It was fortunate, then, that her first and second priorities matched up so closely. After all but escorting himself to the Hokage Tower, Gaara was cooling his heels - or rather, Kushina-san's heels - in the waiting room outside the office, having already been through a battery of tests and at least one quiet, serious talk about secrecy and gag orders on all matters bijuu.

He'd been allowed to send a missive to Temari, but how successful would Suna be in containing Shukaku without warning? If the demon had even broken free. He was only a mediocre fuuin practitioner at best, but even he could tell the seals in this brain he was inhabiting were infinitely more careful and layered than his. Would that be an advantage or a severe shock to the jinchuuriki facing Shukaku, whose seals by comparison might as well not exist?

He was so deep in thought that at first he didn't even look up as the door into the main corridor opened.