Would You Want This Glory?

Lin Chongshu deliberately arrived late for the afternoon training.

"Where's Jiro Hijikata?" Temari asked the chunin beside her after throwing a boy to the ground.

"He has already been stripped of his qualifications as the Kazekage's guard and sent back to the orphan district."

Temari tightened her grip on the fan's handle, then loosened it.

She asked no more questions. She simply beat the orphan before her until he was rolling and scrambling on the ground. It seemed she wanted to beat all these orphans until they completely lost the ability to move, forcing Rasa's plan to fail.

But she lacked that resolve. After several consecutive heavy blows, she would quickly lose heart again.

Rasa merely glanced at Temari from the platform before returning to the stone chamber where he rested.

At that moment, Lin Chongshu slowly wandered over from the edge of the field, one hand covering his stomach and an embarrassed expression on his face.

"Sorry, sorry. Something I ate at noon upset my stomach. I've been squatting in the latrine for ages."

When Temari saw Lin Chongshu, her movements paused, but she quickly forced her expression back under control.

"Come here!" Temari rushed forward in a single stride and dragged Lin Chongshu into the center of the sparring area.

She struck hard, putting real force behind every blow. Her fan cut through the air with a loud whoosh, loud enough to cover their conversation.

"You lied to me! You're not Jiro Hijikata." She lowered her voice, which was drowned out by the sound of her fan smashing into the ground.

Lin Chongshu blocked the fan she swung down at him, his arm going numb from the impact. "Yes."

"You got the real Jiro Hijikata killed!"

"Bullshit. Your father was obviously the one who got him killed..."

Temari seemed somewhat deflated. "I can't change Father. No one can change Father's decisions. You won't survive. Sacrificing yourself for the village is a ninja's glory..."

"Would you want this glory?"

Temari did not answer. Her fan came crashing down again.

Lin Chongshu did not dodge the final blow. He let the fan graze his ribs and slam into the ground, then fell with the motion, his back hitting the sand.

Temari stood before him, breathing heavily, her voice so low it was nearly inaudible.

"I can't save you. Those willing to sacrifice themselves for the village have to die, and those unwilling to sacrifice themselves for the village have to die too."

"Just what I'd expect from Lord Kazekage. Every word leaves no way out. I never expected you to save me. I only want you to keep your promise and answer one question."

"What question?" Temari frowned.

"Where exactly do you live?"

Temari stared at him for a long while. She could not see the slightest hint of a joke on his face. She had thought Lin Chongshu might ask about her father's preferences, so he could beg her father to spare him.

"What are you planning to do?"

"I want to know where you live, so I can visit you in your dreams. Is that okay?"

After considering it for a moment, Temari bent down and pretended to inspect his injuries. In the instant she leaned close, she softly gave him a location.

Lin Chongshu repeated it to himself once and nodded.

Temari straightened up and put away her fan. "If you turn into a vengeful ghost, then come find me for revenge!"

The desert grew cold quickly at night.

Gaara crouched alone in a corner by the training ground, hugging his rag doll.

He heard footsteps and looked up, a flash of surprise passing through his eyes.

Those orphans had come again.

Lin Chongshu stood at the very back of the group, hiding himself in the deepest shadows.

"You monster!" One of them was the first to start things, then the second child rushed forward, followed closely by the third and fourth.

Fists, feet, stones—whatever they could get their hands on, they used it on Gaara.

Several figures crowded together beneath the moonlight, cursing with practiced vulgarity.

Lin Chongshu immediately joined them as well, but he always kept the others in front of him.

[Detected that the host has bullied Gaara. Gaara has consequently experienced intense rejection and pain. Reward extraction complete.]

[Extraction complete: Shukaku's Power: Sand Manipulation Proficiency +1]

[Extraction complete: Shukaku's Power: Sand Manipulation Proficiency +1]

[Extraction complete: Shukaku's Power: Sand Manipulation Proficiency +1]

As Lin Chongshu listened to the constant prompts ringing in his ears, he noticed the sand rising around Gaara's feet.

Gaara's body was trembling, and the sand trembled with him, but he was restraining himself.

The sand stopped when it rose to knee height. It shook violently, yet did not advance a single inch.

He buried his face in his knees, squeezing the rag doll until it became misshapen.

The orphans' fists struck his body, but he did not make a sound.

Gaara didn't lose control? Lin Chongshu's heart tightened.

Just then, Yashamaru emerged from the darkness. Moonlight shone on his face, making his expression seem calm.

Gaara raised his head from his knees. When he saw Yashamaru, the fear in his eyes faded for an instant.

His lips moved as he called Yashamaru's name. It seemed he hoped Yashamaru would save him. He could already control himself. He was already normal.

Yashamaru did not answer his call. He merely drew a kunai.

Gaara's face froze.

Lin Chongshu saw that expression with perfect clarity. It was not anger, but bewilderment.

Gaara did not understand what was happening. He could only watch the kunai glint white beneath the moonlight as it drew closer and closer.

Yashamaru charged forward, and the kunai stabbed into Gaara's shoulder. Gaara did not dodge.

The instant he was wounded, sand surged into the sky.

Gaara cried out in pain. Sand exploded from beneath his feet like ocean waves, crashing outward in every direction with him at the center. Even the stones in the rock walls were torn down by the waves of sand.

The orphans did not even have time to scream before they were swallowed by the sand waves.

The instant the sand waves erupted, Lin Chongshu threw himself to the ground. At the same time, the wisp of fine sand in his palm had already pressed against his back.

He precisely controlled the fine sand, splitting it into two streams. One pressed against a spot slightly to the right of his heart on his back, while the other pressed against the corresponding spot on his chest.

The sand on his chest burrowed beneath his skin, tore a horizontal gash through the muscle layer, then broke through the skin at his side.

The sand on his back did the same, passing beneath the skin and tearing open a wound beside his shoulder blade. Warm blood flowed from his chest and back at the same time.

Neither wound was fatal, but from the outside, it looked as though the grains of sand controlled by Gaara had pierced straight through him.

Lin Chongshu closed his eyes and controlled his breathing, making it shallow and slow.

The sand waves rumbled past him.

His body rose and fell faintly from the vibrations as sand poured into his collar and sleeves from every direction.

The buildings behind him continued to collapse. The sound of wood snapping, sand striking the ground, and Shukaku's deep roars blended together.

Yashamaru was struck by a mass of sand and sent flying, his back smashing into a broken roof beam.

Blood spilled from the corner of his mouth and dripped down his chin onto the sand.

His eyes remained fixed on Gaara, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say one final sentence.

But sand had already surged over his body, completely wrapping his lower half. He looked at the child enveloped by Shukaku's phantom, and the corner of his mouth moved, as though he were smiling, or perhaps apologizing.

Then the sand suddenly tightened, and his head drooped.