The far other side.
Land of Wind, Sunagakure.
The sky is filled with wind and sand.
In this kind of weather, everyone should be hiding under the roof.
But the whole village was shrouded in a depressing and heavy atmosphere.
There were people standing on both sides of the street, and no one spoke. There was only the sound of the wind blowing up the gravel and hitting the walls, again and again, like some kind of silent whine.
Village entrance.
Kankuro stood there with a bandage on his arm and his face as pale as paper.
His eyes were fixed on the road leading to Desert in the distance, his eyes were red and his lips were trembling slightly.
He has been standing there for a long time.
From the moment he received the news, he stood there, motionless, like a sculpture.
Finally, several figures appeared in the yellow sand in the distance.
Kankuro's pupils shrank suddenly.
The team is getting closer.
At the forefront is Temari.
There were no tears on her face, but her eyes were so red that they could shed tears at any time.
Her steps were heavy, as if her legs were filled with lead.
Behind her is the ninja of Konoha.
Kakashi was walking on the left side of the team. The exposed eye was slightly lowered, and his expression was not clear.
Naruto followed him, lowering his head and saying nothing. His always bright blue eyes were now so dim that they seemed to have lost all their light.
Sakura walked beside Naruto, his lips pursed tightly as he walked forward.
Sai remained expressionless, but his eyes kept falling on the figure covered with white cloth on the ground.
Team Guy follows behind.
Kai changed from his usual cheerful attitude, and his eyes under his thick eyebrows were full of solemnity.
Neji Looking at this once monster-like existence, now having such a miserable end, I can't help but feel regretful.
But Rock Lee said nothing and carried the front end of the stretcher with complicated emotions.
Tenten blocked the wind and sand with his hands, and gradually saw the outline of the village clearly.
Neji and Li were carrying a stretcher.
On the stretcher, white cloth covered the outline of a human figure.
At the edge of the cloth, a few strands of red hair could be seen fluttering gently in the wind.
Kankuro's legs are weak.
He staggered forward a few steps, then stopped. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
His throat seemed to be blocked by something. Thousands of words were stuck there and he couldn't spit out a single word.
Temari walked up to him and stopped.
The siblings looked at each other.
Temari's tears finally fell.
"Kankuro..."
Her voice was hoarse and tinged with tears.
"Gaara He..."
She didn't finish.
Kankuro's body trembled violently.
Then, he rushed to the stretcher and lifted a corner of the white cloth.
That pale, bloodless face lay there quietly.
His eyes were closed tightly, his lips were slightly open, as if he was asleep, and he stopped talking.
"Gaara..."
Kankuro's voice is trembling.
"Gaara... wake up... wake up..."
No response.
Under the white cloth, the face remained quiet and did not make any response.
Kankuro was kneeling on the ground, his forehead resting on the edge of the stretcher, and his shoulders heaving violently.
He is crying.
But there is no sound.
Temari stood behind him, neither comforting Kankuro nor speaking.
She just stood there, her figure was like an old tree that had been exposed to wind and sand for too long, crumbling.
Finally, the voice of Kankuro came out of the throat.
"... bastard... you bastard..."
His voice was hoarse, crying, and angry.
"Aren't you Kazekage... how could you die?
Get up! If you die, what will everyone do? What will happen to the village? What will we... do..."
Temari stretched out his hand and gently placed it on his shoulder, but found that he was also shaking.
Naruto on the side looked at this scene and lowered his head.
His tears also fell.
He thought of the red-haired boy.
I remembered that figure standing alone on the sand in Chunin Ninja Exams, with murderous intent in his eyes.
I remembered the same experience he had with me and the words "we are the same".
Now that Gaara is dead, there is one less person who can truly understand his pain.
Sorry...
He apologized silently in his mind, not knowing why he said it.
The villagers behind him couldn't help but lower their heads and shed tears when they saw Gaara's body.
Over the years, the villagers have long recognized him.
Gaara is no longer a weapon, but their Lord Kazekage.
Temari wiped away his tears and walked up to Ebizo who had been standing on the edge of the crowd.
Ebizo stood there with his hands behind his back, no expression on his old face. But his eyes were always looking at the stretcher covered with white cloth.
"Ebizo Master..."
Temari's voice is hoarse.
"Chiyo's mother-in-law... is also gone."
Ebizo's body paused slightly, and his old hands clenched unconsciously.
"Really... sister, she is dead."
Temari didn't answer when he heard this, he just nodded silently.
She remembered what the bomber who attacked their village said on the battlefield.
"If it weren't for that old lady playing puppet of you Sunagakure, how could Brother Scorpion possibly ask for leave..."
A long time.
"I understand."
His voice was very soft, very calm but filled with countless sadness.
Temari raised his head and looked at his wrinkled face. His lips moved, but nothing came out.
Ebizo turned around and walked towards the stretcher step by step.
His steps were very slow, so slow that he seemed to use all his strength in every step.
The wind and sand rushed towards me and hit the old face.
He walked to the stretcher, looked down at the pale face, looked at the eyes that would never be opened again, and was silent for a long time.
Then, he reached out his hand and gently brushed away the gravel from Gaara's forehead.
"Young Kazekage..."
His voice was hoarse, with an indescribable tiredness.
"You are better than anyone I have ever met, and you are more difficult than anyone I have ever met."
His hand was retracted and dropped to his side.
Kankuro knelt on the ground, raised his head, and looked at him with blurred eyes.
"Ebizo Master..."
Ebizo didn't look at him, just raised his head and looked at the sky in the distance covered by yellow sand.
sister...
Have you seen your son over there?
His eyes were slightly moist, but he couldn't shed tears.
After all, at his age, his tears have long since dried up.
"Sister..."
His voice was very soft, so soft that only he could hear it.
"You're still one step ahead of me."
He stood there for a long, long time.
It took so long that Temari thought he could no longer stand and wanted to step forward to help him.
Then, Ebizo moved.
He turned around and looked at Temari, at Kankuro, at the Sunagakure ninjas surrounding him, and at the Konoha Ninja who had come from afar.
There was a kind of light slowly condensing in those cloudy eyes.
That is not living light.
"Give everyone Temari, Kankuro, and Konoha..."
He paused, and his voice suddenly became clear and powerful.
"Please lend me some Chakra."
Temari was stunned.
"Ebizo Master... what do you want to do?"
Ebizo didn't answer, just lowered his head and looked at the pale face on the stretcher.
"When I was not that old, I studied a technique with my sister."
His voice was very calm, as calm as if he was telling someone else's story.
"That technique is called One's Own Life Reincarnation."
"At the cost of all the Chakra and vitality of the caster, the dead will be resurrected."
Baki's pupils shrank suddenly.
"Ebizo-sama!"
"Listen to me."
Ebizo interrupted him, his tone still calm.
"I don't have the talent like my sister, nor the Chakra power like her.
Complete One's Own Life Reincarnation, I can't do it."
He paused, lowered his head, and looked at his calloused hands.
"But the prototype of this technique... I discussed it with my sister.
Transform all Chakra into the key to summon the soul, leaving a living fire to the dead."
He raised his head and looked at everyone present.
"Although it cannot be completely resurrected, it can bring the dying person back."
"Gaara He..."
Temari's voice is trembling.
"Is he still alive?"
Ebizo shook his head.
"He is already dead.
But the death time is not long, and the soul has not completely dissipated. If you use the spell now, there is still a chance."
He turned around and looked at the stretcher.
"I will inject all Chakra and vitality into this technique.
But I am old, Chakra is not enough, and my vitality is not enough."
He raised his head and glanced at everyone present.
"So, please... lend me some Chakra and give this young Kazekage a raw seed."
Kankuro stood up suddenly, the tears on his face were not dry yet, but he had already clenched his fists.
"Sir Ebizo! Use mine! You can take my Chakra as you wish!"
Temari also stepped forward, stood beside him, and nodded vigorously.
Sunagakure's ninjas stepped forward one after another, no one hesitated.
In Konoha's team, Kakashi raised his head and narrowed his exposed eye slightly.
"One's Own Life Reincarnation..."
He repeated it in a low voice, and then looked at Naruto beside him.
Naruto wiped his tears, and the light rekindled in his blue eyes.
"Can you save Gaara?"
Ebizo glanced at him.
"Yes."
"That goes without saying!"
Naruto rushed forward and stretched out his hands.
"Use my Chakra! You can get as much as you want!"
Sakura followed him and also extended his hand.
"I'll come too."
Sai did not speak, but silently Earth Flow stepped forward and stood beside Naruto.
Team Guy Four people also came over.
Kai crossed his arms and his eyes were bright under his thick eyebrows.
"Konoha, Blue Beast of the Hidden Leaf, and Chakra are also beast-level!"
Rock Lee clenched his fists, with fighting spirit burning in his eyes.
"At this time, I have to contribute my own strength!"
Neji didn't speak, but just stretched out his hand, and the Chakra in his palm began to condense.
Tenten also extended his hand.
Yamato walked out of the crowd and stood beside Kakashi.
"I'll come too."
Kakashi nodded and also extended his hand.
Ebizo looked at the outstretched palms in front of him, the energetic faces, and the guy with dead fish eyes like Hatake Sakumo and was silent for a moment.
Then, he sighed softly.
"I would like to thank you all for Sunagakure..."
He turned around and squatted beside Gaara, holding Hand Seals in his hands.
"One's Own Life Reincarnation..."
Chakra began to gather in his palm.
Weak, but warm.
Like the first ray of light in the darkness.
Temari put his palm on Ebizo's back, and Chakra poured in continuously.
Kankuro follows closely behind.
One by one, Sunagakure's ninjas put their hands on the shoulders of the previous one. Chakra was like streams, converging into a river and pouring into Ebizo's body.
Naruto put his hand on Kankuro's shoulder and gritted his teeth.
"Gaara... You must wake up."
Sakura, Sai, Kay, Rock Lee, Neji, Tenten, Yamato, Kakashi...
Everyone put their hands together, and Chakra gathered into a huge torrent, pouring into the old figure.
Ebizo's body was shaking violently.
The wrinkles on his face seemed to be deeper and the skin was drier, like a dead tree losing moisture.
But his hands still fell steadily on Gaara's body.
"Come back... young Kazekage..."
His voice was hoarse, but there was an undeniable quality to it.
"Everyone in the village... is still waiting for you."