What Does Pain Feel Like?

Rasa had never expected Uchiha Yu to pull a stunt like this.

The Land of Wind could afford 150,000 ryo.

But that was no reason to ask for so much!

"Ahem." Rasa coughed awkwardly twice. "I'll make sure your expenses are taken care of, so don't worry. Baki, take Uchiha Yu to get some rest."

"Yes, Lord Kazekage." Baki turned to Uchiha Yu. "I'll show you around the village first."

Just then, a small head peeked in through the doorway.

It was a boy of seven or eight with no eyebrows and dark circles around his eyes.

There was no trace of a child's innocence on his face. Instead, Uchiha Yu felt a chill of hatred and coldness from him.

Gaara?

Uchiha Yu raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Shukaku! Gaara!

Uchiha Yu worked out the timeline. Yashamaru had already been killed by Gaara by this point.

So it wasn't surprising that Gaara acted this way.

When Rasa saw Gaara, his eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face. He chuckled and said to Uchiha Yu, "Perfect. You and Gaara are about the same age. Why don't you two go play together? I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about!"

Uchiha Yu nearly pissed himself.

Plenty to talk about?

Did he mean how to crush people with sand?

Sorry, I wasn't interested in that!

Gaara looked at Uchiha Yu, a chilling killing intent showing in his eyes.

The murderous glare sent a shiver down Uchiha Yu's spine.

Just how cold-hearted did you have to be to look at someone like that?

Uchiha Yu turned back and gave Rasa a furious middle finger in his mind.

Still, Uchiha Yu wasn't too afraid. Even if the One-Tail really went berserk,

with his ocular power and Wood Release, he could keep Gaara under control for a while.

Uchiha Yu smiled warmly and reached for Gaara's little hand, wearing a kind expression. "Little Gaara, let's go play together."

Rasa was always trying to test Gaara's worth, thinking he could get away with it.

But Uchiha Yu already knew exactly what Gaara was worth.

Unexpectedly, a fierce glint flashed through Gaara's eyes.

"Get lost!"

Sand instantly formed into a blade and shot toward Uchiha Yu's palm.

With a sharp slicing sound,

a deep gash opened in Uchiha Yu's palm.

"Gaara!"

Rasa immediately stood up, fury filling his eyes. "Are you trying to kill Uchiha Yu?"

Uchiha Yu was the son of the man who was now the leading candidate for Hokage. If he died, would Uchiha Fugaku let it go?

Gaara was going to ruin everything!

Uchiha Yu smiled faintly and shook his injured hand. "Gaara, if something's bothering you, you can take it out on me."

As he spoke, he held out his injured hand.

By then, the wound had healed without leaving even the slightest scar.

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

Gaara paused. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.

"Gaara, let's be friends. How about it?" Uchiha Yu said with a faint smile.

Gaara had the power of the One-Tail, Shukaku, inside him. If he joined Uchiha Yu's side, things would be much easier for him in the future.

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

Gaara's heart stirred slightly.

It was the first time someone his age had ever said that to him.

Most people treated him like some kind of monster.

And Gaara really was that powerful. A hundred kids his age wouldn't be enough to take him on.

Only Yashamaru had often spoken to him, but in the end, Gaara had killed him too.

Gaara's heart held nothing but hatred and bloodlust.

This was truly the first time a stranger his age had told him he wanted to be friends.

"Your name is... Uchiha Yu?" Gaara asked.

"Just call me Big Bro Two." Uchiha Yu gave him a goofy grin.

Uchiha Yu had reluctantly accepted the nickname Big Bro Two.

Sasuke and Naruto called him that all the time now, so he had no choice but to go along with it.

"Big Bro Two, let's go for a walk." Gaara turned and headed outside.

Uchiha Yu ignored Baki and followed Gaara out.

Baki and Rasa were left standing there, utterly dumbfounded.

"Gaara called him Big Bro Two?"

"Uchiha Yu isn't afraid of Gaara?"

Baki and Rasa stared at each other, eyes wide.

Rasa plopped back down in his chair.

His mind was still on what had just happened.

And he had seen Uchiha Yu's wound heal completely within the space of a few breaths.

It was almost exactly like Senju Hashirama's legendary seal-less healing.

"Pass down the order," Rasa said gravely. "Recognize Uchiha Fugaku's claim to the Hokage position, and petition Uchiha Fugaku to form an alliance between Sunagakure and Konoha!"

Baki's expression turned uneasy. "What about the Sarutobi and Shimura clans?"

Rasa smiled. "They can do whatever they want. What does that have to do with Sunagakure? We only agreed to give them a place to stay. If they want to become rogue ninja, we'll just have to do the people a favor and eliminate them."

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

For Asuma, Rasa was practically his biggest lifeline right now.

But he was far from the only one.

"Have Jiraiya and Princess Tsunade been found?"

Sarutobi Asuma looked at one of his subordinates, worry filling his eyes.

He still had no idea what the Sarutobi Clan should do next. Their prospects looked bleak indeed.

"Lord Jiraiya is in Konoha. Our people have made contact with him, and he's on his way to Sunagakure now. As for Princess Tsunade, we still haven't found any trace of her."

The Sarutobi Clan ninja answered Asuma respectfully.

Sarutobi Asuma nodded slightly.

Asuma had far too few allies at his disposal.

With just these people, restoring Konoha was nothing but a pipe dream.

But things would be different if he could get help from the Sannin.

Orochimaru had already been driven out of Konoha, and no one knew where he was now.

After Tsunade developed a fear of blood, she disappeared without a trace.

That left only Jiraiya, who was always traveling and could be anywhere.

All in all, there were far too few people fighting on Sarutobi Asuma's side.

So if he could really get Jiraiya to work for him, he might just be able to bring down the Uchiha Clan.

Night fell.

Uchiha Yu and Gaara walked through a narrow alley.

It was quiet all around them, and the lights were dim.

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

Uchiha Yu raised an eyebrow.

When Uchiha Yu didn't answer, Gaara continued, "I really want to know what pain feels like."

Gaara looked down at his hands. Because of his mother's power, sand was always protecting his body.

No matter what kind of attack he faced, or even if he just got a small scrape in his daily life, sand would protect him.

It was an unconscious form of protection.

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

Gaara nodded firmly.

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

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

Genjutsu!