The Jashinist's Son (Naruto Fanfic)

Chapter 4: An old Friend

It had taken three days for the shinobi and caracal to arrive at the gates of the Hidden Leaf Village. And over those three day, Temari had been ruthless in trying to pry information out of Takeo about his last mission with Gaara.

The Jashinist's son wasn't intimidated and tried to deflect the questions back on Temari. Neither were going to win, no matter how much they bickered. He did however feel like pulling his hair out after the first two days, but assumed the feeling was mutual, given Temari was constantly massaging her temples.

Takeo loved their bickering. He had always held an image of what a family should look like and how siblings would behave with each other. A beautiful love - hate relationship.

Bickering with Temari made Takeo at ease. A familial connection never hadn't in a long time. The connection was different from the one he felt with the red head but again, he didn't know how to put it into words. He had explained these thoughts to Temari a few hours ago, leaving her with them for the remainder of the journey.

The green gates of the Hidden Leaf Village didn't seem as large as they once were to Takeo as they approached. The wooden surface was just a little more faded and chipped than he remembered. It was still bright against the backdrop of greenery with an almost unnaturally blue sky that seemed to characterise the landscape.

It was strange to think Takeo missed the arid air and the endless sandy dunes of Sunagakure. He craved the way the sun nipped at his skin, darkening it over time, and the harsh wind that burnt the unprepared or exposed skin of those unaccustomed to the environment.

He had never even felt that connection to the land where he was born. It all boiled down to the people he had met and the bonds he had formed in Suna. Most didn't care he was a criminal. Most.

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Kotetsu Hagane and Izumo Kamizuki were on guard duty of the main gates leading to their beloved village. It was mid morning by the time they spied a small group heading their way. As they came closer one figure was obviously Temari, a liaison from the Sand, a caracal they could have sworn they've seen before and a figure they couldn't distinguish.

A cloth mask covered the lower half of the slim face while a beige cloak shielded the person's hair and body from prying eyes. But as they came closer, it was the person's eyes that made the chuunin's aware of who was entering the village after three years.

Takeo.

Both chuunin had been present on the day Takeo had been escorted by the Hokage herself and a couple of Sand shinobi, out of the village.

They had listened to Takeo thank the Hokage for giving him a place to stay. They had heard how disgusted Takeo was at his heritage and himself. They saw the pity on the Hokage's face. And they saw Takeo almost kill the unsuspecting Hokage.

The chuunin also witnessed Takeo break down and beg for help. It was clear that he was unstable. Being locked away incase he followed after the fleeing Uchiha, being separated from the only adult - Kakashi - who promised to never betray him, and then getting sent away from the Village the Third Hokage had promised would accept him, had clearly affected the damaged boy.

But as they watched the teen pause before them to check in, they didn't see any of that. He had grown taller and appeared almost bored as he pulled down his cloth mask. The leaf didn't hold as many positive memories as the Sand did.