Sweet Sacrifice

Arashi and Naruto watched Gaara with wary eyes. The red head was in one of his darker moods. Not that either of them blamed the Kazekage or begrudged him his feelings but they didn't like seeing Gaara in such pain. Silver eyes met sapphire in wordless communication and both nodded. The two knew each other more than well enough to speak without words. In unison they approached the agitated sand moving restlessly at Gaara's feet. Kunai sliced cleanly through golden and pale skin. Crimson life poured from the wounds and fell to be soaked up by Gaara's sand.



The presence of his mate's and his brother's blood in his sand brought Gaara to his senses and away from the dark place his thought had gone to. A quick look confirmed that they had both, without hesitation, given his sand their blood of their own free will. It also looked like they knew exactly what that meant. To a sand-user like Gaara, hell, to any Jinchuuriki to freely and willingly give blood, one of the most sacred things a person has, is a sign of ultimate trust, acceptence, and affection. Arashi loved him as family, as a brother, and Naruto had finally admitted to truly, completely being in love him. Their mating bond was finally complete and now nothing could separate them.



The only part that saddened both Gaara and Naruto was that Arashi had not found his mate and that he would probably have a lot of difficulty doing so. Both had consulted their tenants when Arashi had been a bit cagey about why he had become a Sennin so young and early. Neither liked the thought that their brother would probably be alone for a long time. Though it did help make sense of why Arashi had not needed any outside help to deal with his first heat when he turned sixteen. Why would he need help after all when he had the control and ability to practically turn his blood to ice?



Seeing his brothers both letting their thougths wander down dark, better left unwandered paths, Arashi herded the both of them into the kitchen. Both mates were a bit bemused when the white-haired seer sat Gaara down at the low kitchen table then placed Naruto in Gaara's lap before he proceeded to make some tea for all of them to share, jasmine this time. After the tea was finished Arashi then began serving it at the table where the two mates had been watching attentively. With a sideways glance at his brother and a quick check through his link with his red-haired mate Naruto decided to get their minds off of troubling thoughts and bring attention to something he thought would lighten the mood, or at the very least amuse them. Besides, he was curious.



"Ara-kun you wouldn't have any idea who was responsible for that incident on the Kusa-Konoha border? The one where every shinobi in the outpost was covered in graffiti and strung up right before an important delegation from Kusa no Kuni was to arrive escorted by some of the Fire Daimyo's own elite samurai." Naruto and Gaara could both tell by the look of malicious mishief in Arashi's eyes that he knew precisely what Naruto was talking about. Gaara wouldn't normally worry about events such as this incident but it had made Konoha lose quite a bit of face and gave Gaara a good idea of just what kind of talents Arashi and his blond mate had. That and that incurring Arashi's or Naruto's ire in any form for any reason was a very bad fucking idea, period.



So it came as no surprise when Arashi denied involvement, because after all, those who are the best at what they do leave no evidence or anything that can be traced back to them even indirectly. "No, I was in Kumo at the time." That did come as a surprise to both mates.



"Doing what exactly Ara-kun?" Naruto asked.



"I was doing a few of our friends a favor."



"What was the nature of this favor exactly Arashi?" This time it was Gaara who asked with rare audible curiousity in his voice.



Arashi tilted his head unconsiously in a rather attractive way, even if the two at the table with him didn't even register it, for a moment of contemplation. "Since Zabuza only recently became Godaime Mizukage he needs to strengthen his power base. That was why he was so happy and relieved that had been sent to Kiri as an ambassador for Suna. An alliance that he knows will work is a blessing from above. He asked me to deliver passes giving free travel rights to the scattered members of the Seven Swordsmen of Kiri and standing invitations back to Kirigakure no Sato. I was in Kumo talking to Raiga and healing his orphaned companion Ranmaru, who has a gift for prediction." That wasn't what either of them were expecting to hear but it made sense even though both Naruto and Gaara now knew better than to think Arashi couldn't move fast enough to go from the border of Kusa to Kumo in record time.



The white-haired seer could move at speeds rivaling that of the Kiiroi Senkou. He was just unbelievably in touch with nature and becoming one with the wind was not impossible. As a matter of fact getting in greater touch with the elements was the very thing Arashi had been teaching as of late to whoever had time for that specific type of training. Kankuro had been completely absorbed in the dozen or so puppets, the numerous spare parts, various equipment, and the many scrolls that Arashi had given him from Sasori, who had been interested in the fact that he had a nephew who was as enthralled with puppetry as he was.



Suddenly feeling like he needed to pre-occupy himself Arashi threw a crafty look in the direction of his now kissing brothers. Not that he didn't like that his brothers trusted him enough to express their love and devotion in front of him but sometimes the sight brought a feeling a dread over the silver-haired seer. The vague visions of his own mate, what he could see and guess, were troubling to say the least. He didn't want anyone to be hurt. So he decided to boot the two increasingly involved mate out of the kitchen.



"Both of you go meditate in the zen garden. Do that and commune with each other, Kyuubi, and Shuukaku until dinner and I'll have something special made to eat."



The eager look of anticipation in their eyes was hard to miss. Naruto had learned how to cook from Arashi, whose food was just heavenly. While both were excellent cooks, Naruto loved any and all chances to eat Arashi's cooking because it invoked very good and pleasant memories. Gaara just loved anything either of them cooked even if he was rather good at cooking as well and so did Temari and Kankuro because frankly both of them could and had burnt water.



"What?" The curious mates asked in unison.



A knowing smirk graced Arashi's delicate face and amusement flashed in his silver eyes. "I thought that since I had not had the chance to cook for you both in a while that I would make some ramen for us."



Before the last syllable had left the amused seer's lips the pair disappeared. Not that Arashi was all that surprised at their actions. Jinchuuriki, immortals, and Guardians in general all seemed to have an addiction to ramen. The only reason Arashi did not just take them all out to eat was that, sadly there was no ramen stand, or else the owner of it would be praising and thanking the gods for giving them such wonderfully hungry customers. Arashi was seriously thinking about paying Teuchi Ichiraku along with his daught Ayame to move his stand to Suna, if not for the ramen than to at least make Naruto happy by keeping two of his precious people safe. Yes, that sounded like a good idea and it would work because Gaara would do anything to make Naruto happy so he would go along with it.



The evening had been peaceful though Naruto was a bit saddened that his brother Arashi had left on another mission. However, this left the compound empty until Gaara returned from the office. Naruto was rather bored when he wasn't training or with another member of their small Clan and wouldn't mind a good mission with his silver-haired brother. Not to say he didn't like be near Gaara, quite the contrary, but he was a shinobi, a warrior who thrived in and on battle, all Jinchuuriki did. As a matter of fact, Naruto was expecting Gaara to get stir-crazy and blood-thirsty enough to drag him off on a mission for a bloody massacre to sate his urges for battle and blood.



But perhaps Naruto could sate the desire, the sometimes overwhelming urge for the crimson essence of life. So far Gaara and Naruto had not really gotten the chance to 'play.' That was something Naruto would have to remedy. Now all he needed was to get everything ready for the night before Gaara came home from all the paperwork. The red-haired Jinchuuriki did need something pleasant to relieve all the stress that had undoubtedly built up from dealing with paperwork and incompetent subordinates who couldn't tell there ass from a hole in the ground. Being a Kage was a hard job and all Kage needed someone to come home to.



Lighting slightly scented candles like he had done on the night they had consummated their 'marriage' the blond stopped for second. Naruto looked at the candle in his hand for a moment before deciding to try using hot wax another time. Right now Naruto wanted to feel Gaara's clawed hands holding his hips in a bruising grip, gripping hard enough to draw blood. He wanted to feel Gaara's wicked tongue lapping up his blood after causing it to spill. He wanted Gaara's long, thick cock buried so deep inside him that the red-head's balls would be pressed against the golden skin of Naruto's ass. Naruto's cock throbbed in wanting just thinking about the things he wanted Gaara to do to him, with him. Maybe Gaara would take him on his knees this time while his upper body was pressed against the mattress.



The room was fixed just the way Naruto wanted it so the blond climbed onto the futon and kneeled there. He decided it would be best to start preparing himself but not to finish it. The blond wanted to feel the sting when his mate strtched him as he buried that perfect cock of his inside Naruto. And if he wasn't stretched enough the blood would ease the way. It wasn't as if it wouldn't heal quickly and the lingering pleasurable pain would remind him of his gorgeous red-haired mate every time he moved. So using two fingers to circle the place that, hopefully, would soon be filled, Naruto teased himself before dipping his fingers inside. Having perfect muscle control came in handy when situations like this came up.



Naruto took a shuddering breath before he moaned softly. Brushing his prostate did nothing but add fuel to the fire dancing in his blood. The scent of his arousal as he kneeled naked on the bed would tell Gaara what he was in the mood for and would excite the red head. To further entice his mate Naruto began to create shallow cuts across his stomach and chest with the claws on his free hand. The scent of Naruto's blood in the night air would have Gaara pouncing on him as soon as he came home. Though as Naruto was thinking this another thought crossed his mind. He hadn't gotten to try it yet but just the thought of doing that to Gaara made the heat pooling in his stomach rise higher.



Gaara was a bit pre-occupied. Arashi had told him to 'enjoy himself later' with a wicked look in his eyes before he left that morning. So the feared Kazekage had spent much of his time trying to puzzle out the meaning behind his brother's advice. The red head did have an inkling that it meant when he got home later. As soon as that realization came about Gaara connected the dots rather quickly because there was only one possible thing that could mean. The various thoughts of what could happen between Naruto and himself caused his cock to harden just imagining.



Others might wonder at Gaara's nonchalant attitude in regards to Arashi knowing exactly what Naruto and Gaara were going to do, probably having Seen it, but they were Jinchuuriki. None of them had the social conditioning that humans were taught as children and their tenants probably would have countered any attempts if someone had tried. A Jinchuuriki's lack on inhibitions about certain things that human's were ridiculous over was an advantage and a blessing. Because really, how many people would have no problems with fighting in the nude because their survival meant more to them than their modesty? Most humans would have let themselves get killed while trying to cover their body from the sight of others.



It came as no surprise that Gaara hurried home by transporting straight to their room after his work was done. The anticipation had been building steadily since the red-haired Jinchuuriki's realization about why he was to enjoy himself later on. Still nothing ever prepared him for the breath-taking beauty that was his mate every time he saw the silvery-blond Seal Master. Naruto was kneeling, nude with crimson streaks trailing down golden skin, in the center of their bed fingering himself. The scent of the blond's arousal and his blood were in the air, practically begging Gaara to force his delectable little mate down onto the futon and bury his hard cock in that tight heat to hear his name on his mate's lips.



Naruto had other ideas. Seeing the lust in the now feral teal eyes of his crimson-haired mate Naruto stopped his ministrations with his fingers and used them to beckon the aroused red head to him. Following Naruto's request, Gaara stripped himself of his clothes as he predatorily glided to the futon until he stood bare before his seductive blond. All of Gaara's thoughts came to a screeching halt when Naruto lightly breathed over his sensitive erection, causing him to barely repress a shudder at the delightful sensation. Gaara practically drowned in sensation as Naruto firmly gripped the back of the red-head's thighs before gently licking away the bead of pre-come decorating the tip of Gaara's cock.



Naruto wasted little time before continuing with his explorations of his mate's perfect cock. The salty-sweet taste of his come while strange because he had never sampled anything like it, had Naruto craving more. And what better way to get more than to take it right from the source. Keeping one hand on Gaara's thigh Naruto used the other to cradle and squeeze the perfectly formed balls hanging between Gaara's legs. The moans coming from the usually quiet red head and the rocking of his hips was more than rewarding to Naruto. So to hear more of thase delicious sounds from his crimson-haired mate Naruto began to suck on the tip of the cock before him. Slowly he began to take Gaara further into his mouth until, with a particularly hard thrust, Gaara's cock was forced deep into Naruto's throat, so mcuh so that he had taken his mate in to the hilt.



However, instead of gagging at the sensation Naruto sucked harder and began to hum around Gaara's cock. The vibrations added to the red-head's enjoyment. Pretty soon Gaara was fucking his mate's mouth with his hands threaded through spiky, silvery-blond hair. Naruto didn't mind at all, if anything, his mate's domination of him just aroused him further. Wanting Gaara to come in his mouth and to taste his come, Naruto stroked the sensitive skin just behind Gaara's balls and hummed. It got the desired results. Ribbons of pearly-white come shot into Naruto's mouth to be swallowed as Gaara moaned Naruto's name quietly into the night air.



Gaara watched with heated eyes as Naruto released his still hard cock from between now bruised lips. It had been quite a delectable sight, to see his little mate on his knees with those rosy lips wrapped around Gaara's cock. They would definitely have to do that again sometime. But for now they both had more pressing matters to attend to. Naruto had not found relief yet, and Gaara was not yet sated. He wanted to feel that tight heat surrounding and squeezing his cock and taste that delicious blood again before he found his completion.



With that in mind Gaara unexpectedly lay down beside Naruto, who was confused for a moment before Gaara spoke.



Staring into sapphire eyes filled with lust and love for him and him alone Gaara was held captive for a small eternity before he gave Naruto a command. "Sheathe me."



Understanding exactly what Gaara wanted, Naruto straddled the red-head's hips while using his hands to place the tip of the red-haired Kazekage's cock at Naruto's entrance. Locking eyes with his mate Naruto slowly sank down onto Gaara's long, thick cock, both hissing at the pleasurable feelings this action produced, until he had taken Gaara inside to the hilt. Breaking eye contact, Naruto threw his head back reveling in the feeling of being filled by his crimson-haired mate. Both loved when their bodies joined, when their very beings became one. It always felt incredible, like it was the first time for both of them all over again.



Both began slowly rocking their hips, establishing a rhythm that increased in tempo as the pleasure they were both feeling began building. Wanting to see the naked lust in his mate's eyes, to know that his mate found him desirable, both very addicting things to Naruto; the blond stroked himself with one hand and brought his other up to twist and tweak his own nipples. Seeing the fierce desire in those teal eyes made the blond's actions all the nore pleasurable. Naruto's thoughts came to a stop as a haze of pure sinful bliss overtook his senses and he screamed Gaara's name. Gaara had thrust up hard and had hit that one perfect spot inside Naruto that nade the blond see stars.



Wanting leverage to get at his mate's neck Gaara flipped them over so that Naruto was beneath him writhing and sobbing in pleasure. Replacing Naruto's hand with one of his own, Gaara pumped Naruto's cock in rhythm with his thrusting. The red head latched onto the mating mark that he had given Naruto. Before long Gaara bit down hard enough to draw blood and felt his own neck being bitten. Electric pleasure flowed through their veins as orgasm rolled over the mated pair. Gently removing his fangs Gaara continued to lightly thrust inside Naruto, who liked the warm feeling of Gaara's come inside him.



Pulling out very gently so as to not add to his mate's pain Gaara quickly and quietly cleaned them up before slipping back into bed with his blond mate. Feeling the blond settle down beside him and wrap a thin arm around his waist, Gaara tilted the blond's head up so that their lips could meet in a simple kiss. That kiss told them each everything they needed to know. They completed and complemented each other in every way. And they would never forget. once the kiss ended Gaara pulled Naruto more firmly against his body and they both drifted off to a peaceful sleep.



~~~~~



Even after all this time, almost a year, it never ceased to captivate them when they watched Gaara, Naruto, and Arashi spar. Poetry in motion didn't quite do them justice. The way the three of them fought together was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Suna's reputation had risen while Konoha's had taken a rather severe turn for the worse. It really hadn't helped when they had accepted Sasuke back in the village without punishment when they had practically thrown Naruto out of the village at the first opportunity. Konoha's Council seemed hell-bent on tightening the noose around Konoha's neck, figuratively speaking.



The Council of Konoha hadn't taken into account that Orochimaru wouldn't particularly like his next vessel running away, and that he would assuredly take exception to it, especially since Sasuke had run back to Konoha, a place he hated with a passion. But that would be giving the blind fools too much credit because even the thoughts of such things happening hadn't even entered their minds for a moment. Sasuke was their 'golden boy', their prized bloodline carrying genius, who could do no wrong and who had been driven away by the 'demon.' It is amazing how humans can so willfully blind themselves to the obvious, because it was very obvious that Sasuke had run to Orochimaru for power all on his own, by his own choice.



Of course, no one had really asked why the 'Last Uchiha' had come back to Konoha and recieved an honest reply. Let's just say that Itachi and Tobi made Sasuke regret ever being born, let alone running to the filthy pedophile, who put the fear of fate into Sasuke. Because really, who could truthfully say that they had had their virginity taken by not one but many snakes of varying kinds? Unfortunately, for him, Sasuke could. The self-proclaimed avenger really should have listened to his former-teammate when he told Sasuke that Orochimaru only wanted Sasuke for his body, in more ways than one.



Right now the three Jinchuuriki were sparring to let off some steam. Konoha was once again hosting the Chuunin exams and all three members of the team Gaara had sent had made it to the finals. The finals would be taking place in three weeks. Seeing as all three members of the Suna genin that were sent had made it into the finals Gaara was obligated to come, something the red-haired Kazekage was loathe to do. Because if he went then Naruto would demand to go, which as Gaara's mate he had the right to do. Fortunately, Arashi had seen how stressed Gaara was about the whole thing and had offered to go along with them as one of the guards. The spar they were having had been Naruto's idea but Arashi was going to send the two mates off to their room after the spar, which should have them aroused enough not to even think about talking about the trip to Konoha.



The way Arashi saw it there was really nothing Konoha could do to any of them without sparking a war they could not afford. Orochimaru really hadn't taken Sasuke's defection well at all and had been attacking and killing anything that moved or lived along Hi no Kuni's borders. As a result of Orochimaru's angry response to the loss of his Uchiha, Konoha was spread rather thin. The Council of Konoha could not legally do anything to Naruto because the blond was Gaara's husband, and the contract involved with Naruto being given to Suna had not specified what exactly they expected to happen to Naruto. Of course the Council of Konoha might have some inkling of how bad it would be to fuck with Naruto after Tsunade and the Fire Daimyo had torn into them about Naruto's treatment and all the evidence of the abuse. Telling them of Naruto's heritage after making them all swear a blood oath not to speak of what they heard to anyone had been icing on the cake because nearly every member of the Council about had a heart-attack when they realized the full scope of what they had done. Well, the members intelligent enough to figure it out had. Arashi had somehow recorded the meeting and had given Naruto and the rest of their small tight-knit family the pleasure of viewing the events of what happened in the Council room.



Naruto would never have serious doubts about his friends in Konoha ever again. Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Gai, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Iruka, Ibiki, Anko, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had all berated the Council members for their stupidity and cruelty in regards to Naruto. This action, more than any other, proved to Naruto that they were his true friends, and perhaps, in the future they would be family as well. Naruto knew very well that Arashi had always wanted to meet Jiraiya, even if Jiraiya never found out who Arashi was in relation to him. This meeting had also changed Naruto's mind about his father, even if he said nothing about his change of heart to anyone but Gaara, which would prove to be a mistake. How costly a mistake has yet to be determined.



Also as a result of this particular meeting Gaara and Arashi had let up a little on ruining Konoha. Instead they would both focus on Orochimaru, Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, whoo were all the Naruto's largest sources of suffering. It hadn't taken much persuasion to get their new allies Akatsuki and Kirigakure to aid them in their endeavor, which had been rather successful so far. Arashi was planning to use this trip to Konoha for the Chuunin Exam Finals as an excuse to do some reconnaisance and some sabotage on the nastier Council members. More blackmail material was always welcome, no matter the form.



The trip from Suna to Konoha had been uneventful, probably because it would be suicide to actually attack anyone in the Kazekage's escort. Not that you could tell all who was in the escort. Naruto and Arashi's faces and their hair was covered so as not to let anyone know exactly who they are. Nothing could stop them from letting it be known that the Kamikaze and the Sansai were a part of the Kazekage's personal escort as well as proud shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato, which they were. Gaara was decked out in his Kage robes, complete with the hat and the veil, so the only thing one could see were Gaara's piercing teal eyes.



The whole group, which consisted only of Gaara, Naruto, Arashi, Temari, and Kankuro, was currently waiting outside Tsunade's office with the ANBU who had escorted them to the Hokage Tower. Arashi, bored with the waiting and feeling the urge, took out his tarot cards and laid out a spread for anything that might be of importance. The silver-haired seer's face became progessively blanker the more deeply he read into the cards. Though none of the others could see his face the rest of their Clan could feel Arashi's withdrawal, the retraction of his emotions inward. It startled all of them as well as gave them a feeling of dread. They could only guess that the silver-eyed seer's reaction was caused by what he had read in the cards, which gave them no comfort, because it could be anything. To make matters worse Arashi wasn't going to tell them unless it was relevant to them or if he deemed it appropriate. Arashi's withdrawal meant they would get no answers.



With deft hands Arashi picked up all of the cards and stowed them away in one of the seals woven and applied in one of the sleeves of his trench coat. His family didn't need to know what he had read because it was apparently inevitable. Fate wouldn't have allowed this glimpse of what even he shouldn't See unless there was a greater purpose. No doubt he would be recieving a vision soon. Hopefully, it would take place when they were all safe back in their hotel rooms, but Arashi wasn't really feeling that lucky. As long as his family was happy and healthy Arashi could care less about what was to happen to him. The feared shinobi did not fear death or sacrificing his life so that his precious ones could live if that was his fate. After all, Arashi, who was also Karai, was a Jinchuuriki, the power of human sacrifice. He had been a sacrifice all his life, just as Naruto and Gaara were. They would both face their fate, no matter how uncertain, just as the other Jinchuuriki would if they were in Arashi's place. But they weren't in the seer's place and if Arashi had his way they wouldn't ever be. Gaara and Naruto were mates while Temari and Kankuro were being Courted at the moment by Konan and Ranmaru, who had just turned sixteen, respectively.



Konan with Temari and Kankuro with Ranmaru. Better that their happiness and very beings not be shattered by a broken mating bond.



All of their attention was redirected when the doors to Tsunade's office opened and Shizune emerged with a flustered appearance. The flustered look disappeared only to reappear when she noticed the Kazekage and his escort waiting patiently for admittance into the Hokage's office. Tsunade was supposed to be informed when the Kazekage and his escort came through the gates. There was quite a number of people inside Tsunade's office waiting to speak with the representatives of Suna about Naruto. The stupid ANBU operatives who had neglected to inform Tsunade were going to help the nasty-tempered Hokage create new walls via being punched through them. The blond medic-nin had no patience for idiots that didn't follow orders.



When they entered the rather spacious office none of them showed any surprise at the large group of people gathered within it. All of those who had defended Naruto and berated the Council were present in the room, no doubt to try to pry information about Naruto from them. Arashi glanced sideways at his blond brother, wondering what Naruto would do in the face of this show of loyalty by his true Konohan friends. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto could reveal himself to the people in this room, well, as long as they swore a blood oath never to say anything unless they had Naruto's permission of course. No one could ever be too cautious when dealing with shinobi, especially if they might have potentially loose lips after a little drink. Paranoia was just another useful part of a shinobi's arsenal and should be exercised regularly. Well, that was the opinion of all successful shinobi, meaning those who had lived longer than the expected life span of shinobi .



The room went quiet when they had all entered the room and the door had been closed. Obviously they had not expected the entourage from Suna but the Konoha-nin were not going to bemoan their time of waiting being shorter. All eyes focused on Gaara, who had stepped closer to Tsunade, while Tsunade who was sitting in her chair behind the desk stood for a moment in acknowledgement before reseating herself. Gaara for his part sat in the availiable chair directly in front of the blond Hokage.



"I warmly welcome you and your escort to Konoha Kazekage-dono. We are expecting a delegation from Kirigakure soon as well. Two of their genin are in the finals as well."



"I thank you for your welcome on behalf of my escort as well as myself Hokage-dono. I was aware that the Mizukage would be coming to see the Chuunin Exam Finals."



The implications of what Gaara had said in regards to the Mizukage sank into the minds of those shinobi of Konoha. The only way the Kazekage would know such a thing would be if Suna was friendly with Kiri, which should have been farfetched. It could only mean that Suna and Kiri were allies, strong allies, which was more than what Konoha could say. Konoha's alliance with Suna was no better than a non-aggression pact at best and had been so since Naruto had been given to Suna by Konoha's Council. A Council that was very seriously regreting having done so. Too bad for them.



Tsunade, seeing that this line of thought would get them nowhere, gathered her thoughts. She had to word this just right so as not to offend the Kazekage or any of his escort or they would never get any answers about Naruto. So with a strained smile Tsunade began.



"Some time ago the Council of Konoha gave you a shinobi, a blond shinobi. You know of whom I speak?"



The blond Hokage almost shivered under those cold, piercing teal eyes. In order to distract herself from those eyes she let her own roam over the Kazekage's escort. They widened slightly in surprise at just who was in the escort. The widening of Tsunade's eyes caught the attention of everyone in the room but only those from Konoha were clueless as to why. That was until they followed her gaze which was focused on the Kazekage's escorts. Then their own eyes followed suit. Suna's Desert Rose, Suna's Kamikaze, Suna's Haiyuu, and Suna's Sansai were the Kazekage's escort. No wonder Tsunade couldn't hide her reaction. All of them were powerful S-class shinobi and two of them had flee on sight orders in the Bingo Book just like the current Kazekage.



"I know of whom you speak. You speak of Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though I wonder why you ask after someone Konoha treated and threw away like so much trash."



That made the Konoha-nin flinch inside because there was no denying the Kazekage's blunt and truthful accusation. Tsunade couldn't tell the Kazekage that the Council had done this behind her back, though she had an inkling that he knew, without losing face. "Naruto is precious to us."



This time it was not the Kazekage who spoke. The Sansai did so, the dark undertones in his voice barely audible. "Precious? There are few in this village who would look even neutrally at a Jinchuuriki, much hold one as precious. What makes you deserve to know anything about Naruto when you barely had time for him when he was in this village?"



Silence reigned for a moment as the Konoha residents tried to find their bearings after the Sansai's words. Iruka answered. "Naruto is a member of my family, my little brother. I can answer truthfully for myself, Kurenai, Anko, and Ibiki, all of us who watched over him as a child, that we miss him. We humbly ask what has happened to our little brother."



Gaara stayed silent and let Arashi answer. The white-haired seer was better able to deal with situations like this, after all, he could read thoughts when he was so inclined and was in a better position to do so with his eyes covered. Arashi stared at Iruka who was looking back and everyone was attentive to what the Sansai would say. Even though no one could see Arashi's eyes, every one of them could feel the weight of his unseen gaze.



"Naruto was given to Suna in hopes that he would be killed," Arashi paused as dark looks settled over the Konoha residents' faces. "When he informed us of his heritage, which had been suspected and was confirmed, he was married into a small but prominent Clan. He is very well liked and respected in Sunagakure, for both his achievement and his personality. Naruto is an accepted citizen and shinobi of Suna."



"What rank does he hold?" Jiraiya asked. Arashi looked sideways at his father before deciding he would like to see pride in Naruto on his face.



"Elite jounin under the direct command of the Kazekage. He is also a cerified Seal Master."



That got the desired reaction from Jiraiya who was indeed proud of Naruto's achievements. His friends obviously were too. Arashi could tell that their positive reactions made Naruto happy, which in turn made the rest of the Clan happy. Naruto was their light in the dark much of the time and any of them would hunt down and kill the bastards who made Naruto feel the least bit sad in any way.



That was more than the any of the Konoha shinobi had been hoping for. But they were very curious as to which clan Naruto had been married into. Jiraiya, however, was having other thoughts. He knew that Jinchuuriki had one mate that they were 'fated' for from talking to a Jinchuuriki who had been close to him. The only Clan Naruto would have logically married into was the Sabaku Clan, because even if Gaara wan't his Chosen then the Kazekage would protect him in any way he could. Jiraiya knew that Jinchuuriki didn't necessarily have or always get to marry their Chosen. Some were forced into arranged marriages and usually had to wait to be able to be together with their Chosen, if their Chosen had even been born yet, which was sometimes the case.



Everyone was pulled violently from their thoughts when Arashi clutched his head hissing in pain as a strong vision overwhelmed his senses. As the seer began to collapse, Jiraiya, who was closest grabbed onto him to keep him from falling. However, the hood Arashi was wearing fell down, revealing his sivery-white hair and slighlty familiar features to the other stunned shinobi in the room. While Arashi might not be as big or as broad as his father, there was a very noticable resemblence that could not be ignored. Jiraiya for his part did not need to be told who exactly the person he was now cradling was. It was very plain to him that he was holding the son he had never known about. Realization crept up on the Gama Sennin. His son was the Sansai of Suna.