Just as Kankuro was imagining some absurd situation, Izanami decided that she had had enough playing around.
Taking a single step forward, the gravity around them suddenly increased by dozens of times. With a loud, heavy boom, all three Sand ninjas instantly crashed down, kissing the hard ground. The pressure was so intense that they couldn't even lift a single finger.
Even Gaara, who was just about to go on a bloody rampage, was slammed down violently. Most of the crushing gravity was focused entirely on him. The sheer weight forced the breath right out of his lungs, cracking his absolute sand armor into tiny pieces. His vision blurred, and he grew dizzy, almost knocked completely unconscious right there on the pavement.
"Your sand is strong, little panda," Izanami said softly, her voice echoing from above as she looked down at Gaara's pinned, trembling body. "But you are still far too weak to face me. If you want to keep breathing, I suggest you control yourself."
Temari, struggling to even breathe with her face pressed hard against the dirt, managed to choke out a terrified plea. "P-Please... stop... We apologize for our brother's behavior! We are guests from the Hidden Sand Village for the Chunin Exams... Please forgive us!"
Seeing that they had completely lost their will to fight, Izanami casually waved her hand. The heavy, suffocating gravity vanished instantly, as if it were never there.
The three Sand genin gasped heavily for air, their bodies shaking violently as they slowly pushed themselves up from the ground. Gaara stayed on his knees, panting deeply, his wide eyes filled with a mixture of rage and deep, instinctual fear. His inner beast had gone completely quiet.
Izanami completely ignored them now, turning around to look down at Konohamaru and Moegi with a gentle smile. "Are you two hurt?"
"N-No, big sister! You were awesome!" Konohamaru said, his eyes sparkling with pure worship as he looked at her.
"Good. Go home now, it is not safe to play on the streets today," she patted his head gently.
As the two kids quickly turned and ran away, Izanami cast one last, mysterious glance at the defeated Sand trio. Before Kankuro or Temari could even blink, her body blurred, and she disappeared from the spot in a flash of light, leaving them alone in the quiet street.
…..
" Do you like bullying children this much? " Kiyomi asked as she looked at Izanami, who appeared next to her.
"Hehe, of course not. I just went and told Shukaku to behave a bit. I mean, look at that boy, he is now no different from a panda with his black eyes. " Izanami said shamelessly.
Kiyomi let out a soft sigh, rolling her eyes at her companion's shameless excuse. "A panda? You really have a unique perspective on things, Izanami. But you didn't just teach the boy a lesson; you completely terrified him."
"Well, someone had to," Izanami replied smoothly, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. "That one-tailed tanuki was getting a bit too loud inside the boy's head anyway. It's much quieter now, don't you think?"
Kiyomi didn't argue with that. Even from a distance, she could feel that the unstable, chaotic chakra of the Shukaku had completely retracted, hiding itself deep within Gaara's body.
" Okay, now what should I do? You know that snake is eyeing my brother right now. His desire is practically overflowing " Kiyomi said with a dark expression. As Izanami's niece, she had full authority over Japan's intelligence network.
Izanami giggled softly, tapping Kiyomi's forehead with a playful finger. "Oh, don't worry about that slimy little snake, Kiyomi. Orochimaru thinks he is the one playing chess, but he is just a piece on the board. Let him think his plan is going perfectly."
Kiyomi crossed her arms, her dark eyes narrowing slightly. "But Sasuke... he is still far too weak. If Orochimaru uses that cursed seal on him, it might cause some complications."
"Weak? Maybe for now," Izanami smiled, her eyes flashing with a mysterious light. "But he is a teammate of Naruto, and they have been training under our guidance. The Chunin Exam is the perfect anvil to forge them into true weapons. If Orochimaru wants to play the villain, let him be the stepping stone for those brats."
Kiyomi let out another sigh, her tense shoulders finally relaxing a bit. She knew her aunt was right. With Izanami there Orochimaru wouldn't be able to lift a single finger on them.
" Okay then, Aunt, I will leave my little brother in your hands " Kiyomi said as she disappeared into the shadows.
Izanami watched the shadows where Kiyomi had vanished, her smile widening into something a little more mischievous. "Leaving him in my hands, huh? Don't worry, little niece. I will make sure your brother comes back in one piece." With a quiet chuckle, she too turned and vanished into thin air, leaving the rooftop completely empty.
...
Meanwhile, back on the quiet street below, the heavy silence finally broke.
Kankuro was the first to fully push himself up, his limbs still trembling like jelly from the residual shock of that massive gravity. He rubbed his aching chest, coughing violently as he looked over at his younger brother.
Gaara was still sitting on his knees, his hands tightly gripping the cracked pavement. His mind was in absolute chaos. For the first time since he could remember, the constant, bloodthirsty voice of Shukaku inside his head was dead silent. The giant sand beast was curled up in the deepest corner of his soul, trembling and refusing to answer his calls. It was completely terrified.
"G-Gaara..." Temari called out weakly, stepping closer very carefully. She reached out a hesitant hand, her face still pale from fear. "Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Gaara didn't answer right away. He slowly stood up, the broken pieces of his sand armor flaking off his face and falling to the dirt road like broken glass. His green eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the empty space where Izanami had been standing just moments ago. The mindless rage in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep, lingering shock.
"Who... who was that woman?" Gaara muttered, his voice cracking slightly.
"I don't know," Kankuro whispered, nervously adjusting the puppet on his back as he pulled Temari away. "But this village is hiding some real monsters. We need to go to our lodgings right now, Gaara. We can't afford to pick any more fights before the exam starts."
Gaara didn't argue this time. He silently let the sand flow back into his heavy gourd, put the stopper back in, and began walking forward without saying another word.
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Author's Note: I'm currently balancing my university studies with writing, and things can get pretty tight. If you enjoy my work, even a $1 donation on Patreon makes a massive difference in helping me cover my education expenses.
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