Is that her?
Though the girl in the footage was just a short little bean sprout, Gaara still recognized her at a glance—it was that Uchiha girl, sothing like Uchiha what's-her-na.
Gaara had a deep impression of Satsuki. Besides the sharp strength and Sharingan she'd displayed in the preliminaries, the main reason was that every ti he saw Naruto, this girl was almost like conjoined twins, following closely at Naruto's side, those black eyes always vigilantly surveying the surroundings.
Then, in this mory segnt, Gaara saw little Naruto receiving for the first ti from a peer pure goodwill without any impurities or fear.
This black-haired, black-eyed girl didn't scream and run away like other children, nor did she cast disgusted or distant looks.
Little Naruto seed sowhat happy, saying sothing to this girl as pretty as a doll. And little Satsuki showed no signs of disgust either. Just like that, these two tiny figures actually began training together on that training ground, clumsy yet earnest...
First that powerful old man, then that ran shop owner, now... is it her again? Gaara thought silently.
He watched mory fragnts flow, just finding it sowhat strange when little Naruto learned little Satsuki's na—that abnormally odd reaction as if confirming sothing didn't seem like rely the joy of making a friend.
mory's flow began accelerating, like flipping pages. Simultaneously, so extrely brief, blurry black fragnts interspersed throughout, flashing past. Gaara couldn't see clearly what those were.
Were they... secrets he didn't want outsiders to know? The secrets deepest in Naruto's consciousness that he least wanted others to know were protected by his heart.
Gaara was like watching a film on fast-forward, watching days pass one by one.
From that day forward, Naruto's life trajectory completely changed. After learning about those malicious rumors regarding Naruto in the village, Uchiha Satsuki not only didn't distance herself but beca furious at those groundless slanders, even nearly coming to blows with several children who spoke ill of Naruto once. Moreover, Satsuki was different from that old man and the ran shop owner before.
Little Naruto and little Satsuki agreed to train together at their secret little base whenever free, or simply stay together. From initially eting three tis a week, four tis... to five tis... until finally, they t almost every single day, inseparable.
Gaara clearly saw that—though probably even Naruto himself never noticed—that disappointnt and detachnt perating his eyes toward "hotown" was gradually fading and lting away under that black-haired girl's day-by-day companionship. Those blue eyes were reinfused with radiance, ignited with anticipation and longing for each brand-new tomorrow...
I see... Gaara seed to sowhat understand now—understand why Naruto ultimately didn't fall into darkness like himself but instead grew into his current sun-like warm appearance.
It was because... there was always soone pulling him back, pulling him toward the light...
"..."
Just as Gaara imrsed himself in this unprecedented tranquility, attempting to sort through the chaotic thoughts in his mind.
"Stupid fox! You spineless coward! You've actually fallen so low as to collude with despicable humans! Have you forgotten our nearly hundred years of imprisoned suffering? You're simply a disgrace to us Tailed Beasts!"
A massive, hoarse roar full of unwillingness and humiliated rage suddenly exploded beside Gaara's ear! Hearing this familiar voice, Gaara's heart suddenly contracted, ice-cold fear instantly crawling up his spine throughout his entire body.
It... woke up? Was he... going to return to that lightless, desperate state filled with killing desires and endless whispers again? Was this brief tranquility ultimately just reflected flowers in water?
The next mont, those warm mory scenes around him shattered like torn photographs, rapidly disintegrating and dissipating into darkness. When Gaara's consciousness broke free from this torrent and "opened" his eyes again, what entered his vision was another scene.
Gaara didn't know where this was. This was his first ti arriving at his own seal space—this was a spacious area pervaded with water vapor.
A massive Nine-Tailed Fox with orange-red fur emanating fierce oppressive power was using one giant claw to firmly press another constantly struggling, relatively short and pudgy tanuki constructed of sand grains—Shukaku—onto the rippling water surface.
"Shut up, stupid tanuki." The Nine-Tails' massive eyes were full of disdain, its tone carrying condescending mockery. "What does a waste with only one tail, controlled by genjutsu like a puppet on strings, understand? I never expected that after so little ti, you'd completely forgotten the old man's words."
"What?! Don't tell you really think this brat is the person from the old man's prophecy?! Stupid fox! After being sealed so many years, has your brain gone bad?!" Pressed to the ground, Shukaku still roared unwillingly, its sand-grain body violently twisting.
"Hey, watch your words." The Nine-Tails' claw exerted slightly more pressure, making Shukaku's struggles futile. "Reasoning with a stubborn idiot like you is purely wasting my ti. Forget it." It seed to lose patience, turning its head toward another direction in the consciousness space. "Alright, Naruto, I've temporarily 'persuaded' this guy. Don't waste ti—reinforce the seal now."
"Damn it! Stupid fox! I'll definitely kill you!!"
Shukaku released an impotent furious roar, but no matter how it mobilized chakra, it couldn't shake the suppression under the Nine-Tails' absolute power.
The Nine-Tails seed sowhat annoyed by its noise. The claw pressing its head suddenly added several degrees more force.
"Wugh—!"
Shukaku's massive body suddenly stiffened, limbs instantly stretched taut straight, even its voice pressed back into its throat by this trendous force, then finally completely went limp, leaving only rough, resentful panting sounds, temporarily "quiet."
anwhile, nearby, Naruto appearing in youth form here watched the Nine-Tails' nearly "bullying" suppression of Shukaku with sowhat helpless sigh. He didn't say much, his hands rapidly forming a series of complex seals before his chest.
"Eight Trigrams Seal!"
With his shout, powerful sealing force began perating throughout this consciousness space.
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