Chapter 17 - Speculation
Two days before the finals
"Princess Temari, Prince Kankuro! Are you two awake?!"
Baki's voice cut through the nighttime silence like a kunai impaling a person's skin. Gaara could hear him from his spot on the patio, and when he looked up, he found the man at the doorway, gesturing for him to come inside.
"Now what does he want with you and your siblings?"
"Well, there's only one way to find out. . ."
Rising to his feet, Gaara took a minute to stretch before making his way inside, where he found his sister already sitting at the dining room table, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there as she looked at Baki, who stood at the head of the table.
"You must have a good reason for waking us up in the middle of the night I hope?" She asked, her voice heavy with sleep as Gaara slid into the chair next to hers. "Is this about what happened to that Sound ninja a while back?"
Konoha went on high alert after what remained of Dosu Kinuta's body was found by the kingdom's ANBU division. Gaara made sure that no trace of his presence could be found, and so far, he was never approached by the Konoha's Interrogation Division, or anyone connected to the ongoing investigation.
It still didn't stop Gaara from occasionally using his sand to do surveillance on those associated with the case though.
"It's not about that, but I will hold what I know until all three of you are seated," Baki explained as he looked in the direction of the puppeteer's room. ". . . Well, once Kankuro finally graces us with his presence that is."
"He must still be asleep; probably worked on his puppets till he went unconscious," Temari theorized as she turned to Gaara. ". . . Do you want to wake him up this time, or should I have the honor?"
"I think I'll take this one on. . . You may accidently bludgeon him with your fan if you do it."
"I do tend to be a little less coordinated with my weapon when I'm tired." She sarcastically remarked as she watched her brother outstretched his hand toward their patio. They watched as a sliver of Gaara's sand entered the room before making its way to Kankuro's room, slipping through the crack under the door to enter.
"So, are you going to just drop it on him?" Temari asked as a contemplative look crossed her brother's face.
"Nope. . ." Gaara admitted as they heard a noise that suspiciously sounded like a slap echo from Kankuro's room, soon followed by an indignant shout from their brother. ". . . Where's the fun in that?"
"I like the way you think Gaara," Temari admitted as they heard some loud shuffling echo from their brother's room. Two minutes passed before Kankuro finally entered the room, sporting a noticeably red mark on his left cheek.
The sight was enough to make Temari grin, Baki shake his head, and Shukaku to laugh uncontrollably in Gaara's head. The redhead was the only one to not have a noticeable reaction, but he wasn't an expressive person to begin with, so his stoic face was simply par for the course.
"Was giving me a sandy bitch slap really necessary?"
Kankuro's choice of words was enough to make his sister break out in sudden laughter, and it even caused Baki to hold back a snort. Gaara didn't immediately react to his brother's words, but if he had eyebrows - since he was, strangely, never born with them - his right one would have gone up slightly.
"In the moment, yes."
". . . I will pay you back for this." Kankuro grumbled as he pointed to his left cheek.
"Yeah, we'll see about that. . ." Temari teased, knowing that there was no way Kankuro was going to get the drop on their sibling, not when Gaara had his sand always playing defense for him.
"Okay, before you three start talking about whether or not Kankuro will get his revenge for the slap anytime soon, I do have some news to share with you all," the turban wearing jonin declared as he took out a small scroll from his pocket. "A messenger from the Wind consulate brought this over half an hour ago."
"There's only one person that it could possibly be from," Temari mumbled as she glared holes into the royal seal inscribed on the scroll's side, her brothers directing their eyes to Baki instead. "Father's close to the village, isn't he?"
"He and his entourage should arrive a little after daybreak. . . You're all expected to greet him at the gate when he arrives," Baki explained as he rolled the message over to the princess. "And, per royal custom, expect the Fire King to be there to greet him as well."
"How many people will join him?" Temari asked as she opened the scroll and started skimming through the wording.
"Your father usually travels with a small group, a rotation of royal council members, advisors, and maybe one or two heads of some of the kingdom's most notable families," Baki mused as he watched the princess hand the scroll over to Kankuro. "King Minato will likely have the same kind of people within his retinue when they meet, though the exact numbers remain unknown."
"You think King Minato's entire family will be there too?" Kankuro asked as he passed the message over to Gaara, who declined it, passing it back to Baki instead.
"Queen Kushina has always been by his side whenever he greets royal visitors, so she's a guarantee. . . From what I've gathered, this will be the first time Prince Naruto and Princess Shizuka will be joining them," Baki explained. "Apparently, royal and noble children do not greet foreign dignitaries here until they are either a certain age or have achieved the rank of genin."
"Has that always been the rule here?"
"No Kankuro, it has not," Their sensei answered, shaking his head. "It's a rule that has been in place for only over a decade ago, so it is still recent compared to other, more ancient edicts . . . From what I've heard, the rule came about soon after an incident between the Hyuuga Clan and the Lightning Kingdom occurred."
"What incident?" Gaara asked.
"Apparently, the ambassador of the Lightning Kingdom, at the time, thought it was a good idea to use his visit for some . . . bloodline snatching."
"What a stupidly risky thing for him to even consider!" Kankuro complained as his sister shook her head in disbelief.
"Kidnapping people for their bloodline is nothing new. . . It used to be a widespread practice during the Warring States era and it's still common in the criminal underground," Temari added, looking disgusted. "But an ambassador? Especially one from a Big Five kingdom like Lightning? What could have possessed him to try something that could have caused an all-out war between his homeland and Fire?"
"No one honestly knows. . . Some believe it was all part of a secret mission assigned to him from his king - a claim that will be vehemently denied if ever asked, or so I've been told - and others believe he was working on his own," Baki surmised, shaking his head at the idiocy of it all. "Regardless of who thought of the idea in the first place, it happened, and the ambassador paid dearly with his life."
"As if it could end in any other way. . ." Kankuro commented, shrugging slightly. "Do you know who he targeted exactly?"
"Lady Hinata of the Hyuga Clan . . . I'm sure you all remember her."
"He went after the clan heiress?!" Kankuro exclaimed, all three siblings remembering the Hyuuga from the Showcase. ". . . How stupid can you be?! The Hyuugas are one of the preeminent clans in the Fire Kingdom. Going after one of them is risky enough but going after the leader's daughter?! Is the Byakugan really worth so much stupidity?"
"It is if you're trying to get it in its purest form," Gaara suggested, speaking up. "The Byakugan is one of the strongest doujutsus around, and Lady Hinata is supposed to be from the strongest line in her clan, correct?"
"That's usually how most shinobi clans work. The strongest line of the family is the one that tends to lead it." Baki confirmed, nodding slightly.
"And Lady Hinata is a genin at best skill wise. . . A Byakugan from a strong line that has yet to reach its full potential? That could cause some people to do stupid things to attain it for their purposes, don't you think?" Gaara suggested, glancing over at his sister, who was still looking disgusted for some reason. "Temari?"
"I heard you Gaara. It's just that. . . well, there's more than one reason why bloodline snatching is such a problematic issue. It's not just about gaining power. It's also about maintaining that same power," She mumbled, looking angry as the implication of her words settled in the room. "The Lightning Kingdom is infamous for accumulating power any way they can and getting and maintaining a powerful dojutsu in their ranks is probably high on their list."
"But the only way that I can see that happening is, well. . ." Kankuro mumbled, knowing he was about to say a phrase that his sister outright hated to hear. ". . . A breeding program."
"If you want to make sure a bloodline lasts generations, a breeding program is the strongest way to go, regardless of how detestable the practice is." Temari spat out, looking like she was itching to grab her fan to blow something, or anything, away right at this moment.
"Hmm, it's rare to see your sister look so angry. . . She really hates breeding programs, doesn't she?"
"Yes, she does, especially the ones that force their candidates to comply."
"But don't breeding programs have a beneficial purpose overall for you humans?"
"It helps in terms of repopulation, but that's a drastic measure, one that's not utilized till it's actually necessary."
"And yet you humans still practice it when it's not absolutely necessary. . . All for the sake of your greed and power."
Gaara didn't have an answer for that, mainly because the tanuki had the right of it. Breeding programs were a controversial issue no matter how you spin it. Sure, they had the benefit of increasing numbers that were previously lost, but it came with a host of ethical and political concerns that made it an idea that did more harm than good.
When the siblings first learned about breeding programs, Temari didn't take long to condemn the idea, getting into quite the debate with their tutor that day. At the end of it, she swore that she would never institute such a policy during her reign as queen unless a situation occurred that made it absolutely necessary, which she hoped would never happen, at least in her lifetime.
That same lesson also had a second effect on the crown princess, mainly that her opinion on the Lightning Kingdom took a definite nosedive once she knew how frequently that kingdom used such tactics.
In truth, no kingdom was willing to admit that it utilized breeding programs in their history - and some, like Fire and Wind, can legitimately say they never did - but the Lightning Kingdom was just the opposite. In the early part of its history, Lightning was infamous for sending out hunting parties tasked with finding people with unique chakra or notable bloodlines to bring back into their fold.
It ended up being a contributing factor to the outbreak of the First Shinobi World War, and at the end of it, the Lightning Kingdom was forced to give up their breeding policy as part of the armistice treaty they signed with the other nations involved.
Despite the official agreement however, the Lightning Kingdom has found ways around it, which only made them more notorious, but it didn't damage their standing in the world. In fact, with the Water Kingdom still in the midst of civil war, the Earth Kingdom's continuing isolation, and the Wind Kingdom's weakening economic standing, only the Fire Kingdom would really match Lightning in overall strength.
"You are correct in your assessment Temari, but as you've already seen, Hinata Hyuga did not fall into Lightning's hands, but that didn't mean King A was going to stop trying, even after he found out that his man was killed before he could even get past Konoha's gates," Baki further explained.
"And how in the world did he expect to succeed?" Gaara couldn't help but ask, irritated by the monarch's arrogance. "It's not like he could claim that his side was innocent."
"When the suspect happens to be your very own ambassador, it makes it really hard not to think that the king didn't give his tacit approval to the plan to begin with," Kankuro added. "He could play dumb or proclaim his innocence all he wants, but no one is going to fully believe him."
"You both make a fair point Kankuro, Gaara, but still, even kings can dream," Baki conceded. "King A likely knew he wouldn't get away from this incident scot-free - at the very least, he knew his reputation on the international stage had just taken a big hit - but I guess he figured he could still get something in return based on the fact that one of his top officials still died at the hands of another high ranking official while on official diplomatic business in a foreign land."
"They say that the Lightning Monarchs always seek an opportunity even in the midst of defeat," Temari grumbled as she looked off to the side. "So, this was par for the course I guess."
"True, but whatever advantage he was hoping to get did not come to fruition. . . King A was determined to get a sample of the Byakugan, but King Minato, understandably, was not going to let that happen. I do not know the specific details, but whatever he came up with, it was successful in making sure that the Hyuuga's dojutsu, or any jutsu or bloodline for that matter, would not come to Lightning anytime soon."
"And thus, another chapter in the long, antagonistic history between Konoha and Kumo was written." Kankuro mumbled as he got up from his seat. "Anyway, if there isn't anything else, I'm going back to my room. There's still a few hours to go till daybreak, and I plan to use them wisely."
"That's the kind of sentiment I can agree with." Temari mumbled as she too got up, watching Baki for any sign of more remarks, only to receive none. "Okay then, I'll see you all in the morning then."
Gaara was about to head back to the porch - much to Shukaku's displeasure - when he noticed Baki was watching him from the corner of his eyes. It was a look that the redhead was all too familiar with, especially in recent days, unflinching with its intensity as it searched for answers that only he had. Gaara knew that look would only go away once he started talking, so he figured it was best to nip things in the bud now before they became more problematic later.
"Yes?" The redhead asked as he looked over at his sensei. "You look like you want to ask me something."
"What gave me away?"
"Just a hunch," was all Gaara would say as he sat back down. "So, what do you want to say to me?"
"You let Shukaku out to take out the Sound genin a few weeks ago."
"Well, that was blunt."Shukaku managed to say as Gaara let out a curse in his head. "He must have tailed us that night."
"Looks like it," His vessel admitted as Baki's eyes narrowed at his lack of response. "Out of all the nights he could have followed me, he chose that night to do it."
"I hope you don't plan to deny it because I won't believe it for a second. Not when I witnessed it with my own eyes," Baki announced matter-of-factly as he leaned forward. "I simply want to know why you did it."
"And I'm curious to know why you're asking me this now when you could have done it sooner," Gaara calmly spoke in return as he crossed his arms, his words challenging despite his tone.
"I have my reasons Gaara. . ."
"Reasons that you're willing to share?"
"If that gets you talking, yes," Baki declared as he placed his hands on the table. "So, do you want to start, or should I?"
"Since you are the one that brought this up, you can have the honors," The redhead conceded, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Well thank you for being so considerate," Baki stated, keeping his tone light despite the apparent dig he directed at his charge.
Judging from how Gaara's eyes narrowed at his words, the young boy didn't think it was funny. "Anyway, as you already know, I serve more than one purpose to you and your siblings. . . I'm not just your mentor, and I'm not just one of your father's advisers."
"You also serve as a last line of defense for when Shukaku really starts acting up," Gaara concludes. "Though I have no idea what that exactly entails."
"As if I could ever tell you when your tenant is listening in at all times?"
"The man has a point." Shukaku quietly mumbled, speaking for the first time in quite a while. "Saying what he could do to stop me while I'm in hearing distance would be absolute stupid on his part."
"And if he did say what he could do, what exactly would you do in response?"
"As if I would tell you that!" The tanuki exclaimed, sounding smug.
"You have no idea what you would do, do you?"
Gaara was met with deafening silence, but he could feel the indignation rolling off the tailed beast in waves.
"Are you finished with your. . . internal dialogue?" Baki asked, having long grown used to the sudden pauses Gaara would take to address his tenant.
"For now," The redhead admitted. "I may have said something that pissed Shukaku off, so we won't be talking for a while. . . As you were saying?"
"You should be careful with how much you upset him. It's better to deal with a tailed beast in a good mood than a bad one, right?"
"I'll keep your advice under consideration."
"I'm just making sure no tailed beast sized rampages happen on my watch, that's all," Baki admitted, raising his hands in a placating gesture. "Anyway, my task is especially important on nights where the moon is full. . . Throughout its history, Shukaku has become notorious for running rampant on nights such as those and considering that a full moon was out that same night the Sound ninja died, well, I believe you can connect the dots."
"You followed me to make sure that I didn't go crazy." Gaara mumbled, nodding in understanding.
"Well, it would look bad if a towering ball of chakra suddenly appeared in the middle of Konoha without any explanation, wouldn't it? We don't need one of our closest allies thinking we suddenly betrayed them because our prince failed to keep Shukaku contained," Baki muttered, keeping his gaze leveled with his young charge. "Besides, between you and me, how do you think Shukaku would fare in a possible battle between himself and the Nine and Ten Tails, his two strongest siblings?"
"That sounds like an absolute dream to me! I'd definitely tear Kurama a new one!"Shukaku declared, though his tone noticeably changed as he started talking about his sister.
"And your sister?"
"Eh, Ryuna?" Shukaku mumbled, sounding like he just remembered the other part of Baki's question. ". . . On second thought."
"You're scared of your sister, aren't you?"
"I'm not scared . . . I'm just not one for getting on her bad side, that's all."
"Because you know she'll just squish you like a bug?"
"Oh, shut up. . ."
Gaara didn't dare to give a comeback, mostly because he was too busy mentally filing this latest bit of info away for another day.
"Hmm, that's a fight Shukaku won't get out of completely unscathed, that's for certain," Gaara conceded, finding a way to be both honest and placating all at once. "Plus, we don't know the exact relationship the twins have with their tailed beasts."
"All the more reason to playthings safe while in another kingdom."
"Fair enough. Well, I guess it's time to tell my side now, though it's not much of a story to begin with," Gaara mumbled, taking a deep breath. "I wasn't looking for trouble that night. Trouble found me. . . The Sound ninja approached me, blatantly saying that if he killed me, it would better his chances to face Sasuke."
"The Uchiha?" Baki mumbled, his tone questioning. "Why in the world would he be eager to face him specifically?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I didn't really bother to ask," The redhead said in return, shaking his head. "Anyway, Shukaku was making his usual racket, so I made a quick deal with him."
"A deal?"
"I allowed him to kill the mummy, and in exchange, he would give me some piece of mind for the rest of the night," He went on to explain in the face of Baki's inquisitive stare. "We both kept our sides of the deal, and that's that."
"And Shukaku hasn't been pestering you since?"
"He nags, but I wouldn't say pester."
"Don't start fleshbag."
"And you have had no issues with any Sound ninja since then?" Baki asked, his eyes narrowing. "Not even the boy's teammates?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Gaara mumbled as he thought it over, soon realizing something that should have come to him sooner. . .
. . . Much sooner. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen any trace of his team since the preliminaries ended . . . Did they leave the village?"
"They have. . . When the remains were found the day after he was declared missing, his team had no other reason to remain in the village. They left that night. . . The Sound King sent word that he was canceling his trip two days after they departed."
"You don't seem so happy about that." Gaara noted, unable to ignore the irritation he could hear in the man's voice.
"I shouldbe but considering what our spy network in the Sound Kingdom has relayed back to us these past few weeks, the move isn't sitting right with me," Baki grumbled. "The Sound King may have sent a letter to both King Minato and your father to explain his reasoning for the cancellation, but I doubt either believed it."
"Do you think that the Sound could be planning something?"
"Possibly . . . At the very least, I believe King Minato suspects as much," Baki theorized as he looked at his charge intently. "I bet you've noticed it as well, the strengthening of security around the village."
"That's not uncommon for a village hosting the showcase though."
"It's not just Konoha that has been seeing such an increase," The man countered. "Most of the kingdom itself has seen such increases as well, and King Minato is not one for making such decisions unless he had enough evidence to validate such actions . . . At this point, it's highly unlikely that he'll cancel the finals, but he is making sure that his territory is secure enough that nothing too big will slip through the cracks."
"I see . . ." Gaara conceded as Baki stood up. "Are you going to tell Temari and Kankuro about this?"
"I will, likely when we're on our way to the gate to meet with your father, but for now, I better get some sleep before the sun makes its appearance," Baki mused as he moved toward his room. "Good night Gaara."
"Good night . . ." Said the young prince, watching him leave till he was out of view. "Shukaku, do you mind if I ask you a question?"
"I have nothing else to do while I'm in here, so you might as well ask Fleshbag . . ."
"What do you think of this whole issue with the Sound?"
"Hmm, you know me. I'm more of an 'out in the open' kind of beast, so all this talk about suspicions is not my cup of tea, but I believe things could become quite interesting if the Sound does decide to try something,"The tanuki mumbled as he let out a soft chortle. "It's all up to the Sound King at this point. He could plan some covert operation, a kidnapping scheme, or a sting operation to steal some of Fire's most important and forbidden scrolls . . . Or he could order an all-out attack on Konoha during the middle of the finals. Who knows?"
"Everything you just said is possible, but there must be a reason behind all this speculation. . . Every action has some motivation behind it."
"Maybe he hates that the Fire Kingdom is such a flourishing nation? Or maybe he hates that it has the two most powerful tailed beasts in its possession and wants one for his kingdom?"
The sudden thought of Shizuka getting kidnapped crossed through the redhead's mind, but he immediately pushed it aside, not wanting to speculate on it too long . . . well, that was the reason he gave himself.
Shukaku didn't believe him for one second.
"It's a possibility, but then again, that seems too petty a reason." Gaara mumbled as he brought a hand to his chin. "An all-out attack doesn't sound completely feasible for a kingdom of Oto's size."
"Not yet, in any case . . . They may not be able to do it alone, but they could have allies waiting in the wings."
"It wouldn't be any of the other Big Five kingdoms. Water is still busy with their civil war, and neither my old man nor the Lightning King would be willing to side with a kingdom they know almost nothing about."
"And what about the Earth Kingdom? They were the most antagonistic towards Fire during the last war and suffered heavy losses at their hands. . . They'd be the most agreeable to an alliance that would take the Fire Kingdom down a peg, wouldn't they?"
"True, but the Earth Kingdom is too isolationist to really be interested in offer that the Sound could offer, and we don't know the full extent of their exact losses from that war, so it's hard to determine how helpful they could honestly be," Gaara mumbled as he recalled his history lessons. "Plus, the Old King is known for not making any agreements unless he's absolutely certain his country could truly benefit from it, and the Sound Kingdom is too much of a wildcard to hedge such bets."
"Well, look at you, analyzing situations like a seasoned politician. . ."
"I have to use what I learned from all those lessons eventually . . . Anyway, I believe King Minato's smart enough to account for that," Gaara thought as he stood up."For all we know, he's probably had background checks ordered for every person that's passed through the village gate in the past month and a half to make sure everyone is who they say they are."
"Quite an invasion of privacy, don't you think?"
"We live in a society where spying, covert infiltration, and invading one's privacy is part of the norm."
"Alright, you got me there . . ." Shukaku conceded, though he didn't seem so happy that he said it. "So, are you looking forward to seeing the princess again tomorrow?"
"Shukaku!" Gaara growled, not in the mood for this as he moved toward his room. "You're really trying to bring that up?"
"What?! Did you really think I would let this die?!" The tanuki asked, completely unrepentant."Ha, you have another thing com-!"
Gaara immediately tuned Shukaku out before he could finish, choosing not to engage in the tanuki's topic of choice as he shut the door behind him. He stayed there until it was near time to meet with the incoming royal party, freshening up in his bathroom before putting on a set of dark green and black formal robes, complete with a white haori emblazoned with the personal symbol of the Wind royal family: a golden gourd surrounded by a circle of bronze.
When he walked into the living room, he found his siblings were already ready to go, dressed in similar outfits to his own, save for the inner lining of Temari's haori being a light green instead of his and Kankuro's darker hue. Baki was the last to arrive, dressed in silver robes denoting his status as a high official in their father's court. When he saw that they were all ready to go, he simply nodded before leading them out, the three following silently behind him.
The village was starting to come to life as they quietly made their way through the streets toward the village gate. As their destination finally came into view, the group was quick to notice that they would not be the first to arrive, just the opposite in fact.
King Minato was already there with his entourage, dressed in formal robes of his own as he spoke with Shikaku Nara, his chief advisor, and Kakashi Hatake, one of the top jonin in his kingdom, as well as the current sensei of Prince Naruto and his team.
On the other hand, his wife, Queen Kushina, was speaking with two women - a wild haired brunette with red markings on her face and a pale skinned woman that looked similar to Sasuke - a few feet away from them, all three wearing kimonos and haoris with different insignias on the back. As for the royal twins, they were speaking with Sasuke and Shikamaru, the only other heirs that were present.
"Baki, do you know who the Queen is speaking to?" Temari asked, her curiosity rearing its head.
"The slightly wild looking brunette is Lady Tsume Inuzuka, the current head of the Inuzuka Clan. If you remember, it was her son, Lord Kiba, who faced Prince Naruto during the preliminary matchups," said the older man. "The other woman is Lady Mikoto Uchiha. She's currently the regent of the Uchiha Clan, staying in that role till Lord Sasuke is promoted to chunin . . . well, from what I've heard of course."
"Huh, wasn't the head of the Uchiha Clan a man named Fugaku?" Kankuro asked, his eyes wide in curiosity.
"Lord Fugaku, Lady Mikoto's husband, was the head of the clan, for a time. . ."
"For a time?" Temari asked, her tone sounding interested, and a little concerned.
"I'm guessing that whatever happened is a part of some clan business that's only known by those within and closely associated with the Uchiha Clan?" Gaara asked as the four came to a stop a few feet away from the other group, studiously keeping his gaze away from the Fire Princess before Shukaku could bother to say anything.
And he knew that the tanuki was just itching to say something.
"What Gaara suggested is correct," Baki admitted as he glanced at the Uchiha regent. "From what I can recall, the Uchiha Clan went into disarray for a time a few years ago, to the point that it was feared that a civil war could break out within the family."
"A civil war?" Kankuro whispered, his tone sharp as he looked up at his sensei.
"A family feud of that magnitude, and with all those Sharingan users," Temari contemplated. "That's a mess that has the potential to drag all of Konoha, and even the entire Fire Kingdom, into the fold. . . A destabilizing crisis if there ever was one, but it never got that far?"
"Somehow, it didn't. I do not know how much outside interference was needed to avert such a disaster, but by the end of the situation Lord Itachi, Lord Sasuke's older brother, found himself as the new head of the clan."
"And Lord Fugaku was never seen again?" Temari mused. "Sounds like someone, or something, did him in."
"Whatever happened, you'll be hard pressed to get answers from anyone that knows them, the Uchihas especially," Baki mumbled, annoyed at the lack of information. "However, what was more surprising than Lord Itachi's sudden jump into clan leadership, was his quick abdication from the role."
"He gave it up?!" Kankuro harshly whispered, his siblings a little amazed by the fact that he didn't yell out like they expected him to.
"Indeed, he did, though the reason as to why remains a mystery . . . Once his mother was officially installed as regent of the clan, Lord Itachi disappeared. No one has seen or heard from him since."
"Okay, all this drama with the Uchiha sounds like something out of one of those crime dramas Temari likes to read a lot."
"Eh, Kankuro's not entirely off base there," Temari conceded as she tucked her hands into the sleeves of her kimono. "But now is not the time to speculate on family drama."
"Temari's right." Gaara mumbled, his mood souring when he spotted the incoming caravan coming up the road. ". . . Cause Father's here."
The Fire King and his entourage were also quick to spot the incoming Wind retinue, and with a quick nod to the siblings and Baki, the two groups fell into place, standing at attention as the visitors finally passed through the open gate. King Rasa led the pack, dressed in the robes that distinguished his status as the Kazekage, his official military title.
Despite it being a time of peace, it was known throughout the kingdoms that the Wind King would wear his military robes whenever he traveled outside his borders, so when King Minato saw his counterpart in the familiar garb, he wasn't bothered by it in the slightest as he stepped forward to greet him.
"Welcome to Konoha King Rasa!" King Minato announced, greeting the man warmly as the two shook hands. "I hope you and your party didn't have many issues during your trip."
"Not in the slightest King Minato," The man admitted as he clasped his hands behind his back. "It was quiet on the way here, almost boring."
In addition to his Kazekage hat, King Rasa wore a piece of white fabric around his face, leaving his eyes as the only part of his head that was truly visible. Though he was known for obscuring his face whenever he traveled, Gaara couldn't help but feel off about him, a feeling that his tenant was quick to notice.
"Something the matter? I'm not getting the usual spell of emotions that you feel whenever you and your father are in the same vicinity."
"I don't know Shukaku. . ." Gaara mumbled as he watched King Minato gestured for his wife and their twins to step forward to greet their royal guest. "There's something a bit off here, but I can't place my finger on it."
"Got any theories?"
"Right now, not really," The redhead admitted as he watched his father speak with the twins. While Naruto spoke with a stoicism that Gaara, and the rest of his team for that matter, thought he was never capable of possessing, Shizuka watched on with a keen eye, as if she were trying to figure him out with just one look alone.
"Well then, looks like you're not the only one thinking like this, if the Fire Princess' gaze is any indication. . . You two can compare notes,"Shukaku helpfully added, grinning mischievously as he felt his vessel try to hold back the grimace that threatened to show on his face, knowing that he got him once again. "Just a suggestion for later."
"No. . ." Gaara managed to say as the two parties continued with the introductions. He noticed his father's eyes linger on Sasuke for longer than it was necessary before finally turning to look at him and his siblings, his head moving minutely in a simple, but explicit statement.
Come over here, now.
"And so, our father beckons. . ." Temari mumbled as she led them forward, followed quietly by Kankuro and Baki, leaving Gaara to bring up the rear. "Let's just get this over with."
"I don't know what's going on exactly, but if you feel that something is off, stay on guard. . . Things may become far from normal before they get any better."
"Yeah . . ." Gaara mumbled as he watched his father introduce his sister to the Fire King, watching his behavior keenly. "You may be on to something Shukaku."
A/N: Leave a comment if you like!