Flashback…
"You know I didn't want to say this but I think this is one of your craziest ideas," Kankuro said to Gaara who was staring out at the desert. "I mean our superiors don't really like you, and the village is deathly afraid of you. By separating from us and trying to involve yourself with the regular shinobi out of the blue like this… it's going to be hard." He looked at his brother who just continued to stare at the desert, he was unsure what to think when Gaara had told him that he wanted to integrate himself into the standard shinobi forces. Though he knew Gaara had changed since the failed invasion of Konoha, hell the first conscious words that came out of his brothers mouth was an apology for all the things he had done to him and Temari. He knew his brother wanted to change the way he was looked at, but he still didn't think this was a good idea.
Gaara was silent for a moment as he listened to Kankuro, "I know but by just waiting, I get attacked by an even greater anguish. All one can do is create his own path through hard work, without being a loner and taking the easy path." Gaara fell silent for a moment as he tried to put what he wanted to say into words, "someday I hope to be like him…" Kankuro stayed silent as he listened to Gaara, knowing who he was speaking of. "So that's why I as one of the sands shinobi aim to be Kazekage, to bond with and live for this village."
"Gaara," Kankuro said, awed by how much his brother had truly changed after his battle with that orange clad shinobi. It was one of the things Kankuro would have never thought possible, that some boy who no one had really thought much about and seemed to be the dead last of his graduating class could not only beat Gaara but also said something that fundamentally changed the young red head.
"Through hard work I want to be respected by everybody, I got that from Naruto Uzumaki. But up until now, bonds have been nothing more than an annoyance to the point I would want to kill everything. But when I fought Naruto he told me, he gains his strength by 'protecting his precious people' because they give him a reason to exist. I saw that strength for myself and I feel like I can understand just what he meant a little better. Hate, sadness and even happiness, to be able to share these things with another person," Gaara looked out at the desert with a contemplative look on his face. "I learned that with my fight from Naruto Uzumaki. He knew pain like I did, and he taught me that you can change that path." Gaara nodded to himself as if to confirm his beliefs, "one day I wish to be needed by somebody, not as a frightening weapon…" Gaara turned his head and Kankuro saw a small smile on it, "but as the sands Kazekage."
Flashback end…
Naruto looked up into the sky as he finally saw Suna in sight, channeling chakra into his eyes Naruto zoomed in on the battle going on over head. Looks like Gaara's already been started his battle, Naruto sighed, well then I'd better-
Naruto was cut off as his instincts forced him to jump from his spot just as a giant tale crashed down where he had been, looking at the tail Naruto followed it to a hunchbacked figure. Naruto recognized it as Akasuna No Sasori (Sasori of the Red Sand) from the description Kona-chan gave him, the blond looked at Sasori with a smirk, "you know it's rude to try and kill someone without even introducing yourself."
He was answered with the tail trying to impale him, moving into a series of back flips Naruto got some distance between him and Sasori. Said man looking at him with narrowed eyes, "who are you?" Sasori asked.
"Oh no one important," Naruto said with a smirk even though Sasori could not see it through his face mask, "I'm just trying to get through to help the Kazekage."
"Then I am afraid I cannot let you pass, and if you try I am going to have to kill you," Sasori said as he took off his cloak and got down all fours to reveal that he was inside a puppet. It had a large tail that was coming out of an orange mask, the legs and arms had joints that made odd clicking noises as they moved. "I do not know who you are but if you really are here to help the Kazekage then I am afraid I must kill you."
Naruto's smirk widened, "well you know that's fine by me since I was already planning on killing you anyways Sasori." Sasori was surprised that this person knew who he was but did not show, he focused his eyes on the hooded shinobi. There was nothing about the man that would reveal the type or style of fighting he used, the large black cloak covered his entire frame all the way to the feet. The hood covered up his hair and because of the face mask the puppet user could not even see who it was.
Naruto raised a hand towards Sasori and pointed to fingers at him.
'Raiton: Byakuri. (Lightning Release: Pale White Lightning)'
A large bolt of lightning so bright it looked white was shot from Naruto's fingers straight at Sasori, despite being in a puppet Sasori moved out of the way quickly. Naruto appeared right in front of the puppet user and was about to attack only to be forced to dodge Sasori's tail, jumping back Naruto was forced to dodge a hail of senbon. according to Kona-chan those senbon are poisonous, I don't think poison will work on me but it will still take time to flush it from my system so I better not get hit by any f those. Thinking on his feet Naruto thrust a closed fist forward as another burst of senbon came his way.
'Fuuton: Genkotsu No Kaze! (Wind Release: Fist of Wind)'
A giant blast of wind in the shape of a large fist blasted the senbon away and headed for Sasori, the puppet user managed to move out of the way in time to dodge. But Naruto had already calculated where he would be and was waiting for him with a spinning ball of chakra in his hand; Naruto thrust the Rasengan right into the puppet user. A body was launched out of the one Naruto had just destroyed, landing several feet away before standing up.
"It's been a long time since anyone could defeat Haruko," Sasori said with a voice that sounded really young. As Sasori looked up Naruto saw that the person still looked like a teenage boy, according to Konan Sasori had turned himself into a puppet when he was younger. This not only gave him eternal life, but also made him stop aging at the time he had been turned into a puppet. "I will enjoy adding you to my collection," Sasori said as he pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. There was a puff of smoke and Naruto found himself staring at the figure that came out. It was a puppet, with an olive complexion spiky black hair and a long brown cloak. "This puppet was the hardest one to get in my collection," Sasori spoke, "you should feel honored to see it."
"I see, so you turned the Sandaime Kazekage into a puppet," Naruto said as he narrowed his eyes. While the Kazekage were not a kage of Konoha they were still Kage's, a position that Naruto respected no matter what village it came from. So to see one of the village's Kage's having their corpse desecrated and used by someone pissed the blond shinobi off, however he knew that he needed to keep his wits about him and so did not let any of his emotions come through to cloud his judgment.
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