The people nearby watched, dumbstruck.
Everyone knew Xuan Zhe was powerful, but none of them had expected him to suppress a Tailed Beast like this. Wasn't his strength a little too absurd?
Just as he had promised Temari and Kankuro, he attacked only Shukaku, never touching Gaara.
In a situation like this, most people would have gone straight for the jinchūriki to deal with the Tailed Beast.
That alone filled Temari and Kankuro with respect for this powerful man from Konoha.
Yet despite the constant beating, Shukaku showed no intention of stopping.
Everyone could see it, and of course, Xuan Zhe knew it too.
His flurry of attacks had looked flashy, but he had really just been loosening up.
He had been cooped up at home for too long. Now that he finally had a chance to stretch, he certainly wasn't going to waste it.
If the others knew he considered dealing with a Tailed Beast a warm-up, their jaws would probably have dropped.
With a Body Flicker Technique, Xuan Zhe appeared beside the slumbering Gaara, leaned toward his ear, and said a few words.
Shukaku, who had still been rampaging a moment ago, immediately crumbled.
Gaara slowly opened his eyes, his gaze settling on the man before him.
"Rather than holding on to your hatred of others, protect the people willing to accept you."
For someone who had lived amid hatred since childhood, this was an idea he had almost never heard before. But Xuan Zhe told him a great deal, and every example was concrete and carried weight.
Seeing Gaara calm down, Temari and Kankuro hurried forward to take him.
Their eyes were full of concern. Gaara looked at them, paused, then lowered his head and whispered, "I'm sorry."
Those words left Temari and Kankuro frozen on the