Seeing the disbelief on Gaara's face, Yūto-sama didn't speak further. Instead, he slowly raised his head and stared intently into Gaara's eyes.
Sensing Yūto-sama's gaze, Gaara couldn't help but shiver and take two steps back.
For some reason, Gaara had the strange feeling that although Yūto-sama was looking into his eyes, he wasn't actually seeing him.
At this moment, Ichibi Shukaku, who was in Gaara's mental world, suddenly stood up and looked towards the other side of the seal.
There was clearly no Chakra outside the seal, but Ichibi Shukaku could distinctly feel a pair of eyes watching him.
"Restrain your Chakra."
Yūto-sama's indifferent voice reached not only Gaara's ears but also Ichibi Shukaku's.
After saying this, Yūto-sama raised his finger and pointed towards Gaara's forehead.
Whoosh!
Following Yūto-sama's movement, the sand behind Gaara automatically moved, forming a shield in front of him.
However, this layer of defense from Gaara was as fragile as paper, easily shattered by a mere touch from Yūto-sama.
The next moment, Yūto-sama's finger was already touching the center of Gaara's forehead.
A faint surge of Chakra flowed from Yūto-sama's fingertip into Gaara's mind.
Yūto-sama slightly narrowed his eyes. Not long after, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, and he softly said:
"Found you."
What Yūto-sama was looking for was precisely the Chakra of Karura, hidden within Gaara's body.
With a thought, Yūto-sama controlled his Chakra to surge into the Chakra left behind by Gaara's mother, Karura.
Boom!
A dull roar exploded in Gaara's mind.
Gaara felt a sharp pain in his head and immediately fell unconscious.
The moment Gaara lost consciousness, the massive amount of sand behind him began to tremble violently and quickly gathered towards Gaara.
Yūto-sama's figure flashed, and he was already away from Gaara's side. When he reappeared, he was back near Mei Terumī.
Rumble! Rumble!
Loud booming sounds continued to echo in front of Gaara, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
In just a few moments, a massive female figure made entirely of sand appeared behind Gaara, within everyone's sight.
Hands made entirely of sand were held up in front of Gaara, in a defensive posture.
And Gaara, standing in the very center supported by the sand, remained upright despite being unconscious.
Furthermore, his consciousness had entered the mental world.
Yūto-sama guessed that Gaara must have already met his mother, Karura, by now.
Mei Terumī blinked her eyes gently, looking at the female figure behind Gaara with a somewhat dazed expression. Then she walked over to Yūto-sama's side and asked curiously:
"What… is that?"
Yūto-sama gave it a calm look, then withdrew his gaze and softly said:
"Perhaps it's 'love'."
As Yūto-sama's voice sounded, a strange expression appeared on Mei Terumī's face, and her eyes filled with surprise as she looked at Yūto-sama:
"I didn't expect Yūto-sama to say that word."
Hearing Mei Terumī's slightly teasing remark, Yūto-sama shrugged:
"I'm not that kind of cold-blooded person."
After speaking, Yūto-sama raised his hand and ruffled Ameyuri Ringo's red hair, who was standing beside him, and said playfully:
"Right, little Ringo."
Feeling Yūto-sama's action, Ameyuri Ringo's face flushed slightly, and she quickly nodded.
"Yūto-sama is a very gentle person."
Ranmaru said, his face filled with admiration.
Yūto-sama smiled, raised his hand, and patted Ranmaru's head again, then gently raised an eyebrow at Mei Terumī.
Using the word 'gentle' to describe Yūto-sama is really a bit...
Mei Terumī, hearing what Ranmaru said, sighed softly, a helpless expression on her face, but a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
"Keeping the Jinchuriki of Ichibi confined, I thought Yūto-sama was planning to extract Ichibi. The sealing squad was already on standby."
Mei Terumī said with surprise, shrugging helplessly.
"The Sand Ninja Village's Jinchuriki being taken by our Kirigakure is no secret. Even if we were to make a move on a Jinchuriki, it wouldn't be Gaara."
"Furthermore, Gaara is of no use to me anymore. Once he wakes up, send him back to the Sand Ninja Village."
Yūto-sama spread his hands and said calmly. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, Yūto-sama's eyes narrowed slightly:
"When sending Gaara back to the Sand Ninja Village, make the action a little more noticeable."
"Yes, Yūto-sama!"
Ao, standing behind Mei Terumī, immediately responded.
Make the action more noticeable?
Is it to attract the attention of certain people, or to provide cover for something?
Mei Terumī licked her lips, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes.
————
As evening approached, the fiery red sunlight had not yet illuminated the entire Kirigakure before it was obscured by the thick fog spreading from the sea.
The civilians living in Kirigakure were already accustomed to this phenomenon.
The vendors along the streets of Kirigakure had already begun packing up their stalls, preparing to leave.
Ameyuri Ringo was slowly walking home along the street.
"Oh, Ringo, there are some grilled seafood here. Do you want to take some back for Haruna?"
By the street, a middle-aged man who was packing up his stall saw Ameyuri Ringo and said with a light smile.
"No thank you, Uncle Jin."
Ameyuri Ringo quickly waved her hand, saying with embarrassment.
"Don't be shy, they'll go bad by tomorrow anyway."
Uncle Jin wrapped up the grilled seafood, handed it to Ameyuri Ringo, and smiled.
"Just recently, I found out that you've become one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist in our Kirigakure. I haven't congratulated you yet."
"From now on, everyone here will be protected by you."
Uncle Jin scratched his head and gave Ameyuri Ringo a simple, hearty laugh.
After speaking, Uncle Jin turned back to continue packing up his stall.
Ameyuri Ringo stared blankly at the items in her hands and smiled helplessly.
Along the way, besides Uncle Jin, some other small vendors also gave a large pile of things to Ameyuri Ringo, partly selling and partly giving them away.
By the time Ameyuri Ringo got home, her hands were already full of items.
The people who gave her things were residents who had watched Ameyuri Ringo and Haruna grow up, and they were all very kind and simple people.
Having a genius Ninja like Ameyuri Ringo in their neighborhood was a source of pride for everyone nearby.