Among Akio's group, the most comforting presence was undoubtedly Haku.
That said… Haku did have a few flaws, whether they should be mentioned or not was debatable.
"Great Elder?" Haku asked softly, confusion in his voice.
"It's nothing." Akio waved him off decisively, his gaze shifting to the sand gourd on Gaara's back.
He vaguely remembered that in the original story, Gaara's automatic sand defense was explained as his mother's lingering will protecting him. Akio had never really bought that explanation.
Because even if he were to die on the spot, he doubted he could leave behind something like that, especially not on someone like Kimimaro.
"Tch, knock it off. What kind of thought is that?" Akio cursed himself. "If anyone's dying, it won't be me."
"Senior, what should we do next?" Chiyo asked from the side.
Akio glanced at her and said thoughtfully, "The One-Tail inside Gaara has already been… pacified by me. It won't go berserk easily anymore. What we need now is to correct Gaara's warped personality."
Chiyo nodded in understanding. "That part is on us. The real issue is how we defend against Akatsuki's attempts to capture the tailed beasts."
The Fourth Kazekage let out a long sigh. "I never expected things to turn out like this… Very well. I'll tell Gaara the truth."
With events having reached this point and after hearing about Akatsuki from Chiyo, the Fourth Kazekage finally abandoned his plan of turning Gaara into a living weapon of war.
Akio nodded. "Do better this time. You've been a terrible father… Once he can communicate normally and connect with others, I'll place proper protection on him."
After that, Akio no longer needed to intervene, but he chose to stay and observe. Gaara's emotional reconstruction could still trigger witness points.
As expected, the Fourth Kazekage's method of comforting Gaara revolved around the idea that his mother's love had always protected him. After hearing it enough times, even Akio started believing itbecause there really wasn't a better explanation.
"Maybe it was a desperate act of maternal love," Akio speculated. "Some kind of soul-based forbidden technique, mixed with a trace of Shukaku's power… a miracle born of coincidence."
The Fourth Kazekage and Chiyo worked closely together, perhaps out of guilt. They explained the truth to Gaara, announced to the village that the tailed beast was under control, discouraged fear and hostility, and had Temari and Kankuro show Gaara genuine care.
With proper rest and peaceful sleep, young Gaara was… at least reachable.
Still, deeply rooted beliefs were hard to change. It was only now that Akio truly realized how impressive Naruto was especially that mouth of his.
After five days of effort, Akio finally received a system notification:
Witnessed and significantly altered a side storyline in the Naruto world: "The self-loving demon Gaara."
Witness Points gained: 2 × 5 = 10.
"So, they really do exist," Akio said with a grin. "Only ten points, but worth the time I spent in the Sand Village."
Looking at the children sparring in front of him, he laughed. "Nothing builds bonds faster than fighting a common enemy together."
Among the three siblings, Gaara was seven, Kankuro eight, and Temari ten. Even the strongest, Gaara was only comparable to eight-year-old Karin. Haku could defeat all three at once, while Kimimaro could completely overwhelm them.
So over the past few days, Akio regularly had Haku spar with the siblings. Fighting together against a stronger opponent erased Kankuro's fear of Gaara and rekindled Temari's protective instincts toward her little brother.
"Funny," Akio muttered. "Never noticed back when I watched the anime, Temari's actually three years older than Shikamaru."
"Great Elder, when can we leave?" Karin asked, clearly bored.
"What's the rush?" Akio replied. "Didn't you like the desert?"
"I… like snow now."
Akio laughed. "Your tastes change fast. Go train with Kimimaro. We'll be staying another couple of days still have things to take care of."
With that, Akio flickered forward and appeared between the four children, stopping their fight.
"Haku, go rest. You've done enough."
"Yes." Haku responded softly and left.
Akio then turned to a much calmer Gaara. "Good, honest kid. Come here your ancestor has a reward for you."
Gaara: ???
Kack… kack.
The sound of Kankuro retracting his puppet made Akio tilt his head slightly. "Two clicks, huh? Puppet master, train harder and aim for five clicks!"
Kankuro: ???
Seeing both boys stunned, Temari quietly slung her fan over her back without making a sound, earning a faint smile from Akio.
Done fooling around, Akio stepped in front of Gaara and activated his Sage cloak.
"Don't move. I'm serious this time."
He dispersed the sand shield with a wave and pressed his palm against Gaara's hand.
"Sage Art Wood Release: Spore Technique."
Using Wood Release spores, Akio implanted a wooden clone containing one percent of his chakra into Gaara's hand, deliberately shaping it into the mark of a white gourd.
"This gourd is yours. When you're in danger, say this: 'Gourd, save me.' It'll keep you alive."
"Gourd… save me…" Gaara repeated softly.
Temari and Kankuro exchanged glances, overwhelmed with unspoken emotion.
Akio smiled and turned to Chiyo. "Perfect timing. Gaara's protection is in place. It'll hold during a crisis; you can rest easy."
"Thank you, Senior." Chiyo nodded, then pulled out a letter. "This was delivered by a messenger bird summoning. It's addressed to you."
Akio frowned and took it. There was no name, only a crudely drawn Uzumaki clan spiral.
"This style… definitely feels like something an ancestor would do."
As he opened it, he added casually, "After helping you this much, isn't there any real reward?"
Chiyo hesitated. "What would you want?"
Akio smiled. "Your forbidden technique, Reanimation Through One's Own Life."
Chiyo relaxed and agreed immediately. "That's fine. I'll teach you later. But the risks are severe; you should never use it lightly"
"Hm?" Akio suddenly froze and crushed the letter in his hand. "You said this came from a messenger bird?"
"Yes. What's wrong?"
Akio's expression darkened. "Chiyo, I won't have time to learn the technique right now. I need to return to the Land of Whirlpools immediately."
He waved as he turned to leave. "Remember the phrase, kid. I'm off, see you again."
"Kimimaro. Haku. Karin. Assemble!"
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