Chapter 193

Still ignoring her brother for the drab white paneled and wood ceiling, Temari asks, "will he?" Clenching her fist at the thought of their shameful past, she retorts, "our father ordered our uncle to kill our brother. He's ordered shinobi and kunoichi alike to try and kill him, and Gaara always survives without a scratch. Rock Lee is the only time I've ever seen Gaara wounded, and if they didn't concede the match, I'm sure he would've died. Otou-sama doesn't care about my virtue so long as the plan remains secure."

"The plan can remain viable without you needing to do this," Kankurō insists.

"That's where you're wrong," she flatly maintains. "Or at least, it's not how they'll see it. In their eyes, Gaara's completely focused on one goal that benefits them. Not only will their greatest weapon be easier to deal with, but his killing intent is now solely focused on the very sudden and most dangerous wildcard."

"I'll admit that brat surprised the hell out of me," Kankurō hates to say. "But 'most dangerous wildcard' is a bit of a stretch."

"You need to start paying better attention," Temari huffs with irritation. "Recall the way the leaf Jōnin reacted—I'm certain Baki noticed their battle-readiness and reported as much. Recall the chakra ears and tails on Uzumaki. Recall his words. He's been trying to make friends with Gaara since the beginning because, as he put it, they have a lot in common. It's a fair bet Uzumaki Naruto is the Jinchūriki of the Two-Tails, and I think that detail wasn't something they planned for. From a strategic standpoint, that makes Uzumaki Naruto incredibly dangerous."

"I thought the Two-Tails was in Kumo," Kankurō wonders aloud.

"Jinchūriki are a village's top-secret, so reports on them is either speculation, subterfuge, or a sentence or two, at best," Temari informs her brother. "Chiyo-baasama is certain the Eight-Tails is still in Kumo, but hardly anyone knows the identity or whereabouts of the Two-Tails, though they're fairly sure it's a blond. Aside from Gaara, possibly Uzumaki, Killer Bee, and the Mizukage, Katarachi Yagura, nearly nothing concrete is known about the other Jinchūriki or their tailed beasts."

"That they'll tell us," Kankurō points out, knowing full well they don't have the security clearance necessary for top-secret information.

Temari will admit it's only due to their status of the Kage's children they know as much as they do and responds, "we may not be completely in the loop, as of yet, but this is precisely why I told you to talk to Chiyo-baasama and Ebizō-jiisama about more than just puppeteering. They're a wealth of strategic information and profiling that can help you avoid diplomatic disadvantageous."

Annoyed by the conversation and her apparent interest in the ceiling, he looks up as he asks, "what are you doing?"

"Getting used to the view on my back," she glumly answers. Guessing how much that would bother her brother to hear, she immediately regrets it, but before Kankurō can get even more worked up, Baki silently steps into the room.

Kankurō quickly asks what only seems so obvious to her, "what did tou-sama say?"

Turning to Temari still laying in bed, on her back, and counting the dots on the ceiling, their sensei answers, "Temari, for the security of Suna's future goals-"

"Of my father's ambitions, you mean," she quickly interjects.

Baki at least has the decency to exhale as if exhausted by it all. "Considering what Uzumaki Naruto is, for the success of the mission, it's been decided that Gaara must absolutely kill him. He may be the only one from our forces who can, which means, your involvement is vital for the good of the village. Additionally, it would be a demoralizing blow if it was done during their match, so, you have a month to… gain his trust and manipulate his emotions."

"No!" Kankurō yells. "You can't ask that! Tou-sama wouldn't allow-"

"This comes directly from Kazekage-sama," Baki states.

"But if Gaara's the only one that can beat him, then it's too dangerous to send her alone," Kankurō argues.

"Remember yourself, Kankurō-san," Baki calls. "You're shinobi of the Sand; our entire way of life is fraught with danger. We survive the harshest environment because we let our pain neither define us nor defeat us. It is our pain which strengthens us and this will make Temari strong."

"Then you do it," Kankurō yells at his commanding officer with all the authority of the Kage's son. "What you're ordering her to do isn't even necessary, let alone right! How could tou-sama…"

Baki tries to reason with the Kage's son. "If Uzumaki suffers emotional instability right before his fight, it offers us the highest chance of completing our mission-"

"Leave me," she tells them.

Swallowing, Baki slowly speaks, "…the Kazekage bid me ensure you're instructed on the best methods of completing this sort of-"

"Baki, if you don't get the fuck out of my room this instant, the next veil you'll be wearing will be in your coffin covering your entire face."

She held back until they left before allowing the tears to stream down the sides of her face. Her face doesn't contort in emotional anguish nor does she make a sound. If it wasn't for the warm tears streaming down her stone face, it would be difficult to guess Temari was, in fact, sad. Tame though her crying is, in her mind, she simply needed to let her tears out now—needed her heart to feel despair—so it wouldn't happen at all during her mission.

NARUTO

After being dismissed and leaving a clone for Kakashi-sensei, Naruto rushes from the tower straight to Iruka's and is fortunate enough to speak with Naru-nii along the way. Despite how difficult it is for Naruto to navigate the busy streets of Konoha, Naruto had explained everything that happened earlier.

'Holy hell,' Naru-nii gasp. 'I can't believe you beat him- and he speared you through the chest too!'

It isn't until he enters the shinobi residential area that walking with elbow room became easier and Naruto thinks back, 'I know! I totally didn't think that would happen. I was so pissed, he was lucky I didn't go three-tails on his ass.'

'No doubt,' Naru-nii hums. 'Oh, hey, I know we don't have a lot of time left, but would you mind repeating the Fūin contract tou-chan told you?'

'Of course not,' Naruto happily tells him. 'After everything you've taught me, I feel like I owe you for the rest of my life!'

'Sheuut up,' Naru-nii calls back good-naturedly. 'You're already helping the future so you don't owe me a thing.'

'You're wrong,' Naruto sounds back through their divine link. 'We both know how long it would've taken me to learn what I know now. Without you, it would've been years until I learned what Kage Bunshin can do. I would've hated being ignored for so long when I can learn things so much faster than other ninjas. You're wrong, because of the people in my life, the strength I'm gaining, the future I'm helping is all because of you. I owe you everything, Naru-nii.'

'Shesheshe, now you're just embarrassing me,' Naru-nii sheepishly sings. 'Thanks but, we're a team. Your success is our success. So, let's keep the train rolling and tell me how the Hiraishin Fūin scheme structured. I might be able to improve it…'

They didn't have a lot of time left and explaining it without the visuals took longer than anticipated, so by the end of their prayer, the Narutos realize it'll take a few sessions to completely relay the length of the contract.

Palming the Fūin security on the door's frame of Iruka's home with a chakra covered hand, Naruto rushes in to find Karin writing at the dining table covered with a large number of scrolls and books. Wearing a purple skirt with a green shirt, her vibrant red hair is tied back and out of her concentrated eyes. In his casual light pink yukata with the sleeves rolled up and tied to the shoulders, Haku is in the kitchen mixing what smells like another one of his herbal remedies when they both turn to his entrance.

"Karin-chan," Naruto yells before rushing over and taking her in a great big hug.

"Ugh, again," she says though she still hugs him back. Missing his friend a great deal, Naruto hugs Haku immediately after.

"Oh man!" Naruto hollers as he steps away from them. "Who's down for Ichiraku's? There's so much I want to tell you guys."

Instead, Haku asks, "would dining-in be okay with everyone? There are a few things I'd like to discuss and I feel it would be better if we spoke in private."

"I don't mind staying in," Karin states sliding her glasses back up the bridge of her bonny nose. "Your cooking is fantastic."

"Isn't it," Naruto happily agrees with Karin. Naruto can't help rejoicing in the wonderful feeling of having family related to him by blood. He loves so many people; Ji-chan, Iruka-sensei, Nai-chan, his team, his village, but there's a subtle difference loving someone who is blood-related. To know he has that kind of family connection now—no matter the horrors that befall them—is a joy he never thought he'd ever have the joy of experiencing. Having met his father, Naruto tears up in front of them, and before they can ask a question, he pulls them both in an impassioned hug.

"Naruto," Karin calls, though looks at Haku questioningly. Haku simply shrugs and hugs him right back.

"Sorry," Naruto calls stepping away roughly rubbing his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Yeah, we can do anything. As long as we're together, I don't care."

The three settle comfortably in Iruka's and talk while Haku begins their early dinner. They decide Naruto and Haku will now bunk together while Karin takes Haku's room. They plan to meet Iruka during visiting hours the following day so Naruto can personally tell him the great news. They talk about each candidate and their matches, swap some light stories about festivals and favorite foods, and generally enjoy the pleasant simplicity of their companionship. All three have had a difficult upbringing and to simply talk about mundane interests and hobbies makes a world of difference to each of them.

With their giant bowls of ramen before them, Naruto laughed hard when Karin admitted she only insisted that she and Haku shower together because nobody told her that Haku was a boy.

"I mean, look at him! How was I supposed to know," Karin long-windedly calls out. "I'm really sorry Haku-kun."

Shaking his endearing head to dismiss any need for an apology, Haku states, "I've already said an apology is unnecessary. It happens quite often and you've more than made up it."

"How so," Naruto asks between long slurps.

"Karin-chan is quite good with administrative work and research," Haku explains. "She's gathered all of Iruka's books on the subject of Clans and is already exploring the details around establishing your clan here in Konoha."

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