously giving me advice on manners?!"

"It sounds like I am, doesn't it. . .? Don't expect this to happen from me again."

"I really can't believe you sometimes. . ." Gaara mumbled, not believing that he was about to do what the tanuki just suggested. "Wait!"

"Yes?" Shizuka asked, turning around to face him once again. "Is there something else you want from me?"

"It's just . . ." He trailed off, sucking in a deep breath before going into a picture-perfect bow. "Thank you, for the intel."

"Oh, you're welcome," She said in return, admittedly shocked at Gaara's apparent sincerity. "Never expected that, but it is very welcomed. . . From one jinchuriki to another, I wish you the best of luck on your search, Prince Gaara."

"From one jinchuriki to another? Wishing you the best of luck . . ? You think she's being honest?"

"I'm not too sure," Gaara thought as he watched her jump from rooftop to rooftop in the direction of her family's palace. "Only time will tell, but for now, I'll keep an eye on her."

"Of course you will . . ."

"Again, shut it Shukaku!"

A/N: Leave a comment if you like!