Was Gaara a monster?
Temari had asked herself that question countless times.
And when the blond young man before her said that her father had raised Gaara into a monster, that question pierced her heart sharply once again.
The answer was cruel, and she had no choice but to admit it.
Yes, Gaara was a monster.
That did not merely refer to his chilling power, which came from the tailed beast sealed inside him.
When he flew into a rage and lost control, sand would cling wildly to him and gather over his body. His skin would crack, revealing inhuman features, his body would twist and swell, and claws and a tail would sprout from nowhere. One eye would turn into a cold, beastlike pupil shaped like the slit in a coin. Inhuman roars would pour from his mouth as he commanded devastating sandstorms, indiscriminately attacking everything around him.
But what frightened and chilled Temari even more was the way Gaara's mind became utterly warped along with his body.
In his rage, he became addicted to killing, his eyes filled with nothing but the savage pleasure of destruction and bloodshed. His cruelty was beyond human.
When calm, he was wild and unrestrained, treating the world's rules, morals, and emotions with sneering indifference.
He loathed the world, as though all of it owed him something, as though all of it deserved to be buried beneath the sand.
He was utterly withdrawn, ordinarily imprisoning himself behind towering walls of sand and indifference, refusing to let anyone approach or understand him.
That Gaara truly seemed less like a normal human being than a monster whose soul had been twisted by endless pain, hatred, and power.
And yet...
Temari bit down on her lower lip, fierce conflict and anguish churning inside her.
The man