Gaara, who had been barely clinging to life, felt the surge of golden Yang Release energy enter him. His breathing quickly stabilized, and the pale complexion of his face gradually regained a hint of color.
It was clear that his body was rapidly recovering.
"What kind of medical ninjutsu is this?" Kakashi asked, lowering his gaze to Naruto as he administered the technique on Gaara. Curiosity tinged his voice. He had never seen a medical ninjutsu work so swiftly and effectively.
"This technique, Eight Directions Restoration, is my own creation. It's a Yang Release medical ninjutsu," Naruto explained as he carefully treated Gaara.
Kakashi nodded slightly, intrigued.
"You see, the essence of medical ninjutsu is actually the conversion of Yang Release energy, right?" Naruto continued, his hands steady as he poured life force into Gaara.
"Yes," Kakashi replied.
"I've developed my control over Yang Release to a certain level. Not quite at the level of the First Hokage, but through Sage Mode, I can directly wield the power of Yang Release."
"Compared to traditional medical ninjutsu, Yang Release is pure life energy. There's no secondary conversion needed, so its effect is naturally far stronger than conventional medical ninjutsu."
"Even Lady Tsunade might not be able to do this," Kakashi murmured, impressed.
"Lady Tsunade is indeed skilled with Yang Release, but without Sage Mode, she can only heal herself. She can't apply it to others in the same way," Naruto said, shaking his head.
"I see," Kakashi nodded, processing the explanation.
Under Naruto's Eight Directions Restoration, Gaara's body rapidly healed. Slowly, he opened his eyes.
"You… are… Naruto Uzumaki?" Gaara's voice wavered slightly as he gazed at Naruto, who stood close by.
"Yes, it's me. That fool you tricked so thoroughly," Naruto said with mock annoyance, though his expression held warmth.
"Sorry," Gaara said sincerely after a brief pause.
Seeing Gaara's clear green eyes, Naruto's mischievous side flared for a moment. He ruffled Gaara's red hair and gave his pale face a playful roughing-up.
Gaara blinked, stunned, as Naruto finally stopped, placing a warm hand on his head. Naruto smiled gently. "There, evened out now, right?"
Gaara stared at Naruto, at his golden hair, feeling the warmth radiating from his hand. For a moment, it felt as though he was seeing the sun itself.
"Why are you here?" Gaara asked suddenly, remembering being taken away by the Akatsuki.
"Of course, I came to save you," Naruto said matter-of-factly.
"But… I once deceived you," Gaara murmured, a hint of shame in his voice.
"Ah, that kind of thing… If it were me assigned to a mission like that, I'd have no choice either," Naruto said, scratching the back of his head.
"You remember what I said before, right? That you and I are the same kind of people," Naruto said, looking into Gaara's eyes.
"Jinchuriki?" Gaara guessed.
"Not just jinchuriki," Naruto shook his head. "It's also your personality and the inner side of your heart."
Gaara blinked, slightly taken aback.
"The first time I saw you, feeling the tailed beast's chakra within you, I knew you were like me a jinchuriki. And I saw the same coldness, the same guarded personality."
"You're similar to that other guy," Naruto said, eyes narrowing as he studied Gaara. He saw in Gaara a reflection of his own darker self the part of him exposed when the Nine-Tails' chakra threatened to take over.
Gaara did not understand who Naruto referred to.
"We really are alike," Naruto continued.
Gaara hesitated before replying, "No… you and I are completely different."
"You are like the sun," Gaara thought silently, "while I am cold sand buried beneath the earth. How could we be the same?"
"No, Gaara. If it weren't for people who cared about me, who were willing to be my friends and brothers, I would have been exactly like you," Naruto said earnestly.
In his mind, images of Iruka-sensei, Might Guy, Aunt Mikoto, the Third Hokage, Sasuke, Hinata all those who had shown him kindness floated before him.
Without them, he would have fallen into darkness, just as Gaara once had.
The dark side of Naruto that had emerged under the Nine-Tails' influence mirrored Gaara's past, a past of isolation and pain.
Kakashi quietly observed Naruto, a flicker of complex emotions in his eyes.
Gaara remained silent, sunlight streaming over his red hair and Naruto's golden strands.
Naruto's hand stayed on Gaara's head, radiating warmth.
He looked into Gaara's still-curious green eyes, then drew in a deep breath. The gentle smile faded, replaced by a rare, somber expression from his past.
"Ever since I was young…" Naruto's voice dropped, carrying the weight of old memories, "…I was looked at with fear and suspicion by everyone in the village."
Gaara's eyes shifted slightly.
Though he knew Naruto was also a jinchuriki, hearing the details made the story feel painfully real.
"They called me the 'Demon Fox,'" Naruto continued, a faint bitterness underlying his words. "Not the impressive-sounding 'Nine-Tails' jinchuriki,' just… 'Demon Fox.'"
"When I walked through the streets, adults would hastily pull their children away, as if avoiding a plague. Shopkeepers would hide their goods or drive me away…"
Kakashi's eyes lingered on Naruto's seemingly calm face, knowing the depth of the young boy's suffering, the pain hidden beneath the surface.
"At that time, I saw a mask I really wanted. I had the money and wanted to buy it, but the shopkeeper would rather smash it than sell it to me."
Gaara's breath caught.
He had thought his own life, full of betrayal, fear, and assassination attempts, was the epitome of loneliness.
Yet listening to Naruto, he realized that feeling of collective rejection the cold, disdainful treatment from the entire community was remarkably similar.
The difference was the form of the cruelty. For Gaara, it had come as deliberate, bloody betrayal from Sand Village's elite. For Naruto, it was the cold indifference and hostility of ordinary people.
He felt as though he were looking at another abandoned child, seeing the same shadowed past beneath Naruto's golden hair through his green eyes.
"You…" Gaara parted his lips, unsure what to ask. How could Naruto endure such malice?
It contrasted so sharply with the warmth and determination Naruto now radiated a sun where there had once been shadows.
Naruto seemed to read Gaara's unspoken question. He lightly patted Gaara's head, conveying strength and reassurance. "Does it seem strange to you? How someone like me could become… this?"