Chapter 392: Gaara's Happiness
Deep into the night, Sunagakure's Kazekage Office windows still emanated bright lamplight.
At this hour, the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, still sat upright behind his massive desk, buried in mountains of documents.
Reports, budgets, diplomatic correspondence, border outpost summaries, ninja mission evaluations... various scrolls and papers nearly submerged his figure.
If nothing unexpected occurred, tonight would likely be yet another all-nighter.
As Sunagakure's youngest Kage in history, Gaara's burden proved exceptionally heavy. The village's high-level combat strength was severely lacking, internal voices disputed his credentials, and most fundamentally—the chronic ailment long plaguing Sunagakure: harsh environment, extremely scarce resources.
When first assuming the Kazekage position, these pressures from all sides had once made him feel suffocated, unable to sleep at night.
But whenever he felt tired or lost, that warm, sun-like figure in his heart would timely surface, granting him encouragement and strength.
To not betray that trust and friendship, and for the goal he'd constructed in his heart, Gaara gritted his teeth, walking step by step to today.
Over half a year ago, a turning point quietly arrived. A new type of grain, with extremely low prices and astonishing environmental adaptability, was introduced to Sunagakure. It could tenaciously grow in barren sand, rapidly maturing, greatly alleviating the village's food pressure, finally lightening the heavy burden on Gaara's shoulders by a fraction.
Though documents requiring his personal review never seemed to decrease because of this.
"Gaara, I'm coming in."
The office door was gently knocked, then pushed open. Kankuro entered carrying an insulated lunch box, placing it on an empty spot beside the document piles.
"Here, this is a late-night snack, still warm. You should rest a bit too. Staring at documents constantly will make your eyes uncomfortable."
Watching the fatigue his younger brother's eyes couldn't conceal, Kankuro's tone carried brotherly concern and heartache.
"Mm, thank you, Kankuro." Gaara set down his pen, raising his hand to rub his aching brow. His voice carried weariness, yet he still earnestly expressed thanks.
Seeing Gaara like this, Kankuro felt sourness rise in his heart. Just a few years ago, after Orochimaru's orchestrated "Konoha Crush Plan" concluded and Gaara's consciousness regained clarity, his life had finally been illuminated by sunlight again.
No longer needing to live in daily anxiety, worrying whether that "younger brother" radiating dangerous aura might suddenly lose control and claim his life.
These years passed, past fears and estrangement had long since melted away. He could finally, like a true older brother, care for this younger brother bearing too much responsibility.
"Also, I brought this for you too, the newest release."
Kankuro pulled several well-sealed small card packs from his pocket, placing them beside the lunch box—precisely the newly released "Shinobi Chronicles Collector Cards."
Seeing the card packs, Gaara's eyes, somewhat dimmed by fatigue, brightened slightly. He nodded, extending his hand to accept the packs with a kind of eagerness distinctly different from handling official business, tinged with nervous anticipation.
To other informed individuals in Sunagakure, this was perhaps just their young Kazekage's harmless little hobby, even somewhat childish.
Collecting these cards popular among teenagers. But Kankuro, who often purchased them on his behalf, vaguely sensed that Gaara's collection interest seemed to have a more specific, more definite direction...
Gaara swiftly tore open the card packs, carefully examining each one. However, as the final card was drawn, that slight glow in his eyes rapidly dimmed. His shoulders also drooped slightly.
He sighed softly, with obvious disappointment, pulling open his desk drawer. He casually placed the just-opened cards that hadn't met his wishes inside—quite a few non-target cards from other series had already accumulated there.
"Didn't... get the card you wanted?" Kankuro carefully asked.
"Mm..." Gaara responded quietly, then as though realizing his emotions might affect his brother, worked to adjust his tone, speaking in somewhat clumsy yet sincere words.
"It's okay, this is just... a matter of luck. It's very late now. You should go rest first."
Hearing Gaara show such concern, Kankuro's heart warmed again. This was a scene completely unimaginable just a few years ago.
As for which specific card Gaara wanted... this time Kankuro had also bought a pack to try his luck. Perhaps...
"By the way," Kankuro pulled another card from his own pocket, passing it over. "I bought a pack myself too and opened this one. Take a look—is this the one you've been wanting?"
Gaara glanced up. In Kankuro's hand, the card displayed a black-haired, black-eyed young woman with delicate, cool features in a half-body portrait, with text below.
[Uchiha Satsuki - Sharingan]
"The Uchiha clan's last surviving bloodline, inheriting that clan's blood limit renowned throughout the shinobi world—the Sharingan—a talented kunoichi with outstanding strength."
"Simultaneously, also the officially recognized by both families and publicly announced—fiancée of Konoha's hero, Uzumaki Naruto... why are you making that expression?!"
Kankuro read the description while observing Gaara's reaction. However, when he read that final line about "Uzumaki Naruto's fiancée," Gaara's expression changed.
It was an expression Kankuro rarely saw on Gaara's face—mixing loss and even faintly pained meaning.
This reaction from Gaara made his heart ache, but the "point" of disappointment proved far too strange, making him blurt out.
If he didn't deeply know Gaara's relationship with Uzumaki Naruto was extremely good—every time Naruto visited Sunagakure, no matter how busy, Gaara would set aside all work and happily go greet him—
If not for this reaction, Kankuro would almost think his younger brother had developed romantic feelings for Uchiha Satsuki and felt dejected at unrequited love.
Could it be... no, no... impossible, right?
Watching his younger brother's unusually disappointed appearance, Kankuro felt helpless. He pulled out another card that might better match the "target" to try.
"Looks like the one you wanted wasn't that..." He carefully extracted another card individually protected in a sleeve from his pocket, displaying it before Gaara.
The card's material and luster were obviously more special. Its edges even had faint gilt patterns. On the card face was that brightly smiling blonde youth, background showing Konoha's symbol and the Hokage hat's silhouette representing succession. The title was prominent.
[Hidden Rare - Uzumaki Naruto - Hokage Successor]
"The shop owner said this hidden rare is the hardest to draw in this release, highest rarity." Kankuro added.
"—!"
The instant he saw this card, Gaara's jade-green eyes, somewhat dimmed by fatigue, suddenly brightened. Even the tiredness on his face mostly dissipated.
"Yes, yes, yes! This is the one!"
He somewhat urgently accepted the card from Kankuro's hand, his movements gentle. He carefully examined Naruto's smile on the card face. Watching his younger brother's undisguised, somewhat obsessed gentle smile, Kankuro felt cold sweat on his back.
"Thank you, Kankuro." Gaara raised his head, looking at his brother. His voice carried obvious cheerfulness and satisfaction that Kankuro hadn't heard in ages, that smile clean and sincere, revealing somewhat childlike adorableness.
"Ah? Ha, haha... that's good then. As long as you like it."
Gaara's sudden, infectiously happy appearance left Kankuro somewhat flustered. He laughed dryly twice, then adopted a steady brotherly demeanor, clearing his throat. "Well... I won't disturb your work then. Don't stay up too late. Remember to eat your snack."
Carrying a belly full of indescribable thoughts and a bit of secret satisfaction at being relied upon by his brother, Kankuro quickly left the Kazekage Office.
After the door closed, the office returned to silence. Gaara treasured the newly obtained hidden Naruto card, his gaze catching sight of the [Uchiha Satsuki] card Kankuro left on the desk. He casually swept it into the wastebasket beside the desk.
Then Gaara stood, walking to the massive bookshelf against the wall. He slowly pushed the heavy bookshelf to one side. Behind it, a doorway was revealed—the rest room installed in every generation's Kazekage Office.
Using a special key only he possessed, he unlocked the door. Beyond was Gaara's completely private "healing sanctuary" that he didn't want anyone to glimpse.
The moment he stepped into the room, everything was gold and blue.
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