Birth of the Forest

Birth of the Forest 13.

"Good. You are all here. Now, Baki: What is the status of our borders with Kumo? Last I heard, we were on rather tense terms with their outposts."

Baki turned to the Kazekage, but not before shooting a warning glance at the two remaining sand siblings. Temari and Kankurou were distraught, being separated from Gaara for months. It made Baki wonder how those two could still love a person who was so heartless. Their bond was truly strong.

"Yes, Kazekage-sama. Our relations with Kumo are terser than usual. Just yesterday, we had an altercation with their border patrol. The ninja Darui caught our infiltrators and wiped them all out with black lightning. I think we need to step up our skirmishes with the Kumo Jounin to keep them at bay."

The Kazekage, Yuura, steepled his fingers, thinking deeply. Temari and Kankurou were sitting pensively, not even looking at the other two occupants of the room. Ever since the invasion of Konoha, Suna had been declining. Who would have thought Uzumaki Naruto to possess such power? By all reports, he was someone who could potentially pose a threat to entire villages. His actions had thrown everyone off-balance.

"No. We need to stop assaulting any other nation. We react for now, but we do not act. The time is not right" said the Kazekage slowly. Baki stared at him, noting this inconsistency of behaviour. Yuura was always one for action, usually dishonourable action.

Kankurou slowly stood up, fixing the Kazekage with a stare. "Suna's Jinchuuriki, the Jinchuuriki of the Ichibi no Shukaku, is in foreign hands. My brother, the former Kazekage's son, is in foreign hands. How can you let this slide?"

Temari pulled him down, looking apologetically at her Kage. It was not a good idea to make demands or order the Kazekage around, not a good idea at all. They had to get Gaara on their own.

"You make a good point. A good point indeed, Kankurou. What are your thoughts on this, Temari?" asked the Kazekage solicitously. Temari was not fooled. Every Shinobi had in himself darkness, but not like this Kazekage. He exuded malice, and for no reason. Temari had a feeling that Yuura would cast Suna aside easily if it helped him achieve his goals.

"Gaara…is my brother, Kazekage-sama. Even when he was on his killing rampages, I never stopped seeing him as such. He might be a crazed killer, but he was made such a thing by this village. We owe him!" she said strongly. Baki stepped up to face the Kazekage who stared scrutinizingly at Temari.

"More than that, Kazekage-sama, we need our Jinchuuriki back. Suna is most familiar with the Ichibi, so it is best we have him back. For tactical reasons, it is necessary. Konoha has the Kyuubi, the strongest of them all. Kumo has Hachibi and Niibi. Iwa has Gobi and Yonbi, Kiri has Rokubi and Sanbi, and even Taki has Nanabi. We are at a disadvantage in this regard. The power of the Sand demon has always belonged to Suna!"

The Kazekage stared consideringly at the three he had summoned. Temari and Kankurou did not hope for much, as their leader had always put off missions concerning Gaara. They had no doubt that Yuura would leave their little brother to the tender care of Kumo Shinobi, leave him to be weaponized even more.

"I agree."

The three subordinates stared disbelievingly at Yuura, unable to understand this sudden acquiescence to their request.

"Oh, don't look like that, Temari and Kankurou. You too Baki. I am the Kazekage of this village, after all, and I am always on the lookout for our best interests! We need our Jinchuuriki back, and we need him back soon. Thus I will convene a full council to make plans for the retrieval of Sabaku No Gaara. We cannot afford to have the power of our sand demon added to a nation with two Jinchuuriki of its own!"