Inheritance

The Chunin Exams I

He couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing as the kunai went straight past his face. And as a result he missed the sound of two transformations dispelling from behind him. Temari had heard it, but the deactivation of the technique had been perfectly timed, and she hadn't been able to react until it was two late, and both of the Suna ninja felt the cold steel of a kunai pressed against their bare necks by a pair of smiling blond shinobi.

"Would you please let the Grandson of the Sandaime Hokage go now? If you don't, it's my duty as a Konoha ninja to kill you to protect him, and I really don't want to have to cause a diplomatic incident because you're sort of an idiot."

Kankuro gulped impulsively and released his hold on the boy almost instantly. He had very nearly made an unbelievable mistake. He had nearly ruined everything. Of all the snot nosed little kids he could have chosen to mess with, he had probably picked the only one that he couldn't have gotten away with hurting. In fact, his poor choice of target probably meant that the blond holding a kunai to his throat would be pretty safe to kill him right now in defence of the Hokage's relative, some minor diplomatic issues aside. The only reason he wasn't already dead, assuming this Konoha ninja had the stones to actually kill him, was his own status as a Kage's son.

"Kankuro. You're embarrassing us."

The third voice surprised Sakura, but it was Naruto's reaction that had her worried. The two Bunshin darted forward and picked up the boy, and ran back towards her and the original Naruto, who himself had stepped forward protectively, and fresh kunai in his hand and all signs of false politeness or mischief totally erased from his face.

"I was wondering when you were going to come out of that tree... Gaara."

The red-haired jinchuuriki was hanging from the branch of a tree overlooking the confrontation, his arms crossed, and a cold stare on his face aimed at Naruto.

"Uzumaki Naruto." Suddenly, Gaara disappeared in a swirl of sand and chakra induced smoke, and reappeared in between the two opposing groups of shinobi, looking directly at the blond Konoha nin. "Mother wants your blood..." His rasping voice, somehow managed to set Naruto even more on edge, even as Naruto searched for a sign that Gaara was anything less then totally lost in the darkness.

Unfortunately, the sight of several trails of sand snaking towards him across the ground cut that particular search short.

"Gaara wait!" Naruto exclaimed, desperate to avoid a fight with the Jinchuuriki in the middle of the village. "If you attack me now you'll be thrown out of the village!" But the sand kept coming, and Gaara gave no sign that he had even heard his fellow container. "I said wait! If you get thrown out, you won't be able to fight all of the other strong ninja that are competing! People stronger than me! People who can... Prove your existence."

The sand stopped dead, and Naruto suddenly felt immensely grateful to Jiraiya, who had apparently put some significant effort into producing an intelligence report on the Ichibi's container. That last part, had been part of one of the most difficult things Naruto had ever read, because he came to realise exactly how close to becoming like Gaara he had come.

"Because after all, when your all alone, when your lost in despair... You have to find a reason..." Naruto spoke softly, not even really talking to Gaara in particular.

"A reason to live... To exist." Gaara's eyes had widened before he replied, because he had seen in Naruto's eyes, the exact same thing he saw in his own.

Uzumaki Naruto understood. And it was Mother's insane whisperings that told Gaara why. Kyuubi. The one word that Gaara had been able to properly recognise. Uzumaki Naruto understood because he bore the exact same burdens that Gaara himself bore - and yet, he was so very different.