"Invincible is so lonely, invincible is so empty… alone at the peak..."
At the entrance to the central tower of the Forest of Death, a red-haired figure lay on the ground, humming a tune out of sheer boredom. Wearing a Konoha forehead protector, who else could it be but Menma?
Next to him were several scrolls—both Heaven and Earth. His shadow clones had gathered them while searching for Orochimaru, encountering a few unfortunate teams along the way.
Now, having already completed the second round and achieved his goal, Menma wasn't in a rush to enter the tower. He wanted to see who else would make it here first.
"Time to kill some time!"
"Shadow Clone Technique!"
Five clones appeared before him, exchanging nervous glances.
Menma looked at them seriously. "We're holding a cultural performance. Clone #1, you'll sing. Clones #2 and #3 will do a comedy skit. Clone #4, you'll dance. Clone #5, you're doing a talk show."
The clones froze.
Clone #1: (ΩДΩ) "S-Singing?"
Clones #2 and #3: (⊙ω⊙)! "A skit?!"
Clone #4: (д)b "Dancing???"
Clone #5: ∑(￣□￣*|||━━ "A... talk show?!"
Menma ignored their protests and continued cheerfully, "You've got five minutes to prepare. Let's go!" He even threw them a thumbs-up.
Meanwhile, Team Kiba was having an unexpected encounter of their own. They had stumbled upon the aftermath of a fierce battle... and Akamaru was trembling, hiding beneath the bushes.
"What's wrong, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, confused. They had planned to hunt for more scrolls, so this sudden stop surprised him. Akamaru didn't answer—he just leapt into Kiba's arms, clearly shaken.
Hinata stepped forward, worried. "Is he hurt?"
Kiba looked serious. "No... he's scared. Akamaru can sense chakra and judge strength. This is only the second time I've seen him react like this."
He couldn't help but remember the first time—when they encountered Menma.
Kiba narrowed his eyes toward the forest ahead. "Sounds like there's a fight going on. But whoever it is... they're definitely not normal." The trio crept forward and peeked out through the bushes to observe.
No one had told them the golden rule:
Curiosity killed the cat.
In the clearing, Gaara, Temari, and Kankuro were facing off against three unfamiliar shinobi—Rain ninja wearing hats. If Menma had been there, he'd be laughing already. Who would be dumb enough to confront Gaara so boldly?
Standing between them, one of the Rain ninja sneered. "Stupid brats from Suna... you've got some nerve challenging us."
"Hurry up and attack," Gaara said coldly, barely suppressing his murderous intent—amplified by the fact that he hadn't seen Menma in a while.
Kankuro hesitated. "Shouldn't we wait? What if they have the same scrolls? Then this fight would be pointless."
"I don't care," Gaara said darkly. "I'm going to kill everyone I see."
Temari: (ΩДΩ) Not again…
Kankuro: w(Д)w Why am I on this team?!
Enraged by Gaara's words, the Rain ninja hurled umbrellas into the air while forming hand seals.
"Ninja Art: Thousand Needles of Rain!"
The umbrellas spun wildly, releasing a barrage of silver needles from every direction.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
"Got him," one of them smirked confidently—only for his smile to vanish.
Gaara stood untouched, sand swirling protectively around him.
The sand had automatically formed a defense, shielding him from every needle. It was the sand from his gourd, fortified with chakra—a technique only Gaara could use. And it wasn't just a jutsu...
It was his mother's love.
"Not even one needle got through..." one of the Rain ninja stammered, his confidence shattered. In the bushes, Team Kiba looked equally horrified.
"Incredible..." Hinata whispered, covering her ears in fear.
The Rain ninja tried again, redirecting the remaining needles, but Gaara's sand blocked them once more.
"That's all?" Gaara said, clearly disappointed.
"Sand Coffin."
Sand erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Rain trio's legs, trapping them before they could react. Gaara then casually picked up one of the umbrellas.
Temari and Kankuro followed suit, instinctively lifting umbrellas of their own.
With a flick of his fingers, Gaara manipulated the sand—and lifted all three enemy ninjas into the air.
"Here! Take our scroll and let us go!" one of the Rain shinobi begged.
Too late. Gaara's bloodlust was already boiling.
CRACK.
Screams. Blood rained from the sky.
Kiba: (ΩДΩ)
Hinata: (ΩДΩ) covers ears
Shino: (ΩДΩ)
"We need to leave—now!" Kiba whispered. The three silently began to retreat.
But then—
"There's someone over there." Gaara's voice rang out coldly.
"Forget it, Gaara," Kankuro said quickly, trying to de-escalate. "The scroll that fell is the Heaven Scroll—we needed it. Let's just go to the tower."
"You're scared, huh?" Gaara sneered.
Kankuro: "..."
He walked over and muttered, "Maybe you don't care, but it's dangerous for us. One set of scrolls is enough. Any more is pointless."
"Trash like you doesn't get to order me," Gaara replied coldly.
Angered, Kankuro grabbed Gaara by the collar. "That's enough! For once, try listening to your brother."
"I don't see you as my brothers. And if you get in my way, I'll kill you."
Temari: "..."
She stepped in. "Gaara, that's enough! Please don't say such cruel things. Just this once... listen to your sister."
Gaara didn't reply immediately. The sand forming in his hands finally settled as it slid back into his gourd and sealed shut.
"Fine," Gaara muttered, stepping away.
Temari and Kankuro both sighed in relief.
Watching from a nearby tree, a red-haired figure smiled faintly, arms crossed.
"So... Gaara still has emotions at this point, huh? Interesting. Very interesting."
(End Of Chapter)
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