EmotionalRockfish
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This part is now up! Trust me, this is cute.
Feel free to share these with credit.
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It was said that shinobi were those who endure though absurd situations.
Shinobi were the ones who endure, they said.
But there were also those who also said that their ninja way was to never stray from their word. It was said shinobi live to stick to these words.
The man didn’t know which of these was correct.
If he was forced to say, he only knew he could not continue to endure the current situation he was in. Even if that meant it was a path against his nature as a shinobi, one where he hadn’t been able to endure through this. The man could do anything but abandon his ninja way.
He was that kind of man.
・・・・・・・・
The location of the marriage meeting had been arranged - a high-end hotel with a crescent shaped oasis a little distance from the sand village. It was a flashy place where curious rich people who wanted to see the desert and tourists who wanted to experience gambling and nightlife not available in the city gathered.
It wasn’t under the domain of ninja even though the daimyo didn’t have full control of it either.
It was the most suitable place for two shinobi families to meet face-to-face.
Of course, it goes without saying that the sand village had informed the employees to reserve the whole hotel. The hotel was a front set up by the village for situations like this anyway.
This kind of place, it was Gaara’s new battlefield.
・・・・・・・・
This is too tight. This was the first time in Gaara’s life that he had ever worn a suit, and these were his thoughts.
“You can deal with it. It’s for the marriage meeting, after all.” Temari tied a necktie around his collar, almost strangling him, “Is that okay? Because you’re today’s guest of honor, no one else can show you up. I hope you understand the meaning of this.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Such ceremonial occasions were places to flaunt the your family’s status. It wasn’t something a Kage could refuse.
The sand’s Kazekage is a shabby-looking man. A rumour like that would dishonour the village and if the younger shinobi heard such a thing they’d probably cause trouble with the other villages. It might seem strange that ninja, involved with spying and subversive activities, would care about rumours, but this expectation was completely opposite.
The actions shinobi took could never come to the surface, so, for ninja, it wasn’t corpses or evidence that showed the amount of missions they’d completed or enemies they’d defeated, instead it was their reputation that determined their fate. After all, the daimyo couldn’t asses shinobi any other way. Therefore, each village assigned mission difficulties and bingo book ratings carefully.
But, still, it was tight.
“I’m fine, Temari. I can tie it myself.”
“Oh,” Temari stared, “Now, Gaara, do you know which type of knot to tie?”
“Knot?”
“The way you tie the knot!” Again, his sister tried to strangle him as she took over, “Because you’re the guest of honour today, you can’t just tie this anyway you like. Be more composed and give it a dimple shape… Even Shikamaru doesn’t understand this kind of thing, I have to wonder why you men are all like this… there, you’re good to go!”
Gaara didn’t understand what she was so happy about, but Temari seemed satisfied with her work.
“A silk handkerchief in your breast pocket would be good, hey. Silk also contains the antidote for poisons, but don’t take it out unless you need it. Even creases in your handkerchief have meaning.”
“Is it a secret code?”
“It’s etiquette!” Temari slapped Gaara’s shoulder, before she turned him towards the full-length mirror.
I see.
It was strange, but he certainly looked different to his usual self. He had been handsome to begin with, but in this brilliant dark blue suit, made of material especially ordered from the land of waves, his good looks stood out nicely. His shoes were made of polished leather and equipt with iron plates in case he needed to defend himself. Small shuriken were also hiden in his jeweled tie pin and cuffs, but this didn’t greatly disturb the balance of his outfit
To be blunt - he was good-looking.
“All good!” Temari nodded several times, admiring her work, “Now, this might be the last sisterly thing I’m able to do for you, so try to appreciate it.”
To know that that was why Temari had done this made Gaara glad.
Shinobi were the ones who endure, they said.
But there were also those who also said that their ninja way was to never stray from their word. It was said shinobi live to stick to these words.
The man didn’t know which of these was correct.
If he was forced to say, he only knew he could not continue to endure the current situation he was in. Even if that meant it was a path against his nature as a shinobi, one where he hadn’t been able to endure through this. The man could do anything but abandon his ninja way.
He was that kind of man.
・・・・・・・・
The location of the marriage meeting had been arranged - a high-end hotel with a crescent shaped oasis a little distance from the sand village. It was a flashy place where curious rich people who wanted to see the desert and tourists who wanted to experience gambling and nightlife not available in the city gathered.
It wasn’t under the domain of ninja even though the daimyo didn’t have full control of it either.
It was the most suitable place for two shinobi families to meet face-to-face.
Of course, it goes without saying that the sand village had informed the employees to reserve the whole hotel. The hotel was a front set up by the village for situations like this anyway.
This kind of place, it was Gaara’s new battlefield.
・・・・・・・・
This is too tight. This was the first time in Gaara’s life that he had ever worn a suit, and these were his thoughts.
“You can deal with it. It’s for the marriage meeting, after all.” Temari tied a necktie around his collar, almost strangling him, “Is that okay? Because you’re today’s guest of honor, no one else can show you up. I hope you understand the meaning of this.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Such ceremonial occasions were places to flaunt the your family’s status. It wasn’t something a Kage could refuse.
The sand’s Kazekage is a shabby-looking man. A rumour like that would dishonour the village and if the younger shinobi heard such a thing they’d probably cause trouble with the other villages. It might seem strange that ninja, involved with spying and subversive activities, would care about rumours, but this expectation was completely opposite.
The actions shinobi took could never come to the surface, so, for ninja, it wasn’t corpses or evidence that showed the amount of missions they’d completed or enemies they’d defeated, instead it was their reputation that determined their fate. After all, the daimyo couldn’t asses shinobi any other way. Therefore, each village assigned mission difficulties and bingo book ratings carefully.
But, still, it was tight.
“I’m fine, Temari. I can tie it myself.”
“Oh,” Temari stared, “Now, Gaara, do you know which type of knot to tie?”
“Knot?”
“The way you tie the knot!” Again, his sister tried to strangle him as she took over, “Because you’re the guest of honour today, you can’t just tie this anyway you like. Be more composed and give it a dimple shape… Even Shikamaru doesn’t understand this kind of thing, I have to wonder why you men are all like this… there, you’re good to go!”
Gaara didn’t understand what she was so happy about, but Temari seemed satisfied with her work.
“A silk handkerchief in your breast pocket would be good, hey. Silk also contains the antidote for poisons, but don’t take it out unless you need it. Even creases in your handkerchief have meaning.”
“Is it a secret code?”
“It’s etiquette!” Temari slapped Gaara’s shoulder, before she turned him towards the full-length mirror.
I see.
It was strange, but he certainly looked different to his usual self. He had been handsome to begin with, but in this brilliant dark blue suit, made of material especially ordered from the land of waves, his good looks stood out nicely. His shoes were made of polished leather and equipt with iron plates in case he needed to defend himself. Small shuriken were also hiden in his jeweled tie pin and cuffs, but this didn’t greatly disturb the balance of his outfit
To be blunt - he was good-looking.
“All good!” Temari nodded several times, admiring her work, “Now, this might be the last sisterly thing I’m able to do for you, so try to appreciate it.”
To know that that was why Temari had done this made Gaara glad.
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Like a tsunami of people or an army of Zetsu’s, the were so many people to great that when Gaara finally snuck away, it was late in the day. This wasn’t the day of the marriage meeting yet - only the celebration taking place the day before - but he was surprised by how tiring it had been
As the sand village is located in the middle of a desert, it made sense that the guests wouldn’t want to arrive only to be greeted by the weather. That was why a buffer event like this had been organized before the marriage meeting.
“Gaara-sama, now, this is an event.”
“When Kazekage-sama marries, it will be a joyous occasion.”
“The wedding ceremony, it has be another grand event.”
Handling the overwhelming crowd of guests was a pain. Gaara was able to remember everyone’s faces and speak to them in the appropriate manner because of the extraordinary memory he possessed.
Amongst the invitees were people once involved with his father’s multiple assassination plots against his life. Having to smile at those people - that was Gaara’s battlefield.
So, when he saw his brother he hadn’t talked to for a while sitting at the bar counter on the opposite side of the crowd, Gaara sighed in relief. As usual, he hadn’t taken off his trademark hood, but dressed in his suit, he seemed at ease.
“Yo.”
“Ah,”
“You seem well,” Kankuro raised his glass of whiskey and water, and Gaara clumsily tried to join in with his glass of cold tea.
“You’re not drinking? Same as usual, then…”
“It weakens judgement, decreases perception and takes a burden on one’s organs. I don’t know why you like to drink it.”
“Well, that’s the point,” Kankuro sneered and gulped down the remaining amber liquid in his glass. “People like to do things that don’t pay off all the time, jan.”
“It seems so…” That, Gaara understood. He couldn’t deny it, after all, he wasn’t a child anymore. At least, he thought he probably wasn’t qualified to criticize the irrational actions of others, as he was once someone who killed everyone he came in contact with. Of course, his position as Kazekage something separate, he was now a person who must follow the rules. Doing things based on emotions and judging other people - these were things Gaara couldn’t do anymore.
‘Well, drinking is just a part of this mission for me, after all, jan.”
“That’s… how it is?”
“Yep,” Kankuro smiled and slipped a glass he’d seemingly produced from nowhere to Gaara.
Gaara raised the glass to his mouth.
“…!” It was gross
How does Kankuro enjoy drinking such a thing?
Really gross.
It burnt his stomach, tasted bitter, and stung as he swallowed. No matter what Kankuro might say, it was absolutely disgusting. It seemed this was why he didn’t like marron glacé either. He’d eaten worse tasting soldier pills on the battlefield and gotten grass and dirt in his mouth while training, but to eat things like that for the taste was something else completely.
“Is it gross?” His older brother grinned when he saw Gaara’s reaction, and he couldn’t hide his amusement.
“It’s not nice…”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, jan.”
Whatever it was supposed to be, Gaara didn’t know, but Kankuro gave an earnest nod and stood from the stool he had been sitting on.
“You’re already going, Kankuro?”
“I was originally only meant to make an appearance and hand over security. If the wedding meeting tomorrow should proceed smoothly, I will be returning to the village, jan. After that, everything will be left to Temari.”
“I understand. Stay in good health.”
“You’ll do great, lady-killer.”
That had been the first conversation between brothers in a long time. It was the longest conversation they’d had in six months. Gaara was Kazekage and Kankuro was head of the counter-terror division, and while they met to talk about official business often, the frequency of their private conversations had decreased significantly. Now that their sister, who had kept the two together like glue, was leaving the village, and it felt like the days where they where all three of them went on mission together were nothing but distant dreams.
・・・・・・・・
In the dark of the night, Shinobi ran.
When necessary, even shinobi used vehicles, trains and airships, but fundamentally they were faster on their feet than civilians. Shinobi were able to keep running for long journeys and down roadless paths without a single break, and their own two legs were one of the their most reliable.
Not to mention, there was even more reason to run if you were travelling through the evening desert - a place where stable roads were rare. Ninja, faster than horses and tougher than camels, could dash through this ocean of sand easily.
Kankuro was running through this desert, and by his side was a now healed Amagi.
They’d seen the great improvements in their medical ninja’s techniques, a result of the cooperation with the leaf village. The effects of secret medical jutsu given to them by the legendary medical ninja Tsunade, also known as the fifth Hokage, were brilliant, and Amagi, whose whole body had been burnt by lightning, had been able to return to active duty after a few days.
“Kankuro-sama,” Amagi opened his mouth to speak, “I still don’t understand.”
“Understand what, jan?” Kankuro knew what Amagi was talking about, but he asked anyway.
The surrounding young ninja - well, they weren’t really so young - seemed unhappy about something, but he couldn’t let them know he knew what that something was.
“An extravagant party like that - even if it was just a show - why was it necessary?”
“No one would be thankful for a shabby celebration, jan. It was necessary to show the sand’s power to the clans and daimyo, jan.”
“Even if it’s like that,” Amagi’s words were full of anger, “Genin are dying like their disposable in the middle of the land of win’s disarmament policy, and then there’s something like this…”
“…” Even the subordinates surrounding Amagi couldn’t refute his words.
Everyone had the same thoughts.
“It’s because we’re under this disarmament policy that appearances are necessary, jan.”
“And these appearances, will they affect the daimyo?” It was a hard question.
Shinobi saved the world. For that, he wasn’t even the slightest bit guilty. But, Amagi and the other young ninja, who hadn’t experienced that war, saw their respected superiors, like Kankuro and Gaara, without reward for their efforts in the war, and though they too would be left unrewarded. Because conflict between the nations had currently decreased, the younger ninja had little chance of distinguishing themselves.
“Shinobi have many roles, such as fighting against terrorism and hunting missing ninja. Ninja’s jobs are more than just finding missing dogs and cleaning daimyo’s houses, jan.”
“There are, but I can only see that things like that are to flatter daimyo and merchants.” Amagi’s words were heavy, ‘I’ve heard that we shinobi are beings strong enough to rule the world and manipulate the daimyo.”
“We leave politics to the daimyo. That’s the rules of ninja, jan. If we smeared ourselves with politics, we shinobi would drown ourselves in riches, alcohol and ***, and we wouldn’t be shinobi at all.”
“The sage of six path’s teachings are close to my heart.”
Amongst those who use chakra, there are ninja and samurai, who both received the teachings of ‘Ninshuu’. Samurai branched into a idealistic path, while ninja took a similar path from the pillars of ninshuu, thinking ‘How can we use chakra to connect people?’. Shinobi, the embodiment of realism, founded their philosophy when they saw people’s situations, and it was an odd thing, but because ninjutsu were techniques that depended on the recognition of reality, mental enlightenment was necessary
“If that is true, then doesn’t it go against the way of the ninja to flatter the government?”
“Amagi.” Kankuro lowered the tone of his voice.
He allowed certain criticism. That was Gaara’s policy. Without it, he thought people wouldn’t follow someone like him, who had a past filled with murder. He thought allowing criticism would let his shinobi blow off steam and allow him to understand their dissatisfaction, strengthening organization. But he had to draw a line for what wasn’t allowed.
‘Gaara is a man who never betrays his words, jan. He fights for the sake of the village. That is fact, jan.”
“I have come to understand that.”
It was as such. Amagi and the other ninja believed in Gaara - it was why they’d aspired to be shinobi in the first place. Gaara was a young hero who had changed sunagakure, tearing control away from the elders. And for that reason, when they saw that Gaara had been caught in the system, they wouldn’t allow it.
The young ones were very meticulous. Gaara had been the same.
“You risked your life on the front lines, kankuro-sama, so we have come to to think that you are the person who should lead us.” Amagi’s words sounded awfully heavy. They weren’t said out of self-interest, but instead genuine faith.
It’s because of that, that they trouble me. He missed the times when he was able to keep his mind on only the mission, but such a thing was no longer so.
・・・・・・・・
The moon shined above the oasis. The night was terribly cold and the moon was clear in the sky.
Gaara watched the moon from the roof of the suite he’d been allocated. At the end of the day, he hadn’t been able to take a liking to alcohol, but as it was an unusual day where he hadn’t had to do much, it was sort of relaxing.
Well, he had really tried to find some work to do, but…
“Are you an idiot!?” Came Temari’s thundering voice, “Okay? A marriage meeting is where you think about the household you want to make. What would a girl think if you said that you’d prefer to be doing work while talking to them?”
It had been a long lecture, but at the same time, he also didn’t mind entrusting his work to other people.
Gaara had the power of his absolute defence. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that against enemy shinobi, it was invincible.
In the past, he had harmed others without hesitation, but now that was completely the opposite. He understood the pain of those without an absolute defence. Such a thing was probably arrogant, but now, if he had to send others into dangerous situations while he got to remain safe, he was pained.
“This is where you are, Gaara?”
As Kazekage, very few people referred to him by name. The middle aged shinobi who had appeared by his side in a gust of wind, Baki, was one of those few. He was a man who was had utter devotion, like the desert’s granite worn down by wind over the months and years.
“Baki, is something wrong?” He had been Gaara’s superior when he was a genin. Now, as he was in a position of authority, he was Gaara’s subordinate, but he was in reality like one of his guardians. As such, there was no need for careful greetings between them. Gaara trusted him like a teacher, but also like a comrade, but there was no spare time for affectionate greetings.
“Kankuro has returned to the village and I have been placed in charge of this marriage meeting, why?”
“…?” Gaara tilted his head, “I received word of the original plan from Kankuro, but…”
“This matter involves public business and at the same time the Kazekage’s household, so I heard Kankuro was personally responsible for security. Then I was suddenly told I would be taking over.”
“…That seems strange…” Even if it was family affair, no, because it was a family affair, he couldn’t be relaxed when it came to strange developments.
‘Do you want me to call Kankuro back?”
“There probably isn’t enough time now, my subordinates have already returned to the village. Anyway, the chain of command seems to have been broken.”
“…If this is some sort of plot, it is crude. If we check the order of command, won’t the person at fault be revealed immediately?”
“Of course, it is probably a simple communication mishap.” Baki didn’t say such a thing out of optimism or with the intention of covering for Kankuro.
A great number of veteran shinobi had been lost in the last war, and the ratio of young people to old people had become very high in each village. As a result, the number of people with the necessary experience for things like office jobs and behind the scenes tasks had greatly declined. Mistake after mistake had brought about more chaos and because unfortunately everyone makes mistake, they had to be tolerated. This plan could have been prepared for those mistakes that might normally happen.
‘That is possible, Baki, but this could also be a hastily made scheme with people causing as much trouble as possible before they're detected.”
‘Of course.”
“The marriage meeting is a personal affair, but it can’t be suspended now. I ask you to continue with defence and investigate this.” Gaara hesitated for a moment, before he continued with his words, “Also summon some of Konoha’s shinobi and Temari too, privately.”
“Understood,” Baki disappeared in an instant.
For a while Gaara stroked the gourd he carried anxiously, and while his lips moved, he didn’t say a word.
As the sand village is located in the middle of a desert, it made sense that the guests wouldn’t want to arrive only to be greeted by the weather. That was why a buffer event like this had been organized before the marriage meeting.
“Gaara-sama, now, this is an event.”
“When Kazekage-sama marries, it will be a joyous occasion.”
“The wedding ceremony, it has be another grand event.”
Handling the overwhelming crowd of guests was a pain. Gaara was able to remember everyone’s faces and speak to them in the appropriate manner because of the extraordinary memory he possessed.
Amongst the invitees were people once involved with his father’s multiple assassination plots against his life. Having to smile at those people - that was Gaara’s battlefield.
So, when he saw his brother he hadn’t talked to for a while sitting at the bar counter on the opposite side of the crowd, Gaara sighed in relief. As usual, he hadn’t taken off his trademark hood, but dressed in his suit, he seemed at ease.
“Yo.”
“Ah,”
“You seem well,” Kankuro raised his glass of whiskey and water, and Gaara clumsily tried to join in with his glass of cold tea.
“You’re not drinking? Same as usual, then…”
“It weakens judgement, decreases perception and takes a burden on one’s organs. I don’t know why you like to drink it.”
“Well, that’s the point,” Kankuro sneered and gulped down the remaining amber liquid in his glass. “People like to do things that don’t pay off all the time, jan.”
“It seems so…” That, Gaara understood. He couldn’t deny it, after all, he wasn’t a child anymore. At least, he thought he probably wasn’t qualified to criticize the irrational actions of others, as he was once someone who killed everyone he came in contact with. Of course, his position as Kazekage something separate, he was now a person who must follow the rules. Doing things based on emotions and judging other people - these were things Gaara couldn’t do anymore.
‘Well, drinking is just a part of this mission for me, after all, jan.”
“That’s… how it is?”
“Yep,” Kankuro smiled and slipped a glass he’d seemingly produced from nowhere to Gaara.
Gaara raised the glass to his mouth.
“…!” It was gross
How does Kankuro enjoy drinking such a thing?
Really gross.
It burnt his stomach, tasted bitter, and stung as he swallowed. No matter what Kankuro might say, it was absolutely disgusting. It seemed this was why he didn’t like marron glacé either. He’d eaten worse tasting soldier pills on the battlefield and gotten grass and dirt in his mouth while training, but to eat things like that for the taste was something else completely.
“Is it gross?” His older brother grinned when he saw Gaara’s reaction, and he couldn’t hide his amusement.
“It’s not nice…”
“That’s how it’s supposed to be, jan.”
Whatever it was supposed to be, Gaara didn’t know, but Kankuro gave an earnest nod and stood from the stool he had been sitting on.
“You’re already going, Kankuro?”
“I was originally only meant to make an appearance and hand over security. If the wedding meeting tomorrow should proceed smoothly, I will be returning to the village, jan. After that, everything will be left to Temari.”
“I understand. Stay in good health.”
“You’ll do great, lady-killer.”
That had been the first conversation between brothers in a long time. It was the longest conversation they’d had in six months. Gaara was Kazekage and Kankuro was head of the counter-terror division, and while they met to talk about official business often, the frequency of their private conversations had decreased significantly. Now that their sister, who had kept the two together like glue, was leaving the village, and it felt like the days where they where all three of them went on mission together were nothing but distant dreams.
・・・・・・・・
In the dark of the night, Shinobi ran.
When necessary, even shinobi used vehicles, trains and airships, but fundamentally they were faster on their feet than civilians. Shinobi were able to keep running for long journeys and down roadless paths without a single break, and their own two legs were one of the their most reliable.
Not to mention, there was even more reason to run if you were travelling through the evening desert - a place where stable roads were rare. Ninja, faster than horses and tougher than camels, could dash through this ocean of sand easily.
Kankuro was running through this desert, and by his side was a now healed Amagi.
They’d seen the great improvements in their medical ninja’s techniques, a result of the cooperation with the leaf village. The effects of secret medical jutsu given to them by the legendary medical ninja Tsunade, also known as the fifth Hokage, were brilliant, and Amagi, whose whole body had been burnt by lightning, had been able to return to active duty after a few days.
“Kankuro-sama,” Amagi opened his mouth to speak, “I still don’t understand.”
“Understand what, jan?” Kankuro knew what Amagi was talking about, but he asked anyway.
The surrounding young ninja - well, they weren’t really so young - seemed unhappy about something, but he couldn’t let them know he knew what that something was.
“An extravagant party like that - even if it was just a show - why was it necessary?”
“No one would be thankful for a shabby celebration, jan. It was necessary to show the sand’s power to the clans and daimyo, jan.”
“Even if it’s like that,” Amagi’s words were full of anger, “Genin are dying like their disposable in the middle of the land of win’s disarmament policy, and then there’s something like this…”
“…” Even the subordinates surrounding Amagi couldn’t refute his words.
Everyone had the same thoughts.
“It’s because we’re under this disarmament policy that appearances are necessary, jan.”
“And these appearances, will they affect the daimyo?” It was a hard question.
Shinobi saved the world. For that, he wasn’t even the slightest bit guilty. But, Amagi and the other young ninja, who hadn’t experienced that war, saw their respected superiors, like Kankuro and Gaara, without reward for their efforts in the war, and though they too would be left unrewarded. Because conflict between the nations had currently decreased, the younger ninja had little chance of distinguishing themselves.
“Shinobi have many roles, such as fighting against terrorism and hunting missing ninja. Ninja’s jobs are more than just finding missing dogs and cleaning daimyo’s houses, jan.”
“There are, but I can only see that things like that are to flatter daimyo and merchants.” Amagi’s words were heavy, ‘I’ve heard that we shinobi are beings strong enough to rule the world and manipulate the daimyo.”
“We leave politics to the daimyo. That’s the rules of ninja, jan. If we smeared ourselves with politics, we shinobi would drown ourselves in riches, alcohol and ***, and we wouldn’t be shinobi at all.”
“The sage of six path’s teachings are close to my heart.”
Amongst those who use chakra, there are ninja and samurai, who both received the teachings of ‘Ninshuu’. Samurai branched into a idealistic path, while ninja took a similar path from the pillars of ninshuu, thinking ‘How can we use chakra to connect people?’. Shinobi, the embodiment of realism, founded their philosophy when they saw people’s situations, and it was an odd thing, but because ninjutsu were techniques that depended on the recognition of reality, mental enlightenment was necessary
“If that is true, then doesn’t it go against the way of the ninja to flatter the government?”
“Amagi.” Kankuro lowered the tone of his voice.
He allowed certain criticism. That was Gaara’s policy. Without it, he thought people wouldn’t follow someone like him, who had a past filled with murder. He thought allowing criticism would let his shinobi blow off steam and allow him to understand their dissatisfaction, strengthening organization. But he had to draw a line for what wasn’t allowed.
‘Gaara is a man who never betrays his words, jan. He fights for the sake of the village. That is fact, jan.”
“I have come to understand that.”
It was as such. Amagi and the other ninja believed in Gaara - it was why they’d aspired to be shinobi in the first place. Gaara was a young hero who had changed sunagakure, tearing control away from the elders. And for that reason, when they saw that Gaara had been caught in the system, they wouldn’t allow it.
The young ones were very meticulous. Gaara had been the same.
“You risked your life on the front lines, kankuro-sama, so we have come to to think that you are the person who should lead us.” Amagi’s words sounded awfully heavy. They weren’t said out of self-interest, but instead genuine faith.
It’s because of that, that they trouble me. He missed the times when he was able to keep his mind on only the mission, but such a thing was no longer so.
・・・・・・・・
The moon shined above the oasis. The night was terribly cold and the moon was clear in the sky.
Gaara watched the moon from the roof of the suite he’d been allocated. At the end of the day, he hadn’t been able to take a liking to alcohol, but as it was an unusual day where he hadn’t had to do much, it was sort of relaxing.
Well, he had really tried to find some work to do, but…
“Are you an idiot!?” Came Temari’s thundering voice, “Okay? A marriage meeting is where you think about the household you want to make. What would a girl think if you said that you’d prefer to be doing work while talking to them?”
It had been a long lecture, but at the same time, he also didn’t mind entrusting his work to other people.
Gaara had the power of his absolute defence. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that against enemy shinobi, it was invincible.
In the past, he had harmed others without hesitation, but now that was completely the opposite. He understood the pain of those without an absolute defence. Such a thing was probably arrogant, but now, if he had to send others into dangerous situations while he got to remain safe, he was pained.
“This is where you are, Gaara?”
As Kazekage, very few people referred to him by name. The middle aged shinobi who had appeared by his side in a gust of wind, Baki, was one of those few. He was a man who was had utter devotion, like the desert’s granite worn down by wind over the months and years.
“Baki, is something wrong?” He had been Gaara’s superior when he was a genin. Now, as he was in a position of authority, he was Gaara’s subordinate, but he was in reality like one of his guardians. As such, there was no need for careful greetings between them. Gaara trusted him like a teacher, but also like a comrade, but there was no spare time for affectionate greetings.
“Kankuro has returned to the village and I have been placed in charge of this marriage meeting, why?”
“…?” Gaara tilted his head, “I received word of the original plan from Kankuro, but…”
“This matter involves public business and at the same time the Kazekage’s household, so I heard Kankuro was personally responsible for security. Then I was suddenly told I would be taking over.”
“…That seems strange…” Even if it was family affair, no, because it was a family affair, he couldn’t be relaxed when it came to strange developments.
‘Do you want me to call Kankuro back?”
“There probably isn’t enough time now, my subordinates have already returned to the village. Anyway, the chain of command seems to have been broken.”
“…If this is some sort of plot, it is crude. If we check the order of command, won’t the person at fault be revealed immediately?”
“Of course, it is probably a simple communication mishap.” Baki didn’t say such a thing out of optimism or with the intention of covering for Kankuro.
A great number of veteran shinobi had been lost in the last war, and the ratio of young people to old people had become very high in each village. As a result, the number of people with the necessary experience for things like office jobs and behind the scenes tasks had greatly declined. Mistake after mistake had brought about more chaos and because unfortunately everyone makes mistake, they had to be tolerated. This plan could have been prepared for those mistakes that might normally happen.
‘That is possible, Baki, but this could also be a hastily made scheme with people causing as much trouble as possible before they're detected.”
‘Of course.”
“The marriage meeting is a personal affair, but it can’t be suspended now. I ask you to continue with defence and investigate this.” Gaara hesitated for a moment, before he continued with his words, “Also summon some of Konoha’s shinobi and Temari too, privately.”
“Understood,” Baki disappeared in an instant.
For a while Gaara stroked the gourd he carried anxiously, and while his lips moved, he didn’t say a word.
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The veil fell gently, revealing a beautiful form - one that, if the wind had a physical form, Gaara thought it would look something like this.
It was a beautiful woman.
The word he had chosen was an understatement, but because there wasn’t a word in Gaara’s vocabulary that could express the woman’s beauty, that was how it had to be expressed.
“I am Hokuto, of the Houki clan.”
Her hair, as lustrous as a black pearl, was cut beautifully around her shoulders. She wore a graceful kimono, but, up close, you could see it was made from fine quality cloth, decorated with just the right amount of gems for this occasion. Her skin was pale and as lustrous as her hair, while her body was slim, but not too thin, with a little bit of fat and the shape of muscles from training as a ninja hidden underneath.
She’s beautiful.
These were Gaara’s honest thoughts. There were no pretend or wicked ones.
Seeing things without prejudice seemed to be one of Gaara’s virtues. It was a fact that even Hokuto’s undecorated face was as beautiful as a golden-rayed lily, and you could say her beauty was above first class.
The Houki clan had a female line, and all the attending relatives besides one were old women. It had been said that both of the woman’s parents had fallen in the previous war. Gaara, with his only attending relative, Temari, was in a similar situation. While increasing numbers would have been overbearing, Gaara loathed the idea of mediators.
“I am Gaara, the Kazekage’s successor.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, indeed…!”
They were in a private room of a restaurant that overlooked the lake. This was the first time in his life that Gaara had ever sat opposite to a such beautiful woman in a place like this.
Her movements are unguarded and open, she must be a medical ninja.
Medical ninja were valued for their ability to treat injured shinobi and save lives on the front line, but even so, it would be unfavourable to compare one’s vastly different taijutsu skill to Gaara’s. Those like Sakura of the leaf village were the rare exceptions.
But, the kunoichi with thick glasses standing behind Hakuto had an imposing demeanor, and if he had to guess, he would say she possessed the skill of a jounin. In the middle of the old women, Gaara could see that besides himself and Hakuto who were the youngest, their guards were about the same.
Anyway, granted that this is about the matter of a wife, taijutsu skills aren’t going to be a problem.
Thinking about that, Gaara suddenly blushed. It finally connected in his brain that the woman before him could become his wife. Well, such a thing would only become reality if the marriage meeting went well, and such thoughts were turning over in his head.
‘Well then, we’ll leave this to you young ones,” The old mediators casually spoke, before they left their seats, along with his only attending relative Temari.
“Gaara.” Temari approached her brother’s ear. This was a method of secret conversation used by ninja where one generates gaps in lip movements and pronunciation so others are unable to hear. “Houki clan women only show their makeup-less faces to the men they marry, you know.”
“…?”
“You idiot,” Temari embraced Gaara’s neck roughly, “What I mean is, you’ve got hope, got it?.”
“Oh, Oh….!”
On the opposite side of the room, Hakuto smiled.
・・・・・・・・
The ancient ones said that amongst ninja, there were yonin those that worked in the open and innin that worked undercover. The ones called yonin analysed the links between people and public intelligence in information warfare to gain knowledge of the enemy’s intentions. They were assigned things like interpersonal and electronic information work.
On the other hand, the one’s called innin did things like infiltrating enemy territory and causing destruction, as well as gather the enemy’s information, in order to guide them to act in a way that would benefit their own side.
This was what people most likely imagined when they thought of the skills of shinobi.
Of course, as Gaara was of higher than jounin rank, he had also experienced all these things at some point in time.
Skilled yonin were able to look at fluctuating prices of iron and steel in a newspaper and then instantly determine if the enemy was mobilizing or the reality of rumors of the construction of warships. Consequently, ninja like these were also master diplomats. In the midst of A or B rank missions, many could settle negotiations involving the daimyo and large corporations, as well as involving the release of hostages. On the other hand, diplomats dispatched by the daimyo were usually in fact jounin rank ninja, there to act as agents for the gathering intelligence.
Nevertheless, there were conditions.
These situations could occur because their personal feelings weren’t involved.
Well, the young woman before his eyes was looking at him with a nervous expression, and in this circumstance, he wasn’t sure how he could initiate contact, as it was different entirely.
There were many kunoichi in the sand village that idolized Gaara. But, things like that had never developed into a relationship, because there was Temari who worked to keep away so called ‘unwanted lovers’, but also because they were often his subordinates. Of course, Gaara had never had the intention to develop such a relationship, and all his subordinate’s feelings were instead more like adoration of an idol.
That was why Gaara sat in silence for five minutes, not knowing of anything good to say to Hakuto.
This is awkward.
If this had been a battlefield, this would have already been the losing move. Shinobi that expended their emotional strength waiting for their enemies to make a move weren’t defending themselves, they had been driven into a corner, and risked death.
This was something Gaara knew as fact.
“Um…” Their words collided in midair and presuming the meaning, both hung their heads again.
I really regret that…
Before this, Gaara had received various advice from his sister of what was to be expected of him, but now he couldn’t recall a word of it.
This was like being under the infinite tsukuyomi.
It was a situation where his mind was not under his control. However, this wasn’t some sort of genjutsu. It was completely different. This was the effect of something else.
However, Gaara was a shinobi, and not any shinobi. He was one of the five kage that had risen to the top of the shinobi world.
Using concentration techniques, he regained his composure. Once again, he opened his mouth.
“….Um, do you have any hobbies?” The question was extremely mediocre, the type of thing that would come from anyone but him, but in cases like this, he had learnt from watching Naruto Uzumaki that ninja in battle could change a situation with the most ordinary and tiny breakthroughs.
“Reading and… also the harp, a little. You, Gaara-sama?”
“Cultivating cacti.”
・・・・・・・・
“That idiot,” Lurking above the ceiling, Temari watched over the matters taking place, “There’s a specific limit to how boring your conversation can be. What part of that conversation was encouraging? Listen to the other party’s words and say something that passes the ball back…. Geez, Shikamaru and Gaara are both like this, why do men lack common sense in these situations…?”
Of course, Temari was supposed to be conversing with Hakuto’s family and other important people, but slipping out had been a trivial matter. She didn’t doubt her qualifications to say she had more common sense than others in the least.
・・・・・・・・
“Cacti…?”
“Yes, Cacti. Mostly potted, but recently, I’ve thought about making a small greenhouse.” This was already fatal, and Temari, listening in the ceiling, made a hopeless face.
Who said you could talk about yourself? Let the other party speak! A man who is skilled at holding a conversation is a good man!
But.
“I’ve never been outside the village, so I don’t know, but cacti, does their growth require the help of people?”
“Yes. People believe that cacti are things of the desert, but actually, they’re typical plants that sprout from soil. Storing water is one of their skills, but without water, they can’t grow, so you have to come up with a way to water them enough.”
“Well…” Hakuto smiled a little in surprise, “I always thought cacti didn’t need water to grow…”
“Even I thought so at first, but they often dried out and died. But, it’s necessary to give them enough water so that their pots don’t dry out completely. Because they grow slowly, a little is okay. If you give them too much, they’ll get root rot… no, excuse me, I’ve been talking about myself too much…”
“No,” Hakuto smiled sweetly. It didn’t look forced, “Until we met, I thought you were the terrifying ninja, ‘Gaara of the Desert’. But, hearing this conversation about cacti, my impression has changed.”
・・・・・・・・
Oh, what’s this? Temari was surprised by this unexpected outcome for a moment, but she immediately made a triumphant pose.
That’s great, keep going! That’s it, continue the attack! Her face was already like that of a spectator watching a martial arts tournament. This wasn’t her version of common sense, but in this case, things were moving in a good direction.
・・・・・・・・
“Gaara-sama. I’ve never seen flowers from a cactus, but… do they really flower?”
“That is correct.” With the sand from his gourd, Gaara made the shape of a cactus. At the tip, bloomed flowers of indescribable beauty. “They bloom flowers like this. Amongst golden barrel cacti, there are those that only bloom every twenty years, mostly something like this..”
“It’s beautiful…”
“Thank you very much.” Like any horticulturist, Gaara’s face looked like a parent when their child had been praised. It was a similar smile to the ones he used to give his former guardian, Yashamaru. “When the flowers have bloomed, the cactus definitely can’t be planted in a new pot. When it gives birth to this new life, the cactus uses it’s own life force. That is but another enjoyable part of raising cacti…”
“Really… you’re very kind, aren’t you?”
“Kind…?” That was a word that didn’t suit him. Once Gaara had hated the whole world, but he had never imagined that the day would come when was called something like kind.
・・・・・・・・
I guess that makes sense. The princess of the Houki clan has never left the village so of course she wouldn’t know about Gaara’s past.
People form current impressions from what they drag from the past. The awe of those around Gaara was, as expected, a result of his past days, when he was cruel. It wasn’t odd that Hakuto, who hadn’t known the past Gaara, could honestly say that this Gaara was kind.
If that was really the case, then Temari thought it was something to be happy about. Very, very happy.
・・・・・・・・
“Since you became Kazekage, the Houki clan’s situation has greatly stabilized. As you know, my clan specializes in working behind the scenes, as medical ninja or intelligence gatherers. And, until you became Kazekage, the clan has never been in a central position of politics. You know the reason why, don’t you?”
“Yes. I heard that your clan came to the sand village from the leaf.” A partner from the Houki clan had been chosen because of Tojuro’s strong recommendation. They had shown great loyalty for many years, and were also neutral to the other clans of the village, therefore, their influence as a maternal relation to the next heir would not be too powerful either.
“That is so. The Houki clan is situated between the land of fire and land of wind, so both countries have trifled with us. However, you held no prejudice, and employed our clan.”
“That is too much credit. I simply employed those I could.” That was, again, a fact.
While the foundation of Gaara’s fragile political power involved past obligations, there was not a thing he wouldn’t use as a tool. The results of his work for the sake of the village as Kazekage, that happened to be fair… This was something Gaara recognized.
“Still, because it is like that, I certainly wanted to meet you.”
“Is that so?” The words were mediocre, but Gaara was overcome with a feeling of relief that he’d never known before. Certainly, that was the result of his work fighting on the battlefield of politics. He thought this was his reward.
This joy was similar to the first time he’d seen his cacti flower.
It was a beautiful woman.
The word he had chosen was an understatement, but because there wasn’t a word in Gaara’s vocabulary that could express the woman’s beauty, that was how it had to be expressed.
“I am Hokuto, of the Houki clan.”
Her hair, as lustrous as a black pearl, was cut beautifully around her shoulders. She wore a graceful kimono, but, up close, you could see it was made from fine quality cloth, decorated with just the right amount of gems for this occasion. Her skin was pale and as lustrous as her hair, while her body was slim, but not too thin, with a little bit of fat and the shape of muscles from training as a ninja hidden underneath.
She’s beautiful.
These were Gaara’s honest thoughts. There were no pretend or wicked ones.
Seeing things without prejudice seemed to be one of Gaara’s virtues. It was a fact that even Hokuto’s undecorated face was as beautiful as a golden-rayed lily, and you could say her beauty was above first class.
The Houki clan had a female line, and all the attending relatives besides one were old women. It had been said that both of the woman’s parents had fallen in the previous war. Gaara, with his only attending relative, Temari, was in a similar situation. While increasing numbers would have been overbearing, Gaara loathed the idea of mediators.
“I am Gaara, the Kazekage’s successor.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Ah, indeed…!”
They were in a private room of a restaurant that overlooked the lake. This was the first time in his life that Gaara had ever sat opposite to a such beautiful woman in a place like this.
Her movements are unguarded and open, she must be a medical ninja.
Medical ninja were valued for their ability to treat injured shinobi and save lives on the front line, but even so, it would be unfavourable to compare one’s vastly different taijutsu skill to Gaara’s. Those like Sakura of the leaf village were the rare exceptions.
But, the kunoichi with thick glasses standing behind Hakuto had an imposing demeanor, and if he had to guess, he would say she possessed the skill of a jounin. In the middle of the old women, Gaara could see that besides himself and Hakuto who were the youngest, their guards were about the same.
Anyway, granted that this is about the matter of a wife, taijutsu skills aren’t going to be a problem.
Thinking about that, Gaara suddenly blushed. It finally connected in his brain that the woman before him could become his wife. Well, such a thing would only become reality if the marriage meeting went well, and such thoughts were turning over in his head.
‘Well then, we’ll leave this to you young ones,” The old mediators casually spoke, before they left their seats, along with his only attending relative Temari.
“Gaara.” Temari approached her brother’s ear. This was a method of secret conversation used by ninja where one generates gaps in lip movements and pronunciation so others are unable to hear. “Houki clan women only show their makeup-less faces to the men they marry, you know.”
“…?”
“You idiot,” Temari embraced Gaara’s neck roughly, “What I mean is, you’ve got hope, got it?.”
“Oh, Oh….!”
On the opposite side of the room, Hakuto smiled.
・・・・・・・・
The ancient ones said that amongst ninja, there were yonin those that worked in the open and innin that worked undercover. The ones called yonin analysed the links between people and public intelligence in information warfare to gain knowledge of the enemy’s intentions. They were assigned things like interpersonal and electronic information work.
On the other hand, the one’s called innin did things like infiltrating enemy territory and causing destruction, as well as gather the enemy’s information, in order to guide them to act in a way that would benefit their own side.
This was what people most likely imagined when they thought of the skills of shinobi.
Of course, as Gaara was of higher than jounin rank, he had also experienced all these things at some point in time.
Skilled yonin were able to look at fluctuating prices of iron and steel in a newspaper and then instantly determine if the enemy was mobilizing or the reality of rumors of the construction of warships. Consequently, ninja like these were also master diplomats. In the midst of A or B rank missions, many could settle negotiations involving the daimyo and large corporations, as well as involving the release of hostages. On the other hand, diplomats dispatched by the daimyo were usually in fact jounin rank ninja, there to act as agents for the gathering intelligence.
Nevertheless, there were conditions.
These situations could occur because their personal feelings weren’t involved.
Well, the young woman before his eyes was looking at him with a nervous expression, and in this circumstance, he wasn’t sure how he could initiate contact, as it was different entirely.
There were many kunoichi in the sand village that idolized Gaara. But, things like that had never developed into a relationship, because there was Temari who worked to keep away so called ‘unwanted lovers’, but also because they were often his subordinates. Of course, Gaara had never had the intention to develop such a relationship, and all his subordinate’s feelings were instead more like adoration of an idol.
That was why Gaara sat in silence for five minutes, not knowing of anything good to say to Hakuto.
This is awkward.
If this had been a battlefield, this would have already been the losing move. Shinobi that expended their emotional strength waiting for their enemies to make a move weren’t defending themselves, they had been driven into a corner, and risked death.
This was something Gaara knew as fact.
“Um…” Their words collided in midair and presuming the meaning, both hung their heads again.
I really regret that…
Before this, Gaara had received various advice from his sister of what was to be expected of him, but now he couldn’t recall a word of it.
This was like being under the infinite tsukuyomi.
It was a situation where his mind was not under his control. However, this wasn’t some sort of genjutsu. It was completely different. This was the effect of something else.
However, Gaara was a shinobi, and not any shinobi. He was one of the five kage that had risen to the top of the shinobi world.
Using concentration techniques, he regained his composure. Once again, he opened his mouth.
“….Um, do you have any hobbies?” The question was extremely mediocre, the type of thing that would come from anyone but him, but in cases like this, he had learnt from watching Naruto Uzumaki that ninja in battle could change a situation with the most ordinary and tiny breakthroughs.
“Reading and… also the harp, a little. You, Gaara-sama?”
“Cultivating cacti.”
・・・・・・・・
“That idiot,” Lurking above the ceiling, Temari watched over the matters taking place, “There’s a specific limit to how boring your conversation can be. What part of that conversation was encouraging? Listen to the other party’s words and say something that passes the ball back…. Geez, Shikamaru and Gaara are both like this, why do men lack common sense in these situations…?”
Of course, Temari was supposed to be conversing with Hakuto’s family and other important people, but slipping out had been a trivial matter. She didn’t doubt her qualifications to say she had more common sense than others in the least.
・・・・・・・・
“Cacti…?”
“Yes, Cacti. Mostly potted, but recently, I’ve thought about making a small greenhouse.” This was already fatal, and Temari, listening in the ceiling, made a hopeless face.
Who said you could talk about yourself? Let the other party speak! A man who is skilled at holding a conversation is a good man!
But.
“I’ve never been outside the village, so I don’t know, but cacti, does their growth require the help of people?”
“Yes. People believe that cacti are things of the desert, but actually, they’re typical plants that sprout from soil. Storing water is one of their skills, but without water, they can’t grow, so you have to come up with a way to water them enough.”
“Well…” Hakuto smiled a little in surprise, “I always thought cacti didn’t need water to grow…”
“Even I thought so at first, but they often dried out and died. But, it’s necessary to give them enough water so that their pots don’t dry out completely. Because they grow slowly, a little is okay. If you give them too much, they’ll get root rot… no, excuse me, I’ve been talking about myself too much…”
“No,” Hakuto smiled sweetly. It didn’t look forced, “Until we met, I thought you were the terrifying ninja, ‘Gaara of the Desert’. But, hearing this conversation about cacti, my impression has changed.”
・・・・・・・・
Oh, what’s this? Temari was surprised by this unexpected outcome for a moment, but she immediately made a triumphant pose.
That’s great, keep going! That’s it, continue the attack! Her face was already like that of a spectator watching a martial arts tournament. This wasn’t her version of common sense, but in this case, things were moving in a good direction.
・・・・・・・・
“Gaara-sama. I’ve never seen flowers from a cactus, but… do they really flower?”
“That is correct.” With the sand from his gourd, Gaara made the shape of a cactus. At the tip, bloomed flowers of indescribable beauty. “They bloom flowers like this. Amongst golden barrel cacti, there are those that only bloom every twenty years, mostly something like this..”
“It’s beautiful…”
“Thank you very much.” Like any horticulturist, Gaara’s face looked like a parent when their child had been praised. It was a similar smile to the ones he used to give his former guardian, Yashamaru. “When the flowers have bloomed, the cactus definitely can’t be planted in a new pot. When it gives birth to this new life, the cactus uses it’s own life force. That is but another enjoyable part of raising cacti…”
“Really… you’re very kind, aren’t you?”
“Kind…?” That was a word that didn’t suit him. Once Gaara had hated the whole world, but he had never imagined that the day would come when was called something like kind.
・・・・・・・・
I guess that makes sense. The princess of the Houki clan has never left the village so of course she wouldn’t know about Gaara’s past.
People form current impressions from what they drag from the past. The awe of those around Gaara was, as expected, a result of his past days, when he was cruel. It wasn’t odd that Hakuto, who hadn’t known the past Gaara, could honestly say that this Gaara was kind.
If that was really the case, then Temari thought it was something to be happy about. Very, very happy.
・・・・・・・・
“Since you became Kazekage, the Houki clan’s situation has greatly stabilized. As you know, my clan specializes in working behind the scenes, as medical ninja or intelligence gatherers. And, until you became Kazekage, the clan has never been in a central position of politics. You know the reason why, don’t you?”
“Yes. I heard that your clan came to the sand village from the leaf.” A partner from the Houki clan had been chosen because of Tojuro’s strong recommendation. They had shown great loyalty for many years, and were also neutral to the other clans of the village, therefore, their influence as a maternal relation to the next heir would not be too powerful either.
“That is so. The Houki clan is situated between the land of fire and land of wind, so both countries have trifled with us. However, you held no prejudice, and employed our clan.”
“That is too much credit. I simply employed those I could.” That was, again, a fact.
While the foundation of Gaara’s fragile political power involved past obligations, there was not a thing he wouldn’t use as a tool. The results of his work for the sake of the village as Kazekage, that happened to be fair… This was something Gaara recognized.
“Still, because it is like that, I certainly wanted to meet you.”
“Is that so?” The words were mediocre, but Gaara was overcome with a feeling of relief that he’d never known before. Certainly, that was the result of his work fighting on the battlefield of politics. He thought this was his reward.
This joy was similar to the first time he’d seen his cacti flower.
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