Naruto: Legacy of the Sand

Chapter 18: A Dark Truce

Two weeks have passed. Since the small battle against Hachishakusama, the village of Suna had slowly recovered from some small losses. But the most significant loss was Rasa. They had his funeral two days ago, and Kimba is still Kazekage, as he gave himself a timeline to be Kazekage for only two weeks. And he had to get things ready for Gaara to take over as the Kazekage. Kimba was busy with the latest paperwork after some repairs were done and doing funerals for those they'd lost, but Kimba wasn't expecting the kill count from Hachishakusama's dark hunger. Kushina and Karura opened the door and entered the office as they felt they had every right to do so and not wait for Kimba to answer a knock. Then Kimba looked up from the paperwork and saw both women standing before him. Karura was still mourning over the loss of her husband, and Kushina was keeping company but came to the office to give Kimba his lunch for the day. "Something you need? I know you're here to give me my lunch, but I felt you two wanted something else." Kimba asked. He sat up straight on the chair, put down his pen, and waited for them to say something and hear what they had to say to him. "Not wanting to push you, sweetie. But Karura... Well. We wanted to know when will Gaara be taking over?" Kushina asked. She feels terrible about asking this and doesn't want to bother her husband while doing Kazekage duties. "I am happy to tell you both. That I'm stepping down in the evening. I have set up an announcement to the village to pass the mantle to Gaara," Kimba explained. Karura just looked at Kimba, not joyful, while Kushina was pleased to hear that the mantle would pass to Gaara today. "When are you planning the announcement, Kimba?" Kushina asked. Kimba looked at his wife and smiled. "It will be this evening, at six," Kimba said. Kushina was happy and smiled at this news, and then she looked at Karura, who seemed to be zoned out. Kushina gently took Karura's hand, and then she returned her gaze to Kimba. "We will see you in the evening," Kushina said. Kimba smiled and nodded, and then Kushina and Karura were about to leave the office. But they stop after hearing Kimba say something and turn around. "If any of you see Gaara. Please ask him to see me after five o'clock," Kimba asked. Kushina smiled again and nodded, and then she and Karura left the office, leaving Kimba to finish his paperwork for the day. Somewhere else within Suna. Naruto and Temari are walking around the village with Kankuro, trying to keep their minds occupied by recent events. They asked Gaara and Hinata to join them but wanted their own space. "Not wanting to be the third wheel here, but what are we doing anyway?" Kankuro said. And curious as to why they seemed a bit quiet.

While walking and holding each other's hands. Temari looked over her left shoulder and looked at her brother. "We're going to lift your spirits, Kankuro. So! We're taking you on a blind date," Temari said with a sly smirk at her brother. Kankuro froze in place and worried about what would happen. He wasn't good at talking to girls, let alone trusting her sister with blind dates. Temari looked away and faced forward, and then Naruto looked over his shoulder, taking his turn to talk to Kankuro. "Don't worry, Big Bro. It's someone we all know, and she had a crush on you for a while," Naruto said. Naruto's words left Kankuro puzzled, and they knew a lot of friends from their youth and Genin academy years. Kankuro was zoned out for a minute, and then he snapped out of it and hurried to catch up with his brother and sister as they got a bit far from him. "But... That could be anyone we know. Plus! I don't trust Temari much regarding blind dates," Kankuro said. He then crossed his arms and pouted, but he continued to follow his siblings, knowing what Temari was like when he tried to run away from her. Naruto and Temari chuckled and giggled at Kankuro on the south side of Suna. Tsunade and Shizune train Tenten, Fu, Sora, Gaara, Sakura, Kaze, and Hinata. Both of them wanted them to keep their training and keep their minds busy. Sakura bent over, her hands on her knees and breathing heavily. "Sensei! Could we take a break, please?" Sakura asked. Tsunade was about to say something, but then Shizune was looking at her adoptive mother and spoke up. "They need a break, Mom! We are pushing them too hard," Shizune said. She was trying to plead with her. Tsunade looked at Shizune and then went back to their students. Tsunade saw how tired they all were, and she sighed. "Okay... Take a break... I guess we are working them too hard," Tsunade said. Gaara stopped next to Sakura with his arms crossed and sweating, and he wasn't expecting to work up this hard. Then he looked to his left and down at Sakura. He reached for Sakura's hair and brushed her right side to see her face. Sakura looked up at Gaara with a soft smile, and her eyes shone from the sunlight. Kaze was sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree with his shirt off, considering that it was also a hot day and training in that weather caused him to take his shirt off mid-training, and then Hinata sat between his legs and turned slightly to her left side and leaned against Kaze's chest and breathing heavily. Kaze wrapped his arms around Hinata, comforting her and letting her use him as a pillow. Sora is sitting with Fu as Fu is sitting on his lap and resting her head on Sora's shoulder, breathing more heavily than ever before. Tenten is holding a Bo Staff in her hands and using it as support, but she isn't breathing heavily. She is just breathing normally while covered in sweat and still standing. "Man! This new training session is amazing! Way more fun than our old routine, Sensei," Tenten said.