Chapter 23.1- Gamer of the Desert

I stood in front of them. The Elders of Suna. A council of 12 shinobi, most of them too old to contribute anything militarily, but kept in service for their minds. The idea of the thing had always seemed stupid to me. Especially since whenever Rasa spoke of them, it was like they were an obstacle he had to work around, being careful to avoid pissing them off too much while still getting his way. All those years ago, I didn’t understand it. Now, I did.

It had been two days since Rasa died and he made his last decree. We’d rushed off from the border before the Iwa shinobi that definitely knew we were there started getting ideas. Rasa’s body had been a hell of a thing to show up with, but the anbu knew protocol. They answered to me, and we’d done our best with keeping Rasa’s death a secret. First of all, I’d come into the village in secret, infiltrating my own village and scumming around like a spy of some sort, doing my best to play the great game.

XXXXX- 16 hours after Rasa’s Death

“Gaara of the Desert” She said in greeting, hiding her surprise at finding me here with expert ease. I knew she was surprised though. Chiyo was good, but I was pumping chakra to my brain and eyes, enhancing everything I saw with stunning clarity. With peak human intelligence, honed chakra control , and knowledge of how the human brain worked, my pseudo-sharingan was something actually impressive.  Few things could deceive me.

“What do you want?” The old woman asked, walking further into her office and taking the seat in front of the desk, not bothering to say anything about the powerplay I was making by sitting on her own usual seat. Shinobi had a good sense of danger, and Chiyo must have felt it if the lack of snide remarks and commentary were any indication. Good. I’d kill her if I needed to. In the time between the meeting and now, 16 hours, I’d done a lot of thinking, and I knew what was necessary to win. I had to win.

“Rasa is dead” Straight and simple, to the point. Chiyo jolted at that, showing her surprise openly in a calculated attempt at getting me to drop my guard. The anbu guards at my side also shook at the reminder. They were squad zero, the Kazekage’s personal guards. They’d probably been closer to him than his own children, so they were probably the most hurt at his passing. They also took it as a personal failing of sorts. Saving some of their lives, and avenging Rasa so quickly along with Rasa’s dying decree had been enough to get me their loyalty.

“How did he die?” She asked, showing some of the curiosity I’d expect of a famous gossip like her. Alleged gossip at least. I only knew she was one from gossip from the med training corps. Mebuki had loved spreading that bit of ‘news’

“Orochimaru killed him. They met, they fought, the Snake Sannin won”

“And the Konoha nin?” There was a bloodthirsty tint in her smile. Everyone hated Konoha. It must not have been very hard for Rasa to get the people of Suna to follow him  to war.

“He beat Rasa. I beat him” I said, fudging the details a bit. It was all true though, technically. Did it make it seem like I was much stronger than I actually was? Yes. That was the entire point.

“May the winds see him well.” She said, making the traditional prayer sign that I didn’t bother returning. I was an atheist. I’d always be an atheist. And even if I wasn’t, that fucker didn’t deserve to be seen well at all. That last stunt he played was just a clusterfuck.

“Doesn’t answer the question, though” She continued, poking, trying to understand.

“He named me Kage in his place”

“You’re twelve, and a Jinchūriki besides.” She began with the common objections. They were the ones I’d face first and foremost.

“I am the strongest ninja in Sunagakure. The Ichibi no Shukaku has no bearing on the matter. Aside from a slip up six years ago, I have been in full control. We both know there is no danger.”

“If you’ve got it all figured out though, why are you here?”

“This is the decree Rasa made” I said, tossing her a copy of the official edict. The Anbu might be loyal to me, but I’d very quickly lose that loyalty if I buried their Kage’s last words. No. I’d let the decree come out, but it wouldn’t matter.  Rasa had limited power in naming his successor, especially posthumously.

Chiyo devoured the words on the paper, the only sign of her being surprised at them at all being the raised eyebrow she sported after a few seconds of looking at the scroll.

“I have the feeling I  understand what you want, but spell it out to me. I will not bow before a man who can not say his mind.”

“Rasa’s decree must be overturned. I can not ascend to Kage myself on the back of that decree and then overturn the decree. Every rogue element in Suna would crown Temari as Kage and rise in rebellion. I’d win, let there be no doubt, but we’d all lose in the end. Kiri can survive a civil war. We can not. And I also cannot ascend and accept the decree as it stands. I will not cede the seat to Temari. She is not strong enough. She will never be strong enough….”

“A lot of faith you have in your sister” She interrupted, but I continued, ignoring the elder

“And even in the unlikely circumstance that she gains the necessary strength, she’d more likely than not make a terrible Kage. I will see Suna to a brighter age. Having an heir foisted upon me by my predecessor would be a hell of a way to rule. No. I refuse. What I need is for the council to overturn Rasa’s decree but still crown me regardless.”

“The former is easy. They’d do it without any prompting. The latter, though? The latter would be all but impossible.” She said, not mincing words. This is why Chiyo was my first port of call. It was also why she’d warranted a personal visit. I had a clone speaking to the Daimyo now, and another keeping a watchful eye on things but Chiyo needed personal attention.

“But will I have your help in achieving the impossible?” I asked her.

“Oh you fool boy. You’ve had it since the moment you won the chunin exams at the age of Six. Rasa never saw it, but I did. You are the future of Sunagakure. The only hope we have of returning to the times when our enemies feared us. When we were truly one of the Great Five, and not the greatest of the minor villages. You will lead us there, Gaara of the Desert. My heart and sword are yours, Kazekage-sama.” The last words were joined with a bending of the head. Chiyo did not bow. Old knees don't bend so easily.

“Good. Now, we have to get to work.”

“Apart from my brother and I, there are 10 other elders for you to convince. To get named as Kazekage, you will need seven votes from the council along with the approval of the Daimyo. I can help you with the former, but not the latter”

“I have that well-in hand” I assured her. She nodded, and moved on in the conversation.

“You can not speak to the entire council ahead of time. News of your presence here and your goal will leak faster than you can quell. No, there are only two elders you can speak to. But they are two of the thought leaders. With them on your side, turning another three votes will be doable. Not easy, but doable. However, you cannot kill them” She said with a severe look on her face.

“Any disappearances will be suspicious. Too suspicious. If the other elders suspect you of being behind it, then you will have no chance and will damn the village to the civil war you seem keen on avoiding.”

I nodded at her words. I had to be my most charming self here. I needed the old farts. I hated that I needed them now. I’d hate it even more in a few years, but it was something I could not avoid.

XXXX- Present

“The Kazekage is dead,” Ebizo proclaimed to the rest of the council. “He has left us with a decree, conveyed through Jounin Gaara.” The old man said in his droning tone. One of the anbu at my side passed me the scroll and I walked forwards. As I moved towards the council, my mind took me back.

XXXXXX- 21 hours after Rasa’s death

“I am Gaara of the Desert, a jounin of Sunagakure” I spoke to the gathering of  anbu agents. It wasn’t the entire force. Not even close, but Squad Zero had done their parts in putting out feelers and getting me this collection of anbu captains and leaders. Altogether, they controlled almost two-thirds of the anbu agents. It was Twenty-one hours since Rasa’s death, and my plan was well in motion. Chiyo was secured. Ebizo was secured, and the Daimyo was well on the way to being convinced to see things my way.

“We know who you are. What we don’t know is why you’ve called us here.” one of them commented drily. I paid attention to the mask on their face. Dragon. The Anbu Commander. They only answered to the Kazekage. Ideally, they were the one I would have gone through to set something like this up. This was not an ideal situation. I could only hope they weren’t too pissed at the snub, unintentional as it was.

“The Kazekage perished in combat twenty hours ago. He named me as his successor.” I said, breathing in the shock that travelled through the room. But beyond that, they didn’t speak. They showed no signs of what they felt, and once again it was Dragon who spoke.

“How did he die? Who killed him?”

Here, I stepped back and allowed Squad Zero to handle this step of the questioning.

“Eight days ago, Kazekage-sama received a missive from the traitor, Orochimaru of Konohagakure. Kazekage-sama weighed the risks of the mission and assembled a team consisting of four members of squad zero and Subaku no Gaara as his escort. We left for the meeting two days ago. When the meeting began, after words were exchanged, the Konoha ninja sprung the trap. Subaku no Gaara and the rest of us were attacked by the Sannin’s own guards, preventing us from interfering in time. Orochimaru ended up succeeding in fatally poisoning the Kazekage, and Gaara of the Desert killed the snake for the affront” Shark spoke, giving a cliff notes version of the mission that we had undertaken that led to Rasa;s death. The anbu watched attentively, hanging on every word that was spoken.

“Is there any evidence of this?” Dragon asked

Shark tossed them the scroll written in Rasa’s own hand and sealed with his own blood . They stared at it for a bit before nodding and passing it to the anbu behind them. When it had made the rounds, I stood in front of them once again and unsealed Orochimaru’s head before holding it up. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why I was doing it. It wasn’t logical. It was a feeling. A feeling that gnawed at me, and from the general body language of the group, the feeling had been right.

Dragon was the first. He led them in all things. Even in this.He dropped to his knees, and they all followed suit.. “Our hearts and swords are yours, Kazekage-sama” They proclaimed in unison.

A/N; How does this look? The death of a Kage is not something easily overcome. So sorry for the ‘late’ upload. I caught something nasty a few days ago, and am only just beginning to feel like myself again.