Suna no Hoshi [Naruto Fanfic]

Maligned Bridges I

“Why are you pretending to be someone else when you are with Naruto?” Gaara demanded to know.

Rasa sighed. Both of his sons had finally managed to corner him a week since they arrived back home to Suna, after their trip to the Wind Capital (they must be really determined, seeing as how he would have been able to keep away longer). He hadn’t really known how this was going to go, but the more he realized he had to tell Naruto the truth, the more he knew he had to tell his family first and let them know what was going on and who she really was.

“What’s this? Dad’s pretending to be someone?”

He inwardly groaned. And now Temari was involving herself…

“Dad’s pretending to be some guy named Tenoh, while he’s with our teammate,” Kankuro caught her up. “Who we hadn’t known he’s been consorting with for a long time now.”

Rasa snorted. “Consorting?” he asked dryly, glaring lightly at his kids, as Temari had joined the other two eagerly.

“Yes! Consorting!” Kankuro said in an accusing tone. “What are you up to?!”

He twitched. “Why am I automatically the bad guy?”

“Because,” Temari said nonchalantly, but didn’t elaborate.

He twitched again.

Gaara further explained what’s been going on and how they’d found out to Temari, who looked fascinated and increasingly curious and interested.

“I have something to say about all this,” Rasa announced loudly, purposely interrupting. His three kids quickly focused on him, eerily intense in their staring. His irritation suddenly became anxiety and he licked his lips. “Actually, there’s more to Naruto than practically this entire village knows. You see, I know her parents.”

And then he was explaining who they were, how and why Kushina had come to Suna and brought Naruto there, how she’d died and he’d tried all these years to look for Naruto unsuccessfully, and how he finally found her and realized who she was.

He hadn’t expected for Kankuro to burst out laughing. “Oh geez, Dad. Really? You didn’t catch her all this time because you didn’t know she was actually a girl?”

“…And that’s what you got from all of that?” Rasa deadpanned, staring at his son strangely.

Kankuro blushed, shrugging. “It’s hilarious.”

Temari nodded along, looking at him apologetically. “Sorry, Dad. But he’s right. It kind of really is.”

A brief smirk flitted across Gaara’s lips, before he frowned.

“Then I am completely certain in my assumption that Naruto is that little girl from all those years ago,” he murmured, rather confusing his family.

“Elaborate, Gaara. We can’t all read minds,” Temari prodded, quite literally with a finger as well, earning a sulking glare from her youngest brother.

He reluctantly told them about his rather well-kept secret about how he’d met a blonde angel, who had given him flowers and helped him make friends. He also told them about his recognition and his guess that Naruto was that girl, upon the second day after the formation of their team.

Kankuro burst out laughing again. “She’s the one who got you into flower pressing?”

Gaara growled under his breath and used his sand to grab his brother’s ankle, lifting him up and putting Kankuro upside down.

“Hey, hey! Let me down! Dad!” Kankuro whined.

Rasa huffed. “A few more seconds, Gaara. That should teach you, Kankuro.”