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Winter Release	By : Cepheus Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1260 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 7
- 8
- 9
Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I
love you guys!

NOTE: next
chapter will start with a two year jump. And then� the real fun will begin! :)

Cepheus: I needed to
explain why Naruto loves his village. Convincing Gaara to accept the Kage role
is what I needed. Dedicated to all Gaara�s fans. I am one of them too! (I hate
Konoha btw)

��

Rating: M

Summary: Clich� Plot: Naruto�s friends find out
about Kyuubi but don�t reject him for this. Akatsuki captures him whilst he�s
training with Jiraiya, but the Fox can�t be removed from his body; and before
rescuers come, Naruto finds himself in an interesting situation with a certain
Uchiha genius� (ItaNaru, ShinoKiba, NejiShika)

Warnings: yaoi,
boy x boy relationship, angsty, torture, and such. Mental as well. Flames will
be used to warm up food.

Disclaimer: Not own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto
does.

�Talking�
�Thinking�
�Flashbacks, memories, dreams�

��

Winter Release

Chapter 08: Acceptance

The village was just as beautiful as ever.

Even in the middle of October, when winter was drawing near at a fast
pace but was not yet over them, Konoha did not lose its charm.

Despite the cold wind that was thrashing around, sometimes harshly,
sometimes blowing softly, the sight was worthy staying outside the warmth of
the houses. The trees that surrounded the village were tinged crimson by the
autumnal leaves, many of them falling on the grass, that was wet by the light
morning dew.

A few birds that were still around and hadn�t yet migrated southwards
were chirping in the shadows of the branches, their loud music reaching the
village, that was silent at that hour of the day. The sun was still hiding
behind the mountains, but a dim light was already spreading on the land and
over the rooftops, causing the sight to be breathtaking.

Another day was starting for Konoha.

On the part of the village that was owned by the Uchiha family, many
were already awake, but at the moment the streets were deserted and no one was
in sight. No one, but�

A silent shape was slowly walking through the woods, making his way from
the main house, the one where the main branch of the family lived, towards a
secluded part of the forest, not making any sound, not even when he stepped
over the dry leaves.

For once, he was not jumping and moving from branch to branch like it
was expected from him as a shinobi, but instead, he�d decided to walk slowly,
enjoying the silence and the peace, something that helped him keep his fa�ade
up.

It was hard to maintain his emotionless and blank mask up, but all the
same, he found no trouble in doing so, because it was part of him, or at least,
part of what others believed him to be.

It was something he did almost unconsciously, the use practiced through
years that normal people would use to play and laugh, and that he�d used to
carve himself to perfection and his appearance to others.

And the acting had been so perfect, so accomplished that sometimes, he
was the first believing that the one speaking to his family, the one he showed
to the world, was actually the real him. Only to admit that the fa�ade was
fake.

But if he let his thoughts brush against this knowledge, then suddenly
and almost unknowingly, he would find hard to keep the fact out of his mind,
and by thinking about it, he would just double the strain.

Double it, until the point he could not hide his burning emotion. The
one that he was hiding, the one that devoured him from the inside and at the
same time helped him wake up and continue moving every day.

And still, he was able to control it. It was not eating him anymore; he
was controlling it, knowing what it was and the causes of it.

The shape moved away from the shadows and a stray, feeble ray of morning
light hit his body, revealing a tan complexion, accentuated even more by the
black clothes he wore. Apart the pale skin, everything else was black, from his
long hair tied behind his head in a low pony�tail to his eyes, to the clothes
he wore.

A shadow hiding in the shadows.

He ignored the village, that could still be seen among the trees behind
him and instead he walked further away, not once his face showing what he felt
inside. It was like he had nothing inside, nothing but a black void.

Appearance.

Many said this about him, that he indeed felt nothing �he was far too
good with his ANBU work, killing anyone on his path and reducing his work to a
mere child play. Child indeed, since he wasn�t even a teen yet.

How could a child of such age be able to kill without feeling the
slightest remorse?

But he was a child only in his body. His mind was progressed and old
further more than his age would normally allow and yet, even if everyone knew
about his brain and his intelligence, because of how he acted and what others
believed, they still wondered how such a genius could exist.

Almost amusing, if it wasn�t so pointless to find amusement in such
trivial facts� and if he could let himself find a place to a foreign emotion such
as amusement.

Until now, only someone triggered him something different from it, and
yet�

What if it was a fake?

Cold.

�Itachi�kun,� a voice spoke.

He turned towards the voice. He had been aware of his presence from the
amount of chakra that was flaring in this spot, as he was aware that the other
could feel him coming as well.

There was no reason to hide.

It was not the chakra what should worry any of them.

In front of him stood what by common standards and beliefs people called
his best friend. Almost a brother. Terms that were created to explain shallow
appearance of nonexistent significance.

�Shisui�kun,� he replied.

His voice echoed in the sudden silence of the forest like an explosion,
but at the same time, his tone was so low and deep that the other wouldn�t have
heard it if he were inattentive. A plastered smile on his face. Empty. Hollow.
False. But at the same time, warm.

So there they stood. As the wind started blowing again around them, a
hesitant bird chirped again. And life, for a moment stopped as if time had
stilled, returned full force.

And the two figures moved further away from the village.

��

The truth was, he was improving.

Unconsciously or not, he was
improving, and even he had to admit
that, at least to himself. And even so, he did it without lingering on the
thought too much, because his attention was not piqued. At least, not yet.

Very few things attracted his
attention, so few he could count them on his left hand. He was a strange
person, so strange that sometimes even the one that had been appointed as his
half doubted he was sane.

Sanity� what were words? There were
things that could not be described, no matter the strain used in trying to.

Faint, and completely in vain.

Human complexity was what attracted
him. But not many were complex enough to attract his attention. And not many
were simple enough either.

�Wait, and observe,� his partner
muttered under his breath, but Itachi heard it nonetheless. �Why?! Why couldn�t
we just grab him and finish it now?!�

Itachi spared a glance towards his
half, the person that the boss of Akatsuki placed at his side as permanent
companion. But then again, companion, mate, were not words that could be used
in a strength relationship based on how Akatsuki worked.

His partner was tall, even taller
than him, and Itachi was not a shrimp. Even though by his facial features he
couldn�t be classified as a human, he was one. Small black eyes, streaks under
his eyes, a pale complexion that was more bluish than pink, hair that pointed
upwards, Kisame looked more like a bad mix between a shark and a man than a
proper normal person.

The fact that he had a huge sword on
his back named after sharks and made of
sharks, did not help at all.

Kisame was of the Hidden Mist. What he
did before entering the Akatsuki, and why he�d been labelled a Nuke�nin were
things Itachi cared nothing about; the fact was, he was his partner. And had
been so for the past six years, ever since he entered in the Akatsuki in place
of Orochimaru.

He asked no questions. He was loud
and unnerving, but he showed enough respect and lack of concern of Itachi�s
business to have the Uchiha genius accept without further ado his presence and
partnership during the missions.

Not that Itachi usually showed care for
whatever thing that happened around, to or caused by him.

On his part, said half came to know
his partner well, or at least he could say he came to know what Itachi offered
others about himself to be known. Such a person was unreadable and mind games and
psychology were not Kisame�s forte. He simply followed what he wanted to do and
what he felt inspired at the moment, and occasionally, he would complain if he
couldn�t get what he wanted �in his case, usually blood and violence.

There was no companionship between
members, no curiosity, no friendship �as such word meant, trust� and all
members knew and not just accepted, but silently rejoiced this; they joined not
to forge such useless bond.

Sometimes there could be respect,
yes, because they were the best, geniuses or amazingly skilled shinobi that had
abandoned their life to start anew. So far, not a village had yet understood
the loss they had received by loosing such strong weapons.

The only thing that they shared was
the power. And maybe a goal.

On Itachi�s part, what kept him
there for so many years was pure disinterest in what the world could offer him
as distraction.

Maybe he was waiting something.
Maybe not.

Kisame didn�t care. At all.

And he was used to the lack of
interaction with the Uchiha so he was not surprised or pissed off when he
received no reply from him.

After all, he didn�t want a reply.
He knew perfectly well why they had to wait, and still, that did not mean he
couldn�t be bothered by it.

Crimson eyes returned on the target,
and soon enough black eyes did the same, as silence fell back on the two
figures hidden in the shadows.

��

Waking up, Naruto felt refreshed.

As usual, Kyuubi healed him during
his sleep, and he was just as good as new. He was up to start a new day of
chasing Jiraiya down.

Stretching and blinking at the
sudden light, Naruto realized that luckily enough, the blanket protected him
from the sand and the cold during the night, and the heat in the early hours of
the morning. The sand around him was hot, and he gasped for air as he emerged
from the hole he�d slept into.

�Hell, it�s hot datte bayo!�

He panted and rolled up the sleeves
of his jacket, shaking his head. Taking out the flask from his bag pack and taking
a hesitant sip, Naruto sighed as the water met his dried throat. Yes, it wasn�t
anymore cool, but it still was water. He bit his upper lip staring at his flask
before closing it tightly again. For how foolish he could be, he wasn�t stupid
enough not to know that in the middle of the desert it was hard to find a
source of water.

Frowning, he closed his eyes and
turned his head around, tentatively exploring the landscape with his other
senses, trying to pick up the traces of his sensei; after a while, he found one
pointing towards the East, and smiling proudly he started his journey again.

Now that his chakra was ok again, he
found it easier to form the whirlpool under his feet, in a spiral curling
sinuously without stopping; he realized that now that he�d some experience in
doing it, it came out the way he needed from the first attempt, instead of
having to waste chakra trying two or three times before getting it right.

Pretty proud of this, he stood up
and straightening his position he moved forwards; his inhuman ability to settle
in any situation helped him greatly and after a couple of miles �in which he
toppled, fell, rolled down a sand hill and such� he got used to the feeling and
he fastened up even more.

He liked the feeling, he realized.
Despite the hot sun on the bare skin of his face and hands, the wind at this
speed was cool enough to offer him a break from the heavy air of the desert.
Staring around as he moved on, he memorized the sight around him in case he
lost the traces of his sensei.

Now there were no bare lands anymore,
only sand, sand everywhere he could look. The sun was unmerciful shining over
him, and he realized he could not face the midday heat like this �he needed
protection. Unfortunately, his clothes only brought more heat to him. He
wondered if he should really consider changing his orange with something else.

Shaking his head fiercely he resumed
his running, increasing even more his pace, up until he was nothing more than a
blur, running and spinning, his senses showing him where to go.

And finally, something appeared
before his eyes. It was not what he was expecting thought. It was a huge wall,
or maybe it had once been a huge wall. Probably, like the walls around Konoha,
this served as a protection for Sunagakure, but right now, it would not serve
as a defence for a lot of time.

Up to at least a mile from right to
left, the wall was crumpled to the ground, nothing but ruins could be seen by
Naruto�s perceptive eyes, and obviously, since there were parts of it still
falling down, the cause of such destruction was still somewhere near.

Naruto stopped with a wave of sand
and dust, helping himself with his hands on the ground in an animal�like
gesture, licking his dry lips in wonder. Whoever did such a feat had a familiar
chakra� even if right now, he could not remember where he�d felt it before.

Blinking and wiping away a trail of
sweat from his brow, he frowned, blond hair falling in front of his eyes as he
stared around carefully, wondering if the one who destroyed the wall would be a
problem for him; by the looks of it, it was a strong being.

A flare of chakra exploded somewhere
at his right, at least half a mile away, followed by a loud noise and he could
bet another part of the defending wall had been smashed down.

Sighing, he decided to postpone his
meeting with the Ero�Sannin enough to check on what was happening �he was
curious enough to have a go at it, after all.

Smiling one of his well�known fox
smiles, he moved to the right, following the remains of the wall, noticing that
once in a while it hadn�t been the only thing the destroyer had put his efforts
on.

For how much there was just sand
around, at least in this part of the country, it looked kinda messed up as
well. Giant holes were visible here and there, and Naruto once again wondered
who could have caused such a great destruction, and why.

The answer to this particular
question was easily found as he reached the still flaring chakra. Part of him
was almost expecting it, part was absolutely bewildered by finding out the one
that was going at it was Gaara.

Jeez, and there he thought he would
have had a nice tea party with the guy� hear the sarcasm in that.

The redhead looked emotionless. But
at the same time, as Gaara turned slightly his head towards Naruto, the blond
could see that his eyes betrayed a deep seething anger. What could have
happened to cause this reaction, Naruto could not phantom. But he was
determined to stop Gaara before he demolished the entire wall around his
village and strained himself out.

�Gaara!� he yelled, coming to a stop
some feet away from the raging red head, using his hands to steady himself before
brushing the sand away from his clothes, uselessly since he was in the middle
of a desert.

Gaara stilled.

After having listened to what the
Councillors said to the white haired man from Konohagakure, Gaara had run away,
spending all night alone walking and thinking. He felt nothing but rage now,
because the same people that had showed him nothing but hatred were now
expecting him to become to one to protect that place. A place where he had
never felt like he belonged to.

Facing the big wall that was a
strategic protection from the attacks coming from the borders of the village,
Gaara felt the need to destroy it; maybe just because it represented a protection, even if it wouldn�t be much a defence
against a real attack, it still was everything Gaara was supposed to become. A
strong shield for Sunagakure.

So it was only fair if he was trying
to take it down. He didn�t want to protect the place where his life had been
shattered in so many pieces he had never been able to collect them all back and
put them all together.

He was about to crumble down another
part of the wall, when he heard someone call his name; it took him some time to
recognize the voice, but once he did, he slowly turned towards the blond teen
and stared.

Naruto stilled and felt a shudder
ran through his back, seeing the sand was covering almost completely his face,
much like it did during the Chuunin exam. This Gaara� he looked like he had no
grip on his emotions.

Naruto felt almost as desperate as
he had been whilst fighting him before. What could have happened to reduce him
like this? Even though they met only twice, and the second time they fought
harshly, the blond teen considered Gaara one of his friends. He could
understand better than anyone else what the red head felt.

He himself had harsh times when he
was little, but opposite to the sand Genin, he�d had some friends that helped
him, and now that they knew, no one of them turned his back on him. What could
have happened if instead� he�d never had any real friend to help him?

No Sandaime to protect him and make
sure no one told him about Kyuubi �even thought in the end, it did nothing to
help him at all. No teacher who offered and shared a meal with him.

No one to fight with to become
strong�

No one at all.

�Uzumaki� Naruto?� Gaara�s tone was
uncertain.

Naruto knew he had to act as always,
and maybe by acting normal, Gaara would calm down; he didn�t want to scare him
off, or to cause another angry rampage.

�Hello Gaara! Long time no see!� he
scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

Gaara blinked twice; of all the
things he could expect, this was the last. He would never have thought he would
meet again with the person that caused his entire world of beliefs to shatter
completely. The one who acted as if he really could understand what he was
going through and that cried for him.

The one who made him realize someone
cared for him �his brother and sister.

�Uzumaki Naruto� he repeated a
little steadier.

The mere presence of the blond
calmed him down somehow, and Gaara felt his rage subside, if only a little.
Naruto seemed to realize this and his smile widened even more as he stepped
forwards and slapped the sand shinobi on the shoulder cheerfully. Gaara was
shocked by the contact, and even more since his sand did not stand up to
protect him from the touch.

�Yeah, yeah, glad you remember my
name datte bayo!� Naruto laughed, �what are you doing here all alone? And� why
are you hurting this poor wall so much? Did it offend you?�

Gaara blinked, before quietly
replying, �walls do not speak, Uzumaki Naruto�.

Fighting the urge to slap himself on
the face Naruto let out a hesitant laugh, �I realize that� and what�s with
Uzumaki? Call me Naruto and be done with it!�

Gaara felt the distinct and sudden
desire to throttle Naruto for some reason, but suppressed it. Instead he glared
at the blond, who was not affected at all by it �after all, he had to bear Neji
and Sasuke�s practiced glares.

�So, what with the wall?� Naruto let
out one of his reassuring smiles, the ones that could made anyone melt in front
of him.

Gaara glared at the wall, as if it
was all its fault. In reality, he didn�t know why he went all this way to
release his pent up anger against the wall that surrounded Sunagakure, even if
as said, it represented an idealistic protection. Usually he would just unleash
it on the villagers without bothering to move away from the town.

�The councillors of the village� I
heard they want to make me Kazekage�.

So quietly it was barely a whisper,
but in the sudden silence, Naruto heard perfectly. And for once, he was
speechless.

Kazekage. They wanted to make Gaara
the Kazekage. His mind suddenly filled with questions, and he wondered faintly
why Gaara didn�t look honoured or happy about the decision. He knew he would do
anything to be given the opportunity.

�Is it� real?� he asked with a dry
voice.

Gaara simply nodded. He was
surprised by himself� he was speaking almost� friendly� with the blond even if they had met only twice. But he
had to admit, it felt right inside. Somehow, the loud spluttering blond in
front of him made him do things he would normally never do �speak was one of
these things.

Friendly was an entire different
matter on its own.

Naruto blinked, thinking about the
statement. He knew Gaara was not lying, because he knew better than that �Gaara
would find useless to lie.

He was expecting to feel envious, or
maybe jealous, because Gaara found himself being proposed something he had
dreamed about ever since he could remember. And Gaara seemed as if he loathed
the thing instead of being happy. He expected himself to be at least angry at
him, but he wasn�t.

The only thing he felt was approval
and happiness. He was happy for Gaara, and not just that; he knew that Gaara
would be perfect. Hell, that was something else no one would agree with, but he
felt it at heart.

�That�s great datte bayo!� he
exclaimed, grabbing Gaara by his arm. �Gaara is going to be Kazekage! Will I have
to call you Kazekage�sama?! No way! But then, you can have me eat ramen for
free since you are gonna be the big boss!�

Gaara backed away, freeing himself
from the hold the blond had on his arm, his sand mask still in place to hide
his own widened eyes underneath.

Naruto pouted at him, �what?
Wouldn�t you do a favour to a soon�to�be�colleague? I am going to become Hokage
you know� anyway, if not for a colleague, then to a friend?� he stared
expectantly at the red head with something that could be called puppy eyes on a
normal person �but on him it looked like something entirely different all the
same.

Gaara was totally lost by this time,
but nonetheless backed away more, at least until he heard Naruto call him
friend.

In all his life, he�d never heard
anyone call him their friend before.

�Friend?� he asked.

Naruto now looked at him with fake
teary eyes, �what, aren�t we friends?�

Gaara stopped dead again.

The blond Uzumaki Naruto considered
him a friend? Him, of all people?

�You are a monster� nothing but a demon, and you�re hated by everyone in
this world! Worthless to live!�

�Why?� his voice sounded strained.
He was having troubles keeping his calm fa�ade, and again, the whispers of
Shukaku in his mind, together with the memories of what people used to yell at
him, were not helping at all. �Aren�t you scared by me?�

Naruto shook his head slowly. No. he
was not afraid of him, because they were the same. Or at least the could have
been the same if Naruto hadn�t had any friend to begin with.

Naruto had once cried for Gaara. He
had cried for him because of the loneliness he knew so well he felt, but the
real reason was that Gaara looked like he could not cry.

Now, he would laugh for him for the
same reason. And he would show the other teen how lucky he was.

�Gaara, I am lucky to consider
myself your friend,� Naruto assured.

Gaara just stared.

Friend.

Uzumaki Naruto wanted to be his
friend� no, Uzumaki Naruto considered himself already his friend.

But the blond continued, �that
because we are similar in many ways�.

�We are not similar,� Gaara replied. There was a hint of warning in his
voice. �I am a demon�.

Naruto felt a wave of anger fill
him; they had tried to call him a demon, but he always fought those thoughts,
especially since there were some that treated him as a human. Gaara had no one
that really considered him something different from a monster, so he ended up
believing in their lies as well.

�You are not a demon! You are a
vessel! You and Shukaku are not the same thing!� Naruto assured heartedly.
�Don�t let them make you believe that!�

Gaara simply stared. There were two
contrasting feelings inside him. The first was a flash of hope; Naruto always
spoke by heart, and Gaara was fascinated by this. If he said that, he believed
it and that made Gaara feel warm inside. But the second was anger. He didn�t
want Naruto to be his friend.

If the blond were to stay near him,
he would be despised just as much, and Gaara wanted to keep the first that had
been nice to him away from the pain his life was.

�Gaara� I understand. But you can�t
renounce to a friendship because you don�t want to get hurt or to hurt. It�s
good you feel this way, but friends are to endure pain together� Naruto smiled
and reached out again, this time not letting go the red head�s arm.

Gaara shook his head.

�Gaara, listen. I know what you�ve
been through. I can understand it better than anyone else, because I�ve been
through he same thing. But unlike you, I had some friends to help me through it
all� at least in the end�.

The red head teen stared at him, not
really able to understand what Naruto was saying, but he could recognize the
same pain in the blue eyes. The same pain he had suffered, but tamed by his
determination and strength.

�I had the hatred of my village, and
just like you, it was not my fault. But you know something?� there was a smile
on Naruto�s lips, almost sheepish. As if he was asking Gaara to forgive him. �I
never hated any of them. No matter what they could do to me, I could not hate
them� because Konoha is where I was born, and where I live. Despite all the
pain it gave me, I still wish to protect the place I was born into� the place
that so many people died to protect. Because I can�t but love it� it�s where my
precious people live in��

Gaara simply stared at him, the sand
falling from his face since he was too shocked by Naruto�s words to keep his
fierce grip on it.

�And I think you understand that, ne
Gaara?� Naruto�s smile was bright. �Because instead of taking your anger out on
the villagers, you came here!�

Gaara shook his head in denial,
trying to pry Naruto�s grip away from his arm. �No� he stated. But his voice
was not as steady as a moment before.

Naruto looked smugly at him, the
foxy smirk back on. �They despised you. They still do. You have a few that
respect you. And it is hard to make
people respect you� I managed to get the trust of some, but it�s still a long
way, and I have other priorities now. But that�s what you need. You can take
that challenge! That�s it! Show the people that treated you like a monster that
you are not! Show them that after all, you care!�

Gaara stared at Naruto�s beaming
face. He was so sure of it. He was so sure that Gaara loved the village that
until now showed him nothing but hatred. Gaara couldn�t but think that there
was something deeply wrong with Naruto�s trail of thoughts.

You don�t� you can�t love something that hates you.

Naruto was scratching his head and
was laughing. Green eyes stared at him carefully, watching, observing, trying
to understand. But Gaara and Naruto were of two different worlds, and the first
could not understand the second.

The red head could not understand
what Naruto was implying. He could not believe that Naruto had been through the
same as him, and obviously he didn�t believe in his words, not at all.

There was no sense. How could he
show care for the people who turned him into the monster they claimed him to
be?

No sense at all.

Naruto sighed, seeing that the other
didn�t understand. He himself didn�t know how to explain it. It was true, ever
since he was a little child Konoha had been unforgiving with him because of
things he never did, because of what Kyuubi did.

But he never hated the villagers.
Nor the shinobi, not even when they tried to kill him. His sanity and his emotional
system ended up in pieces, but he never hated them; he had the gift to be able
to understand what they felt, especially towards a demon that destroyed their
families and their precious people.

That�s why he never blamed any of
them.

And that was why he wanted to prove
them wrong �that he was not Kyuubi, but instead he could protect them.

He felt he owed it to the person
that sealed the kitsune inside him� Yondaime. Because not even for him, he felt
hatred. They lived in a world of shinobi. The Fourth Hokage had to do what was
in his power to protect the village� even seal a demon in a child.

Maybe at first Naruto had hated him
�when he first came to know what he was the container of� but he ended up
accepting it, like everything else.

�Gaara, the demon was sealed in you
not to create a monster, but to create someone who would be able to protect the
village where you live. That�s what I believe!� Naruto let out another one of
his bright smiles.

Gaara felt a wave of rage and
discomfort hit him, he really thought this side of the blond to be rather
disconcerting.

�What makes you think I could love
my village?! They think I am a monster! They forced me to become a monster!
There has never been anything else but hatred for me, how could you understand?!
You, with your smiles and your pathetic beliefs!�

Naruto�s smile only widened, �I can
understand, because you see, the fourth Hokage sealed Kyuubi the fox demon
inside me�.

And as silence met his willingly
revelation, not even the wind broke the silence that fell on the two. One
smiled. And it wasn�t a fake smile. The other was shocked. And it was even too
easy to read their emotions.

But in the silence, when nothing
mattered but their presence, something was shared.

Acceptance.

Knowledge.

And friendship.

�I want to be your friend, too��

��

Jiraiya was moping in front of the
Kazekage�s tower when Gaara returned.

The old white haired man had been
thinking about Akatsuki, and how, even if the news that it would not attack for
the next three years seemed pretty reliable, he found out they were false and
Naruto had been almost abducted by them.

But ever since that day, he�d been
searching and spying and again, it looked like the organization would not move
towards any of the Jinchuuriki for the next years or so. Even knowing this, he
felt bad for leaving Naruto on his own, no matter how helpful that would be.

Naruto would surely not understand
and he needed to show the boy that he cared for him.

Whatever thing Itachi showed him
with his Tsukuyomi, Jiraiya would devote himself to show it was not true.

It was not because Naruto was the
legacy of his prized student. It was not because the blond was identical to his
father.

No. Naruto had something in him that
made anyone who knew him be at ease around him; that was a trait that he�d
taken from his mother�

Jiraiya shook his head; he would not
go there with his trail of thoughts. That was the past. He would tell Naruto
everything, but he needed some time. He had to prepare the boy well.

He wasn�t expecting him to arrive so
soon though, because he had planned on his running and he had estimated it
would take him at least three days to arrive at Sunagakure, instead when he
looked up, feeling two chakra signatures he knew, he was surprised to see
Naruto and Gaara walk towards him.

Gaara was simply walking though, his
mask still as emotionless as when he had first met him, but Naruto was another
matter �he was bouncing around, smiling and laughing and of course speaking
loudly to the red head, who on his part seemed all but annoyed by the blond
teen�s acting.

Jiraiya was actually shocked by
this, more so because he could swear there was a smile tugging on Sabaku no
Gaara�s lips �or at least some sort of faint grin.

Naruto�s eyes spotted Jiraiya, who
was looking at him and he waved with a proud face, almost showing off.

�Hey, Ero�Sannin!� he exclaimed,
running towards him followed slowly by the sand user; as Jiraiya met shortly
with the green deep eyes, he could swear there was something akin to defiance
and challenge in the orbs, but it was a flicker, quickly replaced by the usual
indifference.

�Naruto! How come you are already
there?� he stared amazedly at him, believing there was some kind of explanation
for his speed.

Naruto smirked in an
I�know�something�you�don�t way, before replying smugly, �ha! I caught up on
your cheating Ero�Sannin! I know you were using chakra to move faster so I used
it too!�

Jiraiya watched the blond, amazed.
Naruto seemed to really have pulled it off rather easily, though he still
couldn�t understand what kind of use he had applied to be able to catch on his
so soon. Not that he cared, at least now he would have the teen follow him
easily, and there was the fact that he�d met with the Shukaku wielder.

�Ero�Sannin, Kazekage here will
offer me food now, see yah laters,� Naruto waved at him, and grabbing Gaara�s
arm he started pulling him along with him, leaving a rather disturbed and
stunned man behind, thinking �he called
him What?!�

After two long minutes, Jiraiya
closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head while sighing in defeat.
Naruto was just� too much.

A smile tugged at his own lips,
knowing there was nothing that could really stop the blond from having his way
out, especially with the people he managed to enchant. It looked like Sabaku no
Gaara was one of them, after all.

He turned towards the Kazekage
tower, smirking knowingly, �I hope this village is ready� the next Kazekage is
not going to take it with ease�.

He then looked around, �may as well
stay in the village for the day� tomorrow the real journey and the real
training will start, but until then�� he walked towards a passing man, �hey,
you, mind to tell me where the onsen is?�

��

Cepheus: end of the chapter! Liked it?

Anyway, please, drop a review, would you? It would be
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saying if you liked or not, or if you want something to be written in there. :)
make me happy, will you?
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Winter Release