Chapter 65 The Unique Aesthetics of the Sand Village
Soon, Haruko Hayama's smile faded, as she witnessed the second major shift in the world's development.
Could that earth-colored Totoro be Ai?!
And could that guy wrapped in sand like a mummy be Naruto?!
Haruko was completely bewildered. She tentatively called out to the mummy, "Naruto!"
"Haru...ko..."
Naruto Uzumaki, who had been despondent and resigned to his fate of death, instantly rallied upon hearing the familiar voice coming from outside the thick sand.
No! I can't fail here!
Haruko might be in danger!
Naruto Uzumaki's eyes were resolute. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb and quickly formed hand seals, "Boar, Dog, West... Summoning Jutsu!"
Thud—
The mummy burst open, revealing a giant... frog, still holding a pipe.
Haruko's eyes widened in the morning. What a... unique frog!
Naruto Uzumaki stood on the head of Gamabunta, the toad boss, and looked Gaara, who had transformed into his perfect form, "Shukaku of the Sand," at eye level. "Haruko, I'll protect you!"
Upon hearing his words, Shukaku paused for a moment, its eyes slowly shifting towards the bushes. "Haru...ko?"
Haruko Hayama: ...
Thank you, Naruto, for drawing a wave of hatred from me.
Out of unease, Haruko hesitated before asking, "Are you Ai?"
Gaara didn't know how to answer her so she could accept his terrifying appearance, so for the first time, he chose to ignore Haruko Hayama.
She knew it! How could that earth-colored Totoro possibly be Gaara?
Haruko Hayama, who had completely misunderstood, felt relieved.
After confirming that the enemy was not Gaara, Haruko helped Sasuke Uchiha recover from his wounds and then sat on a tree as a bystander.
As a result, after the toad boss chopped off one of Shukaku's hands with a knife, Gaara's upper body fused into Shukaku's head.
Haruko Hayama: ...Are you kidding me?!
"Those dark circles under his eyes...it seems this medium has also been possessed by Shukaku and is experiencing insomnia." The toad boss carefully observed Gaara.
"Insomnia?" Naruto asked doubtfully.
Haruko Hayama was equally puzzled. She had always thought it was Gaara's tattoo, since the guy next to him named Kankuro had strange purple patterns all over his face.
She still believed that it was a unique aesthetic of the Sand Ninja.
The Sand Village ninja whose reputation has been damaged: ...
“If someone is possessed by Shukaku and falls asleep, their personality will gradually be devoured by Shukaku,” the toad boss explained to them. “Because they can hardly sleep, the medium’s personality becomes unstable.”
Meanwhile, Gaara on the other side was also constantly moving, rapidly forming hand seals.
The toad continued, "But if the medium falls asleep, Shukaku will wake up."
The moment the toad boss finished speaking, Gaara successfully performed the "Feign Sleep Technique" hand seals and fell into a deep sleep, awakening the real Shukaku.
"Hahaha, I'm finally out!"
As Shukaku roared excitedly, Haruko steadied herself and sensed something was wrong. She quickly called out to Naruto, "Naruto, let me go up too!"
“But…” Naruto hesitated, not wanting Haruko Hayashi to get involved in the battle.
"No buts! Before that Totoro makes a move, hurry up and take me up!"
Urged on by Haruko Hayama, the toad boss used his claws to catch Haruko Hayama and placed her on his head, commenting, "This little girl is quite well-behaved."
Haruko stared intently at the hunched-over Gaara. "Mr. Frog, what should we do now?"
The toad leader paused for a second, then burst into an incredulous roar: "...I am a toad! A toad!"
Haruko Hayama, who didn't recognize the toad at all, said, "...Okay, Mr. Toad."
The old toad snorted, "Let's go wake up that sleeping brat first."
How can I wake him up?
"One punch is enough to take care of that brat."
"..."
Haruko thought it was a bit violent, but for her, who had just been tricked, it was a great idea.
While Naruto and Gamabunta combined to transform into the Nine-Tailed Fox and control Shukaku, Haruko Hayama and Naruto leaped onto Shukaku's head.
At Haruko's prompting, Naruto Uzumaki punched Gaara in the face without any mercy, as if retaliating for Gaara having abducted Haruko before.
Gaara, enraged upon waking, immediately manipulated sand to engulf Naruto.
"You will be killed by me, but my existence will not disappear!"
Snap!
Gaara's right cheek was punched by Naruto Uzumaki just now, and now his left cheek has been slapped by Haruko Hayama.
Are you awake?
Compared to his right cheek, his left cheek was stinging the most. Gaara's head, which had been knocked to the side, stiffly turned towards her, his eyes filled with disbelief.
The Haruko Hayama standing before him was no longer all smiles, but her eyes were serious. "I didn't believe it was you at first, but I never expected... Gaara, why would you do something like this?"
Upon hearing her change how she addressed him, Gaara's turbulent mental state teetered on the brink of collapse.
He clutched his head in anguish, crying out, "I exist to kill everyone but myself... I'm a monster!"
Seeing that Shukaku was about to cause trouble again due to Gaara's loss of control, Haruko quickly cupped his face, controlled her chakra to invade his nerves, and constructed an illusion based on his memories.
"Let me see what you're suffering from!"
...
What is love?
To me, family is nothing more than a mass of flesh filled with hatred and murderous intent...
As a child, Gaara sat on a swing watching other children playing in the distance.
[I was created using my mother's life as a basis, and because of the automatic attacks of sand, no one else dares to approach me.]
Once again, he scared away the children playing. Gaara clutched the ball tightly in his hands, a surge of rage rising within him.
[But... there was one person who took the initiative to approach me, talk to me, play with me, and even make intimate gestures towards me.]
Gaara stood there shyly, letting young Haruko Hayama wipe his sweat.
Even though I hurt her, she still stood by my side. She was the first friend I ever made. She said she liked me a lot, that she hoped I could love myself, and that she would definitely come back to find me when she grew up.
As dawn broke, Gaara reluctantly parted ways with Haruko Hayama.
[Her eyes captivated me; there was no fear, no disgust, only... tenderness.]
After Gaara composed himself, he returned home and asked Yashamaru, "Haruko is injured... I hurt her. Even though she's the one who's injured, why does my chest hurt so much?"
Yashamaru knelt down to comfort him, "Lord Gaara, physical wounds will fade with time, but emotional wounds will only deepen. Lord Gaara is just feeling sorry for your friend."
"Then how can I heal the wounds in my heart?"
"There is something that can do it, but this medicine is very troublesome, and can only be obtained from other people, and that is affection."
"emotion?"
"Feelings are about wanting to dedicate oneself to the loved ones around you, just like your sister. Shukaku was originally a creature that existed to attack, but I feel that the sand is filled with your mother's love."
Gaara asked, surprised yet unable to hide his delight, "Really?"
Fake.
******
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