×Matsuri's POV×

As Gaara gave me a tight hug and a kiss he told me to be careful, I quickly nodded and went out the main door with Ino. She's really pretty, and although I don't know her personality so well I bet she's a nice person.

--"Hey, sorry for not introducing myself earlier.... I'm Ino, Ino Yamanaka."-- she said while extending her hand towards me and giving me a warm smile.

I took her hand and gently shoock it. --"I think you already know who I am..."-- I replied laughing awkwardly.

--"Mmm..."-- she placed her index finger on her forehead, closing her eyes. --"You're....Matsu-ri Hitora, Lord Kazekage's girlfriend, right? May I ask how you two ended up together?"-- she asked curiously. I blushed at the last question and started to play with a strand of my hair as we walked through the woods.

--"Well....he was a chūnin ranked ninja while I was only a genin. And well, do you know who Temari Sabaku is?"-- I asked her.

--"Yup, she's one of my friends."-- Ino stated with a grin.

--"Doesn't her last name sound familiar to....someone else's...?"-- I asked her, waiting for her to catch along with my point.

--"Wait a minute.....Gaara and Temari are siblings!?"-- Ino asked in disbelief.

--"Yes, they are.... although Temari doesn't know it...."--

--"Yeah, I remember Temari never ever mentioned having a brother."-- Ino stated.

I sighed and gave Ino a sad look.

--"It's a complicated story, why don't we sit over here for now?"-- I suggested, pointing at a nearby tree.

--"Ok"-- she replied.

We then climbed onto one of the branches and sat there.

--"Well, you see, Gaara's father was the former Kazekage....he was a man who only thought about power...and you know that, he's a Jinchūriki, right?"-- I told her.

--"I do know, he's just like Naruto. They're really close."-- Ino said.

--"That's good. Anyways, Temari is older than Gaara by two years. She was born only because the Kazekage wanted to control the one tailed beast. But she wasn't compatible with it, so then Temari was given to the Kazekage's sister, she couldn't have children and because she wasn't compatible with the tailed beast he had no interest in her whatsoever. So the people who Temari actually considered her biological parents weren't her real parents at all....."-- I said with a serious tone.

Ino looked at me with a saddened expression. --"And Gaara was compatible with the tailed beast...."-- she stated with a gloomy expression.

--"Exactly, yet his father hated him, because....when Gaara was born, his mother died."--

--"That's awful....so he had to deal with the hatred of his father...what about the villagers? Did they know he was a Jinchūriki?"-- she asked concerned.

--"Yes, they did. And they feared him because of it. They treated him as if he were some kind of monster..."-- I replied gripping the tree branch besides me. I despised the way the villagers treated Gaara, how my parents told me to never talk to him, to never be friendly to him, to always remember the undeniable fact that he was supposedly a horrible human being.

Ino then looked up at the sky with a disappointed glare. --"Just the way they treated Naruto...to be honest, I don't know why he's so determined in becoming Hokage, protecting the people that once hurted him. It's absurd."-- she said while shaking her head sideways in absolute disapproval.

--"No idea, it seems to be his ultimate goal so it's not bad that he's determined to achieve it. When did he tell you about being a Jinchūriki?"-- I asked her curiously, it's not common that someone just freely admits to being the one in possession of a tailed beast. Excluding Gaara's case with me.

She then placed her hands on top of her knees and looked around, with a puzzled expression.

--"Well actually, he didn't mention it, I just happened to be a girl to which whom her parents had warned her about the boy."-- she answered with a soft yet noticeable sigh.

--"Ohh..well... that's basically the whole story being shrunk onto a little summary."-- I said changing the subject.

--"Aww but you still haven't told me how Gaara and you met!"-- she stated pouting.

I swiftly placed my hand onto my forehead. And laughed it off --"I guess I forgot about telling you...well we met because he happened to be my "Sensei" he taught me a lot of stuff when I had just graduated from the academy. And we just.....got to know eachother better because of that....plus, no one else chose him to be their teacher other than me so we were bound to form a bond through time..."-- I blushed by just remembering that day.

--"Aww that's cute, thanks for showing such love to Lord Kazekage. He hasn't had an 'easy' life to say the least."-- Ino replied with a smile.

--"Sure. What about you? Was the guy who left your boyfriend?"-- I asked her, she instantly turned 50 sheds of red. --"Hmm, someone must be in love..."-- I thought as a mischievous smirk started to appear on my face.

×Ino's POV×

I furiously blushed and hid my embarrassed face behind my hands.

--"He's.....not my boyfriend..."-- I replied with a low tone of voice...

--"But you guys are interested in eachother. That was pretty obvious."-- Matsuri said giggling, while giving me a smirk and twirling her hazel eyes.

--"I-- I mean....I g-guess....I do like him and all...but I don't know if he feels the exact same thing for me."-- I answered with a cracked voice. --"I can't believe a guy is finally affecting me emotionally...."-- I thought while having a quick memory of his flawless face.

Matsuri snorted at my reply and covered her mouth with both of her hands.

--"You sure are slow, he's into you. I know it. He looks at you in a way only people in love do."-- she reassured me with a warm smile. --"Hey, I know it's not my place to ask this but...what did he tell you? When he left?...."-- her mood changed in a blink of an eye, she was worried about what he told me....I'm still worried...

~Flashback~
×Ino's POV×

Sai then pulled me close into a hug and whispered at me....--"I need to go... I'm part of a secret organization of the Leaf. We do a lot of classified mission's...and because of that they're dangerous, I don't want you getting involved. I may not come alive from this one tho, I think I know my mission. It's to kill the Raikage...I have a slight possibility of completing the mission because of my skills. There's no one else suited. I'm sorry, Ino. I'm sorry for not telling you this. Take care, I'll always love you.

I then pulled away from Sai's grip and took his hands --"No! You can't do that! Please Sai, there's got to be another way!"-- Ino started begging him not to do his mission. --"Kill the Raikage!? That's one of the most powerful ninja's....he's the fastest Kage...he could kill Sai if he let's his guard down!"--

--"I have to, I don't have a choice."-- he replied, and within that time two masked shinobi appeared. But they weren't Anbu....

--"Lord Danzo has a request."-- One of the masked men said.

~End of Flashback~

--"So that's what happened..huh.."-- Matsuri started off, I just silently nodded and started to sob.

--"I- I don't w-want h-him gett-getting hurt....nor killed..."-- I managed to say with a frail voice.

Matsuri then hugged me tight . --"Don't worry, he's surely fine."-- she added telling me how everything was going to be fine.

--"I hope so..... because....I never told him....how much I loved him"-- I whispered, but I think she didn't hear me saying so, as she didn't mention my comment.

~∆~∆~∆~

×Sai's POV×

I heard faint footsteps starting to approach me....they started getting louder and louder each second.

--"You shouldn't have underestimated me, kid."--

--"Darui, Cee. Lock him up. This one needs to learn a lesson."--

And with that being said, my vision turned pitch black. The only thing I could think about at that moment was......Ino......

~¶~¶~¶~

Well, here's another chapter, hope you enjoy it, Byeeeee💞😿👑