Inside the Kazekage's Office, the atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, stood with his hands behind his back before a massive window, looking out over all of Sunagakure. The last rays of the setting sun cast a dark golden glow over his white Kazekage robe, embroidered with the character for "wind," but they could not dispel the icy, metallic hardness of his aura.
His features were sharply defined, and his eyes were keen and deep, as if they could pierce every facade and see straight through everything.
An Anbu Ninja knelt on one knee behind him, reporting in a toneless voice:
"The target, 'Gaara,' has recently shown a slight deviation in behavior. Every morning, he conducts basic physical training at Training Ground Three with a civilian student named Shira. The sessions last approximately one hour. Afterward, Shira goes to the Ninja Academy, while Jonin Baki takes over Gaara's instruction."
Rasa kept his gaze on the view outside, his fingers absently rubbing the window frame. His voice was even, betraying neither pleasure nor anger. "Shira. His full details."
"Yes."
The Anbu Ninja responded promptly. "Shira, age six. His parents are ordinary merchants in the village, with no ninja background. Testing found his Chakra control to be extremely poor. He was judged to have no talent for Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or the Puppet Technique, and was originally denied admission. He was later permitted to attend on a trial basis under a special assessment policy. His school performance has been unremarkable. Aside from slightly superior physical ability, his scores in all Ninjutsu subjects are at the bottom. He is withdrawn and shunned by his peers."
"Special assessment policy?" Rasa turned his head slightly, his eyes sweeping over the Anbu Ninja.
"Yes. My investigation revealed that Elder Advisor Ebizo took a slight interest in the matter."
"Ebizo..." A glimmer of understanding flashed in Rasa's eyes, then gave way to a deeper coldness. Though the reclusive Elder Chiyo never directly interfered in government affairs, her influence still made itself faintly felt through her younger brother, Ebizo.
It seemed this Shira had somehow made a connection there.
"What is the nature of his contact with Gaara?" Rasa's question was direct and cold. What concerned him was not friendship, but stability.
"Preliminary observation indicates that their interactions are peaceful. Shira does not seem to fear Gaara. Their training consists only of the most basic physical exercises, with no exchanges involving Chakra or combat techniques. For now, the contact is assessed as low-risk."
A brief silence settled over the office, broken only by the faintly audible wailing of the wind and sand outside.
After a long while, Rasa spoke slowly, his voice like the cold wind of a desert night. "No fear? Low-risk? That is the greatest risk of all."
He turned around, his gaze bearing down on the Anbu Ninja like a physical weight. "A weapon has no need for friends, much less someone who 'does not fear' it."
"Fear is the best shackle for controlling it and using it. Any factor that could weaken that fear, or even create an unnecessary 'bond,' is a potential threat. It must be assessed and controlled."
"Understood." The Anbu Ninja bowed his head even lower.
"That Shira," Rasa said, tapping his fingers lightly against the windowsill. The regular clicking sounded like a countdown to fate. "Though he is worthless, since he managed to draw Chiyo's attention, perhaps he has some small use we have yet to discover."
He paused, then made his decision:
"Keep him under observation for now. No action is necessary. Raise the surveillance level on the 'weapon' and record all emotional fluctuations and abnormal behavior. The moment Shira shows any inclination to guide or influence the 'weapon,' or his presence is proven to have a negative effect on the weapon's stability..."
There was no fluctuation in Rasa's voice, as if he were deciding whether to crush an ant.
"Eliminate him immediately."
"Yes!" The Anbu Ninja accepted the order and vanished in an instant, as though he had never been there.
Rasa was left alone in the office. He turned his gaze back outside, fixing it precisely on the small training ground at the edge of the village.
In his view, that area had nothing to do with friendship or warmth. It was merely a testing ground that required close surveillance, where variables might arise.
"Love..." he murmured. The word came from his mouth with a hint of icy mockery and absolute rejection. "A pointless and dangerous emotion. It only makes weapons rust and brings about the destruction of the weak."
Meanwhile, in Gaara's vast, cold residence.
Yashamaru was preparing a simple dinner for Gaara, the same impeccably gentle smile on his face.
"Lord Gaara, did you enjoy training with Shira today?" he asked, seemingly in passing, without pausing in his work.
Gaara was looking down at his palm. At the question, he nodded gently, an almost imperceptible curve at the corner of his mouth. "Yeah."
"That's wonderful." Yashamaru's smile grew even gentler as he set the food before Gaara, his tone light.
"It's a very lucky thing to make a friend. Shira really is a special child, isn't he? He's not afraid of hard work, or of... the things other people fear."
His words brushed like the softest feather over Gaara's heart, which longed for warmth.
Gaara nodded again, a faint light flickering in his jade-green eyes. "He's amazing." He meant Shira's indomitable perseverance.
Yashamaru smiled in agreement. "Yes, he really is. I'm sure the two of you will become very good friends."
Yet deep in his lowered eyes, his hidden worry and sorrow were almost overflowing. He knew better than anyone how glaring this hard-won "friendship" was in Lord Kazekage's eyes.
Every word of encouragement he offered now might be pushing the two children into even greater danger.
But what could he do? He could only continue to play the role his sister had entrusted to him, and the role of the watcher the Kazekage had planted. With the gentlest smile, he told the cruelest lies, protecting that faint light, like a candle flickering in the wind.
Yashamaru looked at the rare, faint spark in Gaara's expression, born of having a "friend," and sighed inwardly.
Shira, please, you have to be strong enough...