The Sand siblings with Matsuri included walked towards to gates of Konoha. Gaara was extremely happy to see them due to Kankuro's constant whining about being hungry and the need to use the restroom while Temari chattered endlessly about Shikamaru. He was also glad Matsuri wasn't staring at him. The young girl had tagged along with him and his siblings irritating Gaara to no end. Why would she want to come? What was her reason? Gaara and Temari didn't know but Kankuro did….

1 week earlier

"Matsuri you can't come!" Kankuro repeated for what seemed the millionth time.

"Please Kankuro let me go. I really really really want to go!" the girl insisted.

Kankuro sighed. He knew she had had a crush on Gaara since she first met him. She confided in Kankuro, for a reason he didn't know. He knew Gaara already liked someone else but how could he tell her that, especially when she didn't listen.

"I just want to show him I really do care Kankuro and I think if I go with you all to Konoha he might realize it", she stated sadly to the puppet master. The puppet master sighed. "Ok, but you do realize the Kazekage will be catching up with friends and having meetings with the Hokage. He is not just going to be hanging around". 'Probably going to try to get close to her again' he told himself. "We leave at 6 in the morning. Don't be late". She jumped for joy and ran to her place. Kankuro smirked "I wonder how this trip is going to go."

Gaara was the first to reach the gate, closely followed by Matsuri then Temari and finally Kankuro. He handed the guard his passport and when the guard stated "Have a pleasant visit Kazekage", started walking towards the Hokage tower. Although his face showed no emotion he was happy to be back here. Temari said something about finding Shikamaru and Kankuro headed to the nearest restroom he saw, leaving Matsuri alone with Gaara. She smiled. This was her chance.

"So Gaara what are you going to do first today" she said brightly.

His face remained emotionless as he talked. "Talk with the Hokage. I suppose it will last throughout the remainder of the afternoon".

"Oh…" she replied looking hurt, hoping Gaara would notice but he didn't. She looked up and noticed that he was looking around the streets for something or perhaps someone.

"GAARAA!!!" Both Gaara and Matsuri did a double take as none other than Naruto came running towards them.

"Gaara how you been? How's the Kazekage role doing for you?" he asked with a big smile plastered on his face.

"I've been good and being Kazekage is nice" Gaara replied forgetting Matsuri was there. Naruto eyed her and whispered in Gaara's ear so only he could hear "Are you and the girl together?" Gaara's eyes widened and shook his head no. Didn't Naruto remember? It had been three and a half years since he had become Kazekage and had shukaku forcibly taken from him only to find out part of the deamon was still there. Naruto and Sakura had both stayed in Suna to protect him. He and Sakura had gotten extreamly close and even nartuo had noticed but alas it wasn't ment to be right then. The Hokage had sent a message stating that Naruto and Sakura had to immeadiatly return to Konoha. So that afternnon he watched her leave along with his siblings until she disappered into the sand.

Sakura. Where was she? He was interrupted from his thoughts when Naruto asked him that question. "Have you seen Sakura by the way? I wanted to see if she wanted to go out for lunch instead of hanging around the hospital". Gaara was about to reply when Matsuri interrupted.

"Who's Sakura?" she questioned looking at Gaara but he was saved from answering when Naruto answered. "She's a member of my team, team 7. She's shorter than me and has strength that can match the Hokage's. Oh and you can't miss her because of her bubblegum pink hair" he answered brightly and then remember he never introduced himself. "By the way I'm Naruto and you are…."

"Matsuri", she answered simply and went back to staring at Gaara. Naruto noticed and decided to intervene.

"Well Gaara you should get going. You know how the Hokage hates being kept waiting". Gaara nodded and walked off, Matsuri close behind him.

Then he saw her. She looked intrigued by a paper in her hands. Her hair was now a little past her shoulders and she looked a little taller. She was still the beautiful girl he remembered. Wait girl? No. She was now a woman. Matsuri looked in the direction he was staring at and saw the person Naruto had explained. 'So that must be her' she told herself. 'Nothing special looking about her. The only difference is her hair color. She must dye it' she told herself. She turned back to Gaara who was still staring at her, his mouth open a little.

Sakura was walking around Konoha reading a letter from Ino who was currently on a mission. When she looked up she caught her breath. There, barely 20 yards away was the Kazekage. Gaara. "Oh dang he's changed! Look how incredibly hot he is!" screamed inner Sakura. "Shut it!" "Oh come on you know he looks hotter from the last time you saw him" Sakura sighed to herself but then she noticed someone else with him. A girl. Was he with her or was she just someone new from his team? Then she realized he was staring straight at her. "Oh my look at those eyes! Go over and talk to him! GO GO GOOOO!" inner Sakura screamed. Just then someone bumped into her, or rather jumped and smothered her.

"SAKURA! I missed you!" It was Temari. She beamed brightly with a bored looking Shikamaru behind her.

"Temari when did you get here" questioned Sakura.

"About an hour ago. Look there's Gaara" and she waved to her brother who started walking their way with Matsuri following him.

"She's still following him. I honestly do not know why. She doesn't need the training" replied an irked Temari.

"Maybe she likes him" Everyone turned stunned at what Shikamaru had said. Temari thought for a moment.

"I guess but he doesn't like her. He's told me countless times and almost refused to come here if she came along". Sakura sighed. So he had an admirer. She couldn't blame the woman. Gaara was after all a man and the Kazekage who was single. But then she remembered the years before. The demon had been taken from him and he was beginning to open up, slowly but he was. She remembered the nights that she looked after him at the hospital and their conversations about life and the world. She sighed. Gaara and Matsuri arrived in the group and Sakura only noticed how much more handsome he was. "Please for the love of all things good talk to him instead of stare. Besides the girl next to him is giving you death glares" inner Sakura stated. Sakura looked back at the girl. Not wanting to play her game she smiled and said "Hi my names Sakura". Not so nice Matsuri spat "I'm Matsuri". The group gasped inwardly while Gaara glared at her. She immediately realized her mistake and muttered a "sorry" and started staring at the ground. Gaara had never thought for a moment that Matsuri would have a bad mouth towards anyone but he had thought wrong. Sakura had seemed to forgive her and was in a full conversation with Naruto about ramen when Kankuro walked up to the group. "Sakura! Gaara it's Sakura!" Kankuro grinned like a mad man at him. He knew his brothers crush and couldn't wait for him to act on it. "Hello Kazekage-sama". He looked her way. She smiled brightly at him. Her gorgeous teal eyes were bluer than ever. "Wow she's hot. What I would give to…" "You stop right there! You tried to kill her once already!" Gaara yelled internally. "Who said anything about killing kid?" Shukaku teased while Gaara internally rolled his eyes. Matsuri continued to look back and forth from the two. They were looking straight at each other and not saying a word. She was tired of it. She was the one that Gaara was supposed to be looking at. She was the one who he was supposed to think about. "Well I don't know about you all but I'm starving. Let's all go to dinner", Naruto stated enthusiastically. Temari and Kankuro nodded while Shikamaru had his usual "how troublesome" look plastered on his face. Gaara on the other hand offered his arm to Sakura and she, although shocked by his move, took it gracefully and with a smile. Matsuri glared at the back of the pink haired girl. Temari looked back at her and sighed. Dinner was definitely going to be interesting.