Kaze no koibitō

22

Temari and Tsunade screamed as Gaara's sand rose behind him and slammed into Naruto hard, thrusting him against the wall and holding him there. For Naruto, whose face hadn't changed from its impassiveness, it was business as usual, although there was a thin sheen of sweat on his face. He could practically taste the anger rolling off the Kazekage and, truth be told, it was somewhat frightening.

Gaara slowly and methodically walked forward until he and Naruto were face to face, their eyes never leaving the other. Temari and Tsunade had calmed down and were watching what was happening with wide eyes.

"What the hell were you thinking, Naruto?"

The blonde blinked and narrowed his eyes.

"I was catching and killing a dangerous criminal, Gaara. I couldn't let him get away."

The sand tightened around him further and Naruto winced.

"What you did was assault four Akatsuki members with no backup and no plan in mind. That was foolish."

"Well, it all worked out in the end."

The sand lifted him from the wall slightly and slammed him back against it. Temari screamed for Gaara to stop but he paid her no mind.

"What if it hadn't, Naruto? What if they would have captured you? What if Tsunade had not arrived in time?"

"But she did, so we're arguing over nothing."

Gaara's voice lowered itself to a whisper as he glared at his friend.

"If you had died, what would become of Temari? She loves you, Naruto. How would she handle the grief? How would I? Or Kankurou? What about Tsunade and Jiraiya? You mean something to all of us, Naruto, and you would have thrown that away just to make sure that Sasuke's sentence was carried out."

Naruto's head lowered so that his gaze would meet the floor.

"He hurt her."

"What?"

Temari strode forward and put her hand on Gaara's shoulder. He turned to meet her sad eyes.

"That's enough, Gaara. He did what he thought was right. Don't punish him for that."

The Kazekage turned to Naruto and sighed as he lowered him to the floor.

"Raise your head, Naruto. I'm mad at you as a friend and brother, not as a leader. You aren't being reprimanded."

Naruto raised his head and gave him a weak smile.

"Somehow, that knowledge only makes it hurt worse. I can handle authority being mad at me."

"Get used to it. I'm still mad at you, Naruto, so don't think you're off the hook. But, we have other things to discuss now."

Naruto nodded and made his way back to his overturned chair, righting it, and sitting down with Temari by his side again. He gave her a smile and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. She squeezed them reassuringly. Gaara watched the two of them out of the corner of his eye and a ghost of a grin came to his face. Yes, everything would be alright.

He turned back to Tsunade and coughed into his hand.

"In any event, we need to discuss what our next move is. Tsunade?"

Upon hearing her name, Tsunade tore her eyes away from the two lovebirds and laced her fingers under her chin.

"Well, I'm not sure. If Kisame is indeed dead, or at least incapacitated, that would leave only a few Akatsuki members. Perhaps we should press into Amegakure and try to kill them?"