Sunagakure, Gaara's rampage

Three days later, in Sunagakure.

By the time Uchiha Rìtiān and the others arrived, Sunagakure was in utter chaos.

Countless villagers were fleeing through the village entrance.

"Run! The One-Tail is rampaging again!"

"That monster Gaara has lost control again!"

"The Akatsuki are here too! The village is done for!"

Cries, screams, and shrieks of pain mingled together.

Uchiha Rìtiān's expression grew grave.

They were still a step too late.

"Uncle Shikaku, let's head in," Uchiha Rìtiān said gravely.

Shikaku nodded. "All right."

The four headed into the village.

The moment they entered, they were greeted by devastation.

Collapsed houses and injured villagers were everywhere.

In the distance, a massive figure was wreaking havoc.

Half human and half beast, it radiated evil chakra.

It was Gaara in his Partial Tailed Beast Transformation!

Opposite Gaara, two figures were confronting him.

One was Fourth Kazekage Rasa, and the other was... Temari?

No, Kankuro was there too.

The three were working together to restrain Gaara, but they were clearly struggling.

"It's Shukaku, the One-Tail..." Shikaku said gravely. "The situation is even worse than we imagined."

"Uncle Shikaku, let's help them," Uchiha Rìtiān said.

Shikaku hesitated, then nodded. "All right."

"Jingyue, stay here and look after Hayate, and help evacuate the villagers while you're at it."

"Yes!" Jingyue nodded.

"Uchiha Rìtiān, come with me."

"All right!"

The two rushed toward Gaara.

Rasa was using all his strength to restrain Gaara, his face pale.

He was almost at his limit.

"Lord Kazekage, we're here to help!" Shikaku shouted.

Rasa turned, saw Shikaku and Uchiha Rìtiān, and froze for a moment.

"Ninja from Konoha?"

"I'm Shikaku Nara, here to provide support on Lord Hokage's orders," Shikaku said loudly.

A flash of joy crossed Rasa's eyes.

Reinforcements from Konoha? Wonderful!

"Thank you, then!"

Shikaku nodded, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

"Shadow Imitation Technique!"

His shadow instantly stretched out, winding toward Gaara.

Gaara roared, trying to break free.

But Shikaku's Shadow Imitation Technique was powerful enough to hold Gaara in place for the moment.

"Now's our chance!" Rasa exclaimed in delight. "Sand Burial!"

Countless streams of sand flew out, attempting to seal Gaara again.

However-

"Roar!"

Gaara threw back his head and roared, his chakra surging.

Bang!

He broke straight out of the Shadow Imitation Technique.

Shikaku went pale and staggered back several steps.

"Such tremendous power..."

After breaking free, Gaara grew even more berserk.

He raised his massive claw and brought it down on Rasa.

"Father!" Temari cried in alarm.

Rasa's expression changed. He tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

At that critical instant-

"Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall!"

A massive earthen wall rose from the ground, blocking the space in front of Rasa.

Bang!

Gaara's claw slammed into the earthen wall.

Cracks spread across the wall, but it held in the end.

Rasa froze.

Who had saved him?

He turned and saw a child of about eight, his hands forming a seal as he maintained the wall.

It was Uchiha Rìtiān.

"You..." Rasa stared at Uchiha Rìtiān in disbelief.

Who... was this child?

That earthen wall had to be at least jonin-level ninjutsu, hadn't it?

"Lord Kazekage, are you all right?" Uchiha Rìtiān asked with a smile.

Rasa opened his mouth, unable to speak for a long moment.

Since when... had Konoha produced such a formidable child?

"Watch out!" Uchiha Rìtiān suddenly shouted.

Gaara swung his claw at them again.

Uchiha Rìtiān's body flickered as he activated the Body Flicker Technique, taking Rasa out of the way.

"Lord Kazekage, we can't keep this up," Uchiha Rìtiān said gravely. "We have to seal Gaara as soon as possible."

Rasa gave a bitter smile. "I'd like to, but... with Gaara in his current state, I can't seal him at all."

Uchiha Rìtiān frowned.

Indeed, Gaara had already undergone a Partial Tailed Beast Transformation. Ordinary sealing jutsu were useless.

Unless... he could calm him down.

Uchiha Rìtiān rubbed his chin.

Calm Gaara down...

I've got it!

"Lord Kazekage, I have a way to calm Gaara down," Uchiha Rìtiān said.

"Really?" Rasa's eyes lit up. "How?"

"Help me hold him off first. Give me ten minutes," Uchiha Rìtiān said.

"All right!" Rasa agreed without a second thought.

At this point, he could only try whatever he could, however slim the chance.

Uchiha Rìtiān nodded, his hands rapidly forming hand seals.

What he was about to use was a special ninjutsu he had exchanged for through the system.

The Mind Dialogue Technique.

It allowed him to enter another person's inner world directly and converse with them.

Though it had little offensive power, it was exceptionally effective at soothing people.

"Mind Dialogue Technique!"

An invisible ripple emanated from Uchiha Rìtiān and entered Gaara's body.

The next second, Uchiha Rìtiān's consciousness entered Gaara's inner world.

Inside that inner world, everything was pitch-black.

A small figure huddled in a corner, trembling.

It was Gaara as a young child.

"Who... who's there?" Gaara raised his head, tear tracks staining his face.

His eyes were filled with fear and loneliness.

Looking at that tiny figure, Uchiha Rìtiān felt a pang in his heart.

This child... had endured far too much that he should never have had to bear.

"Hello, Gaara." Uchiha Rìtiān walked over and crouched down, speaking gently. "My name is Uchiha Rìtiān."

"You... who are you? Why are you here?" Gaara watched Uchiha Rìtiān warily.

"I'm here to help you," Uchiha Rìtiān said with a smile. "You're hurting, aren't you?"

Gaara lowered his head without speaking.

"Everyone fears you and hates you. They think you're a monster, don't they?" Uchiha Rìtiān continued.

Gaara's body began trembling slightly.

"Are you... are you here to laugh at me too?" Gaara's voice was thick with tears.

"Of course not." Uchiha Rìtiān shook his head. "I'm here to be your friend."

Gaara jerked his head up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"Friend? You... you want to be my friend?"

"Of course," Uchiha Rìtiān said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I?"

"But... but I'm a monster... Everyone's afraid of me..." Gaara lowered his head, tears falling.

"You're not a monster," Uchiha Rìtiān said earnestly. "You're just an ordinary child."

"The Shukaku inside you is only your power. He isn't all that you are."

"You can choose to use that power to protect others instead of hurting them."

Gaara froze.

"Protect... others?"

"That's right." Uchiha Rìtiān nodded. "For example, protecting your father, your brother and sister, and the people in the village."

"When you use your power to protect others, they won't be afraid of you anymore."

"They'll be grateful to you, like you, and see you as a friend."

A light gradually appeared in Gaara's eyes.

"Is that... really true?"

"Of course it is." Uchiha Rìtiān held out his hand. "If you don't believe me, you can give it a try."

Gaara looked at Uchiha Rìtiān's hand, hesitating for a long time.

Finally, he slowly reached out his own small hand.

Their hands clasped together.

"Ding! Successfully soothed Gaara. Gaara's friendship +50."

"Sunagakure favorability +30."

The corners of Uchiha Rìtiān's mouth lifted.

It worked!

In the real world.

Gaara's body gradually stopped struggling.

The tailed beast chakra surrounding him was also slowly fading.

Rasa froze.

"What... what's happening?"

Shikaku froze as well.

"Uchiha Rìtiān... what exactly did he do?"

Temari and Kankuro were also stunned by what they saw.

Their little brother... had calmed down?

While everyone was still in shock, Gaara's body returned completely to normal.

He opened his eyes and looked around, a trace of confusion in his gaze.

"What... what happened to me?"

Rasa rushed over and pulled Gaara into his arms.

"Gaara! As long as you're all right! As long as you're all right!"

Gaara paused, then reached out and hugged his father.

"Father..."

His voice was slightly choked.

Uchiha Rìtiān stood nearby, watching the scene with a gratified smile.

How nice.

Ding! Mission complete: Protect Sunagakure.

Rewards: Sunagakure favorability +50, Show-Off Points +1000, Mangekyō Sharingan Evolution Clue Fragment x1.

Current Mangekyō clue fragments: 9/3.

Uchiha Rìtiān was inwardly overjoyed.

Nine fragments!

When I evolve my Mangekyō, it'll definitely be ridiculously powerful!

Just then, Uchiha Rìtiān's expression suddenly changed.

He had sensed an extremely evil chakra.

It came from the other end of the village.

That was... Sasori's chakra!

And there was another chakra, even stronger and more evil...

Obito Uchiha?!

Uchiha Rìtiān's pupils abruptly constricted.

Obito was here too?!

What did he want to do?

Uchiha Rìtiān's expression grew grave.

It seemed things weren't over yet.

The real trouble had only just begun.