Let's Fix This

Midnight Rendezvous With Gaara

"You said there were two secret missions." Neji asked Naomi the next day, after they had discussed how and when the branch house members would meet Naomi, to get their seals removed, when they get back to Konoha.

"Yes. We are supposed to fix the seal of the Suna jinchiruchi."

"The red haired kid with the gourd, that came to chunnin exams?"

"Yes, how did you know?" she eyed him sideways.

Neji shrugged. "He had two different Chakras, like Uzumaki, and Hokage-sama used a genjutsu on him to get him disqualified in the second stage."

"You saw that too, huh? Itachi is much subtler in his genjutsu but jinchiruchi require high amount of Chakra."

"He was quite subtle. I just have good eyes." He smirked.

"Aren't you the epitome of modesty?" Naomi muttered. "Anyway, Gaara is the youngest son of the Kazekage and the jinchiruchi of one-tails, Shukaku. Shukaku is quite mad, he is not properly sealed and can therfore affect Gaara's mind. If he had continued in the chunnin exams he would have been quite dangerous to other competitors, Konoha or otherwise. We definitely wouldn't be boasting about no casualties."

"Isn't he Suna's responsibility, though? Why are we interfering, possibly risking war, if we're found out?" he couldn't help but recall Naomi's words in the Hokage office.

"Suna just wants a mindless weapon, which can be unleashed wherever they want, even Konoha."

That was a far leap of logic, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't there to ask questions.

"Do you have a plan?" he asked instead.

She nodded. "We'll be most probably put in the guest quarters of the Kazekage's mansion as diplomats. We are bound to cross paths with Gaara. I'll discreetly put a hiraishin seal on his person, then we'll teleport to him at night, dressed as Suna Ninja. I'll work on the seal while you'll keep watch."

Neji decided to just roll with her mention of casual use of hiraishin and asked, "Shouldn't we try to put some kind of sedative in his food, so that he doesn't wake up when you work on his seal?"

"That won't be necessary since he doesn't sleep. His biju will be released if he does."

Neji had many fantasies of going to S rank missions, in his academy days. The reality was much scarier than dreams.

The next day passed as was planned. They were given rooms quite close to Gaara and were given an appointment to meet the Kazekage a week later. When they encountered Gaara, Naomi stumbled against him, discreetly planted a seal on his gourd, which he could only see with his Byakugan, and smiled at Gaara after dodging a strike from his sand that could have easily killed her.

Neji covered himself like Suna nin, left a Kage bunshin in his place (taught to him by Naomi) and stealthily entered Naomi's room, where she was already waiting for him. She beckoned him closer and as soon as he touched her, he felt like he was being squeezed through a tube and exiting from the other end. He quickly reoriented himself and dodged Gaara's sand. Naomi was already moving closer to Gaara.

Suddenly Gaara collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Neji tried to prepare himself to fight a biju, when Naomi grabbed him and they hiraishined back to her room.

"That was quick. You can apply seals without contact, too?" Neji asked, as Naomi wiped blood from her face. When was she injured?

"His seal was planted on his heart. I couldn't work on it without opening his thoracic cavity."

"What did you do then?"

"I entered his minscape with the help of my Sharingan and tried to reason with Shukaku. I told him how his father would be disappointed in him. He still insisted on being unreasonable. So I threatened him that his grandmother would be revived from the moon if continued to drive his jinchiruchi crazy. He then agreed to let Gaara sleep, work with him and stop trying to get him to kill everyone."

"I see." Neji nodded, completely abandoning any desire to understand that. "I'll go to bed, then. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Naomi replied, cheerfully.