Gaara leant back slightly, letting the heavy robes he was wearing shrug off his shoulders and onto the back of his chair. Taking with it the colossal duties that weighed it down so much more thoroughly than any normal coat. He almost glared at the length of inanimate white fabric but in the end settled himself with a sigh, it was not the robes fault he had so much paperwork, it was not the robes fault, it was not- the sound of his coat ripping and the small pieces of white cloth exploding into the air was all that could be foreseen to the litter of scraps on his floor. The rest was too quick to follow, but the lazy drag of the Sand making it's way back to the gourd would have been plenty of account as to what happened. Gaara sighed again; he would need another one of those, the Suna government liked to keep a certain amount of mystification surrounding its leaders robes, sadly the original had been destroyed soon after Gaara's first year in control when Rock Lee had challenged him to a race in the peace mission he'd made to Konoha. He'd had five over the four years he'd been Kazekage. Gaara sighed once more before gaining a curious look; he'd been acting peculiar for some time now. He grew bored easily, depressed easily, and aggressive easily, but that was all that seemed to come easy. His life was growing more complicated as his hazardous emotions shook his carefully placed boundaries. Gaara took out an hour or so each night to meditate after work was done, so as to keep a check on Shukaku. But he was beginning to wonder if it was the demon that was doing it. It helped mostly but he could feel the aggression flowing through him now more strongly than anytime after being born again (1). Continually, just under his skin, the almost pleasant throb of what he could call another pulse. The staff and residents of his office and home had been told to be careful around him, no sneaking up on him, no loud noises and no-

"HEY GAARA!" A heavy male body tackled him out of his chair and to the floor.

Even his ninja-reflexes were being worn down by this rut he was in. Turning he met a mop of blonde hair and a very deep growl spouted up from his chest.

"I do not remember saying you could touch me, Naruto-san," putting a bit of stress on the honorific, he was Kazekage-sama.

Behind the blonde haired beast were two other Leaf ninja's. A female sporting pale pink hair, Gaara thought he remembered her, but anyone who he had forgotten in Konoha obviously made no lasting impression. And another…female? The upper body's shape was swamped in a coat but the legs were rather thin for male. Dark blue hair fell across the face as it stared at the floor showing only a small bit of the porcelain coloured neck. He hoped to not need to talk to either of them. A shiver ran up Sakura's spine at the calculating glare he shot her and she ushered the blonde off of the demon infested boy.

"Get off him, Naruto. We're sorry, Gaara-san," Kazekage-sama!

"G-g-good, afternoon, k-k-Kazekage-s-sama," maybe if it took that long to get out Gaara-san really was ok.

The voice was like a whisper but held some soft memory to Gaara, something he'd heard a few years ago. The owner of the voice looked up and he saw the wide eyes of not just a girl but the Hyuuga heir.

"What are Leaf nin doing in my home?" he asked finally prying Naruto off with the Sand.

"We're here to sign some treaties between the villages," Sakura explained.

"Why not send the Hokage?" Gaara asked.

Their was silence during which Hinata blushed profusely, Sakura looked a bit peeved and Naruto grinned.

"Granny-sama went on a bender the night before leaving and Shizune had to send us because she was so hung-over," he ended with a laugh but Gaara just glared.

How was it Konoha wasn't already a burning crater? Also, his village lost to this!? Though the leaders had changed…Gaara heaved a sigh and looked up at the three. Why was it only his luck, that he'd finally be able to see Naruto again but in a political state of affairs. Naruto was hardly anymore mature and definitely not yet Hokage material on the diplomacy standards. Sakura hit Naruto rather harshly on the top of his head for being rude about the Hokage Gaara supposed, although she seemed to like causing him pain a tad bit, and then smiled thinly at the Kazekage.

"Go on then," she hissed at Naruto.

"There is more?" he asked the kitsune.

"Oh yeah, we get vacation time because Hinata had a breakdown,"

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted at him but he didn't pause.

Gaara looked at the Hyuuga who had already replaced her gaze to the floor.

"Sakura floored a mall assistant,"

"NARUTO!"

"And Jiriaya is bored of me hanging around," he said the last bit with a small whine.

A dark and foreboding chill ran down Gaara's spine.

"We're staying here for two weeks, Gaara! Isn't that great!"

The Kazekage fought down the urge to call in Kankuro to escort them down to the courtyards, maybe into to town, back to Konoha perhaps. It was only when Naruto began to chatter in his nasally incessant tone of voice Gaara wondered if even Kankuro, the people person of the family, or at least actor of the family, could handle them.

"And we'll have a great time. I haven't seen you in ages buddy, you grew right? I grew too, I'm already this high compared to Kakashi, believe it!" It was at the catchphrase that Gaara had to tune out, for the sake and safety of everyone in the room.

He turned to see the female with pink hair, Sakura, Naruto had implied, pushing hair out of Hinata's blushing face and commenting on something of girly importance, while coming dangerously close to a very expensive vase Gaara had been given by the Stone government.

"Have any of you said hello to Kankuro and Temari, yet?"

(1) The born again thing was about the episode when Gaara died and was brought back to life.

/s/2312778/1/ChasingNaruto