"Hmph, there's no way that thing can break through my Absolute Defense!"
Gaara sneered.
He was now using his strongest form besides the False Darkness Technique.
His Absolute Defense was far beyond what he'd used against Sasuke.
Only Naruto in Konoha could fight him, and now he was going to defeat his one and only opponent!
"Feel the hatred. Feel what it's like to be rejected by the world. You know exactly what that's like, don't you?"
Gaara could sense the dark aura inside Naruto.
What was he pretending for?
As a Jinchuriki, Gaara could truly feel a hatred far more terrifying than his own!
Why hadn't Naruto fallen further into Blackening?
Why didn't he hate the world, just like Gaara did?
"Hey! Before you start talking to yourself, how about watching your opponent use a technique?"
In the blink of an eye, Naruto appeared in front of Gaara.
That impenetrable, super-strong wall of sand had finally been shattered by the Thunderstorm Rasengan.
Terrifying destructive power and electricity surged from Naruto's hand.
It pulverized all the sand inside Gaara's gourd!
Even Gaara's own sand couldn't escape the technique's overwhelming power.
And so—
Beneath the dazzling radiance—
Sasuke, painfully aware of his own weakness, witnessed the scene with his own eyes.
"Naruto's gotten this strong!"
Sasuke Uchiha felt as if something were stuck in his throat.
He didn't hate others for being stronger. He hated himself for not being strong enough!
If his peers were all opponents on Gaara and Naruto's level,
then how could Sasuke, with only his current strength, stand against them?
Let alone defeat Itachi Uchiha!
Weakness was a ninja's original sin!
"How can I gain even greater strength? How can I surpass him, surpass that man? Damn it!"
The brighter the light before his eyes,
the more his heart ached.
He hadn't felt this helpless in a long time.
Had he let down his guard around those around him from that moment on?
Sasuke touched his chest.
His consciousness blurred little by little from his injuries.
Because of Naruto Uzumaki!
That idiot who was always going on about bonds had made him feel safe, causing him to lower his guard without realizing it.
"Damn it!"
There had been no one left for Sasuke to care about.
He would never trust anyone again.
"Cut them off! Use Chidori, use a blade—cut off every bond and become stronger!"
Sasuke grew stronger through his pain.
His blood-red eyes watched the battle.
The yellow sand formed a barrier, trying to stop the raging Thunderstorm Rasengan.
But it was all destroyed!
Naruto was shouting, his face brimming with the joy of battle.
He was thrilled that his self-developed technique had worked.
"One day, I'll create the Wind Lightning God Rasengan! Hahaha!"
Naruto's attack left even Gaara feeling powerless.
"You're releasing your hatred, your negativity, your darkness!"
Gaara's sorrow turned to joy.
In his eyes, Naruto had completely released his other side and was becoming just like him!
"What do you mean, darkness?"
Naruto clenched his hand, and the Thunderstorm Rasengan's last bit of chakra ran out.
"It means being just like me."
Gaara had no companions, no one who understood how he felt.
Then he met Naruto. They were both Jinchuriki, both hiding their pain.
It made Gaara feel both unsettled and curious.
The impact left Gaara unable to defend himself for a moment.
He crashed through more than a dozen trees in a row.
But half of his body had already turned to yellow sand, and with Shukaku's chakra to rely on, Gaara still got back up without a hint of fear.
His combat techniques, Body Flicker Technique, Kekkei Genkai, and Tailed Beast Chakra all seemed inadequate against Naruto.
But to Gaara, seeing someone else swallowed by darkness just like him was the best thing imaginable!
It felt like finding someone of his own kind.
It was like being lost in boundless darkness and knowing that, even if someone else was far away and beyond your reach, they were still out there.
In the darkness, I'm not alone!
That was what Gaara thought.
To a lonely monster, someone of his own kind could be just as distant as the horizon.
As for companions—
Don't hope for too much. Just pretend you don't need them.
Gaara looked up at Naruto, standing atop the treetops.
"You're in pain and lonely, too, aren't you? You'll never have any companions either."
How wonderful.
Someone of his own kind, suffering just as much as he was.
Gaara spoke without holding back.
"Pain?"
Naruto looked down at Gaara.
He stood like a victor, above it all.
"Don't make me laugh, Gaara."
"Why would I feel pain or loneliness?"
Naruto stood with the sky at his back.
The sun haloed his figure.
The darkness and hatred Gaara sensed were expanding and surging at an incredible rate.
But Naruto spread his arms in wild delight, like a Seraphim descending into hell!
"Gaara."
"You're consumed by hatred and anger, so you feel pain and loneliness and think that's what darkness is."
"No."
Naruto unleashed endless darkness.
In Gaara's eyes, even the heavens turned pitch-black.
"Without hatred, how can you take revenge? Without loneliness, how can you grow stronger? Without anger, how can you be yourself?"
"Darkness is the void that holds light. Turn every bit of your darkness into strength, then break everything that makes you hate, feel lonely, angry, and hurt!"
Naruto pointed at Gaara.
He was dazzling beyond measure.
"Gaara, I'm here to help you!"
"First, make that guy inside you learn to obey. Either work together or suppress him!"
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself like some kid from the Ninja Academy!"
Naruto was too powerful.
So powerful that even darkness was under his control.
The darkness and loneliness that others feared were, to Naruto, nothing but an overwhelming force that let him crush his opponents!
If you're afraid of my power, that's your problem.
Why should I have to bear the burden of everything?
Did anyone choose to become a Jinchuriki from birth?
Naruto had!
"You're going to help me?"
After Naruto had beaten him again and again, Gaara felt he was losing control.
"No. No one can control a Tailed Beast."
"This is the pain we Jinchuriki are fated to endure."
"You're lying!"
Gaara had never seen anyone overcome darkness through sheer will.
And no one could possibly turn it into a power they controlled!
Many people had told him how strong his murderous intent was, but this was the first time he'd ever been struck by such a dark, overpowering aura.
"Gaara, what the hell are you babbling about?"
Naruto clenched his fist, and in the next instant appeared in front of Gaara.
With Lightning Release Chakra Mode activated, every step was a Body Flicker Technique.
"Chakra Enhanced Strength!"
Naruto's punch unleashed a blast of chakra powerful enough to smash through a wall.
The Shukaku Chakra in Gaara's abdomen was blown away.
One punch sent Gaara flying dozens of meters.
"Cough! Cough!"
Gaara coughed up blood and started to get to his feet.
Naruto immediately planted a foot on him, pinning him to the ground.
"Hey!"
"Cut the crap. Can you make that tanuki inside you come out first or not?"
"I've been able to feel that a fox in there's been pissed off ever since we started fighting."
Naruto kicked down hard.
Gaara, who'd still had a thread of consciousness left, was knocked completely senseless.
The yellow sand covering his body rapidly thickened.
His body swelled until he was like a sandstorm.
False Darkness Technique!
"Hey."
Naruto kicked down again, thoroughly annoyed.
"Did I tell you to take a nap?"
"I said to make that tanuki come out!"
Bang!
Another kick completely defeated Gaara, who had tried to use the False Darkness Technique.
With nothing holding him back, Shukaku finally unleashed all of his chakra!