IMPORTANT AUTHOR's NOTE: Due to the extreme levels of bots DMing or leaving 'reviews' offering to do art commissions, this is my FINAL UPDATE to my FFnet account until this problem is resolved.
Every story I am working on and new ones including an upcoming GaaSaku A/B/O will ONLY be on AO3 under the username KamuiK.
Herald the Wind is almost completed on AO3.
Multiple new chapters have been posted for You, Who Know My Heart on AO3.
The prodigal child has returned.
At least, that was what it felt like to Naruto and Sakura. And Kakashi too, if one saw the way the Copy Nin had arrived on the scene, hair slightly wind-ruffled by his mad dash.
The same could not be said of the protective circle of ANBU that was surrounding the Uchiha avenger. A few of them had glanced backwards to check that the Regimental Commander was indeed with the Konoha-nin that had came rushing up to them, and Gaara was still too stunned to do much except attempt to school his features into neutrality; He was the face of the Allied Shinobi Forces after all, and had to present himself as the leader that befitted his title.
Especially if it was to a shinobi who tried to kill him more than once, and turned away his offer of friendship afterwards. Showing any emotion at all, be it a positive one or not, was akin to showing weakness.
While it was always a possibility that Sasuke would join them, the odds of it seemed so unlikely that even Sakura deemed it too far-fetched an idea to mention to Naruto upon his return. The last thing she wanted to do was to get Naruto's hopes up, which would explain Naruto's elation upon the arrival of his sworn rival-slash-teammate.
"Yo, teme!" Naruto called out boisterously, fist pumping into the air as he tried to decide if it was a good idea to just push his way towards Sasuke or wait for him to make the first move.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Gaara's voice came out colder than he planned, and at the utterance, the sea of ANBU parted before them to reveal that Sasuke was indeed standing amongst them in the flesh.
Along with two of his male teammates, from the looks of it; Gaara barely remembered them both, having his attention focused on Sasuke when they fought during the Kage Summit. He had tried to sway the raven-haired avenger back to Naruto's side once more, but Sasuke had been consumed by a desire for vengeance that he did not understand.
Sasuke lifted his gaze to meet Gaara's, and the redhead could clearly see that there was something different about him since their previous encounter; where they were once blood-red with rage and his activated Sharingan, two inscrutable black irises peered back at him, guarding their owner's emotions in their placidity.
"Sabaku no Gaara," Sasuke returned the greeting just as formally, and he tilted his head in a slight bow, "Or do I need to address you as the Regimental Commander?"
Seeing that the ANBU around them were still very much poised for a possible confrontation, Gaara made a gesture with his hand that was their signal to stand down. Most of the ANBU obeyed at once, though a few appeared reluctant to lower their weapons. They eventually did so under Gaara's stern glare.
"Ah, let's dispense with the formality," Kakashi smiled in a strangely serene way that was contradicted by his almost panicked rush to join up with Naruto and Sakura, "After all, you have all known each other since you were genin!"
Sakura felt ready to facepalm herself at Kakashi's words. Why did he have to bring up the absolute worst circumstances that Gaara and Sasuke had collided under - as opponents in a battle to (a possible) death in the Chunin Examinations? Not to mention, the silent challenge thrown between them during their first meeting on the streets of Konoha. Even the normally oblivious Naruto seemed to have taken note of Kakashi's faux pas, if the way his lips were pulled into a tight smile was any indication.
Sasuke cocked his head, uttering his familiar soft "hn" as his eyes swept slowly over his former teammates. He paused briefly when his eyes landed on Sakura, and it was more due to habit than anything else that she reached up and tucked her fringe behind her ear. Naruto looked as if he was itching to dash forward, maybe clap Sasuke on his shoulder or punch him in the face - both scenarios seemed equally likely when considering the circumstances under which this meeting was occuring.
As for Kakashi… Well, his slanted forehead protector and mask made him mostly unreadable to Gaara.
"I have a scroll here from the Hokage, delivered to me by Orochimaru," Sasuke finally said, and he locked eyes with Gaara as he held his hand out to his orange-haired companion. The taller man reached into his cloak to retrieve the requested item, and every ANBU in the vicinity tensed up at once. Gaara had to wave them down as he walked forward, though he gave an additional hand signal to one ANBU captain to keep watch on the newcomers. The captain did not openly acknowledge him, but Gaara knew that his order had been received.
"Kazekage-sama," Sakura whispered as he brushed past her. In warning? In worry? He could not place the tone of her voice, nor could he tell to whom those emotions were directed at. Instead of glancing towards her to try to understand what she was feeling right now, it was more prudent to address the party in front of him.
After all, as far as the Allied Shinobi Forces knew, Uchiha Sasuke was supposed to be a rogue-nin who had not only attacked their Kage's; he was also allied to Akatsuki, and his appearance here was not a welcomed one.
The scroll was passed to Sasuke from his companion, who then held it out for Gaara to approach and take it from him. It was a disrespective gesture to make a Kage approach for a presented item from a lower-ranked shinobi, but all of Gaara's attention was fixed on the tiny scroll that was being handed to him.
The first thing he noticed on the scroll was the wax seal of the Hokage, long familiar to him through their frequent correspondence. It was somewhat worn and melted in places, probably from being handled roughly over weeks. Breaking it was a simple enough task, and jade-green eyes carefully scanned the contents of the surprisingly brusque message within.
"Esteemed Regimental Commander,
The bearer of this scroll has sworn allegiance to the Allied Shinobi Forces. He is to be treated as any other member of our army would, and the needs of his teammates should be met as well.
I am sure you have questions, and I will be happy to provide the answers anytime.
Fifth Hokage, Senju Tsunade."
He had to fight to stop his fingers from curling into the scroll and crumpling it; it would not do to let others read his disquiet so easily. Instead, he drew in a deep breath before rolling the scroll back up to tuck it inside his vest.
"Kazekage-sama?" Baki had finally joined them, though he stopped two steps behind Gaara. The mistrust in his visible eye told the redhead that his former teacher-turned-advisor was a good gauge of how the Allied Shinobi Forces at large felt about Sasuke's appearance.
As if the tense aura from the surrounding ANBU was not enough of a giveaway.
"Sasuke and his team here are joining us as our allies as of this moment." The wave of disbelieving murmurs and whispers swelled at Gaara's explanation. "See that they are given the standard issue supplies we have, and set them up near Naruto's tent."
It was a thinly-veiled way of saying that he did not fully trust the Uchiha, and was hoping that Naruto's eagerness to welcome his former teammate meant that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki would be an unwitting if highly efficient means of keeping track of Sasuke, and would likely dissuade him from making any threatening moves against the army.
"Wait, we don't get food or anything? Sasuke, I thought you told me these guys were supposed to be hospitable!" The white-haired man to Sasuke's right grumbled, and to his credit, Sasuke did not flinch at the whine at the end of his complaint.
Baki glanced at Gaara for instructions, and Gaara's reply was neutral, "Per the Hokage's request, they should be treated as part of the army now, and should have access to the mess hall. I know the hour is late, but I am sure the kitchen staff can handle this."
Turning his attention to Naruto who looked two seconds away from bouncing off the nearest wall from pent-up energy, he said, "Please show Sasuke around the camp so he does not get lost. I regret that I cannot join you all for now, but I need to speak to the War Council immediately."
He offered a polite tip of his head towards Sasuke, and sand was starting to seep out from his gourd to teleport him away when he was interrupted by a swift movement from the raven-haired man in front of him. Every single member of the ANBU tightened the grip on their weapons at once, earning them a slow scoff of exasperation as Gaara felt thoroughly baby-sat; his title was more than just the ridiculous hat - it marked him as a shinobi of exceptional calibre as well, and he should be trusted to handle an opponent like Sasuke on any regular day. Except that today (nor all the days in the better part of the past year) had not been a regular day for anyone.
Then he looked down at what Sasuke was holding out to him.
A hand. Held sideways and devoid of any traces of weaponry. His wrist guard was too small to be hiding a kunai underneath. Perhaps a senbon…?
Kakashi cleared his throat rather obnoxiously behind him.
Oh.
A handshake.
Uchiha Sasuke was offering him a handshake. A sign of cordiality. An agreement to peace between them.
Gaara lifted his right hand and clasped Sasuke's in his, giving him a firm squeeze and felt the act returned just a little more substantially than his own. Behind him, Sakura emitted a soft squeak of… mortification?
Very curious.
They both let go at the same time, and with a nod to Baki, the Kazekage vanished in a vortex of sand.
With Gaara and the ANBU no longer obstructing their view, the members of the former Team Seven could finally look upon Sasuke clearly. Though not an exceptionally tall man, Sasuke's presence was keenly felt by all around them even without the sinister appearance of his infamous Sharingan. With his two male teammates flanking him, he looked every bit the leader of his motley crew of avengers.
Naturally, Naruto was the first to walk forward, stepping right into Sasuke's personal space and thrusting his chin at him as he glared, "Where the heck have ya been, teme? We've been fightin' and Sakura-chan has been fixin' up the dying for months now, and ya finally decided to up? Look, I'm real happy ya here now, but we could have used ya here months ago, before the Kage-"
"Naruto," Kakashi cut him off. However, instead of stepping forward, he bumped the back of Sakura's knee with his own, and that prompted her to take a step towards Sasuke. She cocked an eyebrow back at Kakashi for the gesture, but when she turned back, it was to realise that Sasuke was staring right at her with his full, undivided attention.
"Sakura, you look well."
"Sasuke, you look…" She struggled to find the right adjective to describe the man standing before her, and decided to just go for the first one that came to mind at his appearance. "Tired."
Sasuke's response was to shrug mildly. "We have travelled on foot non-stop for the past four days. We could use some food and rest, and I guess I will have to speak to your commanders tomorrow."
"Uchiha-san, if you will please follow me, I will take you to the mess hall now for some refreshments, and I will have some men set up your tents for you while you eat," said Baki in a manner that reeked of detached professionalism.
Sasuke nodded his agreement to Baki, then turned to face his former teammates and teacher. "We have much to catch up on. Will you join us?"
The way his gaze landed and stayed on Sakura's form told everyone who the invitation was solely extended to, but let it be said that Naruto could never take a hint even if it beat him over the head with the force of Sakura's punch. He pumped his fist into the air and threw an arm around Sasuke's shoulders with surprising boldness, causing both of Sasuke's companions to flinch backwards.
"All right! Let's all get some late night eats! Sakura's dinnertime was interrupted, so I know she's gotta be hungry!"
Interrupted as a mild way of putting it, and Naruto's completely offhanded mention of it only reminded Sakura of how her 'dinner' had been put on hold.
"Sure."
There was no reason to refuse the invitation, and the tent would be empty for a while, if the stormy countenance on Gaara's face just before he was swallowed up by his sand told of the head-butting he was prepared to walk into with the War Council.
Seeing that plans had been made amongst the Konoha-nin, Baki led the way towards the mess hall, the ANBU around them visibly dispersing. It was a farce more than anything else - Sasuke and his teammates would no doubt be heavily monitored in the days to come, and this level of scrutiny may never dissipate until he proved himself a true ally to their cause.
The best way to ensure that was if he were to help wipe out Madara and Obito, but there was no telling when that day would come.
If nothing else, things would definitely be more tense within the Allied Shinobi Forces, especially if Orochimaru's involvement were to come to light.
When Gaara stormed past the entrance, barely giving the sensor shinobi a chance to clear his arrival, he held within him a rigidness in his shoulders that he was certain was not felt by the other Kage's.
He was proven right when he strode into the war room, finding only the Raikage at the conference table with several scrolls scattered across his portion of the table. The older man lifted his head up at Gaara's arrival, alerted as he was by the agitated flickering of Gaara's chakra that was all but spilling out from his pores.
"Something the matter, Kazekage?" A asked neutrally.
"I need to speak to all the Kage at once," his tone was sharp, almost coming out as a snarl, "Uchiha Sasuke has arrived."
A slowly lowered the scroll in his hand and stared openly at Gaara for several seconds, the expression on his face morphing from one of confusion to anger and finally to suspicion. He snapped his head in the direction of the door, barking out an order to the guards standing there to get his fellow Kage out of their bedrooms and into the interrogation chamber at once before sweeping past Gaara to lead the way to said room.
Both men walked in silence towards the main interrogation room; well, Gaara walked and A stomped.
When they reached their destination, A pushed open the door with enough force to bounce it soundly against the wall, and the agitated buzz of the chakra barriers rang sharply in both their ears.
Turning around to face Gaara and ignoring the open door, A pointed a finger at Gaara's nose and demanded, "And you let him into the camp without clearing it with us first? Why not just hand him your friend and my brother and be done with the war already?!"
Silently, Gaara reached into his vest and produced the scroll from Sasuke. The Raikage snatched it out from him, tearing it open to read its contents.
"I have the Hokage's word that he is not a threat to our men, and I have assigned round-the-clock watch on him. In addition, Naruto will no doubt be stuck to his side for the foreseeable future," Gaara explained, folding his arms across his chest and gripping his tensed biceps as he glared back evenly at the Supreme Leader of the Allied Shinobi Forces.
"HOKAGE!"
The Raikage's bellow seemed to shake the dust loose from the ceilings, and even with his entire self schooled into nonchalance, Gaara could not suppress the automatic tightening of his fingers over his arms.
Soon after, the echo of Tsunade's heels clacking became evident as she made her way down the stairs at the end of the hallway, and both Kage turned to look out of the ajar door to watch her approach. She was scrubbing at her jawline as if wiping away remnants of either a spilt drink or meal.
Or perhaps a bottle.
Everyone handled the stress of the war differently, after all. The Raikage's preferred method of relieving stress usually involved levelling a training ground or two, much to the grief of their groundskeepers. Mei seemed to have developed a taste for cheese tarts, if the headquarter's increasing demands for dairy products was a sign. Ohnoki took drawn-out hot baths for his backache, and that necessitated the presence of a bathtub in his own room given the frequency he was soaking.
And as for Gaara… Well, every Kage and probably half the army assumed that he was relieving stress with the help of a certain pink-haired medic-nin on a nightly basis. So there was that.
"Did the moon fall out of the sky or something?" Tsunade grumbled as she came to a halt in front of the two men. Normally she would have taken on a more serious attitude, given their shared understanding of the unpredictability of war. However, it was clear from both A and Gaara's stance that they were not mobilising, so she felt more than a little put-off by the hasty summon.
"Or something," A's mouth curled into an ugly sneer as he thrusted the scroll towards Tsunade's face. The blonde took a step back out of reflex before she reached up to take the scroll, turning it so that she could see that the seal had been broken. She held it in one hand, swinging it as she turned to Gaara to ask, "So, did the Uchiha brat come alone?"
"Sasuke has two of his own teammates with him. We will be making arrangements for them to serve as part of the army too, per your request." He made sure to place emphasis on the fact that it was the Hokage's direction he was following. "Is it wise to trust him so readily, Hokage?"
"Do we have a choice? Would you rather see him taking the side of Madara and Obito, with their plan for a perfect world where the Uchiha Clan was never wiped out?"
Gaara could not suppress the scoff he made at her words. "You think Sasuke will be so easily swayed by a false world? He has as much to lose as every single one of us if their plan comes to fruition. There will be no clan for him to restore, no Naruto for him to spar with, no Sa-"
The idea that should Akatsuki succeed, everyone in their world would be imprisoned in an endless dream, and one where he would no longer be able to touch her…
It was a terribly bitter pill to swallow.
"You should know as well as I do that Sasuke has been hailed as a genius." At Gaara's pointed look, she added, "A bit of a mad genius, but a genius nonetheless. He knows what is at stake - the shinobi world that his brother sacrificed himself for, and all his friends who have never given up on him ever."
"Sacrificed? Brother? What are you talking about?" A demanded, and Gaara found himself wondering the same thing as well.
By now, both Mei and Ohnoki were at the doorway, looking at the three of them with various degrees of curiosity. Tsunade bit out a curse as she swept her gaze through all the Kage, and finally walked towards her chair to wearily plop herself down on it.
"I will explain to you what I can about the Uchiha Massacre… And why Sasuke has decided to throw in his lot with us."
"Sakura-chan, is everything ok?" Kakashi's waving hand right in front of her face jolted her back to awareness of her current situation, and she mentally chided herself for letting herself fall into inattention. At the pink-haired kunoichi's slight pout at being caught, Kakashi simply beamed and explained, "You've been staring at Sasuke's hand since we sat down."
Well, that got everyone's attention at the table.
The mess hall was completely devoid of anyone else except for Team Seven and Sasuke's two teammates, and they were all crowded together at a single table. As if in silent agreement, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi took the bench on one side, so the other side was naturally occupied by Sasuke and his present team. Apparently, Sakura had spent the better part of the past five minutes just glancing in the direction of Sasuke's right hand as they waited for the cooks to scourge up some halfway-decent food at this late hour.
His right hand.
The one that Gaara shook. With his own right hand.
The right hand that was inside of her not even half an hour ago, long and firm and warmly thrusting inside of her and oh, stars, she had to get her head out of the gutter, NOW.
And he didn't even wash his hand afterwards, opting instead of lick it clean of her.
Thank goodness Sasuke does not hail from the Inuzuka clan, her brain cheerfully offered up as the one silver lining.
Certain that her cheeks outdid the colour of her hair by now, Sakura dropped her face into her upturned hands and sighed dejectedly. That earned her a quirked eyebrow from Sasuke, and the fingers on his right hand twitched as the oddity of the situation. What did his right hand do to earn such a reaction from her?
"Sakura-chan's probably just as shocked as we all were, teme. Ya never shake hands with anyone, ever!" Naruto declared with confidence, "Ya remember the first time we fought as genin, and how Iruka-sensei had to break us up because we wouldn't shake hands?"
"Ah," Sasuke nodded at the recollection. He folded his arms across his chest, mercifully hiding his right hand from Sakura's line of sight, and said, "I wasn't going to bow to Gaara just because he's a Kage and the Regimental Commander. A handshake seemed like a good compromise, as a way of conveying my intention to be an ally rather than a foe."
Naruto chortled as if he had just heard an exceptional joke, then grinned, "We've all known Gaara since we were twelve! I think he would have been weirded out if ya bowed to him, anyways."
How strange it was that her two male teammates found it so easy to say Gaara's name without honourifics, one of whom had no business doing so given the animosity that had grown between them. Sasuke was the catalyst that threw out the first sparks for the Fourth Shinobi World War after all, and he had to show that he bore no ill purpose towards them with his arrival. A handshake was a prudent gesture on his part.
She really should just blame Gaara for her mortification, if she was being rational about it. Except that he was not around for her to take out her frustrations on. Maybe she could take it out on Sasuke for his unfortunate timing, or Naruto for his interruption, or…
The arrival of Baki with two of the kitchen's staff, each bearing two trays of food, was the perfect disruption to her runaway train of thought.
"No ramen?" whined Naruto, and that earned him simultaneous smacks on the back of his head from both Kakashi and Sakura.
Sasuke smirked at the sight of Naruto nursing twin bruises, and that smile stirred up such a maelstrom of memories for Sakura that she had to inwardly shake those thoughts of her head.
This was the real Sasuke - made of flesh and blood. Not an idealised version of him that she had carried in her heart for the better part of her life, and the one that she had decided to let go of. She knew that she would have to reconcile both versions of him - the one that she gave up on in her head, and the one right in front of her - before his overbearing presence stirred unruly memories.
"Would you like to introduce your companions, seeing how they are now part of the alliance as well?" Kakashi directed his question at Sasuke between bites that no one ever saw him take.
Introductions were briefly made, and Sakura found herself studying the tall, orange-haired man with interest. Jugo had to be the tallest individual she had ever met, if the way he towered over Sasuke and the ANBU earlier was any indication (he was likely taller than the Raikage), and his chakra level was off the charts from her quick, unobtrusive scan of him. There was a gentleness to his expression as well that seemed sorely out of place with a man of his stature, and Sakura wondered how he ended up serving under Sasuke.
The other man - white-haired and a mouthful of razors-sharp teeth - smiled at them all like a shark tasting blood in the water. Suigetsu was his name, and like Sasuke, he seemed to share a distaste for Orochimaru.
Which begged the question…
"Oi, Sasuke, do ya know where did he go?" asked Naruto.
At the raven-haired's shinobi's blank stare, Naruto huffed a breath of frustration and started bobbing one hand in the air in a up-and-down manner, dropping his voice to a terse whisper as he added, "Ya know, the creepy guy with a fetish for reptiles and young boys?"
Naruto undulated his hand harder in the air in imitation of a dancing cobra, the gesture growing more exaggerated while Sasuke paused a bit too long for him to tolerate.
"Oh," Sasuke replied at last, "He needed to gather certain artefacts to fulfil his end of the deal. The last time I saw him, he was on his way to Konoha to perform the ritual."
At least Sasuke knew how to be cryptic and still make sense without resorting to charades.
Kakashi leaned forward. "And you think it was wise to do that?"
Sasuke shrugged mildly. "I have given him the means to access the Uchiha's Naka Shrine so he can fulfil his bargain with the Allied Shinobi Forces. I decided it was more prudent to make my way here after we talked."
"Why now?"
All heads turned toward Sakura, who didn't realise that she had spoken aloud until everyone was looking at her. Steeling her resolve, she looked right at Sasuke and asked, "Why did you wait until now to join us against Akatsuki? Naruto was right - we could have used your help months ago. So I am asking you again. Why. Now."
With each word she spoke, Sakura could feel her confidence growing alongside her anger. To her, it appeared as if Sasuke had simply meandered through the world for the better part of a year while a world war was being waged, taking neither side in the conflict when he knew in his heart that he would have been welcomed to their side almost too readily by his former teammates.
Sasuke tilted his head, his eyes taking on a glint of amusement as he took in the kunoichi in front of him. Between her crying to join him six years prior, to her half-hearted assassination attempt on him less than a year ago, she had somehow grown a spine and was outright challenging him. The Sakura that he knew would have cajoled and tried to sweet-talk her way around him, but there was now something fierce and challenging in her gaze that made her… remarkable.
"It took me some time to realise what my brother had sacrificed himself for, and then Orochimaru came along and told me about how desperate the Allied Shinobi Forces were to resort to striking a bargain with him to save the world…" Sasuke watched the expressions on Team Seven's face, noting hints of guilt and bewilderment slipping through the cracks in their attempts at neutral facades. "I thought about letting the pieces fall where they may, because the world does not deserve another Uchiha sacrifice. But then I realised that the Kage's would not have agreed to an alliance with one such as Orochimaru unless they knew they were losing. It would be a shame if we all ended up living in an endless dream, and Itachi's sins would have been for nothing. It's my way of honouring him - -"
Then he allowed himself to gaze upon the face of each Team Seven member, stopping on Naruto's frowning expression to inhale before he concluded, "- - And a way for me to make things right, once more."
Naruto scratched at his cheek ponderously. "Eh, better late than -"
"You are late."
Sakura really, really had to learn to stop blurting out the first words that came to her mind, but it seemed to be an unfortunate affliction of hers when it came to a certain raven-haired avenger.
Perhaps she was upset that Sasuke waited this long to get that stick out of his arse, as he was a fighting force unto himself, and could have prevented so many deaths from happening - be it in fighting against the White Zetsu army, or in the battle against Madara; her memories of the felled Kage would haunt her for the rest of her life, especially that of a certain redheaded shinobi.
Perhaps she was still upset at her younger self for chasing after him like an infatuated fangirl instead of trying to find out the truth behind the Uchiha Massacre.
Or perhaps she was just pissed from getting blue-balled today.
"I am here now." Sasuke replied evenly, "And I will give you my all, now that I am able to."
Naruto choked rather noisily on a piece of tonkatsu while Kakashi blinked wide-eyed at his supposedly reformed student.
Blissfully unaware of the true meaning behind Sasuke's words (and somehow oblivious to the heat in his dark irises), Sakura huffed and turned her nose up. "You have a lot to make up for."
Naruto, Kakashi, Suigetsu and Jugo all looked at Sakura.
"I will strive to meet those requirements."
Everyone now turned to Sasuke at his reply.
"Some of us have waited years for this day." Sakura gestured towards Kakashi and Naruto before folding her hands together on the table, "But I have not forgotten how easily you turned your back on us for power. Give me one good reason why we should trust that you are truly one of us now."
Suigetsu openly gaped at Sakura, disbelieving of how forthright she was in the way she spoke to Sasuke. Of course, he had little frame for reference, seeing how Sasuke's main female interactions consisted of one very obsessive red-headed personal medic on their team, who absolutely simpered over him and saw him as a gift from the divine.
"You're his genin teammate, aren't you?" Jugo inquired, voice soft and polite. Sakura gazed up at him, nodding, and Jugo gave her a smile that she assumed as an attempt at reassurance. "Sasuke is not a liar. We would never follow a man who speaks falsehood."
Sasuke sighed, his meal finished and the tray pushed aside. "I know I have done things that warrant your mistrust of me. If nothing else, consider me a self-serving man whose only remaining purpose now is to restore his clan. Then ask yourself how can I do that with no world left to rebuild my bloodline in."
"I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone."
He had said so himself at his team introduction, and he had pursued one of those goals to its bitter end, succeeding in his mission to kill Itachi. Only for his world to collapse on itself upon learning the truth behind his brother's actions.
That did indeed leave him with one other goal to chase after with his same single-mindedness of nature, and the intense determination in his eyes was visible for one and all to see.
"Ok, do I need to give you a physical, then?"
All heads in the vicinity snapped towards Sakura, including Baki who was standing a short distance away, each bearing various degrees of surprise in their expressions.
Sakura had absolutely no idea why her words warranted such a shocked response from everyone. As a medic-nin, it was her responsibility to ensure that their combatants were all operating at optimal health, and that included an annual physical. Now that Sasuke had decided to ally himself with them, he was to be afforded the same treatment as any other shinobi in the army, and that included a health assessment. She had no idea when Sasuke or his team last had theirs done, but wandering the world seeking vengeance probably made it a lesser priority for them.
"Oh, you have a team medic, right? Karin?" Sakura suddenly recalled, bringing a finger to press at her lips. "Has she done your physical for you recently? All of you?"
The squeamish look that Suigetsu threw at her was unexpected, but the burst of redness on Sasuke's cheeks was definitely out of character for him. Jugo's face was impassively blank.
Finally cluing in that Sakura was not actually attempting to hit on Sasuke, Naruto laughed awkwardly and jabbed a thumb in her direction. "Ah ha ha ha ha… But seriously, ya guys should take up her offer. Sakura's our top field medic right now. She saved a lot of lives. She definitely deserves her title of personal medic to Gaara."
"Regimental Commander," Kakashi quickly corrected as he saw how Sasuke's eyes widened fractionally. "It's a S-rank mission assigned by the Hokage. One that she's on track to complete with full stars!"
If Naruto wasn't sitting between her and Kakashi, she would have reached over to pinch his thigh. Or punch him. Whichever action that would wipe that knowing look off the Copy Nin's face.
"That's right, I have a duty towards Kazekage-sama's well-being, but I am still expected to work as a medic-nin on the hours where he doesn't require my services." Sakura glanced up at the massive clock hung on the wall of the mess hall that was behind Baki, and she exhaled lightly at noticing the time. "I have to brew him his chakra tea soon, though. So should I be expecting you at my tent tomorrow morning at nine?"
Sasuke nodded to her, not quite trusting himself to speak. Apparently, Sakura had come into her own strength, much like how he and Naruto did under their respective mentors. Orochimaru had made passing reference to Sakura's tutelage under Tsunade over the years, and he had suspected the Snake Sannin of painting an overly flowery picture of Sakura's skills. However, one did not get an assignment as the field general's personal medic if their skills were found lacking - if Sakura was not an exceptional medic-nin, there was little doubt that her title would have been revoked by the other members of the War Council.
Regret. That was the strongest feeling he bore in his chest right now. Of turning her offer down; of thinking so little of her.
"Shall I walk you back to your tent afterwards?" Sasuke asked abruptly, and his offer was so unexpected that once again, everyone was left staring at him.
"First off, Sasuke, you don't even know where anything is," Kakashi held up two fingers, dropping the middle one as he continued, "And secondly, Sakura-chan shares a tent with the Kazekage. There are expectations of a personal medic, after all."
Baki certainly did not miss the frown on Sasuke's face when Kakashi's words registered for him. He walked towards Sakura as she rose from the table, bowing slightly before saying, "Allow me to escort you back to Kazekage-sama's tent, Sakura-san."
"I can find my way there, Baki-san."
"Protocol, or if nothing else, manners dictates that I should do so anyway," deadpanned Baki as she scowled at him.
Knowing that it would be futile to argue with Baki, and not wanting to prolong her exposure to Sasuke's oddly smouldering glares, Sakura nodded and walked onward while Baki kept pace beside her, arms folded behind his back as he did so. Baki looked over his shoulder once as they approached the doorway, catching sight of Sasuke's thinned lips before the younger man turned back to face his former teammates.
On the other hand, Sakura bore no similar signs of conflict on her face. In fact, there seemed to be a small bounce in her step now that they were walking back to Gaara's tent. With the manner in which Sakura was trying to hide her eager pace by taking slightly longer strides, if he was not a highly-trained shinobi, Baki was certain that he would have missed it.
He bowed his goodnight once they arrived outside the tent, and Sakura gave a small wave before flaring her chakra. After what she deemed a reasonable amount of time had passed with no response from within, she pushed her way into the tent.
The tent was devoid of anyone as she had expected - there was no sign of Gaara, nor of Katsuyu or Mr. Fluffy-kins.
There was little doubt in her mind that the War Council must be holding an emergency meeting right now, and that meant it was pointless for her to brew Gaara's tea, not knowing how long it would be before he returned. It could be minutes or even hours, depending on the scope of their discussion. While the tea was still good even hours later, it did not taste the best when drunk cold. Since it would take her all of ten minutes to prepare it including time to boil the water, Sakura decided to find something else to occupy her time with while waiting for Gaara to return.
That meant clearing away their half-eaten dinner and tidying up the work desk. On a normal day after brewing and sharing the tea with him, they would sit down and tackle his ever-present mountain of paperwork together. Why did the Kazekage have to be roped into mediating property disputes in the middle of the war between the Nakamori and the Tsukiji because the latter's bougainvillaea had grown over the former's wall, she had no idea; "The Nakamori count among the founding families of Suna, and considered the uncontrolled growth of their neighbour's yard an affront upon their name," Gaara had explained later at her question, even as he sighed quietly to himself and ordered in writing for the offending plant to be trimmed back. Problem solved. Until the next time, of course.
Except that it would seem too audacious of her to start poking into his village's matters without him present. Eventually, Sakura settled on studying a set of medical scroll on the common afflictions that plagued dojutsu users even though she usually did her studying in the mornings; it seemed a good a time as any to refresh herself on the Sharingan's flaws and powers, considering that they just effectively doubled the number of Sharingan wielders in their army. Flak jacket set aside and now attired in something she could fall asleep comfortably on, she made herself at home on Gaara's bed with a bundle of scrolls.
She was somewhere in the third volume of the collection of scrolls when she felt Gaara's chakra flaring at the entrance of her tent, and she was hopping off his bed in a heartbeat to race towards the tent flap.
"Sakura," he called out as the flap fell back into place, the barriers activating to shroud the tent against outside eavesdroppers, "Have you been waiting all this time?"
The kunoichi glanced towards the alarm clock and turned back to nod to him. "I wasn't going to let you skip your tea."
The good-natured smile that greeted him made him unclench the jaw that he was not aware he was biting down on until then. His nerves had been on the edge ever since Sasuke's arrival (though it might be more accurate to say that he had been tense since Naruto's interruption), and Tsunade's revelations afterwards did absolutely nothing to soothe them. In fact, learning of the treachery of Konoha's council, and the devastation that they had wrought upon an entire clan and the fate that it left Sasuke with… it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
This must have been the village secret that Sakura learnt all those months ago, before she left on her mission to assist Naruto.
The Third Hokage had wanted to spare the Uchiha clan, but his own council betrayed him through their own schemes, having sought to end the Uchiha threat once and for all. It was reminiscence of how half his council wanted him left for the dead when he was captured by Akatsuki, and more recently, of how their councils plotted with each other to trade kekkei genkai's and secret techniques behind their Kage's backs.
What an utterly selfish world we live in, he thought to himself, we each claim to want the best for our village, but we are too happy to trip over each other at every turn just to hold onto a semblance of power.
A Kage earned their title by proving that they were a militaristic might unto themselves - they had to serve as a protector of the village after all. A council was made up of those who did not possess such incredible abilities or powers, and perhaps the only way for them to come to terms with their lack of physical prowess was to manipulate the workings of the village in their own way. Two distinct power factions within a village, and the decision of either one could spell consequences for the entire shinobi world.
As the other four Kage found out today.
Though no one would blame Konoha for directly causing the Fourth Shinobi World War, it was now very apparent that the seeds of it had been planted through the destruction of the Uchiha clan. Tsunade had looked appropriately ashamed and upset at revealing how Itachi's chosen path led to Sasuke's own desertion, and how the last living Uchiha (was it still accurate to call Sasuke by that title?) had spearheaded the war through Madara's directions.
With this new understanding, it was a wonder and a half to Gaara that Sakura had not been swayed to be more sympathetic towards her former teammate. Knowing that Sasuke had been a puppet to Akatsuki's whims should have earned him her forgiveness, and perhaps even granted him a second chance with her at the dream romance that she had always wanted with him for the better part of her life.
And yet she was still here. In their shared tent, waiting to brew him chakra tea as if Sasuke had not just appeared out of thin air to declare himself part of their alliance now.
"I thought you'd be catching up with Sasuke," he confessed his bafflement as Sakura started a kettle of water.
She turned at the waist slightly to frown at him. "Naruto's dying to talk his ears off, so I left them alone to do boy-stuff. I will get my time with Sasuke and his teammates tomorrow when he comes by for a physical."
At the furrowing of Gaara's browbones, she quickly added, "I'm not going any reproductive health physical for any of these idiots ever again unless I'm asked to. Shizune nee-san explained that it was up to the discretion of a field medic if it was necessary, and since I don't think Sasuke will be trying to restore his clan in the middle of a war, it can wait."
Learning from her fellow apprentice that a reproductive health check was pretty much optional during active combat situations had been an eye-opener for Sakura. It was considered a low priority against other physical concerns for a shinobi, and the only times it was requested was usually after one was planning to have children; given the death toll of the previous wars that had plagued the shinobi world, the odds of shinobi living long enough to start a family was so abysmally small that reproductive health was just not a priority. Medical assets have been limited, and most of the research done on the human body was on the art of destroying it more efficiently. If there were any resources left to be expended, only those with kekkei genkai were prioritised so that their bloodlines could continue.
In time perhaps these practices could be changed, but for now, Haruno Sakura was a mere piece in this elaborate game of shinobi politics and practices.
It would explain why Naruto had been so flabbergasted at her attempt to give him such an examination (and now that she knew why, she was feeling rather sheepish herself). And she was not going to get familiar with Sasuke anymore than she needed to - she had seen how protective Sasuke's own team medic was of him. Speaking of which…
"Do you know where Sasuke's medic-nin is right now?"
Gaara was moving around behind the privacy screen, having deposited his gourd by his table and was now changing into his sleepwear. "The last I heard of her was that she was being held by Konoha's Intelligence Division. Your Hokage will most likely make arrangements to return her to Sasuke's team if she is serious about him serving alongside our men."
Sakura hummed her acknowledgement of his words, then turned around holding a trayful of tea.
She gulped soundly when she came face-to-face with his bare chest, not expecting him to have finished his nighttime routine so quickly, and her hands definitely shook slightly when he clasped his larger hands around hers to pluck the tray out of her grasp. Gaara carried the tray over to place it on his bedside table, and he looked over his shoulder to see a still-locked-in-place Sakura to beckon her forward with an upturn of his mouth.
In the beginning of their arrangement, seeing the Kazekage topless always sent a nervous flutter through her - knowing that the most powerful shinobi and leader of an ally village was deliberately baring himself to her and entrusting all of him into her care. It was a little unbecoming of a medic-nin of her station to be such a bundle of nerves around a top-ranking shinobi, but in her defence, it was her first S-rank mission as well.
Now, with the understanding that intimacy was to be expected between them, the emotions charged and surging when least expected, her nerves gave way to a different type of unease; of not knowing when they might broach boundaries that they could not walk back from, and she was embarrassed to admit that she was more open about her wants than she felt was appropriate for a virgin, and especially as a woman. The women were always the ones being chased in Ino's romance novels, not the ones putting the moves on, and perhaps that coloured her idea of what was expected of her. Sometimes, she felt a little too forward in projecting her wants.
Not that Gaara was in any position to judge her. In his touches, she knew that he felt those desires just as strongly as she did, if not moreso.
He was just in much better control of them.
She was going to die from a mixture of blue balls and embarrassment, Sakura realised morosely.
Unless you let him help you out with his very skilled hands. Look at the way he flexes those fingers when performing hand seals. And he transitions from one seal to the next so fluidly as well.
Her brain was a freaking traitor.
Hiding her bashfulness behind a cup of tea was the best course of action for Sakura to take right now, and she gulped down the tea despite the tongue-scorchingness of it all. If Gaara noticed how she paused at the first hot mouthful, he made no comment on it. Instead, he blew on his tea and sipped it as casually as he would another other night, pausing after the first sip to reflexively grimace at the smell.
Once they were both done with their drinks and the cups set aside, he leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her cheek. Then he pulled back just enough so that he could touch his nose to hers in an intimate gesture. "Will it be wise for you to be alone with Sasuke tomorrow?" He asked at last, breath ghosting against her parted lips.
He's worried about me. That was the first thought that came to Sakura's mind at Gaara's question.
"Sasuke was my teammate, and he had saved my life more than once," she reasoned, even as she inwardly chided herself that he had made several attempts on both Naruto and her life afterwards as well, and Gaara huffed at her reply. Forcing herself to keep her eyes closed despite her strong desire to read his expression, Sakura reasoned, "I will have Mr. Fluffy-kins and Katsuyu-sama with me, so I won't truly be alone. And if he so much as twitches a finger wrong, I'll snap him like a twig."
It was more a brag than anything else - both of them knew how incredibly fast Sasuke could move; should Sakura manage to lay a hand on him, it would be because he allowed her to.
If she expected Gaara to protest or argue that she was no match for Sasuke, she was completely blindsided when he pushed his mouth against hers to kiss her firmly before pulling back to reply confidently, "I know you will. It would be a shame to lose an ally so quickly after gaining one, though."
She felt more than she saw the grin on his lips, his assuredness of her own capabilities such a stark contrast against the protectiveness she was expecting, and it was so easy to slip her arms around his shoulders to draw him back in for another kiss. Or maybe a dozen.
Whatever she wanted, Gaara was only too happy to oblige, if the way his hands fell automatically to her hips to pull her onto his lap was any indication. He kept his arms locked around the small of her back as he thoroughly tasted her lips, but the fervour of earlier in the evening had mellowed, if the way he deliberately kept the touch of his tongue against hers furtive.
With a resigned-sounding sigh, he pulled his mouth off of hers, and watching her lean forward with eyes still closed, chasing after him as if trying to reconnect their lips - it was a nice boost to his ego. He slid a hand up to her cheek, cradling her face as she automatically turned into his touch. When she finally cracked open an eye in confusion at his actions, Gaara allowed himself a small chuckle.
"While I would enjoy resuming our dinner - -" And, oh, the way his tongue darted out briefly to moisten his lips should not make her reddened cheeks betray the fact that she was sharing similar desires "- - We have our own responsibilities early in the morning. You and I both need a restful sleep tonight, and I don't think me putting my mouth on you will help."
"Your mouth was just on me," she refuted in mild confusion, fingers digging into his scapula as she gazed curiously at him.
Gaara gave her a pointed look, cocking one naked eyebrow as he did so. Then his other hand shifted to press boldly against her cunt, pushing hard enough that she could feel the ridges of his fingertips through her pants.
Once she understood exactly where he had been planning on placing his mouth, it took her brain several seconds to restart itself, and even longer for her tongue to resume working. "Y-you… Gaa-"
Stuttering out his name did not help matters, either, so she settled for burying her flaming-red face against his neck to muffle her whine of embarrassment. Gaara in turn removed his hand from her front to reach around and pat her on her back, a rumble of amusement from his throat carried to her senses.
"You can't just say things like that," she admonished him once again, her voice lost against the hollow of his throat. The heat of her exhale made him reflexively suck in a deep, calming breath before he nuzzled her hair.
It was ridiculously unfair how unaffected he could be by the physical attraction between them when he was the primary instigator of it. Inwardly bracing herself, Sakura sat back and allowed a bubble of space to form between them chests as she placed her palm against his heated abdomen, feeling his muscles clench at her touch as she forced her most embarrassing thoughts out as words - "What if I told you that I wanted to put my mouth on you?"
She watched with open fascination as the tips of Gaara's ears turned red, a pink hue blooming on his cheeks as he stared at her with unabashed need while he replayed her words in his mind to double and triple-check that he had not misheard her.
"I… okay?" His voice came out a full octave higher. "Right now?"
Sakura answered him by lightly knocking her forehead against his, a matching blush on her face as she muttered, "Not so nice to be the one on the receiving end of a tease now, is it?"
Gaara's reply was a drawn-out, frustrated-sounding exhale. "Let's just go to bed."
And he resolutely toppled them both over onto their sides, making sure to tuck Sakura's head under his chin as he did so. He patted her back a few times in what Sakura supposed was his attempt at apologising to her, and she huffed into his chest. The lamp next to his desk dimmed and clicked off by his sand, bathing them in darkness.
"Goodnight, Gaara."
"Sleep tight, Sakura."
As well they both could, given the very obvious male predicament that Sakura could feel pressed up against her as she tangled her legs with his under the blanket. The Fifth Kazekage was still very much an adolescent, just as she was. And she supposed that she should feel sorry about putting certain images into his head, but when she felt the answering wetness between her own legs, she thought it to be a fair exchange after all.
"Sakura," his voice came out in such a low whisper that she had to strain to hear him, "I apologise if my desires are coming on too strongly. I have no idea where half of these thoughts even come from."
"Maybe if you acted on them…" she answered bitterly, and the tone of her voice made Gaara loosen his grip on her so that he could look into her eyes; his eyes were so brightly luminous in the darkness, the shade of his iris so similar to his pupil's that they seemed to melt into each other, and they served to remind Sakura of his past life as a Jinchuuriki.
No, not a Jinchuuriki anymore. Now a Kage; a leader of the shinobi world. With responsibilities and a weight on his shoulder that she had witnessed Tsunade bend under time and again, but never break.
He placed his hand on her cheek to cup it, tilting her up for a chaste kiss. "In due time, I will make you mine. Indulge me with what I wish to give you. But for now, sleep."
She recognised the sand barrier that he was erecting from the sound of gliding sand particles pushing up against the tent fabric. Of course he would be jealously guarding their seclusion, now that there were several individuals who were inclined to trespass on their privacy without announcing themselves. The abrupt addition of a volatile Uchiha avenger to the mix probably made him more cautious as well.
Curled around her, Gaara's even breaths told her that he was trying to reign in his libido even as his hands continued to brand her with his touch. One night without messing around with her boyfriend would not kill them, she supposed; they have both survived it for almost their entire teenage lives after all.
That was what she told herself as she moulded herself fully against Gaara's chest, enjoying the heat and scent of his skin that reminded her of the warm summer nights of Konoha, as thunder rolled in from the distance, heralding an incoming storm.