What Does Pain Feel Like?

Rasa never imagined that Uchiha Yu would pull a stunt like this.

One hundred and fifty thousand ryo—it wasn't that the Land of Wind couldn't afford it.

But you don't just demand it like that, do you?

"Ahem." Rasa coughed awkwardly and said, "I will arrange for your expenses to be handled properly, so rest assured. Baki, why don't you take Uchiha Yu to get some rest first?"

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Baki said to Uchiha Yu, "Let me take you on a tour of the village first."

Just then, a small head poked inside.

It was a seven or eight-year-old boy with no eyebrows and heavy dark circles under his eyes.

Yet, there was no trace of childlike nature on this boy's face; instead, he gave Uchiha Yu a sense of hatred and coldness.

Gaara?

Uchiha Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The jinchuriki of the One-Tail Shukaku! Gaara!

Uchiha Yu calculated the timeline; by now, Yashamaru had already been killed by Gaara.

So, it was no surprise that Gaara was acting this way.

Seeing Gaara, Rasa's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face. He chuckled and said to Uchiha Yu, "Perfect, you and Gaara are about the same age, so why don't you two go and play together? You should have plenty of common ground!"

Uchiha Yu almost pissed himself.

Common ground?

Are you talking about how to crush people with sand?

Sorry, I'm not interested in that!

Gaara looked at Uchiha Yu, his eyes revealing a chilling intent to kill.

This killing intent made even Uchiha Yu feel a chill run down his spine.

Just how cold-hearted must one be to have a gaze like that!

Uchiha Yu turned back, glanced at Rasa, and mentally gave him a middle finger.

However, Uchiha Yu wasn't overly afraid; even if the One-Tail truly went berserk.

With his ocular power and Wood Release, suppressing Gaara for a while wouldn't be a problem.

Uchiha Yu offered a gentle smile and reached for Gaara's small hand, his face full of kindness: "Little Gaara, let's go play together."

Rasa always liked to self-righteously test Gaara's value.

But Uchiha Yu already knew exactly where Gaara's value lay.

Unexpectedly, a fierce, vicious light flashed in Gaara's eyes.

"Get lost!"

Sand instantly condensed into a sharp blade, darting toward Uchiha Yu's palm.

Slash!

A large gash was torn into the palm of Uchiha Yu's hand.

"Gaara!"

Rasa stood up immediately, his eyes filled with rage. "Are you trying to kill Uchiha Yu?"

Uchiha Yu was the son of the prospective Hokage; if he died, would Uchiha Fugaku just let it go?

Gaara was going to ruin everything!

Uchiha Yu smiled slightly and shook his wounded palm. "Gaara, if you're unhappy, feel free to take it out on me."

With that, he held out his injured hand.

By now, the wound had already healed, leaving not even a scar.

"Because I'm not that easy to kill."

Gaara was slightly stunned; it was the first time someone had ever said something like that to him.

"Gaara, let's be friends, shall we?" Uchiha Yu said with a faint smile.

Gaara possessed the power of the One-Tail Shukaku within him; if he became his person, Uchiha Yu's future endeavors would be much easier.

Moreover, if Rasa died, Gaara would become the Fifth Kazekage!

Gaara's heart trembled slightly.

It was the first time someone his own age had said such a thing to him.

Most people viewed him as nothing more than a monster.

Because Gaara truly possessed that kind of strength—a hundred peers wouldn't be enough to take him on.

Only Yashamaru used to talk to him often, but in the end, even Yashamaru had been killed by Gaara.

In Gaara's heart, there was only hatred and slaughter.

This was truly the first time a stranger his own age had ever approached him to ask for his friendship.

"You... are called Uchiha Yu?" Gaara asked.

"Just call me Second Brother," Uchiha Yu said with a goofy grin.

Uchiha Yu had reluctantly accepted the title of "Second Brother."

Since Sasuke and Naruto had started calling him that, Uchiha Yu had been forced to get used to the moniker.

"Second Brother, let's go for a walk," Gaara said, turning and heading outside.

Uchiha Yu followed Gaara out, ignoring Baki entirely.

They left Baki and Rasa standing there, both of them completely bewildered.

"Gaara called him Second Brother?"

"And Uchiha Yu isn't afraid of Gaara?"

Baki and Rasa exchanged glances, staring at each other in confusion.

Rasa sank back down into his chair.

The scene he had just witnessed was still playing over in his mind.

He had seen it clearly: Uchiha Yu's wounds had healed completely in the span of just a few breaths.

It was identical to the legendary, seal-less healing ability of Senju Hashirama.

"Pass down the order," Rasa said in a deep voice. "Recognize Uchiha Fugaku's position as Hokage, and petition him to form an alliance between Sunagakure and Konoha."

Baki stood to the side, his expression unnatural. "And what about the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?"

Rasa smiled. "Let them do whatever they want. What does that have to do with Sunagakure? We only agreed to provide them with a place to stay. If they want to become rogue ninjas, we'll just have to eliminate them for the sake of the people."

At this moment, Sarutobi Asuma had no idea that Rasa had already changed his tune.

To Asuma, Rasa was currently his greatest lifeline.

But he was far from being his only one.

"Have you found Jiraiya and Princess Tsunade?"

Sarutobi Asuma looked at his subordinates, his eyes filled with worry.

He still didn't know which path the Sarutobi Clan should take; after all, their future looked truly bleak.

"We have made contact with Lord Jiraiya in Konoha, and he is currently on his way to Sunagakure. As for Princess Tsunade, we still have no trace of her," the Sarutobi ninja replied respectfully to Sarutobi Asuma.

Sarutobi Asuma nodded slightly.

The number of allies Sarutobi Asuma had right now was far too small.

Trying to restore Konoha with only this many people was nothing more than a pipe dream.

But if he could secure the help of the Sannin, things would be different.

However, Orochimaru had been expelled from Konoha long ago, and no one knew where he was now.

Tsunade had vanished without a trace after developing her hemophobia.

That left only Jiraiya, who spent his days wandering and was impossible to track down.

All in all, the combat strength currently standing on Sarutobi Asuma's side was far too thin.

Therefore, if he could truly get Jiraiya to work for him, perhaps he could successfully topple the Uchiha Clan.

Night fell.

Uchiha Yu and Gaara walked through a small alleyway.

The surroundings were quiet, the lights dim.

Gaara looked at Uchiha Yu, who was a head taller than him, and asked, "Do you know what pain feels like?"

Uchiha Yu raised an eyebrow.

Seeing that Uchiha Yu didn't respond, Gaara continued, "I really want to know what pain feels like."

Gaara looked at his own hands. Because of his mother's power, sand always protected his body.

No matter what kind of attack it was, or even just a minor scrape in daily life, the sand would always shield him.

This protection was entirely involuntary.

"You really want to know?" Uchiha Yu activated his Sharingan.

Gaara nodded firmly.

Uchiha Yu took a deep breath and channeled his ocular power.

In an instant, Gaara's eyes shifted into the same Mangekyo pattern as Uchiha Yu's.

Genjutsu!