The Shinobi looked straight at him, He couldn't see his eyes, not from this distance. But he knew that the ninja was looking at him because he could feel it. Like those eyes were branding his skin.
Nevertheless he returned the gaze, unflinchingly. They held their mutual stare for a moment before the masked ninja turned and left.
Gaara sighed, in a bit of relief he turned to Temari. "Sis."
The said Kunoichi turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?" She asked curiously.
He jerked his head, telling her to look. She obliged and saw the ninja walking away. "What of him?"
"Should he cross your path during the invasion…" He paused as he stood. "Run."
"Why?" She asked, most of the Konoha gennin she had seen so far were nothing extraordinary and that guy didn't even have a vest meaning that he was most likely a gennin as well.
"Just trust me on this." He said, forming a fist of sand to pick up Kankuro by the back of the neck.
Temari however, stayed for a moment, looking at the strange ninja Gaara had warned her about. He didn't look special save for his height really. If she had a closer look she might think differently.
Still Gaara wouldn't warn her for nothing. She shrugged, making a note of this before she turned to follow her brother.
Hinata walked into her fathers study, when she had arrived a branch member had immediately told her that her father requested an audience with her. She had merely nodded and with a simple check of the time she knew where he was.
As she opened the sliding door she steeled her features into one of cold indifference, hiding the pure resentment she felt for this man. "You called father?"
He nodded. "Hinata, I understand, Hatake Kakashi has sponsored you for the Chuunin selection exams."
She nodded, she didn't know how the hell her father always knew everything that had happened in her day before she even got here, it was kinda creepy really, but still, she wouldn't question him, she probably wouldn't get an answer anyway.
Hiashi nodded and turned back to the scroll he was reading. "Neji is also entering in the exam." He paused and Hinata felt her throat tighten. "Should you face him, make sure you do not disgrace the main house or yourself by losing to him Hinata. He is a branch member."
She clenched her fists to the point they cracked but held all emotion from her face. She bowed, 'Yes father." She bit out before turning and walking away.
As soon as she was out of Byakugan range she let her displeasure fully show on her face, this is why she despised that man, he cared more for images than his own family, it didn't mater that Neji was his nephew, that he was all that remained of his brother Hizashi. No, all that mattered to him was that the name of the Main House would not be marred by one of their members losing to a branch member.
She sighed, it was possibly for that reason that Neji was always so biter besides the death of his father. He would use every chance he got to get back at the main house, Hinata couldn't blame him really, but if she faced him in the exam, she'd be within a rock and a hard place.
On one hand, since she had no real wish to harm her cousin, she would just give up and grant him the victory, but her father had left her with little choice and if the rumors of Neji's skills were worth even half their merit, then she would be in for a tough fight.
"Urgh" She groaned in frustration rubbing her head as she walked off, muttering something that sounded like. "Stupid pompous political gaming bastard."
Gaara sat on the roof of his hotel, the moon hung high over his head as the crisp, cool night air blew against his tanned skin.
He liked the moon.
He remembered a time in his life, when the whispers from Shukaku, ran rampant through his thoughts. The demands for blood, the hunger for death and the craving for another person's suffering haunted him still, while now Shukaku's voice was naught but a faint whisper in the passing breeze he knew just why that was.
It was because of his father.
He remembered that strange night clear as if it was just yesterday, his father had come, and had seemingly changed overnight. He had felt that, perhaps it had just been a passing fancy, or a cruel ploy, his father was playing but…
As the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months and months passed to years his father continued to look at him with kind eyes, and despite Gaara's best efforts he could not find any hint of deception, or hate.
He had trained him, helped him learn how to control the sand and repress the beast. Even after Gaara, by accident had injured him horribly, he had been terrified then, that things would go back to the way they were, that his eyes would revert back to that cold look of hatred. But when he saw his father again, still wearing the hospital bandages, he had apologized fervently, and the man had merely grunted and said it was 'fine'
And that had been the end of it.
He had plenty of ideas, and theories that had formed at what had brought his fathers change, but none of them had any true consistency.
.
.
.
If you want to access advanced chapters, wait no more and subscribe to my Patreon, where you can buy books in completely downloadable PDF format.
🤩patreon.com/Shihao123🤩