The clothes Kakashi and Yoshihiro had found in this shed barely fit him, and the tatters they have become through what may very well have been decades of rats and moths chewing over their fabrics can scarcely be said to keep the chill from his skin at all.
But he doesn't complain, merely puts them on and uses whatever strips of cloths are left to wrap his hands and shins. The only thing that rightly remains of his old clothing that isn't drenched in blood are his boots, a fact that he is thankful for as he tightens their straps.
He is used to such hardships, he will make due and he will survive it easily, but even he must admit that after so many years behind the fine fabrics of the Hokage and customized equipment and clothing outfitted for combat, to be dressed in such tatters made him feel very strange. Almost, dare he say, out of place.
He'll have to steal some clothes from a town or a traveling trader if the opportunity arises between here and Konoha. Though he had little personal qualms about such things the last thing Konoha's populace needed to see was their leader returning looking like some vagabond beggar.
He pushed the thought out of his mind, however using the last strip of cloth to tie back his wild blond hair that had grown just shy of his shoulders after so long away. He channeled his Chakra through his hands, making sure not to force too much as he ignored the slight discomfort in both the limb, and his rolling stomach as he moved the energies within his body.
Passing the hand over his face, hundreds of tiny blades cut away at the stubble that had been growing over his chin and jaw.
Not a perfect job but it would do.
Emerging from the back room he found Kakashi and Yoshihiro gathering their equipment, Temari still sat at the corner, angry that she was still tied to the damn floorboard with that chain.
"Go, I will finish here. Gather the traps you've deployed. We might need the tools later."
Without another word, Kakashi and Yoshihiro stood, with the older male taking his hammer before he left the shed to the outside world. The morning dew sweeping in across the floor for a brief moment as the door opened and was firmly shut behind them.
Naruto knelt down, picking up what little equipment was in the shed, taking longer than necessary on purpose, it was time to get the answer he wished.
More seconds passed in silence and he could feel her irritation mounting.
It didn't take much longer.
"You ever plan on letting me out of this chain?" She bit out, almost snarling at him.
"That..." He responded. "is entirely up to you right now Sabaku."
"Meaning?"
He straightened his shoulders, elbows resting on bent knees as he looked at her. "I asked you two days ago when I first woke to tell me why you'd come to help me. I'm still waiting for that answer."
She balked. "So you're saying you're just gonna leave me tied here by my ankle if I don't answer your stupid question!"
"If the question is as stupid as you say it is, then the answer is obvious and irrelevant, and so should be easy for you to give voice." He countered calmly.
She grit her teeth, her mind fumbling for something-anything, that she could say to this. How the hell was she supposed to answer a question she hadn't fully figured out herself.
"What does it matter, I saved you so you owe me. At least enough to not have me tied by the ankle like some dog you need to keep on a leash.
"Ahh." He said, clarifying to himself. "So you did it in the hope that I'd grant you a boon of sorts. To spare your village or family no doubt."
A part of her said to leave it at that, to let him assume he was right and just let it drop there. But another part of her, the bigger part, the part that had driven her to help in the first place twisted her chest in an odd manner, she could someone relate it to guilt, or pity. It was possibly some odd combination of both.
"That's not the real reason." Her mouth formed the words before her brain could catch up. "At least, that's probably one of the last thing's I'd thought of when I made the offer to Kakashi and Yoshihiro to tag along.
He didn't say anything, merely looked at her, and she knew she was expected to continue.
Temari was a proud woman, and one of the thing's she valued most was the fact that she could tell you anything with a straight face, even tone and a statement that was as blunt as the flat head of a hammer.
She decided this would be no different.
Sitting up a little straighter she looked at the Demon King dead in the eye as she spoke, her voice calm and measured.
"When I saw you, fighting in wave. I..." She paused, only for a moment wondering if she'd make him angry with her next words. "All I could feel was pity."
He gave no reaction, merely continued to stare. So, she continued to speak. "I felt pity because...you were standing there, fighting off four of the most powerful Shinobi any of us had ever seen. And you were just...so alone." She made a vague gesture with her hand, averting her eyes as she seemed to search for the words. "I don't just mean physically I mean...you walked out of that pier and just fought. You seemed so...accustomed...to just...being alone that even when you needed help the most you didn't ask for it, you didn't even see if anyone else could help."
She stood, impulse driving her as she started to pace. "You've been leading all of these people who look to you and rely on you. Your entire country seems to just be leaning on you. Like you're the pillar that single-handedly holds it up and there was no one there for you to just...I just don't know how you could do it, how you- Gaara, was born a Jinchuuriki and if he didn't have me or Kanku-" She stopped, catching herself too late as she realized she'd revealed more than she felt comfortable with.
Though he said nothing, in his mind the Jinchurikki felt the beginnings of comprehension. 'Projecting her brother and myself in the same light.'
It was strange, he would conclude later, that she should do that. Sabaku no Gaara, from what little he had seen of the Jinchuuriki's 'rational controlled state' during the battle at sea, and from what he'd heard from Kakashi's report over the taking of Kumo was so immensely different that the Godaime could almost compare it to a coin head.
Gaara was an amateur at hiding his emotions, when they'd been standing on the decks of those ships, side by side, he'd seen the Kazekage's worry and anxiety over his sisters safety as clear as day.
And from what Kakashi had told him Gaara had led the charge into Kumo, sacrificing valuable soldiers and resources to buy time for the refugees to flee down to the docks where they could escape.
Foolish. If it'd been him, he'd have bombed the village from the port with ship cannons. They would certainly take a heavy toll on the invading Konoha army. Not enough to repel them perhaps, but certainly taking down more than the paltry number they had killed during that assault.
Burn them all.
The Refugees would be useless to him. Too few remained to be made into an effective militia and would only serve as extra rations to be given out from Suna's stores. Which was already a limited supply given the fact that their main trade was by sea with Kumo and Kiri, and land lines that went to Bird and River country. One of which had been declaring neutrality up and down since he'd launched his campaign against Sakai.
That left them with only one real supplier with enough quantities of grain to provide for the Army Suna no doubt had ready at its disposal.
A supply line he would see cut at the root, when he returned to Konoha.
Overall, to Naruto, Gaara was a fool. An idealistically naive leader who had not yet learned that the ninja world demanded sacrifices to be made for the survival of the greater good.
A weak...naive...fool
Temari's comparison of the two of them was a notion of irrationality that he could barely comprehend.
So he chose not to even try.
He finished packing the equipment, sealing the satchel bag before he stood and walked to where Temari was still chained.
Placing his hand over the lock at he ankle he pushed the sluggish chakra through his fingertips.
With a click, the lock was undone and Temari gratefully pulled the metal off her as she rubbed her sore ankle.
"I never thought I'd hear music in the sound of an opening lock."
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and stood.
Suna glowed like a diamond amidst a sea of purple died ink that was the sand cast under the pale light of the moon, to the travel weary band that made their way over the dunes that rose and dipped like the great waves of an ocean, the billowing winds carrying the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and tea to their senses and the only thought that could really cross their minds' as their eyes found the city was:
Home
Gaara however, held an entirely different emotion altogether.
For nearly a week, his carefully held emotions had been boiling beneath the surface, setting his mind ablaze and that hateful, spindly tinge of anger to simmering just beneath his skin.
He expected no respite and no relief here.
He'd been lied to, manipulated, and had his country dragged down into a war that had cost them more lives than he cared to fathom. A war that could have been possibly avoided.
No the Kazekage would not rest, not until he'd been satisfied.
And he was out for a Dragon's blood.
Ying could hear him coming now. Her informant was good. He'd told her of his approach almost as soon as the scouts were shouting it at the village gates.
He was angry too, she could tell that much, the shouts he gave to the Anbu who guarded his estate ripping through the walls as though they were paper thin, demanding to know where Zhuge Liang was and leaving before they could get a word in edgewise.
Good...he walks in angry...unprepared.'
She caught her train of thought, smiling a bitter smile to herself. Though he was gone he held her, dancing to the tune and rhythm of his choice. She was thinking as he would, preparing herself as he would.
Even playing the tune for others to dance, as he would.
You...stupid...infuriating man." She thought, wiping a stray tear from her eye as she composed herself, taking a breath as she heard the footsteps drawing closer...and closer.
The door was flung open, crashing against the wall with a deafening bang that had her jump slightly, despite herself.
"Where is he!" Gaara's face was a whitewash of fury.
He was ready for a fight she could see. Ready to shout, accuse, even ready for outright physical violence against the man who called himself the sleeping dragon.
What he was not ready for, was for her to hold out her hand, opening it to reveal the glinting steel of a Kumo Hitaiate.
"My husband...is dead...Kazekage-sama."
The rain was harsh, biting, and the talons of its cold chill sank deep into her flesh as she hugged the soaked cloak closer to herself.
The moon was covered by the clouds, making it too dark to see, the hiss of the rain was an overture, blinding her sense of smell and hearing.
She was blind and deaf out here and that, she found even more terrifying than the thought of any potential sickness this could bring.
There was no shelter, anywhere. Gaara had only given her knives a cloak and some cloth. She had no rope to make a proper shelter with, and none of the bark of this area could work to make it, none of the wood was dry enough to make a fire either.
So here she was, wet, cold, blind exausted and for all intents and purposes, deaf, marching through the wetlands west of fire country as she sought to put as much distance between herself and Konoha controlled territory as she could.
Which is why she never sensed her attacker until he was almost on top of her.
He struck from above, and only the distinct flap of a cloak caught in the wind gave her enough warning to dodge as she ducked the blow that would have struck her head.
She turned, the rain was disorienting, the darkness was like a veil over her eyes, barely allowing her the sight of his silhouette.
She leaned back, stepping away, trying to get some distance as she caught the glint of a kunai and felt its razor sharp point rush past her face.
'Fast.'
She dug into her own pouch, pulling out one of her knives to defend herself as she tried to think who this could be.
Suna? Konoha? How would either one know where to find her? Who did they have this good to spare?
As she pulled the blade free, her attacker's fist lashed out, fast as lightning hitting her forearm with strength that sent stars to dance in front of her eyes as she felt her arm break. She dropped the knife in reflex, not even having the time to scream as his foot slammed into her chest knocking the breath from her lungs as she fell to the wet floor.
The next thing she knew, the kunai blade was at her throat and her attacker's mirthful voice was pushing its way to her mind through the constant hiss of the rain.
"Those red eyes are real interesting there girl..."
Gaara's fierce expression fell for a split second, revealing as clear as day his shock at what he'd just been told before the fury returned, as strong as it'd been before.
"Do not play games with me Yue-Ying." He hissed. "I am well passed believing anything you or Zhuge Liang have to say-"
"His body is in the mortuary." She interrupted, looking into his eyes. "I did not think you would demand proof...but I suppose I thought ahead in that as well. You may have any medic of your choosing examine him to confirm."
This time, the silence between them was longer, and Gaara was clearly only just beginning to believe the barest possibility of what she was telling him.
"You are suspicious of us now." She stated, thinking out loud. "You've discovered something."
"It hardly matters." He growled, his teeth bared, the animal within him clawing at the surface of his mind in his anger. "If he's dead, who did he leave in charge then? You? Tsunade?"
"You intend to lash out." She noted observing him, actions and mannerisms as carefully as she could, deducing his every thought as he formed it. "You would have all that remains of Zhuge Liang's subjects pay for whatever crime my husband has inflicted upon you" She looked past him, to the door. "And Yugito?"
He didn't answer, merely continued to glare. And that was answer enough for both questions.
She choked down her grief, smothering it before it could form. There would be time for pain later. There was always time...for pain...
From the folds of her robe she pulled out a scroll, lined with gold etchings that framed the white center, baring the symbol of the Kumo village she walked forward, beginning to close the distance between them. "I'm afraid...if your heart is so filled with anger that you'd carry out such an intent Kazekage-sama, then you will perhaps find it more difficult than you may have anticipated."
He eyed the scroll in her hand, and she could almost see the barest hint of knowing there, scratching at him, like an insistent child that wanted acknowledgment. A child that was coming closer and closer to getting it with every step she took.
When she was within arms reach, slowly, carefully, she reached for his hand, pulling it forward by the wrist as she placed the scroll in his firm grasp.
This is what he'd wanted. What he'd asked of her. All those who could have stood in the way, silenced. All the pieces arranged as best she could. Now it was time to place the final piece, the most important where it needed to be, and for all that remained of the world to enact its final gambit.
He'd wanted this...and she'd seen it done
"Because the person my husband entrusted to lead what's left of his people...is you."
Suzume gnawed on her lower lip, looking over the supply request for what must have been the tenth time, mulling it over in her mind.
One would think that after almost a month and a half she'd be somewhat used to these kinds of decisions.
She wasn't...
The fact was, that their supplies were stretched thin, and everybody needed more. The supplies the men from Iwa had requested were currently in reserve, but in the central marshlands of Ame, Taki and Kusa it was monsoon season. Waters came down harsh for almost two months straight so rivers ran high, flooding everything. And though they had their own stocks and keeps, mother nature could be a harsh mistress, and these specific supplies the Iwa garrison were requesting were their plan B.
If she didn't send them, the Iwa garrison may find itself in dire straights and any remaining rebellious factions in Iwa, the most unstable of territories they currently held, could choose to capitalize on that which could prove to be more than a major setback with war already waging.
And then, if she did send it, and the flooding caused enough damage to Ame, Kusa and Taki's own lifelines then they'd have nothing to fall back on. The troops she'd have to send to quell food riots alone would leave their as of yet still regrouping front lines dangerously thin.
How on earth had Naruto dealt with this for years? And she wasn't even giving troop movement orders and dealing with all the ramifications that went into that.
Naruto...
The name alone sent pangs of worry through her chest.
Jiraiya and Hinata had been brought here little more than a week ago, and it did not take long for the news to reach her ears after that.
Naruto had been captured.
She'd scrambled all the ninja she had at her disposal, which were not many with the bulk of their elites either returning from Kumo or still gathered at the borderlands between Suna and Konoha. She'd hoped that she'd get back some word from at least one of them.
She hadn't heard anything, except a few vague rumors all of which pointed them to the northern wastes.
Within the first two days, the Anbu guard that remained at the tower had advised her to call them back, and to send a carrier pigeon to the Iwa garrison, who held a fair decent number of Jounin and a handful of Anbu as their core force to set up a proper team to go search.
She was worried.
Most wouldn't know why. She couldn't really say she was his friend in all certainty, they'd never been close, never even chatted after office hours. Maybe, at best he considered her a slightly closer than normal- borderline acquaintance going on friend status of some kind, and even that may be presuming too much.
But, to her, regardless of whatever he might have considered her, she did consider him her friend.
Albeit, a very distant and scary friend but a friend nevertheless.
So in short, she was worried about him personally, more than many of the other jounins and ninja she'd caught gossiping, wondering what would happen without the Demon King.
She remembered once overhearing, a ninja asking Jiraiya if they should have a contingency plan in case Naruto died.
And Jiraiya had answered, in a tone so certain that, at the time she, and most likely the ninja as well, had believed his words as though they were an immutable fact of life.
'The world itself will probably break before he does. You don't need to worry.'
Time had changed, at least, her views.
Maybe it was because she spent more time with him on the day to day, actually saw him, had actual conversations with him; that she wasn't caught like everyone else in the myth and hyperbole of the Demon King, who could fell entire armies, who couldn't be killed by mortal hands.
He must seem like such a distant and untouchable figure to most others.
She just saw...a man...
It allowed her to actually worry about the man behind the myth. The one made of flesh and blood that carried the weight of the world on him.
She sighed leaning back against the chair, choosing to ignore how late it was for the time being. He'll be fine...and you need to get this stuff done so there's no overflow for him to deal with when he gets back.
Now she just had to decide what to do with the supplies.
She was so focused on her decision that when the door to what was for the moment her office was thrown open she jumped, her heart leaping into her throat and clogging her voice box.
And there stood the object of what she'd been worried over no more than two seconds ago; Dressed in a thick brown travelers cloak and mud stained clothing, soaked from head to toe from the drizzle that peppered the village and surrounding forests stood Naruto Uzumaki, eyes sweeping over the office for only a moment before settling on her and nodding.
"Hokage-sama?" She breathed, more surprised by the lack of warning than the fact that he was actually here.
In response he simply nodded. "Suzume." He greeted. And that was about as much of a shock recovery period as he would allow. "I am going to my home to clean myself. By the time I return I want a summary report of all that has transpired since Kumo was taken, I also want the lead captain of the Anbu and Jiraiya if he is in the village to be brought to my office, if he is not then I want a message to be sent for him to return. I need reports on troop movements both friendly and hostile printed out and on my desk within the hour.
Without another word he turned and began marching down the hallway, trusting her to do what he'd asked.
Suzume forced her heart back down her throat, sputtering for anything to say before she shouted. "Wait Hokage-sama."
He stopped, looking over his shoulder, waiting for her to continue. And for a second, her thoughts fled, and all the things she wanted to say or ask went with it, and instead, she found herself saying the most pressing thing that she knew would be to his concern.
"Hokage-sama...its...about Hinata-sama sir..."
Akina could feel the rain beating against her head and cheeks and she struggled to look clearly into the eyes of her attacker through the droplets of water.
She knew better than to struggle, though she had a much better chance of surviving than almost anyone else, she didn't want to risk it, the jugular pumped out enough blood to make an individual black out from blood loss in less than ten seconds. And she doubted she could focus the Kyuubi's chakra to even begin healing her before she blacked out, let alone retaining enough consciousness or mobility to fight back.
The veil of clouds overhead was pulled away, allowing the pale light to wash down over them, pushing back the darkness that had kept her all but blind.
She recognized this man now, the hood over his head had obscured his features but in the light, anyone in the world would recognize him.
It was impossible not to.
Sharp pointed teeth stared right back at her, revealed in the wide smile of her attacker.
"Hoshigake Kisame."
His smile got a little wider, the kunai pressed a little harder. "Guilty as charged." He chuckled. "Now...why don't you tell me a little more about that Chakra you're ready to pull out little girl."
She felt a pit form in her stomach at the glint in his eye that held a darkness that was all too familiar to her as he added just a little more pressure to that knife.
"I bet there's an interesting story behind that one isn't there?