Chapter 59: Encounter in the Moonlight
The world seemed silent in the early morning hours.
Team 8 had been moving continuously since leaving Konoha's gates. Even meals consisted of dry rations eaten on the run, quickly dispatched to satisfy hunger before resuming their pace. The rest of their time was spent in motion—leaping, running, pushing their bodies to the limit.
A vast forest materialized before them, its dark silhouette stretching across the horizon.
"Nara Shikamaru's scent grows stronger. He can't be far ahead."
Aburame Shino, leaping at the front of their formation, gradually slowed his pace. Even in the predawn darkness, he wore his characteristic sunglasses, studying a small black insect on his index finger. His voice carried softly to Ryuzen beside him:
"There are also three familiar presences ahead, moving quickly. I don't recognize them yet, but the insects remember them strongly. They must be people we've encountered before."
Ryuzen frowned slightly. His memory of this period focused primarily on the final valley battle between Naruto and Sasuke. The details surrounding it were fuzzier.
But outwardly, he showed no hesitation. "Follow. We'll observe first."
"Yes."
The three figures accelerated, their speed increasing as they closed the distance.
Not long after, three silhouettes emerged from the darkness ahead.
The red-haired boy carrying a massive gourd on his back was unmistakable.
Recognition flickered across Ryuzen's face. Gaara. Of course. The forgotten plot thread reconnected in his mind.
Beside him, Aburame Shino's slight nod confirmed his own realization. No wonder the insects found these presences familiar—the Sand siblings had left a strong impression during their encounter in the Forest of Death months ago.
Hinata's expression tightened slightly at the sight. She remembered Gaara's battle with Rock Lee vividly—the casual cruelty, the absolute defense, the monster hidden beneath the sand. Without Ryuzen there that day, she and Shino might not have survived that encounter.
Gaara was a very, very scary monster.
Swish swish swish—
The sound of approaching Body Flickers reached the Sand siblings. Kankuro and Temari turned simultaneously, their bodies tensing reflexively.
Moonlight from the nearly full moon—sixteen days old—silvered the forest, illuminating three figures closing rapidly.
When their eyes landed on Ryuzen's calm face, both siblings' expressions shifted dramatically.
Fear. Pure, instinctive fear.
Then they remembered—the alliance between Suna and Konoha had been restored. Temari swallowed hard, her voice coming out slightly unsteady:
"It's... it's you!"
"What?! Why is that monster here?!" Kankuro's curse was barely contained, his expression ugly.
They remembered Ryuzen very, very well.
After the Konoha Crush plan failed, Ryuzen's name had spread far beyond Konoha's borders. Sand Village's leadership knew him. The other major villages, if they had collected intelligence on the invasion, would know him too.
Amazing sword skills. The ability to unleash S-rank slashes. And the brutal fact that he had personally killed sixty-six Sand and Sound ninja during the invasion—a slaughter that couldn't be hidden.
The burial teams sent to recover bodies had been horrified by what they found. Severed limbs. Bisected torsos. The scenes had given Ryuzen the same evaluation from Suna ninja that Hinata and Shino had given Gaara:
A monster who can't be judged by appearance.
In Kankuro and Temari's hearts, Ryuzen was a terrifying monster too.
And this monster was stronger than Gaara.
Neither Ryuzen nor Gaara paid attention to their teammates' reactions.
At the sound of Temari's fearful voice, Gaara turned. His expressionless eyes met Ryuzen's red gaze.
For a moment, Gaara's face remained perfectly still. But his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly. Beneath his calm exterior, emotions stirred—suppressed, controlled, but present.
His sand armor still wrapped him protectively. Some habits didn't change quickly.
After a long moment, Gaara spoke. His voice was slow, measured:
"Long time no see, Yagyu Ryuzen."
Ryuzen blinked, mildly surprised by the greeting. He nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"Ah... long time no see." He studied Gaara with fresh eyes, noting subtle differences. "Two months. You've changed."
Gaara didn't respond verbally. But in his mind, an image appeared—a blond boy with whisker marks, bright blue eyes, and an indomitable will.
Uzumaki Naruto.
The Fifth Hokage's request for assistance had come through official channels. But Gaara's reason for coming personally had nothing to do with politics or alliances.
It was because of Naruto.
Compared to Ryuzen—the first person who had ever made him feel pain, who had hurt him, who had shown him what true strength looked like—Gaara was more impressed by Uzumaki Naruto. The boy who had defeated him completely. The boy who shared his fate as a jinchūriki. The boy who was everything Gaara wasn't, yet somehow understood him completely.
Seeing Gaara fall into silence, Ryuzen didn't press.
The two teams stood in the moonlit forest, an unspoken understanding keeping them separate.
Shino broke the silence first. His gaze fixed on Kankuro as he asked directly:
"Why are you here?"
Kankuro straightened, grateful for a neutral topic. "Your Fifth Hokage requested aid from Suna." He shrugged. "It wasn't our original intention, but after what happened two months ago... Suna owes Konoha."
Shino adjusted his sunglasses and said nothing further.
Kankuro, seeking to fill the awkward silence, attempted conversation: "If I'm not mistaken, you only just returned to Konoha, didn't you?"
Shino nodded. "We went back, then came straight out. Didn't expect things to develop like this."
Kankuro's mind flashed back to the Chunin Exams—to the moment Sasuke had injured Gaara, drawing blood where few ever had. "Uchiha Sasuke," he said seriously. "That guy's dangerous."
"Ah."
For the first time, a faint smile crossed Aburame Shino's usually expressionless face. It held subtle amusement.
"He's only the second best in our class."
Kankuro stared at him for a moment.
Then his eyes drifted to the silver-haired boy standing ahead, and understanding dawned.
Right. Of course.
With that monster in front, who could be first?
The two teams stood in uneasy proximity, waiting for dawn.
Somewhere ahead, Shikamaru's retrieval team was fighting for Sasuke's return.
And behind them, the cavalry had arrived—though whether that was good news for the enemy or merely a change in who would do the slaughter remained to be seen.
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