In March, the spring snow melts, and the grass grows and the birds fly.
In the Sunagakure, inside the Sunagakure office, a heated argument caused the guards outside the door to keep their eyes down, seemingly practicing the patience of ninjas.
"What did you say? Further cuts to funding? Are you kidding me? The Land of Wind's investment in Sunagakure is already low enough, and now they want to cut it in half? Are all the higher-ups idiots?!"
The Fourth Kazekage Rasa, who was known for his composure, was enraged at this moment, forcing Baki, the pillar of Sunagakure, to bow his head and apologize.
"I'm very sorry, but the Daimyo of the Land of Wind is quite dissatisfied with the current state of the village, mainly because of the Third Great Ninja War..."
At this point, Baki lowered his head and remained silent. In the eyes of the higher-ups, the trigger for the Third Great Ninja War was the unexpected disappearance of the Third Kazekage of Sunagakure.
The outbreak of war was not surprising, but the key was that Sunagakure suffered repeated defeats in the war.
The Land of Wind has always had a harsh terrain, and in the past it has relied heavily on Sunagakure, granting its every request and allocating funds to it one after another.
However, the war resulted in a series of defeats, which made many nobles, led by the Daimyo of Sunagakure, doubt the Sunagakure's capabilities.
As a result, the funds that had previously been fully supported were cut one after another, slashing at the lifeblood of Sunagakure.
"Those idiots, do they really think they can pin their hopes for peace on the Allies? Once the Allies discover their national strength is weakened, they'll be the first to strike!"
Disturbed and confused, Rasa waved his hand, signaling Baki to leave, and slowly took out a scroll from the drawer.
"The lack of funds can only be supplemented by Gold Dust. The village's way of training ninjas is already biased towards elites. If we cut back on funds, those guys will really watch the Sunagakure perish after I die."
After a long period of contemplation, Rasa felt a deep sense of loss. In the vast Sunagakure, there was not a single person who could help him alleviate the Sunagakure's economic burden.
Supporting the entire village alone was a heavy burden that left Rasa physically and mentally exhausted, especially with the Allied Powers' rising power causing him great anxiety.
Konoha is too strong. Whether it's the village's prestigious clans, Secret Jutsu ninjas, fertile land, or ample funds, any one of these would be the envy of other major powers.
In contrast, the attitude of the Land of Wind towards Sunagakure chilled Rasa to the bone, causing him to feel a sense of unease.
He's scared!
He feared that one day, Sunagakure would be directly attacked and destroyed by the so-called allied nations, and Sunagakure would disappear from the annals of history.
He feared that after his death, the entire Sunagakure would be rendered powerless under the military intimidation of Konoha, and the Land of Wind would become a nation existing in name only.
However, no matter how worried he was deep down, what was bound to happen would eventually happen, and even as the Fourth Sunagakure, he could not defy Rasa's will.
Rasa got up and walked to the rooftop. He put his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky. A bright moon shone brightly, and the starlight was sparse.
"Let me see your capabilities. Show me the power to control the Tailed Beast and prove you are the perfect Jinchūriki, Gaara!"
At the same moment, on the rooftop of the Fourth Kazekage's house.
The masked man lying on the ground coughed, and streaks of blood slid down his lips. In front of him, a child of only five or six years old slowly lifted his mask, his eyes filled with disbelief.
"Wh... what! Yashamaru, why? Why you? It was Father who sent you to kill me, didn't he, didn't he!"
"I'm sorry, Gaara, young master. This is a choice I made myself. Perhaps... it's because I can't forgive you for taking my sister away from me."
"You understand the meaning behind the name your older sister gave you... cough cough cough... Gaara himself. You must become a demon who only loves himself."
As the sounds faded, his body temperature rapidly decreased in the desert night. Yashamaru's words echoed in Gaara's mind, causing his pupils to tremble.
"Liars, liars, liars, they're all liars! What should I do, Mom? Answer me! Answer me!"
Amidst the raging sandstorm, the swirling grains etched words written in blood onto my forehead: love.
The raging chakra contained ominous fluctuations that instilled fear. Among the already evacuated crowd, two children couldn't help but look into the distance, their eyes filled with not only fear of the demons but also a hint of worry.
"Brother... Gaara, he'll turn into that kind of monster, won't he?"
Young Temari around and saw that everyone looked fearful and uneasy, muttering to herself.
"I can't stand it, that's why I hate kids, especially unstable kids. Having a monster like that as a younger brother is just..."
To be honest, even Kankuro himself wasn't sure whether his feelings toward his younger brother, who could turn into a monster on the night of the full moon, were fear or alienation.
"Ah!!!"
The sand was dancing wildly, leaping and throbbing, summoned by the demon of sand. Panic was spreading rapidly, enough to make everyone fear the scene before them.
The powerful and brutal sand demon is currently on the rooftop, venting its discontent.
The sandstorm descended in an instant. Rasa, who was watching all this from the Kazekage's Office in the distance, remained expressionless, but a sigh escaped his lips.
"It failed. Even Gaara, who has been one with the Tailed Beast since birth, cannot become a truly Perfect Jinchuriki. We can only try to completely eliminate this unstable factor."
His eyes were cold and ruthless, without the slightest hesitation, even though the being that was going berserk was half his and his deceased wife's bloodline, his own biological son.
Amidst gusts of wind and billowing sand, the Sand Ninja, caught in the midst of the evacuation, failed to notice a figure rushing towards the Sunagakure from afar.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Die! Die! Die! All of Gaara, I am... a demon who only loves himself!"
The next second, towering sand waves surged from the center of the Sunagakure in all directions, instantly swallowing up countless houses and buildings.
The Sunagakure, who thought they were in a safe zone, froze in shock at the terrifying scene before them, a scene comparable to a natural disaster.
In the very center of the village, a raccoon, a hundred meters tall and covered in Curse Mark patterns, was laughing wildly.
"Hahahaha! Freedom, this is freedom! The freedom I've longed for all this time!"
One-Tail Shukaku monster in the desert, was laughing Shukaku when the screams drowned in a sea of hatred echoed in its heart.
Kill... kill... kill!
"Hahaha, brat, I'll grant your wish. Let's start with those two brats. They're the children of that wretched Rasa, aren't they! Wind Release: Sky-Refining Bullet!"
Her chest and abdomen swelled, and the sound of air being torn apart swept across thousands of meters. Temari couldn't help but turn around. The air-piercing bullet, as large as a mountain, occupied the entire world.
"Father, Kankuro, Gaara..."
Bang!
A sudden gust of wind erupted, and countless specks of dust dissipated. Shukaku, who had been laughing wildly, stood frozen in place, enraged and ashamed.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Shut up, you beast."