The afternoon gathering gradually dispersed, friends making their excuses and departing in ones and twos until only a handful remained. In the yard, Naruto stood with Gaara and his siblings, while Sasuke helped Kurama clear the table. Shikamaru was still out checking on the livestock, and Zabuza and Haku were tending to their assigned duties in the far pastures.
Naruto glanced at the three Sunagakure siblings and noted the slightly lost expressions on their faces. They weren't used to this kind of casual domestic environment, weren't sure what to do with themselves now that the structured social gathering had ended.
"Come on," Naruto said, gesturing toward the path leading deeper into the farm. "Let me give you a proper tour. I'll show you how the whole operation works."
All three nodded, Gaara with particular interest flickering in his sea-green eyes.
Naruto turned back toward the house. "Kurama! Sasuke! We're going for a walk. You two handle the dishes!"
From inside came an indignant yip. "What? Why do I have to do dishes? I cooked!"
"Because you lost the bet!" Sasuke's voice called back, sounding equally annoyed. "And now I'm stuck with cleanup duty for the next month because of you!"
"That's not my fault! You're the one who wagered—"
Their bickering faded as Naruto led the way down the mountain path, leaving Sasuke to his fate. The Uchiha had made the mistake of betting against Kurama on something trivial, and now he was paying the price. Naruto had learned long ago not to gamble with a fox who'd lived for centuries.
As they walked, Naruto fell into an easy explanation of his history with the farm. "When I was younger, I didn't have money to buy meat regularly. My stipend from the village was bare minimum, enough for expired milk and instant ramen but not much else. And my appetite was already getting bigger than what that could cover."
Gaara listened intently, his expression carefully neutral but his attention complete.
"So when I was seven," Naruto continued, "I made a decision. If I wanted to eat meat every day, I needed my own source. I asked the Third Hokage to lease me the back mountain, this whole area that nobody was using anyway. He agreed, probably thinking I'd give up after a few weeks."
They rounded a bend in the path, and the pigsty came into view below, nestled in a clearing with wooden fencing and a covered sleeping area.
"Starting out was rough," Naruto admitted. "I didn't know anything about animal husbandry. No experience, no training, just determination and books. Had to learn everything from scratch, make all my mistakes firsthand. But you know what? Getting through those difficulties, overcoming each problem, that's how you grow."
Temari glanced at him with newfound respect. She'd known Naruto was strong, had witnessed his combat abilities firsthand. But this was different. This spoke to long-term planning, business acumen, pure work ethic.
"About a month into raising cattle and sheep, I noticed pork prices were climbing," Naruto said, pointing toward the pigsty. "So I expanded into pig farming. Turns out pork is expensive enough that most regular people can't afford it frequently. Those pigs became my first real success, my first substantial income. That's what attracted investors eventually. Several of Konoha's major clans, the Hyūga, Nara, Akimichi, and Yamanaka families, they all have stakes in the farm now."
Kankuro did some quick mental math and his eyes widened. "Wait, if those clans invested, this operation must be worth..."
"A lot," Naruto confirmed with a shrug. "But honestly? I kind of regret it sometimes. Yeah, I make good money every year, enough to be comfortable for life probably. But it takes time away from training. Time I could be spending getting stronger, making more friends, you know, the important things."
The paradox made Gaara's lips twitch. Only Naruto would consider being financially independent at age twelve a distraction from his real goals.
As they approached the pigsty, Naruto lowered his voice and slowed his pace. "Okay, everyone walk quietly now. The pigs just finished lunch and they're sleeping. We don't want to wake them up."
They crept closer, mindful of their footsteps on the packed earth path.
Haku sat on a clean section of fencing near the pigsty, a book open in his lap. He was humming softly, some classical melody that drifted through the air like silk. The pigs inside the pen lay in contented heaps, their breathing deep and even, completely at peace.
Haku noticed their approach and nodded in greeting but didn't stop humming. His voice never rose above that gentle murmur, maintaining the tranquil atmosphere.
Naruto led the group to the railing, where they could look down into the pen without disturbing its occupants.
The first thing that struck all three Sunagakure siblings was how clean everything was. Pig farms had a reputation for being dirty, smelly operations, but this one contradicted every expectation. The ground inside the pen was swept clean, the water troughs sparkled, and the pigs themselves looked recently bathed, their skin healthy and free of parasites.
Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro leaned on the railing, studying the animals with genuine curiosity. As children of the Kazekage, they'd lived privileged lives in Sunagakure. Whatever they needed or wanted was provided by subordinates. None of them had ever seen livestock up close before.
"So these are pigs," Temari murmured, watching one particularly large sow shift in her sleep.
"Why do they sleep so much?" she asked, turning to Naruto. "They just ate and now they're sleeping. Won't that make them sick?"
"Actually, that's just how pigs are," Naruto explained, keeping his voice low. "They eat when they're hungry, sleep when they're full. Most of their growth happens during sleep, when their bodies can focus all their energy on converting food into mass. It's incredibly efficient, really."
He gestured at the sleeping animals. "People work the same way, actually. That's why folks who eat late-night snacks tend to gain weight faster than people who don't. Your body processes food differently when you're sleeping versus when you're active."
"Huh." Temari filed that information away, making a mental note about her own eating habits.
"Alright, let's move on," Naruto said after a few more moments of observation. "Let them enjoy their nap. Honestly, the short happy life of a pig is pretty enviable. Eat, sleep, repeat. No responsibilities, no stress."
They left Haku to his vigil and continued along the path toward the sheep pasture.
The flock came into view first, white shapes scattered across the green hillside like clouds fallen to earth. And there, in the middle of the flock, was Shikamaru, crouched behind a particularly large ram with his notebook out.
Temari stopped dead in her tracks. "Is Shikamaru... does he have some kind of unique hobby?"
Naruto followed her gaze and immediately understood the misunderstanding. From this angle, with Shikamaru crouched behind the ram, focused intently on something below the animal's tail area, it did look somewhat questionable.
"Oh! No, no, that's not what he's doing," Naruto said quickly, waving his hands. "He's evaluating breeding stock. You have to check the rams' testicles to assess fertility potential. It's completely professional, I promise."
Temari's face flushed red. "Oh god, I thought he was... I mean, I just assumed..." She buried her face in her hands. "That's so embarrassing."
"It's a common misunderstanding," Naruto assured her. "First time I saw him doing it, I thought the same thing."
They approached the flock properly, and Shikamaru looked up from his work, closing his notebook with a sigh. "Troublesome. Naruto, you're scaring the sheep by bringing a crowd."
"Sorry, sorry. Just giving the tour." Naruto turned to Temari, who was still looking mortified. "You should apologize to Shikamaru for thinking he was a pervert."
"Right! Yes!" Temari stepped forward, bowing slightly. "Shikamaru, I'm so sorry! I completely misunderstood what you were doing just now. I thought you were... well, never mind what I thought. I apologize for jumping to conclusions."
Shikamaru looked puzzled. "Misunderstood? What did you think I was..." Realization dawned. "Oh. Oh no. You thought I was..." He sighed heavily. "That's troublesome."
"It's fine," he said, standing and brushing grass from his pants. "This is literally my job. Can't blame people for not understanding livestock management." He studied Temari's face, noting her continued interest and embarrassment. "Actually, if you're curious about the work, I could teach you. It's not that complicated once you understand the criteria."
Temari's eyes lit up. "Really? You wouldn't mind?"
"I've got time. Naruto can show Gaara and Kankuro the rest of the farm." Shikamaru gestured toward a nearby ram. "Come on, I'll walk you through the evaluation process."
Naruto grinned. "Perfect! Temari-san, you stay here and learn from Shikamaru. Gaara, Kankuro, let's keep moving. I want to show you the cattle operation before it gets dark."
The three of them continued down the path while Shikamaru began his instruction in earnest.
"Okay, so the first thing you need to understand," Shikamaru was saying, his voice taking on a lecturer's tone, "is that testicle size and symmetry directly correlate with sperm production and fertility rates. So when evaluating a potential breeding ram..."
Behind them, Temari was nodding along, genuinely interested despite the slightly awkward subject matter.
"Shikamaru, so I should check like this?" Her voice floated after them.
"No, you need to be more gentle. Think of it like examining a delicate fruit. You want to assess weight and texture without applying too much pressure..."
Naruto, Gaara, and Kankuro walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, following the path that wound through the pastureland toward the cattle pens.
They'd made it perhaps halfway when Sasuke suddenly materialized beside them in a flicker of movement.
Kankuro jumped, his hand going instinctively to his puppet scroll. "Shit! Don't do that!"
Sasuke ignored their reactions entirely, his attention on Naruto. "Maki from Sunagakure is here. He's asking to see Gaara and the others. Says it's urgent."
"Maki-sensei?" Kankuro's surprise shifted to confusion. "What's he doing here?"
Naruto frowned slightly. He and Maki were friends; the man had gone through "the process" and survived, which meant he had an open invitation to visit the farm. But showing up unannounced, asking for the kids specifically, and describing it as urgent? That suggested official business rather than a social call.
Probably wants to take them back to Sunagakure, Naruto thought. Well, I already invited them to stay for a few days. Maybe I can convince Maki to extend their visit. Better yet, maybe I can convince him to stay too.
"Maki-sensei is here?" Gaara's voice was carefully neutral, but something flickered across his expression. Disappointment, maybe, at having his time in Konoha cut short.
"Sasuke, go get Temari from the sheep pasture," Naruto instructed. "Tell her Maki needs to see all three of them. We'll meet you back at the house."
Sasuke nodded and vanished again in another flicker.
Naruto placed one hand on Gaara's shoulder and the other on Kankuro's. "Hang on for a second."
"Wait, what are you—"
The world blurred.
Kankuro staggered, his equilibrium completely thrown. "What the hell was that?!"
They turned to find Maki sitting on one of the yard benches, a cup of tea cooling beside him untouched. The jonin looked tense, his posture rigid, his hands clasped tight enough that his knuckles showed white.
Something was very wrong.
"Where's Temari?" Maki asked immediately, standing up.
"Sasuke's bringing her," Kankuro answered. "What's going on, sensei? Why are you here?"
Before Maki could respond, space warped again and Sasuke appeared with Temari, who looked equally disoriented by the sudden transportation.
"Everyone's here now," Sasuke announced.
Maki looked at Naruto, then at Sasuke, his expression pained. "Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun, I'm sorry, but I need to speak with my students privately. This is... it's official Sunagakure business. Very sensitive."
The death of a Kage would send ripples through the entire ninja world. Before the Fifth Kazekage was chosen and the succession was secure, Maki couldn't risk other villages learning about Rasa's assassination. Information like that could spark conflicts, invasions, coups.
Naruto studied Maki's face, reading the grief and urgency written there. Whatever this was about, it was serious. Important.
"Of course, Maki-san. Take all the time you need." He nodded to Sasuke. "Come on, let's give them privacy."
The two of them retreated into the house, though Naruto positioned himself near a window where he could see if Maki needed anything. Not to eavesdrop, just to be available if his friend required support.
In the yard, the three Sunagakure siblings stood in a loose semicircle facing their teacher.
"Maki-sensei, what's wrong?" Temari asked, anxiety creeping into her voice. "You look terrible."
Maki took a deep breath. His hands trembled slightly as he raised them, as if to reach out to his students, then fell back to his sides.
How did you tell children that their father was dead? What words could possibly make that news less devastating?
There were no good words. There was only truth, delivered as gently as possible.
Maki met each of their eyes in turn: Temari, Kankuro, Gaara. His students. Kids he'd trained and protected and cared about for years.
"The Kazekage," he said, his voice low and rough with suppressed emotion.
He swallowed hard.
"Your father. Rasa. He's dead."