A storm of sand and blaze (Gaara fanfiction and The Love Story He Deserves)

Chapter 20: The Sixth Kazekage

When Kankuro arrived from the very long and intensive search for his brother and his now sister-in-law, he noticed a sinister silence in the village. The fierce wind of the night followed his steps as he walked back to the palace. He wanted to remain optimistic since uncountable times he had lost hope in his brother and Gaara would have proven every single time that he was wrong. Furthermore, he was the most trustworthy man in the Land of Wind. However, this time it was difficult to believe that he would come back. He had seen it with his own eyes. He saw how both the blaze of Feza and the sand of his brother had been swollen by the Devil of the Desert.

And yet, Gaara came back from death once...

Kankuro's feasts were so tight that some drops of blood spilled in the floor from the wounds he inflicted on his own palms with his nails, but he did not even notice the pain. The truth was that he wished he could let his sadness out. Yet if he cried, wouldn't it mean that he accepted that his brother was gone?

Finally, he arrived at the meeting room where he had been summoned. He opened the door trying to appear calmed, however, the scene in front of him disturbed his senses immediately. There, in every chair was a member of Sunagakure's council and in the main sit, where the Kazekage belonged, a young boy was waiting.

Shinki?!

"Kankuro-sama," The main counselor called Ebizou greeted him "Please take a seat. We were just waiting for you to start".

"What is all this?" Kankuro asked instantly feeling annoyed. Were the old politicians already plotting about their underground agenda as if Gaara was only another disposable pawn that did not deserve more than one day of search?

"Kankuro-sama, it is imperative we deliberate who will be the successor for the Fifth Kazekage as soon as possible" the old man continued. "Most likely the Fifth has perished and, although it is certainly a tragedy, this nation needs a strong leader that can keep improving our economical and political growth".

"Gaara is not death!" Kankuro yelled with so much anger, it was almost relieving.

There was a deadly silence in the room for some long seconds. Kankuro felt that perhaps he would have convinced them as the silence went by. On the other side of the room, a chair opened and Shinki stood up. The looks now turned towards the young boy. Kankuro knew his nephew would agree with him, that it was nonsense to make a meeting like that so soon.

"If you don't sit down and cooperate..." Shinki said with a deep and menacing voice. "I will kill you".

The lips of Kankuro moved, but no words could come out from his mouth. His stomach was made a knot. Yet, he understood everything with those words. Shinki had no intention to leave any power to him or Temari or anyone. He was in the Kazekage place because he had already taken that role.

But why?

He could not believe the boy had planned this since the beginning. Even if he was a serious kid, he never gave him the impression to be a plotter or an evil person.

"Shinki-sama, please, let's not use violent resources unnecessarily. Kankuro-sama is still very affected by the early death of the Fifth". Ebizou tried to intervene.

"Then, take him to his chamber and guard him until he is in a better mood". Shinki concluded with disdain.

A couple of shinobi held Kankuro. He could have tried to escape, but he had barely any chakra left. Besides, Shinki was an opponent he knew he could not stand a chance against in those conditions. The kid had trained so much with Gaara lately that it was right to say he was the strongest shinobi now in the village. Still, before he was taken as a prisoner in his own home, knowing he could be killed any time, Kankuro decided to throw a question to the room:

"If you want my acknowledgment to become the Sixth Kazekage, I can give it to you, Shinki... But whose second chakra is it? I am surprised no one in this room noticed!"

Shinki frowned for an instant but then, as all the looks were pointing at him, he kept any grimace hidden. A whip made of magnet release raised from under the table and without hesitation it lashed Kankuros's body as a punishment. The puppet master tried to endure but in the end, he released a shriek of pain. His body and face were covered in blood.

"This is just a reminder," The boy said to all the people in the room "That if anyone thinks that I can be disrespected, there will be consequences. Take that shinobi to the dungeons! He is a traitor now!"

The counselors made a vow but Kankuro would never bend the knee for someone like that. Even if it cost him his own life.