Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Uncle ❯ Uncle ( Chapter 1 )

[ A - All Readers ]

I never understood them. Humans. And, of all the humans I understood my siblings both the best and the least. Or maybe it was that they understood me the best.

Quietly the doorknob turns and my footsteps carry me into the silent hospital room. It seems dim, lit by artificial lights. Lights that aren’t bright enough or strong enough to fight away the dark of night that creeps through the window and chases away the last rays of sunlight at sunset. The aura of death that stagnates in this particular ward doesn’t help them any. Room 26 B of the Terminal Wounds ward.
My sister’s body remains where she left it. Her face is peaceful and Shikamaru’s hand is still clutched in one hand, rigormortis keeping their fingers clasped together. She had died hours before, while I had still been rushing from Suna to try and catch her last moments. I had wanted to sit sleepless at her bedside one last time. Sit and silently apologize for all of the pain I had caused her. No, THEM, I wanted to apologize one last time for all of the pain I had caused them. The two people who had stood by me even when they hadn’t really wanted to, or when I couldn’t stand by myself. I wanted to apologize, the way I used to, sitting at their bedsides as they slept through the pain of the wounds I’d caused. Never remembering my nighttime vigilance at their bedsides, but always subconsciously acknowledging my presence and hopeful nonverbal apology.
Beside my sister lies her husband. His breaths are feeble and uneven. For the first time, I see him recline out of true weariness and not his typical laziness. Their deathbeds are two twin cots pushed together. The nightstands are shoved out of the way and into the corner where Shikamaru’s mother sits in the only visitor’s chair. Everyone else has come and gone; only family is allowed after visiting hours. She cradles my nephew, Tenri* in her arms, her eyes are glazed as if reality is beyond the grasp of her mind. It’s almost as if she is surprised, her brain is trying to catch up with everyone else.
Kankurou had had a similar look in his eyes when he had died. His knees had failed him causing him to collapse into my arms. The blood from the gash in his forehead was starting to wash off his Kabuki face paint, dying it pink. He found that he couldn’t breathe around the enemy kunai in his chest. The desert sand around us began to shift threateningly, stained a sticky horrible crimson with the puppet master’s blood. Its movement was futile, the kunai had been thrown at me as the last ditch attempt of a dying shinobi. That night I replaced the sand I had kept in my gourd since my first day at the academy. Replaced by the sand that had been soaked with my brother’s blood, I had hand washed all but a vial full.
That same sand rustled as its master set its container on the floor by the door. I shrug at the loss of its familiar weight and walk over to my sister’s corpse. I allow my fingers to ghost over her hand, up her arm, and over her forehead brushing aside her bangs in the process. Shikamaru clears his throat and beckons me over to him. His voice is too weak to be anything louder than a whisper.
“About a month ago, Temari told me about her wish to leave Tenri in your care should something happen to both of us.” Here he has to pause to catch his breath. I watch him as he speaks and find that with each word Shikamaru, who had always seemed to be a creature of logic, much like myself, has transformed into a creature of emotion. The dying man continues: “I don’t know what her reasons were but I want to respect her wish. So, would you please be Tenri’s guardian? And raise him, as we cannot?” At his words something stirs within me and I find myself wanting to agree and obey Temari’s last wish as well. I don’t understand why either of us would want to do such a thing. It is illogical to leave a child in my care. I understand children less than I understand people in general, and I understand people in general less than I understand emotions, which I don’t understand at all. My comprehension in regards to emotions is nil, despite my skill in manipulating fear. Yet, in this instance, I must understand. I cannot make a wrong decision; even the slightest mistake would be disastrous. I settle into my mind to contemplate my answer.
Temari has always loved me. Love. It is such a foreign concept to me. My hair is red, naturally dyed by the monster of blood and passion that I was born with. Strange, that the being who molded my consciousness. That gave me the methodical and primal logic I live by. That same being that was created by such passions. Yet left me so incapable of understanding them.
Temari has always loved me. Always… Maybe this is her way of apologizing to me for when I was young and she denied me the affection I had so desperately wanted, needed. Was she sorry? Did she love me that much? Sorry and loving enough to entrust the one thing she loved more than any other to a creature who could destroy it in a startled heartbeat? Was that the legacy she wanted to leave her son? A crazy uncle, who was unstable at best?
Yes, I think it is the legacy she wanted to leave Tenri. She would leave her son the challenge of loving me. She would do it, and smile at the added bonus of leaving me with the gift of someone who would always love me. Giving me someone for me to love when I finally understood what love is.
I nod, silently saying that I would care for my nephew and that hopefully he will turn out better than I have. Shikamaru gives me a tired smile in response. He then turns to his mother, who is being comforted by her husband, and motions for his little boy. Despite the pain caused by having the child’s slight weight resting on his chest he cradles the infant to him and together they slip into a peaceful slumber. Tenri dreams of his parents, their loving voices, smiling faces and protective warmth enveloping him. Shikamaru dreams of his wife, and both of them watching their son grow up from the infant they know into the man and shinobi they always hoped he would be. Tenri awoke in his crib at his parents’ house, me sitting sleeplessly at his bedside. Shikamaru never woke up again.
Konoha carved Temari’s name under Shikamaru’s on the stone monument for fallen leaf ninja. In Suna the bricks with their names engraved in them stood side by side in the wall that had been built to honor the dead sand shinobi.

~~~~~~~~~~

We left for Suna a day after the funeral. The baby bottles and furniture were left where they were excluding what few bottles were packed for the road. Some of the clothes and toys did come with to Suna, including every picture of Shikamaru and Temari or of the small family together. I left the rest of my sister’s possessions in the care of her husband’s family. They were already in charge of their son’s assets.
After we arrived in Suna, Tenri slept in my bed until I had time to buy and put together a crib. Everyday I carried him to the office with me, being sure to stop at the monument and guide his fingers to trace the symbols that compose his parents’ names. Tenri is a huge hit with all of my secretaries and nearly every Kunoichi that passes through my office. They think he is the cutest thing on the planet. I’m just grateful he’s one of the quietest babies.
Maybe, by some strange genetic anomaly, he has inherited his silent nature from me. If he did it, is the same anomaly my assistant used to justify the belief that he was sleepless. Instead, my nephew falls asleep at the mere mention of a Council Meeting - he gets that from his other uncle, Kankurou. It’s a strange thing that genetic anomaly. At this rate he’ll grow up to be a laidback, tall, dark, and handsome ladies man with a temper like a firecracker. Kami I hope not. Though, on the bright side of things, he isn’t loud and boisterous like Naruto. Luckily, Tenri is a quiet child who is happy to sit and watch his uncle work with those large brown eyes of his.

~~~~~~~~~~

Unlike other children I have observed, Tenri doesn’t start talking or really even gibbering by the end of his first year. I understand that when he is ready to he will talk in that soft way he has. When that time comes his words will be full and his sentences at least semi-complete. So I don’t press him. My secretaries on the other hand worry needlessly over the fact.
My nephew has started moving under his own power, crawling about from one place to another, as if each spot provides a better view of the world around him. It has gotten to where I can no longer place his carrier in a chair as he will unbuckle himself and fall out of both. This confuses the ladies in the office, they don’t understand why such an obviously smart child refuses to even attempt to talk or walk. I know he’ll do both when ready. In the mean time I let him crawl as he pleases and role play basic conversations to expose him to all the verbal social graces he needs to know.
Two months after his second birthday my patience has been rewarded.
“Ji-san, I’m hungry. Taiyaki please.” The ladies that keep the office running smoothly are in an ecstatic uproar and reduce themselves to uselessness. I take him out for Taiyaki, his favorite treat. A week later and he can totter about Kazekage Tower on two feet. A month after that and he’s potty trained. He quickly learns the route between my office and the Taiyaki stand I treat him to.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tenri is five now. He tries to explain people and emotions to me. He knows because somehow, despite being raised by me, he is normal. Or at least he plays with the other children. In return for answering my questions I answer his.
~“Why is the sky blue?”
“I don’t know, it just is.”
“Then why are my shoes blue?
"Because you like blue I bought shoes whose material had been dyed blue.”
“So, was the sky dyed blue?”
“No.”
“What about the leaves in the trees at Konoha? Were they dyed green?”
“No. They have chlorophyll which makes them green and helps make their food.”
“… Oh, Okay.”~
Sometimes my answers don’t satisfy him, when this happens he usually just shrugs it off. I never sugarcoat anything. Usually this leaves him with less understanding than he started off with. I shrug it off and late at night when I have nothing better to do I contemplate how my answer will be different the next time he asks.
~“Ji-san, Where do babies come from?”
“They grow in their mother and at the end of the pregnancy she gives birth to them.”
“So, can any woman just grow a baby?”
“No, typically she has to fornicate with a man first.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t bother trying to understand it now. I’ll be sure to explain it better ten years from now. Until then let’s just say a giant Tonbo* delivers them to their parents.”
“Why a Tonbo?”
“Because Tonbo represent water and water brings rebirth.”
“I don’t get it.”
“That’s okay.”~

~~~~~~~~~~

He turned seven not too long ago. That happy moment is discarded for now. Both of us are angry and yelling. He suddenly wants a normal family. My best effort no longer equals happy events being celebrated with Taiyaki, but now equates to familial discontent. It hurts. I don’t want him to go away. I don’t want him taken away. Taken away by the promise of a loving father, mother and siblings. He wants people who will tell him sweet lies and are affectionate. People who will hug him and kiss his forehead. He seems to ignore the gestures I use to show the same things. Taiyaki instead of a hug, sitting with him through nightmares, a small smile or laugh when he does something cute or silly.
My voice is colder than it has been in a long time. Colder than any other time I have ever been angry with him. I tell him that he can never have a normal family that is truly his. I also say that his want for their sugared lies is a stupid way to deceive oneself. Everyone is tense.
Konoha ANBU stand at the ready. They watch, muscles coiled tight like springs. I have already taught Tenri how to throw Kunai. My sand protects me, I’m in no danger, but my nephew is. The sand retaliates when I’m attacked. The ANBU will have to intercept the projectile before my defensive systems do, while moving everyone out of harm’s way in the process.
I must regain control. I take several deep breaths as Tenri continues to shout at me. I want to curse Shikamaru’s blonde friend for starting this mess. Ino, she just found out that an old battle wound left her barren. She decided now was as good a time as ever to stand in for her late friend as Tenri’s parent. She cannot take him away from me. I won’t let her take him away. I glance at where she stands angrily on the sidelines. Chouji, her husband, gives me a sympathetic look.
“Enough.” Tenri glares at me, his posture screaming his want to defy the underlining order, but he has shut up all the same. “Ino and Chouji are no more your parents than I am. They can no more provide you with a sibling than I can. Living with them would only change where you live, the number of caretakers, and who those caretakers are.” Tenri is still glaring at me, but his posture has changed from defiance to weariness, all around it is a lot less tense.
“I beg to differ Gaara! If he wants a sibling then we’d be more than happy to adopt more children! Not only that but you are socially inept and mentally unstable! I’m surprised that he manages to have any social skills or manners at all! Temari made the decision to leave him in your care while delirious from poison and fever! Shikamaru should hav-” Her husband stopped her rant with one meaty hand clamped over her mouth.
“You’ve gone too far Ino. Gaara has done an excellent job raising Tenri. I want to help raise Shikamaru’s legacy as much as you. But if Gaara loves him that much, I could never take what little happiness he has found for himself away” I nod my thanks and he smiles at me before hauling the struggling blonde woman away. While his actions have stopped our shouting match, Tenri is still angry with me and the argument is far from over. I give my nephew a look and head back to our hotel room. The boy follows albeit rather reluctantly, and absolutely refuses to acknowledge my presence for the rest of the evening. Our relationship continued to be rocky and fraught with arguments for the rest of the rainy season, which coincided with Konoha’s winter.
This presented me with a problem. The solution, very literally, hit me, and with enough force to knock me over. The people responsible for said solution was a genin Team that was trying to complete the day’s mission. My relationship with Tenri was to be saved by a mix of desert wolf and the domestic hunting dog used by the nomadic tribes that live outside of Suna. He (as IT was male) would grow so that the height of his shoulders reached my hip, and had radar like ears. His eyes were an intelligent amber. He was tricolored, with a feathered tail that curled over his back. His snout was long, and he had these little brown spots that gave the appearance of eyebrows, not unlike those on Noh masks.*
Genin Team 3 had been hired by one of the nomadic tribesmen to find homes for as many of the Koinu* as possible. The mutt sitting on my chest was the last without a home. I thanked the frantic genin and their embarrassed Jounin-sensei and continued on my way home, dog following at my heels. We made a detour at the pet store, picking up all the necessary items for owning a dog. Said items included a black leather collar and tags that had my address and his new name: Kazuharu*.
Thankfully a dog is ‘so much cooler than some whiny little sister!’

~~~~~~~~~

Tenri is eight. We've had Kazuharu for a year now and have succeeded in house training him. He can 'sit', 'roll over', and 'fetch Tenri'. He has foiled an attempt on my life and 2 attempts to kidnap Tenri. Some days I think I should appoint him as ANBU. I don't even bother to try.
The councilmen would have a cow if I did. They can be very vicious when things don't go their way. They also don't seem to learn either. Of the ten different occasions where I have made a decision they didn't like I have yet to make a wrong choice. In fact, 80% of the time my way yields results better than theirs was predicted to. I may have the social grace of a bulldozer but I'm not an idiot when it comes to politics. I've had more than a few years of practice.
I am afraid that as Kazuharu has appointed himself as ‘Tenri’s personal bodyguard’, and that tomorrow he will insist on attending class with his charge and be turned away. I sense my small family approaching my den. Tenri has just returned from playing with a few friends and is rather dirty. Kazuharu is covered in mud, which somehow seems to always be around when the mutt decides to rough house. I sigh, there are probably muddy dog prints everywhere.@My nephew bursts into my office and I can barely keep up with what he’s saying.
“Ji-san! Yusuke said his father said he’d overheard a secretary saying you’d be really busy tomorrow with tons of diplomatic meetings! Yusuke said his dad said the secretary was telling someone that you’d be too busy to pick me up like you promised! If you don’t pick me up right after class the taiyaki stand will be closed by the time we’re done eating dinner!” Tenri gasped for air and tried to catch his breath. I put up a hand to stop the rush of words spouting out his brain and through his mouth. He could babble quite a bit when flustered or excited, despite his normally quiet nature.
“Unless there is an unforeseen emergency- such as an attack- I will pick you up after class and treat you to Ramen and Taiyaki tomorrow. Come political hell or highly boring meetings.” He gives me a wide-eyed look. Usually I juggle my responsibilities as kazekage and his guardian simultaneously. A clone attends the less immediate situation whenever I need to be in two places at once. Unfortunately, that is often the situation involving Tenri. This time however I am promising to appear in person, even at the threat of walking out of an important diplomatic meeting. I receive a bright smile and have one happy eight-year-old on my hands for the rest of the evening.
The next morning Tenri gets up without complaint despite his dislike of being awake before 11 in the morning. I think he is still half asleep. Looking up from the mission request in front of me I notice that he’s leaning awful far over his eggs. After straining my hearing a little I pick up soft snores coming from his direction. A glance under the table reveals a wide-awake Kazuharu, who somehow manages to look as if he is silently chuckling at his charge’s dozing. With a sigh I fetch a treat and motion for the mutt to come and sit in front of me.
“Kazuharu, ‘wake Tenri.’” Without a single pause of hesitation the large dog tackles the sleeping boy and proceeds to thoroughly coat his face with doggy saliva.
“Gyah!!!!!! Ger’off! Bleck! Eww..! Now I need a shower!” The grossed-out boy sits on the floor trying to wipe all of the spit drying on his face off, while also trying to push his dog off of his lap at the same time. Kazuharu barks happily and wags his tail not budging a bit.
“You don’t have time for a shower. Wash your face and change your clothes. It wouldn’t look good if you were late on your first day.” Brown eyes glanced at the clock. He utters a sort of strangled noise, before rushing up to his room. We have to leave in three minutes in order to make it to the academy on time. Handing the treat to the dog waiting expectantly in front of me, I take the remains of Tenri’s breakfast and make a sort of toast-egg sandwich. With my documents in the crook of one arm, and his breakfast and bento in the other I wait with Kazuharu on the porch for a panicking Tenri. The bento and sandwich are grabbed without pausing as the boy bounds out the door. The koinu gives chase and after locking the door I follow at a leisurely pace. I make a mental note to turn the clock in the kitchen back an hour so it reads the proper time, but that can wait until I get home.
“Ji-san! We’re going to be late! Hurry up!” I resist the urge to chuckle. The trip to the academy is uneventful. Kazuharu sits outside of the classroom without any fuss. Tenri is still pouting over the trick I played on him and after a reminder to pick him up in person he says good-bye before rushing off to talk to a friend who also arrived early. Kazuharu thumps his tail as I pass and barks at my back. I steel myself for the long day I’m going to have.
It is a day full of dull meetings where the council and other greedy politicians squabble over the same things that they were squabbling over when my father was Kazekage. When the time to leave to pick up Tenri arrives I’m stuck in one such meeting, I think the council did it on purpose, just to get on my nerves. I summon a clone and get out of my chair.
“Kazekage-sama! What do you think your doing!?” I continue on my way letting the clone answer.
“I promised Tenri I would pick him up from the Academy in person. I keep my promises.” My least favorite council member has gathered his wits and stands to confront me.
“This is a diplomatic meeting with another kage! You can’t just walk away!” The clone delivers a potent glare to him, and then smirks rather evilly.
“I’m sure Naruto isn’t overly upset. He is, of course, invited to join me if he pleases.” I pause on the staircase as I hear ‘Thank god!’ echo through the building. Moments later the blonde rokudaime is practically skipping down the staircase in front of me, our two clones having the misfortune of sitting in our stead. I’m silent on the way, content to listen to the blonde’s babble about the happenings in Konoha. I answer the inquiries about the friends he’s made here in Suna. I notice that his eyes aren’t as bright as they would be normally.
Upon arriving at the ninja school I introduce Naruto to the furry member of our family. Naruto had been too busy to visit before and thus he and Kazuharu have never met in person. After a tentative sniff the two become fast friends. Soon the Hokage is rolling around in the dirt with Kazuharu as we wait, heedless of the now filthy ceremonial robes he is wearing. The various parents stare in shock. I just watch in amusement as a smaller, third form joins the fray. After the game finishes an extremely dirty Tenri tackles an equally filthy hokage with a cry of “Naruto!”
“What are you doing here!?” Tenri’s smile is worth the last 6 hours of annoying council meetings and diplomatic muck. The blonde ruffles Tenri’s dark brown hair.
“Jeeze Gaara! What are you feeding this kid!? He’s doubled in size since I last saw him!” Naruto laughed before turning back to the boy in his lap. “I’m here on Hokage business kid. Thankfully your uncle was gracious enough to save me from the council’s vicious grip. I was beginning to fear that they were going to pickle me, stick me in a jar on a pedestal and coo ‘That’s a good Hokage’ at random intervals.” The blonde made a face that was somewhere between horror and disgust. Tenri laughed and the two stood up. Kazuharu circled them once before trotting up to me so I could scratch his head. I comply willingly. With a bark he led the way as we walked to a Ramen restaurant in the middle of town. Having learned my lesson once I told Naruto he had to pay for his own ramen, claiming that I had no interest in cleaning out Suna’s funds. The blue-eyed man laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
I took the walk to dinner as an opportunity to observe Naruto. He was looking a little thin and rather careworn. His eyes hadn’t had their usual glow this morning when I’d first greeted him, or even when I’d managed to get him out of an evening full of diplomatic meetings. Now, however, his smile was reaching his eyes and he seemed genuinely happy, just as he should be.
His pink haired teammate had written to me in desperation. Sasuke had recently died on a mission. A mission Naruto had assigned him. His lover’s death had struck the blonde hard, sucking the life out of him. Sakura had asked me to find some way to bring her normally energetic friend out of his depression. Looking at him now as he smiled warmly and laughed freely with Tenri, the answer to the problem was blaringly obvious. Tenri and maybe even Kazuharu and I, were just what Naruto needed. Family.
Hmm…a vacation sounded nice. Tenri wouldn’t be too upset with spending time in Konoha would he? He could probably attend the academy there for a while. One’s home always seemed too quiet when someone you lived with was no longer there. When Kankurou died the silence had been unbearable. I ended up running to Konoha and appearing unannounced on Temari’s doorstep. The council had not been happy about my sudden trip. I on the other hand had been too happy that the extremely pregnant Temari had come home with me to really care. Shikamaru had just said it was troublesome before requesting several weeks off so he could come with to keep an eye on his wife. That made me even happier. I was no longer alone in the huge, overbearing Kazekage Mansion. Yes, a little noise would do Naruto some good.
It’d have to be a surprise. Naruto left in 3 days and I have to give two weeks notice before I take a vacation longer than a few days… It could work. Spend a few weeks in Konoha; maybe enroll Tenri at their academy for our stay. If he really wanted to I would be willing to let him stay there for as long as a year. I know that Temari would want him to consider both Suna and Konoha as his home. If it were possible he probably would have ended up being trained in both academies. That would, subsequently, make him a ninja of both villages. Well, it would make him a legal ninja of two villages. Which is something that’s never been done before. Even intervillage marriages involved asking the other kage for permission before assigning a mission to a foreign ninja.
Maybe it would be wise to have Tenri alternate years between Suna and Konoha. The actual traveling would be dangerous, but the council and I have been agreeing less and less. It was always dangerous when the council and I don’t agree. They’re very violent when their plans don’t succeed. Most are in their 60’s and 70’s. Which was quite old for a ninja. Granted they had retired from that line of work long before I had become Kazekage, this means that they aren’t being exposed to today’s problems directly. Seventy-five percent of them aren’t even clan heads anymore, having given that job over to their heirs. Traditional ideas don’t often apply to modern diplomatic situations. I resist the urge to sigh, and resolve to find a way to not only oust the old fashioned council members but to enable Tenri to attend both academies and be a ninja in two villages.
I hadn’t wanted to give Tenri to Ino and Chouji, but I had always felt that Naruto and I had in some strange way always shared the boy. Our childhoods had been lacking in familial love, and neither of us expected to have children as adults. Naruto had been floored when Sasuke had privately announced that he loved his ‘blonde idiot’. However two men cannot produce a child. I just never planned on falling in love and getting married. Then Temari left me with Tenri and he became the child neither of us expected to ever have. The ‘sharing’ was an unspoken agreement between Naruto and myself. He was the only man I would trust with my most precious person.
The decision was Tenri’s to make. If he enjoyed staying in Konoha with Naruto he would alternate years, between Naruto and I. If not, we would continue on as we have. The objects of my thoughts start making a ruckus to get my attention.
“Taiyaki Ji-san! It’s time for Taiyaki!”
“ Yeah ‘Ji-san’ we want Taiyaki!” Naruto and Tenri have identical grins going from ear to ear. I give them my softest smile (which is still creepy enough to freak Naruto out) earning me a beaming boy latched onto my middle. This was a new development in our Uncle-Nephew relationship, having started when we acquired Kazuharu. I’m still rather awkward with physical affection but manage to ruffle the boy’s hair in response. Naruto is off to the side stifling his laughter at the bewildered look I haven’t managed to remove yet. He gives up when Tenri grabs our hands and starts dragging us to his favorite Taiyaki stand. The blonde man laughs all the way to the sweets stand.
Two weeks later Tenri and I are strolling through Konoha’s gates. While I leave explicit instructions with the guards the boy chats with Neji who is waiting for the last member of his genin team. They are about to leave on their first mission outside of the village.
“It’s a surprise!” Tenri bursts when the longhaired jounin asks why we’re in town. Neji and the ninja next to him chuckle at the eight-year-old’s obvious excitement. The genin was probably 14 years old. In such peaceful times it’s difficult for genin and chuunin to gain any real battle experience. Konoha and Suna are fine financially due to the brainstorming between Naruto and myself, but many of the other ninja villages had suffered. Rock country remains just out of debt by sheer luck and determination.
Once every two years Naruto and I work together to have a faux war. It had been Shikamaru’s idea originally, but no one received any official credit. Actually, staging this year’s ‘war’ would probably take up most of my stay. It was also the reasoning I gave to council when they had started to protest my leaving.
The last member of Neji’s team has arrived and Lee and Tenri wave them off together. The ‘youthful’ ANBU had been waiting to greet us with Ino. I ignore her. I am still rather angry from last year, but I keep my face blank to prevent Tenri from realizing this. If I make a conscious effort even he cannot read my emotions. Though he is very good at reading me normally.
Kazuharu busies himself doing what I want to do. He greets Lee warmly; growls at a startled Ino and then trots back to his charge a fierce gleam in his eye and a protective growl for anyone remotely dangerous. Including a confused elderly woman who mistakes Tenri for her grandson. The woman had approached the boy with the intention of pinching his cheeks and commenting on how much he’d grown. Kazuharu’s ears lay flat on his skull and his tail is between his legs as Lee ushers the woman away and Tenri thoroughly berates the dog for growling at her. When Tenri has looked away Lee catches me scratching the large puppy behind his ears. He just laughs.
The slim man has matured a lot since we were genin. Sakura forces him to keep his hair long enough for a small low ponytail, and she plucks his eyebrows once a month (usually after Neji and Tenten have restrained him). Like Naruto, he isn’t quite as rambunctious as he was when he was a teenager. However, he is still loud and makes ‘youthful’ declarations every once in a while.
Our group makes several large detours around Ichiraku and Hokage Tower. Ino says goodbye and enters her family’s flower shop. Lee explains that she is still sore about anything involving small children and that Sakura, who is on maternity leave, is meeting us at the Hokage’s Mansion. I barely prevent myself from snorting in approval with her leaving. I may not like the blonde woman, but Tenri does, and I have no interest in getting into another argument with him.
A very pregnant pink haired kunoichi greets us at the door. Sakura, of course, had been a chief conspirator; including when it came to Tenri’s possible school career. She and her three other children had been cleaning the place so that it was back to the glory it had been in when Sasuke had lived in it.
Apparently, the last Uchiha had been a bit of a neat freak when it came to his living area. He would get irritable when bedridden or away because Naruto was, by comparison, a bit of a slob. Naruto did, however, always keep his home clean enough to be inhabitable. If the pest traps in the trash were any indication, the fox container’s depression had led to the house being in an extremely poor state. Sakura mentioned an exterminator having been over the other day. Newly cleaned, pantry restocked, and de-pestified, the house was almost as it had been when Sasuke had left it. All it needed was his lingering scent.
Tenri took his things upstairs, and put them in a room that had originally been prepared for the little boy the hokage and his lover had adopted. It was empty now, its former occupant having died of a severe case of chicken pox. The kunoichi had gone so far as to redo the room, redecorating it to fit an eight-year-old instead of a three-year-old. There was even a dog bed for Kazuharu in the corner closest to the door. Tenri was extremely pleased with the results. I put my bag in the guestroom, which was between Tenri and Naruto’s rooms. Not even bothering to unpack before I head back down stairs. I wished Lee and his family a good evening before turning off the lights in the front part of the house. Sakura had tipped me off that Naruto tended to use the front door when coming home and so I made sure that the house appeared empty from the street. Luckily the Kitchen was in back which meant I could prepare dinner without Naruto being any wiser to our presence unless he came through the back door.
Kazuharu laid down beside his food bowl and watched me as I flipped through a cookbook looking for an untouched ramen recipe. Most had drops of ramen broth splattered on them, but as the book I was looking through was newer I managed to find one that hadn’t been tried yet. Miso Corn and Chicken Ramen, I shrug and start collecting the ingredients I need. Tenri quickly volunteers to help me. It is one of his favorite things to do. Watching and helping me cook. He believes it to be the most enthralling thing in the world. When he watches me cook I am always reminded of when he first started living with me and would watch me work with huge brown eyes widened in fascination.
Dinner is just finishing when the rokudaime walks through his front door. He knew Sakura had come over to clean, upon smelling ramen he assumed that she had made dinner for him as well. After changing out of his robes the blonde man heads to the kitchen. He froze in the doorway when he saw Kazuharu and Tenri watching me cooking of all things. I don’t know why it surprises people. They didn’t think Kankurou and I ordered out every night, did they? I tap the wooden spoon I’d been stirring with on the edge of the pot. The noise seems to help Naruto reconnect with his brain.
“Gyah! What are you two doing here!? How’d I not know you were coming? The guards are supposed to tell me when the Kazekage appears!” Tenri helps me serve dinner while Naruto continues to babble in confusion. He stops after he’s been guided to a seat and a bowl of hot ramen is set before him. He stares at the steamy noodles as if they’ll eat him instead of the other way around.
“Itadakimasu” We chorus, Tenri and I digging into the food. My sister and brother were the only ones who didn’t regard my cooking warily the first time they tried it. Mostly because nothing could be worse than Kankurou’s cooking. Tenri had been leery because he’d seen his father cook and found that Shikamaru’s abilities weren’t much better than Kankurou’s. The man had been able to make a good B.L.T. though.
Temari hated to cook. She was proficient, but found it to be a chore. So, she decided to teach us so that hopefully, she wouldn’t have to cook anything more complex than toast. She started with Kankurou and quickly discovered that it was a miracle he could make the occasional survival meal so that it was edible. Even instant ramen was beyond his culinary skill. Not that I can figure out how anyone can botch pouring boiling water in a foam cup.
I had been young when Temari had started teaching me how to cook. I quickly took a liking to it. In fact I enjoyed it almost as much as I enjoyed killing. I once wondered out loud whether or not to mix my two favorite hobbies. Shubaku informed me that humans taste awful so I decided not to. Temari and Kankurou still forced me to prepare vegetarian meals for three months and after every mission. I watch Naruto in amusement. Shikamaru had had a similar reaction when my cooking had been set before him. That had been the night he’d asked for Temari’s hand in marriage. Well, when he’d asked us if he could steal our sister away.
After a few minutes the blonde took a tentative bite of the yellow noodles, which had become lukewarm. As soon as the food had made it into his mouth his eyes had lit up with joy. He tried to say something with his mouthful but it came out extremely garbled.
“OISHII!*” He cried after swallowing. You could practically see a heart drawn at the end of his statement. He quickly finished what was in his bowl before getting another, and another, and another until eventually there wasn’t anything left. Groaning in enjoyment Naruto leaned back as he finished the last drop of Ramen broth.
“Oishikata, Gochisousama*” Naruto sighed, lethargy from having a large warm meal in his belly beginning to set in. Now was the perfect time to answer our host’s questions.
“I remember how quiet my house had been when Kankurou died. I figure we’d come and prevent your house from brooding with you.” Naruto’s blue eyes took on a sad look and I realized that that hadn’t been my best conversation starter, but it would improve. I ploughed on. “I was thinking of enrolling Tenri at Konoha’s academy for the duration of his stay here. If you’ll allow it I am willing to let him be here for the year.” Two pairs of eyes, one blue and one brown, stared at me in shock. “Maybe if he wanted to we could find a way for him to graduate from both academies. Considering that we’re good friends and our relationship goes beyond diplomacy, it isn’t too farfetched an idea for him to be a legal ninja both here and in Suna. A paperwork nightmare maybe, but there aren’t any laws in Suna against it… Maybe he spends one year with me and one with you?” Naruto chuckled.
“Sounds like we’re getting a divorce.” He did seem to be seriously considering it though. I let him think and turned to Tenri. The boy looked surprised.
“It would take a lot longer to graduate. Your friends would be Chuunin by the time you become genin, but I think you can handle it.” The boy still seemed a little confused and unsure.
“Uhhhhh…. Can I decide at the end of this year?” I give him a small barely noticeable smile and nod. Naruto ruffles the boy’s hair and says that he’ll check the rules tomorrow but he’s pretty sure that if Tenri wanted to it would be possible for him to be both a sand shinobi and a leaf shinobi.
“Ji-san! Are we going for Taiyaki after my first day at Konoha’s academy!?” Naruto starts laughing and says that if I don’t treat the boy to his favorite treat he will.

~~~~~~~~~

I feel old. I’m 34 years old, and it is Tenri’s 17th birthday. Not only was I the youngest Kazekage, but I’m now the longest lasting Kazekage as well, with two decades worth of leadership. I beat the Fourth Hokage in being the youngest but the Third Hokage still put up with this nightmarish job a lot longer than me. Cookies to him.
Groaning I rub my temples. I managed to oust the least productive members of the council and then several others were forced to resign due to poor health. That aspect of my job has never been easier, now if only my new secretary would acquire a brain. Sighing I turn back to the scroll in front of me. Suddenly I feel a presence behind me and my protective sand is already attacking the perceived threat. Too late, I recognize the aura as being Tenri’s. My breath is caught in my throat. I can feel my eyes moisten, I haven’t cried since my uncle died. The one figure I looked up to as a child, the one I had decided I never wanted to emulate. Time speeds back up, and I realized that only a few moments have passed. My sand loses its shape and pours off of a badly shaken teenager. Breathing and unharmed Tenri stands there looking at me with wide eyes. He’s covered in sand. It’s in his hair and clothes. Small piles sit on his shoulder and there is some sticking to his face, as he had been sweaty from just returning from training. Faster than his eyes can follow I get out of my chair and hug him. I’ve never been so happy I hadn’t killed someone in all of my life.
“Ji-san, can you let go of me?” I hold him tighter. If he is afraid of me, if he sees that I am a monster… If he leaves me… I would die. I love him far too much. For the first time in my life I can say that, and know exactly what it means. I love him. I love him as my nephew. But most importantly, I love him as my family. “Ji-san, I have to go shower. I’m getting you dirty.” My breaths are still shaky but I’m starting to get it back under control. Slowly I let go of him.
“Are you afraid of me? Do you hate me?” I ask so quietly he has to strain his ears to hear me. He looks confused. But shakes his head no, before telling me that he could never really hate me. I’m his family, the man who raised him. He will always love me. He announces that he’s going to shower so that we can go out for dinner. He also reminds me that Naruto is waiting down stairs. I nod to let him know that I heard him. I can hear Naruto’s laughter and Kazuharu’s play barks. He’s getting too old to rough house with the blonde man.
I nod numbly. The adrenaline is receding and I’m feeling drained. As he leaves I command the sand covering him and sitting on the floor back into its gourd. ‘Thank you Kankurou’ I whisper in my mind, my eyes focused on the vial full of bloodstained sand sitting on the shelf above my desk. If Tenri doesn’t pass the test to become a genin of Suna I will be talking to his fool of a sensei. Even if I’m distracted it is still very hard for a ninja to catch me by surprise. It‘s a good thing the old man with the Taiyaki stand likes Tenri and I, he sees us quite often.

~~~~~~~~~

I think I might be losing Tenri. He’s 18 years old, a legal adult even by civilian standards and, he has fallen in love. Fallen in love with a woman from Konoha. To Tenri, both Suna and Konoha are home, but to her only The Village Hidden in the Leaves has ever been home. She will probably convince him to stay there, and I will only see him on rare occasions.
I don’t want him to leave. However, I know that he is a grown man and is to make his own decisions. It is hard for me to let him go. To relinquish the rights I have as his guardian. I realize that he isn’t a child any longer, but it is still hard. If this is something he really wants to do I cannot stop him, I won’t stop him. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to, because I don’t want him to leave me.
My cheek stings and I realize I’ve let my thoughts distract me. We’ve been training all day. The Chuunin exams are in a week. He’s covered in cuts and bruises but it isn’t anything serious. Tonight I am meeting his fiancé, if dinner is to be on time we’ll need to head home soon.
“Ji-san, why are we training again? I’m already twice as strong as the rookie genin and have four times as much experience.” I use all of the speed at my disposal to catch him off guard and land a punch to his face, nearly breaking his jaw with the force of my fist.
“It doesn’t matter if you can defeat those of lower or equal rank. What matters is if you can defeat those of higher rank. It doesn’t matter if you know who you can beat. What matters is if you know who you cannot beat. We may be at peace right now but we won’t be at peace forever. That is why we have mock wars. So that you know what the most important priorities are when there is a real war.” Tenri huffs, and stands up, he doesn’t take his defensive stance though instead he stands and glares at me. “We’ll continue training tomorrow.” With that said I turn and head home. With a growl of annoyance he follows.
Dinner is a little late getting on the table but Inuho says that she was glad we had showered first. She is a member of the Inuzuka clan and her nindog plays with Shie, a puppy Tenri bought me shortly before Kazuharu died of old age. He said something about keeping my house from being too quiet.
Inuho keeps glancing at me. I’m not sure if she is afraid of me, or merely nervous, she may even be curious. I can’t really tell. She is pretty I suppose. Her hair is long, and she doesn’t have any tattoos on her face like the other Inuzukas I have met. The doorbell rings and Tenri rushes to get it.
“You don’t like me very much.” She whispers, eyes on her plate. The Konoha kunoichi is stirring her food listlessly. I finish the food in my mouth before answering her unspoken question.
“Tenri is very important to me. As you are from Konoha I know that you two will settle there. It is selfish of me, but I don’t want him to leave. To only see him every once in awhile.” Tenri is still talking to someone in the genkan. I send my aura out to see who it is. Naruto? What is he doing here? Sighing I get up to set a place for Konoha’s #1 Most Surprising ninja. Inuho looks a bit confused but doesn’t say anything about it.
“You could just ask.” I give her a look and she pauses but continues after a moment. “After my first mission to Suna I sought him out. I found your village to be beautiful, and had heard that he’d grown up here.” I give her a skeptical look. We’re a desert town. Unlike Konoha, we don’t usually have any pretty flora, and the only real view is at night or sunset, when you look at the sky or across the dunes. That and the warm climate had been the only thing Temari had missed about her hometown, aside from Kankurou and I. I tell her this, but she doesn’t say anything in response. Naruto and Tenri’s laughter broke the almost uncomfortable silence that had settled between us.
“Gaara! You’ve already got a place set for me! You Rock!” Naruto grins and settles into the place next to me, which I have just set food in front of. Tenri worriedly looks back and forth between Inuho and I. I just sit back down and continue eating.
“Hokage-sama, would it be alright if I move here with Tenri?” Naruto blinks confusedly, agreeing but pointing out that technically, they need a ‘home’ in both Suna and Konoha due to her Fiancé’s double employment. Tenri is also looking a little confused. Inuho doesn’t look up at anyone, just continues eating.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” I ask, my eyes not leaving her form. Tenri is starting to look like he’s figured it out. He must have connected the wrong dots because he is giving me a rather angry glare. Naruto has become tense. I can tell that he would rather we didn’t fight. Inuho just nods. “Look at me.” I demand. She does so hesitantly. “No matter where you two live I won’t complain. You aren’t marrying Tenri for his money or his fame,-” Tenri snorts. Fame? What fame? “-and you seem to care for him just as much as he cares for you. My selfish feelings are no reason for me to object to your marriage. It is no reason for me to force you to be where you don’t want to.”
Tenri relaxes, and sits down after having stood when this little confrontation began. Naruto’s got a look of realization on his face. He’s just so clueless sometimes. “I am a cold, selfish, bastard to people I don’t know, and it is hard for me to trust people.” Naruto nods sagely, and Tenri sweatdrops at the blonde’s antics. Naruto? Being a sage? Not in a century. “So no, I don’t like you, but I’ll get over that with time. I have no objections to you, and until I do like you, you’ll just have to make do with that, because that is as good as it will be. That last stunt was stupid and no way to get on my good side either.” I scowl, and finish what’s on my plate. Tenri is beaming at me again. He tends to do that a lot. Inuho giggles and grabs her lover’s hand. He looks a little confused. She just smiles at him.
“Honey, let’s live in Suna. I hear it stays warm year ‘round.” Tenri cracks up laughing; telling her that that’s like saying snow is usually cold. The rest of dinner is rowdy due to Natuo’s presence. When I ask why he’s here, the blonde just replies:
“What? I need a reason to come and visit one of my best friends?” I just give him a look. He must have come early for the Chuunin exams. I sigh; my house is definitely not going to be quiet for a while.

The next day Tenri and I continue our training. Naruto and Inuho watch from the sidelines. Naruto is trying to convince her to reapply her sunscreen. It’s a little too late; I can already pick out a light pink on the sun-exposed skin. She really should have listened to him three hours ago. A fist comes flying at my face, but I dodge it with ease.
“You’re letting your anger control you. That isn’t good. You’ll only be defeated that way.” He huffs angrily.
“I know that! I’m not a little kid anymore! You don’t have to treat me like one!” He just gets angrier and his taijutsu becomes even sloppier. I finger a sheet of stickers in my pocket.
“I only treat you like a child when you act like one. If you know that your letting your anger fight for you, then stop.” Instead of taking advantage of every opening he presents me, I place stickers where my punches would have landed. I used to do this before he was in the academy and it always bugged him. He finally notices what I’m doing when one ends up on his eyelid. He curses.
“Why are you pushing me so hard?! Why do you always make me train?! Am I not good enough for you?!” I look at him. He could have been born completely paralyzed and still be good enough for me.
“I force you to train constantly because I know that I can’t always protect you. Now you have something to protect.” I nod in Inuho’s direction. “I don’t want to watch you die too. So, we train. So that you are strong enough to live through all of the battles you will see.” I turn and walk away. I have important papers to sign, and a country to run.
I am very pleased to see him come home late at night, completely worn out and dirty. I am extremely proud to hand him his new flak jacket and a certificate of promotion to the rank of Chuunin. Naruto doesn’t have to smile for both of us. I had a small smile of my own. Tenri’s smile, which goes from ear to ear, somehow manages to get even bigger when I mention that the taiyaki is on me tonight.

~~~~~~~~~

Tenri was chuunin for a total of two months before becoming a jounin. Now he’s 20, and his first child is on the way. Another 3 months and I’ll be a Great Uncle. Naruto has been making bad puns about me already being a great Uncle since he heard the news.
Things are starting to get risky when dealing with Iwagakure. They have a new leader. He refuses to be referred to as a kage, despite having ninjas at his command. I have a feeling that a real war is brewing. Naruto seems to be just as uneasy as I am. It doesn’t help that Tenri is three days late after being sent on a mission in that area. There are very few in the newer generations of ninjas who have had to kill someone. If a war breaks out I’m afraid of how they will take it. An ANBU poofs into my office.
“Kazekage-sama, Nara-san has returned from his mission. He appears unharmed aside from being a little shaken up.” I thank the ANBU and he poofs away. Tenri enters, and walks up to my desk to report. My eyes scan him. He’s dirty and looks tired, but doesn’t have a single scratch or wound on him. There is blood on one of his sleeves though. I nod to let him know he can begin his report now.
“B-rank mission to deliver a scroll of considerable importance was a success and on time. I was delayed on my return trip by what appeared to be a patrol of 6 rock ninjas. I was well outside their borders but they commanded me to halt anyway. Having no interest in causing turmoil I complied. After showing them my passport I continued on. Later in the evening I requested that they cease in following me. Their reply was to attack me. As I had settled into an Inn due to no longer having a time constraint, I immediately proceeded to lead the battle away from the civilians in the town I was staying in.” I nodded in approval and he continued. “I managed to evade them, however the next day they attacked me again. I was forced to kill one in defense, before evading the group again. The next day they found me again, another of their members ended up dead and I managed to lose them. This continued for several days. I believe they were a rogue group of Chuunin who had decided to target me. Due to the circumstances, and their persistence, none of them are alive at this time.” I sigh, rubbing my temples. “Thank you. Go home to your wife. She worried about you more than is healthy for a woman 6 months pregnant.” With a final salute he takes off and I start writing a note for Naruto. He needs to know that the situation with Earth country has just gotten worse. It’s going to be a long night. This is one of those times that make me glad that even with Shubaku gone I still don’t sleep often; I’d never keep up with half of the paperwork. I had been hoping to take Tenri and his small family to Taiyaki tonight, in celebration of his return, but one’s first kill isn’t a cause to celebrate.

~~~~~~~~~

My name is Nara Tenri. I am the son of the genius Nara Shikamaru and the fierce kunoichi Nara Temari. More importantly, I am the man who was raised by Gaara no Shubaku. I don’t remember my parents; I never met my uncle Kankurou. But, Gaara has told me so many things about them that I could never forget them. I don’t think of Gaara as my uncle, because while that is his familial connection to me, he was so much more.
I am an ANBU now, and my shift was next. My shift to guard the Kazekage would have started five minutes after it happened. Five minutes after my uncle was attacked by an enemy ninja posing as one of my fellow shinobi. The shinobi is dead now. His final coffin had been made of sand. Made of a sand that crushed him and caused it to rain blood inside of the Kazekage office. I was the one who found the Kazekage. I had held him as he breathed his last breath.
The council is panicking. They have no idea what to do for an heir. My mind is clear. It’s only ever this clear when I play chess. I don’t care that my mask is lifted to sit on top off my head, allowing everyone to see exactly who is behind the raccoon mask. I take deliberate steps to the grand desk in front of me. I quickly find a stack of red envelopes that have a small slip of blank paper inside of them. Taking one out I set it on a clean part of the desk in front of me.

Naruto-
Gaara was killed by a rock ninja on 1436 hours on the 27th day of the 8th month.
I Nara Tenri of Jounin rank resign to become Kazekage.
P.S. the burial will be on the 30th but there will be another funeral on the 3rd.
Tenri

I hold out the envelope and an ANBU takes it to deliver to the Hokage. Gaara’s body has been removed and the cleaning staff is already working on removing the blood from the walls. The secretary is checking the documents and scrolls for damage. I notice an unmarked book lying on top of several folders that look like they may be several jounin’s profiles. It has no title and isn’t very thick. I flip it open to the first page.

I never understood them. Humans. And, of all the humans I understood my siblings both the best and the least. Or maybe it was that they understood me the best.

My eyes widen as I skim through the book. It’s a journal of sorts. It was started the day my parents died and covers various events in my life. It is an inside look into my late uncle’s mind. It has his opinions, and fears, and questions. There are things I have long forgotten, things I never knew.
I glance at the clock and realize that I’m late returning home. Inuho probably hasn’t heard of Gaara’s death. Shikaji will be in bed by now. He’ll be so upset to hear that jii-chan has passed away. I’ll have to pick up Shie. She probably has to pee. Tucking the book under my arm I take one last look at the Kazekage’s office. It seems so empty and lonely without the red haired man leaning over important documents, deciphering the diplomatic terminology and figuring out how to manipulate it to his purposes. I notice his gourd leaning against a shelf near the door. I grab it and sling it over my shoulder. I grunt at the effort, this thing is a lot heavier than it looks.
Shie is sober when I arrive to pick her up. I think that she already knows somehow. I scratch her behind her ears and smile sadly. As I pass the Taiyaki stand I notice that it is still open which is odd. I give the owner a halfhearted wave. Before I can continue on my way home he waves me over. The man’s son hands me a box full of fresh made Taiyaki.
“On the house.” The owner says. I begin to protest.
“Taiyaki is for celebration. The Kazekage is dead. What is there to celebrate?” I have yet to cry, but I can feel the tears welling up in my throat. I force them back down using every ounce of my emotional training.
“He was born as an ill-fated child. He suffered much agony and loneliness. And yet, he was the greatest Kazekage we’ve ever seen. If we ever have anything to celebrate, let it be his life and all of the good he’s done. The hurdles he’s overcome. I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors as kazekage.” I give him a stunned look. He chuckles and starts closing up the stand. Shie whines and the two of us head home. The old taiyaki seller is right. Too much of Gaara’s life was spent in sorrow and the aura of death. His life deserves to be celebrated.
Tenri = The kanji usually used to compose this Japanese boy’s name means Heaven’s Reason.
Tonbo = Dragonfly :: Southwest Native Americans kept symbols of Dragonflies on their person because where Dragonflies were water was. I don’t think it is too much of a stretch to imagine something similar for Suna.::
Koinu = puppy; the kanji literally means child dog.
The description of Kazuharu the dog = This is based off of one of my dogs. She is a basenji mutt. A basenji is an African hunting dog. Yet again I didn’t find it to be much of a stretch to imagine a desert tribe having something similar.
Kazuharu = Peaceful Spring
Itadakimasu = a sort of ‘thank you for this meal’ Japanese people say it before eating.
Oishii = delicious
Oishikata. Gochisosama = It was delicious. ‘Thank you for this meal’.
Ji-san/jiichan = uncle/grandfather respectively :: ji-san is also used for referring to middle aged men. Jii-san can be used to refer to older men. The same applies for ba-san and baa-san only these are for women.