2Hey everyone, I'm kash890. I've had this idea in my head for a while and couldn't get it out of my head, so here I am. Now, that being said, I am going to be a full-time college student, so I won't be updating on a schedule, but I do promise not to abandon this story. So have some patience with me, it'll go a long way.
Hopefully you guys like the chapter.
I don't own Naruto. If I did, I would change many things, which I would've loved to happen. Those examples will make themselves clear throughout the whole story. I'll be making some changes from canon, so don't be surprised at anything.
Please Read and Review.
Chapter 1: The boy made from sand...
Somewhere in the Sunagakure
"Muwwahh" A baby left on the steps of an orphanage cried, left there by their biological parent in the obscurity of night. He was left there tucked in a blanket, with a note. The crying grew stronger, crows swarmed him and pecked him. His cries grew stronger as if they no longer could ignore it the door of the orphanage opened. A woman came out, dressed in a brown garb, she was approximately in her late 30's. Her appearance seemed radiant, almost angelic, probably was an angel. She scared all the crows pecking him and looked at the baby.
"Oh my, another one. This is the second time this week." The woman bent down to grab the note of the baby, then scanned the note, "Hmm, let's see, oh your name is Yato, as in the Third Kazekage, and it appears that your mother couldn't support you. Well, let's get you inside dear, don't worry I'll take care of you. And we'll be your new family."
The baby stopped crying as if he understood the words spoken. The woman carried him in her arms and hummed as she brought him inside. As soon as she opened the door, she was swarmed by many kids, ranging from three-year-olds to fifteen-year-olds. All them curious about the new arrival, she giggled at their curiosity.
"Hello children, would you like to welcome our new arrival?" All of them nodded, as they scanned the features of the baby's face, "His name is Yato, and he will be staying with us. Now you know what to do."
All the children spoke in synchronization, "Welcome to the Red-Light district, we are happy to have you with us. Here, we're family."
The baby just cried as it was surprised by the sudden introduction. Many kids laughed at the reaction, while others panicked, while the woman just smiled and whispered into Yato's ear, "You're home."
Timeskip: 2 1/2 years later
Yato (Age 2)
"Yato, get over here, and play with us." Yato, who was looking at a picture book, filled with words and the pictures matching the actions of the words, put it away in favor of playing with his older brothers. He got off the bench he was at and joined them in playing a game called soccer. Yato was got the hang of mobility very well, in fact, he was the best runner there, though he couldn't beat the ten-year-olds. In fact, he was reading already but had a limited vocabulary.
He ran the ball, but it was easily taken away by his older brothers, they loved messing with him in anything they could. It was fun since they discovered something about Yato's personality. Yato was competitive, he learned to walk due to seeing everybody walking, began learning to read, after him learning his siblings could read. If there was something he couldn't do, that they could, he would pout and then push himself to do better.
Yato just flopped onto the floor, fatigue catching up to him. He lay on the floor pouting, that he couldn't endure as much as his older brothers. The older brothers seeing their brother expression, could not help but feel guilty, so they laid down next to Yato, in an effort to comfort him. It worked as Yato's sour expression turned into a smile, seeing both his brother's intentions.
"What are you boys doing on the floor?" A soothing voice asked. The boys looked to who the voice belonged to, though they already knew who spoke. "We played soccer and we got tired. Sorry, Miss. Marie."
The woman, now identified as Marie, nodded in understanding, "Well, get up, it is almost time for bed. Take a shower, and then go the beds, I'll be waiting for you." The children outside went inside, to get ready for bedtime.
The boys, not needed to be told twice, went to the showers. And when they finished, they got into comfortable sleepwear and made their ways to the room. There was a single room in here, but it was gigantic and held a lot of bunk beds. Girls and boys were put into the same room since there was only one room, some had to share a bed. They all sat on their bed as Marie held a book, thick in size.
The boys made their way to their beds, Yato had a bed to himself.
"Alright, everyone's here. So which story would you want to hear today?" Marie always read to them a story, she spoiled them if she had the time.
"The one with the girl rescues the prince!"
"The story of the White Samurai!"
"The tale of Jiraiya the Gallant."
All at once the children spoke, and Marie just scanned the crowd. Her eyes landed on Yato, who was keeping to himself, "How about you Yato? What story would you like to hear today?" All eyes turned to Yato, who wilted under the intensity of the stares focused on him. It took him a while, but he weakly said, "T-the San-ndai-me Ka-ze-kage."
"Oh the Sandaime Kazekage, you want to hear the story of him, is it because you were named after him?" Marie questioned to which Yato nodded, too shy to speak.
"Well, okay, while there isn't much to say about, I do remember a tale about him. During the Third Shinobi World War, at the Battle of the Valley of rocks, Iwagakure shinobi surrounded the third Kazekage and handful of Suna shinobi. Faced with impossible numbers, one would expect him to surrender, but he didn't. The third Kazekage fought for days, holding them at bay, not letting them gain ground. The Suna shinobi saw their kazekage determination, fought with the same vigor, against the odds. The kazekage and the suna shinobi survived on food/water pills, and soldier pills for days. The Iwagakure ninjas finally gave up after a week, realizing that they couldn't afford to lose any more troops."
All the kids were wowed by the tale, many speechless. While others were exclaiming "Yeah" or "So cool".
Miss. Marie continued where she left, "The third kazekage, or Yato, is considered the strongest Kazekage in history, he was also considered the kindest, as he cared for his men's lives over anything. He treated those close to him like family, and made sure none of them were suffering in poverty, he cared for his men, as if they were his children.
However, near the end of the war, he disappeared. Though it suspected that he was killed by an enemy, for the last place they found a trace of him, was a battle-torn area. Okay, children, that is enough story time for everyone, go to sleep." She stood up, despite the kids protesting, and turned off the lights before she left the room. Kids conversed with each other, and meanwhile, some of the boys spoke to Yato.
"Wow, you got a cool name Yato!" One of the boys spoke of admiration, embarrassing Yato who wasn't used to so much attention.
"Yeah, we didn't realize that you had such a cool name!" Further embarrassing Yato.
"Man, I wish to be as strong as the third kazekage one day." One of the boys told them, to which all of them agree, especially Yato. They all went back into their covers as the began to sleep, leaving Yato alone to think. He heard the tale of the man he was named after, and after hearing such a tale, he could hardly fall asleep. Something about hearing about the man he was named after inspired him. Somewhere in his heart, he wanted to become like his predecessor, to be as brave and strong as him. Yato, since he couldn't sleep, just grabbed a book, slightly more difficult than a picture book, and read it. He needed to grow smarter, and stronger. He wanted to be a shinobi.
Timeskip: 1 1/2 years later
Yato (Age 4)
Yato sat at a desk, reading his favorite book: 'The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Shinobi'. The story follows the adventures of a ninja named Naruto Musasabi. Naruto never gives up and vows to break the "curse", which represents the cycles of war, conflict, and hatred that occupies the ninja world. It was really fascinating, he read so far ten chapters, and they all were all good. He read that along with others, in fact, he had an entire bookshelf to himself. There were other excellent books: 'The lonely shinobi', 'The Hermit and his mountain', and 'The flower Samurai'. And those were just to name a few.
While he did play with others, he preferred to read more than anything else. Though there was something else he enjoyed doing, and that was training. Most of his older brothers and sister were either in the academy, or were a genin, so they always had something to teach him. Like shuriken-jutsu and Taijutsu, not any ninjutsu since it was too dangerous. Most of the kids registered to be shinobi since they got paid and they would give the money to the orphanage.
He read books that contained information about basics of ninja knowledge, like chakra, taijutsu, ninjutsu, and genjutsu. Not the techniques, but the basic knowledge of how they worked in theory and practice.
Yato outstretched his hands, as he backed the chair away from the desk. Then outstretched his limbs, being cooped up in a desk, leaves one stiff as a board. His stomach growled, letting him know that he was hungry. He made his way to the kitchen when he spotted his sisters. And they spotted him, then huddled together before blocking the way to the kitchen. The trio consisted of a ten-year-old, a twelve-year-old, and a thirteen-year-old.
"~Yato, just the little brother I wanted to see.~" One of the trios spoke to Yato, in a giddy tone, which made Yato nervous for reasons he didn't know why.
"~You know how much we love you right?~" To which Yato hesitantly nodded. "~We wanted to try to doll up one of the boys, but they've all hidden from us. So we were wondering if you wanted to be our test dummy.~"
Yato looked around, and sure enough, none of the boys were in sight, no wonder it was so quiet. And no wonder that he felt nervous, he was sensing bloodlust, from the sisters looking at their new prey. He did the rational thing any man would do in his position, he ran. He was now running for his life, with the girls in tow.
He ran into a room where he closed the door behind him, he put his back against the door.
"Split up, he won't escape." They ran past the room he was in, but he couldn't be too sure. Plus there were only eight rooms they had to check: the kitchen, the bathroom, the toilet, the barracks, the living room, the nursery room, miss Marie's room, and the infirmity room he was in. He looked at anywhere he could hide, he could hide under the bed, but the storage closet would cover him entirely. Choosing the closet, he opened the door, to his surprise he found all of the boys hiding in there, eating chips and cookies. They looked at the doorway, like deer in the headlights.
"So this is where you were hiding in!" Yato slightly enraged yelled at the boys. Their immediate reactions were to put their hands to muffle Yato.
"Shh, be quiet, do you want us to be caught?" The self-appointed leader of the boys spoke to Yato with an annoyed tone. He had brown hair, and a scar on his cheek. Yato realized that he could've given them away, and more importantly, give himself away. So he answered the boy, "No I don't want that, sorry for yelling at you Shura."
"Okay good, you know that you did wrong, there's a start. Do you think that they might have followed you here?" The boy, now identified as Shura, interrogated Yato.
"No, I saw them pass by the room." Everyone in the room, let out a breath that they were holding, relief that their hideout wasn't discovered. They continued on with their activities, some playing card games, while others lounged around eating snacks.
Yato grabbed a bag of chips for himself. He began filling his stomach with junk food, it was better than an empty stomach.
"Are you in here Yato?" He almost choked on the chip he accidentally swallowed.
The rest of the boys froze as Shura put the index finger to his lips, signaling to be quiet. No one made a sound or any type of movement. There was just silence...
"~We found you.~" The storage closet door opened revealing the three girls with sinister smiles on their faces.
All the boys froze in fear, except Shura who's fear motivated him, "Everyone fends for themselves!" He left them all behind as he ran past the three girls, who didn't bother to stop him. Shura laughed before he was clotheslined from a blind spot, then it made sense why they didn't bother to stop, as there were more girls at the door.
"~ Oh, I called for reinforcement.~" Suddenly most of the girls were there with smiles on their faces, clearly enjoying the look of desperation on the boys.
"Please Sheri, grant us mercy." Shura tried to reason, but the girls responded by chaining him up.
The leader of the girls, now named as Sheri, her gaze landed on Yato who was sweating profusely, "~Oh Yato, I've got to thank you for leading us to the boys. If it wasn't for you, they would've never been caught.~"
Suddenly all the glares of the boys were bored into the back of his skull. Yato would apologize, but he was out for himself, "So does that mean I could go free? I've led you here, doesn't that grant me amnesty or something?" Suddenly the glares intensified, as they carved the back of his skull. Still, he could try to weasel his way out of this.
"Traitor!" Shura yelled before being kicked by one of the girls, effectively shutting him up.
Sheri just grinned, "~You are willing to betray your friends, for your own amnesty, wow you are so evil. Let me think..." Yato bowed to sweeten the deal, anything to motivate to pardon him, " Okay I'm done thinking about it and the answer is ...no."
That was all Yato needed to hear as he tried to pass them, all the boys who were frozen in fear, snapped out of it and ran along with Yato. They made their last stand, sadly they were outmatched, and were captured. Yato and the boys were dragged to the barracks, screaming on the way there.
After two hours, which seemed like an eternity to Yato, the girls finished playing around with the boys. Everyone walked out defeated, their manhood was tarnished. Yato had white makeup covering his brown tanned skin, and blush to make his cheeks rosy red. Along with that, they also had the gall to dress him up, he rocked this dress, so joke on them... What has he become?!
They along with the girls made their way to the kitchen since they were all hungry. Yato entered the kitchen mess room first, eager to eat.
"SURPRISE!" Yato got spooked as they all yelled 'surprise', and jumped in fear. Yato looked around, looking for an attack, but finding a written poster: 'Happy Fourth Birthday Yato!' Miss Marie and a handful of girls held confetti and happy birthdays signs.
Wait, was today his birthday?
Miss. Marie looked at the confusion on Yato's face, smiling at his airhead ways. Yato was smart, there no doubt about that, but he was more forgetful than others, more prone to mistakes than others. Yato was clumsy, and an airhead. "Silly, did you forget that today is your birthday."
Yato just rubbed the back of his head, mildly embarrassed at the notion, I mean how does one forget their own birthday. He forgot his own birthday. "Yeah, I'm surprised, I didn't remember my own birthday was today. Wait, does that mean you were in on this?!" He looked at the most of the girls, who were behind him, and at all the boys who followed behind him.
Shura stepped forward, his appearance was covered in makeup, "Well, we were supposed to distract you until evening, so boys and I planned with the girls a way to distract. The girls told us that they had the perfect plan, so we listened. They said it would be fun..." At this, he mustered up the biggest glare he could possibly do, and directed it to the girls, who mischievously held out their tongues saying 'sorry'.
"...Thank you..." Yato was choked up with tears, he appreciated the effort they gave, for a birthday that he didn't remember. "...Thank you so much..." Everyone who looked at Yato choking up with tears, either got teary-eyed themselves or smiled at their brother honest emotion. Yato held himself back a lot, his emotions were there, but it was uncommon that they would show. So the sight of Yato crying was a moment of relief, their brother was a kid, just like they were.
Miss. Marie just pulled Yato into a hug, as he tried to wipe away the tears, but much to his dismay, the tears continued pouring. Miss. Marie just embraced and hummed a song to calm Yato down. Yato, little by little, was able to calm down. She stopped humming as the crying died down, "Okay, let's blow out the candles." To which Yato nodded.
The girls who were with Miss. Marie carried the cake to the table in front of him. He took a seat at the table, looking at the beautifully handcrafted cake. Yato could tell, due to the girls having aprons on, with flour and batter on their aprons. And with the candles lit, they sang him a happy birthday, and when they finished, he huff and he puffed, blowing the candles away. The girls also made cupcakes since there wasn't going to be enough cake for everyone.
Everyone grabbed their piece of the cake, or their own cupcake, and happily ate. Miss. Marie came out of the kitchen area, with a pot of vegetable stew. She served everyone their own bowl. Everyone dug in their bowls, Yato devoured his food, since he has been hungry. They've all finished their food, and talk among themselves for a while. They spoke with each other, till Miss. Marie tapped her glass, gathering everyone's undivided attention.
"Okay, time to give Yato his presents. Who has presents to give Yato?"
Suddenly Shura stepped up, holding onto a wrapped oval-shaped box, "Here, I save enough money to buy this. I heard once that you would like one of these. So I saved enough money, and here it is, I hope you like it."
Yato carefully unwrapped, since they could possibly reuse the wrapping paper, and when he unwrapped it, he was surprised. It was two wrist gauntlets, both beautifully made, silver and steel. No wonder the package felt heavy. Yato grabbed them and strapped them on his wrist. They needed some adjusting, but otherwise perfect. He ran and hugged Shura, who was blushing in embarrassment but eased into the hug. "It's perfect."
"Alright time for our gifts." The rest of the boys gathered, " We put our money together, and came up with a perfect gift. " They gave Yato two scrolls, which took Yato by surprise. "...Is this what I think it is?" The boys smiled in their victory, "Yes it is, I got it a the market, one is the basic ninjutsu in Sunagakure, and the other one is from the land of Iron."
"Wait you mean, where the samurais live in?!" Yato asked, to which the boys responded with a nod. "This is the best!" In the background Shura sat in the corner, hugging his knees, as he moped.
Sheri stood up, followed by the girls, "~Okay here's our gift, we spent so much money. So enjoy it.~" She put a scroll down, as did some hand signs, in a shroud of smoke appeared their gift. The gift was an arsenal, ranging from were many kunais and shurikens. And there was something in the middle, a shirt made of chain mail.
"Anymore?" Miss. Marie asked everyone, seeing that it was silent, she assumed that was it. "Okay good, because I've got you a present." She held this thin-long rectangular box, it was a foot and a half bigger than him - he was 3'6 - with a latch on the side. Yato took it, as he opened the case. Inside was a sword or a katana, the kind samurai would use. It was sheathed in a beautiful obsidian color, while the sheath had a flower design engraved onto it. "Surprise I got you a katana! I've seen you read "The Flower Samurai" and since I've seen how you fell in love with the story. I thought I could give a part of that. I called in a favor from a friend, and there you go. Well do you-" She was cut off with a hug, and a whisper, "I love it. Thank you. Mom."
Timeskip: 1 month later
Yato (4 years old)
Yato was going to his first day in the Academy, he was going a year early into the academy, compared to other kids who register at five or six years old. He was dressed in a gray sleeveless-jacket, with beige pants. He wore the gauntlets that he was given, and sword on his left side. Though he didn't bring his kunais or shurikens since he had no way to carry them. There wasn't a specific age requirement so as long as you meet the requirements.
Admission Requirements:
Love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity.
Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work.
Be healthy in mind and body.
If the above conditions are met, admission to the Academy will be granted.
He met the requirements, and so he was on his way to the academy. He walked a few blocks until he finally met his destination. There was a gathering in the front since there is supposed to be a ceremony, the students were there, along with their parents. The 4th Kazekage stood on the stage, waiting for the cue to speak. A shinobi at the side gave him the thumbs up. The 4th Kazekage cleared the throat, waiting for it to quiet down, and when it did, he began to speak.
"Good morning everyone, we are here to begin the new school year. The main goal of the Academy is to train the body and mind to prepare for the challenges a shinobi will face. Parents, by the time your children graduate the Academy, many years from now, I'll hope they can bring success, fame, and glory to Suna. You're all important to the prosperity of our village, and when you become shinobi. You'll become the pillar of defense for the village. That will be all." Everyone clapped as the Kazekage walked away from the stage.
With that over, he went to the admission booth, where a male shinobi sat at. He introduced himself to the shinobi, while the shinobi, " Let's see... Yato of the Red-Light District, oh an orphan." The shinobi remained ignorant to Yato's glare as he continued on, "You are assigned to class C-3, it's in the left hallway, near the end, on the left side."
Yato took the directions and went inside. He followed the directions and eventually found his classroom. There were other kids, kids near his age, though some looked older. He took a seat in the front, as he prepares a notebook and pencil. It took a half-hour, but the teacher arrived. It was a woman, brown hair, and a small stature (Around 5'4). She appeared in her late 40's.
"Welcome children, I'll be your teacher for this year, my name is Shinobu Katsura. We'll be doing general studies - arithmetic, reading, writing, and social studies - in this room for the year. Here let me write you the schedule for you. " She wrote it in chalk on the board.
1. Arithmetic
2. Geography
3. Reading
4. History
5. Free period
6. Writing
7. Physical Education
"This will be your schedule for the rest of the year. Now get your pencils out, and your notebook. I've prepared a test beforehand." This enticed to the whole class to groan, and pout at that. One kid was brave enough to raise his hand. The teacher saw this and addressed him, "What is it?"
"Sensei, why aren't we learning about chakra, or how to throw shuriken? Something that shinobi do?" This was the question on Yato's mind, while he didn't mind the subjects, he wanted to do taijutsu or learn some shuriken-jutsu, but if he had to wait. The teacher groaned as if she heard the question many times, probably because she had heard it various times.
"Look, I've got to assess everybody's education level so that I know who needs help. Plus this is a refresher of sorts. Tell me, do any of you know the 1st Kazekage name?" Reto, that was the name of the 1st Kazekage. Yato read a book written by Shodai Kazekage, it was a philosophy book. He hasn't read it all, but what he read so far was interesting. Well, this should be easy... Or so Yato thought.
"Uhh, I don't know." The kid seemed embarrassed, and he should be embarrassed. He questioned the teacher and got served.
"My point exactly, now without any more delays. Let's take the test." And so Yato did the test with ease.
Timeskip: Three months later
Yato (4 years old)
Yato has gotten through class with ease, the only difficulty that he was experiencing was making friends. While he did enjoy the presence of his books, he also yearned for a companion. It was more difficult than at the orphanage, back home they approached him, but here it was the other way around. He approached a group once, but they didn't like him. Something about being too smart, and a showoff. He has maintained a perfect grade in the class, it was easy since he studied beforehand, plus reading a book does wonders for the mind.
There was a kid in particular that absolutely hates him. Kankuro, a kid in his class that walks around with an air of superiority. Even the teacher treated him as if he was the damn kazekage. Kankuro held the second highest grade - holding a 94% - in class, second to Yato. Thus bringing Kankuro's attention to him, the wrong kind of attention. Kankuro picked on him to no end, pranks, tripping him, or plain pushing him around. Yato just avoided the guy, he was not worth getting in trouble, plus it seems that the teacher is sucking up to Kankuro, for whatever reason. While Kankuro was intelligent, almost as he was, that doesn't mean they should spoil him, as if he was a noble. Maybe he was getting jealous, he shouldn't be so damn petty.
"So this is where the dweeb is at." Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Kankuro was there, dressed in a black, baggy, full body suit with a red and yellow circle on the front. He also wears a black hood which covered his head completely and had cat-like ears. He stood there with two boys in the back, following Kankuro everywhere.
"What do you want Kankuro?" Yato didn't back down, he instead put up a strong front, spoke with tired-of-your-shit tone. While Yato doubt he could take them on, he wasn't going to let them walk all over him.
"Hey, that is no way to talk towards your friends. You're really hurting my feelings." He put his hands to his eyes, imitating crying. His two followers cackled in the background as if their leader made the funniest joke in the world.
"Kankuro, you know well enough that we're not friends. So what do you want?"
"We want you to do a favor for us." And there it was, their true intention was revealed. They probably wanted him to do something stupid and he won't be a part of it. And why would he do as they say? He had no reason to do whatever they wanted of him. "Why would I do a favor for you guys? You guys pick on me, bully me, and do any malicious deed you can think. So give me a good reason to do anything for you."
"What if we stop messing with you? We'll leave you alone for the rest of the year. So what do you say?" It was very tempting, even if it was for a year. A year of peace from the nasty pranks and all around spiteful acts of them would be bliss. Still..."No, I won't do any cruelty or any idiotic act for you guys."
"I think you have a misunderstanding, we don't want to do something stupid or unkind. We want you to make a friend." This raised an eyebrow in Yato's face, "Friend?"
"Have you seen the boy that waits around at the fence of the playground? We want you to become his friend." The kid who always stares at all the other kids play, while he didn't know the details, other than he was called: a freak, demon, or monster. He was an outcast, just like him, which intrigued Yato more. Yato has been meaning to talk to him, but he was not sure how to start the conversation.
"So why do you want me to become his friend? What bad deed are you planning?"
"Fine, there are rumors going around, about that kid. We want you to check if the rumors are true, to see if he really is a monster." Kankuro knew the rumors were true, how could he not know? The kid was his younger brother, Gaara. Gaara was made the jinchūriki of the One-Tailed beast, Shukaku, when he was born, causing the villagers of Suna to fear him as a monster, but Yato didn't know that.
"...Okay, but you better hold up your part of the deal. I'll prove to you that the rumors aren't true." The rumors were fake, the kid was an outcast, and people probably picked on him because he was an easy target.
"Well, here is your chance, he's right there." And there he was. The boy has fair skin, green eyes, and short red hair; remain naturally spiky. He lacked distinctive pupils or eyebrows, and had tanuki-like black rings around his eyes. He wore a sand robe over his full black-bodysuit and had a teddy bear. Yato walked outside the park and walked along the fence. Yato watched the kid direct his gaze to him. Yato stopped right before him and extended his hand.
Hello, my name is Yato of the Red-light District, what's your name?" The boy seemed clearly nervous that someone approached him, even going as far as being cautious about Yato's extended hand.
"...My na-name is Gaara..." The boy, now identified as Gaara, spoke softly. Gaara, literal meaning is 'self-loving demon'.
"Gaara, that is a cool name. So how old are you?"
"I am three..."
"So do you go to the Academy here?" There was no age restriction in the admission policy.
"N-no my father teaches me."
"Oh, that's really cool. Is your father a ninja?"
"Yes"
"So, do you want to play with me?"
"Eh, you want to play with me?" Gaara seemed so surprised at the notion. No one ever approaches him, much less play with him.
"Yes you, I am also an outcast, and I saw you alone just as I am. So I wanted to be your friend, that way we both won't be lonely." Yato extended his hand, once again, "So would like to be friends?"
Gaara hesitated, but after a while, he grabbed the offered hand. Yato smiled as he made his first friend, other than his brothers and sisters at the orphanage. "Okay come on, let's play football, if you don't know how to play I'll teach you."
Yato grabbed a ball that was left behind some others kids and began teaching Gaara the way to play soccer.
Peeking around the corner, Kankuro was seething, his plan didn't work as planned. Gaara was supposed to injure Yato, not befriend him. Gaara has injured everyone he has come across, yet here was Yato playing with him. Gaara was supposed to be a monster, not be this human. Wait, there was something he could do.
"Anbu, I know you're around, dad always assigns one to Gaara." The Anbu appeared of thin air, wearing the standard Suna Anbu uniform. He stood in silence, watching Kankuro in an observing manner.
"What do you want?" The tone was completely cold, devoid of all emotions.
"W-well I wanted to t-tell y-you that there's a k-kid playing with G-Gaara. He c-could be i-in trouble." Kankuro stuttered, as he tried to talk.
"Then why did you send him to Gaara?" Kankuro was about to deny the accusation, but one look into the Anbu's eyes and he couldn't speak, "Well I do have to report this to the Yondaime. Hebi, go report to the Yondaime and tell him everything. Don't leave out any details." An Anbu with a snake mask appeared in thin air but vanished in a burst of sand.
The 4th Kazekage, Rasa, was not having the best of days. There was trouble start with Iwagakure, they were still bitter from the war, and were demanding the head of Pakura the hero, or they'll declare war. And the Sunagakure didn't have the manpower or resources for another war. They were currently suffering economically, that stupid Wind Daimyo didn't know how to lead a nation, much less a village. The wind daimyo, he reduced funding for Sunagakure, the village of his land, and outsourced many jobs to the less expensive Konohagakure; this led him to be highly unpopular with Suna's citizens. In his words, 'Konoha shinobi are in better quality, and cheaper.'
He has tried to have the Wind Daimyo reconsider, but the Wind Daimyo stubbornly refused anything Rasa had to say. And the Wind Daimyo refused to negotiate with the Earth Daimyo. As if that wasn't enough, he had to deal with his son, the one-tail jinchuriki, Gaara. Gaara was injuring fellow villagers, he didn't understand how powerful he was. And he was given many formal complaints, to do something about Gaara. Lately, he had his brother-in-law, Gaara's uncle, Yashamaru, take care of him. And by that, he means that Yashamaru will teach Gaara about physical pain, emotional pain, and love. When Gaara's inability to control Shukaku proved a problem, the Fourth Kazekage tasked Yashamaru with the duty of attacking the boy both physically and psychologically to test his actual mastery over the beast's power.
Yet, if Gaara can't get along with the villagers, he would have no choice, but to send assassins to take care of Gaara. With the council breathing on his back and a war on the horizon, there wasn't time to spend on Gaara proving that he could be an asset to Suna. That along with the anti-kazekage factions - they desire a "stronger" Kazekage, were unsatisfied with the Kazekage's policies - the problems were only getting bigger.
His thoughts were interrupted as an Anbu appeared in the office, bowing before him. "You may rise Hebi. Report." Hebi proceeded to tell Rasa about the situation, how his son met a boy who wanted to be friends with him. And how his son, Kankuro, sent the boy as a spiteful act of vengeance.
"Hmmm, send Kankuro to me, I'll see to his punishment. And bring everything you have on the boy. And lastly send Yashamaru over here, there's a way to make good of this situation. Dismissed." Hebi just vanished in a cloud of sand. Rasa had a plan in mind, one that would be good for the village, and that boy was the key. He'll remember the name Hebi gave to him..."Yato of the Red-Light District..."
Timeskip: 2 hours later.
Kankuro had no idea why his father summoned him, though it might be about what he did earlier. Damn Anbu, couldn't leave him out of trouble. He knocked on the door. "Come in."
Kankuro walked in, greeted by his father's intimidating presence. Kankuro gulped, "Ah, father, I was told that you wanted to see me."
"I did." Those two simple words stirred in silence made Kankuro nervous. His father was a man of few words, preferring action, but when he was quiet like this, he was usually angry. "What can you tell me about your classmate Yato."
Kankuro nerves began to grate on his mind, his father was asking about Yato, which meant the Anbu really did sell him out, "Well, what do you want to know?"
"Basic things, anything that you can think of, I want to know what you know and think about him."
"Oh, w-well then, he's the smartest kid in class, has a 100% grade in the class. He reads a lot of books whenever he's alone, and he has no friends. Doesn't talk much in class, only speaking when he is asked a question. He's an orphan, and he's arrogant enough to believe he will surpass me." Amazing an orphan, with no family or clan backing him up managing to surpass everyone.
"That's right, and you sent this kid to Gaara?" Kankuro confidence went out the window "The Anbu said you planned on Gaara hurting the boy. Is this true?" The tone held ire, and for good reason.
"Yes, but-" Rasa backhanded Kankuro, leaving a red stinging mark on his face. Rasa faced contorted with anger.
"What were you thinking?! Why would you do something so idiotic?! Do you think petty jealousy is worth murdering a fellow villager?! Do you realize what would have happened if Gaara killed him?!" With each question, Rasa tone got louder. Kankuro put his head down in defeat. "You would've been sentenced to death, as a traitor for conspiring to murder a fellow villager! There are enough attacks from the enemy, we don't need it from fellow family." Rasa voice strained itself, as he spoke every word with empathy.
"Look, do you know what a village is? In my Kazekage predecessor words, ' Our village is like a gem covered in sand, for nowhere else will you ever find a stronger family bond.' The third Kazekage said that. Kankuro, I want you to apologize to Yato when you go back to school on Monday. Dismissed." Rasa didn't let Kankuro say anything, dismissing him without any objections. Rasa was loyal to Sunagakure, he always did decisions for the good of the village. So hearing his own son, send a boy who was part of his village, to Gaara, who was known to injure civilians, was downright inexcusable. Rasa won't lie and say that he's a monk, as time as his witness, it knows what cruel and despicable acts he has done for the village. Some include killing fellow villagers, like anti-Kazekage factions, deserters, and killed some comrades whose confidential secret were to be revealed by an enemy.
No, by no means was he a monk. Still, he will put Suna at the top of the priority list. Suna will always come first...
Yato and Gaara were passing the ball to each other as the sunset.
Yato looked at the sunset, remembering that he had to get home before nightfall. He grabbed the ball, grabbing Gaara's attention.
"Look I've got to go, it's late and my mother will get worried if I don't go." Gaara's face fell as he spoke, "Don't worry, I'll promise to come and meet you here tomorrow in the afternoon, okay?"
Gaara perked up after that and nodded, "Okay good, well see you tomorrow." Yato waved goodbye as he walked away.
He walked in his regular route home, passing shops and houses along the way. The orphanage was quite a distance away from the academy, he would have to walk an hour before the academy started in order to be on time.
"Yo Yato-tan." Yato stopped and face the person talking to him.
"Ojisan, how is the business going?" Ojisan - real name is Yamamoto Sawamura - a middle-aged man with his own shop, he's an owner of a weapons shop, basically a blacksmith."Good good, how was the academy today, was it difficult?"
"No, not at all, I'm getting the highest grades in class!" Yato exclaimed with pride, Yamamoto ruffled Yato's hair as he laughed ." That's great Yato, I'm sure you'll make miss Marie proud of you." Yato smiled brightly at the thought of making her happy. "So are you making friends at the academy? One's youth shouldn't be ruined by having their faces stuck in books!"
"Actually I made a friend today!" Yato exclaimed as the blacksmith grew a surprised look on his face, "Yeah, he's a year younger than me and lives near the academy."
"Ohh, that's good, here I was thinking that you were never going to make friends." Yato pouted, "Now now, don't pout, you rarely socialize with kids your age, so I was worried." Yamamoto ruffled his hair again to Yato's annoyance. Yato was trying to pry Yamamoto's hand away from his hair, grooming his hair back into place.
"Well, I'm sorry but I need to get home, it's already late" Yato waved goodbye to Yamamoto, "Goodbye Ojisan!"
He left Yamamoto and continued his way home, though he kept his manners and greeted anyone. He thought about his day with his new friend Gaara. Gaara seemed kindhearted, shy, and overall a kind kid like him. But throughout the whole ordeal he felt nervous, he couldn't quite place what was grating his nerves, but it was bothering him throughout his whole session with Gaara. Still. whatever it was, he wasn't going to let it control him.
"Hey, Yato!" Yato turned to face the direction he was being called from. The person who was calling him was none other than Shura," Oi, let's get going, Miss. Marie is worried about you. You usually come home before dawn, so what were you doing?"
"I made a friend at the park today." Shura looked surprised for a brief moment before ruffling Yato's hair.
"Congratulations, be sure to tell Miss. Marie that when we get to the house, she worries about you." At that, they both head home.
Timeskip: Later that night.
Yashamaru was summoned by his brother-in-law, the 4th Kazekage, Rasa, wanted to meet as soon as Yashamaru could. It probably had something to do Gaara, that was the only reason why Rasa would talk to him. Yashamaru truly hated his brother-in-law, the Fourth Kazekage, for implanting Shukaku within Gaara while still in his sister, and thus taking away Karura's life. Rasa did everything for the village, he discarded all emotions, and became coldhearted.
He knocked on the Kazekage's door, he heard 'enter' and proceeded to go through the door. Rasa was organizing some paperwork, looking tired as always.
"Lord Kazekage, I was summoned here. What is your will?" Yashamaru knelt before Rasa, despite hating Rasa, he was loyal to Rasa, the Sunagakure. He was the right hand of Rasa, he will always do as ordered.
"You may stand." Yashamaru got up to his feet and stared into Rasa's eyes, waiting for the order. "Now I called you here because of Gaara."
"Did he hurt someone again?" That boy doesn't know the power he holds, and as such he never learns to hold himself back. Gaara was three but was naturally stronger than any shinobi in the village.
"No, no such thing. In fact what I wanted to talk about a solution to Gaara's problem." Yashamaru immediately went to his own conclusions, and misunderstandings.
"You can't issue an assassination, not yet! Give me more time! I'm sure I can help him control Shukakku!" Rasa was surprised at first, before he spoke, cutting off Yashamaru.
"I'm not going to issue an assassination." Yashamaru had the decency of looking embarrassed, "Let me ask you, what does he lack?"
"He lacks a moral compass..." No, what he really lacked was, "A friend, someone to be there for him. Someone who's his age, someone to understand him."
"Yashamaru, read this report. It is a report from yesterday about Gaara." Rasa gave a file to Yashamaru, who began to read through it. Reading the events that transpired yesterday.
"Is this true?"
"Every bit. The boy -Yato- was pressured by Kankuro to approach Gaara, fortunately, this didn't end in any injuries."
"That Kankuro..."
"I've already disciplined him, but that isn't the point of this meeting. The boy, Yato, is why I called you."
"The boy? What about him? According to this report, the boy and Gaara played until sunset, when the boy had to go to his home..." It took a moment, but he understood what Rasa was plotting, "...No...You couldn't be planning to use that boy to..."
"Yes I am, I'll use that boy to control Gaara."
"But Rasa! What if Gaara injures the boy?!
"Then do you want to go with the original plan? I've got no quarrels with either plan. We could teach him how to feel pain or we could go through another method. I'll assign you and other Anbu to supervise whenever the boy and Gaara meet, this is not up for discussion." Yashamaru sighed in defeat that Rasa wasn't going to change his mind. "Yes, Lord Kazekage."
"Good, dismissed." And with that Yashamaru flickered away.
"Hebi, you may come in." And with that, the Anbu known as Hebi flickered in the room, bowing before Rasa, who motioned with his hand for him to stand up.
"Lord Kazekage, we have everything we know about the boy in this scroll. Everything but blood." Rasa looked at the scroll, which had only the contents of his citizenship in the Suna. his current residence and his academic record. Other than that, there wasn't much known other than his basics. Not that he expected for much, he was an orphan which explained the lack of information. No blood samples, nothing about his biological parents, nothing really notable.
"Hmm, keep an eye on him, I want to know his habits, hobbies, anything you see worth noting. Don't disappoint me, dismissed." And with Hebi flickered out of the room. He looked at the picture Anbu took of the boy, "Hmm, is this the sands of time working again? Is this fate or a coincidence?"
Yato and Shura finally got to the orphanage. On the entrance was Miss. Marie waiting for them both, they both walked inside with Miss. Marie following behind them, closing the door. When the door closed, she grabbed a frying pan out of thin air. Yato froze in fear, grabbing Shura in a strong grip preventing his escape.
"So, Yato, do you know how worried I was? You were supposed to be here by 6 O'Clock, it is 15 minutes till 9 O'Clock. So care to explain yourself." Yato was frozen stiff, it took an elbow from Shura to snap him out of it.
"We-well, I was with a friend." As soon as he uttered the word, Miss. Marie grabbed him by the shoulder and swung him around while squealing in joy before finally putting him down on the floor. "Well tell me all about it! It is so exciting, your very first friend!" And just like that, her anger was replaced with joy.
"That is not true, I have plenty of friends." Yato looked away, couldn't let Miss Marie see his blushing face.
"Sweetheart, who are you trying to fool? Your brothers and sisters don't count." Yato clutched his heart as Miss. Marie hit the mark. "So, go on, tell me about who it is. Everything."
"Fine, his name is Gaara." Shura froze while Miss Marie grew a worried expression. However, Yato didn't see their expressions, ignorant to their worries as he spoke joyfully about Gaara, "He was very shy and wouldn't approach anyone for some reason. So, I approached him and asked him if he wanted to be my friend. He said yes, then after he said yes, we started to play football. And before I knew it, it became late. I'm so sorry, Miss. Marie."
He then stared at them, both Shura and Miss Marie had weird expressions on their faces, "Are you guys alright?"
Miss Marie stood still, stuck in her mind, but Shura didn't. Instead, Shura waved him off, "Yeah yeah, kid go on and brush your teeth and get ready for bed. Miss. Marie will be there in a moment to read to you all. So get ready." Yato looked at him suspiciously before doing what he was told.
Once Yato was out of the room, Shura started the conversation, "Gaara is the Jinchuriki of the One-tailed beast. I've heard the kid doesn't know his own strength and because of that, he ends up hurting everyone he comes across. Do you think it'll be safe for Yato to be friends with him?"
Miss Marie snapped out of her daze, dwelling on what Shura said. It would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about his safety, honestly, the rumors surrounding the boy, Gaara, made him seem like a monster. And the thought of her precious Yato being in such potential danger had her fear for his wellbeing. Still... "I trust Yato, you saw how happy he was when he was talking about the boy. Plus, think of how lonely the boy is. No one deserves to be alone for so long..."
Shura thought about Miss Marie's words before coming to a conclusion, "You're right, I didn't think about the kid, I was just worrying about Yato."
"And that is nothing to be ashamed at. In fact, it makes you a better big brother." Shura blushed at her words, inciting a giggle from her.
"Ye-yeah, let's get going, I'm sure everyone is waiting for you to read them a story." Shura and Miss Marie made their way to the room where everyone was waiting.
Extra:
Gaara made it to his home after separating from Yato. He opened the door and walked inside. His uncle, Yashamaru, was waiting in the kitchen table. Yashamaru saw Gaara walked in and smiled, "Welcome home, Gaara, the food is getting cold. I've made your favorite, Gizzard." Gaara smiled at the mention of his favorite food, promptly sitting down and chowing down. Yashamaru looked at his nephew, saw him happier than he has been for awhile.
"So, Gaara, how did your day go?" Gaara paused from eating, then started to twiddle his thumbs.
"I made a fri-friend today." Yashamaru acted surprised even though he knew about. But hearing it from Gaara himself, it brought him joy. "We played a game with the ball, it was fun..."
Yashamaru ruffled Gaara's hair, "That's good, I knew that one day you would make a friend. I'm so happy for you." He engulfed Gaara in a hug, who was confused at how he was supposed to respond until he finally eased into it. After a while, Yashamaru broke the hug, "Remember Gaara, the greatest gift in life is mother's love and friendship that lasts a lifetime. So be sure to treasure them both. Now finish eating and get ready for bed." Gaara did as told.
'Maybe this will work...'
Extra:
Excerpt
The Lonely Shinobi
Flow
He was alone...
His village abandoned him...
His friends were dead...
His family long exiled him...
Truly he was alone...
Still, he had made a promise...
He would rather die before breaking a promise...
He was a shinobi, if he couldn't keep a promise then he didn't deserve to be a shinobi...
Extra:
"Tsuchikage-sama." The Iwagakure ninja bowed in respect, "The Kazekage has returned the message, he has refused our offer."
"Hmm, I thought the brat was more reasonable." The 3rd Tsuchikage spoke with an annoyed tone, "Let's not do anything, yet. Just add more troops assigned to Ishigakure, make them sweat. I'll strike them at their most vulnerable." The 3rd Tsuchikage looked troubled.
"Onoki, you are still troubled with this." Onoki looked at the man before him.
"Kitsuchi, it hasn't been long since we had war. Now the council is making me taunt the Sunagakure, the actions that I'm being forced to take are going to lead to bloodshed."
"Yes it is troubling, recently the council has been trying to gain territories from the Land of Wind. The only thing between them and the territories would be the Sunagakure. I can't also help but to feel that they are trying to start a war with the Sunagakure. So, what do you think of what we should do?"
"Hmm, it is troublesome. Now it's more trouble since the brat doesn't want to negotiate. I pegged him as a cold calculating man, one that would give up Pakura for the sake of his village. But it seemed like he grew a backbone, just like his predecessor." Onoki remembered the Third Kazekage, a man that led by example and had the strength to back up his threats.
"Now there is a scary thought, the 3rd Kazekage was too much of a monster to be contained." Kitsuchi scratched the back of his head nervously. Onoki agreed with the man, knowing full well of the capabilities of the Third Kazekage. "So what do want to do?"
"For now, let us add more troops to Ishigakure, give them a year to dwell before doing something else. The council can wait, I'll give them time to rethink their choices, or at least it'll give us time to come up with a reasonable solution." Kitsuchi nodded and flickered out the room.
"This entire situation is annoying..." Onoki spoke to himself, "I'm too old to be dealing with this." He said as he rubbed his back.
"Ji-chan!" Onoki looked at the door to his office. It was opened and there stood his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi at the entrance. She ran to him with his arms open.
"Oh, if it isn't Kuro-chan." He got off his chair and picked her up. She giggled as he spun her a few times before there was a loud snap. Onoki let her down slowly, afterward hunching over in pain.
"Ji-chan, you okay?" Kurotsuchi looked at him with worry, Onoki just waved her off, "It is nothing, just getting a little too old. I just have to sit down for it to fix itself." He said as he went back on his chair, he looked out the window, 'Yeah, perhaps I am getting too old to continue to do this.'
Extra:
Somewhere in the Land of the Wind...
"So, the child of sand has started to shift the gears of change." A woman spoke into an orb. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold, "An anomaly is what you are but I am curious about the path this irregularity takes. Whether he will lead the world into a state of peace or into a war of nations. Tell me what do you think, Roku?" The woman spoke to a boy on her side.
"Maybe he will show us a path that we haven't seen before. " The kid, named Roku, spoke with positivity while the woman showed a moment of thought, reflecting on what the kid's -Roku- words, "He is an anomaly, his mere presence shows us that he has defied fate itself."
"True, true he is an anomaly. His future is limitless, hopefully, it blooms into a prosperous one. Alas, only time will tell us what he becomes." They both agreed on that, time was the only certain factor.
And that is a wrap, hopefully, Y'all enjoyed it.
Please Read and Review, it helps in keeping me motivated and know what I'm doing wrong and right with my story. Don't write flames, they are generally not useful and a more hate than a review. Thanks to y'all for reading the chapter if you have questions be sure to share them. Though I can't promise you that I will answer them, especially if they are borderline spoilers.
Also, before you go, I'll be noting a few things.
The extra's are part of the story as much as anything else. They'll contain what I couldn't put into a chapter or random info in the ninja world. Or just random drabbles. Basically Omake. There will be at least three of them in every chapter.
Honestly, I will not be changing much of 4th kazekage's personality. He's just the interpretation of what I think of him. Which is cold, calculating and loyal. Despite everything, I think he was a man who devoted his life to the village. Now, he won't win father of the year award but I thought he was a loyal shinobi. So I plan on continuing that type of thinking in Rasa. So tell me what you think.
And if anyone is surprised that Gaara hasn't attacked Yato, I would like to note that this is before Yashamaru tried to assassinate Gaara. So Gaara isn't fully a psycho, though he still might harm those around him.
See ya.