Chapter 22 Part 3
"You took your time." The woman's voice was sharp with reproach. The left half of her face was hidden by the cloth falling from her headdress.
"Hey — don't look at ME like that! Wasn't my fault!" Kankuro shot back, glaring resentfully at the imperturbable Gaara.
"Haaah... What was it this time?" Baki asked, weary — already bracing. As the jinchuriki's mentor, she knew her charge inside and out.
"No," she thought, irritated. "We really shouldn't have come to the Leaf this early. I just knew it."
"Well... we were walking around the market, heading back to the inn — some kid came tearing around a corner and crashed right into Gaara..." Temaru — the blond — started explaining, propping his massive fan against the wall.
"Damn! How bad was he hurt?" The jonin groaned, a chill running through her. Clear orders: arrive early, scope things out, do NOT attract attention. And now their plans had crumbled before they'd even started. "No — don't tell me she KILLED him?!"
"Hey-hey — it's not that bad!" Temaru jumped to his cruel sister's defense. "He's alive! Alive and well! Gaara didn't touch him."
"Good. Just PERFECT!" Baki let out a relieved breath. Maybe the alarm's off. "I'm pleased with you, Gaara. It's good you understand the word 'restraint.' Let me remind you all once more..."
"Yeah-yeah-yeah — 'don't get into trouble'! Quit repeating the same thing!" Kankuro snapped, fed up with the constant lectures. In her own mind, she'd been a model shinobi. Only Gaara needed to learn not to murder everyone in sight. That's what she thought — but she wisely kept her mouth shut, careful not to piss off her little sister. "And anyway — everyone in this Leaf is a total nutcase. That little bastard should be grateful he wasn't crushed on the spot — and instead, the moron actually walked right up to Gaara!"
"Is that so?" Baki turned to Gaara. The jinchuriki almost completely ignored her — but answered anyway: a barely perceptible shrug.
"Hey, Kankuro," Temaru warned. But Kankuro was already running her mouth.
"Keh... What if he fell in love? Why else start giving her presents?! Look — what if Gaar—"
The puppeteer choked — cutting herself off as the crimson-haired jinchuriki snapped her head toward her and fixed her with a dangerous glare.
"Kankuro. Shut up. You're annoying." Gaara's voice was utterly lifeless. Not a trace of threat. Yet the middle sister broke out in a cold sweat.
"Ah... I-I was just joking! J-just a jooooke! N-no need to get so m-mad, Ga-gaara..." The black-clad kunoichi stammered. Despite the loud mouth and confident front — she was terrified of her little sister. Panicked-trembling terrified.
"Kankuro... You and your mouth..." Their brother muttered, looking between his sisters. "Calm down, Gaara. Kankuro didn't mean anything bad. You know how she is — tongue works faster than her brain. Always gets carried away. Just forget it, okay?"
"..." Gaara said nothing — but did turn away from Kankuro, who could finally breathe again. Strangely — Temaru was the only one with the nerve to argue with Gaara. Even point things out. Most astonishing: the jinchuriki actually listened to him sometimes. Not often. Only when Gaara was in a "benevolent" mood.
"Wait, wait — Gaara — you TOOK something from a STRANGER?!" Baki broke in, processing the exchange. Genuinely startling. Until now, Gaara rarely showed interest in anyone — unless she wanted them dead. And even more shocking: she'd ACCEPTED something from an outsider. "Gaara... you realize this could be a provocation?"
"..." Gaara just stared — empty eyes on her mentor. For a moment they measured each other. But even this veteran kunoichi — who'd spent nearly half the jinchuriki's life with her — couldn't hold up under that unblinking, soulless gaze.
"Fine." Baki sighed, dropping her eyes — and finally noticed the small object in Gaara's left hand. "Just give it to me. I'll check for surprises. Give it back if it's safe."
Baki extended her hand — but Gaara didn't move. The jinchuriki looked at the offered hand, then turned away — heading for her room. Her team was pissing her off more and more. The urge to kill was already itching unpleasantly inside. But Mother was silent. So for now — they still lived.
Baki rolled her eyes. Gaara acting up again. Managing this jinchuriki was always hard — especially one as uncontrollable as the Kazekage's youngest. Keeping her from unnecessary killing was a constant fight — and it didn't always work. Which never helped. But THIS? Dragging a potentially dangerous item into their hotel room? Too much. Irritation got the better of her. Baki gave in to impulse — reaching to take the object straight from Gaara's hand.
That was a mistake.
"GAHHH!!" The jonin screamed — halfway there, her arm seized by a wide ring of sand. It crushed her wrist with unbelievable force.
"Gaara!! What're you DOING?!" Temaru's voice was panicked as his sister — completely out of nowhere — attacked their mentor.
"Don't you DARE touch me!" Gaara's voice was a rasp — face twisted with cold fury. Under that heartless stare, the jonin dropped to one knee, scrabbling at the sand tentacle with her free hand. Uselessly — her fingers slipped right through.
"Ghh..." Baki clenched her teeth till she tasted blood — fighting the agony. Fighting the instinct to hit back. But she couldn't. Attack — and the jinchuriki's answer would follow immediately. In this situation? That'd be the end. She knew it. So she endured — sacrificing her arm.
"No one. Touches. Me." The bloodlust flooding the room was so thick, so dense — it felt like it had submerged everything. Made it impossible to move. "Or I'll kill you."
In the hanging silence — the rustling shift of sand was deafening. The jonin's strangled hissing. The barely perceptible crunch of bone. Deciding the demonstration was sufficient, the jinchuriki released the older kunoichi's arm — and vanished into her room.
"Baki-sensei — you okay?!" Temaru was at her side instantly, daze shaken off.
"Dammit... I'm fine. Ah... hell — get the bandages!" Baki rasped, spitting bloody saliva. Her arm was agony even to look at: coarse sand had scoured the skin away. Flesh and muscle laid bare. The only mercy — bone was intact. Because if Gaara had wanted — she could've ground the whole arm to pulp.
"Damned demon!" The woman seethed, while her two remaining charges scrambled to help. "How could THIS be the Kazekage-sama's daughter?!"