"Anyway, now that the Uchiha clan has been wiped out and there are only a few of them left, I'll just make this 'secret' public knowledge."
Makoto found a comfortable rock to sit on, adopting the posture of a professor about to give a lecture.
"Oh?"
Temari crossed her arms, leaning back slightly, waiting for Makoto to impart his wisdom.
"Most members of the Uchiha clan share some common traits. They are highly sensitive, emotionally unstable, and easily triggered. Based on the extensive field research—both successful and failed—of Hashirama Senju, Tobirama Senju, and many other predecessors, I've drawn a conclusion."
Makoto held up one finger.
"To earn the intense loyalty of an Uchiha, you must be 'heavier' than them. As long as you rank first in their internal 'Heaviness Ranking,' then congratulations—you are now the most important person in their universe."
"Heavy? What does 'heavy' mean?" Temari looked puzzled.
"It's... a bit abstract."
Makoto thought about Sasuke and Naruto.
Those two practically wrote the textbook on this theory. Although, in this timeline, their star-crossed romance might get rewritten.
But the classic lines were unforgettable.
"I am the only one who can handle your hatred."
"I'll break every bone in your body to drag you back."
Look at Karin.
She failed miserably because, aside from Naruto (the Heavyweight Champion), she couldn't even compete with Sakura in terms of emotional baggage.
"Let me give you an example," Makoto said, clearing his throat.
"If you were Uchiha Hikari, and you had just been unsealed after centuries of isolation... the first thing I'd do is kiss you forcefully."
"Huh?"
Temari frowned, her hand instinctively reaching for the giant fan strapped to her back.
"And what would your reaction be?" Makoto asked.
"Of course I'd beat your ass! Doing something like that to a girl you just met—is that what you call 'heavy'? I call it sexual harassment!"
Temari took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to fan him into the next time zone.
"Correct. And as a member of the Uchiha clan, her reaction might be even more intense. She'd probably try to kill me."
Makoto leaned forward, his eyes intense.
"And that is when I would say..."
"Even if you break my legs, snap my arms, or gouge out my eyes, you cannot stop my love for you. Even if you kill me, I'll keep watching you from the Pure Land, waiting for the next life to entangle our souls together again."
"I am actually a shinobi from a small, insignificant clan during the Warring States period. When I first saw your silhouette on the battlefield back then, you become my obsession."
"I've been reincarnating repeatedly for hundreds of years, just to find this moment to break your seal."
"The Uchiha clan you hate? Wiped out. The Senju clan? Gone. I have guided the entire history of the Shinobi World toward a better future, just for you. All of this... is so you can finally enjoy a wonderful life and forget the pain you suffer all this time."
"..."
Temari stood there, stunned.
Her mouth was slightly agape.
She finally understood what "heavy" meant.
"Are you sure this won't just terrify her?" Temari asked, looking at Makoto with a mixture of awe and fear.
"That's why this is a special tactic tailored specifically for the Uchiha. And who said this only works on females? Look at Sasuke and Naruto from konoha. Those two are practically the poster children for this dynamic."
Makoto shook his head.
"Okay, I think I get it. This really isn't something a sane person would do. But... how about you skip the sexual assault step and just start with the monologue?" Temari suggested sensibly.
"No, that step is essential for the emotional shock. Without the spike in adrenaline, the subsequent 'heavy' confession doesn't hit as hard."
"I think you just want to kiss her, don't you?"
"You're overthinking it. Why don't you try it then?"
"M-me?! How could I?!" Temari flushed red.
While she was sputtering, Makoto suddenly thought of another approach.
It wasn't as effective as the "Heavy Love" strategy, but it was kinda safer.
"Temari, how are your acting skills?"
"A-acting? I won't do it! I am straight!!"
Temari immediately panicked.
Terrifying images flashed through her mind—her and Hikari in various yuri scenarios—and she quickly stepped back, waving her hands frantically.
"What the hell are you thinking about? Stop thinking dirty things! I've abandoned the first plan. I'm talking about Plan B."
"Ah?"
Temari froze.
Her face turned even redder as she realized she'd just exposed her own weird imagination. She coughed loudly. "Th-then hurry up and tell me! What's Plan B?"
"This new plan requires Gaara's assistance. Good thing we ran into him, or this would be impossible."
"Huh?" Gaara blinked.
He had been standing quietly to the side, enjoying the rare spectacle of his sister getting flustered.
How did this suddenly involve him?
"Wasn't Gaara also treated as a weapon by your father?"
"You mean... let her know there are others who share her pain?" Temari caught on quickly.
"Exactly. Shared trauma is a powerful bonding tool. But before we can have a heart-to-heart talk, we need to calm her down. She needs visual and auditory proof that we aren't enemies."
Makoto waved at Gaara. "Come here."
The three of them huddled up as Makoto explained the plan.
"Remember: One continuous shot. One take only. No rehearsals. Action!"
At Makoto's command, Gaara approached the ancient seal.
He formed the necessary hand signs, unraveling the layers of chakra.
The seal wasn't particularly difficult to undo.
As Tobirama Senju once said, the best seal is simply being forgotten.
'Hiss.'
The seal slowly opened.
Deep within the darkness, the consciousness of Uchiha Hikari began to stir.
She was groggy and her mind was a fogging.
But she could hear sounds from the outside world.
Faintly she heard, a frenzied voice shouted familiar, hateful words.
"Clan weapon!" "Tool!" "No need for emotions!"
'Are they... talking about me?'
'Probably not...'
Outside, Gaara was essentially roleplaying his former self from a few weeks ago.
He channeled his inner psychopath, sand swirling around him as he formed a Shukaku spear.
"You are nothing but a broken tool! Tools do not need hearts!"
Hikari's consciousness cleared.
She could hear it clearly now.
There was someone out there like her. A weapon created by a clan, now being hunted down.
She felt a bitter smile form on her lips.
'Of course. That is a weapon's fate, isn't it? No one cares about our heart.'
"If we survive today... would you accompany me to see the mountains and rivers? To see the vast world?"
A gentle, desperate male voice cut through the noise.
"I'd lo—mmph!"
Makoto, who was currently holding the "unconscious" Temari in a dramatic princess carry, clamped his hand over her mouth.
'Like hell you would! You have no lines here! Shut the hell up!'
That was close.
Fortunately, Hikari didn't notice the blooper.
The first sentence echoed in her mind like a temple bell.
"Would you accompany me to see the world?"
The emotions in those words were profound.
Even though they weren't directed at her, they struck the exact chord that every lonely Uchiha soul craved.
'So... even tools can have feelings? Can have someone to love?'
"Die!"
Gaara threw the Shukaku spear with lethal intent.
Bam.
A massive, crimson skeletal arm burst from the ground, swatting the sand spear away like it was a fly.
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