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“I am so sorry!”
Rasa watched the tears run down the face of the young kunoichi while his dark eyes drifted down to the paper in front of him regarding the D-rank mission assigned to the three Genin in front of him. His mouth twisted upon reading the details, but the sound of another a second of the kunoichi starting to cry made him look up while the Jonin assigned to their team looked completely drained from the experience.
“I’m so sorry, Lord Kazekage!”
The girl bowed along with her two teammates while the Jonin gave him a rather apologetic look. “Stop apologizing.”
“But...”
“But what?”
“She said...” the young kunoichi stuttered out—the ‘she’ happened to be the noblewoman who put forth the D-rank mission for completion.
Rasa let out a groan and rubbed the bridge of his forehead which in turn made the young kunoichi freeze, hiccupping as she did so. “Let me guess? She said something along the lines of making sure you weren’t allowed to work as shinobi anymore?”
The sobs which briefly quieted from the one girl increased while the other continued while their male companion glanced around. A thought crossed the back of Rasa’s mind that the three would be of Gaara’s graduating year if he’d attended the academy, which made Rasa’s hands clench around the paper in frustration.
“If it’s not one thing it is another.” Rasa’s fingers tapped the top of his desk, wondering what he should say to calm the three Genin.
“I’m sorry!”
“I told you to...”
“Stop. If you keep it up, the Lord Kazekage will definitely send us back to the academy, or even ban us from ever being shinobi again.”
Rasa’s eyes twitched. “Hold on. Am I really that scary that you would think I would actually do that?” The Jonin of the three blinked their eyes and then covered their mouth to hide a laugh. His eyes narrowed. “This really isn’t a laughing matter, you know.”
“I’m sorry. But you know that Genin don’t usually get summoned to your office after a failed mission, and you are indeed an intimidating figure. I mean, given—”
The Jonin didn’t need to finish the sentence for Rasa to know that they meant he was an intimidating figure because he was not just the Lord Kazekage, but the only one capable of dealing with Gaara. “I see.” He let out a sigh before closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair. “Contrary to what she says, not fulfilling the mission to her exacting standards does not get you sent back to the academy, nor are you in trouble, but you’re not the first group of Genin I’ve had to tell this to after dealing with that particular client.”
The three looked at each other, completely confused. “But...”
“That’s why you’ve been summoned here.” Rasa watched them look at each other. “What?”
“But what about the mission payment?”
“Let me worry about that.” Rasa let the corner of his mouth twist into a smile. “I am the Lord Kazekage, so do you think she frightens me?” This of course calmed the three down. “Now, if you would let me speak to your Jonin please.”
The three bowed, thanking their Lord Kazekage before hurrying out of the room. The Jonin frowned. “I do apologize for that.”
“You’re not the one who should be apologizing.”
“You’ve already got a lot of work dealing with the mess that imposter left behind.”
“And that would be my fault,” Rasa thought to himself. “I’m more concerned about who’ll be willing to take on her missions, particularly since the village needs the money.”
“I could try and convince...”
“Don’t.” Rasa looked at the Jonin. “Have those assigning the missions pass any missions submitted by her onto another team.”
“Yes, but I don’t think there is another team.”
“What?” Rasa stared at the man. “What do you mean by that?” He watched the Jonin swallow. “Don’t tell me that she managed to burn through all of the Genin ranked teams while the imposter was running things?”
“I am so sorry Lord Kazekage. Some even did multiple missions for her while you were otherwise occupied.”
Rasa let his mouth twist while his hand clenched around the paper. “In other words, she took advantage of my absence?”
“Well—probably. I’ve heard some of the Genin say they think she’s scarier than the Jinchuriki.”
“Lovely. Well, I guess I’ll have a word with her when we have to return the fee for whatever mission she comes up with next.”
“Are you sure?”
“I honestly don’t know what else to do, but I’ll go ahead and add this to my stack of paperwork that I need to get through.” Rasa tossed the paper onto the corner of his desk, not caring if his irritation showed. “You can leave now.”
The Jonin left and Rasa pinched the bridge of his nose. He’d heard everything, from the Genin breaking something that her children broke to them doing something to one of the pets that were something her children did and that was just the jobs which involved babysitting and petsitting. Other times she told the Genin that she’d not told them to do something or that she had told them to do something, arguing with the Jonin in charge the entire time. Not many could put the woman in place, but... “I really don’t want to call her into my office to give her a dressing down again. Not so soon after this mess.”
“I could do it.”
A chill ran down Rasa’s spine upon hearing his youngest speak. He lowered his hands and looked at Gaara who was standing there, quite intensely. His mouth twitched. “You’re kind of help isn’t needed.”
“I want to take on D-rank...”
“Gaara, I’ve already told you. You should never have been graduated to being a shinobi, but I am not going to have you hold back your older siblings. And...” Rasa stood up, his hands clenching into fists that rested on the desk. “I’m not in the mood to clean up another one of your messes right now, but you’re so close...” Rasa froze, not wanting to think about how the council of elders wanted him to remove the tailed beast from Gaara but were pushing even harder after the Chunin exam fiasco. “Never mind. Just get out of my office and go home.”
“Yes sir.”
Rasa stared at empty space, his mind contemplating the fact Gaara did what he asked of him.
A week or two passed and circumstances brought Gaara’s strange behavior back into his thoughts, as the noblewoman, one of the missions officers on duty, and even Baki showed up; Rasa glared at the Jonin who instructed his children. “He’s really going to pester me about reconsidering removing Gaara from Temari and Kankuro’s team when I’m having to deal with her complaints!”
He didn’t expect ryo slammed down onto his desk but his eyes widened. “What is this?”
“The mission office is refusing to take my money!”
Rasa’s eyes blinked and then he looked at the mission’s officer, but even more puzzling was the look on Baki’s face. “I never ordered them not to take any more of her missions, so she’d have a legitimate complaint, although...” His eyes blinked some more, brushing aside the fact he might have to put forth the order, yet... “What is that look on Baki’s face, as if he feels he needs to apologize for something.”
“I am so sorry Lord Kazekage.”
Rasa’s entire body tensed, knowing Baki rarely if ever apologized, for he was majorly loyal to his Lord Kakzekage. “What is going on here?”
“The Jinchuriki...” the mission officer stammered out.
“What did Gaara do this time?” Rasa closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose.
“I didn’t give him permission to take on the mission, sir.”
Rasa’s eyes snapped, realizing Gaara disobeyed him after having complied the other day. Yet, here she was putting money on the table, insisting that the mission office take the money. “Now I’m confused.”
“Then you really didn’t order him to take the mission,” the noblewoman said in her usual flustered manner.
“Yes. He indeed did take on the D-ranked mission, but why...”
“I’m so sorry!” the mission officer said, bowing. “None of us realized he’d even taken the mission from the mission table.”
“Which is completely inappropriate behavior that I’ll have to have a word with him regarding. He doesn’t understand how any of this works.”
Rasa frowned, biting back the urge to apologize for whatever Gaara did, yet her actions didn’t seem like someone displeased with the services rendered. “Please tell me Gaara didn’t threaten you.”
“I—no.” the noble swallowed.
“Then what’s going on here?” Rasa narrowed his eyes. “Baki? What do you know about this?”
“Apologies, Lord Kazekage. I headed here as soon as I received a message from the missions office that Gaara took a mission without me knowing.”
Rasa turned to look at the mission officer. “Well?”
“She’s saying she wants to pay double for the mission.”
His mouth twitched. “So he did threaten you?”
“No! No!” the noblewoman protested.
“This is Gaara we’re talking about, so I’m surprised...”
“As was I. I mean, I thought you were trying to punish me for some reason, particularly when—” She looked at the ground.
“Particularly when, what?”
“He said nobody, particularly the other Genin wanted to take on my request as I’d been unreasonable.”
“He said what?” Rasa felt his throat tighten, but his eyes darted over to the mission officer. He tried controlling his tone of voice. “And is there any truth—”
“Yes. Nobody wants to take on any of her mission requests anymore, but we’re thought, no, hoped someone finally relented on one of the other shifts.” The mission officer bowed. “I am so sorry!”
“Why?” the noble lady asked. She swallowed. “I really did think I was being punished for being unreasonable, but then he said that wasn’t the case, that you didn’t even know.”
“You didn’t...” Rasa closed his eyes. “Never mind. She would have been too afraid of him to argue with him.” He took a deep breath. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re paying double, insisting on paying double. He is—well, he is who he is.” He looked her in the eye. “You had to have been terrified...” Of course, thoughts of her deserving to feel terrified with how she’d terrified the Genin rushed through his head. “... given the way he is.”
“At first.”
“At first?”
“I didn’t exactly go to my scheduled appointment for which I’d requested a babysitter for.”
“What?” Rasa’s entire body relaxed, the confusion in his head growing. “She should be demanding her money back, not wishing to pay double.” He swallowed. “I’m not following, as that would have obviously been a failed mission as it was definitely—for once—not what you asked for.”
“It—well, I did have some time to think, but I did have some time to observe and...” She glanced at the floor. “At first I didn’t leave because—well...”
“You can’t trust the Jinchuriki. That’s been a given for a long time,” Rasa muttered.
“Then it was because I was too shocked by what I observed.”
Rasa swallowed. “What the hell did he do?”
“I don’t know how to put this—”
“Look. I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Rasa sighed. “Though, I don’t know who will take on the mission.”
“No!” the noblewoman swallowed.
“Just because you’re afraid of him doesn’t mean...”
“But my children are not.”
“What?” Rasa watched shock appear on the faces of the missions officer and even Baki. “Surely they know who he is?”
“Actually? No.”
“I remember now. One of the many issues which have cropped up was sheltering her children and her claiming certain outfits the Genin wore were inappropriate when they weren’t.” Rasa continued to stare. “No?”
“That’s why I said I didn’t know how to put it because I know it’s just not believable.”
Rasa looked at his hands, thinking back on certain things Gaara did since after the Chunin exam failure which didn’t seem right. “Given the fact none of the other Genin...”
“I am not doing this simply because I know he’s the only one who will be willing to take on any of the jobs I send your way.”
He sighed, closing his eyes. “I need time to let this sink in, but the missions office will take your offer of double payment as it is the client's prerogative to pay more if they are pleased with the job done.”
“Thank you, Lord Kazekage.”
Rasa watched her leave and dismissed the missions officer. Baki remained. “I really didn’t know he’d gone and done this.”
“Yes. Well, he’d offered to do just this and I’d given him an order not to do so. What is he thinking, disobeying me like that?”
“If you mean why he’s insistent on taking on D-rank missions, from what he’s told me and his siblings it is because he wants to show he’s capable of doing so.”
“He’s not stable.”
“Pardon me Lord Kazekage, but I don’t agree.”
“You don’t?” Rasa let the corner of his mouth twist. “Are you really going to tell me there were no incidents why I was gone?”
“No, but you also underestimate him in that he was more often stable than not, yet if you don’t want to take my word regarding that you can ask Temari. You can also ask both Temari and Kankuro about whether there have been any signs of instability after the Chunin exams have ended because as I’m sure you’ve noticed there have been none.”
“None?”
“Do you see any reports on your desk?”
“Point taken. I still need to think about this, Baki, and how I’m to handle this.” Rasa waved his hand, dismissing Baki, yet—not only did he feel hope, he felt pride.