Gaara

Sunagakure)

In a private conference room for senior executives.

Several elders were engaged in a heated debate about whether Gaara was truly suitable to be the Kazekage.

"There's no precedent in our Sand shinobi history for Jinchūriki to serve as the Kazekage," a young advisor said, frowning. "Setting such a precedent in the Shinobi World rashly could be disastrous, given the example of the Mist Ninja— "

"Yura, the Mist Ninja are always shrouded in mystery, and their intelligence might not be reliable," Ebizo interrupted him with displeasure, glancing around the room. "Elders and advisors, after these few days of discussion, I think we should at least have reached a consensus, which is..."

He paused, his aged yet resolute gaze sweeping over the people seated in the conference room, and slowly said, "... Gaara is indeed the best candidate for the next Kazekage of Sunagakure at present."

Several elders who opposed Gaara raised an eyebrow, but uttered no objection.

They've been discussing and even debating the issue of the next Kazekage for quite some time now.

Little progress has been made on the issue.

Aside from the consensus that no one other than Gaara is suitable to serve as Kazekage, the rest of the discussion has been a back-and-forth struggle.

Neither of them can concede to the other.

Of course, one can never be too careful when it comes to such a matter that concerns the future and fate of Sunagakure.

The opposition's reasons were very valid: after all, Gaara's previous behavior was quite frightening; he was too bloodthirsty, his thoughts were violent and extremely unstable, making him seem like a complete antisocial element. Furthermore, considering that he was the One-Tail Jinchuriki, his unstable mental state made people extremely worried that Gaara would lose control and release Shukaku, causing endless harm!

If such a person were to become the Kazekage, it would be difficult to predict whether it would be a blessing or a curse for the Sunagakure.

The high-ranking officials who supported Gaara valued the changes that occurred after Gaara returned from Konoha: he seemed to have become more "human" and started to care about his comrades.

Especially Ebizo and Chiyo, who only recently emerged from seclusion, had only heard about Gaara's past cruelty and bloodshed. In recent times, they had seen Gaara with their own eyes, and he was a humble and calm young man, showing no trace of his past tyranny. Naturally, they did not think there was anything wrong with Gaara.

On the other hand, Gaara Jinchūriki that his strength could reach the level of Kage Level, and the Sunagakure currently couldn't even find many people of that level. Even Baki was a little short of that level. Therefore, Gaara's status was actually an advantage!

Neither of them can concede to the other.

Because the number of opponents and supporters is close, it is impossible to pass a resolution by majority vote to vote on this issue.

The high-ranking officials, whether they supported or opposed Gaara, began to tire of the endless debate.

For a moment, everyone stopped talking and fell silent, deep in thought.

"Gentlemen, I think if we continue this discussion, even if we argue for another month, we won't make any progress. Ebizo and I didn't come out of seclusion to argue. In that case, I have a compromise suggestion," Chiyo suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence, and said calmly.

"Why not postpone the selection of the Kazekage for another year? Gaara is applying to join the regular army, isn't he? It's a good time to observe him there for a while, and also give other new recruits time to grow. We can discuss the Kazekage selection again a year later!"

"Wait another year?" some voices questioned.

Chiyo nodded and explained, "That's right. For the next year, the village's main task is to bide its time, recuperate, and focus on nurturing new talent. So even without Kazekage, the village's operations won't be severely hampered. This is better than us hastily choosing an unsuitable Kazekage!"

The elder who had raised the question hesitated for a moment, then said, "A year... well, the village can wait another year!"

The crowd whispered amongst themselves, exchanging pleasantries. Soon, the compromise idea gained majority approval. "Seconded!" / "Seconded!" / "Agreed!" / "I agree!"

Once a consensus was reached, minor issues were quickly acknowledged.

Then he summoned Gaara directly, and Baki personally handed the official military appointment letter to the dark-eyed boy.

"Gaara, your application has been approved. From now on, you are a member of the Sand shinobi's regular forces!" Baki said to his student in his usual stern and indifferent voice.

"Thank you, teacher." Gaara bowed slightly to Baki and calmly accepted the scroll and documents.

"Do your best in the regular army." Baki patted Gaara's shoulder firmly. He wasn't good with words, much less with expressing his emotions. He simply looked at Gaara deeply, offered a sincere word of encouragement, and then said, "Alright, you can go now."

Gaara nodded to each of the high-ranking officials present and then turned to leave.

"Wait, Gaara!" Chiyo suddenly spoke up, extending her withered, twig-like hand to stop Gaara. "Why did you join the regular army...?"

She had just noticed that many people in the conference room were quite dismissive of this resignation; the high-ranking officers in charge of the regular troops happened to be the very same opposition members Gaara.

In their eyes, Gaara is probably just a terrifying weapon prone to going out of control, right?

Chiyo frowned deeply. She had initially thought Gaara joining the regular army was simply a way to hone his skills and incidentally enhance his reputation. However, if his superiors were prejudiced against him and everyone else in the unit feared him...

That might not be a training exercise, but rather torture.

Chiyo was curious as to why Gaara, knowing that the higher-ups were prejudiced against him, still chose to join the military.

"... when everyone is prejudiced against or fearful of you?"

Upon hearing Chiyo's question, Gaara abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"A year ago, my connection with the village and with everyone was nothing but hatred and fear... I used to think that was a good thing." He stopped at the meeting room door, turned his head slightly, and said calmly, "But after going to the Land of Fire, some people changed my mind... Now I hope to gain the recognition and bonds of my companions, and no longer live alone."

He turned around, and deep within his seemingly calm eyes lay a burning passion.

"I know that changing everyone's perception of me will be a long and painful process. But if I do nothing, the lonely road ahead will be even longer and more painful for me..."

Ultimately, no one can live alone.

Gaara has tasted too much of the pain of loneliness, a feeling more unbearable than any other suffering.

"Joining the regular army, gaining everyone's recognition, and building bonds with the village—that's my current plan..."

The people present were somewhat surprised, even a little moved... Gaara actually said such a thing; it was quite different from the murderous maniac they remembered.

The once-fierce Jinchūriki has lost the savagery in his eyes; he has become much more peaceful and more "human."

The gourd he carried on his back, once soaked in blood and exuding a bloody smell that penetrated to the bone, now seemed to have faded away.

When that face, which was always twisted into a ferocious expression, calmed down, and his bloodshot eyes regained their clarity, and the texture of his Chakra became as smooth as fine sand, as if carrying the fragrance of earth, some people realized that Gaara, standing in this conference room, after shedding that layer of ferocity, was actually such a clean-cut young man.

Finally, someone discovered what Gaara had figured out during the past six months, after deeply reflecting on his own fate.

"Gaara, you..." someone suddenly asked, "Do you want to become the Kazekage?"

Gaara remained silent for a moment.

"Yes. Becoming the Kazekage is my goal." He nodded.

His expression remained calm throughout, showing neither excitement nor joy, except for a touch of solemnity when he uttered those words.

"Is that so..." The person who asked the question fell silent, lowering their eyes and saying nothing more.

"You can leave now, Gaara."

The conference room door slammed shut with a bang.

Gaara's figure gradually faded into the distance, leaving behind the elders lost in thought.

Long-held stereotypes about Gaara won't suddenly change because of a single meeting, but...

The seeds of change will be sown in their hearts. As more and more positive stories about Gaara, rather than the negative, bloody, and brutal events, reach their ears, these seeds will take root, sprout, and grow strong under the Amaterasu.

For a long time.

Then someone said, "Then, let's move on to the next topic..."

He was speaking when he was suddenly interrupted.

"Urgent message from Konoha!" The door was suddenly pushed open, and a clumsy ninja barged in.

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