Gaara sat upright at the head of the long table, his expression unchanging throughout. He was waiting for the results, though the outcome was never in doubt.
Life was full of irony. Just a few days ago, Temari had confided in Naruto about her worries that Gaara couldn't control the rebellious nobles. Now, those very nobles were being slaughtered en masse.
Six years had passed, and Gaara had begun mastering the weapon known as authority.
"There's no need to worry. Everything is proceeding smoothly." Gaara also saw the anxiety in Baki's heart and comforted him.
"This is so annoying. Why won't you let me go?" Kankuro grumbled impatiently.
"Kankuro, you shouldn't..." Temari couldn't help but speak, but was interrupted by Naruto's even more impatient voice halfway through her words.
"I'm afraid you'll be pinned to the ground and beaten so hard that we'd have trouble even finding your corpse. Save yourself the trouble and stop being an idiot."
"What did you just say?!" Kankuro exploded.
"Was I not clear enough?" Naruto never bothered holding back, and said slowly, "You're not strong enough. Going out there would just make you an easy target."
"You're the weak one! If you've got the guts, let's..." Kankuro nearly challenged him to a fight but stopped himself, realizing it would only end in humiliation.
Naruto's eyes gleamed slightly when he heard Kankuro's half-finished taunt. He was bored out of his mind, and beating up Kankuro might at least pass the time.
Temari: "…"
She looked at Naruto with some resentment. That day, he had just walked away, leaving her hanging… right in the middle of things.
If she had known that would happen, she shouldn't have mentioned that sentence that day. Now, she is both angry and regretful.
But the man in front of her acted as if it had never happened, still doing whatever he pleased. If not for the inappropriate setting, Temari would've started overthinking again.
The noble rebellion was a complicated affair, but to put it simply, they thought Gaara had 'gone soft', and he no longer seemed like the deranged killer he once was.
After observing him for a while, they started wondering if Gaara had grown weak. Fueled by wild imaginations and the nobles' behind-the-scenes instigation, some Shinobi impulsively thought, 'Screw it, let's take him down!'
'Kill him, feast on meat and wine, and throw wild parties.'
The Shinobi World has no shortage of people, and not all of them are sane. Being strong doesn't necessarily mean being smart. Some might be accustomed to the law of the jungle, or they might simply believe the Sunagakure Siblings are easy targets.
In any case, the largest rebellion in Sunagakure's history began.
At first, only one or two people took to the streets, but soon more and more Shinobi seized key locations throughout the village. The crowd surged toward the Kazekage Building like a swarm of ants.
Originally, if only Sunagakure's own Shinobi had participated, it would have been just a rebellion. But then, some noble from the Land of Wind had the brilliant idea to hire rogue ninjas for help.
And just like that, the situation escalated.
At first, the rebels were very excited as they rushed directly to the vicinity of the Kazekage Building. They are already fantasizing about what wine they'd drink and what flowers they'd admire at their victory banquet.
But then, with a bang, more Shinobi suddenly appeared from all directions. Rows of torches lit up Sunagakure, the flames dyeing half the village crimson. The rebels were dumbfounded.
What followed was a bloody battle. At first, the two sides seemed evenly matched, but as time passed, the noble coalition began to falter. They had advanced too quickly and too smoothly, stretching their forces too thin, and were eventually split apart.
By this point, the small group of foolish nobles had pushed their luck to the limit. Defeat was only a matter of time. What could have been just a rebellion now had the added charge of treason.
Everything had been meticulously planned and executed flawlessly.
This was precisely why the earlier scene had unfolded. Naruto had grown a bit bored waiting, planning to leave once the show was over. Gaara had already agreed to help him find suitable candidates.
Of course, Naruto hadn't told the whole truth. Saying he needed materials of Jashin's believers sounded way too harsh. After some polishing, he framed it as 'promising young talents for the Allied Nations' future', which sounded much more pleasant.
Gaara, assuming Naruto was acting on behalf of the Rokudaime Hokage, agreed without hesitation.
However, Gaara needed to handle a 'small matter' first before giving a concrete answer.
As for Naruto, he stayed here, firstly because he wanted to return the favor, and secondly, because he couldn't refuse Temari's pleading, teary-eyed request.
He thought that since he was already here, he might as well wait a little longer.
Though he knew Gaara had everything under control and there'd be no surprises, he hadn't expected it to be this dull. The group sat in a solemn, empty conference hall for an entire afternoon.
Even when he and Kankuro exchanged insults, their voices echoed in the vast space.
Especially when Kankuro chickened out of actually fighting, Naruto grew even more bored, shooting him disdainful looks the whole time.
The guy had no shame, simply refusing to lift his head, which made Naruto roll his eyes.
Naruto finally returned to Konoha in the middle of the night using the Gate of the Underworld. Over those seven or eight days, he even found time to go on a date with Ino and have a meal with Hinata.
And yet, he still managed to get ten hours of sleep every day. He is truly a master of time management.
When he got home, he had just turned on the light. He yawned and was about to look for something to eat in the refrigerator, but was suddenly startled by a rapid knock on the door.
'Who would be knocking at this hour?'
He opened the door and saw Shikamaru's bloodshot eyes, and couldn't help but take a step back.
"Shikamaru? What are you…"
"Naruto… you're finally back." Shikamaru exhaled deeply, and he looked a little crazy, "I've been searching for you everywhere…"
"Uh…"
On the couch.
After Shikamaru finished explaining the situation, Naruto was a little stunned. He had expected something serious, but the result was... just like this?
Well, maybe after witnessing a full-scale rebellion, the upcoming higher-ups' bickering seemed tame by comparison, like children playing house.
"Wouldn't it be better to let Kakashi fight back?" He said.
Shikamaru: "… How can it be that simple?"
"Then what?" Naruto spread his hands and asked, "Unless Kakashi himself doesn't want to be Hokage anymore, who can actually force him out that position?"
"But Kakashi-sensei doesn't seem to think that way. Lately, he's been a bit..." Shikamaru trailed off.
"Then the problem probably lies with Nohara Rin. Just explain the whole situation to her." Naruto gave a straightforward suggestion, "Talking to her would be more effective than talking to me. Kakashi can't stand me anyway."
"Okay." While Shikamaru had considered that, he hadn't dared to act on it, "Then will you be the one to tell her?"
"Okay." Naruto knew that if he didn't agree, this guy in front of him would not leave.
"But what about tomorrow's high-level meeting? Even if we inform Nohara Rin, there's not enough time." Shikamaru frowned and said worriedly.
"High-level meeting?" Naruto yawned, "Forget it, forget it. I'll make an extra trip tomorrow. I can't believe this… why do I have to deal with this stuff?"
Hearing this, Shikamaru smiled.
"Then you should make your own arrangements. It's getting late, so I'll go back first."
Shikamaru was relieved that he could sleep peacefully tonight, 'As expected, troublesome matters should be left to the right person. No one knows how to deal with those higher-ups better than Naruto.'