I Want to Reform Sunagakure, and I... Need Your Help.

Are you sure you really understand what that means?

Gaara looked at Naruto and asked, "Does this guy really understand what those words mean?"

Naruto's smug expression froze instantly, and he shouted angrily, "Shut up! You're so long-winded!"

Gaara was taken aback, then wondered if he had gone a bit too far, since he was asking someone else.

Seeing Gaara like this, Naruto assumed it was his own attitude that caused him to react this way.

Remembering that Gaara was also Jinchūriki, her expression softened. "Alright~ Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"I know I don't fully understand what you meant by that, Ms. Hagoromo, but I will eventually."

"After all, I'm destined to become Hokage!"

Seeing Naruto speak with such certainty, Gaara inexplicably felt that he really was different from Naruto.

Although both are Jinchūriki, Naruto appears cheerful and has his own dreams.

"A few more words."

Gaara looked up at the sky, and after a long while, he spoke again.

"Go ahead and say it, I need to digest my food anyway."

Naruto rubbed his stomach as he spoke.

"Chiyo said that the village should be treated as her own, and anyone who dares to touch it will have their claws chopped off!"

"So fierce."

Naruto frowned, then said, "But that statement is correct."

"What do you mean?" Gaara asked again.

"Actually, you should understand what that means, but judging from your behavior just now until now, it seems no one has given you a proper response."

"Or rather, it can't give you the response you want, right?"

Gaara was stunned, and after a long while, he nodded and said, "Yes, I feel that none of the other people's answers match the answer in my heart."

"You really are a strange person."

Naruto pursed his lips; Gaara always seemed like a fussy bum to him.

They neither express their true thoughts nor seek answers that resonate with them.

"However, whoever said that to you, that person is indeed right."

"Protecting villages requires this kind of determination, but it also depends on the location."

"To regard the village as one's own can be understood as to regard it as the most important part of one's life. The teacher once said that a ninja is someone who can endure, and the most important thing is the perseverance to never give up."

"As for the Hokage, who leads all the Konoha Ninja, one can understand him as someone who must endure pain and walk ahead of everyone else."

"It's not that you need to become Hokage to gain everyone's approval, but rather that you need to be recognized by everyone to become Hokage."

Seeing Naruto so full of confidence as he spoke, Gaara as if he had found the answer he was looking for.

"So, this is what I really think?"

Gaara couldn't help but ask himself, what exactly was the sand on his body?

Chiyo had already told him not long ago that this was a secret technique belonging to Sunagakure.

This technique is used at the cost of the user's own soul and Chakra.

It also reminded him of why Yashamaru sometimes stared at the gourd behind him like that.

So I've always been seeking approval from others, but I don't understand why everyone is so afraid of me.

One idea after another kept popping into Gaara's mind.

Although there is no answer for the time being, Gaara inexplicably wants to do the same thing as Naruto in front of him.

"If you consider the village as your home, then it doesn't matter who it is, as long as they are bad for the village."

"Whether it's outside or inside the village, as the Shadow, I must defeat these villains."

"Sometimes the worms inside are even more disgusting."

As Naruto spoke, he thought of Danzo, whom his father had told him about. At the time, he had thought Danzo was despicable and wondered how such a person could exist.

"Whether it's external or internal?"

Gaara murmured softly.

"Yes, the internal workings are the easiest to collapse."

Naruto nodded, recalling the words Minato Namikaze had spoken to him in the Sealing Space.

He always remembered.

You look completely different from me.

Gaara looked at Naruto and couldn't help but compare himself to him.

"What's different?" Naruto didn't quite understand what he meant.

"We're both Jinchūriki, but you're even more cheerful than me, as if no one has ever cared about your identity." Gaara said it very tactfully.

The word "monster" was not mentioned.

"You mean monsters, right?"

Naruto, on the other hand, spoke with a smile.

Why care about what others think? Living your own life is the best thing you can do!

"Besides, I have my most cherished friends and my favorite teachers, so I'm already very content."

Gaara remained silent, not uttering a word.

Naruto stood in front of Gaara, his face serious, and said, "Don't you have one too?"

"I?"

Gaara looked up, not understanding who Naruto was talking about.

"Down below, they've been keeping a close eye on us from the window."

Naruto spoke very calmly, something he had already noticed when he came up.

They simply ignored it.

Temari and Kankuro, who were crouching cautiously by the window, suddenly froze.

They thought they were hiding very well, but little did they know that they had already been discovered.

"Besides, I heard from your teacher that your older sister and brother protected you when you were injured, right?"

Having family is your greatest happiness. No matter what happens, family will always be your strongest support.

"I think it would be better if you shared your own thoughts with them, instead of asking me, an outsider."

After saying that, Naruto jumped off the roof with a backward leap, Temari and Kankuro inside the window as he passed by.

Kankuro smirked; this guy really knows how to put on an act.

"Naruto Uzumaki!"

Gaara stood up and called out to Naruto was already downstairs.

"Hmm? What's wrong?"

Naruto turned around, looking puzzled.

Are we... friends?

Gaara hesitated for a moment, then asked.

"Of course!" Naruto gave a thumbs up, a grin on his face.

"We are friends..."

Gaara murmured something again, and a slight smile finally appeared on his face.

"Temari, Kankuro, let's talk."

Gaara Sand Body Flicker to appear at the window, watching Temari and Kankuro as they prepared to leave the room.

"Um, Gaara, how about tomorrow?"

Temari turned around with an embarrassed smile. Getting caught eavesdropping was truly awkward.

"No, now."

"I want to reform Sunagakure, I... need your help."