"It shouldn't hurt that much."
"After all, Naruto had that seal placed on him as a baby, and it was the Nine-Tails that was sealed."
Between Shukaku and Kurama, no matter how you compared them, this process shouldn't be worse than what Naruto Uzumaki had endured.
At least… that was Chinatsu's logic.
Without waiting any longer, she raised her hand
Smack!
Her palm landed directly on Gaara's abdomen.
Gaara's face twitched slightly.
Chinatsu blinked and looked up at him.
"…Did that hurt?"
"That shouldn't have happened."
Gaara stared at her blankly.
"You hit too hard."
"…Oh."
Chinatsu coughed lightly and withdrew her hand.
She had subconsciously used the same strength she used on Naruto and Sasuke. After years of rough training, the two of them had durability far beyond normal genin.
If that same strike had landed on Naruto, he might've complained that she wasn't using enough strength.
But Gaara… was different.
As Chinatsu removed her hand, a new seal pattern formed over Gaara's abdomen.
It wasn't the Eight Trigrams Seal like Naruto's, but a reinforced layering based on the Four Symbols Seal, stabilizing the already existing seal placed by Sunagakure.
There was no need to completely overwrite it.
Doing so would restrict Gaara's ability to access Shukaku's chakra in emergencies.
Instead
She strengthened control.
Inside Gaara's mental space, the change was immediate.
The seal around Shukaku shifted, tightening like a reinforced barrier.
Shukaku blinked.
Then roared.
"What did you do?!"
It slammed violently against the cage.
Once
Twice
Again and again
But this time, the seal didn't budge at all.
Not even slightly.
Nearby, Kurama watched with clear amusement.
"…Pathetic."
Shukaku turned, furious.
"You think you're better?!"
Kurama smirked.
"I am better."
Shukaku roared again, but something had changed.
The connection
The influence
Was weakened.
Back in reality, Gaara's expression shifted.
The constant buzzing… the endless whispering…
It faded.
Not completely gone
But distant.
Like a voice turned down.
"…It's quiet."
His voice trembled slightly.
"…finally quiet…"
The tension that had wrapped around his mind for years dissolved instantly.
Relief flooded in.
Then
Exhaustion.
Overwhelming, crushing exhaustion.
Before he could react
Gaara's body went limp.
Inside his mind, everything faded to darkness.
In reality, Gaara swayed.
Chinatsu caught him before he fell.
"Looks like he's finally shutting down."
She adjusted her grip slightly, supporting his weight.
"This kid hasn't slept properly in years. He'll probably sleep for a long time."
"Let him stay here."
Naruto immediately raised his hand.
"No problem!"
Sasuke clicked his tongue softly.
"…Tch."
He didn't object.
But his expression clearly said he wasn't pleased.
Another person sticking close to his sister… how annoying.
As expected, Gaara slept for a long time.
Days passed.
Chakra was slowly supplied to him just enough to maintain his physical condition, much like sustaining a patient.
After all, chakra was a fusion of physical and mental energy.
Restoring one helped restore the other.
During that time, Gaara dreamed.
Fragments of memory.
Loneliness.
Fear.
Pain.
And something new
Silence.
Peace.
Eventually
His eyes opened.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
Gaara blinked slowly.
His mind was still sluggish.
He turned his head slightly, scanning the room.
It took him several seconds to process where he was.
At that moment
Naruto leaned forward.
"You're awake!"
Sasuke stood nearby, arms crossed.
"…Took you long enough."
Naruto grinned and handed something over.
"Here! You must be hungry!"
In his hand was a small hamburger Chinatsu's homemade version.
Gaara hesitated.
Then slowly reached out and took it.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then glanced at Naruto.
Another Jinchūriki.
Someone who had suffered… but wasn't broken.
"…Did she change this?"
Gaara muttered faintly.
He took a bite.
The taste spread across his tongue.
Warm.
Simple.
Real.
A tear slid down his cheek.
"…It's good."
......
The next day.
Temari and Kankuro arrived at the Uchiha compound.
Both of them were visibly relieved after seeing Gaara's condition.
They expressed their gratitude formally, respectfully.
After all, what Chinatsu had done wasn't something that could be repaid casually.
Temari stepped forward.
"Gaara has recovered… so we should return to Sunagakure."
"We've stayed in Konoha long enough."
"With the Chunin Exams postponed, there's no reason for us to remain."
Her tone was polite but firm.
At that moment
Gaara, along with Naruto and Sasuke, walked back toward the entrance.
Kankuro smiled slightly.
"Gaara, let's go."
Gaara stopped.
"…You go ahead."
"I'm staying."
Silence.
"…What?"
Kankuro froze.
Temari's expression stiffened.
"Gaara… what are you saying?"
Kankuro scratched his head awkwardly.
"I get it, but… that's not how this works."
"You're the Jinchūriki of Sunagakure."
"If you stay here, people will misunderstand."
"Hostage… defection… it'll cause trouble."
Temari nodded slightly.
"This isn't just about you."
They weren't rejecting his feelings.
They were bound by reality.
Chinatsu watched the scene quietly.
Then
She raised one finger.
"No reason?"
"Then we'll make one."
She smiled.
At that exact moment
Inside the Hokage's office
Hiruzen Sarutobi sneezed suddenly.
"…Huh?"
He rubbed his nose, frowning.
A bad feeling crept up.
In his hand was a report from the Forest of Death.
Ever since Chinatsu's previous attack
That area had become unstable.
Approaching it caused dizziness, nausea, even chakra disruption.
"…That technique…"
Hiruzen's expression darkened.
"…it has lingering effects?"
He slowly exhaled.
"…What exactly did that girl create…"
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