NOVEL NEXT Chapter 13: What Do They Mean to You?
[Onscreen]
The camera shifted to show two figures rushing toward Sasuke, who lay collapsed. Haruno Sakura and Pakkun, the ninja dog, arrived at his side.
"Sa... Sakura... Who's that guy?" Naruto asked, staring at Gaara, who was now half-transformed into a monstrous figure. His voice trembled with unease.
Pakkun's face was grim as he growled, "Even though his form has changed, that's still Gaara."
"And he's the one who did this to Sasuke..." Sakura whispered, her voice shaking with fear.
Naruto's gaze flickered to Gaara. The sight brought back the memory of their earlier encounter at the hospital.
"From the moment I was born, I took my mother's life. That makes me a monster..."
"Is this… the monster inside him?" Naruto muttered, his voice heavy with uncertainty.
Suddenly, Sasuke groaned in pain, drawing Naruto's attention.
Gaara's piercing eyes locked onto Naruto, his tone cold and disinterested. "You... You're the one I didn't kill back then."
His voice grew darker as he continued: "I exist only for myself... to love only myself... My existence… will never disappear."
Naruto swallowed hard, the fear creeping through him. He clenched his fists and shouted, "Everyone, listen to me! Run! Get out of here!"
In that split second of hesitation, Gaara moved. In a blur, he bypassed Naruto and lunged toward Sasuke, his massive claw poised to strike.
"Die, Uchiha Sasuke!" Gaara roared.
Sakura stepped forward, clutching a kunai tightly. Without hesitation, she positioned herself between Gaara and Sasuke, her face resolute despite the terror in her eyes.
"Sakura!!!"
Back in Konoha, Sakura's parents screamed, their fear echoing in their voices.
Ino's heart sank as she watched. Despite their recent strained friendship, she still cared deeply for Sakura.
"That girl is brave," someone muttered. "She's really standing up to Gaara in that state? Admirable."
"Naruto, do something already! Don't just stand there!"
"But how's he supposed to win? This isn't looking good..."
"She's done for... Sakura's going to..."
[Onscreen]
Gaara hesitated for a moment, his gaze flickering as if recognizing someone in Sakura's stance. But his claw didn't stop. It came crashing down, pinning her against a tree.
Sakura let out a pained gasp before slipping into unconsciousness.
"Sakura!" Naruto yelled, his voice desperate as his body refused to move. "Damn it… this feeling… I hate it!"
Outside the screen
Naruto's real-world self watched Gaara's monstrous form, and his gaze faltered. "Can I even beat someone like that?"
The raw killing intent, the suffocating loneliness—it all mirrored something Naruto recognized.
It's just like… me back then...
Meanwhile, Gaara stared at the sky screen, his face contorted with emotion.
"Yashamaru..." he muttered. In Sakura's bravery, he saw a faint shadow of his uncle. His mind spiraled into chaos.
"My existence... It won't disappear. I won't let it." His voice was cold, his eyes void of light. "I am Shura… a being who loves only himself."
Back in the training grounds, Sasuke growled in frustration.
"Damn it! How could I be so weak? Get up already!" he shouted, scowling at his screen self.
"NARUTO!" someone yelled in frustration. "Why aren't you doing anything? Your teammates are down!"
"But it's Gaara! How could Naruto possibly win? Even Sasuke couldn't beat him!"
"Gaara's not just strong—he's terrifying. And Naruto is just… Naruto."
[Onscreen: Gaara's Flashback]
Gaara's mind drifted to his past. He saw himself as a child, staring longingly at other kids playing together. He wanted to join them.
But they rejected him. They pushed him away.
"Why don't I have friends?" young Gaara had asked.
"Why does everyone hate me? What did I do wrong?"
He remembered Yashamaru's final words.
"I hate you. Your birth took away my sister's life."
"The name your mother gave you… Gaara… was a curse. She didn't name you out of love, but out of hatred for this world."
Gaara's heart twisted as he recalled Yashamaru's cruel farewell.
"I am alone. I won't love anyone. I will live as a demon... because I am Shura."
Naruto, standing in the present, felt his heart ache. Gaara's loneliness radiated through his eyes. It was the same look Naruto had once carried—the eyes of someone longing to be seen, to be loved, yet finding nothing but rejection.
"Jinchūriki are always cast aside," someone in the ninja world murmured.
"Isolated, feared… Gaara is no different."
"And with a father like that… it's no surprise he turned out this way."
[The Five Kage's Responses]
Fourth Raikage: "That bastard Rasa! Get out here and take responsibility for this mess!"
Ōnoki: "I don't disagree. Rasa, this is your doing."
Mei Terumī: "To treat a jinchūriki this way… even the word 'beast' is too kind for you, Rasa."
Third Hokage: "I've grown too old to speak on this."
Fourth Kazekage (Orochimaru in disguise): "..."
Orochimaru, still masquerading as Rasa in Konoha, sneered. "Rasa. Even in death, you're a nuisance," he muttered. But his interest shifted to the sky screen. "This… 'heavenly screen'... What could it be?"
[Onscreen]
Gaara's piercing gaze bore into Naruto. His voice was like ice. "What do they mean to you?"
Naruto's expression hardened as he pointed at Gaara, his anger flaring. "They're my teammates! If you hurt them, I'll take you down!"
Gaara chuckled darkly and tightened his grip on Sakura. She let out a weak cry of pain.
"Is that so? Then come, Uzumaki Naruto. Show me what you've got."
"Dammit! You bastard!" Naruto roared and charged at Gaara, only to be swatted away by the massive claw.
The ninja world held its breath.
"Naruto's outmatched. What can he do against Gaara?"
"Sasuke's already down. Now Sakura's in trouble. And Naruto looks scared."
"How is this even a fight? Gaara's a jinchūriki—he's practically invincible!"