Nindō 0051: Suna’s Emergency (2/2)

In the morning, just as Naruto came to his office after dropping Himawari off at the academy, he saw someone sitting in the waiting area, leaning back on the couch with one leg crossed over the other. The blonde woman noticed his arrival and stood up. She was wearing a modified blue kimono that reached slightly above her knees, barely revealing a shuriken holster that was strapped to her thigh. Her kimono was held together by a thick black sash that went around her stomach like a kind of corset, along with another holster on her back that held a large fan.

"Good morning, Temari," Naruto nodded in greeting as the woman's heeled boot sandals clacked on the waiting room floor. "I see you're all decked out for a mission."

"Good morning to you as well, Hokage-sama," Temari gave a light bow, greeting Naruto. "Shikamaru told me that you needed to talk to me urgently."

"I do. Follow me into my office. We shall talk there," Temari followed Naruto into his office. "Welcome," He said, holding the door open as the blonde entered stoically, "Take a seat."

"What is so urgent that you needed to talk to me first thing in the morning, Hokage-sama?" Temari was feeling a little impatient but still sat on the seat opposite Naruto's.

"First off," Naruto said with concern shining on his face. "How's Gaara doing? Any changes in his condition?"

"None. He is still in a coma, unable to even eat or drink anything by himself. I come by the hospital to check on him daily, but there aren't any changes."

"It would've been better if he was showing any signs of recovery, but since that's not the case, I'm going to need you to step in," Temari frowned at Naruto's words.

"What are you talking about? Could you please elaborate, Hokage-sama?"

"Suna's situation is worse than we expected. The current commander of Suna's Anbu and the root of our problems, Maki, has kidnapped Shinki and is threatening to murder him if Kankuro tries to get in her way. She wants him to support her ascension as the temporary Kazekage. She also has most of Suna's forces on her side, which makes things extremely difficult for Sai and his team. Right now, they are barely holding back the village's troops that keep vying to capture Kankuro. With all of this going on, it is impossible for Kankuro to hold the position of Kazekage with any prestige. We need another viable candidate who can sit on the seat temporarily. At least until Shinki grows up enough to take up the mantle himself," Naruto released a heavy breath after giving Temari the gist of the situation in Suna.

Temari's head had inadvertently turned to the side in the middle of Naruto's words, looking blankly at the wall as he continued explaining things to her, "Gaara became the Kazekage when he was Shinki's age …" She spoke thoughtfully.

"That was a different time, Temari. Gaara's own strength, along with his status as the Jinchūriki of the One-Tails, made him uncontested — most jōnin weren't a match for him at that time, but his son is not like that. Nor does he have any siblings who can support him. Believe it or not, the only reason Gaara was able to thrive as the Kazakage in his early years was because you two supported him with everything. That's without even mentioning that in the current political landscape. If Shinki sits in the seat of Kazekage, he will face pressure not only from the elders but from outside the village as well. Iwa's daimyo will definitely take the chance to declare war on the Land of Wind in an attempt to get benefits, and Suna will be the one losing out most of all," Naruto said.

"So I have to become the new Kazekage?" She looked at Naruto with a tired sigh. She was intimately aware of the long-standing feud between Sunagakure and Iwagakure. Not only had the two villages been fighting amongst themselves for a long time, but even the smaller countries with hidden villages that shared borders with them, like Ishigakure and Amegakure, would regularly get embroiled in their conflicts. Only in the era of peace had things somewhat settled down. And even then, small occasional skirmishes between Iwa and Suna ninjas were normal.

"Interim Kazekage. Until Gaara wakes up or Shinki is old enough to take up the mantle. You can't officially take up the position because of the status that you hold in Konoha," Naruto clarified as Temari had the urge to punch something. "That very status, however, makes you the most probable candidate for interim Kazekage in Shinki's absence. The chief advisor of the Hokage couldn't possibly let his wife suffer in Suna," She snorted at his words as if he'd just touched a bad topic. Naruto didn't dwell on her reaction and continued. "That status is going to be the biggest plus point in your direction that Suna's elders will try to capitalize on. I wouldn't be surprised if some of them instantly turn on Maki once you show up."

"What's to say that Maki won't get to me first? And with all due respect, you are giving the elders too much credit. Not all of them will understand my significance beyond being a pawn of Konoha. They might even try their best to eliminate me as soon as possible. I did have a good professional relationship with Maki while also being slightly friendly with her in the past, but if she's that deep in her rebellion against my family, I doubt she is going to accept my becoming the Kazekage," Temari said. "I consider myself stronger than Kankuro, but only barely, Gaara is still on a whole other level than us. I cannot take on the entire village myself."

"Your safety and manpower aren't going to be a problem," Naruto said. "Because I'm going with you. Specifically, a shadow clone of myself, but that should be enough. Things will fall right in line as long as I go there to show my support." Temari understood that Naruto's clone was going to be doing much more than just showing his support. "Plus, with the recent refresher of Konoha's strength, after we took care of Momoshiki and Kinshiki — who essentially killed all of the tailed beasts with overwhelming might — without any losses, I might not even have to make a move to have them stand down on their own."

Temari shut up in front of Naruto's argument. No one could contend against the strength of the leader of the strongest ninja village in the world when he decided to take things into his own hands. "In that case, why do I even need to go?" She asked. "As long as you convince certain people, Kankuro can easily take the reigns of the village until Shinki grows of age."

"I understand that you are reluctant to leave your established life in Konoha, Temari," Naruto said empathetically. "I'm sure you have no interest in getting embroiled in the politics of your village, which is the main reason you married into Shikamaru's family in the first place. I know and understand all of that. But you have to be the one who takes the reigns. Kankuro is neither fit to be Kazekage nor will any of the elders show him support after I leave. The Anbu commander already has the daimyo showing his tacit support of her ascension by not taking any action. If, after all that, Kankuro is the one who becomes the Kazekage, it will set a very bad precedent for the world. It will declare to the world that the Hokage has the strength to do anything he wants, and he will do exactly what he wants. If I go there and brute force Kankuro into the position of the Kazekage, then the world will turn against Konoha."

Temari took a breath, ready to argue further, but Naruto's expression, mixed with the slightly oppressive atmosphere that had taken root in the Hokage's office, told her that he wasn't planning on budging from his decision. She sighed as a hint of defeat appeared in her deep teal eyes as she gave up on her resistance and spoke up, "Do I have to leave today? Shikadai just thinks that I'm going on a mission for a few days and will be back before Sunday. I would like to bid him a proper farewell."

"I would prefer if we could leave right now, but I can delay the train until tonight," Naruto said, making Temari nod at him gratefully. "Also, you don't have to be that down about your situation. Once everything is settled in Suna, you can set up something to have Shikadai visit you for a while. While Shikamaru won't be able to leave the village long-term, you can have your son living with you for a while if you want. As the Kazekage, you can issue a long-term mission for Team 10 and have them stay in Suna for a while," He gave her an encouraging smile.

Temari chuckled, "I appreciate your attempt to lift my spirits, Hokage-sama," She stood up from her seat, "I shall meet you at the main entrance of the train station at sundown if that's okay?"

"That works for me," Naruto nodded as Temari left, sighing tiredly.

***

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