Chapter 2 of naruto story

And here's Chaper 2. Seems this fic was fairly well recieved at first. We'll see if it continues with the same success as the other three. Personally, I like a NaruTema myself. Their personalities are so alike it isn't funny...which leads to much hilarity. Enjoy. Readers, Reviewers, thank you. Peace.

CHAPTER TWO

As Naruto trudged along the path, his thoughts went back to what he had learned earlier that week. His parents were good people, honorable people, and they had loved him. He was not happy with his father’s decision to stick a demon inside him, but it was a hard thing for a man to decide to do. Do you decide that the life of your child is worth more than an entire village or do you take the adage that ‘the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’ to heart? It was a troubling question and he didn’t know if he had an answer to that. His father had been in a compromising position and if he were placed in the same, he didn’t know what his solution would have been.

People stared at him as he passed them by. He had forsaken his orange jumpsuit. It was a reminder of what he had left behind in Konoha, a childhood that needed to end as soon as possible. It was time for a fresh start and he had started that with a change of clothing. Wearing beige baggy pants, a black long sleeved shirt, black sandals, and his father’s battle coat with the sleeves shredded, he was quite an imposing figure. The tall collar of the coat shielded him from prying eyes somewhat, and for that he was grateful. He wasn’t out of Fire Country yet, and there were undoubtedly some people from Konoha who would recognize him. He shifted the pack on his back and straightened up slightly.

It was hard for him to cancel his contract with the toads but he felt it needed to be done. That contract had been in Konoha for quite a while, and it just felt wrong taking it away. Even if Jiraiya never found someone to summon them again, the contract would stay in the vaults until someone was deemed worthy. He mourned the loss of his friends from the toads but it was for the best. He wanted a fresh start in everything. Perhaps he’d find a new contract somewhere and it would rival the toads in power.

After a couple days of walking, Naruto found himself at the border of Fire Country and River Country. He grimaced when he remembered that that was where they had found Gaara, dead on the ground with Deidara on top of him. It was not a happy memory, even if his friend was saved in the end. It was just a reminder that those bastards were still out there, even if they were weakened at the moment. He growled deep in his throat and some people walking by him turned and stared. He didn’t notice and just kept walking. Thinking about Akatsuki wasn’t going to help any. He needed to keep his thoughts about him, and look toward the future.

He stopped about halfway through River Country for the night and made camp. He suddenly wished he hadn’t been so hasty in giving up the toad contract. Gamakichi would’ve made a good companion on the trip. He sighed and rested his chin on the folded arms supported by his knees. He hoped that his new life in Suna would be a happy one. At least he already had some friends there to make the transition easier. But going from an environment full of life and flora and fauna to one filled with never-ending sand and wind was quite a system shock. He stared into the fire and watched as the flames crackled and danced. He’d done so much in the past few days and it made his head spin. Deciding to try to bore himself to sleep, he summoned one of his mother’s scrolls and began to read.

Several hours had passed and he still wasn’t asleep, but that was more from excitement than from a need of rest. This particular scroll was all about his mother’s gardening ability. So that was where he got his affinity for botany. She had several tips for dealing with several different types of plants. He was intrigued with the idea of imbuing plants with chakra to make them grow and sending chakra into the ground to make grassy patches. If he saved up enough money to buy a plot of land in Suna that would most definitely be a useful tactic. Snapping the scroll shut, he laid down and was soon asleep.

Morning came earlier than he wished and he went about his morning ritual. He got out the picture of his parents and prayed that their souls were safe. He had heard over the years about the fate of his father and only hoped that Kami would have mercy on his and the other Hokage’s souls. It wasn’t fair that such noble men were forced to suffer while monsters such as Akatsuki roamed the earth with no repercussions. He ran his fingers over the faces of his mother and father and let a single tear fall. His dream now, besides living a full life and having a family, was to meet his parents in the next life. He stared at the faintly twinkling stars in the morning sky and wondered if perhaps two were his parents. Shrugging off those thoughts he wolfed down his breakfast of fruits and bread, sloshing it down with water.

He used a Doton jutsu to bury the remains of his fire and cleared away any evidence that he had been there. Shouldering his pack again, he continued down his path to Suna. He felt a familiar feeling the closer he got to the border and soon realized that he was close to the cave where the Akatsuki had taken Gaara. He shivered and shook himself to rid himself of the feeling. He didn’t ever want to go back to that cave. He imagined the remains of Sasori were still there, what little humanity he had left rotting away with the ravages of time. Yes, he would definitely avoid that place.

Soon the greens of River Country began to fade and the sands began to creep in. He had looked down when he heard the first crunch of the granules under his sandals. This was his new home. When he was truly in the country, actually in the desert, he had stopped and sniffed the stifling air, trying to acclimate himself to the heat and bareness. He would definitely have to try that gardening method of his mother’s. For the moment though, he didn’t want to be caught in a sandstorm and Sunagakure was a few hours away. Channeling chakra to his legs, he crouched low before springing away across the desert, the sand behind him lifting in a wave before settling back down, as if he’d never been there.

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Gaara sat in his comfy chair, glaring at the mountains of paperwork that lay before him. He had taken the job to attain that which Uzumaki, no, his friend Naruto, had in spades. The power of caring, the power of forgiveness, the power of making a friend and protecting those he thought precious. He wanted to be someone of import, someone precious to the people, and he wanted to protect them. He stared hard at the papers and tried to incinerate them with his eyes. It was no use. This was how the people thanked him for being the Kazekage. They gave him multitudes of paperwork and expected him to sit in an office all day. He sighed as he sat back. He probably had lost control of his sand by now, sitting in this damnable chair all the time.

For some reason his thoughts swung to his one, true friend in the world. Uzumaki Naruto was, is, and always will be an enigma to him. The boy was truly too forgiving in his opinion. He smiled when he thought about their first fight. He had never seen such sadness and understanding in someone’s eyes as he had then. It made him happy that he had found someone such as himself, and sad at the same time that someone else carried a burden such as his. The boy had saved his life twice now, and he was eternally in his debt. He hadn’t heard from his friend in quite a while now and was wondering how he was doing. He was just about to pick up his pen and return to his paperwork when a chuunin burst through the door looking quite distressed. Gaara looked up slowly, as intimidating as possible, and gave a long, drawn-out ‘yeessss?’

“Kazekage-sama, there is someone heading our way from the River Country border.”

“And? People come from that direction all the time. It’s probably a traveler.”

“They’re traveling at a very high speed.”

“Probably just a courier ninja. Nothing to worry about.”

“They’re kicking up the sand behind them in waves, like a boat breaking across water.”

“…perhaps I should have a look after all.”

Temari and Kankurou stood on the wall beside the entrance to Suna and stared out over the desert. Whoever was kicking up that much sand had to be extremely quick and powerful. They weren’t normal, that’s for sure. There was no mention of a messenger coming nor was there any indication that their allies were in trouble. Their heads turned as one when they heard the swishing of sand and found their younger brother stepping out of a small whirlwind. He crossed his arms in his favorite pose and walked between them.

“What’s the damage?”

Temari smiled at her little brother and looked back to the wave of sand getting closer.

“No damage. We just don’t know what or who the hell that is. It’s not a courier ninja. I’ve never seen one who could kick the sand up like that. The only people I can think of fast enough are Rock Lee or Maito Gai and only after they’ve opened the gates.”

Kankurou smirked and started to undo the scroll on his back.

“Nah, we’d have known if it was them. You can see that godforsaken spandex from miles away. This guy’s wearing a white coat with flames. He has blonde hair and he’s about your height Gaara.”

Gaara stood and thought hard. Blonde hair huh? There weren’t many friendlies he knew of who had blonde hair and less who were male. That only left one person. His siblings watched with their eyes growing wide as that maniacal grin splayed across his face. They hadn’t seen that look in quite a while. In fact, for Temari, the last time was with…

“I shall go down and greet our guest. Tell no one to interfere.”

Before they could protest, he was gone in a whirlwind of sand. Temari looked at Kankurou and shrugged.

“You’d think those two could greet each other without trying to kill one another at least.”

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Naruto began to slow when he saw the tops of the buildings of Suna over the last sand dune. He knew he was traveling fast and if he didn’t want to slam into the walls around the city, he needed to slow down or they’d be scraping him off. He wondered if they had seen him coming when a blast of sand erupted in front of him and he instinctively threw himself to the side, rolling on top of the sand and coming to a stop on one knee. He chuckled and stood in a defensive stance. Appears Gaara couldn’t wait to see him. His red-haired friend stepped out of the fountain of sand with his arms crossed and that alarming grin on his face. Naruto sighed and stood straight up.

“Can’t we greet each other like normal people? With a handshake or a hug? You don’t have to showboat for the people of Suna. You are the Kazekage after all.”

Gaara’s grin only grew wider and a playful glint came to his eyes that not many saw.

“We aren’t normal people Naruto. And besides, this way’s more fun than a handshake.”

Naruto nodded his head and took his stance back up. He was going to lose here, more than likely. After all, the desert was a part of Gaara. He had all the ammunition in the world here. Sighing, Naruto formed his favorite seal and went after his friend.

Above on the wall, most of the shinobi of Suna watched as their Kazekage decimated his friend. Kankurou and Temari chuckled and outright laughed as Gaara flipped Naruto into the air and played with him like he was a ball. They admired the boy for not allowing his demon to come into play. If he had, the fight would have been over before it started and even Gaara knew that. But the two were just playing and that was evident, since Naruto managed to get in a few glancing blows. Temari heard a kunoichi beside her sigh dreamily and turned her head to the young girl.

“Something wrong?”

“Of course not, Temari-sama. I was just thinking that the Kazekage and that other guy are very handsome.”

Temari cocked an eyebrow and looked back out at the two flipping around. Well, the blonde was flipping around; Gaara was just standing there, although she knew he was enjoying himself.

“What makes you think the blonde is handsome? I can’t even really see him from here.”

“His build. He’s average height but he has broad shoulders and an athletic build. Not too big but not too small. Besides, neon blonde is a very exotic color for hair. I wonder if it’s natural…”

Temari didn’t answer, she just turned back to what was left of the fight. Gaara currently had Naruto upside down by the ankles and was talking to him face to face. From the easily seen grins on both their faces, she could tell that they were having a pleasant conversation. Suddenly, the upside-down blonde stuck his tongue out and disappeared in a poof of smoke and the real Naruto sprang up from the sands and put Gaara in a headlock, while giving him a noogie. Throwing her hands up to her mouth to choke back the laughter didn’t help, as Kankurou and her howled while the rest of the Suna nin sat in awe at the man manhandling their Kage.

Gaara had changed much in his time since the Shukaku was taken from him. While in front of his people he was still the cold, emotionless bastard he was from his youth; around friends and family he could smile a little and relax. It helps when your best friend is a hyperactive idiot hell-bent on everyone having a good time. Their rough housing completed, the two stood and Gaara brought them over the gate on a platform of sand. Naruto felt a little uncomfortable with all the eyes on him until he remembered that no one in Suna hated him that he knew of. He was about to say hello when he found himself enveloped in a hug from Temari.

“Welcome back to Suna Naruto. I hope you plan to stay for a little while.”

“I’ve actually come to talk to Gaara about that. We’re going to his office at the moment. Sorry, but I’ll catch up with you two later. Me and the insomniac have things to discuss.”

Gaara muttered under his breath that he was standing right there as he and Naruto shunshined into his office. Naruto took in the unassuming room and smiled. If everything went as planned, this is where he would be receiving his orders from now on. He turned to his friend, who had taken up his station again in that comfy chair. Gaara motioned for him to sit and he let himself melt into the leather chair.

“So, to what do I owe this honor Naruto? You don’t make it a habit of visiting without reason.”

Naruto took a deep breath and looked the Kazekage in the eye. He told him the whole story behind his leaving, who his parents were, everything. At the end, he decided to drop his bomb.

“I want to become a Suna shinobi.”

A senbon needle could have dropped and Gaara wouldn’t have noticed. This was almost unheard of. A Konoha nin willingly coming to Suna was a genuine surprise. Of course, his natural curiosity was piqued.

“Why?”

“The council denied me my heritage and birthright. I couldn’t live there any more and I remember you saying that I could come here any time. I want to be a ninja under your leadership.”

“But what of your dream? Does Tsunade know of this? Why here?”

“Yeah, Tsunade knows. She signed my release forms. I need your approval though. I’m still a genin after all and that rank would carry over here. I guess I’d have to take the chuunin exams again.”

“No you wouldn’t. I’ll make you a chuunin right now, but Naruto…what about your dream?”

“Dreams die Gaara. I have a new dream now. I have my family heirlooms and scrolls and I want to start my own family. I’ll make a new clan and it will rise here in Suna. That is, if you’ll let me.”

“Of course. I’ll notify Tsunade immediately. Do you need any time before you take up duties?”

“Just a little. I have a fair sum of money saved up and I wanted to buy a plot of land if I could. I just want to relax for a bit and read through my parent’s scrolls. I want to know them a little better.”

“Well, until you’re ready you may stay at my family’s compound. Temari and Kankurou still live there and I don’t think they’d mind you staying. I’ll have to warn you not to eat Temari’s cooking. She’s a horrible chef. Kankurou’s passable, but not by much. If you’re a better cook, I suggest you offer if you don’t want to starve to death.”

“Thank you Gaara. I promise you I’ll never let you down.”

The two stood and shook hands before Gaara summoned Temari to escort Naruto to the Sabaku compound. As the two blondes left, he smiled and sat down while writing his letter to Tsunade.

‘You’ve never let me down before you idiot. I don’t expect you to now. Now the question is, where to put a new chuunin?’

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Temari kept cutting her eyes to the man walking beside her. She couldn’t help but appreciate his looks once he was out of that jumpsuit. The coat definitely made him look familiar, like she’d seen him in a book somewhere. She couldn’t put her finger on it though and it bothered her. Her analytical mind just couldn’t let go of a puzzle and Uzumaki Naruto was definitely a puzzle.

“So what’s it like at the Sabaku compound?”

She nearly didn’t hear him; she was so lost in her thoughts.

“It’s alright. I have to put up with Kankurou and his puppets but other than that it’s nice. Gaara takes care of us. We never want for anything.”

“I see. How are you and Shikamaru doing?”

Temari narrowed her eyes and turned to face him, making him stop. Putting her hand on her hip, she shifted her weight to one leg.

“There is no me and Shikamaru. He’s a competent person, but he’s not boyfriend material. Hell, you’re more boyfriend material than he is.”

They walked on in silence for a few minutes, but Naruto’s prankster side couldn’t let something like that slide.

“Boyfriend material huh? Maybe I’ll take you up on that later.”

The rest of the way was filled with a sputtering Temari trying to regain her dignity while Naruto laughed his ass off. He was going to have so much fun with the Sabakus. They were way too uptight.

Temari ushered him into his room and shut the door after him, after giving him a hug and welcoming him to his new home. She left with a smile on her face, muttering about ‘blonde idiots’. Naruto sighed happily and looked around his room.

‘Home, sweet home.’

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Gaara meanwhile was putting the finishing touches on his message. He looked it over and nodded to himself. Yes, that would do nicely.

Tsunade-sama,

I accept the enrollment of one Uzumaki Naruto in my ranks of Suna shinobi. I believe he will make a wonderful addition and I thank you for giving him the option to come here peacefully. Worry not, my siblings and I shall watch out for him and make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble. I am sorry for your loss, as he is one of your best shinobi, but from what I have heard, most of Konoha will not mourn. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure after all. Please send all records of him via a courier as soon as possible. I thank you again and please, do visit sometime. Naruto would like that I’m sure.

Godaime Kazekage

Sabaku no Gaara

He tied the message to a bird’s leg and sent it off toward Konoha. Life was definitely going to get more interesting with Naruto here.

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As Temari walked down the street, back to the Kage Tower, she kept thinking over what Naruto had been picking on her about. She had never really had a boyfriend. All the guys in Suna were too scared of her and her brothers to ask her out. Besides Shikamaru, who was a total lazy ass, and Naruto, there weren’t many who weren’t afraid of her family. As she climbed the stairs, she thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take him up on his offer, even if it was jokingly. She’d have to let him get settled in first, but then she’d spring her trap. As a fellow wind user, he’d be fun to train with, and she’d heard through the grapevine that he had imbued a powerful jutsu with wind manipulation. Yes, she’d definitely have to train with him.

As she stood before the door to Gaara’s office, she smirked as she had a brilliant stroke of genius. This’d teach that little asshole to make fun of her. She stepped inside and smiled at her brother, who knew immediately from that mischievous look that someone was in trouble.

“Brother dear, I have an idea as to what to do with our new chuunin…”

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Naruto sat in his room alone, reading a scroll into the waning hours of the night. Gaara had stopped by earlier and said that he had sent a message and would give him a week to get settled in before he would be assigned to his new post. This gave Naruto plenty of time to read up on the history of his folks and get situated to Suna. Gaara’s only request was that he eat lunch with the Sand Siblings every day. That wasn’t a bad condition. He liked Gaara’s family. Temari could be scary, but other than that she was a cool chick. Kankurou was a prankster at heart like he was and the two got along splendidly.

He sat against the wall and read further into the scroll. His parents didn’t really write much about themselves. It was mostly about their techniques but any good ninja could garner much about a person from just that. His father was not a meticulous person; his writings flitted here and there, with attention only paid to the big things, like how to do this or that. His mother was painstakingly accurate about everything and he admired her for that. The two seemed to be polar opposites when it came to paperwork, but apparently when it came to life they had the same philosophy. Live hard, love hard. He sighed and banged his head against the wall. If only they could have lived…

The next morning found Temari waking up to a wonderful smell. She didn’t think about what she was wearing as she and Kankurou were the only ones in the house. She had forgotten about Naruto overnight and walked into the kitchen wearing only an oversized t-shirt and her panties. Eyes half-lidded she yawned and stretched as she said ‘good morning’ to the shape at the counter. When she didn’t hear the familiar grunt of her brother, she cracked her eyes a little wider and they flew wide open when she saw who was cooking. Clad only in boxers and a muscled shirt, was Naruto, flipping pancakes on his griddle and bacon frying in another.

The two stood dumbfounded, just staring at each other. Temari, admiring his well toned body and unnatural tan, liking the way his hair hung limp without a headband and the way the whiskers on his cheek made him seem feral. Naruto stood admiring those legs of hers, well defined and toned, and thinking that her chest must have gotten bigger since he last saw her. He cocked his head to the side, completely oblivious to the fact that he was staring and drank up her face. She was definitely cute, although she could be bossy when she wanted. They would have stood there for quite a while until a gruff voice came from behind her.

“You’re burning breakfast Naruto. Pay attention. Temari, put some pants on.”

Temari looked down at her attire and shrieked before rushing back upstairs to get dressed. Kankurou looked at Naruto’s blushing face and died laughing. It was going to be so fun teasing those two. He accepted the plate that Naruto handed him and smacked his lips appreciatively when he took his first bite.

“This is really good dude. Temari can’t cook this good.”

“Shut up asshole.”

She appeared at the door again, this time in her black battle kimono. She glared at the blonde boy, who blushed again and turned back to the stove. She smirked at his back and sat down at the table, looking longingly at Kankurou’s plate. He eyed her and put an arm around it protectively.

“Wait your damn turn. This grub is mine.”

“You could share you know. I am older than you.”

“Not on your life. This guy’s cooking from now on and I ain’t giving up my portions. It’s way too good.”

“You guys are embarrassing me. Here Temari, sorry about earlier.”

She waved her hand dismissively and took a bite out of the pancake. She chewed slowly as he stood by, waiting for her reaction. She sat her fork down and turned to him.

“This is without a doubt, the most…delicious thing I’ve eaten in quite a while. Bravo squirt.”

Naruto growled at her, his elongated fangs showing.

“You know, I’m not twelve anymore and I’m just as tall as you. Don’t call me squirt.”

“I will if I want. Besides, you have a meeting with Gaara later on today. Your new assignment if I’m not mistaken. Congratulations on making chuunin by the way.”

“Heh, thank you.”

“I’m a jounin you know. I still outrank you.”

“Hmph…just eat your damn pancakes.”

Kankurou looked back up from his bacon and smirked. Oh yes, this would be so much fun…

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Naruto walked up to Gaara’s receptionist and smiled at her. She blushed when she saw who he was and gave him a shy smile in return.

“Can I help you?”

“I’m here to see Gaara. I hear he has something he wishes to speak to me about.”

“Ah yes, Uzumaki-san, go right on in. He’s been expecting you for a while now.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as he had closed the door, he was pinned to the wall by a blast of sand and Gaara stood before him.

“I hope you don’t expect me to accept tardiness here Naruto. I won’t have you turn into that worthless sensei of yours.”

Naruto laughed and struggled against his bonds before Gaara let the sand recede.

“I cooked breakfast this morning and had to listen to your sister give a lecture about not being a pervert.”

“What did you do to my sister? We may be friends Naruto, but if you…”

“I didn’t do anything. She forgot I was there and walked into the kitchen wearing a t-shirt and panties. Your sister is gorgeous by the way. I can’t help it she’s forgetful.”

“Indeed. Now sit, if you please.”

Once they were settled in, Gaara took up his arms-crossed pose.

“I sent off the message that you had arrived to Tsunade last night. I requested all your records and they should arrive soon. Now then, I have called you here because of your new assignment. One of our chuunin has been reassigned to a new post and I have need of your services in his stead. Do you accept?”

“Of course Gaara. Just tell me what I need to do.”

The former jinchuuriki smirked and stood grasping Naruto’s hand in a firm shake.

“I knew I could count on you Naruto. You will report to the academy starting next week to begin your new assignment.”

“And that would be?”

“Why, sensei to the new academy students of course.”

Naruto’s eyes went wide and he opened his mouth as if to scream, but nothing came out since Gaara clamped his sand over the boy’s mouth. After several seconds of struggle, Naruto sighed in defeat and his shoulders slumped. Gaara let the sand recede and Naruto glared at him.

“I really hate you, you know that? What makes you think I’ll be a good teacher anyway?”

“You have the skills, you just need to apply them accordingly. Don’t worry; it’s not forever, just until I find someone more suitable. Here’s a folder of all the information you need. I suggest you study up and get ready. Dismissed.”

Naruto grabbed the folder and stomped out of the office. Gaara smirked when he picked up the mumbled curses coming from his friend. The children would truly have an interesting year with their new sensei.