"Wake up, you bastard!" In the forest outside Konoha, Naruto, his face set with determination, drove a fist down from atop the massive sand tanuki's head.
With a resounding crash, Gaara's face twisted, blood spraying from the corner of his mouth as his black-rimmed eyes opened slightly in confusion.
"Uzumaki Naruto... he broke through Shukaku's defenses?" Still dazed from just waking up, his body not yet fully recovered, Gaara suddenly saw Naruto's face rapidly grow larger before his eyes. The next moment—
Bang!
Their foreheads slammed violently together. Gaara was immediately left reeling, his head thrown backward as the enormous Shukaku beneath him simultaneously crumbled apart. Horror filled his eyes. "This guy... does he have a death wish?!"
The two fell together and hit the ground almost at the same time, kicking up clouds of dust. Neither could move for a long while.
After a long time, Naruto shakily rose to his feet. His vision was blurry, but he still forced himself to walk toward Gaara, blood continually streaming from his forehead.
Gaara, lying on the ground, struggled to turn his head. As he watched Naruto approach step by step, a panicked expression appeared on his face for the first time.
"Don't... don't come any closer!"
As he spoke those words, an emotion he had never felt before arose within him. Only later did he understand that it was called "panic."
Naruto stopped before him and slowly reached out, grabbing his collar and pulling him close.
Gaara gritted his teeth, fear flashing through his eyes, but the blow he expected never came.
"Being alone is lonely, isn't it? A life without friends or family, where you have to bear everything by yourself... it's hard, isn't it?"
"Hm?" Gaara froze and looked at Naruto in confusion. As their eyes met, he