Sneak Attack?

A seven or eight-year-old brat was completely unable to resist the genjutsu of a Mangekyo.

Gaara instantly plunged into the world of the illusion.

In an instant, it felt as if countless sharp blades were piercing Gaara's heart.

Although the genjutsu only lasted for a fleeting moment, it still dealt a terrifying blow to Gaara that was branded onto his very soul!

When the genjutsu ended, Gaara, drenched in cold sweat, clutched his chest and let out a miserable howl as he collapsed to his knees.

He gasped for air, his breathing ragged.

"That is the feeling of pain. Do you understand now?"

Uchiha Yu did not possess the kind of genjutsu like Tsukuyomi that could freely manipulate space, matter, and time.

This was merely the most basic Sharingan genjutsu.

Yet, it had been incredibly real.

"So this is what pain feels like." Gaara's face was twisted in agony; it took him a long while to calm down, and when he looked up, his face was filled with bewilderment.

Suddenly, a ball struck a nearby wall and bounced toward Gaara.

Gaara, whose nerves were already highly strung, instantly raised a hand, and a stream of sand immediately coiled around the ball, delivering it into his grasp.

"Who is it?"

Young Gaara looked up to see several children from the Sand Village, around his own age, running over side by side.

The tall child leading them looked at one of the other kids and scolded, "Look at that, you actually threw it so far! Go pick it up yourself!"

But when the group saw the ball in Gaara's hand, their eyes went wide.

Their faces turned pale, they broke into a cold sweat, and they were all rendered speechless.

Having encountered Uchiha Yu, who did not fear him, and having been shown what pain felt like, Gaara was in a surprisingly good mood. He forced a smile and said to the children, "Do you want to play with me?"

With that, Gaara shook the ball in his hand.

"It... it's that monster!"

One child plopped onto the ground, shivering in a cold sweat.

As for the others, they had already turned and bolted.

When Gaara saw the fear in their eyes, he lowered his head slightly.

"What did you call me?"

When Gaara looked up, his eyes were filled with killing intent.

A massive pile of sand instantly surrounded the children.

In the air, it seemed as if countless grains of sand were suspended and swirling.

Uchiha Yu extended a hand, pinched a grain of sand trembling in the air, and narrowed his eyes slightly. "Is this Gaara's power? The ability to manipulate sand at will."

He then looked at Gaara, his curiosity deepening. "Not only that, but because of Shukaku, everyone in the village fears Gaara, and the current Gaara truly possesses the ability to kill an ordinary ninja!"

Several streams of sand instantly coiled around the wailing children, leaving only their heads exposed.

"Why do you call me a monster? Do you think I'm going to kill you?"

Gaara's eyes were wide with rage, and a few glimmers of tears seemed to flicker within them.

The children wanted to beg for mercy, but they were being squeezed so tightly by the sand that they couldn't breathe; their faces turned bright red, and they couldn't even speak.

"Still not talking? Fine!" Gaara gritted his teeth, his hand tightening continuously.

The sand pressed harder, and soon the sound of bones being crushed could be heard.

Uchiha Yu shook his head. Although these children were indeed very rude and even he found them annoying, if things continued this way, Gaara would definitely end up in trouble.

He couldn't just wait five years for Uzumaki Naruto to come and fix his personality with a punch, could he?

"That's enough, Gaara!"

Uchiha Yu grabbed Gaara's wrist.

Gaara looked at Uchiha Yu, his eyes full of hatred.

"Second Brother, they don't like me and think I'm a monster. Should I just let them go?"

Tears shimmered in Gaara's eyes, his face distorted. "It's not like I haven't killed anyone before; what does it matter if I act like a monster once more?"

Uchiha Yu's Mangekyo slowly rotated, and the power of the Great Luo Heaven erupted.

He locked onto the sand binding the children, then channeled his full ocular power to force the sand apart.

With a few thuds, the brats fell to the ground, their bones mostly broken, and they began to wail incessantly.

Uchiha Yu channeled the power of Wood Release into their bodies, beginning to slowly heal them.

Seeing that the brats were temporarily out of danger, Uchiha Yu looked at Gaara and said, "If you really continue down this path, then you will truly become a monster."

Uchiha Yu knew exactly what kind of person Gaara would become in a few years.

There was almost no one he wouldn't dare to kill.

His heart was twisted by hatred; had it not been for the appearance of Uzumaki Naruto, perhaps Gaara truly would have gone astray.

Now that Uchiha Yu had appeared, it was best to save Gaara ahead of time.

Even from the perspective of clan interests, Gaara was the jinchuriki of the One-Tail, and building a good relationship with him was of great importance.

Gaara shook his head and said, "There is nothing wrong with being a monster. Since my father and siblings don't like me anyway, it is better to make them fear me. It is far more carefree than trying to be a good person."

Uchiha Yu smiled faintly and said, "Do you think you are truly invincible?"

He did not launch any attacks against Gaara, not because the current Uchiha Yu thought he was no match for him.

Rather, he knew that if he attacked Gaara now, Gaara would never trust anyone again in the future.

He reached out and placed his hand directly on top of Gaara's head.

Uchiha Yu was already a head taller than his peers, and to Gaara, his palm felt incredibly broad and steady.

Seeing that Uchiha Yu was not the least bit afraid of him, Gaara widened his eyes, as if witnessing something truly inconceivable.

"Follow me, and from now on, no one will dare call you a monster. You are simply you—Gaara of the Sand Waterfall."

Uchiha Yu said calmly.

Gaara nodded slightly, and at that moment, the violent sand that had been floating in the air around them gradually settled onto the ground.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yu smiled slightly.

It seemed this child, Gaara, could still be saved.

This scene was also witnessed by several ninjas lurking in the shadows.

These ninjas wore the uniforms of Konoha, but there was not a hint of kindness on their faces, and they were not the same ninjas who had entered the village with Hyuga Tokuma and Uchiha Yu.

They were ninjas from the Shimura Clan!

"It seems that little brat Uchiha Yu is getting along quite well with Shukaku," a Shimura ninja chuckled.

Another Shimura ninja, whose face was wrapped in bandages with only his left eye exposed, sneered, "Since the Sarutobi Clan is too timid to act, perhaps we of the Shimura Clan should be the ones to wash away our shame!"