Chapter 21

Revelations

"Shikamaru." Naruto said in greeting once they were alone.

"Hokage-Sama, it's been… a while." Shikamaru paused for a moment in thought during his reply.

"Not sure you could consider it a while since its before you even started waiting to see me again." Naruto stated jokingly as he walked over to put his hand on Shikamaru's shoulder, "and I wasn't Hokage yet, just training for it so you don't need to address me as such."

"How many times have you told me that now?" the Nara said with a smirk.

"Too many." Came the chuckled response. "But more importantly, how are you here, like this?"

"I don't even know. I was in the process of dying, saw the light and everything… Guess it was just too far away to trouble myself with. Not long later I woke up and saw you arrive and Gaara stand, then tried to focus the last of my chakra into a single attack. Got within spitting distance from Madara but before I could do anything you yelled and well… here I am?"

"Well its good you're here, Gaara has memories of that day but doesn't understand them yet so he may be like us soon. But this also worries me, if I pulled both of you back with me, there is a chance I did the same to Madara." Naruto said clenching and unclenching his fists. "I doubt I would have been able to match him back then, he had unified 8 of the 9 Bijuu inside of himself."

"Hey now, that's not how you talk. Think, this time we have Jiraiya and maybe even Pein." Shikamaru said and Naruto's eyes shot wide.

"No not just them. Old man Hokage and Itatchi too. Maybe even Sasuke. I have an idea but it may take a while to get set." Naruto said with a true smile playing across his face.

"You being a tactician? Maybe we did more than just time travel and crossed dimensions as well."

"Don't worry, the board is set, games is in action. However, we are starting our line with queens rather than pawns." The blond said confidently pausing a moment to consider his plan more. "Lets go watch the next few fights." And with that they began their walk up the stairs.

"Your very popular all the sudden Naruto." Remarked Ino observing how everyone was seeming to be around him recently.

"Well when your growing up to be one of the most desirable bachelors in the Shin Obi nations, its kind of expected." Naruto joked with a big grin.

"Baka, what did I tell you about those smiles?" Sakura questioned causing Naruto to pout.

"Sakura-Hime doesn't like me anymore…"

"Saying anymore would insinuate that I had at one point."

"Careful about using big words with him Forehead, might pass out from a mental overload." Ino joked.

"Ino, while a blond philodox such as yourself is not able to keep up with the articulacy of a simple conversation, doesn't mean that no blond can. I could only imagine most conversations with you taking a churlish twist to them keeping the words simple enough for your comprehension. Personally I find a good conversation to be quite cathartic, wouldn't you agree Shikamaru?" Naruto said causing everyone other than Gaara and Shikamaru to go slack jawed.

"Indeed, the schadenfreude gotten from some people listening to such conversations is something I do treasure. Odd seeing your vulpine side show so suddenly though." Shikamaru said teasingly about his jailer. He noticed Sakura stiffen when he said vulpine but decided to ask later. With a smirk both guys just tapped fists to each other and sat down to see the next fight.

"What was that all about Shika?" Ino questioned as he sat next to her.

"Just a guy thing, don't worry about it." Was the quick response he gave before making eye contact with Gaara. "Hey buddy, you playing nice up here with the others?"

"Do I know you?" Gaara asked still not used to people speaking to him so freely.

"Not yet, but your sister does now and you will soon, I'm sure." He said before sitting back in his seat. He relaxed a little and closed his eyes letting out a sigh, only to jerk back up from being hit in the stomach.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye he saw Naruto retreating back across Sakura's lap with a grin and Sakura sporting a blush from him just crawling on her.

"What was that for?" Shikamaru asked slightly irritated slightly amused. 'She seems to know about the Kyuubi, I wonder if he told her everything yet?' Shikamaru thought as his hand found his pocket and 2 wedding rings, his face taking a slight seldom twist to it.

"For throwing the club of a fan at me! I bet you did that on purpose and everything!" Naruto then turned and slugged Gaara in the arm, said red head was once again surprised his sand did nothing for him, as was Temari who had taken a seat on the row behind them to keep an eye on her brother. "And that's for dropping that beast on me!" Naruto complained. "I'm so unloved…"

"Don't blame us for that." Sakura said waiting for the match between Kankuro and Shino to begin.

"So cold…" he said with another pout. "And Gaara, why did Temari fight when Kankuro is going to forfeit?"

"I'm certain you already know."

"Yeah its more fun to watch you worry though." Naruto laughed.

"How can you tell? His expression never changes." Sakura said slowly becoming more comfortable with being around the homicidal red head.

"His mouth is one of the biggest give a ways, that and his eyes. Simple enough to read him, besides we are friends, right Gaara?" Naruto asked turning to face the red head again.

"Friends…?" Gaara said the foreign word slowly.

Turning back to Sakura Naruto stated, "Yeah we go way back, Gaara, Shikamaru and myself." He claimed.

"Then why was Shika scared of him not long ago?" Ino questioned getting another raised eye brow look from Gaara.

"Who says I was scared?"

"Back in the forest you did, you said that we shouldn't go near them." Ino said turning on the Nara Heir.

"Nah, I'm confident at the moment I could take him. Board is set in my favor anyways, that and maybe I wasn't scared but rather wanted his team to progress." He said glancing back at Temari as he said that before turning to face forwards again.

"I give up!" they all heard from a ways around the arena, looking to the source Kankuro could be seen with his hand behind his head, Shino already standing down in the arena.

"By forfeit the winner of this round is Shino!" the proctor declared while looking back to his list. He looked up to the Kage box to see whether or not he should attempt to begin the next round.

An ANBU jumped down to the proctor, a moment later, "If Sasuke Uchiha does not show in the next-" he began but was interrupted as Kakashi appeared with Sasuke right in front of him.

"Um… are we late?" Kakashi said looking over his book at the proctor causing him to sweat drop.

"No… not at all Kakashi-Sempai." The proctor said shaking his head.

"Oh? That's strange… We will come back later then, sorry for the confusion." The Copy ninja said as he began to walk away.

"Your Ninja seem to have a sense of humor." The Kazekage said.

"Well… we do like to support uniqueness… Besides that man down there could be on par with one of the Sannin under the correct conditions, so his behavior at times is… excusable."

"Is he really that powerful?" the Kazekage asked looking over at the Hokage.

"As I said, under the correct conditions." Sarutobi said as he eased himself out of the chair, "Proctor, if you wouldn't mind beginning the next match?"

"Hai! Hokage-Sama! Will Gaara No Shabaku please come to the floor!"

"Good luck Gaara, if you see Sasuke run up a wall, be a little more careful, okay?" Naruto said, Gaara just looked at him, blinked and disappeared in a whirl of sand.

Gaara reassembled down on the floor across from Sasuke.

"Your comrade, Naruto, is a very… interesting person." Gaara stated earning a confused look from Sasuke.

"Yeah, I guess he is isn't he?"

"Begin!" the proctor yelled before jumping away.

Sasuke rushed forward to hit Gaara but stopped when the sand reacted, instead he jumped back and threw some Kunai that the sand caught and returned.

All the while Sasuke was fighting with the sand, Gaara was looking up at Naruto as if trying to figure out a riddle.

Suddenly Sasuke appeared in front of him moving with speed only Lee could compete with.

Sasuke paused expecting to see Gaara's back, not his face. That gave the sand enough time to hit Sasuke's side, swatting him to the arena wall. Using this as an opportunity, Sasuke ran up the wall and began running through hand signs. The stadium was filled with the sound of birds Chirping.

'I wonder what Neji thinks of this Jutsu? Seeing as how he is obsessed with birds and all.' Naruto wondered to himself as he tried to find Neji.

Gaara immediately formed a dome around himself heeding Naruto's advice, using his floating eye he watched as Sasuke ran down the wall at him.

"Lightning pierces Earth." Gaara said to himself as he saw Sasuke hit the ground. He opened the section of his dome opposite side of the charging Konoha ninja and walked out. Walking around the side he watch, seeing Sasuke hadn't even noticed him standing there.

'That feeling again… Amusement?'

As Sasuke charged some of the sand tried to skewer him, but he continued to dodge around it. Some sand collapsed in Sasuke's path laying across the ground, not wanting to take any chances the Uchiha jumped into the air aiming to come down right on top of the dome.

"Uchiha…" he heard the aloof voice to his right. Knowing he was now off target he canceled the Jutsu so that he could see again and saw the Sand ninja just watching him with his arms folded across his chest.

"Yo." Kakashi said as he appeared next to Temari, right behind Naruto and Sakura.

"Hey Sensei. I did mention not to use the Chidori so simply to Sasuke earlier right?" Naruto asked not even turning to greet his sensei.

"You did, you even showed him the weakness in it. He is insistent on using it though saying its his most powerful attack. Maybe public humiliation will help him understand better."

"I don't like that attack very much…" Naruto said quietly as his hand found the right side of his chest. Sakura not missing the movement at all but decided to question it later.

"Are you trying to make a fool of me?" Sasuke yelled at Gaara, getting only a blank stare in return. "I'll Kill You!" Sasuke screamed forming up another Chidori.

"Its time to end this." Gaara said as a mass of sand collected around his right arm. It lashed forward before Sasuke could start running and grabbed onto his wrist.

"He is beginning the transformation, Temari lets go!" Kankuro yelled as he ran by with Baki.

Temari gave one last look to the Nara only to see him smiling out the corner of his eye at her. He closed his eyes and faced back to the fight, Temari taking this as her chance to leave.

"Be careful, Konoha ninja are very vicious when their home is threatened." Shikamaru said, "And remember, every village has a Jincheriki and the one tail is the weakest."

Pausing wide eyed both Temari and Sakura was staring at the Nara who seemed perfectly relaxed.

"You mean even our village has a.. a thing like Gaara?" Ino screeched at Shikamaru.

"Ino… you may be a very dear friend, but even so I will NOT tolerate you speaking of either our Jincheriki or theirs like that. They are hero's of their respective villages yet treated as dirt growing up. Show some respect for those that suffer to allow us to prosper." Shikamaru snapped back at Ino who just sat wide eyed at how stern the naturally lazy man was.

"Yeah Ino, shesh." Naruto said causing Sakura to whirl on him now with wide eyes. Naruto just gave a reassuring smile. "I'm not that bad, am I?" Naruto said causing everyone, save Shikamaru, to turn to him eyes wide and jaws slack.

Figured this to be a fantastic place to stop.

Next chapter, Truth and Reconciliation.

And yes I did steal that from Halo, one of my favorite levels due solely to the Scorpion tanks first entrance.