A Sneak Attack?

Mangekyo Genjutsu was more than a seven- or eight-year-old brat could withstand.

Gaara was instantly immersed in the world of genjutsu.

In an instant, it was as if countless blades were stabbing into Gaara's heart.

The genjutsu lasted only a brief moment, but it still left a terrifying shock carved into Gaara's soul!

When it ended, Gaara, drenched in cold sweat, clutched his chest and let out a howl, dropping to his knees.

He gasped for breath.

"That's what pain feels like. Do you understand now?"

Uchiha Yu couldn't use a genjutsu like Tsukuyomi, which let its user freely manipulate space, matter, and time.

This was only the most basic form of Sharingan Genjutsu.

But it had felt utterly real.

"So this is what pain feels like." Gaara's face twisted into a grimace. After a while, he finally calmed down and looked up, his expression full of shock.

Suddenly, a ball smacked into a nearby wall and bounced toward Gaara.

Gaara, already on edge, immediately raised a hand. Sand wrapped around the ball and delivered it into his palm.

"Who's there?"

The young Gaara looked up and saw several children from Sunagakure, around his age, running over together.

The tall boy leading them pointed at one of the children and scolded him. "Look at that! You threw it so far! Go get it yourself!"

But when they saw the ball in Gaara's hand, their eyes all widened.

Their faces went pale, and they broke out in cold sweats, unable to utter a word.

Gaara had met Uchiha Yu, who wasn't afraid of him, and Yu had even shown him what pain felt like. In high spirits, Gaara managed a smile and asked the children, "Do you want to play with me?"

As he spoke, Gaara held up the ball in his hand.

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

One of the children collapsed onto the ground, drenched in cold sweat.

The others had already turned and fled.

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

"What did you call me?"

When Gaara lifted his head, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

A mass of sand instantly surrounded the children.

Countless other grains seemed to hover in the air around them.

Uchiha Yu reached out and pinched one trembling grain of sand between his fingers. He narrowed his eyes. "So this is Gaara's power? He can control sand at will."

Then he looked at Gaara, his curiosity growing. "And that's not all. Because of Shukaku, everyone in the village fears him. And now, Gaara really does have the power to kill an ordinary ninja!"

Several streams of sand wrapped around the screaming children, leaving only their heads exposed.

"Why did you call me a monster? Did you think I'd kill you?"

Gaara glared at them, tears glimmering in his eyes.

The children tried to beg for mercy, but the sand had them bound so tightly that they could barely breathe. Their faces flushed red, and they couldn't get a word out.

"Still not talking? Fine!" Gaara clenched his teeth and tightened his hand.

The sand squeezed harder, and soon came the sound of bones cracking.

Uchiha Yu shook his head. The children really had been rude, and even he couldn't stand them.

But if this kept up, something would go terribly wrong with Gaara.

Was Gaara supposed to wait for Uzumaki Naruto to set him straight with a punch of friendship?

That was still five years away!

"That's enough, Gaara!"

Uchiha Yu grabbed Gaara by the wrist.

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

"Big brother, they don't like me. They think I'm a monster. Why should I let them go?"

Tears glimmered in Gaara's eyes, and his face twisted. "It's not like I've never killed anyone. So what if I act like a monster one more time?"

Uchiha Yu's Mangekyo slowly spun, and the power of Great Luo Heaven surged forth.

He locked onto the sand binding the children, then exerted his full ocular power and forcibly pried it apart.

The children tumbled to the ground with several thuds. Most of their bones were broken, and they screamed in agony.

Uchiha Yu poured Wood Release into their bodies, slowly healing them.

Only after they were out of immediate danger did he turn to Gaara and say, "If you keep doing this, you really will become a monster."

Uchiha Yu knew exactly what Gaara would be like a few years from now.

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

Hatred had twisted him inside. If Uzumaki Naruto hadn't come along, Gaara might really have gone down the wrong path.

Now that Uchiha Yu was here, he wanted to try to save Gaara before things went that far.

Even from the perspective of the clan's interests, Gaara was a One-Tail Jinchuriki. It was important to build a good relationship with him.

Gaara shook his head. "There's nothing wrong with being a monster. My father and sister don't like me anyway. I'd rather have them fear me. That's a lot freer than being a good person."

Uchiha Yu smiled faintly. "Do you really think you're invincible?"

He hadn't attacked Gaara. That wasn't because Uchiha Yu thought he couldn't defeat him.

He knew that if he attacked Gaara now, Gaara would never trust anyone again.

He simply placed a hand on Gaara's head.

Uchiha Yu was already a head taller than the other children his age, and his palm seemed especially broad and warm to Gaara.

Gaara stared wide-eyed at Uchiha Yu, who wasn't afraid of him at all, as if he were witnessing something unbelievable.

"Stay with me. From now on, no one will dare call you a monster. You're you—Gaara of the Sand Waterfall."

Uchiha Yu spoke calmly.

Gaara nodded slightly. At that moment, the sand that had been hovering wildly in the air around them gradually fell to the ground.

Seeing this, Uchiha Yu smiled faintly.

It seemed there was still hope for Gaara.

Several ninja hidden nearby had witnessed the whole scene.

They wore Konoha's ninja uniforms, but there wasn't a trace of kindness on their faces. They weren't the ninjas who had entered the village with Hyuga Tokuma and Uchiha Yu, either.

They were ninjas from the Shimura Clan!

"Looks like that brat Uchiha Yu is getting along pretty well with Shukaku," one Shimura ninja said with a chuckle.

Another Shimura ninja, whose face was wrapped in bandages except for his left eye, sneered as well. "Since the Sarutobi Clan and the others are too timid to act, why don't we Shimura do it and wipe away our humiliation?"