Till The Wind Changes ✔

VIII. Wabi-Sabi

"One of my great secrets was knowing I had the power to make her smile."

- Anita Diamant

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Everything hadn't gone completely opposite than he planned. The mission was a failure. He was running out of chakra and although he tried to think of a strategy, pinned down every little possibility he had he found himself being utterly defeated with none of his teammates around him too. Now he was reaching his limit and he wouldn't get a pitch-hitter like Asuma this time around. He had failed. His strategy for the mission had fallen into pieces, the friends he was responsible for were who knows where. He didn't even know if they were alive.

He tried to calm himself down. He knew there had to be a possibility. He couldn't keep on holding Tayuya, longer but he couldn't think of a plan either. The only female member of the Sound Four looked at him grinning, understanding that sooner than later she'll have her kunai piercing the entrails of the Nara. This seems to be the end after all...

This was it. He always thought he was going to be an average shinobi, making an average living. He'd marry a regular girl, have two children, a boy and a girl, retire when my daughter got married and my son became a successful ninja and spend the rest of his days just playing shogi or go, a nice, carefree and leisurely retirement... and then die of old age before his wife. Yes, that was the life he wanted... and yet he ended up exerting himself, which he thought to be so unlike himself. Even though he wanted to finish as a regular guy, he had to go get himself into this sticky situation.

"You're mine!" Tayuya declared his death sentence.

That was it.

It was game over. He only closed his eyes, accepting his destiny. He had really done a tiresome thing right there...he stood to feel the wind in his face for the last time. Shocked he felt as the wind intensified, filling the air with dry and cutting flair. He recognized it immediately. When he opened his eyes he confirmed it, a gale had swept the sound shinobi off her feet away from him. The wind current was so strong only a branch held on the red-headed woman from her imminent fall.

"Who are you?" She yelled.

Her defined silhouette landed in front of Shikamaru. Her outlook, though changed, still retained that mesmerizing essence of the first time they met. Even by just seeing her posture he knew that she remained as stoic and blunt as back then.

"An ally of the Leaf."

A small smirk escapes from her lips.

Allies? Well, that was definitely interesting.

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After the death of the Fourth Kazekage, Sunagakure was in commotion. The future of the village was still in question and the uncertainty had strengthened the voice of the Anti-Kazekage groups. They desired a stronger Kazekage and claimed that neither of the siblings was up to the task. Manifestations started emerging after the failure of the alliance with Otagakure, which unluckily had been put down roughly, even with the use of violence by the orders of the Sunagakure Council. There were even rumours which started circulating which involved several elders from Suna with the uprising of these groups.

One thing was clear to Temari though. Neither her brothers nor she was safe in Suna. However, she also knew that neither of them could bear the idea of backing down. Back in the days, they would follow orders for what, they thought, was the will of their village. Now, even if they had to defy those orders, they would fight for the well-being of their home and their people.