["Why is this child so small?" Karura's eyes were filled with a mother's tender affection.]
That look made both Naruto and Gaara's throats tighten. For some reason, their eyes stung as well, an aching sourness rising in their chests. A certain guess formed in their minds—one they didn't dare pursue, afraid that being wrong would only bring even greater disappointment.
["Beep—beep—beep…" The woman was too exhausted, so exhausted that she could no longer open her eyes to look at her child one last time.]
[Medical-nin: "Kazekage-sama, Lady Karura's heart rate is dropping rapidly."]
["Do something! Think of something—save her! Now!!" The Kazekage lost his composure, grabbing the medic by the collar and roaring in a low voice.]
[Beeeeeeep— The long, mechanical tone signaled the woman's life fading away.]
When it came to eyesight, Hinata—and Neji, who stood farther away—were undoubtedly the sharpest.
Hinata said softly, "The way that mother is holding the baby… it's exactly the same as the sand sculpture. Like she's protecting her child."
Gaara: "!!!"
Naruto: "!!"
[Indeed. In the footage, the Fourth Kazekage lay beside the woman in grief, Elder Chiyo patting his shoulder in consolation. Through the crack of the window, it was clear to see that before her death, the mother named Karura had gently embraced Gaara.]
"Why… why?!" Gaara clutched his head, the 'love' carved into his forehead throbbing with pain. "Didn't you all hate me? Why, Yashamaru…?" Didn't both you and that woman wish I were dead?
[Mournful music echoed through the footage as the scene shifted to a night in Sunagakure.]
[Human blood splattered across the wall. Young Gaara turned around while clutching a stuffed bear, sand rising around him to form an absolute defensive wall…]
Chiyo stared at the image—at her past self.
["That child is a failed creation as well. He's already starting to lose control."]
Chiyo: "..." Had she really said something like that back then? But it was also true. After all, being a jinchūriki was never easy, and the village's safety always came first.
Yet now, looking back at that lonely figure…
Ah. No wonder the bear looked so familiar. So that reward teddy bear was that one.
That toy might have been the only friend Gaara had in his childhood.
[The footage continued. Elder Chiyo's words cut deeply into the Fourth Kazekage. He clutched his hair, letting out a helpless, weary sigh.]
[Soon after came news of the daimyo slashing Sunagakure's funding. Forced to continue downsizing its forces, the Wind Country—already the weakest militarily among the Five Great Villages—was pushed into even greater danger.]
[Trouble came one after another. The village's tailed beast jinchūriki was mentally unstable, and the Wind Country's harsh climate left it far from wealthy. Sunagakure faced crisis upon crisis, and had to quickly gather capital capable of competing with other nations and villages.]
["The unrestrained Shukaku must be dealt with as soon as possible, to prevent even greater threats to the village!"]
Watching the elders in the footage treat Gaara like a tool—using him freely when he was useful, and talking about "disposing" of him the moment he wasn't—Naruto, who shared the same background, was furious.
["If the jinchūriki is unreliable, then the next step is to rely on Kazekage-sama's newly developed technique—using gold dust to trade with other villages, bringing stability to the Wind Country."]
The other villages' Kage watched Sunagakure's internal meeting in silence.
Every village had its own darkness.
Elders in positions of power could indeed band together to force a 'Kage' into doing things he didn't want to do.
After all, a 'Kage' was still human, still capable of making mistakes. Advisors could always use that as justification—enjoying the benefits and protection that came with the Kage's authority, while slowly pushing them to lose themselves.
They spoke endlessly of the village's interests, yet forgot what a village truly was.
There was no need to make cold remarks now. In such circumstances, who could truly guarantee they would have done better?
With great power came great responsibility. Being in a position of authority was never easy.
[In the footage, after the meeting, the Kazekage stopped Yashamaru to speak with him alone.]
What followed went far beyond Gaara's understanding…
He could hardly believe what he was hearing.
He heard his father, the Fourth Kazekage, order Yashamaru to test his capacity.
He heard Yashamaru plead on his behalf—yet still be forced to carry out the Kazekage's command.
He heard them discussing how to use his mother to provoke his emotions, to assess his risk level—then decide whether to deal with him, or kill him outright!!
["I know very well that Gaara loves his mother, Karura, from the bottom of his heart. That's precisely why we must use this method to stimulate him! Only someone who can control himself is a qualified jinchūriki!"]
Tobirama Senju let out a sigh, still instructing the Third Hokage and the advisors beside him. "Before being jinchūriki, they are human beings. That is what must be acknowledged first."
The Third Hokage nodded. "Yes. I believe so as well." The Fourth Kazekage's methods were something he could not agree with.
Although he was well aware of how Naruto had been treated in the village, still—"Naruto… is a rare, good child." As Hokage, and as this village, they owed that child far too much.
"That much, I naturally know," the Second Hokage replied, recalling the dazzling young man from the Fourth Great Ninja War. "He will become a shinobi even greater than my brother and me." And an even greater Hokage.
"?!!!"
The Third Hokage and the advisory council were stunned.
To receive such praise from Tobirama-sama?!
What exactly was that Uzumaki Naruto?!
And how did Tobirama-sama even know about Naruto?!!
[In the footage—]
[Another full-moon night. It seemed that every full moon foretold something about to happen.]
[As the One-Tail's jinchūriki, Gaara was unable to sleep…]
[And after that came what Naruto had already seen—what Gaara witnessed after their chakras connected. The person who, to Gaara, was as important as Iruka was to Uzumaki Naruto… attempted to assassinate him, and cruelly told him the truth—]
["Gaara-sama, just like my sister—your mother—I hate you to the core…"]
["AAAAAAAAAAAA——!!!"]
This was the second time Naruto had seen this scene.
For everyone else, it was their first.
Across the world—whether civilians, wealthy merchants, nobles, or shinobi—people were left speechless for a long time.
Especially the ordinary people who weren't ninja.
Different perspectives led to different views. Before this, they believed shinobi were heartless monsters—give them enough money, and they would carry out any mission.
Convenient tools.
And yet…
"Do you remember?" someone spoke up. "That man was a Kage—leader of the ninja alliance!"
"Yeah… that really is an incredible kind of growth."
[Unlike the audience before the footage, the Fourth Kazekage within it still doubted his son, declaring that he would personally test Gaara's capacity once more—to see if he was even qualified to become Kazekage!!]
"You bastard, what kind of Kazekage are you, believe it!!" Naruto shouted at the image in rage.
"Hey! Idiot Naruto!" Sakura glanced nervously at the three siblings from Sunagakure.
Thankfully, they didn't react to Naruto's words at all. Instead, only Gaara looked confused as to why Naruto was suddenly angry.
[In the footage, another battlefield—]
["Ōnoki, you remember, don't you? What happened after the war." The Tsuchikage in the footage suddenly spoke. "Once the war ended, alliances became meaningless. Everyone would turn on each other to seize the spoils. Only the victorious village would gain control in the postwar era."]
...