Looking for a Teacher

'So far, there's no one I can think of at my current age who can train me in taijutsu in the Sand Village.'

'That settles it, then. Since there's no one who can show me the path of taijutsu, I'll just have to continue with my father's personal trainer, Baki.'

As soon as Gaara settled this in his mind, he stood up from the chair.

It was easy to get there; people in the village were already constantly running away from him, and others viewed him as a weapon of mass destruction.

'For some reason, no matter how huge the Sand Castle is, I can always find my way around…'

"What are you doing here, Gaara?"

'The last person I ever wanted to see happened to be right in front of me, scrutinizing me from head to toe.'

"Baki..."

I said in a shy tone, thinking it was best for this situation. I didn't want to give off the impression that I was too mature and draw his attention too quickly.

"You should be with your siblings," he said in a sharp, demeaning tone. Not that I cared, so I didn't reply. He walked away, and right behind him was the Baki I was looking for.

"Lord Gaara, I apologize deeply. I will find you at a later time," he said, and then walked off with my father.

'Wait, I thought I was supposed to be some kind of important weapon deserving of utmost attention. And here I am, just getting shrugged off?'

'Well, since Plan A is in motion, I have something to check.'

I slowly retraced my steps out of the castle, stopping at the entrance to look around thoughtfully.

'Where should I start?'

'He'll probably find me sooner or later, right? Even though he's busy working, Yashamaru should come to see me.'

'Should I wait? No, I'll go look for him.'

Gaara headed toward the apartment where he and his siblings lived. When he arrived, he didn't waste time. He looked at Kankuro and Temari, who were reading, and said directly to Kankuro:

"Show me... Yashamaru."

'That came out wrong. Hopefully, they won't take it the wrong way.'

"What do you want with Yashamaru, Gaara?" Temari spoke up as she slowly stood.

'Damn! Another misunderstanding. Stay calm, play it short and safe.'

"Train," I said, trying to add some expression to my face, but it probably just made me look weirder.

"Gaara, if you want to train, you could go to Baki or even come to one of us, right? Why Yashamaru?" Temari asked, now visibly calmer, clearly not seeing me as a threat… yet.

'Come to think of it, why haven't I thought of testing out their taijutsu skills? (In other words, just sparring with them.)'

"Then… train me," I said eagerly, setting my fists forward like a boxer ready for a fight.

'Hopefully, they won't beat me up too much, right?'

"...Taijutsu."

"Gaara, why don't we take it step by step and go through the basics first," Kankuro finally spoke up, with a hint of nervousness in his eyes. I relaxed a bit and dropped my guard.

"Alright, let's start by heading to the training ground."