GAARA Gaara sat in his office in the Kazekage mansion, filling in for his father. He was actually quite bored, and took to tapping into his power to make little figures move the stuff on the desk around, throwing the pens, stabbing with the stapler (i think there's one there), and using rubber bands to throw needles at each other. Gaara took pleasure in watching the sand figures fight.
"Kazekage?" Gaara looked up and the sand figures fell into small sand piles. A young shinobi was standing in the door, holding a green scroll in his hand.
"What?" The shinobi cautiously walked in and placed the scroll on Gaara's desk.
"It is from Konoha." Gaara took the scroll and waved the shinobi away. Before the shinobi left, one of the sand figures returned and fired two needles at the Shinobi, hitting him in the arm.
"Ow!" The shinobi looked around and shrugged, sliding the door shut. Gaara unrolled the scroll and bgan to read.

SAKURA Sakura sat in Hokage Tsunade's office in Konoha, playing with her hands, waiting impatiently for any kind of response from the scrolls she had sent. "Anything yet from the Mist Country?" Tsunade asked.
"Uh...I sent them three invites...the word should get around fast." Tsunade sighed.
"I'm starting to think that this was a bad idea. If Orochimaru comes after this village again, it could mean the end of the Leaf and the beginning of the Sound." Sakura groaned and stood.
"Excuse me. I'm heading out for a while. Do you mind"
"No, of course not. Go on." Sakura inclined her head and left, stopping in the middle of the second flight of stairs and staring out a window.
'Sasuke...Where are you?' Sakura sighed. Sasuke had left with a squad of Anbu to help locate any trace of Orochimaru's path of destruction. It had been about 4 months when they had left. "You ok?" Sakura turned around.
"Oh, hey Naruto." Naruto, believe it or not, had been maturing in attitude and body. He was know somewhat serious in everything he did. He had even become a Sensei for one of the many sqauds of ninjas in the Ninja Academy, one of the ninja in his squad being Konohamaru, The Hokage's grandson.
'Or the old Hokage's grandson, now.' "You ok? You seem a bit out of it"
"I'm fine. It's just this new plan. I sent so many of the scrolls that I almost know the entire list." Sakura shuddered.
"I even had to send one to Gaara"
"Gaara? Man, it's been a long time since I saw that guy." Sakura nodded.
"Tsunade recognizes his power. She was the one who suggested it."

GAARA Gaara looked at his map and growled.
"Stupid Leaf...putting their village all the way out in the woods like this." Gaara folded his map, adjusting the strap on his gourd to where it didn't dig into him as bad. He kept walking, thinking.
'The Leaf are organizing a group of powerful ninja from all over, except the Sound. The Sand, no doubt, will be on the front lines. But why even go after him?' Gaara grunted.
"The killing. As long as I kill that bastard." Gaara felt the demon within him stir.
"North then."

Gaara reached the front gates of Konoha at last, a small wave of relief going over him as he approached it.
"What is you buisness here?" Two jounin jumped over the walls and landed feet in front of Gaara. Gaara grunted.
"I was aked here." The Jounin looked at each other.
"Aren't you Gaara of the Sand?" "Do I look it?" One of the Jounin walked up to him. "Where's the proof?" Gaara thrust the scroll from Konoha at the Jounin. He opened it and scanned it.
"It's proof. Let him pass." The other Jounin jumped back over the gate and helped pull it open.
"Have a good day"
"Whatever." Gaara left the Jounin alone and went into the village towards the Hokage's Office. As he passed the people, they took one glance at him and walked away from him, as far as they could get away from him.
"Cowards..." Gaara scanned the crowds for any kind of familiar faces. He saw nobody.
"Gaara?" Gaara turned.
"Lee...I thought you'd never be a Shinobi again?" Rock Lee, wearing his usual green suit, was smiling at Gaara as if they were old friends.
"How's life in Suna"
"I don't have time to talk. Just point where I can find the Hokage's office." Lee gladly pointed it out.
"I'm heading there myself. I've got to meet with Sakura about some kind of group against Orochimaru"
"Funny. I'm heading there as well." Lee clapped a hand on Gaara's back, much to Gaara's disapproval.
"Well, let's go then!"

SAKURA Tsunade and Sakura were discussing the possibility of striking a reported Sound Nin village where Orochimaru had been reported being seen.
"It's almost to easy to just point him out. Maybe it was a clone or something"
"Possibly. But Orochimaru knows that when he makes any kind of personal appearenc, it boosts the moral of his nija by god-knows-what." There was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" A Shinobi walked in.
"Hokage Tsunade, Lee and Gaara of the Sand are here"
"Good send them in." Lee came in first, his usual smile plastered on his face. "Afternoon, Sakura-chan!" He gave Sakura the thumbs-up. Sakura smiled.
"Afternoon to you as well." Gaara came in next. He still carried the same giant gourd on his back, but he had grown considerably over the years Sakura had not seen him. He had well-developed muscles now, and his eyes were now a brighter blue. The usual dark circles were there as well.
"Kazekage Gaara, good to see you again." Gaara simply grunted and nodded to Sakura, wich showed that he had gained some common courtesy when it came to being Kazekage.
"We must wait for the last of the Shinobi to show up. If you would, please have a seat." Tsunade waved to the chairs. Lee sat and looked around. Gaara simply just stood there, staring at Sakura. Sakura could feel his gaze upon her as she looked out the window. Then she noticed something else outside.
"Uh...Tsunade followed Sakura's gaze. There was a rather large cloud of dust coming towards the village.
"That show-off"
"Who is it?" Tsunade sighed.
"It's just Juraiya." Sakura simply smiled. Juraiya was the one who trained Naruto. If it weren't for him, Naruto would still be annoying.
"I might as well go meet him. Lee, would you please join me"
"Yes, ma'am." Both of them left, Leaving Gaar and Sakura alone.
"You've changed." Sakura looked up, suprised.

GAARA Gaara had been thinking about it the entire time while they were talking.
"You have to." Sakura said, blushing slightly. Gaara walked up the window.
"Times are changing. We all must change." Sakura nodded.
"True. How's Temari and Kankuro"
"Temari's fine. She's married now"
"Oh, Wow! To who"
"That Shikamaru, guy. Kankuro's still idiotic as usual. But they're all fine"
"That's good to hear." Gaara looked over at Sakura.
"Why are we even bothering"
"Hm?" Gaara looked at the scroll on the desk with the list of ninja on it.
"Why do we send more Ninja after Orochimaru when we know that most of them will come back dead. It's a fruitless effort"
"Don't say that..." Sakura stood and joined Gaara at the window.
"It's like what Naruto said all the time when we were younger. If we really want something, there are no shortcuts. We have to believe." Sakura looked up at Gaara. Their eyes met for a moment, jade to blue. Sakura felt some heat crawl up her face.
"Right?" Gaara narrowed his eyes, but not in in a threatning way.
"If you say so, Sakura." Gaara and Sakura looked away from each other, Gaara feeling something stir in his mind, and it wasn't the demon inside.