Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Naruto,

The jounin council was received information today that the Hidden Sound Village was destroyed. Baki said the intelligence came from the Leaf, so I expect this is not news to you.

The Sound Village was Orochimaru’s base of operations, and presumably where Sasuke Uchiha was travelling to. Have you heard anything about him? I know that his fate rests heavily on your shoulders.

Yesterday I went to the greenhouse that stores the herbs used in Kankuro’s poisons. The kunoichi that works there was startled. I stayed only a few minutes. She seemed calmer when I left. Perhaps she was only glad that I was leaving—or perhaps you were right. Perhaps the first step is letting them see me.

Sincerely,

Gaara of the Desert

Dear Gaara,

Yeah, I knew about that—I was kinda maybe sorta there and destroying it? Sakura and I went with Pervy Sage on the mission.

Well, more like he came with us. We may have snuck out to find Sasuke on our own. I know it was dumb, you don’t have to say it.

It was pretty much abandoned when we got there. The person there was one of Orochimaru’s experiments. He said that Sasuke was safe, and he’s gonna be safe for about 3 years. Orochimaru ran out of time and had to take some other poor guy’s body, and he won’t be able to do it again for that long. That’s what Pervy Sage says. That’s the only news we’ve heard, but I’m listening every day for clues. I’ll find him, no matter what.

Thanks for asking about him.

So you went to the greenhouse, huh? Are ya gonna get a plant to take care of?

Keep doing what you’re doing. I bet that lady was realizing you aren’t so bad. Maybe next time she’ll smile! Smiles are the best sign that things are going well, I think. Unless it’s a creepy smile. Then that’s bad.

Pervy-Sage is gone again. He said he had a lead on the Akatsuki. I think he should take me with him, since those guys are totally jinchurikki business, right? I hate being left at home.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Naruto,

I would not say it was dumb. I would say it was reckless and poorly thought-out. It is no small thing to leave one’s village without permission. You cannot bring Uchiha home if you are banished from it yourself. Try to remember that.

How do I tell a good smile from a bad smile? I thought I knew once what a good smile looked like. It was a lie, then. Was it actually a bad smile?

It is frustrating to be kept in the dark about the Akatsuki. Perhaps more so for you, since someone close to you is investigating personally. From a strategic perspective, though, I understand your Hokage’s thinking in not sending you along with Lord Jiraiya. If your mission were to go badly, it would be as good as handing you over to them.

I wonder sometimes if you do not worry about your own safety. You throw yourself so recklessly at every challenge. It is discomfiting to consider. Is that friendship?

I have been considering adopting a cactus. They do not require much care.

Sincerely,

Gaara of the Desert

Dear Gaara,

Reckless and poorly thought-out sure SOUNDS like you saying it was dumb. >:(

I know what you’re saying makes sense. Pervy Sage said the same. I just can’t stay still when Sasuke is with Orochimaru! I know that his body is safe for now, but that doesn’t mean awful things can’t still happen, you know? That snake bastard is getting all up in Sasuke’s mind and twisting it around. How can I ignore that happening to my precious friend?

It’s not that I don’t worry about my safety. It’s just that protecting my friends is more important. I’m tougher than I look, and you should know that! I won’t ever back down when my friends are on the line.

You don’t need to worry about me. It’s kinda nice that you do, though.

About smiles—it’s kind of a vibe thing, if that makes sense. A creepy smile is like you when you went after Bu Orochimaru smiling. Or it kind of gives you shivers, makes you feel bad. Like a smile that something bad will happen. Good smiles make you feel warm and nice. And you know the person who is smiling at you wants you around, or is saying thanks, or they just want good things for you. Or they’re just happy. Like the way Iruka-sensei smiles at me when he buys me ramen. Or maybe like your siblings smile at you. Like the difference between >:) and :D, you know?

I’m sorry someone gave you a lying smile before. I think I might understand what that’s like now. It’s an incredible pain, isn’t it?

Aren’t cactuses pointy? Also, even if they’re strong, they deserve some loving, you know?

Sincerely,

Naruto

Naruto,

I do not mean to insult you. Your devotion to your friends has been your strength. I have not forgotten. If you and I are friends, does it not make sense that I… worry for your safety? I do not know if worry is the right word, but it is the one that you used.

Consider that fighting Akatsuki will not protect your friends. They are after you. Keep yourself out of their reach.

I have given a lot of thought to your ideas about smiles. My siblings smile at me and are unsure of me. But perhaps their smiles indicate that they want to be sure. They are not merely appeasing me. I have been watching for the way they smile at each other—they have always been close. When Temari smiles at Kankuro, when he is not looking—That is warm, as you say. When Kankuro smiles at his puppets, that is warm.

The way Temari smiled after learning a new wind jutsu—was that warmth for herself? She turned and shared it with us.

The way I have smiled in the past has not been warm. Blood lust feels hot, but not pleasant. I was creepy, as you say. Do I know how to smile with warmth? Can I do such a thing?

I thanked Baki for buying us lunch today, and he smiled. That is a much rarer event than a smile from Temari or Kankuro. It felt good. I want him to do it more.

I want you to smile at me None of the smiles looked quite like your little pictures. But I think I understand the gist.

The pain is terrible. I have never felt anything like it since. Until recently, physical pain was a stranger to me, except for that night. That night, when I realized that love was a weapon when withheld, and that it was not meant for me. It is only now, writing to you, that I have begun to wonder if it is something I might experience one day, and it will not hurt.

It is strange. It has been a relief to speak to you, knowing that you understand my pain. Yet this is a pain I wish you did not understand. I wish you had been spared this pain, Naruto Uzumaki.

It’s cacti, not cactuses. I’ve taken in two.

Sincerely, Gaara of the Desert

Dear Gaara,

I don’t have time for a long letter today, I’m off on a mission. But send me pictures of your plants!

Of course you can smile. If it comes from your heart it will be warm, I know it.

Love shouldn’t hurt. But I know it does sometimes.

Also: Fighting Akatsuki will totally protect my friends. They’re after you too, dummy.

Your FRIEND AND DON’T YOU FORGET IT,

Naruto

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Naruto,

I do not have a camera for my plants. But I’m sending this along. You can clip it and use the gel can be used for healing. If you are going to be fighting the Akatsuki, you will need the help. I am going to train harder so that I can fight them too. Since we are friends.

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Wow, thanks for the cutting! I’m going to name her Ally, since she’s an aloe plant.

Between the two of us, the Akatsuki won’t stand a chance!

Hey, do you like ramen? Because if you don’t, you obviously haven’t had Ichiraku ramen! If you ever come back to the Leaf, I’ll treat you. Or maybe you can treat me! :D

I still haven’t heard from the Pervy Sage. Typical, right? So I’ve just been here. I thought I might have had a lead a while ago—we fought this guy called Raiga, who was one of the 7 Legendary swordsman. And that blue fish guy from the Akatsuki is ALSO one of the swordsman, so I thought maybe they would know each other. And then blue fish guy (Kisame, I think?) could have led me to Itachi, and Sasuke would be somewhere trying to get at Itachi too and I could have found him.

It didn’t work out. Turns out Raiga didn’t like the other swordsmen very much. He’s dead now, anyway. So that was a bust. Also my mouth got attacked by this crazy hot curry that this grandma Bush Brows knows made. I think I breathed fire for a second. But Bushy Brows couldn’t get enough of it! What a maniac.

Then I had this other mission in the Land of Birds that was kinda complicated. There was a ghost, a real one! Or at least Neji says it was a real ghost. I hope think he’s messing with me. Ghosts aren’t really real, right?

How are you doing with the villagers? And how about your family? Let me know!

Sincerely, Naruto

Naruto,

I have no strong opinions on ramen. It is not a dish that I have had often. Rather, I prefer sekihan, as made by a local restaurant that Temari and Kankuro frequent. I have never gone along, but they bring it back to me. There is also sesame soba, which has noodles like your ramen does, but it is served cold. Kankuro makes it all the time.

I will be happy to accompany you to Ichiraku Ramen if we meet again in the Leaf Village.

You continue to encounter strange and powerful opponents and come out ahead. I do need to ask, however—would Itachi have led you to Sasuke, or only to whatever plans the Akatsuki have for you? At the risk of repeating myself, I’m asking you to be careful.

I am not sure if I want you to elaborate on the ghosts in the Land of Birds or not. I have never encountered one myself, but who am I to discount their existence? You and I contain demons. It stands to reason that ghosts may exist.

I seem to recall you having much to say about Neji Hyuuga, and none of it positive. You took offense to his defeat of the other Hyuuga, the small girl. Have you resolved your problems with him, as you have with me? “Kicked his ass about it?”

Are you changing the way of the Hyuuga clan, even now? Another vow made in blood? Your words are powerful.

My cacti are Parodia and Mamillaria. I was not aware I was supposed to name them.

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Wow, I didn’t realize you remembered all that about Neji and Hinata! I was really pissed at Neji then, you know? By the time I was done fighting him, I was pissed at his whole clan! Well, except for Hinata. She’s pretty cool when she’s not being weird.

But yeah, I kicked his ass about it. He shouldn’t have been taking his anger out on her! Hinata had nothing to do with what happened with his old man, and he was really pissing me off with his talk about destiny and losers and shit. I still don’t always understand him, but he’s been nicer to Hinata. Also, he really came through when Sasuke left.

He almost died, actually. The guy he was squaring up against had a bunch of extra arms and spat spider webs and stuff. Neji stayed behind to fight him because he thought I was the only one who could reach Sasuke. He said my eyes are better than his sometimes.

I don’t know why he said that. There’s nothing special about my eyes. He was wrong anyway, I couldn’t reach Sasuke at all. Not with eyes, fists, or words. That’s why I have to keep training and keep looking.

I don’t know exactly what I would have done when I found Itachi, I didn’t get that far yet. I feel like this is you saying I was being dumb and reckless again without saying it. :P

I guess you don’t HAVE to name them. I just like to name mine, so I have something to call them when I talk to them. It’s nice to talk to them, you know?

You should go with your siblings to the restaurant, you know? Mr. Ichiraku was the first person in the village to accept me. Maybe the person who makes your sekihan (which is not as good as ramen but probably still good) will accept you too, just cause you like their food!

Sincerely, Naruto

Naruto,

It’s not your faul Neji is right I will kill Uchiha for hurt That was not me calling you dumb and reckless without saying it. If I was going to say those things, I promise I would use those words. I only meant to reiterate what I’d said previously about being careful. If the Akatsuki capture you, you will be of use to no one, least of all to Sasuke. He does not deserve y

I remember our time at the chuunin exams well. I was watching you closely by the time you faced Neji in the finals.

Perhaps what he meant was that you have a way of seeing past the evil in a person. No one before you has looked at me and seen something other than Shukaku. Especially after witnessing what you did.

I am so lucky you saw me I cannot get your eyes out of my In that sense, I am grateful for your eyes.

I took your advice and joined Temari and Kankuro for dinner tonight. The first waitress couldn’t stop shaking. The second one would not meet my eyes. On the whole, not so successful.

Although there was one thing. Kankuro reacted oddly. When the second waitress would not look at me, he threw his arm over my shoulder—he has not done this since we were very small, right after Yash and I reacted unfavorably then. Tonight I allowed it, though I am not sure why he did this. He seemed agitated, but not at me. It was… pleasant, I suppose. I know that it is the kind of contact that is often initiated between friends and family. Should I have reciprocated? It is hard to picture. Would you touch me like th

When we left the restaurant, Kankuro apologized to me and offered to go to another restaurant, but we had already eaten. And he had done nothing wrong. I told him so, and he shook his head. This is one of those things, I think, that Kankuro expects me to understand without him explaining it. After I send this to you, I will meditate on the matter.

Or perhaps I will talk to my Parodia about it.

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

First- you did some evil stuff, but you’re not evil. You’re good. Remember that.

Second- I think your trip out WAS successful, because even if they were scared and rude and stuff they still served you, AND Kankuro was there to take care of you.

That’s why he put his arm on your shoulders. He was taking care of you, because you’re his little brother. That’s why. Like when Iruka-sensei puts his hand on my head. It’s just to let you know that he’s there. You can do it to him too, if you want? Probably, anyway.

Maybe the villagers just need time. Soon you’ll show them who you are. They’ll see you because you’ll make them see you.  

Thanks for what you said about Neji. And me. And my eyes, I guess. They really aren’t special, I just know what being lonely feels like.

I hope you liked talking to your cactus. I read your letter to Ally. She’s glad you’re doing well, I can tell.

Sincerely, Naruto

Dear Gaara,

It’s been like two weeks. Are you on a mission? Are you okay?

Sincerely, Naruto

Naruto,

You said I am good. How do you know?

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I just do.

Sincerely, Naruto

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Naruto,

Have you ever taught at your ninja academy?

Mamillaria is beginning to flower. Parodia is being stubborn.

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

XD <- that’s my face right now.

I have definitely never taught at the academy. I don’t think they’d let me. I wasn’t great at being a student, you know? Book stuff is hard for me. Also, I kind of made a looooooooot of trouble while I was there. I think I gave Iruka- sensei his first gray hairs. Why do you ask?

Sometimes plants are stubborn! You just have to figure out what it wants. Some of them need just the right amount of sun and water, and even then they make you wait! Just keep talking to them. Lots of encouragement and stuff, so that they feel comfortable to bloom for you.

I have this orchid, I named her Cho-chan because her petals are like butterflies. She was blooming when I got her, but after a few months her flowers fell off. I felt really bad for her, you know? And then for like a YEAR she kept growing more leaves but no flowers. She needed a lot of attention, but she’s got flowers again now. I just let her know that I still love her even if she doesn’t make flowers for me.

Sincerely, Naruto

Dear Naruto,

You might have heard, but the Sand Village has been looking into the Leaf Village’s academy curriculum. We are beginning several programs to advance the education of our students, and ninja from around the village are helping. Temari and Kankuro have expressed willingness to lead a class, and I am going to go along. I will not force any students to work with me, but I will make myself available.

Perhaps one of them will be brave enough to approach me. Perhaps none of them will. Either way, I want to try.

I am surprised that you struggled in the academy. Even if you are loud, brash, and not intellectually inclined, you have mastery of difficult jutsu. I am given to understand that the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu is a forbidden technique for how difficult it is to do safely. Surely your sensei must have had some faith in you, if he entrusted you with it? Your skill in battle is difficult to deny.

What sort of trouble did you cause?

I am sure your orchid appreciates your unconditional support, if it is capable of appreciation. At any rate, I appreciate it.

Sincerely, Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Okay so obviously I didn’t have time to reply to your letter before everything happened with those artisan ninjas, but can I just say YOU WERE SO COOL JUST NOW!!

You DID IT, GAARA!!! Your student (Mary? Mashri? Something with an M, right?) was so worried about you, but I knew you were going to keep her safe, and you DID. You kept me safe too. And you fought back Shukaku!! By yourself!!! And then you kicked that guy’s ass!!!!

So! Cool!

I’m glad we Leaf ninjas were able to help. I know Shikamaru was glad to get your sis out of a tight spot, cuz he doesn’t like owing people things, and Kiba and Chouji got to pay back your brother. Bushy Brows and I rushed to save you, but you didn’t need too much help from us, huh? I wish I could have done more for you, even if you didn’t really need it.

I wish you could have stayed longer. It’s nice to actually talk, and we could have gone to Ichiraku’s! But I know you had to get home.

Granny Tsunade is making me stay in the hospital another day, but then I’m finally going off with Pervy Sage. He showed up again, finally. He wasn’t even sorry he disappeared for so long, can you believe it?

Anyway, we’ll be travelling a lot, and I don’t know how much I’ll be able to write, since I won’t be using the village’s mail system. But I’ll try to send a toad along to you when I can!

Also, don’t think I didn’t notice you calling me loud and dumb! Even if it’s kind of true. :p

I used to pull a lot of pranks and stuff at school, is the main trouble I caused. The lessons got boring, and when I was funny people acknowledged me, even if it was just to laugh or to yell at me. I’m VERY good at pranks. That’s why I’m the Number One Unpredictable Ninja!

About the Multi-Shadow Cline Jutsu… well, no one trusted it to me. It’s kind of a long story how I learned it, and it didn’t have much to do with anyone believing in me. I guess I’ll tell you, but first I need a break. My hand hurts from holding the pen, y’know?

Okay I’m back. I guess the break doesn’t matter in one letter, huh? Anyway, back before I graduated, I had failed the exit exam a bunch of times. I just wasn’t good at the Clone jutsu. There was this other sensei, Mizuki, who turned out to be a bad guy working for Orochimaru but I didn’t know that, and he told me that I could do a secret exam to pass. All I had to do was steal the forbidden scroll and learn just one jutsu from it. So I did! And then it turned out that Mizuki just wanted me to steal it so he could take it to Orochimaru-bastard, and he tried to kill me, and he also revealed that I had the Fox in me, but Iruka-sensei saved me! And he told Mizuki that he believed in me, that I was a citizen of the Leaf, no matter what, and that I would never be a monster. It was the first time anyone ever said that and really accepted me, besides Mr. Ichiraku giving me ramen. And then Mizuki tried to kill Iruka-sensei, and I did the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu for the first time and I punched him like 200 times, and then Iruka-sensei gave me his headband and told me that I passed!

I’m not really sure why it’s a forbidden technique. I don’t think it’s that hard, except when the clones get popped in really bad ways. That kind of hurts, but not really? It’s more like it happens, and then I remember it hurting, but it didn’t happen to me. So it doesn’t hurt me, hurt me, you know? Anyway, I started to figure out how to have that not happen—I just have to make them pop with smaller hits when I can. Then it’s not so bad.

Anyway, I’m gonna go ahead and send this letter. It might catch you while you’re still walking home. Iruka-sensei is going to take me for ramen when I get out tomorrow, and then I’ll be heading off! If you reply fast, I might still be here. If not, Granny Tsunade will probably have a way to send mail to Pervy Sage, it just might take longer.

Remember, I support you 100%!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

The messenger hawk did indeed find me while I was still walking home—we are still in the Fire Country, in fact.

My student is named Matsuri. She was impressed with you, and has spoken repeatedly about your bravery and all she learned from watching you. I am grateful that she had the opportunity to meet you and see you, in some small measure, as I have.

You say that you and Rock Lee were not much help. You are wrong. You gave me the ability to keep pursuing Matsuri’s kidnapper. More than that, Naruto Uzumaki, you kept me sane.

I have struggled to keep Shukaku under control. I will admit that there was a moment where I wanted to give in and let the beast out, so that it could free me from that cage and kill that ninja. I wanted him dead, I craved his blood, I could taste it and I wanted mor ever since he took Matsuri as bait for me. However, I could hear you fighting for me. Shouting to me. And that kept me sane. I didn’t want to disappoint let you down let the monster win my battle for me. And I knew that if I gave in, I would not be able to control it even after it killed my enemy- Shukaku would turn on my student, on my siblings, on my friends. So I fought harder against that pull than I ever have in my life, with the desire not to protect myself, but to protect my friends.

You were right, Naruto. I knew this before, but I know it even more now. The urge to protect those precious to me did make me stronger. So I will make my entire village precious to me, and I will strive to be precious to them in turn.

In regards to the rest of your letter—I also wish I could have stayed longer, and I am not the only one. Temari seems to get a certain amount of amusement from your friend Shikamaru.

Your story about the Shadow Clone Jutsu astounds me. That you struggled so much with a simple Clone Jutsu, but mastered Shadow Clones in one night. Certainly unpredictable. And that you performed it for the first time under what I imagine was emotional duress… you continue to impress me. You told me that you had not learned of the Fox’s existence in you for many years, but I did not realize you only found out on the eve of your graduation.

I might be wrong, but from what I understand the Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu has two primary reasons for being forbidden, outside of any technical difficulty; first, it consumes a large amount of chakra, particularly when making them in the quantities that you do. Your naturally large chakra pool, along with the chakra you get from the Fox, means that this is not such a danger to you. Second, the effect that you mentioned can be debilitating in battle. The amount of information that comes from so many clones dispelling would be overwhelming to a lesser ninja. There may be other reasons; it is not a jutsu many in the Sand have access or even exposure to.

In the interest of getting this to you before you leave, I will end this letter here. Temari is smiling at me. I think she is grateful to you as well, for being my friend. She is not as grateful as I am.

Take care on your travels, and write when you can.

Sincerely,

Gaara

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Dear Gaara,

I’m sending this with Gamatatsu. If you give him a snack, he might stick around for you to write back!

Pervy Sage and I are in the Land of Tea. I came here once for a mission, but we didn’t spend a lot of time looking around. They don’t have a ninja village in this country, so they hire out. Mostly to the Leaf, since we’re closest, but sometimes others. Last time I was here there were some guys from the Hidden Rain village that we had to fight to help this one guy complete a race.

His name was Idate and he was REALLY fast. Bushy Brows would have liked him. Also he knew that Ibiki guy, you know him. The guy with the messed up face that gave us our first exam.

That was the last mission we went on as Team 7 before Sasuke left. When I think about it now, I can see how angry he was then. I should have said something to him. Why didn’t I say something to him? Most times I can’t shut up.

Anyway, Pervy Sage is speaking to the daimyo here, and he left me training to do. By myself! I’m supposed to be stopping my chakra or something. I don’t get what for, all it’s done is got me SOAKING WET!! Which is exactly how my first training with him went. I’m taking a break to write to you and also dry my underwear. But now the sand from the beach is sticking to me—I’m gonna make Pervy Sage buy me a towel! Anyway the sand made me think of you.

How are you doing? How’s your student? And your plants? Sakura is supposed to be taking care of mine. I kind of miss them.

Well, back to work! Next time I see you, I’ll be stronger than ever!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

The primary use of being able to cease one’s chakra flow is to disrupt a genjutsu. I do not recall Sasuke Uchiha making use of such techniques, but from what you have described, his brother has. Perhaps that is the purpose your Pervy Sage has for you.

I know that you blame yourself for Uchiha’s decision to leave. I wish that you wouldn’t. If he was lost even then, it was not your doing. I know that in the darkness of his life you would have been a light; you could not be anything else.

I have never been so far south as the Land of Tea. I think I would like to go some day and see the ocean. It is difficult to imagine so much water in one place. I wonder if the sand on the beach is very different from the sand of the desert, or if it is the same, despite being so distant.

Matsuri is well. She has overcome much of her timidity and has been practicing with the rope-javelin. Her style of fighting is more pacifistic than that of her classmates, so this weapon suits her.

Two other students have approached me on my visits to the academy. It seems that Matsuri made much of my efforts to recover her during her kidnapping, and they have decided that I am unlikely to harm them as a result. It is a good feeling, but it is also overwhelming—I have come to realize that I only have limited practical skills to pass on. While I received training with several weapons as part of my education, I have only seldom had use for them. And as you know, my style of fighting is unique to me. I cannot teach these children much more than the basics.

And yet they are thrilled to see me throw a kunai or offer my sand for target practice. It is so unusual; I do not even know how to describe how. I want to call it pain, but it doesn’t hurt.

My plants are well. I have adopted another succulent—a cutting from the aloe plant in the green house. It sits nicely between Parodia and Mamillaria. I will have to clear off another window sill if I want more plants.

Your toad has finished his snack, so I will end the letter here.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Hello from the Land of Rivers! You were right about the genjutsu thing. I’ve been working on it, but it’s not easy. Pervy Sage actually trained with me today, for once. I’m working on a bigger rasengan—Though he says I should work on being able to do the regular one without a clone first. And I AM working on that, but I don’t think that’s any reason to not improve what I can do already, you know?

I can’t remember if I did the rasengan in front of you last time we saw each other. It’s a really cool jutsu, and the strongest one I know! The Fourth Hokage invented it, so I’m going to improve it. It’s only right, since I’m going to be Hokage too someday. If not, remind me to show you next time I see you.

Maybe one day we can go to the Land of Tea together. Or somewhere else on the sea! The ocean is really amazing. And with your sand, I bet we can make the best sandcastles EVER! Do you ever make them when you’re bored or whatever? I know I would.

Awesome about getting more students! Even if you can’t pass on much to them, they probably just see how cool you are and want to be like you. I know that feeling you’re talking about—like your chest is just full, right? And it almost hurts, except instead of wanting to scream it makes you want to laugh or smile, and it feels warm and big and you want to feel it more but you also want to hide before it gets more intense? It’s a good feeling. I’m glad you’re getting it. I felt like that when Iruka sensei stood up for me, and when Sasuke shared his lunch with me and when he trained with me on tree walking. And when he said he wanted to fight me in the exams.

He acknowledged me, you know? As his equal. And he said I was his best friend. Then he put his hand through my hear ches shoulder. He couldn’t sever our bond, though. That means I can still reach him, if only I can find him.

I better go, this was only meant to be a short break. By the end of today, I promise I will have improved even more! When I see you it’s gonna blow your mind, Gaara!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I will kill him

How dare he

He doesn’t deserve y

I did not realize you were so badly injured when fighting Uchiha. I presume you refer to his Chidori technique, which I have been on the receiving end of. I do not have much in the way of personal experience with physical pain, but he was the first person to ever show me my own blood. It hurt to the point of distraction—although I was already quite distracted by Shukaku at the time.

Should you encounter him again soon, I hope you will be on your guard—Lost in darkness as he is, he will no doubt attempt to kill fight you again. As you study under your Sannin, he is surely studying under his. He did not strike me as the kind of man to idle.

The Land of Rivers is not far. I wonder if your sensei would be willing to allow you to visit the Sand when you have concluded your business there. I have been busy here in the village, getting to know its people in ways that I have never considered before. Not only my students, but the merchants and other shinobi as well. I have begun taking missions with other teams. Kankuro cautioned me against this at first. He did not believe anyone besides himself and Temari would accept me as a teammate. I will prove to him, and myself, that he is wrong. It has not been easy, but I know I have been making progress. Sometimes the others request to be assigned to a different team. Some do not, but I can see that they are frightened. I try to show them they do not need to be. I have tried to warm-smile, and once I even got a smile back.

When I am unsure what to do, I think of you

I want to make you smile here too

At any rate, I have had more success in restaurants now. I even found a ramen stand that opens in the evenings, when the sun’s heat has faded. I cannot really speak to the quality—as I have said before, I do not hold strong opinions about ramen and have not eaten much of it. It is good enough to eat, and that is all I know.

I have not made sandcastles since I was very, very small and hoping it would make someone play with me. When I am bored, I prefer to be productive. I suppose I would be willing to try it again.

I believe I heard you perform your rasengan when I was trapped in Seimei’s cage, but I did not see it. I will remind you when we next meet.

Your toad is attempting to eat my cactus, so I will send this now.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

We are DEFINITELY getting some of that ramen. I’ll teach you all about the finer points of eating ramen. You’ll see.

And then we can build sandcastles. And then we can train together! You’d better be ready!! I’ll see you in 4 days!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Chapter Text

When Naruto and Jiraiya arrived in the Hidden Sand Village, Gaara was waiting for them just outside the gate.

Naruto had already been excited, but when Gaara’s distinctive red hair made itself known on the horizon, he’d begun to bounce with every step until Jiraiya laughed and gave him permission to go ahead.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Naruto cried, launching himself at his friend. Gaara blinked, and before either child knew it, Naruto was yelling into a wall of sand.

“Ne, there’s sand in my mouth!!” He whined, spitting off to the side. Gaara’s sand shield disappeared as soon as it had shown up, revealing Gaara’s frowning face.

“You surprised me. It is unwise to do that.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Naruto shook his head, ruffling his hair to get the sand out of it and making a show of cleaning out his ears. “I’m just happy to see you, you know?”

“Happy enough to attack me?”

“I was gonna give you a hug, you know!” Naruto pouted, and Gaara paused, looking his friend up and down. In the last few months, Naruto had grown enough that his ankles showed under his brightly orange pants, and his wrists poked out of his jacket.

“I was not aware that hugs involved full-body tackles.”

“The fun ones do.” Naruto asserted, but then he smiled. “I guess your kind of new at hugs though, huh? Here’s an easy one.” He held out his arms to Gaara expectantly. Gaara stayed put, looking skittish.

“Come on.” Naruto coaxed. “Or I’m gonna come to you.”

Hesitantly, Gaara stepped forward and allowed Naruto to wrap his arms around him. He could not help but tense up at first. He remembered Rock Lee’s arms around him just like this, though he’d been upside down and spinning uncontrollably at the time. He’d managed to substitute himself for a sand clone just before being slammed head first into the ground that time, but it still remained an unpleasant memory. Naruto did not mind Gaara’s reticence, resting his golden head on Gaara’s shoulder.

“Now you hug me back.” Naruto instructed, and Gaara shivered at Naruto’s breath on his ear.

No one ever dared get this close. Not even Kankuro. Gaara’s heart fluttered as he slowly raised his own arms to grip the back of Naruto’s jacket.

“How do we know when the hug is done?” Gaara asked, an unfamiliar heat in his face.

“Eh, whenever we want, I think. But usually it’s just a few seconds.” Naruto gave a firmer squeeze, which caused Gaara’s sand to rattle in cautious, then stepped back, a broad smile on his face.

“I like to hug my friends.” He explained. Gaara kept his face expressionless, even as his emotions battled inside him. He wanted the hug to linger. He could not imagine allowing anyone else so close. He wanted space. He wanted more. He allowed himself to be distracted by the approach of a large, whitehaired man.

“Geez, kid, you have to learn to take your time.” The man said in a warm voice.

“Whatever, old-timer, maybe you should learn to keep up!” Naruto said with a scowl. “Gaara, this is the Pervy Sage. Pervy Sage, this is Gaara. He’s my friend, and he’s just like me!”

“Oh yeah?” The man gave Gaara a long look. “Then how come he doesn’t look like a doofus?”

Naruto squawked as Gaara offered a small bow.

“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Jiraiya.”

“Look at that, manners too!” Jiraiya let out a long, warm laugh, even as he used a large hand to keep Naruto at bay. “Well, Gaara, I hope you can keep this little terror out of my hair and direct me to see some lovely ladies of the desert. Heh, I bet they wear next to nothing in this heat!” The old man looked gleeful as he made his request.

Gaara stared, trying not to give away his puzzlement.

“Were there any kunoichi in particular you were looking to meet?”

“Ignore him, Gaara, he just wants to go do some stupid pervy research for his stupid pervy books. Let him find his own.”

“You brat!” Jiraiya looked vexed, but then sighed, looking up at the sky. “I guess it’s only right to greet the leaders of the village first, anyway. Can you point me in that direction, kid?”

This, Gaara could do. He gestured for the pair of leaf ninja to follow him into the city.

“As you know, we have no kage yet. But the jounin council meets in the tower nonetheless.” He said as he lead the way through the streets. He was pleased that there were more villagers staying on the street when he walked by, though a few did back away. The woman from the soba stall even waved at him. He nodded as they passed her. “They will be able to provide you with accommodations.”

“Ne, let Pervy Sage take care of the boring stuff!” Naruto insisted. “You and me have ramen to taste!”

Jiraiya sighed, and Gaara permitted himself a smile.

*

“Hmmm… The miso is pretty good, but the noodles and pork are a little over cooked. The egg is pretty much perfect, though. Let’s see if the next flavor is any good!”

“We’ve already had two bowls.”

“Psh, that’s nothing. More please!”

*

“Gaara-sensei! Naruto!” Matsuri ran up to them as they left the ramen stall. “It’s good to see you!”

“Hiya! You’re Gaara’s student, huh? Training hard?”

“Yeah! I’ve been practicing de-escalation and constraint. I think I’m going to work to be a border ninja and protect the village.”

“You will do well at that.” Gaara said to his student. “It is a very important job.”

“Thank you, sensei. I have to run these herbs to the hospital, but Naruto, can you watch me train before you leave?”

“Sure!” Matsuri thanked them and hurried on her way, Naruto waving.

“What’s her name again?”

“Matsuri.” Gaara’s smile was smaller than Naruto’s, but it was no less true.

“Thanks. Names are kinda hard, you know? But she sure seems to look up to you!”

The two started walking again.

“More to you, I think.”

“Eh, it’s just cuz she hasn’t seen me in a while. You’re her sensei, you know? Anyway, I want to see where you guys train! It’ll be fun.”

Gaara nodded.

“What do you want to see next?”

*

“Holy crap. It’s so big.”

“Mmhm.”

“I mean, it’s huge!”

“I am aware.”

“How hard would it be for you to move all of this sand?”

“I am not sure it would be possible.”

“It’s a great view, though. I couldn’t see it when I was walking in it, you know?”

“I do appreciate this spot for that reason.”

“Is there where you hang out at night?”

“Yes. It is quiet up here, and the stars are bright.”

“I’m totally gonna stay awake with you tonight to see them myself!”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know that. But I want to, though. Can we see your house from up here?”

“It’s there, beside the kage tower.”

“Cool. Your siblings live with you?”

“They do now. They used to live with Father in the tower itself.”

“He kept them away from you? What a dick.”

“I expect they kept themselves away. I would not have provided a secure living environment then. But now they are always around.”

“What’s it like, then? To have someone to come home to now?”

“It’s… special. I want to protect them. To protect our home together.”

“Yeah? That’s great. If I had someone waiting for me, then I would do anything for them.”

“You would do anything for your friends.”

“Of course! It’s not the same, though.”

“Isn’t it?”

“I mean, I love my friends. But then they go home to their families, and I… don’t. Sometimes I’d go bother Sasuke, cuz he was alone too, but…”

“Now he’s gone.”

“… yeah.”

“I am sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. Besides, he won’t be gone long—I’m gonna get him back, you’ll see.”

*

“So what do you do for fun, anyway?”

“I tend to my plants. I meditate. I read.”

“That’s cool, really, but I meant like fun-fun, you know?”

“…. No.”

“Oh, boy. Come on, Gaara! We got work to do!”

*

“And that’s what I’ve uncovered so far about the organization known as the Akatsuki.” Jiraiya finished, meeting the eyes of every member of Suna’s Jounin council. “From what I can tell, they have 2 or 3 years before they plan to escalate, but don’t assume they won’t still make a move- they did come after Naruto only a few months ago.”

“And the Leaf’s jinchurikki is here now?” An older man asked. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes at him.

“Naruto is travelling with me, yes.”

“Having two jinchuurikki in one place for long would seem like tempting fate, based on what you’ve told us.” Jiraiya’s lips twitched down.

“He wanted to visit his friend, and you wanted information. We’re not staying long.”

“The shorter the better, I should think.” The council member rose. “Thank you for your information, Lord Jiraiya. Please, feel free to make use of our facilities. I am certain we can accommodate you and your charge for a day or two.” With that pointed remark, the council member bowed. The others took his cue, rising and beginning to make their way out of the room.

“Nice.” Jiraiya muttered with a scowl.

“You’ll have to forgive Fukuro, Lord Jiraiya. He has always struggled with the niceties.” A jounin with cloth covering half of his face stood in front of him. Jiraiya thought he might have introduced himself as Baki.

“Not someone destined for a career in diplomacy.” Jiraiya said, and Baki shrugged before sweeping his hand before him to invite Jiraiya to walk with him. “I came to share this information in person because Naruto was concerned for Gaara. I have a suspicion that he would have tried to get your kid whatever information he could, anyway.”

“The Sand Village is grateful.” Baki said. After a pause, he tilted his head towards Jiraiya. “I am grateful as well. Gaara has changed since he met Naruto. For the better.”

“The kid has that effect on people.” Jiraiya grinned. “Now, I hope you can point me in the direction of some lovely ladies who wouldn’t mind some company!”

“Uh, well…” Baki cut himself off as another ninja approached. “Tora?”

“Reporting on the jinchuurikki’s movements, sir.” Tora saluted and waited for Baki’s signal to continue. “He has been showing the Leaf boy around the village. I left them in training zone 3. He’s been… calm.”

“They are training together?” Baki checked. Tora made a strange face, seeming to hesitate.

“Well…”

“It wouldn’t surprise me. Naruto loves showing off.” Jiraiya said. “I’m sure he challenged Gaara to a sparring match.”

“Is that what happened, Tora?” Baki had his full attention on Tora now. “Even as calm as Gaara has been, I’m not sure if engaging in combat with the boy who defeated him is a safe call.”

“They weren’t sparring, sir. They were… well, it almost seemed as if they were… playing?” Tora seemed uncertain, as though such a thing was impossible.

“Playing.” Baki leveled a stare at the other ninja.

“Yes, sir. Making shapes in the sand. Laughing. I’ve… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“Do children of the Sand typically… not play?” Jiraiya asked, eyebrows raised.

“Not this one. Not Gaara.” Baki said, his face the picture of shock. “I have to see this for myself. Training zone 3, you said?”

“Yes, sir.”

Baki barely let out a thanks and a dismissal to his fellow Sand ninja before heading off, Jiraiya trailing after him.

“So about those ladies…?” Jiraiya asked hopefully.

“Forgive me, Lord Jiraiya, but I need to get to my student. Gaara… playing. I can’t imagine.”

Jiraiya sighed, thinking wistfully about the buxom desert beauties he was no doubt missing out on, but followed along.

“Baki-sensei!” Two more Sand shinobi approached. One was a blonde girl with hair pulled back into four pigtails, the other was a male with purple markings on his face. “We heard that Leaf kid was in town. Have you seen Gaara?”

“On my way to him, in fact. Have you two finished your mission on the southern wall?”

“Yes, repairs are finished and the guards have been briefed.” The blonde girl said before turning her attention to Jiraiya. “Who are you?”

“Well, my dear lady, you are looking at none other than the legendary Jiraiya!” Jiraiya flashed a thumbs up and a winning grin. The girl’s eyebrows went up and she nodded in acknowledgement.

“Welcome, then.” Jiraiya’s face fell at the lackluster response.

“What’s the Toad Sage doing here?” The boy asked, falling into step with the older ninjas. “Name’s Kankuro, by the way. Miss ‘Strictly Business’ over there is my sister, Temari.”

“You could take some notes on professionalism, Kankuro.” Temari rolled her eyes at her brother.

“Ah, I’m here on business with my student. I was hoping to mix in some pleasure, but apparently we need to go watch the kids play.”

“The kids?” Kankuro asked.

“I received my usual report on Gaara’s movements. Apparently, he and the Leaf jinchuurikki are at the training grounds… playing.” Baki explained, continuing to lead them through the village. Temari let out a shocked noise as Kankuro’s eyebrows went up.

“For real?” Baki nodded. Kankuro bit his lip, but spoke again after a few moments. “Well, sir, if that’s true… then can’t we just let them be?”

This surprised Baki enough that he brought the group to a stop.

“Kankuro?”

“Look, I know you’re worried… everyone’s worried about Gaara deteriorating again. But I’m not. You didn’t see him, sensei, when Matsuri was taken. He got pushed all the way to the brink, and he kept himself under control. Using his own power, not hurting people unnecessarily… That’s important to him now. And it started with this Uzumaki kid.” Kankuro sighed, scratching his head. “Gaara didn’t get much in the way of a childhood. If he’s getting the chance now to play like a regular kid… I don’t know, I just wish we could leave him to it.”

“He’s not wrong, sensei.” Temari ventured. Jiraiya let out a considering hum, looking between the siblings and their sensei. The picture of the Sand’s jinchuurikki was becoming more clear in his head. Like the Leaf village, the Sand seemed to have left their vessel to a lonely life.

“I won’t interfere with them.” Baki promised after a long moment. “I only want to see them for myself.”

The siblings nodded and the group set off again. Eventually they came to an area with a lot of dunes and not a lot of structures, with the exception of several target posts. At the base of one of the dunes were Gaara and Naruto.

Naruto was squatting on the ground, Gaara’s gourd across his back. Nearby were the remains of sand castles, crumbling as the sand dried in the desert air. All the sand ninja paused and looked at the scene with wide eyes, Kankuro letting out a small “What the fuck?” under his breath.

“Holy shit, this is so heavy, what the hell…” Naruto was grumbling.

“It was your idea. You don’t have to.” Gaara said softly.

“No, no, I can do it, hang on.” Naruto bounced a couple of times, then stood straight. “Yeesh, and you wear this all the time… are you sure you’re not making it heavier on purpose?”

“I’m not.”

“Okay, here we go. Race ya to the top of this one!”

“I’m not sure it’ll be much of a race.” Gaara’s voice was dry, belied by the smile on his face.

“Hey, screw you! Don’t underestimate me, ‘ttebayo!”

“My apologies.”

“Ya damn right. Okay, ready?” Naruto centered the gourd’s weight on his back. Gaara bent his knees in preparation. “Annnnnnnnd….. GO!”

The boys took off, Naruto making up for the added weight and unfamiliar terrain with pure determination. He kept up with Gaara at first, but the red haired boy quickly pulled ahead, moving through the sand like it was nothing. Then, with a mischievous grin, Naruto weaved a sign and shouted, “Shadow Clone Jutsu: Uzumaki Escalator!”

Several shadow clones appeared, arranging themselves in a line, each one pulling the real Naruto forward and upward. From his standpoint with Baki and the other sand siblings, Jiraiya palmed his face, torn between shaking his head and chuckling.

“The hell kind of a use for a jutsu is that...” Temari muttered beside him. Naruto had gained on Gaara and was nearly to the top when Gaara suddenly disappeared into the dune.

“Wha-?” Naruto looked confused, then squawked as Gaara reappeared in front of him, having reached the top of the dune. “Oy!”

“I win.” Gaara said.

“Aw, man, come on that’s cheating…” Naruto complained.

“You used shadow clones.”

“Oh yeah…” Naruto grinned cheekily. “Guess you do win. But you can’t deny that it was way closer than you thought!”

“It was. Because you used shadow clones.” Gaara intoned.

“Oh yeah? Well just you wait, Gaara, I’ll beat you wearing this thing AND without clones next time!”

“How do you plan to do that, kid?” Jiraiya called, approaching the two and ignoring the annoyed glances from Temari and Kankuro as he interrupted the boys’ play. “Your form looked pretty sloppy to me.”

“Pervy Sage?!?” Naruto turned in surprise. “Who are you calling sl—oh shit!” Naruto had overbalanced against the weight of the gourd and soon tumbled head over heels down the dune, arms wheeling as he attempted to stop himself. What would have been a nasty fall was averted by sand emerging from the gourd and catching Naruto by the ankle, lifting him back to the top of the dune and dropping him there. Naruto wiggled himself out of the gourd’s strap and maneuvered himself into a sitting position, grains of sand clinging to his face and falling through his hair. “It’s in my ears…”

Gaara laughed, and everyone snapped their eyes to him. Aware of the attention, as well as the presence of his siblings and sensei, the boy quieted himself quickly.

“I’m—”

“That was pretty funny, actually. Thanks for the save, Gaara!” Naruto gave Gaara’s knee a friendly clap. “I guess I need to practice balancing more. If the Pervy Sage will actually TEACH ME SOMETHING NEW!” Naruto gave his teacher a pointed glare.

“I teach you plenty, brat.” Jiraiya said, rolling his eyes. “Besides, are you telling me you’ve been a full fledged ninja for almost two years and you need me to teach you about balance?”

Naruto stuck his tongue out at Jiraiya, and continued to make a variety of faces as the Toad Sage gamely ignored him and turned to wave the others over.

“We were just walking by and thought we’d check on you.”

Gaara looked at his siblings and his sensei the carefree expression he’d been wearing while racing Naruto fading into stoicism.

“We are fine.”

“Yeah, we don’t need checking. We’re not babies, ‘ttebayo!” Naruto crossed his arms and glared. Then his attention was drawn to Temari and Kankuro. “Oh, hey! It’s you guys!”

“Hello to you to, Uzumaki.” Temari said with a smirk. “I see you needed a Sand ninja to save you. Again.”

“OY!” Naruto’s face turned red.

“Did you need something?” Gaara cut in, looking sharply from his siblings to Baki. Baki held up his hands.

“Nothing at all, Gaara. I was simply showing Lord Jiraiya around and ran into Temari and Kankuro. We’ll be on our way.”  Baki looked at Jiraiya. “I think you wanted to visit the spa?”

“FINALLY!” Jiraiya hooted. He started back down the dune. “We’re only here til tomorrow night, kid,” he tossed over his shoulder. “So don’t get too comfy.”

“You don’t get comfy. Pervert.” Naruto muttered, pouting at his teacher’s retreating back.

“You should have dinner with us later.” Kankuro said to Gaara. “Temari’ll make enough for Naruto, too.”

“Oy, who said I was cooking tonight?” Temari said, looking vexed. “I cooked last time.”

“I literally gave you dinner last night.” Kankuro said, staring at his sister.

“Tch, grabbing takeout doesn’t count as cooking.”

“Come on, Temari, we have a guest!” Kankuro whined. “I don’t want to give a guest my crummy cooking.”

“Hmph, that sounds like a you problem. It’s your turn.”

“Uhhh, it’s not really a big deal?” Naruto said awkwardly. “Honestly, I—”

“I’ll cook.” All eyes snapped to Gaara for the second time that day. “I’ve never had a turn.”

“Oh… okay, Gaara.” Temari’s voice was cautious as she looked at her youngest brother. “But… do you know how?”

“I read a book.”

“I bet you did, bud, but I don’t know if—” Kankuro began.

“I want a turn.” Gaara said. “To cook for my family.”

Temari and Kankuro looked at each other silently, then at Gaara, who met their gaze.

“Alright.” Temari said, eyes still wide. “Gaara will cook for us.”

“Fine by me,” Kankuro shrugged. “You cool with that, Uzumaki?”

“Duh, of course!” Naruto said, throwing an arm around Gaara’s shoulders. “I’ll help, right Gaara?”

“Of course.”

“Okay, well… see you both tonight, then.” Temari nodded at Kankuro, and the two of them left with a wave. Naruto and Gaara stood at the top of the dune in silence for a moment.

“Hey, Gaara, can you kind of flatten the side of this dune?” Naruto asked suddenly. “Just kind of make it a smooth slope?”

“Why?”

“For fun.”

“That seems to be a favorite answer of yours.” Gaara said, but did as Naruto asked.

“Okay, consider this your next lesson in fun!” Naruto said, stripping out of his jacket. “Never do something the boring way when a fun way exists.” Naruto backed up, then ran towards the improvised slide Gaara had created, sliding down the dune on his belly with his jacket as a buffer between him and the roughness of the sand, whooping all the way down.

“Your turn!” Naruto hollered.

“I don’t have a jacket.”

“That’s okay, use mine!” Naruto held it up and Gaara used a tendril of sand to grab it and bring it up to him. “Just run and slide! But maybe without your gourd, heh.”

Gaara set his gourd aside, holding the orange jacket skeptically. But Naruto kept looking up at him with sparkling eyes and an eager smile, and Gaara did not want to disappoint him.

“Alright.” Gaara backed up, calculating the distance between himself and the slope. He held the jacket in front of him stiffly. “Alright,” he said again. Then he ran and dove down to slide. His stomach flipped as the wind blew through his hair, startling a laugh out of him as he let gravity guide him rather than controlling his descent. It was, just for a second, a kind of freedom he had seldom known. And then it was over.

“Fun, right?” Naruto said cheerfully, holding out his hand for his jacket.

“Fun.” Gaara agreed.

“Wanna do it again?”

Gaara did.

*

“So, um, when you said you’d read a book…”

“It was a book with cooking in it.”

“Not a cookbook, though.”

“Not as such.”

“Eh, how hard can it be?”

*

“Well, there’s always cup ramen. I basically live on cup ramen.”

“Does it catch fire?”

“Nope.”

“Perhaps that would be a better choice, then.”

*

Naruto’s mouth opened in a huge yawn.

“Oof, sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Gaara looked at his friend where he was leaning back on his hands, staring at the stars through the large bay window. “You don’t have to stay up with me.”

“I know, but we barely have any time, you know? And I don’t want you to be lonely, ‘ttebayo.”

“I am used to being alone at night.” Gaara paused for a moment. “And I am not lonely, because you are here. Even if you are asleep.”

Naruto smiled.

“And I have my plants.” Gaara added as an afterthought. His two cacti proudly bracketed his aloe plant in the window.

“I’m glad you have your plants.

There was silence.

“Actually, truth is? I’ve kind of not been sleeping well lately. I keep waking up. Nightmares, you know?”

“I’ve never had the displeasure.” Gaara reminded him. “Though I know that sometimes Temari wakes in the night. She drinks tea and returns to bed.”

“Ugh, tea…” Naruto made a face. Gaara smiled, turning his face to hide it. A thought occurred to him that wiped the smile from his face.

“Do you dream about…”

“Sasuke?”

Gaara nodded.

“Yeah. Not always, but… enough, I guess.” Naruto hugged his knees, looking at the floor. “I just… it’s not even the fight, not really. We always understood each other best with our fists. But the way he looked at me…” Naruto stole a look at Gaara. “He never looked at me like that before. Like… like they did.”

“Like the villagers.” Gaara said. He rubbed his chest where a dull ache had begun.

“… yeah.” Naruto’s gaze returned to the floor. “We always fought. He was always a jerk. But he never…” Naruto’s voice had grown thick with grief. “He never looked like he hated me. Or… or like he was afraid of me. He’s my best friend.”

“Still?” Gaara asked, turning to face Naruto more completely. Naruto’s head jerked up and Gaara was struck by the fierceness in his teary eyes.

“Of course he is! It takes more than this to shake me off, ‘ttebayo. Especially since I know he’s not himself right now! He’s just…” Naruto closed his eyes. “He’s just lost. He’s so lost, Gaara.”

Gaara thought that it would be perfectly reasonable for betrayal sealed with a fist through the chest to shake off a friendship. He chose to keep that thought to himself.

“It’s that curse mark… it’s that asshole brother of his, and that snake bastard, too. He’s got himself convinced that he has to break our bond, but I won’t let him. I won’t let him act like it all meant nothing.”

“I believe you.” Gaara said at last, because that at least was true as well as kind.

“Thanks.” Naruto inched himself closer to Gaara, so that their shoulders were nearly touching. “I’m glad you understand. Pervy Sage thinks I’m an idiot.”

Could Gaara allow the distance between them to close? Would it be improper to feel the weight of Naruto’s shoulder against his if Naruto did not initiate the contact first?

“I don’t think you’re an idiot,” he offered. Naruto sniffed, then shot Gaara an amused look.

“Yeah, you do.”

“I don’t,” Gaara defended. “You are prone to reckless behavior, and you do not always think before you speak. But I do not think you are an idiot.”

“I believe you.” Naruto said, then he bumped his shoulder against Gaara’s. “Thanks again.”

Gaara nodded, and with a surge of bravery he leaned more firmly against Naruto’s side, keeping his eyes on the stars. He didn’t think he could stand to look at Naruto should his friend reject the touch. Naruto’s only reaction was to drop his head onto Gaara’s shoulder. Gaara felt his breath catch in his throat, the pain in his chest twisting in a more pleasant direction. Barely daring to breathe, he lifted an arm and stiffly rested it on Naruto’s shoulders. Naruto sighed.

“This is nice.”

Gaara nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He’d never initiated this before. He’d never spent so long with so much of his body touching someone else. Naruto was warm next to him, warm like the sun when Gaara was looking for lizards, warm like the tea that Temari made for him one night, warm like… Gaara couldn’t think of an adequate comparison. How could he compare this person to anyone or anything else, when nothing else made Gaara feel so full? Moisture gathered in his eyes and he blinked it back.

“You’re important to me to, you know.” Naruto said suddenly. His breath whispered across Gaara’s collarbone, even covered as it was. “I know I talk about Sasuke a lot. But you are also important to me. Whatever I would do for Sasuke, I would do for you. You know that, right?”

“I…” Gaara swallowed, willing his voice to be steady. “I am… attempting to know that.”

“Attempting, huh?” Naruto sounded amused. “You’ll get there. I’m really persistent, ‘ttebayo.”

“You are.” Gaara said.

The stars had changed position before Gaara became aware of Naruto moving. The other boy’s sentences had been becoming fewer and farther between, and Gaara suspected that he would fall asleep soon, despite his best efforts. He found himself torn between disappointment and relief as Naruto finally slumped all the way over, his head falling from Gaara’s shoulder. Gaara guided the golden head down to rest on the pillow next to him, and Naruto barely reacted except to curl in on himself with a snort.

Gaara stood and stretched, his arm aching from having kept so carefully still for so long. He immediately missed the warmth and weight of his friend against him, even as he was finally able to breathe normally again. He walked over to his plants, turning them in their spots.

“I’m important to him,” he whispered to Parodia.

“He is my friend,” he told Aloe.

“I don’t want him to leave,” he confided to Mamillaria, tracing the shape of the flower.

The plants did not respond.

*

“Man, this was such a short visit.”

“You’re lucky you got this much time, you brat. We have places to go, ladies to see—”

“UGH.”

“Let’s get moving.”

“Fine. BYE, GAARA!! I’LL WRITE SOON, DATTEBAYO! WE’LL SPAR NEXT TIME!”

“Are you going to keep hollering across the desert, or what?”

“He hears me! He’s waving. Where are we going next?”

“That way, kid. We’re going that way.”

Chapter Text

  Dear Gaara,

Oh man, I miss you already! Almost as much as I miss Ichiraku Ramen. The ramen you showed me was pretty good, but it wasn’t the same, you know? I miss being home. But at the same time, I’ve seen so many cool things. There’s a whole lot of world out here—even just in the Fire country, where we’ve been mostly sticking to lately.

I think your village might be my favorite place that we’ve visited, though. Not that I like all the heat so much, but I just had a good time with you, you know? I’ve never had a friend to visit like that before.

How are you doing? I know it’s only been a week, but it feels like forever ago.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: Is Temari still mad about her pot?

Dear Naruto,

Temari is not angry about the pot, but she has not forgotten it. Nor does she intend to let anyone else forget. The day after you left she showed me the newest art installation in the Kazekage’s collection: The pot, held up by ninja wire so that the scorched bottom and carbonized inside can be easily seen by the viewer. She has titled it “Why We Use The Rice Cooker.”

It is an interesting piece. The next Kazekage would do well to keep it in the collection.

I also enjoyed your visit. It was nice to have someone to talk to at night, even if you fell asleep. I do not mean to dishonor my plants’ listening skills; it is only that they never answer me, and you do.

I can’t stop thinking about yo

When you touched me I felt like I might expl

Will you hug me again when I see y

I hope your training is fruitful.

Sincerely,

Gaara of the Desert

Dear Gaara,

Temari thinks she’s real funny, huh? I guess it could be worse, though. When are you guys gonna get a new Kazekage anyways?

We’ve stopped for a bit in this beautiful place with these nice natural hot springs. I don’t know if you would like it—there’s no sand, it’s all mud. But all the plants and stuff kind of make up for the mud, you know? It’s really nice. Pervy Sage says it’s time to get serious about my training which made me yell at him because DOES HE THINK I’VE JUST BEEN PLAYING AROUND??

All he cares about are naked girls. I even had to turn into one to get him to train me the first time. But anyway, now he’s serious. And I’m super excited!

I’m also kind of nervous. Don’t tell him that. Not because I’m worried about the work, I can work hard. I’ll work day and night until I can’t move, and then I’ll still practice in my sleep. But I’m worried because he wants to mess around with my seal, and see more of the Fox’s power.

And I know I’ll impress him with how strong I am, when I let that red chakra fill me up.

But what if I get crazy like when I was fighting Sasuke? I don’t think I’d really hurt him—I didn’t even hurt Sasuke that bad. Well, not worse than he got me. And that was on purpose. But also it wasn’t. Like I was only halfway in control.

Maybe that only happens if I’m really pissed, though. It’s never even come close to happening if I’m not fighting and really on the ropes.

It’ll be fine, right?

Anyway, I hope you’re remembering to have fun! That’s important. You look good when you have fun, you know?

Say hi to Matsuri for me!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I am not one to give assurances when dealing with one’s tailed beast. That said, it is only because of you that I knew fighting mine off was possible. I saw you call upon that chakra when we fought and, while my memory of that time is somewhat blurry, I cannot recall you being anything but yourself throughout. Therefore, I believe in your ability to maintain control.

It is natural to fight for your life. Jiraiya will not be threatening your life.

I am somewhat concerned about the way you convinced this man to train you. I have listened to Temari rant about the way men take advantage of vulnerable women. Her preferred strategy is to be so sharp and dangerous that no man might mistake her for vulnerable. There are other women who do not have her abilities, however. The idea that Lord Jiraiya made you not only transform your body but do so nude is discomfiting.

I believe we will have a new Kazekage soon, if all goes well. I am working hard to make sure it does.

For my requisite piece of ‘fun’ this week, I slid down the railing to get downstairs rather than walking. Kankuro laughed.

Matsuri is well and sends her enthusiastic greetings.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I’m glad you’re remembering to have fun!

The training is going alright so far. It turns out that I can let the Fox’s chakra cover me, kind of like a blanket, or a cloak. But I only give myself one tail. I feel like nine tails would be a lot to keep track of! I can use the tail sort of sometimes? It’s hard to explain. It doesn’t just wag there, it does stuff. Like I used it to grab onto a branch I was going to fall off of. But I can’t control it very well. Pervy Sage says to not worry about the tail so much, he says it looks like my instincts will drive it better than thinking about it and I should focus on fighting with my actual body.

The old man can actually move pretty well! He’s finally sparring with me a little. It’s getting easier to access the Fox’s chakra on purpose, but it still feels weird. It’s kind of like my bathroom faucet. I can turn it to get a trickle, but if I turn it too much it might spray all over the place, you know?

I keep meaning to get that fixed, but not a lot of plumbers will come to my place. I tried fixing it myself, and I guess that’s how I came up with this metaphor, haha. I made a big mess. It took AGES to get everything dry.

Also, don’t worry about Pervy Sage’s perviness. He didn’t force me to do anything, it just got his attention I guess. My Sexy Jutsu is good for stuff like that. It’s part of why I invented it! It’s really easy to distract people with so I can run away or punch them or something. Also it’s so so so so sooooo funny. That Ebisu guy practically passed out.

Ebisu is the guy that was supposed to teach me before I met Pervy Sage. But he was super lame and mean so I got him with my Sexy Jutsu and split. Then I found Pervy Sage trying to peep on girls by the onsen.

Your sister would probably like giving him a big whack with that fan of hers.  

Anyway, the weather is getting colder. What is winter like in the desert? Do you get snow? Do you like snow? Do you even have winter?

Write back soon! Also give your plants a hug from me!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I will not hug my cacti. I do not think they would appreciate it. I will, however, give them your best.

We do not experience winter the same way you do in the Leaf Village. The days become shorter and the nights become colder, but we remain a relatively dry place. I have never seen snow, but Temari remembers a slight flurry of snowflakes that fell when she was very small. It didn’t stick, but she remembers our mother taking her out in it to catch the flakes on her tongue.

I have no memory of our mother. I was told once that my sand protects me because my mother loved me, and I wonder about that. The same man who told me such later said that he’d been lying and that she’d died cursing me and giving me my accursed name. It is Shukaku that protects me.

Yet the woman that Temari describes does not sound like someone who would have cursed me.

Then again, the man who told me these things did not seem like someone who would want me dead until he did.

It is the past, I will attempt to leave it behind me. I have to look forward. And I do look forward—to your next visit, where I think you will find some surprising developments here in the Sand village. Hopefully to your liking.

I do not think we would welcome your teacher at our spas on your next visit, however. We must protect the dignity of our people.

This “Sexy Jutsu” of yours certainly sounds versatile. Is it simply a transformation? Do you need to make use of it often? How often do you need to run Surely you are distracting enough on your own

Are your eyes the sam

I am grateful that you did not use such a technique on me. I am not certain how I would have reacted, but it is safe to say that it would not have been well.

The metaphor regarding your bathroom sink was somewhat vague, but I think I understand what you mean. You intend to access only a small amount of power, but once you’ve moved only a few grains, the entire dune may well collapse forth onto you. You must shore up the sides—Before you access any more of that power, know how to turn it off. It must become as instinctual to hold it back as it is to draw it forth.

I know that you can do this.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Gaara,

You were wrong about me. I’m sorry, you were wrong. I couldn’t control it. I hurt him, I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t mean to.

I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry if I don’t write again soon. I need to take care of him. That’s all I can do, I guess. I need to take care of him.

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

What happened? Tell me, and perhaps I can help. Where are you? Are you alright? Your toad seems unusually serious.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Naruto,

I am sending this with one of our tracking hawks. It has been two weeks since your last letter.

You were there for me in my darkest time. Let me do the same for you.

Please

Tell me how you are.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Sasuke,

I know why you looked so freaked out now. Is this why you haven’t written back? Why you haven’t even taken any of my letters? You saw the monster in me, didn’t you? How much of the monster is the fox and how much is just me? I used to think I knew, but now I’m not so sure. If you were here, you’d know right away. I wish you were here. I wish you were here and I wish we were home and I wish I’d never found out about this goddamn fox. I wish I’d told YOU about it before you found out the hard way. I wish I was strong enough to save you, but I’m not.

I’m strong enough to hurt people, but not strong enough to save them. Took me this long to figure it out, I really am dead last.

This monster is why your brother is after me. Is that enough to make you come back? 

Please be okay. Please be okay.

Please be okay and please come and find me, I miss you

Naruto

Dear Gaara,

Sorry I didn’t mean to worry you. Pervy Sage is gonna be okay. I’m not hurt. Don’t worry about me, alright?

Sorry if this letter comes a little late, Gamakichi has to make a couple of stops for this delivery. He’s just grumpy about it.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I don’t believe your toad’s delivery was success

Did you mean to send me Sasu

Why can you say so much to him and not

If he won’t come to you I w

You are not fine. Even if you are not hurt. I do not think I can stop myself from worrying about you.

You might help alleviate that situation by explaining what happened. I would have less cause to be concerned then.

You are not a monster. If you are, I shudder to think what that makes me.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Chapter Text

Dear Gaara,

Answering two letters at once—your tracking hawk found me like two hours after you replied to my toad. Oops!

I know I sounded really serious before—I was just really freaked out. It turns out that it was sort of like you said. I pulled a little power, and a lot came out. Turns out that when the chakra cloaks me and makes the tail, each tail is like a certain amount of the fox.

It doesn’t really make sense to me, but it’s also the only way to explain it.

So, one tail coming out is what I’ve been practicing with. I’m in control when that happens, mostly. But then the second tail comes and it gets hard. Everything gets kind of… red, I guess? And it hurts and it burns. I feel it in my face the most. Pervy Sage was trying to practice with me to pull that power back.  Turn off the faucet, you know? But I don’t know, it was just hard. I was really mad, and really tired. And it was like I couldn’t turn off how angry I was? And then it started to REALLY burn.

I don’t remember what happened next. But I guess a third tail started to come out, and it was like I wasn’t there at all. I attacked Pervy Sage. He was able to kind of knock me out, but when I came to he was bleeding a lot. There was nowhere to really go, we’re kind of in the middle of nowhere. I carried him to this old Grandpa’s farm and that guy and his wife really freaked out. They realized who Pervy Sage was (because of those pervy books!!) and they agreed to help him but I guess I still looked kind of crazy and they sent me away. And that’s when I wrote to you.

He’s finally well enough to travel again, so that’s what we’re doing. He says it’s not a big deal. He says it’s just a lesson learned, and now we know to be careful. That’s what he says.

Anyway, some good news—I wrote a letter to Sasuke. I figured if it worked with you, it would work with him. And Gamakichi has always just brought these letters back unopened. But he said he delivered it this time! That means Sasuke at least wanted to read what I said! That’s good, isn’t it?

Oops, I have to go. Pervy Sage wants to get to the next town as soon as possible. I’ll write more when we settle.

Thanks for worrying about me, Gaara.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: What happened to the guy that tried to kill you after talking shit about your mom? I want to beat his head in for you.

Dear Naruto,

I should tell you that I have Sas

Jiraiya is correct. It is something to learn from. You are both alive and you will be able to continue your training. Perhaps I am fortunate that Shukaku only has one tail.

I can only offer the comfort that you gave me—if you keep working at it, you will come out on top. Even if you can never fully access the entirety of the fox’s power, you are still an incredibly powerful ninja. I know this well.

I think that I will always worry about you now. I do not know how to stop. And the strangest part is, I think that worrying about you is one of the privileges of my life.

Sasuke is not the one who go

The man in question was my uncle. You do not need to beat his head in; he was killed in the attempt on my life.

Sasuke did not receive

I hope that you are right about Sasuke.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I want to thank you for everything you said. I was really feeling sorry for myself, you know? But you’ve overcome so much more.

Like. Your Uncle did that to you? AND your dad was awful? No wonder you were hurting so much. That just makes everything you’ve done since we met even more awesome.

Well, I can’t have you outdoing me! You’ve inspired me to work even harder and get back on track. It’s just like you said, as long as I don’t give up, I can get that bastard fox under control! And I never give up. That’s my nindo. Thanks for reminding me.

I think I am right about Sasuke—why else would he keep the letter, you know? Even if he burned it after, it means he at least looked at it, right? Because the other couple I’ve sent, they were just left with the toads. They said they were being kept away.

I hope he writes back.

Wait, what if he can’t? I just thought of that. What if he doesn’t have a way to get it to me, and he didn’t remember until he’d sent Gamakichi away already?

I can’t think like that. Sasuke’s a genius- don’t tell anyone I said that! But he is. When he’s not being a bastard. So I know he could figure out a way. That Orochimaru jerk can’t be watching him all the time. Right?

Anyway, what’s the good news from the Sand village? Did you get your new Kage yet? Will I like him? I hope he’s not a jerk. I don’t want to deal with jerky people when I’m finally Hokage, you know?

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

Sasuke never got you

I am glad to have helped you in some way, but I also want to say that I did not intend to imply that my trials have been greater than yours. We have known the same kind of suffering, even if the details are different.

I am certain that if Sasuke Uchiha wished to contact you, he would find a way to do so.

If I could find him I would trap him in sand until he read your

Our new Kazekage will be inaugurated in two days. For security reasons, the council is keeping his identity strictly within the Sand for a time. I hope that you will like him. I know that he has worked hard for this, and that he hopes more than anything to live up to your expectations.

I think Parodia is beginning to flower. You would be proud of it.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Chapter Text

Dear Naruto,

I am sorr

Temari says I need to tell y

Sasuke nev

I don’t know how to

How would you tell a friend that you did something to wrong them?

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I guess it depends what you did? I dunno, just tell them I guess. Then say you’re really sorry and you won’t do it again. If they’re your friend, they’ll forgive you if you’re sorry.

What’s wrong? Did you have an accident with Shukaku? Or did you say something mean by mistake or something? Whatever it is, I’m sure you can fix it!

Let me know! Also tell me how the new Kazekage is! He’s not the one you upset, is he?

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: Pervy Sage is feeling much better! I can see him at the dango stand across the street through my window. He’s got like 3 girls around him. I don’t know how he does it. Isn’t 3 too many? Oh wait one just punched him I should probably go, bye!!!

Dear Naruto,

I haven’t had an accident, nor have I upset the Kazekage. I believe I can best describe my crime as a lie of omission. And now I am going to just tell you.

Naruto, the truth is that Sasuke never received your letter. Your toad handed it to me accidentally, then declined to take it back as it was undeliverable anyway. I did not realize what it was when I read it, and once I did I couldn’t find the words to tell you. So I did not tell you.

I am telling you now. Temari has insisted that it is better to do so, even if the knowledge will hurt you, than to continue the deceit.

I am very sorry to have lied. And I am very glad that Jiraiya is doing better.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

What do you

Why did you

So you mean that

I’m so pi

I’m not mad but I am als

Why would you say

Thanks for telling me. I don’t want to talk need some ti am really busy training right now, so I can’t talk too much. I’m going to talk to the toads about being more honest.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: If you still have that letter, could you maybe tear it up or something? It wasn’t for you is kinda embarrassing.

Dear Naruto,

Consider it gone.

I, too, am increasingly busy. I do have news to share, though I am not sure if you want to hear it right now.

You haven’t said if you forgiv

Should I apologize agai

Would you like me to explain myself? My siblings have differing opinions on whether I should, seeming to center on the nebulous difference between an explanation and an excuse.

Please forgive m

I do not know what to

I hope you can still believe me when I say that I know your hard work will bear fruit, and you will soon be ready to face Sasuke yourself.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I want to believe you. I know you probably had a really good reason.

I don’t know what it is and I don’t know if I want to know what it is because if it actually is a really good reason then I shouldn’t be mad at you and I kind of want to be mad at you right now.

But I also don’t want to be mad at you. I want to see you, so that I can yell at you and then I can hug you and I can see your face when we talk.

Why did you let me think he was going to respond? Why did you let me hope like that? Did you just want me to stop talking about him? Pervy Sage thinks I think about him too much. I can’t help it, though.

I don’t want to be mad at you, actually. I don’t want you to feel bad. I know you already do.

I don’t know how to do this. Maybe we should just forget about it. You can tell me your news and everything can be normal again. And I just won’t talk about Sasuke with you.

But then who am I supposed to talk about him with? Sakura misses him too, but she just gets so sad. She doesn’t understand the way you do. Or I thought you did.

I don’t even know if I want to say all of this. I wish I could see your face.

I don’t think I’m gonna send this one.

Dear Naruto,

I have not heard from you in some time. I understand that you may still be angry with me. Temari and Kankuro insist that I should give you time and focus on my new duties instead.

Focusing is becoming increasingly difficult, however. I cannot stop wondering what you are doing or what you are thinking. If you might forgive me some day, or if I have ruined this as I have ruined so many things.

I can only say this: I am, again, so sorry to have hurt you. I did not act with bad intent, though that does not change the results.

Please answer me, please tell me that we are still friends, I have so much to tel

I would appreciate a note, at least, to assure me of your well-being. The Akatsuki are still out there.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Hi, I know it’s been a while. I’ve been working hard. No more accidents so far, which is good.

Is there a word for being mad and not mad at the same time?

I’m not really mad at you. I’m not sure I was ever mad at you? I was kind of… I don’t know, almost mad? Next to mad? Angry-sad? I don’t know, words are hard sometimes.

 You don’t have to worry about me, or about me forgiving you. You’re my friend, no matter what. I just didn’t really know what to say to you until now. I still don’t really know. I think it would be easier if we were face-to-face, you know?

I guess I’m mostly embarrassed. You probably thought I was super pathetic, with what I said in that letter. I asked Gamakichi about it, and he said he dropped the letter by mistake, but left it because he was sick of bringing them back to me without delivering them. He should have just told me that.

So it’s not all your fault, even. Gamakichi shouldn’t have left it with you. I don’t know why he did.

I guess I’m still kind of stuck on why you didn’t just tell me in the first place though. Can you explain that?

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I am so glad to hea

Thank you for forgi

I am glad that you are well and that you’ve not had any more accidents. I am certain that you are learning more and more powerful jutsu.

The word you are looking for might be ‘disappointed.’

Why does disappointing you seem worse than anger

You need not be embarrassed. I did not, nor have I ever, considered you pathetic. I was sad for you, and angry at Uchiha for turning away. I wished to provide you with some of the comfort that you sought from him.

You said to explain, so here it is: When I first read that note, I was not sure what to do or say. I knew that it was not meant for me, but I could not unread it. I thought I would address it after you had calmed down, as you were distraught over the Fox having wounded your master. However, in your next letter you seemed so hopeful that Sasuke was listening to you. I did not know how to tell you that he wasn’t.

I told you the truth when I said that I believed Sasuke would find a way to contact you if he wished to. I could not bring myself to tell you that clearly did not wish to. I could never find the words. Eventually, Temari found the letter on my desk and told me that I was doing you a disservice. And so I confessed my sin.

Perhaps you’re right. Perhaps this would be easier face to face.

But then I would have to see your eyes when you were disappointed

Your eyes haunt me

I am very grateful that I have not ruined our friendship. Your capacity for forgiveness continues to amaze me. I am sending another cutting of aloe along; I am sure that you are running low.

Sincerely,

Gaara

PS: I may not respond to future letters as quickly as I once did—There is a shocking amount of paperwork and council meetings involved in my new position as Kazekage.

Chapter Text

Dear Gaara,

WHAT?????

Okay, I forgive you, don’t do it again, but forget about that because WHAT????????? Kazekage??? Huh? How? When did this get decided? I didn’t know you’d made so much progress in your village.

Like, really Kazekage? As in the leader of your whole village?? With that hat and everything??

WHAT?????

Say more right now, I don’t care how much paper work you have!

You can’t just drop something like that in a PS and not say anything else!!!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I am grateful beyond words for your forgiveness.

My becoming Kazekage was another thing I did not know how to tell you. In part, I wanted to be certain that it was happening before I said anything. It was never a sure thing and was difficult to attain. I’m sure my journey to this position was shortened significantly by how urgently we needed a new leader.

I knew I would be aiming for the position of Kazekage since the day you helped me rescue Matsuri. I told you then that I would make my entire village precious to me and hope to be precious to them in return, because that is where true strength comes from. You taught me that. For the past 18 months I have been studying diplomacy, law, history, and strategy. I have been working to build up trust with the villagers as well as the Jounin council. I also made a point of taking missions with shinobi of all ranks, apart from my siblings.

Kankuro was skeptical at first, and Temari was concerned. Even so, they both stood behind me, as I now realize they always have. It is difficult to describe how it felt to realize that. It was like a pain in my chest, but also a release—as though a muscle had been clenched tight my whole life without my knowledge, and suddenly came loose.

That is not to say I have not faced opposition—there are those on the council and in the village that do not fully trust me or my abilities. There have been two assassination attempts, but they were as unsuccessful as they have ever been. And, unlike the attempts in my childhood, they were decried as dishonorable and unjust by most of those around me.

I did not kill my would-be assassins. They sit in prison. It is my hope that in time they will be able to serve the Sand Village again.

When I was coronated I wanted you ther I couldn’t help looking for you in the my siblings and my sensei stood with me. There were many in the crowd who I know were apprehensive, but there were also people who cheered. Kana, from the greenhouses. Sumaru and Ichimaru, from the sekihan stand. Matsuri and her friends. Others, whose names I have yet to learn. I felt as though my chest would burst.

It is a relief to tell you all of this, because I can finally tell you that it is all thanks to you. The things you taught me. The dreams you shared with me. I will do my best as Kazekage for my people, and I hope that I will live up to their expectations, and to yours. I look forward to working with you once you achieve your dream—between the two of us, our villages will have a strong allyship.

I know that you are shocked. I hope that you are also pleased, and that you are doing well.

Sincerely,

Gaara

PS: The hat may be practical for blocking the desert sun, but it is otherwise quite heavy and impractical. Would it be presumptuous to redesign it?

Dear Gaara,

I’m more than pleased. I’m happy. I’m so happy, I had to ask Pervy Sage for a better word—ecstatic! It might be weird to say, but I’m really proud of you, you know?

I was almost kind of jealous that it happened so quickly for you, but I know how hard you’ve worked. I know you deserve this. You’re smart and you’re strong and you understand what’s important. I know you’re gonna be the best Kazekage ever! Definitely better than your old man.

You’re doing it, Gaara. You’re becoming precious to your village. They’re seeing you for who you are now.

I didn’t even think about assassination attempts—people are still trying to do that to you, even as Kazekage? I hope you pounded them before you put them in jail! You don’t deserve that. Don’t they know that you’re their leader now, and that you’re protecting them?

What’s it like? I know it’s a lot of paperwork and that’s the worst part, right? It looks like the worst part. It’s the part that I’m most worried about once I become Hokage.

Still, I won’t be outdone by you! Once I get Sasuke back I’ll be able to focus on becoming Hokage myself, you better believe it! Our villages will be the best and strongest in the world.

Also I always thought the hat looked pretty cool. But maybe you don’t have to wear it all the time?

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: I know you’re super busy now, but don’t forget to have fun, okay?

Dear Naruto,

My apologies for the delay. There has been much to organize lately. Temari has been my ambassador to the Leaf village and has made two trips since my inauguration. She seems to have found a friend in Shikamaru Nara, although she often seems annoyed with the idea of him. It’s confusing. Kankuro says it’s because Temari is a woman and women are confusing by nature, but that seems very reductive to me. Do you agree?  

It is my understanding that assassination attempts are par for the course for a kage in their early days. At any rate, people have been trying to kill me since I was small, and none have succeeded. You don’t need to worry about me. My assailants were easily dealt with.

Your faith in me means a great deal. I will slide down the banister today in your honor.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I’ve learned some new moves with my shadow clones that I really want to show you. Also, I found this cactus today in a shop Pervy Sage stopped in, and it made me think of you. The shop keep said it’s called a Moon cactus, and it hardly needs any space or care at all. It’s a red-head, just like you! Maybe you can keep it on your desk, so you have someone to talk to Kazekage things about. I know some stuff is top secret, so maybe having a cactus that can’t talk will help.

The Kazekage shouldn’t be lonely, after all!

Also, I guess girls can be confusing sometimes. Like Hinata, she always acts weird around me. And Sakura was always falling over herself for Sasuke, even when she had a great guy like me right there NOT being a jerk. But maybe that’s just them and not all girls. Heh, it would be funny if Temari started getting weird about Shikamaru. That guy is so lazy, he wouldn’t know what to do with himself!

I might not be able to send a letter for a while, Pervy Sage was talking about going deeper into the mountains and the toads attracting attention. But I will when I can!

And when I can’t, I’ll watch the stars like you do at night. And I’ll say good night to them, and it’ll be the same stars you’re looking at so it’s kind of like saying goodnight to you! And maybe you can say good night to me too? If you want.

Or maybe that’s dumb. You don’t have to! Anyway, I hope you like the Moon cactus.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: I built a sandcastle today on the beach of a lake. It didn’t come out as good as yours.

Dear Naruto,

I hope this letter finds you well. There have been whispers of the Akatsuki beginning to move again, though none of their ilk have been seen around here.

I am not certain how I feel about my sister potentially “getting weird” about Shikamaru Nara. I suppose as long as it does not affect her work as a ninja, it is not my business. I do not remember much about Sakura or Hinata, save that you wanted to protect them both.

How was Hinata weird arou

Did you want Saku

Am I weird arou

I have given your gift a place of honor on my desk, and I have found a friend for it. I do not know if you were aware, but these cacti are actually mutations grafted on to their roots, as they cannot produce their own chlorophyll. They come in different colors, and I was able to find the Lady Star variant, with its yellow top. It reminds me of you, and so seemed a fitting companion for the red cap.

I have not made any sandcastles since you left. I hope that we can see each other soon, perhaps for the next Chuunin exams—they will be hosted in the Leaf again, and I am certain that you will want to achieve that ranking for yourself. I might travel to the Leaf to oversee the final rounds, as my father was meant to do for our own exams. I hope that your travels will bring you back around soon- I cannot imagine that your Hokage would want you to stay gone much longer.

If you were one of my ninja, I would keep you close.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Chapter Text

Dear Gaara,

GUESS WHO’S BACK IN TOWN???

Well, almost. I’ll be home tomorrow, if the old man can tear himself away from this onsen sometime soon. I can’t wait to see everyone and see how they’ve all grown. And then they can see me, and how cool I look in my new clothes. The old ones were really falling apart after a while.

Don’t worry, though, I’m still mostly orange! Pervy Sage tried to say that a ninja should wear more subtle colors, but I told him I didn’t need dark clothes to disappear if I have to! Besides, stealth isn’t really my style, you know?

Maybe Sakura will want to go on a date with me. Probably not though, she doesn’t like me like that. I don’t know if I really like her like that either, honestly. That whole business is confusing. I tried reading one of Pervy Sage’s books to see if they explained things any, but they’re more boring than anything. Why would I want to read about people taking baths, you know?

I did get an idea for a more advanced Sexy Jutsu, though. I didn’t even show you the original one, the new one would knock your socks off! I almost killed Pervy Sage with the more advanced version, it was SO funny.

Once I’m home, I’ll be able to write more often again. And maybe I’ll come visit you soon. I miss you, you know.

Also, I’m not too worried about the Chuunin exams. Everyone will have to take them, won’t they? Well, besides Shikamaru, he made Chuunin last time.

Anyway I hope you’re doing okay. Don’t forget to have fun!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I think you might be operating under a misconception regarding the Chuunin exams.

Temari is in Konoha now helping organize them. I’m sure she and Nara will fill you in.

While stealth is not one of your strengths, your teacher may have a point about attracting undo attention to yourself. That said, I can hardly imagine you dressed in something else.

Kankuro and I are attempting to cook dinner tonight on our own. Time will tell if this qualifies as fun. If it does not, I will leave sand in his socks to make up for it.

I look forward to seeing you soon, and hearing from you sooner.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME EVERYONE ELSE MADE CHUUNIN ALREADY? I’M THE ONLY GENIN LEFT IN MY CLASS!!! TT_TT

I can’t believe Sakura did it without me. AND she wouldn’t even get ramen with me.

Anyway, tomorrow me and her are taking on Kakashi-sensei to show him everything we’ve learned. Sakura seems more serious about training now. I guess she’s been working closely with Granny Tsunade and learning medical ninjutsu. That’ll be useful once we’re back out there looking for Sasuke!

I saw Temari and Shikamaru. They both said they’re only spending time together because they have to, but I don’t know… I think there might be something there, you know? Though Shika is probably too lazy to do anything about it.

I guess I will see you at the Chuunin exams, since I’m gonna actually have to take them now. By myself. UGH.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: When you come here for the exams, I’ll treat you to Ichiraku’s! It’s still the best ramen around!

Dear Gaara,

The others had to stop. They said to sleep, but I can’t, because I know you’re in trouble. If I had it my way, we’d just keep going.

Kakashi-sensei says it’s important to rest and be at full strength to help you. I get that, I do, but I have more chakra than I know what to do with. It’s not like I’ll just run out before we get to you, right?

I know you’re strong and I know you’re fighting. I hope you also know that we’re coming for you—that I’m coming for you. I won’t let those Akatsuki bastards take you without a fight. I won’t let them get you at all.

When you read this, we can laugh about how worried I am right now. You can tell me that I’m dumb and reckless without saying the words and that I should listen to Kakashi-sensei. And I can try and stay up with you again, and we can talk about what being Kazekage is like and I can tell you how I got a bell from Kakashi-sensei.

For now, I’ll tell Gamakichi to leave this on your desk, and I’ll tell the stars good night.

Please be okay. Temari is really worried.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Chapter Text

Progress back towards the Sand Village was slow. Gaara’s body was still… stiff, and that made Naruto tremble, even as the Kazekage made valiant attempts to reassure his villagers of his wellbeing. His friend looked so vulnerable without his signature gourd across his back, which was now unprotected by the sand which had kept Gaara from injury for most of his life.

In addition, what had started off as a small rescue party now consisted of a huge contingent of Sand shinobi, led by those who loved Gaara most—his siblings and his student. Not to mention the body of Elder Chiyo, being watched over by Sakura and the old man. They would have to stop for a rest soon.

Naruto watched, chewing on his lower lip, as three tents were set up. Not something that would usually be done when only stopping for a few short hours, but these were unusual circumstances. Gaara would get one as Kazekage, of course. One was given to house Chiyo and her brother. Another was set up to house those who were injured. Kakashi would rest there, as would the others who were exhausted from their mad dash to save Gaara from the Akatsuki.

Naruto wouldn’t. He wasn’t sure he could rest at all. It had taken a tremendous amount of willpower to allow Gaara to detach from his side and check in with some of the shinobi that had come to his rescue. Naruto was only slightly mollified by the fact that Temari was sticking close to her brother, fiercely protective.

Gaara deserved to see how much he was loved. He’d earned it.

“Hey. Blondie.”

Naruto looked to his left and found Kankuro smiling at him from under the cat-ears of his hood.

“I wanted to say thanks,” the puppeteer said. “Thanks for bringing my little brother home.”

“We’re not home yet,” Naruto responded. “I didn’t actually do much, anyway. It was Granny Chiyo that saved him. I… I didn’t.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true.” Kankuro said. “Elder Chiyo wasn’t the type to make that kind of sacrifice. You have a way of getting to people, kid. Like how you got to Gaara.”

Naruto shrugged. He thought that was giving him too much credit.

“Actually, Gaara would probably appreciate another rescue. Temari and Matsuri are probably being really overbearing right about now.” Kankuro gestured to where Gaara was standing near the entrance to his tent, his hands up in front of him to placate the women in question.

“Right.” Naruto said, his voice distant. But he walked over anyway, leaving Kankuro smiling behind him. Gaara immediately clocked Naruto’s approach and seized the means of his escape.

“I need to speak with Naruto,” he said with a note of finality, then turned from Matsuri to gesture Naruto into the tent with one motion. Naruto was aware of Matsuri sighing and Temari laughing as they retreated without fuss, leaving Naruto and Gaara alone in the small tent. Gaara sat down on top of a bedroll that some considerate person had provided for him and gestured for Naruto to do the same.

“You’re quiet,” Gaara said, fixing Naruto with his piercing green stare. “It’s unusual.”

“I’m just glad you’re okay.” Naruto said, sitting close enough to let their knees touch. “I was really worried about you, ‘ttebayo. You were…” Naruto swallowed, fighting away the memory of Gaara’s cold skin and still body. “Those Akatsuki assholes really did a number on you.”

“Yes,” Gaara said. “I am somewhat embarrassed that I was not able to hold out against them. Deidara was able to deduce my weaknesses and used the safety of the village against me.” Gaara frowned in contemplation. “Once they had me, I was helpless in a way that I have never been in my life. Not even when fighting you.”

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about,” Naruto said hotly, leaning forward. “I heard all about it. You saved your whole village, you did everything a kage should do, ‘ttebayo. Everyone just wanted to save you.”

“So it would seem,” Gaara said, glancing out of the tent to where the dozens of shinobi that had come to his rescue were milling about. “I must admit, it’s surprising. I don’t understand why they’re all here.” His brow furrowed. “I would prefer that the village remain thoroughly guarded when I am away.”

“It’s because they love you.” Naruto said, his voice soft now and full of wonder. “They all saw how you kept them safe. They believe in you, and they wanted to see that you were alright. You… you’re precious to them, Gaara. Precious to your whole village.”

Gaara met Naruto’s eyes, and for once Naruto couldn’t come up with more to say. The weight of that revelation, of Gaara’s importance to his people, settled around them. Naruto felt his eyes watering and looked away.

“It’s amazing, dattebayo.”

Gaara said nothing, just kept his eyes on Naruto. His gaze had grown more piercing in the two years since they’d last seen each other, his features sharper. Naruto swiped at his eyes and glanced back at his friend.

“How are you feeling, anyway?”

“Tired. Still stiff,” Gaara reported after a moment. “But otherwise well. Thanks to you.”

“No,” said Naruto. “You know it was Granny Chiyo. I didn’t…” He looked away again. “I didn’t do anything. Just leant her some chakra. You know I have lots.”

“You did more than that.” Gaara insisted. “You… found me.”

“Too late.” Naruto snorted, and then he buried his face in his hands, unable to keep it in any longer. “I found you too late, that’s what I did. When we finally got that cave open, that blonde asshole was just… he was just sitting on you. Just sitting on you and you were so still and even when I finally caught the bastard you still wouldn’t wake up and you were so cold and you were gone, Gaara, you were gone, and—”

“I’m here.” Gaara reached out a tentative hand to Naruto’s shoulder. “I’m here because you found me. Not too late.”

“You were dead!” Naruto cried out, glaring up at Gaara from behind his hands. “How is that not too late?”

“I am alive now. Because you gave Elder Chiyo your chakra. Because you found me, not just my body. Naruto, you found me.”

Naruto lowered his hands as Gaara’s tightened on his shoulder. Gaara took this as encouragement.

“When I was… dying. When I was dead. It was like I was disappearing. I was alone in the void, feeling myself slip away. And I found myself wondering—was that all that I was? Just one man, alone, fading from life and from memory, soon to be forgotten? Did I matter at all?”

“Gaara…” Naruto felt his heart break open. He took Gaara’s hand from his shoulder (not stiff, not cold) and held it tight. “Of course you matter. How could anyone forget you?”

“There are many people who would wish to,” Gaara said quietly, looking at where Naruto’s hand held his. “The truth is, I wasn’t sure anyone would come after me. Anyone besides my brother, with Temari out of town. And maybe…” Gaara brought his eyes back to Naruto’s, and Naruto squeezed his hand. “At any rate, I was disappearing. Even when Elder Chiyo was bringing me back, I was alone. I came back to consciousness in the void, and I wasn’t sure why. I wasn’t sure where to go or what to do. I was so alone. But then…” Gaara gave a small smile. “Then I heard you, calling for me. Bringing me back. I turned, and you were there. Your hand on my shoulder was the first thing I felt. You… reached me, somehow. In that void.”

“I was trying to.” Naruto whispered. “Granny Chiyo said to look after you. To get you. And I didn’t know what she meant, but I still tried. Like my whole… my whole everything was reaching out to find you. And then you opened your eyes.”

“Because you found me.” Gaara said again, still smiling. Finally, Naruto smiled back, even as tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Getting to his knees, he leaned forward and finally wrapped his arms around his friend. His friend who was not cold and not stiff and so very alive.

“Gaara…”

“Yes?”

Naruto pulled back to study Gaara’s face.

“It’s warm, ‘ttebayo.” He said thickly. “Your smile,” Naruto clarified when Gaara’s hairless brow furrowed. “It’s so warm.”

Gaara’s smile grew wider.

*

When the caravan got moving again, Naruto stayed at Gaara’s side while Kankuro took the other. If some Sand shinobi took issue with this ninja from the Leaf inserting himself between them and their Kazekage, they were at least smart enough not to say anything. Temari kept a close eye on both of her brothers as they progressed into the desert, concealing her fretting with barbs about how slowly they moved, about how they would be stuck walking under the noon sun at the rate they were going if they didn’t pick up the pace.

Kankuro complained about his sister’s complaining. Lee bounded back and forth between his teammates and the group around Gaara, proclaiming loudly and eagerly that beating the sun to the village would be a wonderful, youthful challenge until Tenten slapped his head and told him not to get Gai riled up when they had injured with them. Matsuri checked in with the head of the caravan and with Gaara regularly, chattering excitedly to Naruto about her work as a Chuunin of the Sand (Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration, pointedly ignoring Sakura’s brief, teasing glances from where she walked alongside Chiyo’s body) and how glad she was that he had once again come to her sensei’s aid, promising that one day she would come to his.

Gaara just smiled and smiled, even as he forced his stiff legs to keep moving, even as his energy flagged.

In the end, dawn was just beginning when the caravan approached the walls of the Sand village, and the many ninja guarding the wall began to cheer as civilians lined up at the gateway, applauding and waving as their Kazekage brought the sun in on his back.

Naruto squeezed Gaara’s shoulder as the redhead’s jaw dropped in awe at this bombastic reception. The blonde couldn’t stop beaming as Baki emerged to welcome Gaara back. He barely managed to tamp his smile down into some kind of solemnity when Gaara asked for Elder Chiyo to be honored with silence and respect as her body was carried back into the village. The grin exploded right back onto his face as they walked through the streets and children jumped up and down and waved at Gaara, some of them throwing sand in the air and then getting scolded by their parents for setting up a dust storm in front of the Kazekage.

At the front door of the Kazekage tower, Gaara turned and raised his hands for silence, stepping away from Kankuro and Naruto’s support.

“I thank you all for what you have done for the Sand Village, and for me as your Kazekage. The village is safe. I promise you that there will be a review of our security measures, and you will all learn the results as soon as they are available.” Gaara paused a moment, considering the many people gathered in front of him. “The Sand Village is strong. We are strong because we stand together, and do not allow our own people to suffer in silent solitude. This attack by the Akatsuki yielded many casualties, I am told, among the guard troops. We will not forget their names, or the families they leave behind. I will personally compile a list and see to their memorials. I ask that you, as citizens of the Sand, seek to support and comfort those who have lost loved ones. We ninja live lives of danger and sacrifice, it’s true. But that does not mean that the cost is easy. Through sharing the pain of those who lose, we will build bonds so strong that no enemy can tear us down.”

Several cheers erupted from the crowd, and Naruto couldn’t tear his eyes away from Gaara, who once again raised his hands for silence.

“I also ask that you make these Leaf Ninja comfortable as allies and friends of the Sand village. Our bond with our neighbors helped save me today. Honor them.” He paused again, a small smile creeping back onto his face as Naruto waved cheekily at the crowd. “The information I promised will be made available as soon as possible. Now I, and the rest of our shinobi, must return to our most precious work—protecting and upholding the Sand Village.” Gaara nodded and turned to enter the building, and most of the crowd took his cue and began to dissipate, muttering excitedly to each other.

“But Lord Kazekage!” Gaara turned his attention to a young boy with a shiny headband—likely a fresh graduate from the academy. “You’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m… not hurt.” Gaara said. “I was, but I am better now.”

“Can you teach me how to do those sand things?” The boy asked eagerly. “I want to protect the village like you did! It was so cool!”

“If he’s teaching anyone, it’s gonna be me,” cried a girl who reminded Naruto strongly of Moegi.

“Don’t be dumb, only the Kazekage can do sand things. That’s why he’s the Kazekage!” Another child entered the fray, and Gaara began to look mildly alarmed, the guise of the wise and powerful leader slipping away as he struggled to find an answer for the children. Naruto laughed and tugged on Gaara’s sleeve.

“C’mon, lets go get ramen or something.”

The children squawked with outrage and Temari intervened, sending them off to train and then shooing Naruto away, too.

“Gaara doesn’t have time to fool around,” she said frankly. “He’s the Kazekage. And he’s tired.”

“Aw, but—”

“Naruto.” Gaara interrupted. “I need to speak with my council and get a report, at least. We can speak later.”

“Actually, we need to be leaving soon.” Kakashi spoke for the first time from where Gai and Neji were supporting him. Sakura nodded beside him, looking preoccupied with something. Naruto figured she was still sad about Granny Chiyo. Gaara eyed Kakashi, then looked back to Naruto, who was clearly fighting back a protest.

“You can leave tomorrow.” Gaara said, holding up a hand to stop Kakashi from continuing. “You are clearly in no shape for the kind of travel it takes to cross the desert after noon. You came to our aid—I will not send you back to your Hokage with heat stroke. Stay and recover your strength.”

Sakura and Kakashi looked at each other, and Naruto vaguely wondered what they were in such a rush about.

“I insist. Please do not insult my hospitality.” Gaara pressed, making Naruto grin. Kankuro raised his eyebrows, sharing a look with his sister, who smiled and shrugged.

“I would very much like to see the Sand Village properly!” Lee chimed in, making Naruto smile wider. “To see how a different village of ninja trains to their limit is a rare opportunity! Do you not agree, Gai-sensei?”

“You’re absolutely right, Lee!” Gai gave a thumbs up and a signature smile, and Naruto could see the moment that Kakashi gave in, looking at Sakura and giving a tired shrug.

“Well, we wouldn’t want to insult you.” Kakashi said. “We’ll leave before dawn tomorrow, then.”

Naruto cheered, grabbing Gaara’s arm.

“YES! Let’s go get that ramen!”

“I still need to go to my meeting, Naruto.”

“Awwww….”

Chapter Text

By the time Gaara had finished debriefing, getting a list of casualties for the memorial, and reassuring his siblings and his student that he was, in fact, perfectly fine, the sun was low on the horizon. Gaara allowed himself a rare moment of release, slumping into his chair with a quiet groan. He was tired. More so than he could remember being in his life, even after years of never sleeping. He glanced to his right and smiled at the cacti on his desk, the Red Moon and the Lady Star. Side by side, just as he and Naruto had been in the field where he had been brought back.

Resurrected.

Because he had died.

Gaara’s fists clenched against the unfamiliar fear in his chest. He was fine. Perfectly fine. Naruto and Elder Chiyo had made sure of it.

He gave himself a shake, and a folded piece of paper on his desk caught his eye. He picked it up and noticed the familiar chicken scratch of Naruto’s handwriting before he began to read.

*

“Yo, Gaara!” Gaara looked up as Naruto bounded into his office, disregarding all decorum. He could hear his guard grumbling outside and was grateful that they had acquiesced (however reluctantly) to his request to allow Naruto the same free reign granted to Temari and Kankuro. “Tell me you’re finally done with all that stuff you had to do.”

“You’ll be doing this ‘stuff’ yourself, once you become Hokage.” Gaara said. He lifted the letter Naruto had left him. “I haven’t had time to compose a response.”

Naruto’s cheeks turned charmingly pink as he reached up to scratch the back of his head.

“I forgot about that.”

Gaara flicked his eyes between his friend and the letter in question.

“It’s generally considered unwise to complete S-rank missions while sleep deprived.”

“Reckless, dumb, and I should listen to Kakashi-sensei, right?” Naruto asked with a self-deprecating smile, coming forward to lean against Gaara’s desk. “I knew you’d say that.”

“I notably did not say that.” Gaara pointed out, allowing his lips to curve up in a smile. A warm smile. He was capable of it after all, just as Naruto had told him.

“I knew that too.”

“Yes.” Gaara stood from his desk, stretching the last of the stiffness from his body. “I believe you also wanted to tell me about acquiring a b—” Gaara felt somewhat indignant as his body chose to interrupt him with a large yawn, his jaw cracking open and his eyes screwing up entirely without his permission. “A bell,” he finished, frowning at himself.

“Ma-a-an,” Naruto yawned, also looking somewhat perturbed at himself. “I’ve never seen you yawn. Didn’t anyone ever tell you that those are contagious?”

“Are they?” Gaara stubbornly fought back a second one, gesturing for Naruto to follow him. He nodded at the guards outside his office and began leading Naruto to his living area. His back felt unnaturally light and open. “I don’t typically suffer such attacks. I didn’t realize they could be passed around.”

“Oh yeah, it happens all the time. One person yawns, then the next person, then before you know it everyone is sleepy. ‘S why I couldn’t stand sitting next to Shikamaru in school. He was always making me sleepy. Lazy bastard.”

“He does seem singularly unmotivated. Temari often complains about it.” Gaara pushed open the door to his quarters, waving his guards aside. Naruto followed him in, nearly walking into Gaara’s back when Gaara stopped and stared. At some point during his many meetings today, someone had taken the time to make up the unused bed in the suite. There were more pillows than Gaara would have expected, and there was a lush comforter spread over the mattress. Gaara was struck by the uneasy thought that his father had used this same comforter set when he was Kazekage. As Gaara didn’t sleep, there would have been no reason to acquire new ones.

“Everything okay?”

Gaara forced himself not to jump at Naruto’s voice in his ear, even as goosebumps erupted on his skin at the feeling of the blonde’s breath on his neck.

“That bed has never been made before. Not for me, at any rate.” Gaara answered after a moment. Naruto moved from behind Gaara to stand beside him, considering the bed.

“It looks comfy,” he said at last. “Are you tired?”

Gaara was. His body ached. His head ached. His eyes felt heavy. As if on cue, another yawn battled its way out of him. He scowled as Naruto answered with a yawn of his own, barely hidden behind his hand.

“I guess that answers that, huh?” Naruto sounded amused.

“I don’t sleep.” Gaara reminded him grumpily. “Or… I didn’t.”

Naruto sobered up, biting his lip. Gaara reminded himself not to stare.

“Right. You don’t… it’s really gone from you, huh?”

Gaara nodded. Naruto chewed on his lip for a moment longer, wrapping his arms around himself.

“What’s, um… what’s it like?”

Gaara folded his own arms in contemplation, casting his attention inwards. How could he verbalize the… absence that he now felt? The way his thoughts seemed to echo in the new silence of his mind, the way he had become so aware of his body, which now seemed far too big for him? How could he articulate the utter terror and the glorious relief that danced within him in opposition to each other?

“Gaara?”

He had been silent too long. When he looked up, Naruto was leaning forward, his brow furrowed in concern. He could feel the heat of him on his skin, no longer insulated by the layers of sand that he had always kept close. Gaara took a step back.

“It’s… quiet,” he decided. “And very strange.”

“Yeah, I bet.” Naruto’s expression was unusually subdued. “Is it... Well, you’ll be okay, though, right?”

“Of course.” Gaara nodded, hoping to reassure his friend. “Again, thanks to you.”

Naruto waved off Gaara’s thanks, still looking troubled.

“Can you, you know, still… I haven’t seen your gourd.”

“No. I lost it during the fight—I needed to use it to protect the village. And then I was…” Dead. “Unconscious.” Gaara decided to answer his friend’s unspoken question honestly. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t tried.”

“Right.” Naruto shifted his weight. “You’ll figure it out, ‘ttebayo.”

Gaara nodded, then felt his face twist as another yawn fought its way free. He scowled at himself. This was undignified.

“Hey, at least you can sleep now, r-i-ight?” Naruto said encouragingly, speaking through his answering yawn. “I know you couldn’t before.”

Right. That was what the bed was for. He was expected to sleep. Gaara’s scowl deepened.

“I don’t want to,” he said, despising how childish his voice sounded.

“Aw, why not? Sleep is great when you don’t have to worry about it. It’ll feel really good after everything to just rest, I bet!” Naruto slapped the top of the bed, letting his hand bounce on the covers. “And these fancy blankets look real comfy, ‘ttebayo! Way better than what I have at home.”

“I find meditation quite restful.” Gaara countered, even though he privately thought he could not possibly concentrate enough to attain the kind of meditative state that would refresh his mind. Not with his mind feeling so alone and so quiet, and not with Naruto so close.

Naruto sat on the foot of the great bed, regarding Gaara thoughtfully.

“Are you worried you’ll have bad dreams?”

The thought hadn’t entered Gaara’s head, truthfully. But now that Naruto had mentioned it…

“I have never had a good experience sleeping.” Gaara admitted to his friend, sitting beside him. “The few times I have, I woke up to destruction and fear. If that is the only thing my mind associates with sleep, I cannot imagine that it will let me rest. The memories haunt even my siblings—to this day, if I come upon them too suddenly at night, they are afraid.” Gaara chose not to mention his most recent experience with unconsciousness, which had not been unconsciousness at all, but death itself. The idea of closing his eyes had never seemed less appealing.

“I know something that might help.” Gaara forced himself not to jump as Naruto took his hand. His grip was gentle, and it was warm, and for the first time it was bare to his skin, with no sand between them. “You know now that it will never happen again. All that bad stuff that happened was Shukaku, not you. And Shukaku’s gone.” Gaara felt Naruto’s eyes on him and turned his head to meet them, letting the deepness of the blue wash over him. “It’s just you now. And you would never hurt them, or anyone that didn’t deserve it. You can actually rest now.”

“I…” To his horror, his voice actually shook. He pulled his hand away and stood up again, getting himself to solid ground even as he ached for the way Naruto’s hand had felt around his. “I don’t know how.”

“That’s okay, I can help!” Naruto bounced up as well. “We can have a sleep over!”

“… sleep over?” Gaara looked at his friend skeptically.

“Yeah, yeah! People do it with their friends all the time! They wear their pajamas and stay up late and eat junk and talk about stuff and then they fall asleep!” Naruto was talking faster now, walking around Gaara’s room without shame and tugging open his drawers. “I’ve never had one before, but Shikamaru and Choji did sleepovers all the time! And Kiba, Kiba says sometimes his whole family kind of does a big pile of them all sleeping together. And I know Ino sleeps over Sakura’s sometimes, even if they both act like they’re fighting. Hey, these look comfy!” Naruto tugged out a pair of sweatpants that Gaara was certain he had never worn and tossed them in Gaara’s direction. “We only wear comfy clothes to sleep!”

Gaara considered the pants and Naruto in their turn. Naruto had never been able to stay awake the whole night. Gaara was fairly certain that he could play along with this sleep over idea until Naruto dropped off, and then settle into his usual meditative routine. He did not have to sleep. He looked up as a shirt flew towards him as well.

“Fine. Please stop making a mess.”

“YES! You change, I’ll go get my stuff!”

*

“…”

“What?”

“What is that thing on your head?”

“Eh? You mean Bucky?”

“… Bucky.”

“He keeps my head warm and comfy. You want to try?”

“No, thank you.”

*   

“I lost control again.”

“When?”

“When I saw that Deidara guy acting so carelessly with you. Like you were nothing to him. I just… I couldn’t stand it.”

“Was anyone hurt?”

“No. Kakashi-sensei stopped me before it got bad. Pervy Sage figured out this seal thing to use.”

“That’s good, then.”

“Not so good that it happened.”

“The circumstances are unlikely to repeat themselves.”

“They’d better not. I’ll kick your ass if you get killed again.”

“… That seems logistically improbable.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll find a way.”

“I believe you.”

*

“You’re not asleep yet.”

“You aren’t either!”

“Tell me more about these sleep overs.”

“I haven’t had one myself, I told you. But… oh, we can have a pillow fight!”

“A what?”

*

“You’re cleaning up these feathers.”

“You did it too, though!”

“You’re cleaning up these feathers.”

“No fair, dattebayo!”

*

“I hope your other sleep over traditions are less disruptive.” Gaara said from where he sat on one of the unharmed pillows to supervise Naruto sweeping the loose feathers into a pile.

“Don’t act like that wasn’t fun!” Naruto grumped, even as he tossed his jacket over the pile to hide it.

Gaara didn’t bother hiding his smile.

“It was. And it was disruptive.”

“The best fun stuff usually is.” Naruto took a flying leap back onto the bed, laughing to himself as he bounced. The ridiculous cap that he had been wearing was now crumpled on the floor, having fallen victim to Gaara’s first blow. “I don’t know what to do next. Shikamaru says he and Choji just go right to sleep, but that’s ‘cause Shika is boring. Sakura and Ino probably talk about boys they want to kiss or something.”

“Kiss?” Gaara asked before he could help himself, a strange warmth itching inside him.

“Oh, yeah. Like how they used to talk about Sasuke.” Naruto put the back of his hand to his forehead, affecting a high, airy voice. “’Oh, Sasuke, please, let me touch your cheekbones and kiss your stupid pouty mouth! You’re just sooooo handsome!’”

Gaara scrunched his nose, recalling the angry dark eyes in the serious, sharp face of the boy in question. He wasn’t sure he could see the appeal.

“Ridiculous, right? Swooning over that asshole!” Naruto nodded at Gaara, crossing his arms. “They should be talking about a real man. Like me!”

“You… want Sakura and Ino to kiss you.” Gaara felt an odd pang in his chest at the thought.

“Well… Not Ino. And… not really Sakura either. Not anymore.” Naruto laid back down, his hands behind his head, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I used to really want her to go on a date with me. She never wanted to. I still ask sometimes, but it’s not like I’m serious about it anymore. I don’t think… well, I mean, she’s still really pretty! But I don’t think I like her that way anymore, you know?”

“No. How can you tell?” Gaara asked honestly, laying down beside his friend. Naruto turned his head to look at him.

“It’s kind of hard to describe. I just don’t really have that feeling anymore. I used to spend ages thinking about how to impress her. Now, I just want to take care of her because she’s my friend. I don’t really want anything more.”

“And kissing would be more?” Gaara checked, unsure how that made him feel. His friendship with Naruto was easily the most important thing in his life. It was difficult to imagine anything more important than that.

“If we did it more than once, yeah.”

“First kisses don’t count?” Gaara was more confused now.

“No, they do!” Naruto assured him. “But first kisses are like… like the first sip of ramen.”

“Ramen.” Gaara made no attempt to hide his skepticism, fighting back a yawn to be sure his voice was as flat as he wanted it to be.

“Yeah, yeah! It’s exciting, and you have to earn it or make it or whatever, but you don’t know if the ramen is any good ‘til after. If you really like that ramen, then you want to make sure you can always have it. If you don’t like it, then you might not even finish the bowl! And I guess some ramen you might take a few more sips to make sure. Pervy Sage says that to be a kissing master you have to kiss lots of people, the same way I have to try lots of ramen to be such an expert. I’m not sure about that one, though. He gets smacked a lot.”

Gaara frowned, mulling that over in his head.

“That sounds like a good way to acquire syphilis.”

“Eh???” Naruto pushed himself up on his elbows. “No, that only happens with naked stuff. Way beyond kissing. Who told you that?”

“After you left the last time, Kankuro attempted to give me ‘The Sex Talk.’ He didn’t get very far.” Gaara recalled the way his brother had turned red and stuttered. “Eventually I assured him that I understood the mechanics of reproduction. He wound up throwing one of your master’s books at me, but Temari took it away. She just told me to respect my partners and make sure not to have too many lest I contract syphilis.” His sister had then smacked Kankuro in the head and scolded him for putting strange ideas in Gaara’s head and encouraging him to read disgusting books that no self-respecting ninja would be caught with. He elected not to pass along the insult to Naruto’s sensei.

“That was nice of him.” Naruto laughed, laying back down again. “Even if he kind of sucked at it. Pervy Sage just gave me one of his books, too. He wanted me to proofread his new one, but I didn’t like it. It was pretty boring to me.”

“So you didn’t read it?”

“Not most of it. Besides, I don’t need a stupid book to tell me what kissing is like, I already—” Naruto cut himself off, turning a shade of red that was swiftly becoming one of Gaara’s favorite colors on him.

“What?” Gaara prodded after a moment.

“Well, I guess I already had a kiss.” Naruto was getting redder. Gaara raised his brow, enjoying Naruto’s embarrassment. It was… endearing.  

“But not Sakura.”

“No… it was…” Naruto groaned. “It was Sasuke.”

Gaara felt his mood plummet, a scowl attempting to creep onto his face. Of course it was the Uchiha. Naruto’s most important person.

“BUT it was an accident!” Naruto said quickly. Gaara’s scowl gave way to confusion.

“How do you accidentally kiss someone?”

“It was the day we got put on the same genin team. I was kind of getting in his face because he was a jerk, god, he was always such a jerk, and I was about to tell him that he better not get in my way with his jerkiness, but then the guy behind me pumped into me and I fell forward so it wasn’t my fault!” Naruto said, gaining speed with every word.

“You… fell on his lips?” Gaara asked, incredulous.

“It was an ACCIDENT, I tell ya!” Naruto insisted, leaping to his feet. “And it hurt, ‘cause our teeth smashed together. And then the girls let me have it after, which was so dumb, because it was that stupid other guy’s fault! And it’s not like Sasuke dodged or anything, he was just glaring at me like a JERK!”

Gaara squinted, trying to make sense of this story. He came to the conclusion that this was one of those things that could only possibly happen to Naruto. He tried not to be too cheered by the fact that kissing Sasuke Uchiha did not seem to rank as a good experience.

“I believe you, settle down,” he said at last, yanking Naruto back onto the bed before he could start pacing.

“Thank you.” Naruto huffed. “I think Sakura still thinks it was on purpose sometimes. Anyway, how about you?” He nudged Gaara’s side. “Anything you haven’t been telling me?”

“No.”

“Aw, come on. I think Matsuri has a crush on ya.” Naruto cajoled, waggling his eyebrows.

“Matsuri is a child.” Gaara said, vaguely disturbed.

“So are we, though.”

“It would be wildly inappropriate. I am her teacher and her leader.” Gaara said firmly. “At any rate, I am uninterested.”

“Fine, fine.” Naruto yawned, and Gaara couldn’t help but answer with his own yawn. He would have to dedicate time and meditation to suppressing this new instinct. “Let’s actually sleep.”

*

“Sleep usually means you close your eyes.”

“So close them.”

“Gaara, you’re supposed to sleep!”

“I don’t think I’m tired any… any…m-o-o-ore.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Close your eyes, Naruto.”

*

Gaara looked down at Naruto, who had at last closed his eyes. His own felt heavy, though he stubbornly refused to lay down and close them. Naruto’s face was lax, his brow smooth, the teeth of the obnoxious cap once more brushing the top of his forehead, his lips parted just slightly. Gaara reached out a hand unthinkingly, nearly touching the blonde as he traced the air over those lips, feeling Naruto’s warm exhales against his fingertip, wondering… wondering...

“Hmmm… Gaara?”

Gaara snatched his hand back to himself.

“You’re not planning on sleeping, are you?” Naruto sat up, scratching his head.

“I don’t want to.” Gaara said, now too tired to be anything but honest.

“It’s not good to skip sleep.”

“I’ve skipped 16 years worth of sleep.” Gaara said. “I doubt one more night will make a difference.”

“I wish you would try, though. Isn’t that why we’re doing this?”

“I’m doing this because I enjoy spending time with you.” Gaara said, then felt his cheeks heat up. Too honest. But when he chanced a look back at Naruto, his friend was smiling softly.

“I like it, too.” Naruto said, leaning his head on Gaara’s shoulder. The gesture was now familiar enough that Gaara had no qualms about leaning his head onto Naruto’s. He was warm. Maybe he could close his eyes.

His mind began to grow fuzzy as he let his eyes droop closed. Maybe… No. He sat up straight again.

“Gaara…” Naruto complained. Then he wrapped an arm around Gaara’s shoulders. “You trust me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then lay down with me.” Naruto tugged Gaara back down onto the bed. “I won’t let anything bad happen.”

“I’m not a child.”

“I know.” Naruto said. “Just… please, let me do this for you?”

Gaara looked up at Naruto’s earnest eyes, which nearly glowed in the moonlight, and felt his will crumble.

“Alright.”

Naruto gave a relieved smile as he adjusted their pillows and gathered the comforter from where they had pushed it to the foot of the bed. He spread it over Gaara, then crawled beneath it himself, turning on his side to face his friend.

“Close your eyes.”

Gaara sighed but obeyed. He felt Naruto sidle closer, felt his heart beat faster as Naruto ran a hand up the bare skin of his arm, then back down again in a steady rhythm. The touch became lighter, more like a caress. Gaara felt his mind begin to drift again, but it was hard to be wary when Naruto was so close, touching him so gently. As his breathing evened out, he felt a brief pressure against the tattoo on his forehead. Naruto’s lips were soft.

“Goodnight, Gaara.”

Gaara slept.

Chapter Text

Dear Gaara,

Man, I miss you already. How are you feeling? Are you sleeping? I hope you aren’t being stubborn about it. You’re the one who said it’s important to rest! You’re the Kazekage now, you’re supposed to be wise and shit.

I’m so glad you can still use your sand. Thank you for showing me. It makes me feel better about leaving you.

Not that you can’t take care of yourself! I know you can. It’s just you’re the only one of my friends who is so far away.

Well, you and Sasuke. I’ve been thinking about him. I don’t know if I told you, but we ran into his brother while we were looking for you. Or, kind of his brother. It was weird. It was like fighting his brother, but it was a kind of genjutsu or something… I don’t really understand how he did it. Kakashi-sensei would be able to explain, but he’s not making much sense right now.

Anyway, Itachi got me in a genjutsu right away, and I couldn’t break it. And it was messed up! It was like everyone I cared about and let down was speaking to me, and their faces were appearing all over my body- Sasuke was half my face, and Sakura was coming out of my stomach!! And you were there too. Just an eye and your tattoo on my hand, telling me how I’d failed. It was awful. Sakura and Granny Chiyo had to get me out of it. I guess my training with Pervy Sage wasn’t enough.

But that just means I have to work harder! And I’ll do it! I know Sakura is thinking about him too, she’s been quiet the whole way. I think she’s also sad about Granny Chiyo. They fought together against that guy with the puppets, and I think that made Sakura feel really close to her. I’m glad we were able to see her memorial before we left.

Well, we’re about to get moving again. Gai is carrying Kakashi-sensei piggy back, it looks SO WEIRD. But at least we’re moving fast…

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

Itachi Uchiha’s genjutsu sounds disturbing indeed. I hope that you know by now that as far as I am concerned, you have never let me down in any way. Put that out of your mind.

I am certain that your strength will impress Uchiha when you encounter him again. I only ask that you be careful. Remember his eyes, and do not let your inexplicable fondness for him hold you back. I don’t want him to hurt you again

I am also glad that I still have my sand. I would feel quite naked without it. It will take me some time to reform my gourd properly— My chakra needs to infuse with it properly to strengthen it. Even so, it moves at my command as easily as ever. It makes me wonder… long ago, I was told that the sand protected me because it was my mother’s last wish for me. That she loved me and wanted to protect me even in death. That same person later told me that this was a lie, that my mother hated me and named me a self-loving demon, and the sand was because of Shukaku.

But now, Shukaku is gone, and the sand remains. Could he have been telling the truth the first time? Do I get my name from my mother, or my sand? I suppose I will never know.

I could not bring myself to say this out loud, but it is easier to write: Thank you for helping me sleep last night. It is true, I was afraid to do so on my own. Your presence was comforting calming. Temari found the destroyed pillows and laughed for a long time, so you need not worry about her wrath for destruction of property.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Wait til you get a load of THIS BULLSHIT!!

So we get home and Kakashi-Sensei has to be in the hospital for a while because he over used his Sharingan but probably mostly because Gai almost killed him with super speed piggy back rides to get us back quick. Lee wanted to do it to Neji, but he said no so he just took all of our packs instead, which I wasn’t going to complain about! But THEN I go to see Granny Tsunade, and I hear her and Shizune arguing because it turns out Sakura got a lead on Orochimaru which means A LEAD ON SASUKE and SHIZUNE WANTS ME TO STAY IN THE VILLAGE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

I thought she was on my side! At least Granny Tsunade knew I wouldn’t stay put. But can you believe that? And THEN

THEN I went to go find someone to help us on the trip since we didn’t have Kakashi-sensei. Shikamaru was too lazy, of course, but Choji was a real pal about it. Or he was GOING to be, when all of a sudden we got attacked! Actually attacked by this weird pale guy with this weird jutsu that makes his drawings come to life and he was saying weird shit. And then he just disappeared and we were all like “well that was weird”. And Choji can’t help, but at least he wanted to TRY but anyway me and Sakura get called to Granny Tsunade’s office and she says that she’s got our new teammates for us and then I turn around AND IT’S THE SAME FUCKING GUY, GAARA. HE’S THE GUY I’M SUPPOSED TO TRUST TO HAVE OUR BACK WHILE WE LOOK FOR SASUKE.

AND HE JUST KEEPS TALKING SHIT. He called me weak and he called Sasuke a traitor. Who the fuck does he think he is to talk about him like that? Also there’s this guy that’s our temporary captain while Kakashi-sensei is recovering. His name is Yamato. He’s a little creepy, honestly, he just looks at me like this ಠ_ ಠ

He’s taken us to an onsen and that’s where we are now but I’m not even done because do you know what that weird guy said? He SAID I HAVE A SMALL DICK!!! WHO SAYS SHIT LIKE THAT?!?!?!? WHAT DOES HE KNOW? MY DICK ISN’T SMALL, GAARA!!

And Sakura says the pasty faced bastard kind of reminds her of Sasuke. HA! Sasuke’s way cooler than this jerk, at least he knows that you don’t say shit like that!!! Once he’s back him and me will drop kick this bastard out of our team, just you wait.

Anyway, I’m gonna go get in the water and try to calm down. If he talks about my dick again, I might kill him. Actually for real.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: Your mom must have loved you. How could she not love you? Forget about the stupid things that person told you. What a dick.

Dear Naruto,

Why was this man looking at your pen  Who is this man  Why did he  Are you sure that Uchiha will Has he seen your

I am sure that your Hokage has her reasons, but I encourage you to inform her about the uncouth comments this man has made. It is inappropriate at best for a shinobi to speak to a comrade in such a way that would make you uncomfortable. It did make you uncomfortable, righ Why did he attack you? Was there ever an explanation given?

Your letter was somewhat unclear. The man making inappropriate comments is not your team captain, correct?

I admit that I am uncomfortable with the idea of you going after such a target as Orochimaru, and then Uchiha, with teammates that you are unfamiliar with. I know that you and Sakura are extremely capable, but so is Orochimaru. Perhaps I am being overly protective, but I wish that I could offer my personal assistance here. I don’t trust Uchiha and I worry that you do. Don’t let him hurt you

Shizune is Lady Tsunade’s assistant, if I recall. I can guess at her reasoning for wanting to keep you in the village—Akatsuki is active again, and it may be easier to protect you if you are within the village. Then again, I was attacked in my village, so keeping you home may only bring the Akatsuki there. I can understand both arguments, but it would be a fool who attempted to keep you tied down where you did not want to be, especially with Uchiha out there.

Perhaps you are right about my mother. I will never know. But thank you for the thought, it is a nice one.

You make it sound as if I am easy to lov

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Naruto,

The Sand Village has received intelligence that the Tenchi Bridge was destroyed in a large battle with Orochimaru at the center of it. Were you there? The intelligence was unclear about who else was involved, but I can only assume that you were.

I know that you cannot always disclose mission particulars, but I would appreciate assurance of your wellbeing. The amount of damage being reported is concerning.

Sincerely,

Gaara

I hurt Sakura.

We’re going after Sasuke.

N

Dear Naruto,

Is she alright? What happened? Was it the fox? Are you alright?

Sakura is strong and compassionate. I am certain she does not blame you, whatever happened.

I will have this delivered to your home rather than tracking you. I will not interfere with your mission and focus by sending this to you directly. But I would like you to respond when you see this, even if it is only a word or so of assurance that you are well.

I will have you in my thoughts (I always do, and I wish you the best of luck with Uchiha.

If he hurts you again I will kill him myself

Regardless of what happens, know that you remain the greatest ninja I know.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

We saw Sasuke and I couldn’t do anyth

Sakura says it’s okay but I don’t kno

How do I know I won’t keep

Sasuke has gotten so stro

Sasuke was acting like he would kil

I was so close to him. We were so close. And his eyes were just

He got into my head. He could see

We’re back in the village. Sakura is fine. She’s tough. We saw Sasuke. I couldn’t bring him back.

I’m not hurt.

Make sure you’re getting sleep.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Chapter Text

Dear Naruto,

It would perhaps be easier for me to sleep if I knew you were alright.

You said that you were not hurt, but who knows better than us that wounds need not be physical?

You would talk to Sasuke, why not to me?

Let me support you the way you have supported me.

Sincerely,

Gaara.

Dear Gaara,

You’re right. I’m not all the way okay. I guess it’s hard to talk about. But I’m gonna try.

Orochimaru showed up at the bridge. I guess you know that already. We were all ready to fight him and Kabuto, but then that bastard started talking about Sasuke. Real creepy stuff, too. Like Sasuke was a toy or something, like he owned him. And I just got SO ANGRY.

I could feel the Fox’s power rising, and I didn’t even try to stop it. And it was worse this time than it was before. I can’t remember anything that happened after, except for the hate. And the pain. It hurt, Gaara. Like I was on fire. I’ve heard people talk about getting so angry that their blood boils, and I finally get it now. And the only thing that mattered was tearing that snake bastard apart.

I guess Sakura tried to get in the way, tried to calm me down. But I was too far gone to even care. I don’t remember what I did to her, I just know that she was hurt. Burned. Captain Yamato saved her. And Captain Yamato stopped me with his special jutsu. I don’t really understand how it works, but it’s a Wood Style jutsu, which I guess is pretty special because only the First Hokage could use it. And that snake bastard made it sound like he had something to do with Captain Yamato being able to do that, which is also creepy as hell. But it made the Fox go away.

Sakura is tough, like I said. She tried not to show that she was hurting. She’s even the one who healed me after Captain Yamato let me go. But I could see the burn on her arm, and I know she got hit on the head too. I didn’t even think it could have been me that did it, I thought it must have been Sai. I never thought I’d hurt her. But I did. And she was scared of me.

She tried to act like she wasn’t. But I saw. She kept flinching if I moved too fast. She kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. Even when she was talking about the mission, even when we were running, like she had to keep an eye on me. And that almost got her even more hurt.  

Captain Yamato really laid into me about it. He told me how irresponsible it was to let it happen, especially when I already knew that I could hurt my friends if I got like that. And he was right. I don’t know why I thought it would be different after Pervy Sage. Or I guess I just thought it would be different with Sakura. I’ve never wanted to hurt Sakura. And now I have this weight in my chest about it, it just feels so heavy, Gaara.

Anyway, then we went after Sasuke. Sai went ahead… actually, I lot happened with Sai. I… don’t know how much I’m allowed to say about it. We’re keeping it kind of quiet. I think I understand him better now. But I don’t trust his boss. I guess that’s what I’ll say: His boss is a guy named Danzo, and if you ever have to deal with him in some meeting or something, just don’t trust him.

When we found Sasuke again…

I keep trying to say what it felt like. But none of the words I know sound right.

He was an asshole, like always. Standing there above us, acting all cool. He uses a sword now. And he’s faster. Sai says he was going to kill me. Sasuke said it too, actually. He said that he hadn’t killed me last time because he didn’t want to be like Itachi, but he didn’t mind killing me now because he severed our bond. And I’m sure it looked like he was going to, cuz he had his sword pointed at my back, but Sai was trying to kill HIM, and I stopped him. I don’t think Sasuke was going to kill me right then, though. He kept saying that he’d severed our bond, but I know he didn’t. If he really had, he wouldn’t have known that I was going to block Sai’s blade for him. But then he did something new.

Remember his Chidori attack? He did something new with it. He kind of spread it out, I guess? It knocked me and Sai out for a minute. When I came to, Sasuke was attacking Captain Yamato. I could feel the Fox, telling me to get angry again. And I wanted to. I wanted to smack the bastard in the head and shake him around and kick his ass until he started talking sense again. But then he did something REALLY crazy—he got into my head.

Or, I think it was my head. It was right by the Fox’s seal… though the seal is on my stomach. Does that mean we were in my stomach?

I don’t know, but somehow he was in my head or stomach and he could see the Fox! And the Fox could see him! And they could talk to each other and to me. The Fox knew the Sharingan, he said it reminded him of some other Uchiha named Madara. Sasuke didn’t care. He made the Fox go away, just like that. No wood jutsu, no fancy seal. Just with his eyes. And you know what the weird thing is? Right before the Fox left, he told Sasuke not to kill me. Why would he do that?

Then we were back out of my head, and I couldn’t feel the Fox hardly at all. But I didn’t care. I don’t need that bastard Fox to yell at that bastard Sasuke. So I did. And you know what that asshole said?

He said that as long as Itachi died, he didn’t even care if Orochimaru took his body. He didn’t care what happened as long as he got his revenge. He said he doesn’t want to come back to the village. He started to do some other jutsu, but Orochimaru stopped him and took him away. We couldn’t follow them. So we came home, and I’m just so angry.

I’m angry that I hurt Sakura. I’m angry that Orochimaru thinks Sasuke is his. I’m angry that Sasuke thinks he can sever our bond. I’m angry that the Fox won’t let me get angry without trying to take over my body. I’m angry that Sasuke thinks I’m wasting my time coming after him. I’m angry that when I sleep, I dream about my skin burning off and having enough power to destroy everything.

But I’m not going to stop, Gaara. I swear on my life, I will get Sasuke back. And I’ll figure out how to keep this damn Fox under control.

I just wish I felt like I knew how.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

Thank you for sharing. You have certainly been through a lot since we last met.

Losing control to the demon inside you is never pleasant. It was difficult for me even before you taught me the value of human life. I cannot imagine the turmoil it must cause in you, who has always been so devoted to it. The only advice I can offer you is an echo of what you gave me; give Sakura time and keep showing her that you are determined to control yourself. She already knows the man you are. It will not take as long for her as it did for my siblings.

You are far from the monster that I was, Naruto. I do not think you need to worry about going down that path.

I am sorry that you have experienced this pain. Shukaku did not burn my skin when I would transform, nor would he leave me injured once he receded. That does not mean that the transformation was painless. I remember the tremors that shook my body, the way my muscles would seize and contort. It was frightening. It was exhausting. And there was no one who understood it. I hope that my understanding, however small, helps you.

As for Sasuke Uchiha…

I don’t know why you have such rose colored lenses for Maybe you should consider that

I know that bond is important to you. I know you well enough to know that when you say you will do something, you will do it, one way or another.

I only want you to be cautious. Sasuke is deep in the darkness now. Do not think that he will not harm you. And do not think that harm to yourself is an acceptable sacrifice to reach him. It is not. You are not replaceable.

That Sasuke was able to converse with the Fox and even exert some kind of control over it is concerning. Do not make it easy for him to use this power. Does this ability come from the Sharingan? That only makes it more important for you to learn how to counter it.

As for why the Fox asked him not to kill you, I can only assume it was a plea for its own survival. If the vessel dies without the seal being broken, so does the demon, after all.

I am enclosing some meditation techniques that helped me when I was struggling for control over Shukaku. I know that meditation is not an activity that you prefer, but you do not need to stay still to do these; some of them encourage movement. I hope it helps.

Please take some time to rest. And, Naruto, please remember to have fun.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

I don’t think Sakura is scared of me anymore. She just beat me up for just STANDING NEXT TO Sai. He decided to nickname her “Ugly.” Who DOES that?

Thanks for the meditation stuff. The one with all the kata sequences actually helps way more than all that “sit still and feel the grass” stuff. Did you use that one?

And thanks for everything else. You understanding DOES help. I guess I should remember that more often. You’ve been through so much, and you came out on top. If you can do it, then who am I to do any less? I won’t be outdone by you!

Also, you were never a monster. You were a kid.

I know that Sasuke will hurt me. I’ll hurt him, too. Punching is how we talk.

I know that’s not all you meant. I promise, I take him seriously. I won’t let him get in my head/stomach again. And I don’t exactly plan to just stand there and let him stab me, you know? I just don’t think that he really wanted to kill me at that moment. I won’t let him keep thinking our bond is broken. It’s not.

I’m going to get some barbecue with my friends. That’s my fun for the day. What’s yours? And don’t forget to sleep!

Thanks for everything, Gaara.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I did use the one with the kata sequence. The muscle memory I built with those helped me build the foundation for my taijutsu before I met my tutor, Shira. It is a shame that you were not able to meet him when you were here, I think you would like him. Rock Lee certainly did; they met at their chuunin exams.

I am always happy to help you. You have helped me more than you know.

I do not forget to sleep, exactly. I am merely frustrated with the apparent necessity. I never had paperwork pile up this way when I was allowed to work through the night. But now Temari gives me tea that makes it difficult to stay awake, and she doesn’t tell me before she does it.

Strictly speaking, this could be construed as poisoning the Kazekage. I could imprison her for treason. Perhaps that will be my fun for the day.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara

I MISSED THE CHUUNIN EXAMS AGAIN, WHAT AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO DO??? I WAS LITERALLY ON A MISSION

THIS IS SUCH BULLSHIT

Also Sai is still calling Sakura Ugly but he called Ino Beautiful this guy is going to get us both KILLED.

Good luck putting your sister in jail.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Chapter Text

A peek at Naruto and Gaara's first visit together. Anything that does not resemble the way I described Gaara's room is because I forgor. I drew Gaara's cacti as accurately to their species as I could! 

Here are our two boys exchanging letters. I'm not quite satisfied with this one-- I'm not sure how to unsquish Gaara's face at this angle. But assume that this is a common scene since the beginning of the story. 

Chapter Text

Dear Gaara,

Today I learned about chakra affinities! Mine is wind. What’s yours?

Asuma-sensei (Shikamaru’s old sensei, actually) showed me how he uses his wind chakra to strengthen these chakra blades that he uses. And Kakashi-sensei told me some more about my rasengan. He said it’s actually not a finished jutsu!

I didn’t get what he was talking about at first. My rasengan is awesome, you know? It gets the job done most of the time. And it was so hard to learn! But it turns out that the Fourth Hokage (who was also Kakashi-sensei’s sensei!) always meant to add wind chakra to it… but he died before he could figure out how.

Well, he was killed sealing the Fox into me. Sometimes I wonder if Kakashi-Sensei hates me for that a little. Maybe that’s why he never wants to teach me himself if he can help it. Or maybe he just wants more time to read his stupid pervy books!

Anyway, Kakashi-sensei wants me to figure out how to finish the jutsu. He said he’s a lightning guy, so he can’t do it. I don’t know if that’s true though, because I have totally seen him do other elemental jutsu before. He can do earth style, and water style, and fire style all in a row! Maybe it’s just wind he has trouble with… that would be kind of funny. Imagine if I can do something that not even The Copy Ninja can do?

I don’t know how, though. I’ve never been good at the more advanced stuff. Even the normal rasengan took me a week, and I still can’t do it without a shadow clone helping me.

But I’m going to have to figure it out. It’s the only way I’ll be strong enough to beat some sense into Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei told me he has two affinities, because of course he does, the bastard. One is lightning, which wind is strong against. The other one is fire. And wind makes fire stronger. With my affinity, I can make him weaker or I can make him stronger. I think he thought I was making him weaker before. I’m going to show him that it works the other way, too.

But tell me what you are, if you know! I don’t think sand is an element. Oh, I know, do you have an earth affinity? That would make sense!

If you’re not sleeping enough, I’m breaking Temari out of jail to help her drug you :P

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I must admit to some confusion; do you mean to tell me that you did not learn about chakra affinity in the academy? In the Sand Village this is considered to be basic knowledge of how chakra works. Our students typically have their affinity tested in their final semester at the academy, and we do our best to give them a jounin instructor with the same affinity. It is only rarely that this isn’t possible, as most ninja in Sand have a primary wind affinity. How can it be that you have never been tested?

Like most ninja in the Sand, I also have a wind affinity (another thing we have in common). I do not utilize elemental chakra to control my sand, however. That curse (or gift? I wonder now.) is simply another part of me.

It is interesting that you and Uchiha complement each other. Though perhaps it is not so surprising; you seem to be opposites in other ways as well.

I do not believe that Kakashi hates you. How could anyone hate you? You’re so amaz He may have his failings as a teacher, but when we met his pride in you was clear.

Something interesting happened today; I visited our civilian school. The children who attend it have either flunked out of the ninja academy or were never suited to attend it to begin with. Traditionally, the civilian council manages this school with little oversight from the Kazekage, but I felt as though I should see to the needs of all my villagers. The civilian school is small; the Sand village has limited resources. The children and teachers were surprised by my visit. Many of them were shy.

As I was talking to the teachers, a young boy approached and took my hand. His eyes were blue like yours He didn’t speak (his teacher later told me that he had not learned how), but he pulled me down to his level and traced his hand over my tattoo. He did not hesitate to touch me—no one has ever reached out to me without caution like this.

Well, no one besides you.

I think I will visit the civilian school more often. I will see about directing more funds in their direction. If ninja are meant to be weapons, then surely this child and his friends are what we are meant to be defending.

Please let me know how your training goes—I am certain that whatever new jutsu you come up with, it will be a sight to see. And, Naruto, don’t forget to have fun.

I will attempt to sleep now. I do not need you forming such an allyship with my sister.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

That’s so cool about that kid! I guess the cool thing about little kids is that they don’t know enough to get freaked out. I never even thought about checking out the civilian school! I think I’ll try and visit mine.

Well, once I get this jutsu down.

I guess testing chakra affinity is something that jounin senseis do, not the academy. And back during our chuunin exams Kakashi-sensei was only training Sasuke, not me. That’s how I wound up with Pervy Sage.

Kakashi-sensei has a sharingan like Sasuke, so I guess that’s why. You’re right, I don’t think he hates me either. I was being silly. I guess I’m just too different from him, you know? Anyway, I guess Kakashi-sensei never got around to it with me. And Pervy Sage taught me other stuff. I know now, though!

Anyway, I think I’ve figured out how to channel wind nature chakra. I cut a leaf with it! Sort of. That doesn’t sound so exciting, but it took a lot of work.  

It’s cool that you have wind chakra, too. Maybe you have some pointers for me? Maybe you can come visit and we can train together I bet you could cut a leaf with your eyes closed. I’m supposed to cut it clean in half, but I haven’t managed it yet. I’m really crap at that kind of control, you know?

Anyway, I’m gonna go get some Ichiraku ramen with Iruka-sensei. I’m glad you’re sleeping!

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

There is not an abundance of greenery here in the desert. We practice with wood and with sand dunes. My sister is far more adept at manipulating wind chakra than I am—I tend to rely most heavily on my sand.

I’m not sure if this will help, but when I think of the wind, I think of a sandstorm. Sandstorms can change entire swaths of desert with their power. When they have passed, the boulders and dunes will carry the scars for a long time—it slices through them as easily as a kunai through paper. When you are manipulating wind, you are harnessing all the chaos of that storm and making it work for you. I’ve observed that you thrive in chaos, and perhaps your greatest skill is directing it in your favor. I have no doubt that you will soon accomplish something spectacular.

I also wonder if perhaps you should start with something larger than a leaf? I remember you saying that you struggled with making single, incorporeal clones but were able to make multiple shadow clones (something which should have been far more difficult) after only a few hours of studying. Perhaps it is easier for you to wield chakra in larger amounts.

Are dreams always strange? Lately, I have not known what to make of mine. Temari says hers are often confusing. Kankuro just started wiggling his eyebrows in a way that usually means Temari will smack him if he speaks. I dream about your eyes This is why I really do prefer meditation to sleep.

I hope you enjoy your ramen, and that you leave your sensei with at least a little money in his wallet.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Iruka-sensei always cuts me off after 5 bowls :P

Dreams can definitely be weird. And there’s different kinds of weird too. There’s the weird dream that you kind of understand anyway, and the ones that make no sense, and the ones that make you go “HUH?”

Sometimes they mean something, but I don’t think they always do. Like this one time I had a dream that someone made a robot out of me that was evil and I had to fight it and then you were there and you were so badass and cool and I wanted to kiss you and about to kill the robot with your sand but then that Deidara asshole showed up and you went to go mess him up instead. That was weird. I don’t think it meant anything except that I was reading too many comics.

Have you been having bad dreams? Or just weird dreams like that?

I told Kakashi-sensei what you said about wind and chaos. It made him laugh. He says you might be right. Are you guys making fun of me? Don’t be jealous that I’m the number one unpredictable ninja!

It actually did help, though.

Also, you might have really had a point about the leaf being too small. Asuma-sensei did help me out with it, though. He showed me his chakra blades again. And then Kakashi-sensei showed me how my shadow clones can actually help me train—I feel so dumb for not thinking of it sooner! If I have 100 shadow clones practicing the same move 100 times, then by the time I poof them I will have practiced it 1000 no 10,000 times! And things started going faster. I’m moving onto bigger things now. Captain Yamato made a waterfall for me (he can DO that!) and I’m gonna cut that thing in half. I won’t stop til I can do it easily, you’d better believe it!!

Anyway, Asuma-sensei has to go on a mission. Akatsuki’s on the move again. I guess you don’t have to worry about them so much anymore, but we’re still on guard.

UGH, I’d rather be fighting them directly. I hate waiting while others fight for me!

Once I make this awesome new jutsu, the Akatsuki won’t know what hit them. Neither will Sasuke.

Sincerely,

Naruto

PS: I’m glad you’re sleeping enough to be having dreams, even if they’re strange. Don’t stop!

Chapter Text

Shikamaru-

I heard what happened. Let me know how you are, and if I need to come down there and help you get these guys. Don’t do anything stupid like running off alone.

And if you need to cry… Well, I guess I could pretend not to see. Just this once.

-Temari

Dear Naruto,

Word of Asuma’s passing has reached the Sand Village. I know that you were working with him. Do you need to talk about him? Do you want to? I’m afraid I have little experience in the way of a friend’s grief.

If I know you, you will be working harder than ever to use what he taught you in your new jutsu. You will want to make the whole process faster, you will want to take action to avenge him as quickly as possible. I urge you to be cautious and remember that the Akatsuki are still after you. Do not play into their hands.

It seems inappropriate to remind you to have fun, so instead I turn your own words around: Make sure you get some sleep.

Let me know how you are.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Thanks, but I’m fine. I’m pissed. And yeah, you know me. I’m training my ass off. It seems like all I’m allowed to do. They barely let me out of the village these days.

If you want to be worried about someone, worry about Shikamaru. Ino and Chouji too, but Shika was there. He had to watch. I’m worried about him. I went to see him and he was just kind of quiet. He’s started smoking like Asuma-sensei did.

I offered to try it with him, but he didn’t let me. He said it’s a nasty habit, not that that’s stopping him. And then he just walked off. He didn’t come to the funeral.

I can’t blame him. Him and Asuma were really close. And they were fighting MY fight. And what have I been doing? Trying to cut a waterfall in half.

If I can use clones to train, can’t I send some off on missions? I can keep the real me here. If I could have been there to back them up, maybe it could have turned out better. At least you have an excuse to have to stay in your village, you’re the Kazekage.

Konohamaru was crying at the funeral. Asuma-sensei was his uncle. I tried to make him feel better. Poor kid has been through a lot. Old Man Third was his grandpa. And I’ve never heard much about his parents. What kind of world is this? He’s gonna be another kid left all alone. Except he won’t, because I’m here. And his friends are, too.

I’m sleeping. I don’t have much choice—once all my clones pop, I get all of their tired along with all their know-how. Knocks me right out. Then I get up and get right back to it… I’m close. I know it.

Make sure that YOU have fun. And sleep.

I miss you

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

I know that you are worried about your friend. If it makes you feel better, Temari seems worried about him as well. I’m not allowed to say that out loud, for reasons best known to my sister. She has not yelled at me for writing it, however.

I feel the need to reiterate the need for caution. I have noticed that you try to shoulder the world’s burdens on your own. You take on everyone’s pain—Uchiha’s, Shikamaru’s, even mine. It is not all yours to carry, my friend.

I do not believe I’ve heard you speak of this Konohamaru before. He was not at our first Chuunin Exams… though if he is a good friend of yours, I hope he knows that I am sorry for the part I played in his grandfather’s demise. Even with this latest loss, he will not be alone. As you said, he has you. And I can say with some authority that you are a very good person to have.

Passing out from exhaustion is not the same thing as sleep, Naruto. You ought to know that. You will hardly be useful on the battlefield if you are close to dropping.

I know how badly you want to fight. I know what a difference you will make when you are ready. You must allow yourself the time to BECOME ready.

Get some real sleep. Find someone to have a sleepover with, if you must. That sleep was my most restful to date. Perhaps it will help you, as well.

Kankuro and Temari are not as skilled with sleepovers. Not like you are.

I wish I could come to you

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Nah, sleepovers don’t work like that. Not for me, anyway. It might work if you come over

I had a good sleep that night too

I think I have it, just about. It’s not fully ready yet… I have 24 hours to get it in gear, because I’m going to back up Shikamaru’s team while they take those Akatsuki bastards out.

Kakashi-sensei is going with them in Asuma’s place. It kind of makes me nervous, you know? Like… there’s always a chance you can die on a mission. I’ve seen people die. But it kind of feels more real, or more scary now. I dunno, it just didn’t feel like one of our senseis could die like that. I knew they could, but… Actually, I don’t even know what I’m saying. I’m leaving this in in case YOU know what I’m saying.

Konohamaru was still in the academy back then. He doesn’t blame you, he knows it was that Snake bastard who took the old man out. He’s like a little brother, I guess. He just started following me around after I set him straight about his attitude. So now I just try to teach him stuff when I can. He’s gotten pretty good at my sexy jutsu!

I know it probably sounds like I’m not sleeping for real, but I promise I am. It’s just hard to settle down sometimes, you know? I lay down and I don’t fall asleep and then I think about how I’m wasting time laying down and not sleeping and I get up again. I need to tire myself out properly sometimes, that’s all.

And don’t act like you don’t skip sleep! If passing out doesn’t count, meditating shouldn’t either.

I’m getting back to it now. I wish I could hug see you

Sincerely,

Naruto

Shikamaru-

When a woman sends a letter, she expects a response! You’re so rude.

Gaara heard from Naruto that you’re going after the Akatsuki. You’d better not make me rescue you again, crybaby.

Just give me a damn sign of life.

-Temari

Dear Gaara,

So the good news is my Rasenshuriken is the most awesome thing on the planet. Bad news is I kind of shattered every bone in my arm using it. That’s why this is sloppy. Maybe I’ll write longer when it heals. But we got the bastards. I’m ready to go after more of em. Will tell you more later.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Temari-

It’s just like a woman to nag. Troublesome witch. Us Leaf ninja do manage to handle ourselves most of the time, you know.

The freaks are dead and buried, or as good as. Of course, that still leaves at least three Akatsuki still out there, plus the leader. It’s a drag, but the fight isn’t over yet.

There’s no time to cry about the past. I need to think about protecting the future.

Thanks for checking in.

-Shikamaru

Chapter Text

Dear Naruto,

While I am glad to hear that you completed your new jutsu and were able to help take down those Akatsuki members, I feel compelled to say that a jutsu whose blowback is so injurious to you does not seem practical to use in battle. Something to save for moments of true desperation, perhaps.

Tell me about this technique. You called it Rasenshuriken—can you throw it? I am interested in the fruits of your labor.

I can assume from Temari’s grumblings that Shikamaru is feeling better. I’m sure that is a relief to you.

As for your concerns before battle—I think I might understand you. It is one thing to know something is possible, it is another thing to experience it. I think it is natural that after seeing your friends lose their sensei, and you being so sensitive to their pain, that you would then feel increased concern for your own sensei. Fortunately, that is not a loss you have had to suffer.

I am returning to the civilian school today—I have secured funds for a new playground there and want to deliver the news myself. Is there anything similar that you want to do in your village when you become Hokage? I often wonder.

I am sure that you will be eager to get back to your training. I hope that Sakura and Lady Tsunade will convince you to wait for your arm to heal.

I will sleep in my bed tonight if you promise to do the same. I have been trying to sleep more regularly- Temari and Kankuro have said that attempting to go without makes me “cranky.” I do not know what they are talking about. I always maintain decorum suitable for the Kazekage. Even so, I know that they mean well, so I will attempt to appease them.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

Man, you’re so cool. Investing in a new playground is exactly the kind of thing a kage should be doing.

We have one too, of course. I didn’t really get to play on it much. But there’s this one swing on a tree right by the academy, and I spent a lot of time on that. It’s kind of my swing, you know? My spot where I could watch everyone.

When I’m Hokage, I want to make sure that all the kids have a safe place to play, too. But more than that, I want to make sure they have a good place to live. I thought about it a bit while I was travelling with Pervy Sage, and I think that maybe kids without parents should have someone to come home to anyway.

Me and Sasuke, we were always alone. He didn’t live with anybody after his family got killed. And I didn’t live with anybody ever. Well, when I was really REALLY little this lady used to come every day and make me take a bath and give me food, but she stopped once I started school. She didn’t like me much. Old Man Third used to check in on me sometimes after that, and he gave me my allowance once I was old enough to keep it myself. And then Iruka-sensei started checking in too! So it wasn’t so bad for me. But I dunno, I guess if there was someone whose job it was to look after kids like me and Sasuke, things could have been better. I never really saw anyone checking in on him. Maybe Sasuke wouldn’t have felt like he had to leave if someone had.

Thanks for getting it about Asuma-sensei. He was really important to his team. And he was good at teaching me. Kakashi-sensei isn’t always. I think he wishes I was actually smart sometimes, you know? And yeah, Shikamaru is doing better.

I can’t throw my rasenshuriken. Well, not yet. I’m going to try to make it throwable. I call it that because when I add my wind element to it, it looks like a giant shuriken! And it’s SO badass, Gaara, once I get over this arm thing it’s gonna be the coolest jutsu around! Well, it already is except I can’t use it too much.

I’m already healed and ready to get back to training. And yes, I PROMISE I won’t blow my arm off or whatever. You don’t have to worry about me!

I can’t imagine you cranky. Well, I can, but that’s back then. You were more scary than cranky. Okay, here’s my promise—I am going to go to bed as soon as I send this letter. So you better go to bed after you read it!

Go have some good dreams.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

The children were very pleased with the news. I am glad that you approve as well.

I agree with you regarding how orphans should be cared for. Currently, we have a group home for such children. 5 orphans have gone there since the Akatsuki attacked, which took out a large number of my ninja before I was even aware there was a problem.

I have increased security at each of our gates, and I am making sure that our search and rescue teams are always prepared and well-rested. It is too little and too late for those who fell, but at least we should not lose people that way again.

I am certain that Kakashi would not have you any different from how you are. You’re perfect You’re special You are clearly a devoted student to him. Hopefully he will be able to help you improve on this jutsu of yours. I would like to see it in battle, once you have ironed out the wrinkles in it.

I appreciate your best wishes regarding my dreams. They remain odd.

The dreams with you are my favorite, even if they are strange

I want too much in my dreams. In my dreams you give it to me

Do you ever dream about m

At least I don’t dream about killer robots.

Sincerely,

Gaara

Dear Gaara,

You’ll probably hear this officially soon, but guess what? Sasuke killed Orochimaru!

Thank fuck, right? Now there’s no chance of that snake bastard taking his body. Me and Sakura were hoping that he’d be heading back home, but Pervy Sage says he isn’t. He says Sasuke has been going around and maybe getting a team together.

Can you believe that bastard? We’re his team! When I find him, I’m gonna kick his ass til he remembers.

Anyway, he’s going after his brother. He’s gotta be. So I’m going after Itachi, too. We find him, we find Sasuke. We all take the bastard down. We bring OUR bastard home. And then we take down the rest of the Akatsuki. That’s the plan.

Kakashi-sensei says to be patient while he figures out the best team. Patient? Has he MET me? I don’t see why we need anyone else, this is Team 7 business, you know? Besides, the longer we wait, the longer we give Sasuke to find Itachi, and if he finds him first then I don’t even know.

The last time, Itachi overpowered him completely. He didn’t even have a chance. His brother just kind of. Broke him, somehow. With his genjutsu. What if that happens again? Or worse?

What if Sasuke wins? What if he wins and he still doesn’t want to come home? What if he just disappears?

That’s why I can’t be patient. I need to get out there. Kakashi-sensei better be ready by the time I send this letter.

Thanks for listening, Gaara. Or reading, I guess. Tell your plants hi from me.

Sincerely,

Naruto

Dear Naruto,

If he hurts you again I will kill him myself  Don’t forget Itachi is after you, too. I am sure that you will have already left by the time this letter finds you, but I hope you are heeding Kakashi and your teammates. I hope you are tempering your desire to find Sasuke with some of the wisdom that you occasionally seem to have.

The Akatsuki are formidable, and you will not only be dealing with Itachi but with his partner as well. Also consider that Sasuke may be hostile to interference. Do what you must for Sasuke, but please, stay safe.

If not for your own sake, then for mine. I could not bear it if you were subjected to extraction as I was, my friend. I would tear the world apart Take all steps you can to avoid this.

The Sand Village will be on alert to come to your aid if necessary.

I wish you luck.

Sincerely,

Gaara