Releasing Naruto's hand, Gaara felt a sense of loss.
Just now, he had read a portion of Naruto's memories.
That childhood, so similar to his own, allowed him to empathize deeply.
"So, I'm not the only one in this world enduring this kind of pain."
Listening to Gaara's sigh, Naruto smiled, not minding it: "Past experiences, past pains, have all become a part of our strength. We should be able to understand each other, to give each other support and warmth."
Gaara nodded.
At this moment, from the depths of his heart, he acknowledged the existence of Naruto Uzumaki as a friend.
Although the two came from different villages, and although their positions were hostile, their shared experiences became a bridge for mutual understanding and communication.
A person living in solitude becomes more sensitive to the kindness or malice of others.
"The Shukaku in your body won't fight you for control anymore. If you want, you can sleep soundly from now on."
"The Sand Ninja from your village have arrived, so it's about time for me to leave."
"Before I go, as a friend, let me give you one last piece of advice: remember to train your Taijutsu more. Don't think you can relax just because you have absolute defense. There are too many people in this world who can break through your defense."
"Take this. If you need to find me, activate the seal on it, but it's best to choose a place where there's no one around."
"Also, pay more attention to the people around you. Sometimes, not everyone will treat you with indifference."
"Well then, goodbye."
Naruto smiled, handing Gaara a Three-Pronged Kunai.
Then, waving his hand, he disappeared from Gaara's sight.
"Is this... the feeling of having a friend?"
Gaara gripped the Kunai concealed within his sleeve, muttering to himself.
In the distance, the sound of wind being cut through rang out.
Dozens of ninja wearing khaki vests, led by two figures at the front, rushed into the center of the battlefield, which looked as if it had been ravaged by a natural disaster.
They headed straight for Gaara's location, and from a distance, Temari and Kankuro could be heard shouting loudly: "Gaara, are you alright? We've brought reinforcements."
In the eyes of these Sand Ninja, they might not be able to defeat that mysterious person, but with so many of them together with Gaara, they would definitely be able to protect themselves.
This was the confidence that came from a great ninja village.
"No abnormalities. There's only Gaara's Chakra reaction here, with no signs of a rampage," a sensory ninja reported to those around him.
Hearing these words, Temari and Kankuro no longer hesitated, rushing forward and hugging Gaara, anxiously checking to see if he was injured.
"Pay more attention to the people around you?"
Looking at the anxious expressions on Temari and Kankuro's faces, Gaara suppressed the urge to push them away.
He carefully recalled that he had only ever noticed the fear that these two people, who held the position of older siblings, occasionally showed, but had never paid attention to the familial affection they also had for him.
Perhaps, was it that man with the title of Fourth Kazekage who had prevented all of this?
"It's alright, that Masked Man was chased away by me."
Gaara tried his best to awkwardly respond to the kindness from his older brother and sister.
Regardless of what the future held, at least that man wasn't here at this moment.
Not far away, Naruto, who had concealed his presence and was watching the scene with his Kagura Mind's Eye, had a smile on his face.
"Isn't this pretty good?"
The Flying Thunder God Technique was activated.
This time, Naruto really left.
...
In the end, this Sand Ninja Village Jinchuriki attack incident ended without resolution.
According to Gaara's report, after he used the Feigned Sleep Technique to release Shukaku, the two sides had a great battle, and he finally drove away the Masked Man. Shukaku was also seriously injured as a result and temporarily fell into a deep sleep.
As a result, Gaara, the Jinchuriki, also temporarily ended his trip to Konoha and chose to return to the Sand Ninja Village.
A day later, the Fourth Kazekage Rasa, who had received the news, met with Gaara.
Although he had already received the news from his subordinates, he still personally asked Gaara about it again.
Listening to his father's cold tone as he inquired about what had happened, Gaara also spoke in a cold voice.
Even with his heart slightly more open now, Gaara still couldn't feel the kind of love that was called fatherly from his father.
"How long do you estimate it will take for Shukaku to awaken?"
After listening, Rasa asked Gaara.
Gaara's birth led to the death of Rasa's beloved wife Karura, which made Rasa's feelings towards his youngest son very complicated.
This complex emotion made him not care about Gaara's life or death. What he cared about was whether his plan could be carried out.
At this moment, the Sand Ninja Village was like an arrow on the string, and it had to be launched.
Since the end of the war, the Land of Wind Daimyo had cut the ninja village's funding. In addition, the failure of the Third Ninja World War had resulted in a large portion of the mission share being divided to Konoha, which made the village's economy even worse.
If it weren't for the precious metals obtained through Rasa's Gold Dust Technique to make up for some of the funding gap, the Sand Ninja Village would probably be even more difficult at this moment.
Therefore, the current Sand Ninja Village urgently needed a victory in war to prove itself.
In this way, they could take back the funding cut by the Daimyo, as well as the mission share taken away by Konoha.
Shukaku was an important force in the Konoha Crush Plan, but even if this important force had a problem, the Konoha Crush Plan could not be stopped because of it.
Fortunately, Gaara's answer relieved Rasa.
"At most a month and a half, Shukaku's power will recover."
At this moment, there was still more than half a month before the start of the Chunin Exam, and the final battle of the Chunin Exam would have to be postponed for another month. Enough time must be set aside for the Daimyo of various countries to go to Konoha to watch the final match.
In this way, this Konoha Crush Plan would have enough meaning.
There was no stage better to demonstrate one's strength than to crush Konoha in front of these Daimyo Nobles.
Calculating the time, waiting for Shukaku to revive, it's entirely feasible to participate smoothly in this Konoha Crush Plan.
As for that mysterious Masked Man, there's no need to pay attention to him for now; we can deal with him slowly after this plan concludes.
"Well then, you all rest for two days, and once Maki's injuries have recovered, you'll set out again on your journey to Konoha," Rasa instructed.
After that, Rasa hurriedly left with his guards.
He still had a secret meeting with the leader of the Hidden Sound Village to attend.
Gaara watched his father's disappearing back, not saying much, "With him in Konoha, a plan destined to fail, being able to take this opportunity to go to Konoha is not a bad thing."
Thinking, Gaara couldn't help but think of that friend he had just parted with not long ago.
I wonder what kind of environment he lives in?
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