Re: Akimichi

"[Goton: Dairendan no Jutsu]!"

Five elements launched from five directions and clashed in the center. Each element reacted with another and created a big explosion that blasted the surrounding into smithereens. In the center of the explosion, laid a huge sand monster with a shape that resembles a raccoon.

When the explosion recedes and the dust settled, the said monster's body was crumbled and revealed a teenage boy inside it. The boy had fair skin, green eyes, and short auburn hair; for most of his hair was spiky. He lacks distinctive pupils or eyebrows and had tanuki-like black rings around his eyes.

On his skin, various wounds could be seen as the result of the attack. Despite the wounds he received, he was conscious and still able to tell his surrounding. Seeing that the boy already neutralized, the barrier on the surrounding was released.

Feeling the pain on his whole body, Gaara starts to lose his consciousness. 'It hurts...'

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the one who responsible for the attacks was looking at the said boy. His eyes filled with pity and grief. But, this was the cruel reality of the world, not every day was the sunshine and rainbows. Not everything was light and lukewarm, no, the world was not that kind. He just trying to make the world to be a better place in his own way, at least for his peoples, and he was willing to bear the burden of the sins and hatred for it to happen.

"Take him!"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!"

---

-Gaara POV-

"Hey, Yashamaru..."

"What exactly pain is?"

Huh? Is this...

I remember this was a few years ago when I was just a little kid, full of naivety, and still believe in the illusion called love.

Haha, truly I always laughed when I remembered those days.

Those days...

Are the worst.

.

I saw myself as a little kid inside a room, in my hand was a photo of my late mother, which she was killed by giving birth to the monster, me. Funny, right? Even since I was born the first thing I did was kill.

HAHAHA, c'mon, laugh with me!

Tsk...

Beside me, was a woman called Yashamaru, she's an aunt of mine and the sister of my mother. She was a kind woman, her smile was bright and warm like the morning sun rays. She was the sole reason that I believe in the existence of love.

I watched silently from the side to relive those experiences, to later laugh at my own stupidity.

"Hm, how should I put it? Pain is... like your body is in an unbearable condition that you feel uncomfortable too and make you are unable to stay in your usual self." Yashamaru answered, she sheepishly scratched her own cheek and showed a confused expression. "I can't explain very well, but the pain is really unpleasant feeling."

"Then... Yashamaru, I've hurt you before... Do you hate me?"

Of course, she is, you idiot! I was annoyed by my little self, tsk, stupid.

Yashamaru flinched, then she quickly showed her usual smile and tilted her head to the side. "In life, there are times that people will hurt and get hurt by someone. But, it's not that easy to make people hate others from such experience..."

The little me just gazed down, looking at the floor with somehow a relieved smile. "Then does that mean I am injured like everyone else?" My gaze back to look at Yashamaru, showing her my best smile. "I mean... I always feel pain. Although it doesn't bleed, this part hurt so much..." My hand reached onto my left c.h.e.s.t and squeezed it hard.

No, you're different. WE are different.

Yashamaru kneeled and took a knife then grazed her finger with its sharp edge. She bleeds... and that made the little me felt horrified. "Lord Gaara, bodies bleed upon physical injuries, and they may look quite hurtful. But eventually, the pain will wear off as time passes. What more serious are the emotional scars, they are hardest to heals..."

Yashamaru's hand reached and touched the face of the little me, she showed me another smile of hers. "Emotional scars, unlike the physical ones, do not have the ointment to make them heal faster. But, there's one thing that eases the pain, and it's called... love."

BULLSHIT!

.

.

.

The scene flashed and now the little me was seated on the rooftop of a building, I was alone and terrified with the gaze that the peoples gave me. Me, a little boy that knew no more than nothing of the world, was hated by the entire village including my own father because of my very existence. At that time, I wished that Yashamaru was there and tell me that everything was alright, that everything was gonna be fine...

My hope came true, Yashamaru really came!

Haha...

But, she came with her sharp knife pointed at me and with her intent to kill me!

Her kunais were rained onto me, which fortunately my sands were protecting me from them. I was in disbelief, by instinct, my sands launched toward her and almost killed her instantly.

"I was ordered by the Kazekage-sama... to kill you. But, I could have declined if I want to." She coughed and blood flowed from her mouth. "I've always hated you, the one who took my sister away from me. Your mother also hated you, hence she named you Gaara. A demon that only loves himself. You... were never loved."

Ptui, there's no need for you to tell me that.

---

-Chouji POV-

Hour hours passed since the sand and sound operatives were all neutralized. The sound was immediately declared as an enemy by Konoha, while the sand representative was invited to 'negotiate' a few terms.

Meanwhile, I helped with a few things to get rid of my nervousness. I was continuously worried about Ino, was Enma-sama able to retrieve her? Oh God, please let her be safe...

I was absent-mindedly lifted a few rubles when I felt a hand was poking my cheek from my side. That instantly made me annoyed, are you that idle to tease me like this? I was about to bash that person before I saw the one who did that. What I saw really threw my heart onto the clouds of happiness. She was safe! Haha, She was safe!

I saw Ino in her tattered clothes layered with dust and some blood, I threw the rubble on my hand somewhere and it hit a random chunin. I hugged her and spun her, "You're back! You're safe!" Who does the heck care about some blood and dust at this moment?

"I'm back!" She giggled in my arms and she too hugged me tightly. I whispered on her ears, "I love you, and I'm announcing it to the world." Ino was confused, "But, you just whispered it to me. I doubt anybody else heard it..."

I grinned at her and pinched her cheek, "Exactly, now I know that you're my world!"

Ino was blushed after and snuggled into my arms. "I love you too..." She said with a low voice.

Unknown to me, my father and Ino's father were looking at us from the side and Ino's father slipped a few stacks of Ryos into my father's hand while he was clicked his tongue. Her father gazed at me annoyingly as he cursed under his breath.

It was only after a few minutes she snuggling in my arms, she flinched as she heard a loud cough. "Ah, father!" Her sudden flinch made my awareness back, I awkwardly smiled at Inoichi-san and saw my father gave his thumbs up towards me. Beside them were the father and son Shika duo, they raised their eyebrows and grinned at me teasingly.

"Hello, father-in-law..." That greeting earns me a smack on my head from him and a loud laugh from the others beside Ino. "Who the heck are you calling father-in-law?!"

My father grinned widely, "I expect a grandchild soon..."

"It's too soon!" This time, even I was fl.u.s.tered.

---

-Hiruzen POV-

Days passed, and it's been several weeks since the negotiation with the sand ended. The conclusion of the negotiations actually benefited both sides in the long term, since I knew that Orochimaru was the one behind all of those attacks, and with the sand admitted that the damn cloud gave them a sum of money to sponsor the attack, I gave them lighter terms.

The contents were as followed:

1. The sand will give us a part of their territories near the border of the desert, which they did not have the manpower to maintain anyway.

That land was actually had almost nothing on it besides sand and rocks, but surprisingly the Akimichis bought that land which that Akimichi brat said that he gonna bring the Pioneertown to reality and make a cowboy culture in this world. [1] Not that I understand his line of thought. The thing that surprises me was... That land did not belong to the Akimichi clan, it belongs to him alone!

I asked him once out of curiosity, and he answered me with a confusing answer. "To an American, there's no kill more satisfying than an overkill! And I'm gonna make this land an overkill source of money! But, no Karen was allowed to visit it!"

The heck he even meant with that?

2. They will 'help' us to clear the mission that the wind daimyo gives us, of course with 5% of their payment as a fee toward us.

3. They have to open a secure trade route and they have to let us build a business base not far from their village.

This term made them eager and excited as they understood our intention, they promised to give us more benefits after that. So far, the ones that expressed their interested to do business in the sand village were the Nara clan, Yamanaka clan, and Akimichi clan through their joint company to build a business district of their own inside the desert. Which they called it the rain base project.

And a few more other classified terms that too complicated to explain. Their benefits aside, the economy of the sand will depend on us from now on, thus it could be said that they're our vassal of a sort.

The sands also gonna nominate a new Kazekage anytime now, I expect a wise leader that will be able to lead his peoples to glory. If we looked into their tradition, then it's gonna be the Jinchuriki boy, so we gonna do something about his violent tendencies.

Besides that, in these passing weeks, I received a letter from the daimyo himself. Which inside contained a name list, and what surprised me was the title.

[The Guardian of fire candidates]

Hm... This felt strangely familiar...

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[1] a "ghost town" of former Western movie sets, was built by the two cowboy stars in the 1940s for location filming of their movies and television shows.