"Whoosh—"
The yellow sand filling the sky receded like a falling tide.
Shukaku's enormous body completely collapsed, leaving only a small, hill-like dune behind.
Atop the dune, Gaara knelt on one knee, gasping for breath.
His eyes, ringed with dark circles, were filled with terror and disbelief.
"Shukaku... it... it was afraid?"
Gaara muttered to himself.
That monster which had roared in his mind for over a decade, claiming it would kill everyone in the world, had actually... knelt down and begged for mercy?
The sacred, vast golden chakra around Naruto slowly withdrew back into his body.
He returned to being that harmless-looking blond brat in an orange tracksuit.
"Phew... getting Kurama to lend me some chakra is like asking for his life."
Naruto shook his slightly numb arm and grumbled under his breath.
He looked up at the red-haired boy still standing frozen in the distance, then started walking toward him.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Naruto's voice was clear, carrying his naturally friendly ease.
But Gaara reacted like a wildcat whose tail had been stepped on, instantly bristling!
"Don't come any closer!"
He let out a hoarse roar, his eyes once again filling with twisted killing intent.
"They're all liars! Everyone is a liar!"
"You all want to kill me! You all want to deny my existence!"
Shukaku may have backed down, but the beast called "hatred" within Gaara had been completely awakened.
Why?
Why could this blond brat perfectly control a tailed beast?
Why did he possess such immense power, along with so many companions?
While he could only live as a monster, feared, shunned, and betrayed by everyone!
Sand Binding Coffin!
Gaara slammed his hands together.
The yellow sand on the ground surged up once more, turning into two vicious sand arms that lunged viciously at Naruto!