The moment those words left Chiyo's lips, Shigeo understood—they intended to abandon Gaara.
He stepped forward, voice calm but edged with disbelief.
"What are you planning to do?"
"Lord Mo-Kage," Chiyo said softly, bowing her head, "thank you for returning the One-Tail. Truly, we're grateful. But now… this is all we can do. Please understand."
"I don't."
His tone cut like steel. "If you won't save him, then I will. I'll take him myself."
Without another word, Shigeo strode into the operating room.
Inside, Shukaku roared—its chakra raging like a sandstorm—but the moment its gaze met Shigeo's, it faltered.
Some instinct within the beast recognized him, a strange, ancient familiarity.
For a heartbeat, its destruction paused.
"Mokuton: Shichūrō no Jutsu (Wood Release: Four-Pillar Prison)!"
Massive wooden pillars erupted, encasing the One-Tail in a lattice of living wood.
Shigeo knew that familiarity came from the fragment of Shukaku's chakra within himself.
But there was no time for sentiment—he had to save Gaara.
Because Gaara had once trusted him. Because he had once fought beside him. Because the boy had learned to restrain the Tailed Beast's rage through sheer will.
He couldn't let him die.
He placed suppression tags across the frame; the beast's struggle weakened, its body gradually calming as the prison tightened.
Soon, the chakra retracted, and Shukaku was drawn back into Gaara's body.
Shigeo immediately began treatment.
He had already stabilized Gaara's condition on the way here, but he needed medicine—antidotes, detoxifiers.
He did have herbs sealed within his great scroll, but they were years old—spoiled beyond safe use. That was why he had brought Gaara back to Sunagakure.
He hadn't expected them to give up on him so easily.
"Poor child…" he muttered under his breath.
As a boy, Gaara's own father had tried to kill him. Now grown, with his father gone, the village elders treated him as nothing more than a weapon.
Useful when controlled. Disposable when not.
Shigeo formed chakra needles, sealing the poison's flow within Gaara's bloodstream.
Then, swiftly, he scribbled down a list of antidote formulas and handed it to Chiyo outside.
"I need these injections. Immediately."
"O-Of course!" she stammered.
The ingredients were common, but the operating room's stores had been destroyed during Gaara's rampage.
She rushed off, gathering supplies.
Moments later, she returned, breathless.
"Lord Mo-Kage, these are ordinary antidotes—we've used them before. They don't work!"
"They'll work now," Shigeo replied flatly.
He took the vials and shut the door behind him, barring entry.
Inside, he prepared a syringe, inserted the needle into his own vein, and drew ten milliliters of his blood.
Then he mixed it with the antidote and injected it into Gaara's arm.
Seconds ticked by.
Minutes passed.
The boy's convulsions eased. His breathing steadied. The blue pallor of his skin faded to normal color.
Finally, his eyes fluttered open.
Through the haze of tears, he saw Shigeo and whispered, "You… saved me again…"
"Yes." Shigeo nodded slightly.
He knew why it had worked.
Years ago, he had consumed the Sage Slug's Sen Seidan (Immortal Purity Pill) in the Shikkotsu Forest. His blood neutralized toxins of any kind. That same immunity now flowed into Gaara.
Gaara's lips curved faintly.
Though still weak, he managed a smile—fragile but real.
He was only a teenager, yet burdened by a monster within him, living every day in pain and solitude.
Everyone feared him. Called him a weapon, a demon, a killer.
No one ever tried to change him—or to understand him.
"I remember," Shigeo said quietly, "when you were small, I reinforced your One-Tail seal myself. Why is it open now?"
Gaara frowned, recalling hazy memories.
"My father… had the elders remove it. I don't know why."
"I see." Shigeo exhaled. So that was it. They had misunderstood his earlier intent—to strengthen Gaara's control, not suppress his existence.
"Your poison's gone. Take care of yourself."
He turned toward the door. "I should be leaving."
But as he stepped away, Gaara's trembling hand caught the hem of his robe.
"Sensei… can I come with you? To Mo-nin Village?"
His eyes were steady, pleading—but not weak.
Shigeo paused, then looked back.
For a long moment, silence hung between them.
Finally, he nodded. "Fine. Come. A change of air might do you good. But we leave immediately. I'll wait for you on the southern coast of the Land of Rivers. Three days. If you don't appear, I'll go."
A faint smile crossed his lips as he ruffled the boy's hair.
"You're not afraid you'll lose control in Mo-nin Village?"
Gaara blinked. "Aren't you afraid I'll hurt someone?"
Shigeo smiled wider. "You're welcome to lose control anytime."
He left the room without looking back.
Outside, Chiyo bowed low, thanking him again and again, tears in her eyes.
He nodded slightly, his gaze shifting down the hall—
Where Kankurō and Temari stood.
Temari looked away quickly, shame flickering across her face.
Years ago, they had fought together in the allied genin tournament. Back then, they were equals.
Now, he had risen beyond reach—a figure the world called Mo-Kage—
While she had yet to pass even the Chūnin Exams.
Though only two years apart, the gap between them was no longer measurable in time.
Shigeo inclined his head politely to them both, then left the village.
Outside the gates, he rejoined Fujimaki and Miyako, heading toward the southern coast.
All the way, Fujimaki grumbled non-stop.
"Those fools from before—if they hadn't run so fast, I'd have torn them apart!"
"Master," Miyako sighed, "stop bluffing. You were the first one to hide. If not for Lord Shigeo, we'd all be dead. Speaking of that, Lord Shigeo, why didn't you save me earlier when they took me hostage? Was it because you don't like me? I've been confessing to you every day in Mo-nin Village and you're still like a block of ice! You really can't be moved?"
Shigeo didn't hesitate. "I don't like you."
The words hit her like a slap. She went silent instantly.
Three days later, on the southern coast of the Land of Rivers, Gaara appeared—backpack slung over one shoulder, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Sensei, I shook off the Sand's ANBU. Let's go!"
Shigeo's lips curved slightly. "Then let's go."
Their journey back was peaceful. Upon arriving at Mo-nin Village, Shigeo arranged a residence for Gaara.
And strangely, throughout the trip, no matter how much Fujimaki and Miyako tried to talk to him, Gaara never spoke.
Their chatter annoyed him, but toward Shigeo—he showed nothing but quiet respect.
Whatever Shigeo said, Gaara listened.
(End of Chapter)
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