Gaara let Sasuke pull him toward the Uchiha compound, half-willingly.
Uchiha Kenjin, who was guarding the gate, asked, "Young master, who's this?"
Sasuke said proudly, "The One-Tail jinchuriki from Sunagakure, Gaara."
Gaara had already prepared himself for Kenjin's scorn and insults. After all, no one could bring themselves to like a jinchuriki.
But Uchiha Kenjin said excitedly, "So this is the One-Tail jinchuriki? I didn't expect him to be quite cute."
"Cute..."
It was the first time Gaara had heard that adjective.
Cute... was he talking about me?
Why didn't the Uchiha clan, so notorious in the village's stories, discriminate against me for being a jinchuriki?
Why was the Uchiha clan so tolerant of tailed beasts?
Gaara himself did not realize that Uchiha Kenjin's single word, "cute," had pried open a crack in the heart he had sealed away for so long.
For Gaara...
His father disliked him and wanted to train him into a weapon of murder.
His sister and brother also hated him because he was a jinchuriki!
The uncle he had always trusted had tried to assassinate him.
He had even claimed that Gaara's birth had caused Karura's death.
Because of that, Gaara had sealed away his heart.
Among jinchuriki, aside from that carefree idiot who hosted the Eight-Tails...
The rest all had psychological problems to some degree.
Gaara's emotional wounds ran especially deep. The only thing that could heal them was "affection."
After entering the Uchiha residence, Gaara saw...
Sasuke's mother loved Sasuke dearly.
Though his father was strict, his eyes were full of affection for Sasuke.
His brother indulged Sasuke in everything.
When Gaara saw this scene, two streams of tears unknowingly ran down his face.
Sasuke introduced Gaara to his parents and brother. "This is my new friend, Gaara, the One-Tail jinchuriki from