Teams Kakashi and Gai were on their way back to Konoha. As they crossed the border and entered a forest that belonged to the Land of Fire, a sudden shift in the temperature was felt and everyone sighed, relieved to be finally free of the scorching desert.
A loud thud was abruptly heard. They all turned around and gasped upon seeing that Akira had crashed on a tree, face first!
Such uncharacteristic (and comical) mistake for a kunoichi of the highest calibre. It couldn't be helped though. She was too distracted with the thoughts of her last conversation with the Kazekage.
F L A S H B A C K
"I'm against it."
Akira was stunned to silence. She never expected Gaara to disagree. He explained, "I don't think it's wise to gather all of the Jinchuurikis in one place. If Akatsuki gets hold of this information, everyone'll be put in danger."
Of course, she was aware of that. Still, something much more important made her want to take the risk.
"We need this meeting to come up with countermeasures," she argued. "Not all Jinchuurikis are aware of the existence of Akatsuki. If you weren't the Kazekage, you would probably have not been informed too."
Indeed, Gaara knew that would have been the case. He would be hidden somewhere or locked if the situation called for it.
Since it was Akira speaking, he decided to at least hear the rest of her plans.
"It's been years. Do you still have contact with them?" he asked.
She looked away hesitantly. "I gave everyone a special kunai, but I'm not sure if they still have it with them. I've been considered dead, after all. I will just have to visit them again."
"I see." Gaara's reply was short as he clasped his hands together and stared at it thoughtfully. It seemed that he remained resolute on not agreeing, but Akira wasn't done on convincing him.
She started with a soft sigh. "Gaara-kun, you know that the Akatsuki come in pairs when they hunt Jinchuurikis, right? That already puts us in a great disadvantage."
"We can't just hide." Her eyes narrowed with determination.
"If they come for us, we'll fight together."
F L A S H B A C K
E N D
"Nee-chan! Are you okay?" hollered Naruto as he rushed aid to his fallen sister, who noticeably flinched at his touch.
"Let me ask you," Gaara stared intently into her cerulean eyes.
"Will you bring Naruto to the summit despite the risks?"
That's right. Naruto was a Jinchuriki too. Akira did not want to be a hypocrite, but she refused to risk his safety. She definitely wished not to bring her brother along.
However, doing so would equate to accepting that something bad would happen to them. It would be unfair to the other Jinchuurikis.
It's just a meeting. Akira reminded herself to make thorough preparations to keep the Akatsuki away.
"Nee-chan?" repeated Naruto in worry.
"I'm alright." She finally stood up and dusted her clothes. She then met his gaze. "That aside, I have something to tell you when we get back."
Akira decided to clear the first hurdle. It was time for her to inform Naruto of the truth.
That she, just like him, was a Jinchuuriki of the Nine-tailed Demon Fox.
***
After they had dropped off Kakashi to the hospital and submitted a report to Tsunade, Naruto and Akira returned to their small apartment.
"And?" said Naruto as he tossed his bag to the couch. "What did you want to tell me, nee-chan?"
Already? Akira thought in dread. She looked at him hesitantly.
"I..." she paused. Naruto raised an eyebrow in question as he waited for her to continue. She gulped.
"I want ramen."
Her words almost made the blonde crash on the floor. "Geez, so you've been craving? Let's go to Ichiraku then!"
It would seem that Naruto hadn't notice his sister's troubles, but that was far from true. He had been on to her distress even before they left Suna, and the cause of it all was too painfully clear to him.
It was obviously Gaara.
He heard from Sakura that his sister had a small rendezvous with the young Kazekage the night before their departure. Naruto wanted to dismiss it as a joke, but it seemed that she was indeed dating Gaara!
"Where are you going? We're here." A voice interrupted his thoughts before it could go wild.
"Ah!" Naruto laughed sheepishly upon noticing that he had walked past Ichiraku. "My bad, ttebayo!"
He followed Akira and rushed inside the restaurant. He decided to wait for her to be ready and pretended to be oblivious of her situation (which was very much wrong).
The two ordered the same ramen and even had three servings each.
Akira slammed the last bowl on the table and gave a satisfied sigh. Naruto did the same.
"Thanks for food!"
—not! He screamed in his mind. What happened to our serious talk, ttebayo? All we did was eat!
The Uzumaki siblings soon exited the restaurant.
"Where do we go next? Do we go home?" asked Naruto upon noticing that his sister had gone silent again.
She hummed in thought. "No. Let's take a stroll around the village for a while."
Akira and Naruto went to the training grounds, passed by the Forest of Death, climbed up the Hokage Mountains, before they headed down to the academy.
Naruto started to sweat, not because of fatigue but anxiety. He wasn't confident he could keep on acting.
"Come to think of it," Akira broke the ice. Her gaze was fixated to the familiar red building, and Naruto noticed a hint of sadness in her tone. "I didn't get to see you graduate."
"That's right. Ah, what a waste." He sighed, but almost immediately smirked. "I was at the top of my class, you know! I even beat Sasuke!"
Her eyes shone in amazement. "Really?"
Naruto nodded proudly, but shrieked when his right ear was pulled to the side and he was made to face the terrifying smile of Akira. "I heard from Kakashi that you flunked and even stole a forbidden scroll though?"
Caught redhanded, he looked away with a pout. His eyes widened at the sight of something familiar.
"Nee-chan, do you remember that?" he asked enthusiastically and ran to the swing.
Akira nodded with a smile and followed him. "I do. That's your favorite ride, right?
He rode the swing and pushed his feet against the ground for it to move. "After you disappeared, no one would push this swing for me. So I learned to play with it like this, ttebayo."
Naruto had no intention of turning the atmosphere to solemn and simply wanted to share, but his words made Akira feel guilty.
"Don't worry. I won't leave you again." She pushed him on the back and he swung higher.
He chuckled. It was just like the old days. Naruto turned to look at his sister. "Promise?"
There was no way of knowing what would happen in the near future. Still, Akira smiled and pushed the swing once again.
"Promise."
***
The sun had already set when the two decided to return.
"It's already dinner time, huh? Do we eat outside or..." mumbled Akira dazedly.
All of a sudden, Naruto stopped in his tracks. She gave him a questioning look. After a moment of hesitation, he finally spoke. "Nee-chan, don't you have something important to tell me?"
The pinkhead flinched. Her eyes immediately wandered to the ground.
It's okay. She repeatedly reassured herself. He's my brother. He will accept me.
"I do."
Naruto gulped. His throat suddenly felt dry. "Does this involve Gaara?"
Akira's eyes widened. "H-How did you—?"
The two, despite seemingly on the same page, were on completely different ones!
"Sakura-chan told me that you went to see Gaara the night before we left," he explained.
Akira took a step back in shock. "Don't tell me you followed me back then?"
Obviously, Naruto did not. However, with his sister acting secretive, he could not resist the urge to lie. "Yes, I did, ttebayo."
"How much did you hear?"
He paused and looked away. "...Everything."
"No, that's impossible." Akira argued, "I didn't sense anyone's presence back then."
"I'm not lying!" Oh, yes, he was. Naruto decided to use BLUFF! "It's something that I should have known a long time ago, right?"
Akira instantly went pale. Her limbs felt weak, but she managed to remain standing. "No way... I didn't want you to learn of it this way."
"So, it's true?" Naruto was just as shocked. She looked at him and nodded defeatedly.
He gawked in disbelief. At the same time, Akira spoke.
"You really are going out with Gaara?!"
"I'm also a Jinchuuriki."
A gust of wind filled in the awkward silence. Dumbfounded, the two siblings blinked at each other.
"HUH?"
Akira angrily yanked Naruto's head with one hand. "You dared lie to me, huh, Uzumaki Naruto?"
"Wait, wait!" Naruto grabbed her wrists and pulled it down. He faced her with a serious expression. "What did you mean by that? Was that a joke?"
She sighed tiredly. "This was supposed to be a dramatic reveal. You ruined it."
Akira took his hands in hers. In an instant, their surroundings changed and everything turned black. Naruto's eyes widened. Behind his sister was a familiar creature with nine tails.
"I'm the same as you. I also have Kyuubi inside my body."
***
Author's Note:
Woops! Did not expect that many would be against the summit thing. Huhu! Oh well. Akira would still be pushing it through. All for the plot!