Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto… I own my possible original characters, though…
Wow! This story is getting a lot of popularity! First chapter 22 reviews! Wow! I lurva ya, guys! Now, enjoy this second chapter. By the way, I'll alternate the chapters this way. A chapter with the demon group and a chapter with the situation in Konoha. Since the first chapter was in Konoha, this one will be following the trip of the demon group. Enjoy!
"… So, what are you here for?"
"… A game."
"A game."
"Yes. In one year, Konoha will meet his end by our own hands."
"!"
"We need allies, if we want to destroy Konoha. People like us."
"Yes… Our first target?"
"Sabaku no Gaara. Sunagakure no sato."
The game
Demons1: The star-gazing assassin
Naruto, Masaru and Yuki headed for Sunagakure. It was time to start the second part of the plan. Retrieving members. The biggest flaw in the game was… That it was all false, for the moment. The three of them, alone, didn't have enough power to destroy Konoha. That's why they needed to retrieve people to help them in their quest. People like them, who suffered the same pain. After the first day of trip, they stopped in a clearing and set up a camp-fire. They were already outside the fire country, so they didn't have to worry about ANBU or Otonin coming after them.
"So, the first target is this Sabaku no Gaara… Tell us about him, Masaru-san."
"Yeah. You were the one checking the world outside during these last six years."
"Sure. Sabaku no Gaara. Youngest son of the Yondaime Kazekage and vessel of the Ichibii, Shukaku, the relic of the sand. The demon was placed in his body the very day he was born."
"Gaara… Demon who loves only himself…"
"Exactly. The name was given by him by his mother, her last dieing words. She died giving birth to him."
"Understood… So, since the relic was purposely sealed inside him, he's some sort of ultimate weapon… Shouldn't he be happy of his life?"
"Not exactly… They didn't use a sealing technique, but a possession technique."
"Ouch…"
"Yes. The demon never let him sleep, and he currently isn't letting him. If Gaara was to sleep, the demon would take over. Because of that, everyone hates and fears him because he goes berserk in random places on random times. His father never cared to begin with. So, put the needed sleep and the emotional scars together, and you have a pretty instable Jinchuuriki."
"Uhm… He was involved during the invasion of Konoha, wasn't he?"
"Yes. So, I wasn't the only one to check the outside, Yuki…"
"Eheh… Every now and then…"
"Yes, he was used in the invasion of Konoha. But in the end, you know how it ended. He was defeated by Tsunade the sannin and current Godaime. That happened three years ago, and things only got worse for him. He's on the verge of breaking down, and the village knows it."
"… So?"
"I'll give you a tip. There have been three Jinchuuriki for the shukaku, Gaara included."
"But shouldn't a demon die with his… … Shit!"
"Poor boy…"
"Exactly. They're going to extract the demon from him in a few days. Three days, I believe. But we could even arrive during the execution."
"Then we have to hurry! We can't let this happen!"
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Gaara had always been not your average shinobi. In nothing. First thing, he killed his first man, accidentally, when he was four years old. Then, he learned from his errors. His next kills were accidental no more. After the attack on Konoha, the village discovered that the Kazekage had been killed by Orochimaru. While the entire village was in pain, Gaara felt almost relief. That man made his life a living hell. He was almost to crush his body in many little pieces than scattering them into the desert, but then he decided that destroying a body wasn't a thing that would fulfil his need for revenge. Now… There was something strange in the air. The stares… Were different. They still hated him, but no more feared him. Their stares were saying not only hate, but even… Relief. Almost wicked happiness. Whatever. Who knows what were they thinking. And it wasn't important. He didn't even bother to understand the few whispers that came to his ears.
"Finally… We'll get rid of him…"
"When?"
"In two days…"
"The extraction will take place…"
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"I… I still don't completely agree with this…"
Temari and Kankuro had been summoned to the presence of the council of the sand for a simple matter. They were the siblings of Gaara. And since their parents died both, they had to agree to the matter of the extraction of the relic from Gaara… Well, not really. The council just wanted to know if they would have to kill the two of them as well, other than Gaara. The relic was going to be extracted no matter what. Kankuro immediately agreed out of fear. Fear for the council's reaction and Gaara. He had always been afraid of his little brother. But Temari wasn't the same. Motherly istinct, probably, but still he didn't want to let her little brother be executed at such young age.
"Temari, you knew that this would happen. From the day the Shukaku had been sealed inside him."
"Yes… But he's only fifteen!"
"He has become too instable. He's a risk for everything and everyone."
"… Still… I…"
"Temari… Please, we need you to collaborate. We would just lose shinobis, if we tried to make him unconscious."
"…"
"This will be the end of the sufferance. For this village… And for himself."
"… All right. We'll do what you asked us."
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Gaara was annoyed. He always were, when he couldn't train, kill, go on missions, etc… So, when he couldn't, he just sat on the roof looking at whatever was in the sky. The moon, the sun, the clouds, the stars… He liked staring at them, because they were the only things that not irradiated hate and didn't remember him of his situation. The houses. People lived into them, and those people probably hated him. Trees. The branches reminded him of what was left of the bodies that he destroyed. The ground. People walked onto it and blood and tears stained it. So… He liked to look at the sky. He like the stars the most. The sun was too bright to look at for a long time, and the clouds eventually took shapes that reminded him of unpleasant things. The moon was too much similar to eyes or a scythe, so… He liked to watch the stars, and creating his own constellations. When he was star-gazing… It was the only time when he managed to keep his hate under control. He liked to lay on his back and move his hand to form patterns. Nothing could break his quiet… Except the signal that dinner was ready. He jumped from the roof and fell on a cloud of sand, then he jumped into the kitchen. Dinner was ready. A happy family dinner with your siblings cooked by your elder sister… Well, the younger sibling was a bloodlust killer and the other two were afraid of him. That's why Temari only cooked once a week. But even if they never talked, while eating, Gaara noticed that there was something wrong. The silence was even more… Quieter than usual. Temari didn't ate almost anything. And Kankuro was sweating even more than the usual. So, breaking the tradition, Gaara decided to talk.
"… What's wrong with you two?"
"!"
"!"
"So? You're not just silent, you're more terrified than the usual of me. Why… Is… …" "… My head… Feels heavy…"
"… I'm sorry…"
And then… Gaara felt his eyelids closing, his head heavy… And he saw something that he had never seen before. He saw… His sister crying. Tears flowing on both her cheeks, like two rivers. So… Was she sad? Or was she in pain? Or… He couldn't think anymore because of how heavy was his head, and after all, he wasn't really expert in feelings… The one he knew better was hate… And that alone said much.
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When he woke up, Gaara noticed that he wasn't in his house anymore. And he was neither on the ground. He was chained up to a wall, his limbs in a X, wearing nothing but his pants. He couldn't see behind him, but he knew that on the wall was some sort of enormous seal. He tried to broke free trough physical force, but the chains were impossible to break. And he didn't even bother to try to summon his sand. It was obvious that the seal was to prevent the use of his demon powers. He looked around. He was in some sort of dungeon, and around him… The whole council, the Kazekage and his two siblings were standing looking at him.
"… Could I know the meaning of this?"
"It's simple, Gaara. We're going to extract the Ichibii from your body."
"… If I remember what was written inside a book, the extraction of the relic means the death of the carrier…"
"Exactly. You've become too instable with every passing year. We can't risk you to break loose on our village. You're a weapon without control."
"… It's not my fault. It has never been and it never will be. Blame my father, to begin with."
"… Shut up, scum!"
A member of the council threw a stone to Gaara, hitting him on the forehead, right on the tattoo. The cut was so deep that it began to bleed. The tattoo was destroyed, ruined, and blood covered Gaara's face.
"We will be forced no more to hear your nonsense and to fear you! You will soon die, demon! Right tomorrow!"
"… Go to hell…"
"… Come on, let's leave. We'll come back tomorrow to take you to the central plaza. The entire village will see your execution!"
"…"
The crowd exited the room, Kankuro one of the first ones. The last one was Temari… Well, she didn't exit. She just stayed there, fixing Gaara. Gaara lifted his head and decided to talk.
"… You slipped something into the soup, right?"
"… Gaara, I'm sorry… This is…"
"No need to be sorry, Temari… It's all my fault…"
"Eh?"
Temari looked at Gaara with something on her face… Relief? But Gaara suddenly shot her one of his chilly, frightening glares.
"Since you were my sister… And you're the only one who ever tried to be something more than a tutor or a controller… I trusted you. This is my only error."
Then Gaara spat on the ground, shocking Temari. Then he hardened his glare even more. And then he said…
"Now get out of here. Now."
"… Gaara, I…"
"GET LOST!"
"…"
More tears then ran over Temari's face. The blonde girl then suddenly ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Gaara stayed there, in the dark… A night without stars. Well, if the demon was at bay, in that moment, why not enjoying some sleep before death?
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Naruto, Masaru and Yuki were running at the faster pace than they could to reach Sunagakure in time. But it seemed that no matter what pace they were enduring, Naruto was always ahead of them.
"Hey, Naru! You sure are in a hurry!"
"… For a guy that you don't even know…"
"… Of course I'm in a hurry. I want to save this Gaara."
"Hey, Naru. You're even angry. Why is that? It's not like this Gaara is a friend of yours… You know him just thanks to the demonic threads…"
"Yes… But we are alike."
"…"
"We saw trough the threads that every Jinchuuriki has the same fate. Hated when under control, hated and feared when he's not under control. They just think of us as weapons…"
"…"
"I never met anyone like me, before. This Gaara would be the first one, other than the first addition to our group. So, we can't let this happen!"
"… You know, Naru… That's your problem. You're too kind for your own good."
"Too bad that Konoha didn't see that… And I don't think they'll ever again have the opportunity."
"Ihihih… Right."
"…" "Konoha… What an incredible place. To make a child like Naruto hate them… Really an incredible place."
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Gaara woke up at the sound of a creaking door. Three sand ANBU walked in and began to place paper seals all over his body. They placed the last one on the seal of Shukaku, behind his neck. Then, they opened the chains. Immediately after, they tackled Gaara to the ground and pulled his arms behind his back, locking them in another chain. Gaara didn't even bother to fight back. He had never been a good Taijutsu fighter, and without his sand and his hands to do handseals he was vulnerable as a newborn baby.
"… Soon… Soon it will be all over… And my brother will be avenged…"
"Calm down. We can't afford to lose the relic."
"…"
They pulled him up and began to push him forward. Gaara looked straight in front of him. They walked up a set of stairs and then out in the sunlight. A whole crowd was waiting for his passage, finally able to glare at him, and to throw him things that couldn't be blocked anymore by his sand and without the fear of getting killed. They even screamed awful things to him. Gaara didn't bother. He just kept on walking. Then, they arrived. The central plaza of Sunagakure. What looked like an altar stood in the middle of it. Gaara was forced to climb the steps. Then, they removed his chains and slammed him hard on his back onto the altar. Then, the two ANBU did hand-seals and chakra chains blocked the movement of his limbs one more time. One member of the council walked up to him, and spat in his face. Then he turned to the crowd.
"People of Sunagakure! Today we get free of our curse!"
"Your only curse is yourselves…"
Gaara looked around. Strange… Temari and Kankuro weren't around. How come?
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Even if their house was very near to the central plaza, Temari couldn't force herself to go and watch his little brother die. Not after what he said to her. He trusted her. He, Sabaku no Gaara, the demon who only loved his own self, trusted her. And she had betrayed him. Kankuro was trying to comfort her, but with no use.
"Temari… Come on…"
"I can't believe this…"
"It wasn't your fault… You couldn't know."
"Great elder sister I am, then. Can't you understand what I've done? I betrayed his trust… I am maybe the only one who got trust from him… And look what happened…"
"Temari, it's too late for rethinking, now. There's nothing else you can do, not to save him, not to earn his trust again in a few minutes."
"… Nothing I can do…"
No. There was something.
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The member of the council kept on doing his speech about the demon, the nightmare that affected the village for years, and other bullshit. He just stood thought about his current situation. Ending his life without never being loved, having murdered a lot of people, knowing nothing else but hate in his life… Yes. He could bear that. After all, he didn't have regrets. He didn't even know what he should regret. Then, the council member turned around, and Gaara noticed that the two ANBU were holding one a katana and the other one what looked like a whip.
"But before the extraction… We decided to give the village a bit of entertainment. The torture of the one who has never been hurt before!"
"…" "Sadistic bastard…"
"Don't hit vital points… But hurt him the most you can."
"Well, what about hitting him in the stomach? We'll close the wound right after…"
"Ok. Stab him. I'll ready the medical jutsu."
"…"
The ANBU with the katana approached Gaara and then held the weapon with both hands above Gaara's stomach. Gaara knew that this was going to hurt badly. Gaara closed his eyes, preparing to experience pain. The ANBU lowered his katana, then… It all happened in few seconds. Gaara had felt something like a strong gust of wind, and then he felt some hot sticky liquid spraying all his face and chest. But… He didn't feel pain. No pain. He opened his eyes… And he realized the blood was not his own. He noticed someone had shielded him from the katana, who trespassed her heart instead. Her. Because it was Temari who took the blade for him. Gaara observed her wide-eyed, then the girl, coughing out blood, slowly turned her head towards Gaara, her eyes and her weak smile clearly saying…
"Your trust… Was rewarded…"
"… Te… Temari…"
Then, the ANBU pulled out his katana out of Temari's body, and the now lifeless girl fell limp above Gaara's chest. Then… Gaara began to felt something that made him oblivious to everything around him. He felt rage. But he was used to it, but there was something else that he couldn't remember what was… How much time from the last time when he felt… Sad. Sad, incredibly sad. A single tear fell out from his right eye, then he said…
"Help her…"
"This useless whore… This demon probably corrupted her…"
"HELP HER, DAMMIT! SHE'S GOING TO DIE!"
"Shut up! This bitch got what she deserved! And by the way, she's dead already!"
Saying this, the council member grabbed Temari's body and threw it down from the altar. Gaara felt more angry than ever before in his life, and he began to struggle against the chakra chains, screaming like there was no tomorrow.
"AAAAAAAAAARGH! I'LL KILL YOU!"
"Tsk… Showing feelings, demon? Continue with the torture."
"Uhm… Sorry, but…"
"!"
"!"
The council member turned around… Just to be beheaded by a katana. Gaara looked around him. Both the ANBU were dead, and their killers were still holding them. A blonde haired teen around his age who had struck his right fist trough the ANBU's heart, and a black haired girl who had just snapped the neck of the other one with a strange blue whip. The one who had beheaded the council member was a light brown haired man holding a katana. The same one who was now removing his seals, while the blonde haired man picked up Temari's body. While Gaara got up, the Suna shinobi were recovering from the shock and were getting ready for the attack.
"… Who are you three?"
"… We were a bit too late, it seems…"
"We're friends. Now, come with us."
"…"
Late for what? He didn't understand what the blonde haired meant. But before he could argue, the three strange guys joined hands while holding Gaara and Temari's body. They teleported away. They were now in a clearing in a forest, far kilometres from Sunagakure. The blonde haired boy gently leaned Temari's body on the ground, then turned to Gaara.
"Sorry if we weren't in time to save your sister…"
"… Where are we?"
"Still in the wind country, but on the borders with the fire country."
"… Thanks."
"Say, Gaara, we saved you because… Uh?"
Masaru leaned a hand on Naruto's right shoulder, telling him with the hand to shut up. Gaara was silently walking towards Temari's body. He got on one knee and joined her hands above her chest, and united her legs. Then, he caressed her right cheek, regretting to not having done it before. Then, he stood back on his feet and began to use his sand powers. He turned the ground under Temari's body into quicksand, letting it drown, slowly. The other three lowered their gazes. This was her funeral.
"… Goodbye, sister."
"…"
"…"
"…"
Then, when the girl finally drowned, Gaara summoned a little bit of sand from the quicksand, stained with the blood of Temari. He then shaped it into a necklace, a star pending from the chain. He then grabbed it with his right hand. After another few minutes of silence, Gaara turned around, to face his saviours, a serious look on his face.
"Why did you help me?"
"… My name is Masaru. They're Naruto and Yuki."
"I didn't ask for your names. Why have you helped me?"
"… It's long to explain, so we'll cut it for the moment. We're like you. Shunned people. Treated like monsters. Well… I was a real monster, before, but the more similar to you is Naruto. He was the Jinchuuriki for the Kyuubi no Kitsune."
"…"
"To make the speech short, we want to gather all the Jinchuurikis and maybe other people, because we need their help and power for an objective."
"… So, you want me to join your group? What do I gain from it?"
"We'll remove your demon without killing you, for first thing."
"!"
"I can do it. I've already done it with Naruto." "By the way, they're both staying silent, this time…" "The power of the demon and his chakra will still stay into you, but the demon will disappear. You'll have to learn to use it gradually. Other than that, we will help you in whatever task you want to accomplish."
"…"
Gaara turned towards Temari's 'graveyard', and then back to the three of them, saying with a fierce look…
"I want to destroy Sunagakure no Sato."
"Eh… Guess what? I want to destroy Konohagakure!"
"…"
"But the four of us alone, now, would not be able to do anything! That's why we need more allies! Come with us and we will then go searching for people like us! And then we will be unstoppable! We will kick the ass of every enemy that will cross our way!"
"…" "Naruto… Well, I was going to use other words, but the point is taken."
"… Good. I accept. Just one thing, tough…"
"What?"
"Heal my forehead, please. I want that tattoo to disappear, if possible."
"… Yes."
Masaru approached Gaara, his hands glowing in white light. He leaned his right palm on Gaara's forehead. Gaara felt a huge pain, but just greeted his teeth. After a few seconds, his forehead was healed, and his tattoo was no more. He touched his forehead. Neither a scratch.
"… Good."
Then… He decided for another tattoo. He summoned more sand and used it to tattoo his head again. This time, the tattoo was different. The previous one was the Kanji for love. Gaara only loved himself and trusted only himself. But he realized that giving trust to the others paid back, in the end. Always. So, this time the tattoo represented something that he longed for, something that he wanted to reach or emulate. It was the Kanji for 'star'.
"Star? How come you decided for this particular Kanji?"
"… I still don't trust you enough to tell you. Earn my trust… And maybe we'll become friends. For now, we're just collaborators."
"Geez… Ok, ok. What a stuck…"
"NARU! YOU'RE MEANIE!"
"OW!"
"HE JUST LOST A SISTER! COULDN'T YOU TRY TO UNDERSTAND HIM!"
"Ahiahiahi… But he's so calm and collected… I believed…"
"THAT'S JUST HIS CHARACTER, IDIOT!"
"…" "Always the same, these two…"
"…" "Did I get stuck up with two idiots or what? But maybe I could use a little change…"
"Come on. We got to go. We'll make up camp once inside in the rain country, and there we will make some new clothes for Gaara."
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Once inside the rain country, Naruto and the others set up a camp and the obvious camp-fire. Gaara stared while Masaru made some clothes for him using a strange technique. He first summoned a strange red chakra, then he morphed it into clothes, identical to the ones he usually wore in Suna. Then they caught some bunnies and roasted it on the fire. After that, he noticed that his three companions were writing something on three different scrolls. He got curious. Usually, when he got curious of something, he just killed the owner of the object and checked it out. But he decided that he probably had to change some bat habits. He owned his sister at least a try.
"… Could I know what are you doing, if it isn't of much… Disturb?"
"Woah… No need to be that much formal, Gaara! They're just our journals."
"… And why do you need three journals?"
"Because each one has his personal one! Masaru holds the official one of the group! The personal ones of me and Naru are more personal!"
"… And what's the purpose of having a personal journal?"
"Uhmmm… How can I explain it… Let's say that it's like a personal treasure chest. You can put into it every secret and personal thought, and no one will look into it."
"…"
Gaara observed the ground in silence for a few seconds, then he decided to talk.
"Would you happen to have a spare scroll?"
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25 September 762
Dear Journal… I never wrote something like this. I'm just following an advice, so excuse me if I'm not doing a good job at talking to you. I felt the need of doing something like this. In this moment… I feel very, very angry. With the village. And with myself, for not realizing… That I always had someone who loved me. I realized it just in the end. And I realized that the trust is something that, if given to the right people, pays back. Now, I changed my tattoo. Now, it's the Kanji for star. That's because… I want to become like my sister, a star. Someone who people can trust. Someone important for the others. Someone that can guide and be of reference for the others. And… I think that's all, for today.
Sabaku no Gaara
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25 September 762
And so, the Game has finally started! In a year Konoha will meet his hand, and I'll so enjoy seeing its pain and terror! MUAHAHAH! But I don't do this because I'm evil. I just want revenge. Konoha… The peaceful village? Just a bunch of hypocrites. They're even more evil than the other villages… And it's not revenge just for me. For Yuki-chan as well… I… I still can't think about what I would have done if I she died… Soon or later I'll have to tell her about my feelings… BUT FOR NOW YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS! BOOO-HOOOO! TT
Your ramen-and-Yuki-chan-loving Naruto
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25 September 762
Our project has started. Konoha will fall. I began to plan this project four years ago. I owe Naruto this. It's thanks to him that I managed to come back to the real world. And I even managed to change my character in the process. I began more… Human. And this is a good thing. Now, tomorrow I'll extract Shukaku from Gaara's body and we'll destroy him. It's a shame that we can't apply to him the same process that morphed myself. But he would be too uncontrollable. The demon threads already signalled to me the best place to practice the extraction.
Aburai Masaru
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25 September 762
Awww… Diary-chan! I couldn't manage to tell him today neither! When will I gain enough courage to tell him! I'm so afraid that he will refuse… I mean, he would never hurt me on purpose, but maybe he thinks of me only as a sister… AAAAH! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DOOOOOO! TT Maybe… When all this destroy-Konoha thing will end… Yes… After that… What we will do? Hmm… I don't think it's healthy worrying about the future before it arrives. I'm made this way! Otherwise I would never have befriended Naru… It would have been my greatest error.
Your in-love-Yuki
Continue…
In the next chapter…
Masaru has now to extract Shukaku from Gaara. In the meanwhile, we discover something else about what happened during the six years inside the sphere. And the next Jinchuuriki is located… Stay tuned!