Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Sweet Sacrifice ❯ Answers ( Chapter 10 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Demon Lady 
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 03.26.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 520 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Shounen | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 03.26.2008 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 520 | Status: Work In Progress
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or anything associated with Naruto, though I wish I did.
Even after all this time, almost a year, it never ceased to captivate them when they watched Gaara, Naruto, and Arashi spar. Poetry in motion didn't quite do them justice. The way the three of them fought together was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Suna's reputation had risen while Konoha's had taken a rather severe turn for the worse. It really hadn't helped when they had accepted Sasuke back in the village without punishment when they had practically thrown Naruto out of the village at the first opportunity. Konoha's Council seemed hell-bent on tightening the noose around Konoha's neck, figuratively speaking.
The Council of Konoha hadn't taken into account that Orochimaru wouldn't particularly like his next vessel running away, and that he would assuredly take exception to it, especially since Sasuke had run back to Konoha, a place he hated with a passion. But that would be giving the blind fools too much credit because even the thoughts of such things happening hadn't even entered their minds for a moment. Sasuke was their 'golden boy', their prized bloodline carrying genius, who could do no wrong and who had been driven away by the 'demon.' It is amazing how humans can so willfully blind themselves to the obvious, because it was very obvious that Sasuke had run to Orochimaru for power all on his own, by his own choice.
Of course, no one had really asked why the 'Last Uchiha' had come back to Konoha and recieved an honest reply. Let's just say that Itachi and Tobi made Sasuke regret ever being born, let alone running to the filthy pedophile, who put the fear of fate into Sasuke. Because really, who could truthfully say that they had had their virginity taken by not one but many snakes of varying kinds? Unfortunately, for him, Sasuke could. The self-proclaimed avenger really should have listened to his former-teammate when he told Sasuke that Orochimaru only wanted Sasuke for his body, in more ways than one.
Right now the three Jinchuuriki were sparring to let off some steam. Konoha was once again hosting the Chuunin exams and all three members of the team Gaara had sent had made it to the finals. The finals would be taking place in three weeks. Seeing as all three members of the Suna genin that were sent had made it into the finals Gaara was obligated to come, something the red-haired Kazekage was loathe to do. Because if he went then Naruto would demand to go, which as Gaara's mate he had the right to do. Fortunately, Arashi had seen how stressed Gaara was about the whole thing and had offered to go along with them as one of the guards. The spar they were having had been Naruto's idea but Arashi was going to send the two mates off to their room after the spar, which should have them aroused enough not to even think about talking about the trip to Konoha.
The way Arashi saw it there was really nothing Konoha could do to any of them without sparking a war they could not afford. Orochimaru really hadn't taken Sasuke's defection well at all and had been attacking and killing anything that moved or lived along Hi no Kuni's borders. As a result of Orochimaru's angry response to the loss of his Uchiha, Konoha was spread rather thin. The Council of Konoha could not legally do anything to Naruto because the blond was Gaara's husband, and the contract involved with Naruto being given to Suna had not specified what exactly they expected to happen to Naruto. Of course the Council of Konoha might have some inkling of how bad it would be to fuck with Naruto after Tsunade and the Fire Daimyo had torn into them about Naruto's treatment and all the evidence of the abuse. Telling them of Naruto's heritage after making them all swear a blood oath not to speak of what they heard to anyone had been icing on the cake because nearly every member of the Council about had a heart-attack when they realized the full scope of what they had done. Well, the members intelligent enough to figure it out had. Arashi had somehow recorded the meeting and had given Naruto and the rest of their small tight-knit family the pleasure of viewing the events of what happened in the Council room.
Naruto would never have serious doubts about his friends in Konoha ever again. Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Gai, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Iruka, Ibiki, Anko, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had all berated the Council members for their stupidity and cruelty in regards to Naruto. This action, more than any other, proved to Naruto that they were his true friends, and perhaps, in the future they would be family as well. Naruto knew very well that Arashi had always wanted to meet Jiraiya, even if Jiraiya never found out who Arashi was in relation to him. This meeting had also changed Naruto's mind about his father, even if he said nothing about his change of heart to anyone but Gaara, which would prove to be a mistake. How costly a mistake has yet to be determined.
Also as a result of this particular meeting Gaara and Arashi had let up a little on ruining Konoha. Instead they would both focus on Orochimaru, Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, whoo were all the Naruto's largest sources of suffering. It hadn't taken much persuasion to get their new allies Akatsuki and Kirigakure to aid them in their endeavor, which had been rather successful so far. Arashi was planning to use this trip to Konoha for the Chuunin Exam Finals as an excuse to do some reconnaisance and some sabotage on the nastier Council members. More blackmail material was always welcome, no matter the form.
~~~~~
The trip from Suna to Konoha had been uneventful, probably because it would be suicide to actually attack anyone in the Kazekage's escort. Not that you could tell all who was in the escort. Naruto and Arashi's faces and their hair was covered so as not to let anyone know exactly who they are. Nothing could stop them from letting it be known that the Kamikaze and the Sansai were a part of the Kazekage's personal escort as well as proud shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato, which they were. Gaara was decked out in his Kage robes, complete with the hat and the veil, so the only thing one could see were Gaara's piercing teal eyes.
The whole group, which consisted only of Gaara, Naruto, Arashi, Temari, and Kankuro, was currently waiting outside Tsunade's office with the ANBU who had escorted them to the Hokage Tower. Arashi, bored with the waiting and feeling the urge, took out his tarot cards and laid out a spread for anything that might be of importance. The silver-haired seer's face became progessively blanker the more deeply he read into the cards. Though none of the others could see his face the rest of their Clan could feel Arashi's withdrawal, the retraction of his emotions inward. It startled all of them as well as gave them a feeling of dread. They could only guess that the silver-eyed seer's reaction was caused by what he had read in the cards, which gave them no comfort, because it could be anything. To make matters worse Arashi wasn't going to tell them unless it was relevant to them or if he deemed it appropriate. Arashi's withdrawal meant they would get no answers.
With deft hands Arashi picked up all of the cards and stowed them away in one of the seals woven and applied in one of the sleeves of his trench coat. His family didn't need to know what he had read because it was apparently inevitable. Fate wouldn't have allowed this glimpse of what even he shouldn't See unless there was a greater purpose. No doubt he would be recieving a vision soon. Hopefully, it would take place when they were all safe back in their hotel rooms, but Arashi wasn't really feeling that lucky. As long as his family was happy and healthy Arashi could care less about what was to happen to him. The feared shinobi did not fear death or sacrificing his life so that his precious ones could live if that was his fate. After all, Arashi, who was also Karai, was a Jinchuuriki, the power of human sacrifice. He had been a sacrifice all his life, just as Naruto and Gaara were. They would both face their fate, no matter how uncertain, just as the other Jinchuuriki would if they were in Arashi's place. But they weren't in the seer's place and if Arashi had his way they wouldn't ever be. Gaara and Naruto were mates while Temari and Kankuro were being Courted at the moment by Konan and Ranmaru, who had just turned sixteen, respectively.
Konan with Temari and Kankuro with Ranmaru. Better that their happiness and very beings not be shattered by a broken mating bond.
All of their attention was redirected when the doors to Tsunade's office opened and Shizune emerged with a flustered appearance. The flustered look disappeared only to reappear when she noticed the Kazekage and his escort waiting patiently for admittance into the Hokage's office. Tsunade was supposed to be informed when the Kazekage and his escort came through the gates. There was quite a number of people inside Tsunade's office waiting to speak with the representatives of Suna about Naruto. The stupid ANBU operatives who had neglected to inform Tsunade were going to help the nasty-tempered Hokage create new walls via being punched through them. The blond medic-nin had no patience for idiots that didn't follow orders.
When they entered the rather spacious office none of them showed any surprise at the large group of people gathered within it. All of those who had defended Naruto and berated the Council were present in the room, no doubt to try to pry information about Naruto from them. Arashi glanced sideways at his blond brother, wondering what Naruto would do in the face of this show of loyalty by his true Konohan friends. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto could reveal himself to the people in this room, well, as long as they swore a blood oath never to say anything unless they had Naruto's permission of course. No one could ever be too cautious when dealing with shinobi, especially if they might have potentially loose lips after a little drink. Paranoia was just another useful part of a shinobi's arsenal and should be exercised regularly. Well, that was the opinion of all successful shinobi, meaning those who had lived longer than the expected life span of shinobi .
The room went quiet when they had all entered the room and the door had been closed. Obviously they had not expected the entourage from Suna but the Konoha-nin were not going to bemoan their time of waiting being shorter. All eyes focused on Gaara, who had stepped closer to Tsunade, while Tsunade who was sitting in her chair behind the desk stood for a moment in acknowledgement before reseating herself. Gaara for his part sat in the availiable chair directly in front of the blond Hokage.
"I warmly welcome you and your escort to Konoha Kazekage-dono. We are expecting a delegation from Kirigakure soon as well. Two of their genin are in the finals as well."
"I thank you for your welcome on behalf of my escort as well as myself Hokage-dono. I was aware that the Mizukage would be coming to see the Chuunin Exam Finals."
The implications of what Gaara had said in regards to the Mizukage sank into the minds of those shinobi of Konoha. The only way the Kazekage would know such a thing would be if Suna was friendly with Kiri, which should have been farfetched. It could only mean that Suna and Kiri were allies, strong allies, which was more than what Konoha could say. Konoha's alliance with Suna was no better than a non-aggression pact at best and had been so since Naruto had been given to Suna by Konoha's Council. A Council that was very seriously regreting having done so. Too bad for them.
Tsunade, seeing that this line of thought would get them nowhere, gathered her thoughts. She had to word this just right so as not to offend the Kazekage or any of his escort or they would never get any answers about Naruto. So with a strained smile Tsunade began.
"Some time ago the Council of Konoha gave you a shinobi, a blond shinobi. You know of whom I speak?"
The blond Hokage almost shivered under those cold, piercing teal eyes. In order to distract herself from those eyes she let her own roam over the Kazekage's escort. They widened slightly in surprise at just who was in the escort. The widening of Tsunade's eyes caught the attention of everyone in the room but only those from Konoha were clueless as to why. That was until they followed her gaze which was focused on the Kazekage's escorts. Then their own eyes followed suit. Suna's Desert Rose, Suna's Kamikaze, Suna's Haiyuu, and Suna's Sansai were the Kazekage's escort. No wonder Tsunade couldn't hide her reaction. All of them were powerful S-class shinobi and two of them had flee on sight orders in the Bingo Book just like the current Kazekage.
"I know of whom you speak. You speak of Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though I wonder why you ask after someone Konoha treated and threw away like so much trash."
That made the Konoha-nin flinch inside because there was no denying the Kazekage's blunt and truthful accusation. Tsunade couldn't tell the Kazekage that the Council had done this behind her back, though she had an inkling that he knew, without losing face. "Naruto is precious to us."
This time it was not the Kazekage who spoke. The Sansai did so, the dark undertones in his voice barely audible. "Precious? There are few in this village who would look even neutrally at a Jinchuuriki, much hold one as precious. What makes you deserve to know anything about Naruto when you barely had time for him when he was in this village?"
Silence reigned for a moment as the Konoha residents tried to find their bearings after the Sansai's words. Iruka answered. "Naruto is a member of my family, my little brother. I can answer truthfully for myself, Kurenai, Anko, and Ibiki, all of us who watched over him as a child, that we miss him. We humbly ask what has happened to our little brother."
Gaara stayed silent and let Arashi answer. The white-haired seer was better able to deal with situations like this, after all, he could read thoughts when he was so inclined and was in a better position to do so with his eyes covered. Arashi stared at Iruka who was looking back and everyone was attentive to what the Sansai would say. Even though no one could see Arashi's eyes, every one of them could feel the weight of his unseen gaze.
"Naruto was given to Suna in hopes that he would be killed," Arashi paused as dark looks settled over the Konoha residents' faces. "When he informed us of his heritage, which had been suspected and was confirmed, he was married into a small but prominent Clan. He is very well liked and respected in Sunagakure, for both his achievement and his personality. Naruto is an accepted citizen and shinobi of Suna."
"What rank does he hold?" Jiraiya asked. Arashi looked sideways at his father before deciding he would like to see pride in Naruto on his face.
"Elite jounin under the direct command of the Kazekage. He is also a cerified Seal Master."
That got the desired reaction from Jiraiya who was indeed proud of Naruto's achievements. His friends obviously were too. Arashi could tell that their positive reactions made Naruto happy, which in turn made the rest of the Clan happy. Naruto was their light in the dark much of the time and any of them would hunt down and kill the bastards who made Naruto feel the least bit sad in any way.
That was more than the any of the Konoha shinobi had been hoping for. But they were very curious as to which clan Naruto had been married into. Jiraiya, however, was having other thoughts. He knew that Jinchuuriki had one mate that they were 'fated' for from talking to a Jinchuuriki who had been close to him. The only Clan Naruto would have logically married into was the Sabaku Clan, because even if Gaara wan't his Chosen then the Kazekage would protect him in any way he could. Jiraiya knew that Jinchuuriki didn't necessarily have or always get to marry their Chosen. Some were forced into arranged marriages and usually had to wait to be able to be together with their Chosen, if their Chosen had even been born yet, which was sometimes the case.
Everyone was pulled violently from their thoughts when Arashi clutched his head hissing in pain as a strong vision overwhelmed his senses. As the seer began to collapse, Jiraiya, who was closest grabbed onto him to keep him from falling. However, the hood Arashi was wearing fell down, revealing his sivery-white hair and slighlty familiar features to the other stunned shinobi in the room. While Arashi might not be as big or as broad as his father, there was a very noticable resemblence that could not be ignored. Jiraiya for his part did not need to be told who exactly the person he was now cradling was. It was very plain to him that he was holding the son he had never known about. Realization crept up on the Gama Sennin. His son was the Sansai of Suna.
Even after all this time, almost a year, it never ceased to captivate them when they watched Gaara, Naruto, and Arashi spar. Poetry in motion didn't quite do them justice. The way the three of them fought together was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Suna's reputation had risen while Konoha's had taken a rather severe turn for the worse. It really hadn't helped when they had accepted Sasuke back in the village without punishment when they had practically thrown Naruto out of the village at the first opportunity. Konoha's Council seemed hell-bent on tightening the noose around Konoha's neck, figuratively speaking.
The Council of Konoha hadn't taken into account that Orochimaru wouldn't particularly like his next vessel running away, and that he would assuredly take exception to it, especially since Sasuke had run back to Konoha, a place he hated with a passion. But that would be giving the blind fools too much credit because even the thoughts of such things happening hadn't even entered their minds for a moment. Sasuke was their 'golden boy', their prized bloodline carrying genius, who could do no wrong and who had been driven away by the 'demon.' It is amazing how humans can so willfully blind themselves to the obvious, because it was very obvious that Sasuke had run to Orochimaru for power all on his own, by his own choice.
Of course, no one had really asked why the 'Last Uchiha' had come back to Konoha and recieved an honest reply. Let's just say that Itachi and Tobi made Sasuke regret ever being born, let alone running to the filthy pedophile, who put the fear of fate into Sasuke. Because really, who could truthfully say that they had had their virginity taken by not one but many snakes of varying kinds? Unfortunately, for him, Sasuke could. The self-proclaimed avenger really should have listened to his former-teammate when he told Sasuke that Orochimaru only wanted Sasuke for his body, in more ways than one.
Right now the three Jinchuuriki were sparring to let off some steam. Konoha was once again hosting the Chuunin exams and all three members of the team Gaara had sent had made it to the finals. The finals would be taking place in three weeks. Seeing as all three members of the Suna genin that were sent had made it into the finals Gaara was obligated to come, something the red-haired Kazekage was loathe to do. Because if he went then Naruto would demand to go, which as Gaara's mate he had the right to do. Fortunately, Arashi had seen how stressed Gaara was about the whole thing and had offered to go along with them as one of the guards. The spar they were having had been Naruto's idea but Arashi was going to send the two mates off to their room after the spar, which should have them aroused enough not to even think about talking about the trip to Konoha.
The way Arashi saw it there was really nothing Konoha could do to any of them without sparking a war they could not afford. Orochimaru really hadn't taken Sasuke's defection well at all and had been attacking and killing anything that moved or lived along Hi no Kuni's borders. As a result of Orochimaru's angry response to the loss of his Uchiha, Konoha was spread rather thin. The Council of Konoha could not legally do anything to Naruto because the blond was Gaara's husband, and the contract involved with Naruto being given to Suna had not specified what exactly they expected to happen to Naruto. Of course the Council of Konoha might have some inkling of how bad it would be to fuck with Naruto after Tsunade and the Fire Daimyo had torn into them about Naruto's treatment and all the evidence of the abuse. Telling them of Naruto's heritage after making them all swear a blood oath not to speak of what they heard to anyone had been icing on the cake because nearly every member of the Council about had a heart-attack when they realized the full scope of what they had done. Well, the members intelligent enough to figure it out had. Arashi had somehow recorded the meeting and had given Naruto and the rest of their small tight-knit family the pleasure of viewing the events of what happened in the Council room.
Naruto would never have serious doubts about his friends in Konoha ever again. Shikamaru, Chouji, Hinata, Neji, Tenten, Lee, Ino, Kiba, Shino, Gai, Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai, Iruka, Ibiki, Anko, Genma, Kotetsu, Izumo, Shizune, Jiraiya, and Tsunade had all berated the Council members for their stupidity and cruelty in regards to Naruto. This action, more than any other, proved to Naruto that they were his true friends, and perhaps, in the future they would be family as well. Naruto knew very well that Arashi had always wanted to meet Jiraiya, even if Jiraiya never found out who Arashi was in relation to him. This meeting had also changed Naruto's mind about his father, even if he said nothing about his change of heart to anyone but Gaara, which would prove to be a mistake. How costly a mistake has yet to be determined.
Also as a result of this particular meeting Gaara and Arashi had let up a little on ruining Konoha. Instead they would both focus on Orochimaru, Homura, Koharu, and Danzo, whoo were all the Naruto's largest sources of suffering. It hadn't taken much persuasion to get their new allies Akatsuki and Kirigakure to aid them in their endeavor, which had been rather successful so far. Arashi was planning to use this trip to Konoha for the Chuunin Exam Finals as an excuse to do some reconnaisance and some sabotage on the nastier Council members. More blackmail material was always welcome, no matter the form.
~~~~~
The trip from Suna to Konoha had been uneventful, probably because it would be suicide to actually attack anyone in the Kazekage's escort. Not that you could tell all who was in the escort. Naruto and Arashi's faces and their hair was covered so as not to let anyone know exactly who they are. Nothing could stop them from letting it be known that the Kamikaze and the Sansai were a part of the Kazekage's personal escort as well as proud shinobi of Sunagakure no Sato, which they were. Gaara was decked out in his Kage robes, complete with the hat and the veil, so the only thing one could see were Gaara's piercing teal eyes.
The whole group, which consisted only of Gaara, Naruto, Arashi, Temari, and Kankuro, was currently waiting outside Tsunade's office with the ANBU who had escorted them to the Hokage Tower. Arashi, bored with the waiting and feeling the urge, took out his tarot cards and laid out a spread for anything that might be of importance. The silver-haired seer's face became progessively blanker the more deeply he read into the cards. Though none of the others could see his face the rest of their Clan could feel Arashi's withdrawal, the retraction of his emotions inward. It startled all of them as well as gave them a feeling of dread. They could only guess that the silver-eyed seer's reaction was caused by what he had read in the cards, which gave them no comfort, because it could be anything. To make matters worse Arashi wasn't going to tell them unless it was relevant to them or if he deemed it appropriate. Arashi's withdrawal meant they would get no answers.
With deft hands Arashi picked up all of the cards and stowed them away in one of the seals woven and applied in one of the sleeves of his trench coat. His family didn't need to know what he had read because it was apparently inevitable. Fate wouldn't have allowed this glimpse of what even he shouldn't See unless there was a greater purpose. No doubt he would be recieving a vision soon. Hopefully, it would take place when they were all safe back in their hotel rooms, but Arashi wasn't really feeling that lucky. As long as his family was happy and healthy Arashi could care less about what was to happen to him. The feared shinobi did not fear death or sacrificing his life so that his precious ones could live if that was his fate. After all, Arashi, who was also Karai, was a Jinchuuriki, the power of human sacrifice. He had been a sacrifice all his life, just as Naruto and Gaara were. They would both face their fate, no matter how uncertain, just as the other Jinchuuriki would if they were in Arashi's place. But they weren't in the seer's place and if Arashi had his way they wouldn't ever be. Gaara and Naruto were mates while Temari and Kankuro were being Courted at the moment by Konan and Ranmaru, who had just turned sixteen, respectively.
Konan with Temari and Kankuro with Ranmaru. Better that their happiness and very beings not be shattered by a broken mating bond.
All of their attention was redirected when the doors to Tsunade's office opened and Shizune emerged with a flustered appearance. The flustered look disappeared only to reappear when she noticed the Kazekage and his escort waiting patiently for admittance into the Hokage's office. Tsunade was supposed to be informed when the Kazekage and his escort came through the gates. There was quite a number of people inside Tsunade's office waiting to speak with the representatives of Suna about Naruto. The stupid ANBU operatives who had neglected to inform Tsunade were going to help the nasty-tempered Hokage create new walls via being punched through them. The blond medic-nin had no patience for idiots that didn't follow orders.
When they entered the rather spacious office none of them showed any surprise at the large group of people gathered within it. All of those who had defended Naruto and berated the Council were present in the room, no doubt to try to pry information about Naruto from them. Arashi glanced sideways at his blond brother, wondering what Naruto would do in the face of this show of loyalty by his true Konohan friends. Maybe, just maybe, Naruto could reveal himself to the people in this room, well, as long as they swore a blood oath never to say anything unless they had Naruto's permission of course. No one could ever be too cautious when dealing with shinobi, especially if they might have potentially loose lips after a little drink. Paranoia was just another useful part of a shinobi's arsenal and should be exercised regularly. Well, that was the opinion of all successful shinobi, meaning those who had lived longer than the expected life span of shinobi .
The room went quiet when they had all entered the room and the door had been closed. Obviously they had not expected the entourage from Suna but the Konoha-nin were not going to bemoan their time of waiting being shorter. All eyes focused on Gaara, who had stepped closer to Tsunade, while Tsunade who was sitting in her chair behind the desk stood for a moment in acknowledgement before reseating herself. Gaara for his part sat in the availiable chair directly in front of the blond Hokage.
"I warmly welcome you and your escort to Konoha Kazekage-dono. We are expecting a delegation from Kirigakure soon as well. Two of their genin are in the finals as well."
"I thank you for your welcome on behalf of my escort as well as myself Hokage-dono. I was aware that the Mizukage would be coming to see the Chuunin Exam Finals."
The implications of what Gaara had said in regards to the Mizukage sank into the minds of those shinobi of Konoha. The only way the Kazekage would know such a thing would be if Suna was friendly with Kiri, which should have been farfetched. It could only mean that Suna and Kiri were allies, strong allies, which was more than what Konoha could say. Konoha's alliance with Suna was no better than a non-aggression pact at best and had been so since Naruto had been given to Suna by Konoha's Council. A Council that was very seriously regreting having done so. Too bad for them.
Tsunade, seeing that this line of thought would get them nowhere, gathered her thoughts. She had to word this just right so as not to offend the Kazekage or any of his escort or they would never get any answers about Naruto. So with a strained smile Tsunade began.
"Some time ago the Council of Konoha gave you a shinobi, a blond shinobi. You know of whom I speak?"
The blond Hokage almost shivered under those cold, piercing teal eyes. In order to distract herself from those eyes she let her own roam over the Kazekage's escort. They widened slightly in surprise at just who was in the escort. The widening of Tsunade's eyes caught the attention of everyone in the room but only those from Konoha were clueless as to why. That was until they followed her gaze which was focused on the Kazekage's escorts. Then their own eyes followed suit. Suna's Desert Rose, Suna's Kamikaze, Suna's Haiyuu, and Suna's Sansai were the Kazekage's escort. No wonder Tsunade couldn't hide her reaction. All of them were powerful S-class shinobi and two of them had flee on sight orders in the Bingo Book just like the current Kazekage.
"I know of whom you speak. You speak of Naruto, the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Though I wonder why you ask after someone Konoha treated and threw away like so much trash."
That made the Konoha-nin flinch inside because there was no denying the Kazekage's blunt and truthful accusation. Tsunade couldn't tell the Kazekage that the Council had done this behind her back, though she had an inkling that he knew, without losing face. "Naruto is precious to us."
This time it was not the Kazekage who spoke. The Sansai did so, the dark undertones in his voice barely audible. "Precious? There are few in this village who would look even neutrally at a Jinchuuriki, much hold one as precious. What makes you deserve to know anything about Naruto when you barely had time for him when he was in this village?"
Silence reigned for a moment as the Konoha residents tried to find their bearings after the Sansai's words. Iruka answered. "Naruto is a member of my family, my little brother. I can answer truthfully for myself, Kurenai, Anko, and Ibiki, all of us who watched over him as a child, that we miss him. We humbly ask what has happened to our little brother."
Gaara stayed silent and let Arashi answer. The white-haired seer was better able to deal with situations like this, after all, he could read thoughts when he was so inclined and was in a better position to do so with his eyes covered. Arashi stared at Iruka who was looking back and everyone was attentive to what the Sansai would say. Even though no one could see Arashi's eyes, every one of them could feel the weight of his unseen gaze.
"Naruto was given to Suna in hopes that he would be killed," Arashi paused as dark looks settled over the Konoha residents' faces. "When he informed us of his heritage, which had been suspected and was confirmed, he was married into a small but prominent Clan. He is very well liked and respected in Sunagakure, for both his achievement and his personality. Naruto is an accepted citizen and shinobi of Suna."
"What rank does he hold?" Jiraiya asked. Arashi looked sideways at his father before deciding he would like to see pride in Naruto on his face.
"Elite jounin under the direct command of the Kazekage. He is also a cerified Seal Master."
That got the desired reaction from Jiraiya who was indeed proud of Naruto's achievements. His friends obviously were too. Arashi could tell that their positive reactions made Naruto happy, which in turn made the rest of the Clan happy. Naruto was their light in the dark much of the time and any of them would hunt down and kill the bastards who made Naruto feel the least bit sad in any way.
That was more than the any of the Konoha shinobi had been hoping for. But they were very curious as to which clan Naruto had been married into. Jiraiya, however, was having other thoughts. He knew that Jinchuuriki had one mate that they were 'fated' for from talking to a Jinchuuriki who had been close to him. The only Clan Naruto would have logically married into was the Sabaku Clan, because even if Gaara wan't his Chosen then the Kazekage would protect him in any way he could. Jiraiya knew that Jinchuuriki didn't necessarily have or always get to marry their Chosen. Some were forced into arranged marriages and usually had to wait to be able to be together with their Chosen, if their Chosen had even been born yet, which was sometimes the case.
Everyone was pulled violently from their thoughts when Arashi clutched his head hissing in pain as a strong vision overwhelmed his senses. As the seer began to collapse, Jiraiya, who was closest grabbed onto him to keep him from falling. However, the hood Arashi was wearing fell down, revealing his sivery-white hair and slighlty familiar features to the other stunned shinobi in the room. While Arashi might not be as big or as broad as his father, there was a very noticable resemblence that could not be ignored. Jiraiya for his part did not need to be told who exactly the person he was now cradling was. It was very plain to him that he was holding the son he had never known about. Realization crept up on the Gama Sennin. His son was the Sansai of Suna.