Birth of the Forest

Birth of the Forest 22.

The burial of Gaara was an occasion as solemn as any Naruto had attended. No expression, not even a sliver of sadness crossed his face as he watched the Jinchuuriki lowered carefully into his grave, accompanied by the tears of only his siblings and Yugito. No one else from Suna had bothered to turn up for their former Ichibi Jinchuuriki's funeral save for the other Jinchuuriki and the sand siblings. As the headstone was erected with Gaara's name upon it, Naruto reflected quietly to the Kyuubi. Why did Rikodou even bother with separating the Ten Tails' chakra, Kurama? He should have known that the greed of men would turn his gift into a curse soon enough. Sometimes I feel despair for these foolish Shinobi...we wretches who cannot learn from generations of death and misery.

Cynical of you, but very true, Hashirama. I must admit that the Sage made a mistake with his divide and conquer policy. But then again, if he had kept us as one...no one could have possibly defeated the Juubi. Well, perhaps Indra and Ashura could have done it if they fought together but that was never going to happen. Those two brats were as bad as Madara and you, replied the Kyuubi sagely as Gaara was covered by earth completely. Temari's lost wails tugged on Naruto's heartstrings, and Kankuro's still shocked look was painful to see. The pain of losing your beloved sibling was harder to accept than anything else, and never did heal. Itama and Kawarama's premature deaths still weighed on his psyche, no matter the years that had passed.

"That was gracious of the Raikage, allowing Gaara to be buried here", he said softly to Yugito.

"Our last rest should be where our heart was", she replied quietly, and walked away with Bee. Naruto watched as the two Jinchuuriki departed with body flickers, leaving him with Gaara's grave and the sand siblings. A small wind blew in the desert, causing his shoulder length hair to whip around chaotically. He could feel Temari's stare at him, and he looked at her with compassion. "What will you do now, Temari-san?", he asked gently. Kankuro was paying no attention to their conversation as he stared at Gaara's headstone only. Temari wiped her eyes in reply, and sniffed.

"What will I do? I will fight on for my village, Naruto-san. Can I ask something of you?"

"Please do", invited Naruto. Temari sighed as she started tugging on Kankuro's hand as if prompting him to attention. "I knew exactly what my brother underwent as a Jinchuuriki. All I ask is this: in my brother's memory please don't let the Akatsuki gain any more Bijuu. I want no one to undergo our loss, with no one to mourn them but one or two friends. Can you do that?", she asked intently. Naruto nodded respectfully, the idea he had conceived on the return journey to Suna taking stronger shape in his mind. There was no way to fight the Akatsuki with divisive tactics; there was no way the Alliance of Kumo and Konoha could fight them all separately.

Even if Kiri weaseled out for neutrality's sake, he had to get Kumo on Konoha's side. The Akatsuki bloc was already too strong with Ame, Iwa, and many other minor villages already forming an alliance. I can leave the alliance of nations to Danzo. He will carry it out with more ruthlessness than Tsunade ever will, thought Naruto. But his train of thought was interrupted by a certain highly annoying fox. Exactly what gives you the authority to make decisions for your village? You are neither the Hokage, nor on the Council. You are merely a famous Jounin now, the fox said slyly.

Famous being the keyword. They will listen to me when I put forth my proposal, Kyuubi.

Well, you really have changed. Who would have thought Hashirama Senju would actually desire war as a means to peace? Your plan to assault Iwa with a high-damage battalion is a good one, but what will you do if the Akatsuki comes out in full force? You simply got Pain by surprise back there. He will not be caught by that technique a second time,pointed out the fox. Naruto sighed. In his mind, he had already drawn up the battle plans and the members; it was convincing the Kage that would be the problem. Adjusting his white trench coat painted with the Senju double trident on the back, he looked out at the vast expanse of the desert. It was perfect for open battle, and perfect for the techniques he liked to use.