Naruto, still breathing heavily from his victory, lifted his chin and gave one last grin to the crowd before turning around. Without another word, he headed toward the staircase that led back to the waiting area above. His footsteps were steady, echoing faintly against the stone.
As he disappeared from view, a low voice cut through the air.
"…It's my turn," Sasuke said, his tone calm, but his dark eyes glimmered with anticipation.
"Sasuke-kun…" Sakura's voice rang out from behind, soft but urgent, as if she wanted to stop him.
He halted mid-step, his back still to her. Slowly, he turned his head slightly, his voice clipped. "What is it?"
Sakura looked at him. She bit her lip, then speak clearly, her eyes locked onto him. "Good luck!"
"Mm."
For the first time, Sasuke's expression eased, the corner of his lips twitching upward. He gave the smallest of nods. And without another word, he resumed his walk, vanishing into the staircase's shadow.
Not far away, Kankurō and Temari exchanged a quick glance before calling out in unison. "Good luck, Gaara!"
"Mm."
The red-haired jinchūriki's pale eyes shifted toward them. His expression didn't change, but he gave a small nod. Then, wordless as always, he followed Sasuke down.
The quiet tension grew heavier as Gaara and Sasuke descended the steps. Every footstep seemed to thrum in the air.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, two figures leapt from above, landing with a dull thud on the stone floor, blocking the path.
"…Hmm?" Sasuke's onyx eyes narrowed as he halted mid-step.
"You're in luck, kid," One of the strange shinobi sneered, his voice sharp and mocking. "We're here to finish off that guy."
His finger extended past Sasuke, pointing directly at the red-haired Gaara approaching from behind.
"…Huh?" Gaara's brows furrowed, his aura shifting ever so slightly, like the calm before a storm.
"Hey, you... With the no brows!" the other ninja jeered crudely.
Gaara's expression remained impassive, though his sand stirred faintly at his feet. "What?"
"Obediently show your neck," the man ordered, drawing a gleaming blade with a hiss. "And let us do the job."
"…Hmph." Sasuke's eyes sharpened. Without hesitation, his hand closed around the hilt of the opponent's sword, still sheathed as he snatched it with ease.
"Stay away, kid!" the first ninja barked, but his warning came too late.
Bang!
With a speed that caught the crowd off guard, Sasuke rammed the hilt of the sword into the man's abdomen.
The force reverberated in the air.
"Ugh!" The ninja's eyes bulged as he gasped, the pain twisting across his face before his knees buckled. He collapsed, unconscious, before his body hit the ground.
"Tch… weak," Sasuke muttered, his eyes darting toward the other.
"Bastard!" The second ninja cursed, raising his weapon, but before he could swing, a surge of sand erupted.
Crash!
The grains coiled like living serpents, slamming the man against the wall and pinning him there. His arms and legs were bound tightly, the sand squeezing with unyielding pressure.
Gaara didn't even glance at him. His cold, emotionless gaze was already forward, his stride uninterrupted as he walked past Sasuke. The bound shinobi roared, struggling. "Let me go! DAMN YOU!"
But Gaara's silence was more terrifying than any reply. He simply ignored the man, ignored Sasuke, and continued to walk forward. He was calm, deliberate, and heavy like a predator approaching its prey.
"…Hn." Sasuke's eyes followed the jinchūriki's back, his jaw tightening. That dismissive attitude… the way Gaara hadn't even acknowledged his presence, and it stung more than the enemy's threats.
'I'll take him down…' Sasuke's teeth clenched as the thought echoed fiercely in his mind. He wouldn't allow himself to be overlooked.
His train of thought was cut short when Naruto came into view from the opposite side of the staircase, his bright blue eyes immediately locking onto Gaara.
'Gaara…' Naruto's expression hardened as he stopped in his tracks, facing the sand shinobi head-on. His lips curved into a grin, though it carried no jest this time.
"Good luck… to both of you," He said simply, but his words carried weight.
"Hmph. Loser." Sasuke smirked under his breath, brushing past Naruto with an air of superiority, though the faintest tension lingered in his eyes. He strode into the arena, his figure sharp and proud.
Neji, who had remained leaning by the doorway, now moved slowly toward the staircase. His body still carried the pain of battle, but his pale eyes followed the two figures, Sasuke and Gaara, as they stepped onto the stage of destiny.
'The guy who defeated Lee…' Neji murmured inwardly, his gaze tightening as Gaara passed him.
Gaara, however, did not so much as glance at him. To Gaara, Neji was irrelevant, just another face among the many who would never matter.
"Sasuke," Neji called out firmly.
Sasuke, already halfway down the steps, paused and glanced back with a scowl. "What is it?"
His tone carried his irritation.
Neji's eyes narrowed, his voice calm but stern. "Be careful. I hope you remember what happened to Lee. Stay within your limits."
With that, he continued toward the staircase, his words lingering in the air like a quiet warning.
Sasuke's fingers tightened around his sword hilt. His jaw clenched as the image of Rock Lee collapsing after opening the Fifth Gate flashed vividly in his mind. For a heartbeat, anger churned inside him.
But then he exhaled sharply, forcing his heartbeat to steady.
'It doesn't matter…' His thoughts shifted, recalling the grueling training he had endured, the long nights, the burns, the scars. 'No matter what Neji says, no matter what Lee failed to do… my path is different. My strength is mine alone. And I'll prove it here.'
His black eyes glimmered with determination as he stepped forward into the light of the arena.
"Naruto!"
Naruto, who had been half-turned toward the stands, paused. His head tilted slightly, his blue eyes narrowing in curiosity.
"Hmm…" He muttered as he turned fully, gaze settling on the red-haired shinobi.
Gaara stood a few paces away, sand shifting faintly around his feet as if it too was restless. His pale-green eyes locked onto Naruto's, no longer cold, but filled with something almost foreign to the crowd who knew him only as the monster of Suna.
"…Thank you," Gaara said finally. His voice was low but clear, every word deliberate, every syllable echoing as though dragged from deep within his chest. "Thank you… for everything you have done for me."
Naruto blinked, then broke into his usual grin, waving his hand as if brushing off the weight of Gaara's words. "Oi, don't mention it. It was nothing special."
His tone was light, almost teasing, but his eyes held an understanding that only Gaara could catch.
For Gaara, though, it was anything but 'nothing'. As he raised his head, his expression tightened, emotions flickering faintly behind his calm face. To him, Naruto was the one who had reached into his nightmare of blood and insomnia, the one who had shattered the silence that had caged him for years.
The one who had shown him that a jinchūriki could live without chains.
The one who proved he wasn't fated to be a monster.
His lips parted again, a strange tightness in his chest compelling him forward. "Naruto!"
Naruto looked back, curious again. "Hmm?"
Gaara's voice came firmer this time, as if carved from stone. "I owe you a lot. If you ever require my help in the future… don't hesitate."
He didn't wait for a response. His feet already carried him past Naruto, sand rustling softly as he crossed the threshold into the battlefield.
For a brief second, their shoulders nearly brushed, and Naruto caught the faintest glimmer of something in Gaara's eyes. It was not the thirst for blood, but the fierce determination to fight beside a friend.
Naruto's grin softened. He nodded once, his voice warm and resolute. "Mm!"
As Gaara stepped onto the battlefield, the arena's light catching the red of his hair and the kanji for 'love' carved into his forehead, Naruto's thoughts lingered. 'Gaara… you'll always be my best friend, no matter what world we're in.'
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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