Temari / Gaara's POV (Deserts of Land of Wind)
Temari walked through a sandstorm with veteran ease. Most residents of the Village Hidden in the Sand could do the same, but they needed to have her level of mastery over the wind. The sand was parted around her like she was wrapped in an invisible force. Next to her walked Kankuro, who also benefited from this. Both marched more deeply into the storm with a grim determination. They needed to deliver a message to Gaara.
While their younger sibling had always been dangerous and terrifying, Temari always did what she could to maintain their relationship. But it had been straightforward to her. Gaara was pained by her hidden fear and Kankuro's apparent fear. Temari could see, over the years, the resentment built up in Gaara. Rampages became more frequent and violent. He would disappear for days at a time. He only offered that he was training and often returned looking like he had fought a war. It became clear Gaara was changing; the truth was thrust in their face. Gaara had been killing an assassin with glee when Kankuro had asked him to kill him quickly. Kankuro had attempted to leverage the fact they were family to escape punishment. Gaara's cold response still sent chills down her spine.
"God dammit! Stop torturing him and kill him already! You need to listen to your older brother!" Kankuro had screamed. Gaara merely shoved him back, sending the much larger sibling flying around with ease.
"You're not my brother; we're not even of the same species." Gaara had replied, eyes looking empty except for rage. "I only spare you two since you know your place. Don't think that makes you safe."
Just like that, he had said it, plain as day. "Don't think that makes you safe." A subtle way of reminding them they were useless. She certainly felt it as of late. She held no illusion of winning the exams, not with the powerhouse of Gaara or his apparent rival. She would surely impress; she could do nothing less. But in time, it would indeed be tested. It could be Kankuro instead of her, but either was unacceptable. She did not wish to die or lose a brother.
Moments like this often made her relax from her fear, knowing that, for now, this powerful young man was on her side.
Gaara, indeed, was something else.
He sat in a massive cavern in the ground on a floating platform of sand. The sand he controlled shot out of the ground and into the air, making it clear the sandstorm was man-made.
The other Gennin had yet to learn what they were in for. They were lucky Gaara was still playing games and away from home during the exams. In the desert, he would be unbeatable.
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Gaara's POV
A bead of sweat flowed down Gaara's face. Such chakra and control levels were incredibly draining, even for a being like him. With a mere errant thought, he sent a building-size wave crashing into a dune. As he did so, several spears of sand shot, covering the ground in a layer of hardened sand. Even with this all being juggled, he also had sand reaching deep into the underground, gathering and grinding down the most challenging minerals to increase his inventory of sand.
He often trained like this; he needed to be stronger than these humans. He needed power that even a Hidden Village would shy away from. He required his brethren to stand with him. Jinchuriki was a cursed creation; fusing a Tailed Beast with a human should be impossible. Yet somehow, humans had cheated that. Creating an endless line of sacrifice throughout their world. Nine humans were transformed into something else, powerful if used but hated for their differences. He supposed he hated them, but he had figured something out the humans would never consider.
Jinchuriki were genuinely superior to their human creators. They treated them as abominations, but they were short-sighted. They looked the same, but the differences were massive from there. They could take more punishment and could heal whenever it became too much. They lived longer lives by proxy of this healing as well. They had access to absurd chakra levels, often portrayed in unique traits limited to certain users. This allowed him to manipulate sand with his mind and limited movements. How it moved on its own was a mystery. Shukaku claimed he could do such but could not do so in these instances.
Ah, yet another advantage, the presence of the beast themselves. Shukaku had from the moment Gaara could understand speech whispered to him. It began with Shukaku attempting to have Gaara free him, but when Gaara made it clear he could not, Shukaku changed tactics. Threats at first, but as Gaara became more and more alone, Gaara lost his fear of Shukaku. Gaara attempted to befriend the beast but had been rejected for years. Eventually, Shukaku decided to at least speak to his jailor. It didn't take long for the two to bond from there. It became clear to both of them. Jinchuriki should stand united; while it was limiting in some ways, the tailed beast would always be pursued. Humans were much too weak and ignorant to stand. But together, they became more robust, they became wiser, they became something more.
It had led to a troublesome question for Gaara. If he was superior and not the only one, why would he allow the humans to be cruel to him and his kind? Why would he let them discriminate against them and others as they always did? Why even let them rule over him? There wasn't a good reason. He supposed them vastly outnumbering and systematically trapping them was reason enough.
His face showed no emotion, yet it was clear when nine massive pillars of sand surged absurdly quickly into the air before they smashed into the ground at tremendous speeds, causing intense cracking sounds to fill the desert. A thin wall of sand dispersed through the air, intensifying the sandstorm surrounding the redhead. In the desert, few could match Gaara's power.
But how to free themselves? Humans, as detestable as they were, were powerful and clever. Rasa, the man who forcibly posed as his father, was the perfect example. Despite his considerable power and inherent superiority, Gaara had yet to defeat the man. Rasa could match, if not surpass, his power and did so at a speed Gaara could only dream of. Worse yet, the man was clever; he kept Gaara on edge by hiring frequent assassins. His siblings were two of the few humans he had any liking to. (Mostly due to their knowledge of his power and their attitudes. They may have been humans but were amusing in small doses.) We were often told of Gaara's likelihood of snapping. His disregard for human life. His odd views on what he was. It ensured Gaara was distant from the two. But Gaara minded little as much as he was fond of them. He had no want for a human family.
The answer had occurred to him just last year. He needed to gather his brethren. If jinchuriki from all nations united, they would be nearly unstoppable. With their raw power, unique physiology, and counsel from the wise-tailed Beast, they would rebalance the scales of the world. They would be enough to cover the Hidden Villages. Force the world to change; a new order would undoubtedly be needed. A world fairer with the jinchuriki treated as they should be.
When he had formed this plan, he had realized a hitch of sorts. Through immense study and breaking into several vaults that held hidden knowledge, he discovered nine jinchuriki worldwide. Each is distributed evenly throughout the world. Hashirama clearly had seen just how valuable jinchuriki could be. But one thing he had found sent chills down his spine. It was rumored that the number of tails directly correlated with the beast's power. Shukaku denied it, but even the proud beast admitted there was one beast they should be wary of. The Kyuubi, Shukaku, refused to tell him its proper name. It was the strongest, and likely, his jinchuriki would be one to be concerned about.
Excitement had overwhelmed him once he had felt its presence. Truthfully, he had felt two others while in the Land of Iron, but they weren't as interesting as a man who carried a beast even Shukaku was wary of. Naruto Uzumaki.
He hadn't expected someone who would look him in the eye boldly and even attempt to harm him. Naruto knew Gaara was a predator and tried to fight him off. The clash had been short; Gaara didn't want to fight. He had just been interested in seeing what he could do. The slash Naruto had unleashed had been on a level he hadn't expected. Caught off guard, he could only react somewhat, raising a quick shield of sand. The attack shockingly cut through his sand with ease. It even cut through his sturdy armor. Sure, it would never truly harm him; his sand could usually easily repel such an attack. But it had been enough for him to be interested. If he could gain him as an ally, all the better for his goal.
Naruto Uzumaki had not been amused. He had rejected him, seeming unable to see his point of view. Unlike him, he had been untarnished, so he had thought him foolish. He was sure now he understood what they were subjected to. In time, Gaara would show him just what a jinchuriki could do, the difference between them and humans. He couldn't wait to fight a being on his level. Battle and killing were among his few pleasures, after all.
Gaara would win, of course. Naruto stood no chance against him truly; no mere Genin could. When he won, he hoped Naruto would see the light. Naruto would be a valuable ally. But he could not afford to have the nine tails against him. So, he would introduce him to a different one if he could not show him the light.
As his mind settled, the sand slowly did as well. His platform slowly drifted to the ground as well. As suddenly as the sandstorm had appeared, it dispersed. Revealing a fully sand-coated Temari and Kankuro, both he could tell were annoyed, but he knew they would offer no complaint. They would fear his reaction.
Soon, Naruto Uzumaki and he would clash. But what was needed was….more.