"Are you a ninja?"
Karin, completely oblivious to Gaara's suffocating killing intent, lifted her microphone and held it right up to his face.
Her red eyes sparkled with excitement, that kind of nervous enthusiasm unique to a rookie reporter on her very first field assignment.
That innocent, almost warm energy was something Gaara had never encountered before.
For the first time, he froze—speechless.
"…"
After a long, tense pause, he finally muttered a single word.
"...Yes."
"Excuse me," Karin continued brightly, not noticing the shift in his tone, "why did you choose to become a ninja? Why not live as an ordinary person?"
That question struck a nerve.
Gaara's expression hardened instantly. His eyes grew cold, sharp, and dangerous—the faint tremor of his chakra thickening around him like smoke.
He didn't answer. He just stared at her, the pressure in the air growing heavier with each second.
"I'll answer that," Temari cut in quickly, her voice tight with alarm. "He's my younger brother, Gaara. My name is Temari. We didn't choose this life—we were born into it. Our destiny was decided before we even understood it."
The word "sister" made Gaara's breath hitch. For a moment, his killing aura faded.
But Karin's expression softened thoughtfully. "Destiny? That's pretty sad, don't you think? No one's truly destined to be anything. Everyone deserves a choice—even if it's between being a ninja, a merchant, or just… someone who lives peacefully."
Her voice was calm, but sincere. "Without choice, calling it destiny just sounds cruel."
Temari blinked. The words hit her harder than she expected.
Even Gaara's gaze wavered. Choice…?
Those simple words echoed in his mind like an accusation.
He had never been given one.
From the moment he was born, the decision was made for him—his body sealed with a monster, his life defined by fear and violence.
He wasn't a person to his village. He was a weapon.
And that realization twisted the heat in his chest into rage.
The sand around his feet trembled. His eyes darkened again, flickering between fury and pain.
Karin, still unaware, continued following her script.
"Then, little brother," she said, "let me ask this: since becoming a ninja, what have you gained… and what have you lost?"
Temari's heart stopped.
Even Kankurō tensed.
"You… what did you just say?"
Gaara's voice came out low and broken, like a growl from a wild beast. His breath grew rougher, his shoulders twitching.
"Gaara—please," Temari said softly, stepping closer. "Calm down. Remember why we came to Konoha. Please, it's alright—"
"Shut up!" Gaara roared suddenly, veins bulging along his temple. "If she asks another question, I'll kill her!"
Karin blinked in shock, her smile faltering for the first time. What the hell did I just say?
Kankurō stepped in front of Gaara, panic in his eyes. "Gaara, stop! Don't do this here!"
But Gaara shoved him aside, sand swirling violently behind him.
"I want to answer," Gaara hissed, his mouth twisting into a smile—one that sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"Gaara!" Temari cried.
But he didn't listen.
"As a ninja," he said slowly, eyes wide, grin stretching too far, "what I've gained… is power. Endless, unstoppable power!"
The gourd on his back cracked open.
Sand poured out in torrents, forming a monstrous claw that reached toward the sky, its shadow swallowing the street whole.
Karin's instincts screamed danger. Her chakra flared reflexively, her muscles tensing.
Gaara threw his head back and laughed—a harsh, broken sound. "Ahahahaha! Such power! Such beautiful, terrible power!"
Dong Dagu, trembling behind the camera, somehow kept filming. His hands were shaking, but he didn't dare stop.
He zoomed in on Gaara's face—those hollow eyes filled not with joy, but with agony, rage, and despair.
The image on the camera screen was terrifying… and heartbreakingly human.
Then, Gaara's laughter cut off.
His smile vanished, replaced by a flat, empty stare.
"You asked what I lost," he whispered. "I lost everything."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
Temari gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.
Kankurō's fists clenched, his face grim.
Gaara looked back at Karin, his tone razor-sharp. "Are you satisfied with that answer?"
Karin swallowed, her voice quiet. "I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that."
Gaara's lips twisted again. "If an apology fixed everything… what would ninjas fight for?"
He took a step forward, sand rising behind him like a tidal wave. "No. You'll pay for your carelessness—with your life!"
The giant sand claw surged upward, blotting out the sun. It came crashing down, ready to obliterate everything—Karin, Dong Dagu, and even the three trembling children behind them.
"Gaara!" Temari screamed.
But before the sand hit—
BOOM!
The claw shattered apart in midair, scattering harmlessly into the trees like dust in the wind.
Everyone froze.
A voice, calm but commanding, echoed through the street.
"I said, kid, maybe tone it down. You've got a nasty temper."
A figure stepped forward, bathed in golden sunlight.
An orange-and-black jacket, a swirling leaf symbol on the back.
His posture was relaxed, but his presence filled the space like thunder.
Karin blinked in disbelief. The back of that jacket… that stance… she knew it.
"W-Wow! It's Naruto-san!"
Konohamaru practically screamed the words, his eyes wide with hero-worship.
Even Udon and Moegi's jaws dropped.
Dong Dagu jolted upright, camera already whirring.
"Film! FILM NOW!" Karin barked, snapping out of her daze.
Dong Dagu obeyed instantly, swinging the camera to capture the scene—
Naruto Uzumaki, gripping Gaara by the neck with one hand.
Gaara thrashed and clawed, but it was useless. In Naruto's grasp, the Sand ninja looked as helpless as a child.
Naruto's eyes were calm, steady, and impossibly deep.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" Temari whispered. "Konoha's genius Jōnin."
Even Kankurō's jaw hung slack. Gaara—their Gaara—who could crush anyone his age, couldn't even move.
It shattered everything they thought they knew.
Naruto sighed lightly, setting Gaara back on his feet.
"Oh, right," he said casually. "You're Rasa's kid, aren't you? Figures. Your old man had the same short fuse. Guess he never bothered to teach you how to handle it."
He reached out and patted Gaara's shoulder, his tone shifting to something softer.
"Listen, brat. In this world, it's easy to pick up bad habits. But if you want to survive—if you want to actually live—you better start learning the good ones too."
And just like that, the street went silent.
Even the sand had stopped moving.
Behind the camera, Karin's heart was pounding.
In that moment, she realized she'd just filmed something monumental—
Konoha's hero meeting the monster of the Sand.
And somehow, for the first time…
The monster didn't look so scary anymore.
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