The night breeze swept over Sunagakure's earthen-yellow buildings, carrying the dry, faint chill unique to desert nights.
In the center of the courtyard, Naruto and Orochimaru stood side by side, their eyes fixed on the red-haired young man slowly rising through the hole in the basement, flowing sand swirling around him.
Gaara was strong.
There was no question about that.
Especially here, surrounded by desert. The desert was practically his natural domain, its inexhaustible sand his most powerful weapon and armor.
More importantly, unlike the eighteen-year-old Gaara in the original story, this Gaara had nothing to hold him back.
His father, Rasa, was dead, his older sister, Temari, was tied up in the basement, and his older brother, Kankuro, was nowhere to be found. In the eyes of all Sunagakure, he was merely a vessel for a weapon.
Without emotional bonds to restrain him or vulnerable loved ones to protect, this Gaara, born purely for battle and destruction, was undoubtedly at his strongest.
Shukaku's power meshed perfectly with his cold killing intent, making him a difficult opponent for anyone.
Beside Naruto, Orochimaru narrowed his golden slit pupils, already considering retreat.
His main objective in coming to Sunagakure had been accomplished. Rasa's corpse now lay quietly inside his Sealing Scroll, enough to sustain his research for quite some time.
As for Sunagakure's turmoil, further work on the Magnet Release Secret Technique, or even the One-Tail Jinchuriki before him...
They held some research value, but compared to the main course already in his possession, they seemed far less urgent. Besides, the risks were disproportionate to the rewards.
That ran counter to Orochimaru's long-standing principle of "safety first in scientific research."
But unlike Orochimaru, who was considering retreat, Naruto's mind was anything but calm.
It was not because of the powerful opponent before