"Huff… huff…"
Gaara sat slumped in a pool of blood.
The brutal beating earlier had left his entire body aching—especially his teeth.
Every breath he took now carried the taste of iron and salt.
He lifted his head, his green eyes unfocused as they slowly swept across the surroundings.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, he made a small sound of confusion.
The man who had just seemed like a god or demon…
…was gone.
"Gone?"
The moment he realized this, the green in Gaara's eyes suddenly sharpened.
His scattered pupils gathered together like flames igniting.
In his heart, twisted joy began growing like poisonous weeds.
"S-since you… you… you're gone… then I suppose…"
"…I'm invincible again."
He opened his mouth, dried blood still clinging to the corner of his lips.
It was the most words he had spoken in years.
But his voice came out hoarse and broken, squeezed from his throat.
Weak.
Ragged.
Yet—
The corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
The massive fear in his heart gradually faded.
Even the crushed madness inside him began returning.
"Cough… cough…"
He pushed aside broken rubble beneath him and forced himself to stand.
His gaze swept across the surrounding Konoha ninja, and then toward Kankuro and Temari.
His grin widened.
"You're all… going to die."
Kill.
Kill them all.
Only then would no one ever know what happened today.
"Damn… Gaara's completely lost it…"
Temari's expression darkened as unease filled her mind.
The beating earlier had clearly struck deep into the boy's psyche.
"What should we do?" Kankuro whispered as he stepped closer.
He held up his puppet Crow, which had been torn apart by the earlier shockwave.
It now looked like a pile of twisted scrap metal.
He looked on the verge of tears.
"How about… we knock Gaara out and take him away?"
Temari slowly turned to look at him.
Her eyes carried the unmistakable expression one would use when staring at an idiot.
"Knock Gaara out?"
"And release that monster inside him?"
"When that thing comes out… who's going to deal with it? You or me?"
Kankuro answered instinctively.
"You're the older sister. You."
Temari: …
Her grip tightened around her giant fan.
For a moment, she felt a powerful urge.
An urge to smack Kankuro to death.
"This is bad…"
Naruto and Sasuke exchanged glances.
Both could see the seriousness in each other's eyes.
They could feel it.
Gaara truly wanted to kill.
Kill everyone.
Even his own siblings.
Pop.
Suddenly, a soft sound echoed.
Like a bubble bursting.
Or a raindrop touching the surface of a lake.
Ripples spread across the street of Konoha.
At the same time, murderous intent gathered again on Gaara's blood-covered face.
But just as he prepared to move—
A figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
Without warning.
A figure so terrifying that his soul itself screamed in fear.
Everything felt exactly the same as before.
Close.
Within arm's reach.
So close he could see the faint smile still lingering on the man's face.
"AHHHH!!! A GHOST!!!"
Gaara's pupils shrank violently.
The chakra and killing intent he had just gathered vanished instantly.
Like a flame suddenly extinguished by a storm.
Kill people?
Kill what people?!
He might as well kill himself first!
His body reacted even faster than his thoughts.
Trembling.
Bending.
Lowering his head.
Dropping to the ground.
All in one fluid motion.
Some of it wasn't even his own will.
It felt as though another consciousness inside him—
Another presence—
Was controlling his body and forcing him down.
Obedient.
Like a kitten.
Then, before the stunned, confused, and even jealous eyes of everyone present—
Kai slowly raised his hand.
And placed it on Gaara's red, spiky hair.
Then gently rubbed it.
The motion was soft.
Almost like an older brother comforting a younger sibling.
"Good boy," Kai said with a nod.
It seemed that Shukaku's influence over Gaara was indeed quite significant.
Otherwise…
Why would Gaara be so obedient?
"…Uh…"
Gaara froze completely.
Inside his green eyes, murderous intent, madness, and fear twisted together chaotically.
Every emotion was mixed together like clay kneaded by invisible hands.
His mind fell into total confusion.
And so he simply remained there.
Frozen.
Allowing the hand to continue patting his head.
But that single scene—
Shocked every ninja from both Konoha and Sunagakure.
It was as if the world itself had been muted.
Until—
CLANG!
Temari's giant fan fell to the ground again, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Her mouth hung open as she tried to speak.
But the only sound that came out was a sharp gasp.
Her beautiful eyes widened to the point they almost split.
H-head pat?
Her monster-like little brother…
Was being patted on the head?
And called "good boy"?
Was that really her brother?
Even if he died, he would never act like this!
So what exactly went wrong?
"Heh… heh…"
Beside her, Kankuro stood there with his mouth open, making strange choking sounds.
"What is this…? Puppet technique?"
"Did he control Gaara somehow?"
"Or… genjutsu?! Yes! That must be it! I must've been caught in a genjutsu!"
His limited brainpower could only attribute everything to an illusion.
He quickly turned to Temari.
"Quick! Hit me with your fan! Hard!"
Temari: …
In her entire life, she had never heard such a rude request.
…
Meanwhile—
Not far away, the battle on the rooftop had reached its climax.
"Gold Dust Great Funeral: Cascading Torrent!"
Rasa roared, his voice filled with desperate fury.
His hands formed seals as an enormous wave of golden sand surged downward.
Like molten gold bursting through a broken dam.
Crushing everything in its path.
Its target—
Enma and the Third Hokage.
"ROAR!"
Seeing the incoming attack, Enma took a deep breath.
His arms crossed as his diamond-like body burst with brilliant white light.
He braced himself against the devastating impact.
CREEEAK!
CREEEAK!
His massive frame began to distort under the pressure of the golden sand torrent.
Even his fur began sizzling and smoking from the corrosive force.
"Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
Behind him, the Third Hokage wasted no time.
He spat out a blazing dragon of fire.
The scorching heat made the air crackle.
Immediately afterward, he formed more hand seals.
"Wind Release: Air Cyclone!"
A violent gust erupted forward, blowing away the sand in front of them and clearing a path for the fire dragon.
A straight path.
Leading directly toward the Fourth Kazekage.
But there was simply too much sand.
For the moment, the two forces remained locked in stalemate.
"Hmm?"
During the clash, Rasa's gaze drifted downward almost unconsciously.
And he saw everything.
He saw the Uchiha boy.
He saw the blond Jinchūriki.
And then—
He saw his son.
The son who should have been rampaging wildly.
Instead, Gaara was kneeling obediently on the ground.
A hand rested on his head.
Rubbing it gently.
"…Huh?"
Rasa's expression twisted violently.
"Did—did—did Gaara…"
"…just acknowledge a new father?!"
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