Naruto did not blame Gaara for failing to keep his team together.
In fact, it was pretty convenient for him to just switch back with Sōjirō when his teammates have scattered.
Sakura went to meet Chiyo, the old lady who had been so enthusiastic to teach her craft to Naruto before. Naruto did not know it, but the two have been acquainted during the previous timeline. Although their partnership was short, Sakura did learn a lot about poisons from her. Thus, it was obvious to her that a large part of the primary poison expertise that was available to her in the marble was related to Chiyo's life's research. Naruto only knew that the elder could use a forbidden jutsu to transfer one's life force to others, a defective variant of the resurrection technique, which she used to restore Gaara's life when he was killed by the bijū extraction before.
Sasuke had encountered Pakura, a kunoichi who possessed the rare Shakuton -- the Scorch Release. He knew that this young woman died early during the previous timeline. Even if he had never known her personally, Sasuke quite admired her for being able to develop such uses for her kekkei genkai without relying on jutsu left behind by previous generations. Pakura turned out to be the only person who could harness the power of wind and fire to obtain her unique ability. Since he returned to the past, Sasuke was keen on combining chakra types to form new chakra natures. He wanted to properly use his Rinnegan and its side-effect of an affinity for all chakra natures to increase his firepower in battle. As such, they were currently sparring in an unused training ground with much fervour.
As for Kakashi? With his kōhai absent, he had no other reason to stay with the group. He carelessly released his (wild) genin to roam freely around (and terrorise the innocents of) Sunagakure. What was he doing, you ask? Well, he was obviously stalking... ahem, watching a bunch of fluffy little canines. He was infatuated with a family of raccoon dogs that was busy rolling around and grooming each other. He had solemnly barged into the protected oasis zone in the middle of the village hidden in the sand. It was only in this area that fertile soil and fresh groundwater could be found in the form of a natural spring. Most non-residents did not even know this place existed and it was not an area to be visited freely. Kakashi discovered this place by chance during a past mission and now gleefully trespassed to watch the adorable raccoon dogs.
Sōjirō, who was still imitating the usual appearance of Naruto, was the most obedient of the lot. He was the only one who stayed where Gaara had left them. Sitting cross-legged on the side of the road, the blood clone meticulously etched fine markings on the inner surface of the fox mask that had been entrusted to him by his master. Sachiko-chan was nestled cosily against his side -- Sasuke had tossed away the poor duck when he spotted Pakura to give chase and received some disgruntled quacking in response.
Naruto did not interrupt Sōjirō's careful movements as he shaped exquisite kanji characters on the porcelain using chakra from the tips of his index fingers. He watched unobtrusively, taking in the tranquil scene with patience. Among his clones, Sōjirō was probably the most self-willed. He had the greatest degree of autonomy in his actions compared to the other blood clones and only reported his activities to his master after the fact. Naruto never had many orders for Sōjirō. There were only the most basic initial commands that the clone had to adhere to, but that would never diminish the importance of his creator in Sōjirō's perception.
As he looked on, Naruto idly considered the ordinary duck next to the clone that was alike to his friend's hairstyle in every way except for colour -- Sachiko-chan had white feathers.
"I guess she has potential...? Maybe I can help her open her spiritual wisdom... Sachiko-chan has been smart ever since I met her," Naruto mused, crouching down to straighten the duck's ruffled feathers.
There was a chance that Sachiko-chan will grow into a respectable boss summons comparable to the famous legendary summons of the Sannin. At that time, she can lead fellow summons of her species. Even if the ducks cannot inhabit a realm of their own like the mythical creatures he had helped Sakura and Sasuke contract, it would not be a problem for him to find a place rich in natural energy for her to live.
For some reason, a funny thought came across him.
How spectacular would it be if Sasuke was the summoner of ducks?
"I can make you stronger, Sachiko-chan," Naruto addressed the duck solemnly.
Sachiko-chan looked up at the tall redhead who spoke to her with utmost seriousness.
"Would you be opposed to that?" Naruto questioned.
Sachiko-chan simply stared up at Naruto with her beady black eyes and quacked powerfully.
Sōjirō paused in his work, looking up at his master.
Naruto felt his face becoming ruddier from shame.
This was so stupid that, had it been anyone other than his clone who witnessed it, he might have been mistaken for a fool. Ah, even he knew that Sachiko-chan -- a mere duck -- had no ability to understand the finer intricacies of human language. She understood simple content based on contextual clues. It was pointless to seek her permission in anything. Sachiko-chan would likely figure it out after he unlocks her spiritual wisdom, but by then it was too late to find out whether she was a willing participant.
They relied on tacit understanding to switch back their identities without any hassle, and Sōjirō finally added the final finishing touches to the new seal matrix on the mask that had been Anko's gift to Naruto.
Coincidentally, Kakashi happened to return to the street which was their unofficial re-gathering spot right after Sōjirō leaned in to carefully gather lifeblood from his master's carotid artery and started condensing the liquid into blood essence to be dripped onto the mask.
It was a terribly intimate move, considering that the silver-haired jōnin stood at an angle from which the painted porcelain mask could not be seen and some red could still be seen on Naruto -- remnants of his earlier embarrassment.
Neither clone nor master failed to notice Kakashi's approach, however, the former was much too preoccupied with the task at hand to care while the latter still could not move before healing the wound from which a large amount of blood had been drawn. It took a little longer to recover the lost blood with his abundant chakra, even if his vitality had not been harmed. There was no time for them to clean up the mess, and Kakashi saw the crimson traces that remained on the blond's neck as he came closer.
"Kaka-nii," Naruto greeted lightly.
Sōjirō gingerly placed the mask on his master. The kunai that he had just used hung on his left pinky still, its edge smeared with the bright liquid. He wanted to help secure the mask by tying the soft silken cord, but Naruto gently brushed off the attempt and lightly propped the mask on the side of his head instead to smile up at his jōnin sensei.
The redhead reluctantly stepped away with his master's dismissal and looked up at Kakashi with a slight wrinkle in his brow.
He could not ask if it was functioning properly with this man here...
Withholding a sigh, Sōjirō acknowledged the presence of the interloper, "Senpai."
Kakashi felt a bit suspicious.
Was that disappointment he detected in the unusually monotonous voice of the great ANBU commander Kitsune?
Naruto curiously touched the edge of the mask and sent chakra into the newly engraved strokes painted in red to analyse the construction of the new fūinjutsu pattern.
His eyes brightened in recognition as he received the feedback. If he was not wrong, Sōjirō had created a novel seal matrix that had never been seen before. It was invented by the blood clone in his free time, without any suggestion from Naruto. Honestly, he was happy to see it. After all, this was just what he needed before he could jump into the Chūnin Exams with the other genin.
This was a special method that disguised his chakra system and limited the density and volume of chakra which can be perceived and/or utilised depending on the user's needs. This innovation was impressive indeed and could effectively be tweaked to supplement one's chakra capacity as well, much like the Yin Seal that Tsunade had developed to assist her use of Creation Rebirth. He supposed this new matrix might be better than the Yin Seal. It was more flexible in its purpose -- even enabling the seamless transfer of usable chakra between individuals without compatible chakra types.
It seemed like... this other variation of the new seals put together by Sōjirō was a little too risky to reveal to others.
It could too easily be abused, misappropriated to arm men without the ability to unlock chakra and strike at other villages.
In the worst-case scenario, Naruto could distribute these artefacts after concealing the fūinjutsu design as a last-ditch effort should it come to that point... He would not pull any stops during the upcoming war. They could not afford to be selfish in wartime. The future consequences of such a choice can be debilitating, but it was still possible to manage the damages. It was better than for them to watch the world fall into ruins again.
And so, the blond looked up at his clone with a frown still creasing his forehead.
Kakashi was struck by how similar the two looked when wearing the same expression. Granted, Sōjirō appeared plainly upset -- even sulky -- while Naruto looked like his emotions were a little more complicated. So much so that it was hard to decipher his thoughts. Then Kakashi could no longer avoid the question -- how did he always know how to interpret Naruto's feelings so well? Chalking it up to the relationship between clansmen was... fatuous, to say the least.
It was like expecting Itachi and Shisui to be similar, to name one such unreasonable example.
Naruto noticed Sōjirō's anticipation and slight anxiety.
He reached out to pat the clone's shoulder, speaking with genuine appreciation, "Thank you. I'm delighted to receive this gift. It is very useful to me."
Sōjirō almost glowed with happiness at the recognition from his master, though he barely kept his facial muscles from twitching upwards in joy.
Naruto rarely praised his clones. It felt like he was singing his own praises since they were still a part of him and would return to him eventually. This time, Sōjirō really had outdone himself. He did not think that even he could have devised such an ingenious seal in so short a time -- Sōjirō and the other clones that were formed beyond Naruto's mindscape were unable to freely enter unless Naruto permitted them to do so. This feat required an amazing spark of inspiration -- for so dull a concept.
Well, its theoretical parameters were marvellous but they had yet to be tested in reality.
Naruto would adjust it appropriately when there was more privacy and let Sōjirō know about its deficiencies.
The blond sensed that Gaara and Rasa had concluded their awkward exchange.
"Time is up," Naruto informed Sakura and Sasuke telepathically.
Though they did not reply, he detected some movement from their chakra signatures as the two bade their respective newly-made acquaintances goodbye.
"Did I interrupt something?" Kakashi asked wryly.
The blond blinked and peered up at the silver-haired man.
Sōjirō, nonchalant, cleaned the blade and snuck the kunai he took from his master's weapons pouch together with his fūinjutsu supplies.
Naruto, who noticed this, could not help but wonder if he ever demonstrated such a tendency. Why was this clone of his so inclined to collecting trinkets received from him, the original? The clones were essentially an extension of himself, so this strange fanaticism was unwarranted. It was not as if he had no habit of retaining items of sentimental value, but Sōjirō cherished what little worldly possessions Naruto bestowed upon him dearly.
For example, the common katana was created on a whim just to function as a prop -- based on his knowledge of cold weapons from his previous life.
"Don't worry, Sō-sensei just helped me carve seals on my mask. He needed blood to activate the markings," Naruto apprised calmly, assuaging the tense clone's distress.
True enough, the redhead relaxed at the nonverbal assurance that Naruto did not feel the need to conceal any truths from Kakashi.
The jōnin sensei nodded in understanding, not questioning the pair of Uzumaki before him any further.
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
"Gaara," Rasa called out, his gaze fixed on the retreating back of his son.
The jinchūriki did not deign to turn around, yet quietly stopped in place to hear what the man -- who he had stopped considering to be family so long ago -- had to say.
"It's impossible for me to change the past, to fix what I've done wrong. Despite all that, we're still here. That's what someone told me. It's not too late to resolve the conflict between us. I'm sorry, Gaara. For all it's worth," the Kazekage said this chunk in one breath.
Rasa saw the slight tremor of Gaara's shoulders.
"Will you give me a chance to be your father?" Rasa finished the impromptu speech that he had rehearsed several times in his head.
He felt guilty after speaking. He was never a good father, even to Temari and Kankuro. It was not just his youngest child that he had neglected. His motivation dissipated once his wife passed. He lost his drive to do pretty much anything, burying himself into his work in a futile effort to forget it all. His problems, his life... he had been running away from them for thirteen years.
It was really high time he faced the world, starting from the child that he had wronged the most.
"If a chance is all you want, that's not impossible," Gaara said coolly, still not glancing back to see the incredibly human appearance of the merciless Yondaime Kazekage.
Rasa held his breath. Even if this was a hallucination, he did not want to wake up from its trance. He feared that, if he made a sound, this moment would be broken, and he would lose this feeble opportunity forevermore.
"Sure," Gaara muttered, biting his lip as he left in a shunshin.
ʕ•ﻌ•ʔ
The first thing Gaara noticed when he saw the harmonious scene of Naruto and Sōjirō sitting side-by-side while Kakashi stood nearby was that the two had switched back already.
He stared at the blond for a few beats, then tediously stated, "You've returned."
Naruto quirked an eyebrow.
"Are you disappointed? Would you rather I bring him back instead?" he queried, amused.
Gaara rejected the offer with a shake of his head.
"Why? Do you think it would be different? Nothing will change, you know? It's not like he's been killed," Naruto leaned in to whisper lowly in the ear of his fellow jinchūriki.
The redhead retreated half a step, focusing his sight on the unfathomably deep azure eyes of the person before him.
He realised what Daiki was trying to tell him at last. His arguments and comforts were not just to pacify Gaara's mood. Daiki only ever disclosed facts. He did not soothe Gaara with falsehoods that would make him feel better.
"It's the same," he confessed under his breath, leaving the latter part unsaid. 'He was always just a part of you.'
Naruto chuckled, "I thought you've grown attached."
Gaara cautiously reached out, hugging Naruto loosely.
"Even so, it's the same. You aren't inferior," Gaara admitted.
He backed off quickly, shyness dusting his fair skin with pink. He was unused to human contact. Physical contact with others was rare for him due to the protection of his sand. After all, those with pure hearts lacking malice that could get past the automatic defence were incredibly rare.
Kakashi who was busy consulting Sōjirō with questions on fūinjutsu theory was ignorant to the uncharacteristic behaviour of the Suna jinchūriki.
Gaara was about to offer Naruto a seat fashioned from sand when Sasuke returned with a book in hand, studiously noting down Shakuton chakra composition and its possible applications. He was busily scribbling in the notebook, not bothering to look up to see if he was in the right place as he mumbled up a storm. Kakashi and Sōjirō wrapped up their review, and the former felt like this spectacle was a bit out of place. Was Sasuke such a scholarly character? Kakashi was always under the impression that the bookworm of the team was Sakura.
It did not take long for Sakura to return with a bundle of materials in her arms. She had received some samples from Chiyo, a combination of living and dead organisms that could not be simply stuffed into a common storage scroll. Thus, she had no choice but to carry them along in a hurry until there was a chance to settle down and sort through the haul.
The tour finally began, with the only Suna native simply leading Team 7 around the village. Since Gaara failed to explain, only naming landmarks and districts impersonally, Sakura could only fill in the gaps with her chatter. She explained the history of various infrastructure soporifically, her memory of such accounts more detailed than most Sunagakure residents. If not for Gaara's self-control and the rest of the group's disinterest in the tour, they might have started nodding off in boredom.
Besides Gaara who earnestly led the five around and Sakura who narrated the major occurrences in the small community which evolved to become the present Sunagakure in the past hundred years, the four others were otherwise preoccupied. Sasuke was still analysing Shakuton with a occasional prod at Naruto for his opinions. Sōjirō was handling paperwork as the owner of the most renowned line of seals in Naruto's stead. Naruto himself was analysing information his clones had obtained from ancient texts, trying to figure out more about the underwater empire and look for allusions to the technology there. Kakashi was fiddling with a prototype camera, for which he had previously sought Sōjirō's counsel before building with an elaborate internal fūinjutsu system that tested the limits of his skill -- it had undergone its first testing in the secret oasis while its inventor photographed raccoon dogs.
Unfortunately, this camera was prone to overheating.
As an early birthday present, Naruto decided he would modify Kakashi's camera during this trip so that the poor guy could freely engage in his hobby with the rest of the "vacation".
The six unanimously put aside their "differences" upon arriving at the Kazekage Residence, their residence for the next two months.
Before Gaara could throw his sand out to open the heavy stone door to allow entry for Naruto's group, the door rolled open from the inside with a low rumble.
"Hello!" a spiky-ponytailed blonde with sandy hair spoke in greeting. "You must be Naruto? I'm Temari, Gaara's nee-chan."
Gaara scowled at Temari's self-introduction and turned to face Naruto's friends.
"These are Temari and Kankuro. They can be considered my siblings," he introduced, pointing at each of them in turn.
Temari's warm smile became brittle as she looked at her youngest brother in discomfort.
"Gaara... You..." she said sadly, but Gaara did not pay attention to her antics.
Gaara shooed them aside somewhat impatiently, "Get out of the way."
The brother-and-sister stepped aside without dallying further -- they could tell that their brother was in one of his better moods and did not dare aggravate him in fear of triggering his usual foul temper.
He turned to tell Naruto, his tone a lot milder when speaking to the blond, "You don't have to care too much about insignificant people."
Temari's smile threatened to fall, her temple pulsing in anger at Gaara's blatant dismissal.
"You can take any of the unoccupied rooms. Just avoid the second floor. That's where Kazekage-sama... our father stays," Gaara left those instructions behind him as he vacated the house.
Naruto knew that Gaara used to stay with Yashamaru before his uncle's (failed) mission. He still visited the other frequently now despite knowing of his outbursts and general instability. He did not receive many missions now and was practically semi-retired, so Gaara's visits were a blissful reprieve from loneliness for Yashamaru. Gaara did not like residing within the Kazekage's manor and would often escape to Yashamaru's home, though he would return every night.
It was like a weight has been lifted from the shoulders of the Sabaku siblings as the source of invisible pressure departed, causing Temari and Kankuro to sigh in relief that there was no lethal explosion of rage from the youngest brother.
Sakura looked at them in sympathy, thinking of the volatile nature of the Ichibi jinchūriki at this time that she remembered facing in the previous timeline.
Naruto and Sasuke refrained from judging anything based on this.
Temari smiled kindly at Naruto.
"You must have had a long journey," she said. "Just call me nee-chan. You are... like Gaara, right? I won't discriminate against you for it."
Naruto was silent as he listened to her tirade.
This treatment was in stark contrast to Temari's defensive attitude towards Gaara.
Temari continued, "I can help you-"
"That would be unnecessary, Temari-san," Naruto interrupted.
The blonde shrank back in surprise.
"I have no interest in participating in this farce. I refuse to cooperate with you in this play. If you want Gaara to open up to, you should be saying such things to him. I am not your brother and it wouldn't help you if you treat me cordially and vice versa," Naruto refuted, his manner tepid.
Temari laughed awkwardly, bluffing, "That isn't..."
"I'm used to false kindness, but I dislike hypocritical people. You want to show Gaara that you do not fear jinchūriki. However, if that is what you want, why are you coming to me? You are scared of Gaara. Anyone can tell that you don't dare to approach him. Do you think I would be an easier target just because I seem friendly? I will tell you this. This roundabout method of yours will not work, and it'll help no one. You're just as bigoted as everyone else," Naruto admonished, ripping apart Temari's mask unsympathetically.
Temari fell to her knees in defeat, clutching at her head.
"No, I... Gaara just keeps pushing us away..." she muttered, refusing to look up at the blond.
"When have you ever attempted to get to know him? You don't even understand Gaara," Naruto ridiculed, unconcerned.
Temari squeezed her eyes shut in denial, but Naruto's words were like the whisper of a devil.
Bending down to speak softly in Temari's ear in a gesture easily mistaken as tenderness, Naruto exposed her, "You fear him. You haven't even attempted to speak to him."
Temari flinched, jolting away from the sound which seemed to strike right where she was most vulnerable.
"Stop pitying yourself," Naruto sighed, straightening up and turning his back on the kunoichi.
Sakura pursed her lips.
"That was too harsh, 'Ruto," she said in disapproval.
Naruto shook his head dismissively.
Sasuke reminded Sakura lowly, "'Ruto hates people like that. If it wasn't for her being Gaara's sister, he would have done more than just beating her down with words."
Naruto frowned. "I would not say that I hate her. She's just annoying."
Temari was stricken. It seemed like... Gaara also tended to find her half-hearted advances annoying?
Kankuro, in a seemingly practised move, had escaped from the atmosphere and was squatting in a secluded corner fiddling with his puppets in true shut-in fashion.
Naruto was faintly amused by this spectacle.
Whether it was Sasori or Kankuro, it seemed that puppet users tended to be unsociable people.
They were reclusive and disinterested in trivial civilities -- such as typical polite conversation.
Sasori and himself were colleagues and friends, but they hardly spoke nonsense and would just go straight to the point whenever they discussed anything. It was a refreshing trait. Whether he was a close associate of the person in question was unimportant, as he just did not care enough to act like a courteous guest.
Naruto did not mind small talk, but it was nice to be able to skip the superficial bits directly. He will bore of political debates that went around and around the topic, for example, but did not mind reports even if they happened to be full of scientific jargon and boring facts. Of course, he could not bear spending all his time on biological research either. He did not mind dabbling in a little bit of everything here or there, though he would still end up returning to his favourite topic -- fūinjutsu.
Naruto found it quite funny that Kankuro was glaring at the resultant miniature puppet in utter frustration.
In a magnanimous mood, Naruto squatted in front of him and took the failed puppet from the other's hands, efficiently dismantling it.
Borrowing Kankuro's puppet-making tools, he swapped the shoulder and elbow joints, sanded the uneven surfaces, carved simple and basic seals on some components, trimmed off a bit of excess material here and there and reassembled the puppet with as much ease as he had taken it apart. He channelled chakra through the puppet and was satisfied by the conductivity of the construction. Fastening the tiny weapons into place, Naruto returned the puppet to Kankuro as the other party stared in wonderment.
"Try it out," Naruto prompted, mimicking the action of controlling a puppet with his fingers.
Kankuro obediently connected his chakra to the miniature battle puppet and wiggled his fingers around to manipulate the puppet by the chakra strings attached to it, awe colouring his face.
Delighted, Kankuro exclaimed, "If these adjustments were all applied to any puppet I own, my combat prowess would take a qualitative leap! Like this, the puppet simultaneously becomes stronger and easier to control while using the same materials and parts! This is ingenious!"
While Kankuro gushed over Naruto's casual modifications to the puppet, the latter scratched his cheek in embarrassment. He merely applied what little general knowledge regarding the art of puppetry he had picked up along the way in the most basic way. He was not actually a genius of puppetry -- he was not even that well-versed in the topic, even if his theoretical knowledge likely surpassed Suna's education on puppet-crafting.
"From now on, I will call you 'shishō'!" Kankuro declared.
Naruto blinked blankly.
Kankuro then articulated, "I shall only acknowledge you as my teacher from now on. Please allow me to learn from you!"
Naruto chuckled, helpless, "What about the elders who taught you everything you know about puppets? And Baki?"
Kankuro did not hesitate to reply, "I'm grateful for the knowledge they imparted to me, but I'll only accept you as my shishō!"
Temari, who was still dazed, was not sufficiently cognizant of the situation to rebuke her brother for this rash decision.
Sakura and Sasuke did not think Naruto would accept. After all, there was little that Naruto could teach Kankuro about his speciality. Naruto had never shown interest in puppetry anyway. There was no reason for their teammate to suddenly pick up a student in Suna -- one older than himself in physical terms to boot.
Contrary to their expectations, Naruto agreed quite easily, "Very well. As my student, you shall listen to my instructions. It would not be convenient for you to follow me around all the time as a shinobi of Sunagakure, but I believe arrangements can be made. I will guide you to the best of my ability."
As for why? Kankuro was just so confident in declaring Naruto his master that Naruto would have felt bad to deny the overtly earnest kid.
Thus, he could only accept the silly disciple who came out of nowhere.
He would just have to request more pointers from Sasori so he could teach this disciple well.
Perhaps only Kakashi and Temari were unaware that Kankuro was getting the better end of this "deal".
Not everyone had the chance to be Naruto's student just because they asked for it.