"I... Gaara!"
Just moments ago, Kankurō was full of bluster, but the instant he saw the figure behind Sasuke, his entire demeanor changed.
It was as if he'd seen a terrifying monster—
—and he immediately deflated.
"Don't embarrass us here."
Gaara, carrying a massive gourd on his back, said coldly:
"Losing yourself in meaningless conflict is the most shameful thing."
"W-Wait, Gaara, let me explain! They were the ones who—"
Kankurō stammered.
"Shut up. Keep talking, and I'll kill you."
Gaara's killing intent surged, his glare sharp as a blade.
Kankurō began trembling—
—his entire body shaking like a leaf.
---
"That's some impressive killing intent. You're strong," Sasuke said, staring straight at Gaara.
Then he raised his thumb and pointed it toward himself.
"But I'm stronger."
After all, he's "fast and dangerous"™.
"Name?" Sasuke returned to his usual cool demeanor.
"Sabaku no Gaara ."
With arms folded, Gaara replied in the same deadpan cool tone.
"And you?"
"Uchiha Sasuke."
Their eyes locked, sparks seemed to fly in the air.
Two elite cultivators from different schools... wait, wrong genre.
---
"Yo, long time no see, Tanuki-chan!"
Suddenly, Naruto appeared beside Gaara, casually slinging his arm over his shoulder with a sly grin.
Kankurō (shocked): Who is this guy? He actually touched Gaara?!
Temari (equally shocked): That blonde guy… he's so fast!
Gaara (internally): My sand didn't react?
The three Sand siblings were all stunned—
—meanwhile, Team 7 was completely unfazed. Business as usual.
---
'Huh? Killing intent?'
Naruto glanced toward the source—
—and saw only Hinata standing there, shy and fidgeting.
'...Must've been my imagination.'
---
"Who are you?"
Gaara frowned and tried to control his sand to attack Naruto.
But the sand felt strangely heavy, like it had been soaked in water—it wouldn't respond.
Unbeknownst to Gaara, Naruto had already infused his own chakra into the sand.
There was no way it was going to obey anyone else.
"I'm someone like you," Naruto said calmly.
Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, he added:
"Jinchūriki are drawn to each other."
---
"Jinchūriki?"
The term clearly confused Gaara.
At this point in the story, Gaara only knew he had a "monster" inside him.
He didn't know what it was, and he certainly had no idea there were others like him across the ninja world.
Well—seven now.
(Not eight. One already down.)
Due to Sunagakure's unstable sealing techniques, Gaara had constant struggles with his tailed beast, which frequently tried to take over his body.
The only person who'd ever tried to understand him—Yashamaru—was long dead, and Gaara had killed him himself.
Naturally, no one else in the village would ever explain anything to him.
---
"Looks like the tanuki is still asleep," Naruto added, noticing that Shukaku hadn't responded.
"Well, do me a favor and pass on a message—tell him the Nine-Tails and his Jinchūriki say hi."
Kurama (grumbling in the seal):
"Stupid brat! Why should I greet that damned raccoon?! He should greet me!"
Little Goku (again):
"Yo, fox! Still full of energy today, huh? Let's fight!"
Kurama's head shook like a rattle:
"I decline!!"
Not falling for that again!
Little Goku:
"I'll even let you fight with both hands this time!"
Kurama:
"Oh? Now you're talking! Today I'll show you what Kyūbi-style Plasma Cannon really means!"
---
"Who's the Nine-Tails? Who's the tanuki? And what's a Jinchūriki?"
Gaara had a thousand questions, all bubbling inside him.
There was something about this blond boy…
A strange power that seemed to soothe the restless killing intent in his heart.
Even the beast inside him, which always fought for control, had suddenly grown quiet.
Naruto raised a finger to his lips, then pointed to Gaara's stomach.
Gaara: You…?
"You're not the only special one in this world.
---
Gaara's childhood was every bit as tragic as Naruto's—perhaps even worse.
His father, Rasa, was the Fourth Kazekage—and unlike Minato, he was still very much alive.
You'd think that would've helped… but it didn't.
Gaara's mother died giving birth to him.
Rasa, who loved his wife deeply, decided to seal Shukaku, the One-Tail, into his newborn son in the name of strengthening Sunagakure's military.
But the One-Tail's temperament rivaled even the Nine-Tails'.
Combined with a flawed sealing method, Shukaku constantly tried to seize control of Gaara's body.
As a result, Gaara hadn't slept a single peaceful night since birth.
Not even grown men could survive that for long—let alone a child.
With his mind and body in constant torment, Gaara became violent and unstable, killing without provocation.
He was feared even within his own village.
His father saw him as a failed experiment.
Even his siblings, Kankurō and Temari, were terrified of him.
As they say—
The Naruto world is one big coffee table… covered in tragic backstories.
In this world, if a villain doesn't have some trauma, they might as well not show up at all.
Unlike Dragon Ball, where the bad guys are just pure evil for fun, Naruto villains are always born from pain.
---
"Alright, time for us to go."
In the blink of an eye, Naruto was back at Hinata's side.
He spoke calmly:
"You three hiding in the shadows...
You're really not gonna come say hello?"
Sure enough, on the branches nearby, three Sound Ninja had appeared at some point.
---
'Such sharp perception,' one of the bandaged Sound ninja thought silently.
"Hmph. So you can detect us. Not bad."
One of them, wearing a shirt with the kanji for "death" , stepped forward.
But Naruto didn't even bother responding to him.
He simply glanced over at the Sand siblings and said:
"Alright, Team Gourd Babies…
See you at the Chūnin Exams."
---
"Why, you—!"
Zaku exploded in fury.
Having undergone Orochimaru's body modifications, Zaku the Almighty was feeling very confident and fully intended to teach these Genin a lesson.
But Naruto merely gave him a single glance—
And in that moment, Zaku froze.
It was like being struck by lightning.
His whole body trembled as if he'd just seen a monster.
---
To the Sand siblings, this scene looked totally bizarre.
But to the three Sound Ninja facing Naruto directly, it was unbearable.
"What… What kind of demonic aura is that?"
Even Tōu, nicknamed "Mini-Rikudō" by fans for his resemblance to the Sage of Six Paths, avoided Naruto's gaze and didn't dare make eye contact.
The power difference was just too enormous.
Naruto hadn't even done anything—
Just a single look was enough to crush their fighting spirit.
Thankfully, he didn't look at them for long.
As soon as he looked away, the trio let out a silent breath of relief.
---
"It's just like… facing Orochimaru-sama."
Are all Konoha shinobi this terrifying?
No—
it's the Genin of Konoha who are truly monsters.
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