Chapter 443: Invitation
"Gaara, I brought lunch. Sorry, got delayed on the way, so it's a bit late..."
The door was pushed open. Kankuro entered carrying a food box, but his words abruptly cut off the instant he saw his brother's condition.
Gaara wasn't handling official business but instead sat bolt upright, eyes unfocused, brow unconsciously slightly furrowed.
That appearance—rather than thinking, looked more like... feeling sad about something yet having nowhere to confide.
Kankuro strode forward quickly, placing the food box in one corner of the desk, his tone full of concern and confusion.
"What's wrong, Gaara? Did something happen?"
Hearing his older brother's voice, Gaara's entire body trembled slightly. His scattered gaze rapidly focused, forcibly separating the dream's lingering afterglow from reality.
"...Mm? Sorry, Kankuro, I was spacing out..." He tried making his voice sound calm as usual. "Nothing's wrong, just... slightly tired."
However, even as he tried concealing it, that sense of loss—like being briefly embraced by a warm world then suddenly pushed back onto frozen tundra—stubbornly lingered on his face and in his eyes.
Deep in those eyes, a small cluster of flames had just been ignited only to be immediately extinguished by cold reality, leaving only a wisp carrying dampness, resembling empty embers after being abandoned by something wonderful.
Kankuro looked at his brother's appearance, heart both puzzled and aching. He truly couldn't understand why his brother, who now clearly had everything, still occasionally revealed this... melancholic temperament.
Sunagakure now—the environment was incomparably better than when Gaara first took office.
Because Gaara and Konoha's Uzumaki Naruto were close friends, the two great ninja villages' alliance was rock solid, cooperation projects too numerous to count.
More importantly, those suddenly-appearing new grain crop seeds and techniques—especially suitable for barren sandy soil with astonishingly high yields—had long been promoted throughout Sunagakure.
Now, the entire Sunagakure's days of material scarcity and hunger had become history. Villagers' faces no longer showed hardship but real prosperity and hope.
Naturally, villagers attributed the majority of this earth-shattering transformation to their young, capable Fifth Kazekage who led the village toward prosperity. Gaara enjoyed unprecedented respect and admiration in the village, his prestige unparalleled.
Yet precisely this Gaara—Kankuro felt some place deep in his heart always remained empty, never truly happy.
Like now—clearly everything going smoothly, yet appearing as though he'd just experienced a silent farewell only Gaara himself knew about.
Kankuro wanted to say something lighthearted or share village news, trying to dispel the gloom on his brother's face.
Just as he organized his words—
Poof.
An extremely light sound abruptly appeared in the Kazekage office's center.
Kankuro's hand instantly moved toward his puppet's position.
However, when he clearly saw the object appearing from thin air, taut nerves immediately relaxed.
"What... so it's a ninja cat." Kankuro withdrew his hand, tone carrying helplessness. "Another urgent package requiring the Kazekage's personal signature?"
Appearing on the office floor was a cat with glossy fur, a small postal bag hanging around its neck.
The ninja cat spoke human words, voice carrying feline-characteristic intonation.
"There's an express letter package here for Sunagakure's Fifth Kazekage, Gaara-sama, meow. The sender is Konohagakure's Uzumaki Naruto-sama, meow. Please sign for it, meow. Delivery fees have been paid by the sender, meow."
"Naruto?!"
Gaara's previously low mood instantly rippled with obvious fluctuations. His body also leaned slightly forward. "Please give it to me. Thank you."
The ninja cat naturally recognized a village's Kage. It nimbly untied the small postal bag from its neck—actually a rather exquisitely packaged thick envelope—using its paw to gently push it onto the desk before Gaara.
After completing its mission, it nodded at Gaara. With a soft "poof" sound, it transformed into a small puff of white smoke, leaving via summoning.
"A letter from Naruto?"
Kankuro also leaned closer, somewhat curious. "Really unusual. Why not just use Flying Thunder God to come say something directly? Making it so formal..."
Gaara didn't immediately answer his brother's question. His attention had already been completely drawn to that envelope.
Though somewhat puzzled why Naruto would contact him this way, his hands' movements weren't slow at all.
Merely because it connected to the name "Naruto," Kankuro felt the low gloom that had clung to his brother rapidly dissipate by more than half.
Light returned to his eyes, the corners of his mouth unconsciously carried a trace of anticipatory curve.
However, this brightness and anticipation that had just surfaced on Gaara's face due to his friend's letter—the instant he opened the envelope and saw the specific contents inside—
Like being frozen, completely stiffened.
His body violently trembled. Fingers gripping the letter paper instantly tightened until knuckles turned white.
Then, under Kankuro's astonished gaze, Gaara stiffly unfolded that exquisite letter paper completely.
Immediately after, Kankuro clearly saw Gaara's complexion completely change.
If moments ago he'd merely struggled free from depression carrying slight anticipation, now all expression drained from his face, leaving only blank, severely-struck absent-mindedness.
This was a mixture of shock, disbelief, and some deeply hidden expectation being brutally shattered by reality—bewilderment.
Eyes stared deadly at text on the invitation, then forcefully, somewhat roughly rubbed his own eyes before looking again.
But the invitation's handwriting was clear, wording formal, content explicit—no ambiguity whatsoever.
That expression, besides enormous impact, seemed to also carry a trace of... "this day has finally arrived" bitter resignation?
Though Gaara's entire body posture and gaze clearly resisted accepting this information.
"What's wrong?! Gaara?!"
Kankuro was startled by his brother's suddenly changed complexion. It had been very long since he'd seen Gaara's emotional fluctuation this intense, complexion this poor.
He quickly stepped forward, urgently asking, "What does the letter say?! Did something happen with Naruto? Or Konoha..."
However, Gaara seemed completely unable to hear his words. He only stood there absent-mindedly, hand tightly clutching that invitation.
Kankuro's heart burned with anxiety. Unable to wait for an answer, he simply leaned forward directly, gaze crossing Gaara's shoulder toward that invitation gripped deadly in his hand—clearly extremely exquisitely crafted, obviously requiring considerable effort.
The invitation used thick white cardstock as base, edges stamped with elegant dark gold patterns. At the very center, written in flowing yet solemn script:
Dear Guests,
At this time, we wish you good health and prosperity in all things.
We, Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Satsuki, have now formed an auspicious union, becoming husband and wife.
To pray for continued friendship hereafter, we have set the following time and place for our wedding ceremony.
Though we know you are busy with many affairs, we humbly request you honor us with your presence. We extend this sincere invitation.
Details:
Date: Konoha Calendar Year XX, Month X, Day X (Auspicious Day), 11:00 AM
Location: Land of Fire, Konohagakure, Central Shrine
Groom: Uzumaki Naruto
Bride: Uchiha Satsuki
※ Please bring this invitation for entry
Respectfully,
Konoha Calendar Year XX, Month X, Day X
Uzumaki Naruto · Uchiha Satsuki
---
Below the invitation was a line of handwritten, sincerely written small characters.
"To my most important friends:
Kankuro, Temari, Gaara,
You must come! We've saved the best seats for you!
— Naruto & Satsuki"