Blood In The Sand

The strangers in the Sand had finally departed, and Sansa had paperwork to do. It was a period of silence after a storm, rare for the Hidden Sand. Sansa approached Merui's door, but stopped when she heard voices within.

"You can't do this. That funding is what's getting me through the academy!"

"I believe I can and I will. The Kazekage funded you out of his own pocket and yet you haven't shown results, not once. Why should I continue to waste my money on you when he couldn't even get anything out of you?"

"If you cut that funding, I'll have nothing left! Please, give me more time to prove myself!"

"Your graduation is in two weeks. There's nothing to prove."

"I'm at the top of my class in written exams!"

"Yet you have nothing to show for it off paper. Every mock mission ends in the same complaints. You can't work with a team, so why bother training you any longer?"

"Please, just wait two weeks! Don't waste the funding already spent!"

"How dare you think you can tell me what to do? You're a mere orphan, a side project picked off the streets of Sunagakure. You may be a part of this village, but you are as worthless to our progression as an outsider!" Merui's hand slammed against something and Sansa could hear the crack of wood. The old hag must be angry. Sansa waited in the hallway, leaning against the wall as she heard the other voice speak up.

"Fine. You'll regret this, mark my words! I'm worth more than you think I am!" As the door swung open, a girl no older than Sansa's child left Merui's office, staring at the older woman. "What the fuck are you looking at?"

"Language." Was all Sansa could reply. Sansa was aware of this orphan, as she had to be. It was a big village but if she didn't keep track of who came and went, then she wouldn't be much of an ANBU. Chiaki. She became an orphan the same day Sansa had lost Rena. Her father had run away when she was born, became a missing-Nin in the bingo book after stealing some funds from the Hidden Sand. The girl had a hard streak in life.

What Sansa hadn't known was that Rasa was funding her out of his own pockets. The more secrets Sansa uncovered, the more guilt built in her chest. As Chiaki stormed past Sansa, Sansa entered Merui's personal home office. "Intruders in the Sand? Were you able to apprehend them?"

"They got away, but one of them was taken care of by the Sand Siblings. They seem to be from the Village Hidden in the Sound."

"Really…" Merui's thoughts converged. Orochimaru wouldn't send more envoys in daylight, would he? And definitely not just two people if he meant to attack. Something didn't add up here. "Sansa, you wouldn't kick off our partnership by lying to me, would you?"

"I have no reason to lie. They used strange jutsu I haven't seen before. I don't know who else it could be that has jutsu like that other than a village that supports Orochimaru." Sansa's brows contorted in frustration. "There wasn't any wall guard found dead or missing, so I interrogated them. They say they let through a registered supplier, but there was at least four that day. I'll be contacting each family name to make sure that they were present and interrogate them for an alibi."

It made sense that Sansa wouldn't know about some of Orochimaru's experiments. She had, after all, only been used in high-scale battles, and she hadn't been around for long enough to know of the jutsu of the past. "Slow down, Sansa. You asked to be Kazekage. I brought it up to the others, and although surprised, they agreed. Your place isn't on the field anymore- you can't travel."

Sansa's jaw locked up, but pressure released when she conceded. "I understand, Merui."

"For now, do what you see fit to protect the Hidden Sand. I'll see to the interrogation myself. We'll be holding an inauguration for you tonight." It was all just pomp and circumstance. Sansa couldn't be accepted as a true Kazekage. However, stand-ins were common until the true lineage was able to take their place. It was more typical for the Kazekage's wife to take the mantle, do the paperwork and calm the people. Since Karura wasn't alive and Sansa was the last person to be with the Kazekage in any way that anyone knew or acknowledged, Sansa was the default. A perfect scapegoat for Merui to control- she had basically handed herself over on a silver platter to be demonized for the murder of Rasa. She had been trying to pin the blame on Rena, but what was the need when she had the perfect fool right in front of her?

Sansa nodded and bowed as she exited the elder's chambers. Thickening guard would do nothing for the Hidden Sand if their problem was people pretending to be something they're not. The only solution she could imagine would be a screening for everyone who wanted into the Hidden Sand. Their current closed-borders identity check wasn't enough. As Sansa was stuck in her mind, she paused when the light of the sun hit her eyes, shielding them from the rays. As she removed her palm, she found herself standing in front of two gravestones, buried in the soil under a wilting tree.

It had been a while since she came here. The last time was just before the Chuunin Exams. Karura had always wanted a simplistic grave, something anyone could visit without having to dress up- no monument. Her simple wish had been to be buried with her husband.

And a fresh grave lay beside the woman's. A beloved father and a hardworking Kazekage. She ran her fingers over the inscription, wondering who bothered to make the grave. Merui? No. Well, maybe. Working under that woman made her sick, but it was what she had to do. For once in her life, she knew that there was something other than Rena that needed to be tended to. Something she couldn't just ignore and shove to the backburner.

Merui's crimes would not pass Sansa by. She knew. Merui acted like a snake. Just mere weeks ago she'd attempted to execute Rena and have her tortured and now there hadn't been a single mention of her child since. Why would Merui quiet down so suddenly? The answer was obvious. Some way, somehow, Sansa had given Merui an opportunity to do something. Maybe pin all of the animosity for the Kazekage's death on Sansa herself rather than her child. At least this way, temporarily, Rena would be out of Merui's sights… and her newfound closeness to that old cunt would open up a path for her downfall.

"Sansa," The woman turned to meet the eyes of another council member. Ine Kuki stood before her, a small sympathetic smile on the woman's face. This was someone Rasa trusted infinitely, even though she was only a part of the side-branch of the Kuki family. She wasn't a strong shinobi, but she was a smart one. It made sense she would be able to find Sansa before Sansa even knew where she was.

"Ine. Didn't expect to see you here." Her eyes moved back to the graves, her shoulders relaxing. "While you're here, I do have a favour to ask of you. I need you to watch over Rena. Keep her busy. It's better that she's further away from me right now."

Ine sighed, walking up to stand beside Sansa, her expression sullen. "Someday, Sansa, you will have to learn how to let go. Children will find their own way in the world without anyone telling them how to do it."

"Not today, Ine."

"Then when? The more time you spend away from her, the less you will have overall. Our job is dangerous. Do you really want to someday leave this world with the regret of not having spent any time with her?"

"That's exactly why I can't spend time with her, Ine. For this place to be safe, we have to successfully pull this off. It's better she's not dragged into this as a suspect when the deed is done. The last thing she needs is a target painted on her back by a vengeance-seeking family."

"You're so stubborn, Sansa. I understand that you think you're protecting her, but you will someday have to acknowledge that someone seeking vengeance won't just ignore her existence as something that can hurt you just because you're not constantly at her side. Being your family is what paints a target on her in the first place." Ine placed a hand on Sansa's shoulder, who flinched at her words. "I'll do what I can, but you must think about spending at least a little bit of time with her. She is, after all, your child. Don't waste the time you have. It might be too late, you might fall on the battlefield, and you may die with too many regrets." Sansa felt it as Ine's presence disappeared, as was the skill of the Kuki. Sansa was left alone with her thoughts, an empty, echoing chasm filled with nothing but her mind, worries, anxieties and frustrations.

She covered her ears, crouching down to the sand until it brushed against her knees, trying to block out all of her invasive thoughts.

X

X

Rena had come out here with the intention of training. She knew that everyone else was trying their hardest to get stronger, yet she just stayed as she always was- barely scraping by, pulling off feats like it was some sort of miracle she wasn't dead already. Everything was always a close call. She barely even felt someone's hand touch her shoulder as she hoped her intense glare alone would crumble the wall before her. Why was it so hard to think of how to train on her own? How did people find a way to progress? She was coming up blank. Wasn't this basic shinobi stuff? If she couldn't train... "Am I less of a shinobi just because I don't know how to do anything...?"

"You simply haven't gone through academy training. They teach you the basics of the regiments you want to be on. Self-training is the hardest thing you can do, especially if you have no prior experience."

"Oh. That makes sense." Rena nodded, her mind descending into deeper thought before snapping out of it as she screeched, jumping back a few feet. "W-Wait! Who're you?!"

"You don't remember me?" To Rena, it was just another old woman. Even if she had recognized her, there was no chance she'd remember from where. "That's a little rude. I vouched for you, didn't I?"

"Vouched?" Ine had Rena's attention now. "What do you mean?"

"You don't know yet? I have moved for you to take a late-class in the Academy. You'll be instructed by the same people who taught the Sand Siblings."

"Really?!"

"Don't get so excited, child." Ine shook her head. "If we're to believe the reports about the Chuunin Exams, you need to prove your worth. I've been given a month to catch you up on the way things work around here. I'm going to turn you from civilian-minded to shinobi-minded. You have three trials to perform this month. I will oversee all of them. If you pass, you can go on to the next test. My trials will dictate whether you're allowed in the Academy or not, and from there, you'll be tested once a month on prowess in order to dictate whether or not you remain." Ine could see Rena's eyes light up. She hoped the child wouldn't be nearly as difficult as Sansa.

"Um, I don't understand half of what you're saying, but I get it! All I have to do is pass the tests, right?" Well, there were points for eagerness. "What are they? I'll pass them all right now!" Too eager. Deduct points.

Ine sighed, before examining Rena, lifting up her arms. "You seem like you'd be weak at Taijutsu, and I doubt you're promising in Ninjutsu, but we can fix that. Genjutsu? Not even a chance. I'd be insane to bother. You don't seem to have the patience or tact for it. However... hmm, yes, that's a good trial for you if we can just iron out that flaw of yours..."

"Um, what?" Rena's mind was running at a mile a minute as her confusion overtook her.

"Never you mind. We begin training for the first trial now. Follow me."

"T-Training?! Wait, why are we training for training?" Rena ran in front of Ine, holding out her arms to stop the old woman, who merely moved so fast it was like she'd passed through Rena. As Rena wildly looked around, searching for her, she saw her on a rooftop. "Hey, wait! Why do we gotta train to train more?!" Rena body flickered after her, but every time she reached Ine, the old woman disappeared. She began to get annoyed after the third time.

"Where did you learn body flicker? You haven't been taught before, have you?" Ine appeared behind her, causing Rena to almost jump out of her skin.

"I was taught by Gaara! It was one of the first Jutsu I ever learned!" Although her response was short and to the point, even as Rena looked at her, Ine faded out of being. Rena tried to shake off the weird haze in her head, but she could barely remember Ine's face, let alone her words. What was this?

"An untrained Genin like you is easy pickings for the Kuki Clan. You're untrained; your mind is open to the effects of my Kekkai Genkai." Ine looked Rena up and down once more. Could she really train this Genin before the time-limit was up? This would be difficult even for someone who took a couple of classes to get down. She had to learn in a month what others had years to learn. The basics, at least- something that was second-nature to a ninja. If she could prove to the rest of the Elder Council that Rena was good enough for the Special Class, then...

There wasn't enough Genin in the village, let alone Chuunin and Jonin. Sure, they had the prime families as shinobi, but there were so many more potential ninjas waiting for their chance to shine. This was where the Special Class came in. In special circumstances, when the village was lacking, they'd open up their classroom doors to three prospects, and three alone. Most of the family's children were set to enter the academy next year, of which there were five, but for the rest of the year, they'd train those three lucky shinobi up and release them out into the world. The only issue is, while the Kazekage usually selected each of them for the honour, he was gone now- so that fell upon the Hebidoku Family in place of the Suna.

Originally, this idea had been coveted by the wife of the Third Kazekage, who wanted to open the doors to more education for those that needed it. Unfortunately, the village pushed back on that idea, requiring more funding for other projects they deemed more important. The Third Kazekage's wife's voice was drained out in the crowd, but her husband had wanted so fervently to do something for her. If nothing else, the Sunai were dedicated lovers. Ine remembered it fondly, the way that the Third had bent to his wife's will in a small, yet so impactful way.

The Fourth's wife tried to push for more funding for education as well, but it fell through. She had taken it upon herself to teach children out on the streets, claiming that even if the Hidden Sand didn't want to climb out of its own poverty, she'd still do what counted for the orphans- she managed to open up an orphanage, despite the Elder's protests about harbouring the weak.

The strong must protect the weak.

That had always been Karura's way. Being an orphan herself, she knew the rough-and-tumble of the streets she walked. She wanted to make it better. Ine remembered the day she'd picked Karura up and brought her home- the look on her husband's face. Although Karura was no good for offence or defence, she was a great medical-nin. Ine supposed that had something to do with both being taught by Lady Chiyo and her care for the inhabitants of the Hidden Sand.

"Ine, you can't just bring anyone home. We have our honour to uphold." Togata's face looked like he had eaten something sour. Ine rolled her eyes, laughing gently at the prospect of him trying to act so pompous. "I'm serious this time!"

"You mean that you have your honour to uphold. I'm mere side-branch rabble, right? So, it's okay that I bring someone like this home. She'll clean up nicely, I can tell- and she'll be a true friend to our boy."

Togata stared at his wife before a soft smile broke across his face as he looked at the girl. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Togata, but you already know who I am, don't you?"

"You're someone who won't do anything for the village! Of course I know who you are!" Her eyes were accusatory as she trembled before the man, bunching up the fabric of her skirt in her hands as she grit her teeth. Togata's heart was hurting, Ine could tell. She felt bad for both of them, with Togata being backed into a corner by the Elder Council as always, the people seeing him as useless- and the petite orphan, who had nothing but her gusto and whatever Ine had fed her.

"I'm sorry. Will you tell me your name?"

The girl looked surprised as if she hadn't expected the man to react kindly to her lashing out at him. She looked to Ine, who nodded, allowing the girl to relax. "I'm Karura."

"I can do it!" Rena's insistence broke Ine out of her memories. There was a certain fire in her eyes that reminded her of Karura's quiet, gentle flicker that made Ine take to the girl in the first place. The two had their differences, but they both seemed to care about something so deeply that progression was the only way forward. Karura had never been afraid to speak her mind. "Just let me take your trial!"

"Fine." Ine sighed, placing her hand on Rena's head. "But you have to promise me that you'll undertake proper training before requesting to undertake the trial. No complaints!" The way the girl looked at her, her eyes shining as if stars were reflected in them, made Ine smile. She hadn't felt this kind of warmth for someone since... well, everyone she cared about died. Her last family member had died recently, as well. It's a shame when a child dies before the parent- Ine hoped that would never happen, but it was so. Karura, too. "Let's go." As Ine motioned for Rena to follow, Rena found herself being led down more winding streets. The Hidden Sand was so confusing, with some paths only shinobi could cross. It was as if it was made to be a labyrinth. However, Ine navigated it like direction wasn't even important. As they stopped before a small house on the other side of the Hidden Sand, a little run-down and shabby squished in between two shady-looking shops, Rena stared it down.

"Is this really where you live...?"

"Not everyone can be rich, you know. Our economy isn't doing well. It never has- we all relied on the Kazekage's gold dust to get us through the low points, but now... well, our village is in a bit of a bind. If we're attacked, we won't be able to repair houses nearly as fast, and our position in trading with other villages has been suspended indefinitely." Rena hadn't known any of this before. Was the Hidden Sand really... as poor as Ine made it seem? "Our economy sucks. Our military might is fractured because of our losses, but even before it wasn't doing well. And as for our people... businesses struggle to make a living here and remain open. We have a limited amount of civilians, and the shinobi who do have children are tasked with holding their job while training their own. As a result, even though our Family genin may be strong, everyone else is weak. A shinobi is only as good as their teacher. We're in a dangerous spot where at this point, the only thing we could've done was work with the new Daimyo and..." Ine's mouth closed. "That's nothing a child needs to know about. All you need to know is that the Hidden Sand will be fine for a few years more."

As they walked into Ine's house, Rena was astounded by the number of books and scrolls that covered every surface, including the floor. A thick coat of dust lay over the surface of almost everything, with garbage bags building up in the corner. A fluffy white dog bursts out of it, bounding toward Rena as she covers her face. It tackles her to the floor, barking, it's tail wagging haphazardly and knocking over a stack of books. "Is this a ninja hound?!"

"No, that's just a normal dog. He's only a year old. His name is Fuwa. He doesn't get nearly enough exercise, so you'll be taking him on a walk now."

"Wait, what?!"

"It's all a part of your training, Rena Hikari. Here's the leash." At the mention of a leash, the dog's ears perked up, the look in its eyes as if it had gotten into a years-worth supply of energy drinks as it began to bounce viciously up and down. It ran in circles, barking until Rena leaned down to try and clip the leash onto its collar. It wouldn't sit still, moving every half-a-second, excitedly.

"H-Hey! Calm down, don't be so impatient! I'm doing it! I'm doing it- wait!" As soon as the dog had thought the leash had been clipped on, it dashed past her, slamming into the door. Backing away, it staggered a bit, but turned, looking goofy as its tongue lolled out of its mouth and its tail just kept wagging. "Is this dog... stupid?" Rena muttered, before scampering closer and attempting to clip on the leash again, moving through its fur to get to the little notch. After a minute, she finally succeeded, standing up. Ine, however, opened the door and thus it began as Rena felt her body be yanked in a direction. She tripped over a hole in the floorboards, hitting the ground as the dog charged forward. She screamed as it dragged her out the door and down the street.

"Hopefully she'll learn what I'm trying to teach her." Ine shook her head, closing the door behind Rena. "And maybe Fuwa can learn a dose of patience as well..."

Over the course of the next few days, Rena was put to work in Ine's home. Her tasks included taking care of Fuwa, who still charged the door whenever he thought the leash was on and smacked right into it, cleaning and dusting- by far, organizing the scrolls was the worst job.

"Hey, Fuwa, don't chew on that!" Rena had snapped, trying to pull the scroll from the dog's mouth. Unfortunately, it was torn to pieces as Fuwa's teeth scraped against it, causing the shredded paper to burst into the air and float down gently as Fuwa ran in circles excitedly before trying to catch each individual piece with his mouth, jumping and bouncing on his hind legs. "You'd better hope that wasn't important!" Ine's shelves were littered with half-rotting scrolls, things that Rena had to throw into a garbage bag.

Rena's next order of things was to get rid of the garbage, which she had to pay someone to do for her. She had no idea where it went, but whoever took the garbage didn't say what they'd be doing with it, only that they needed it. It was creepy enough that she didn't want to ask questions. The dusting took her hours, days even. And when she had completed all of the tasks in the house, including washing the dishes and the bathroom, everything sparkled. As she turned to Ine, who'd just gotten home, Fuwa ran back and forth in the kitchen excitedly, as if he was exploring new territory, sniffing everywhere. "I did it! It's time for the trial, right?!"

"Not yet." Ine shook her head, before opening her back door.

"What..." In Ine's backyard, an extremely overgrown garden sat, dead plants covering the majority of it. Fuwa bombs sat in the heat of the sun, flies buzzing around them lazily. "Ine, I don't see how this is training! Why do I have to keep doing this?! I don't want to do this anymore! I'm not here to just clean your house and your backyard and take care of your dog for you!"

"Although this just seems like menial work, Rena, a life of a shinobi takes extreme dedication." Ine's finger slid against one of her countertops as she searched for dust. "A half-assed job in the shinobi world is your death. This frustration you're feeling now as if you're not progressing at all is your training for the first test. You will feel this way for the rest of your life. You will succeed, and you will fail. That is what it means to live as a human, not a shinobi. Patience is required for your goal; If you give up on something as simple as what I'm asking you to do right now, you aren't worth training. Who says that you won't give up when the going gets tough? I need to know that you have the strength and resolution to do what it takes to follow this lifestyle." Ine places her hand on Rena's shoulder. "If you feel like this is too much, then you will never be able to stomach this lifestyle."

"You're supposed to be teaching me the basics!"

"This is as basic as it gets, Rena. The deciding factor of whether you will make it or not. So, you have the option to walk out that door and become known only as the wife of the Fifth Kazekage, a marriage you have no say in, or you can remain, tough it out, and show the Hidden Sand you have what it takes to be more than just a wife." Rena didn't know whether or not she could handle a future with Kankuro. In her mind, running through it, marrying him and having children with him didn't seem right. She didn't want her future decided for her. She wanted to make her own choices.

"I... don't want to walk out on this yet."

"Smart choice." Ine gestured to the garden, which Rena begrudgingly set into, prepared to take on Fuwa's droppings.

The sun began to set in the sky as Rena finished up, to which Ine called her inside. She'd been so engrossed by her task, her hope driving her, that she hadn't been paying attention to the time. When she walked in, she saw a welcome sight- a hot, steaming banquet of all different kinds of food laid on the table. "This is amazing!" She rushed over, taking in all of the scents and smells.

"I prepared it while you were in the garden. Your first trial begins tomorrow."

"Really?" Rena's eyes lit up as she prepared to dig in. "That's not a trick right, there's nothing left to do, right?"

"Well, don't eat a single bite."

"What!?"

"I'm kidding. I'm not going to train you in self-restraint," Ine watched as Rena began to gobble down food, "Yet." Rena didn't like the sound of that, but what counted is that she had food in front of her now. "By the way, you haven't been home in a week. Are you sure that's alright?"

Rena's fork dropped from her hand. The meteoric change in attitude and the look on her face as if she'd remembered that she'd forgotten to feed her dog about two years ago told Ine all she needed to know.

"Pack this up, then go on home. Return here in the morning."