As night fell, most people in Konoha were already asleep.
Atop one of the village roofs, a lone figure sat quietly under the moonlight — red hair, a kanji for "love" engraved on his forehead. It was Gaara.
The moon hung full and bright tonight. Gaara, however, wasn't watching it for peace. He couldn't sleep — because Gaara never slept.
As the jinchūriki of One-Tail, Shukaku, he was cursed with sleeplessness. Once the host of Shukaku truly fell asleep, the tailed beast could seize control of their consciousness. Every previous host of the One-Tail had died in their dreams.
Gaara refused to share that fate.
But that wasn't the only reason for his insomnia. Ever since birth, his father — the Fourth Kazekage — had treated him not like a son, but like a weapon. Instead of strengthening the seal to protect him, the Kazekage repeatedly sent assassins to test how well Gaara could control Shukaku.
Because of this, Gaara learned early that sleep meant danger. He could never afford to let his guard down — not even for a moment.
Truly, his childhood had been pitiful. It was no wonder he'd become the person he was.
Yet now, everything had begun to change.
He'd learned that his mother hadn't hated him — she had loved him deeply, even turning into sand to protect him with her final breath.
That realization had begun to melt the ice in his heart.
Now, Gaara waited patiently. One month from now, he would face Menma Uzumaki — someone who carried the same burden as him — and uncover the full truth for himself.
But he wasn't alone tonight.
A figure slowly approached him — it was Toss.
"I'm really convinced," Toss muttered. "You don't even sleep at night?"
Gaara's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
Toss folded his arms. "I came to fight you. I already know how your sand works. Let's see who's faster — my sound or your sand."
Before Toss could finish boasting, Gaara's expression twisted. The Shukaku within him stirred restlessly, a monstrous claw of sand forming behind him.
Toss's pupils contracted. His voice trembled. "Wh-What are you?"
Gaara didn't answer. The claw struck forward.
"Ah—!"
The scream was cut short.
Not far away, a masked man stood on a nearby cliff, watching the scene unfold.
"The moon is high, the wind is black… the perfect night for killing. Beautiful," he murmured.
Turning his head, he looked toward two other figures standing nearby — Baki, a jonin of the Sand Village, and Kabuto Yakushi.
"Impressive," Kabuto said with a smirk. "So that's Gaara's true power. He killed Toss in seconds."
"But… is that really wise?" Baki frowned. "That Sound ninja—"
Kabuto interrupted him smoothly. "It doesn't matter. He's useless now."
Baki sighed and then said sternly, "If anything goes wrong, we withdraw immediately. This plan to destroy Konoha is your Otogakure's operation. The Land of Wind will only act if absolutely necessary. That's Kazekage-sama's order."
Kabuto smiled faintly, pulling a scroll from his pocket. "Understood. And I've already informed Gaara and the others about the plan. Everything's proceeding as expected."
"Good." Baki nodded.
Kabuto turned to leave, but suddenly both men froze — they'd sensed another presence nearby.
Hidden in the shadows was Gekko Hayate, quietly eavesdropping.
Hayate had overheard everything. He immediately turned to report to Tsunade-sama — but Baki stepped forward, blocking his path.
"Well, well," Baki said coldly. "Isn't this our examiner? What are you doing here?"
Hayate braced himself. There was no time to explain — he'd have to fight.
But before Baki could strike, a masked figure appeared from the darkness, kicked Baki aside, and vanished with Hayate in an instant.
By the time Baki regained his footing, both were gone.
Damn it! The plan's been discovered! he thought, panic rising.
He quickly turned to Kabuto.
Kabuto, however, remained calm. "Don't worry. Lord Orochimaru will handle it."
He remembered the snake Sannin's exact words: No matter what happens, the plan continues.
Baki still looked uneasy. Konoha's power was nothing to underestimate. If the Sand acted alone, they'd be crushed instantly.
"Relax," Kabuto said, smiling faintly. "Lord Orochimaru has already prepared countermeasures. Konoha won't learn a thing."
Hearing that name, Baki finally exhaled in relief. After all, Orochimaru was one of the legendary Sannin — someone not to be underestimated.
Moments later, a familiar figure appeared before them — Orochimaru himself, dragging a limp body that looked exactly like Gekko Hayate.
"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto said respectfully.
Meanwhile, Gekko Hayate, who had been rescued, turned to his masked savior.
"Thank you, Anbu. I need to head to the Hokage's office immediately and report this to Lady Tsunade!"
The masked ninja chuckled and pulled off his mask.
"Isn't this about Orochimaru and Sand's plan to invade during the third exam? Sister Tsunade already knows," he said with a grin.
Hayate froze. The red hair and mischievous eyes were unmistakable.
"You—you're that kid, Menma Uzumaki!"
"My name's Menma Uzumaki, not kid, Gekko Hayate," Menma said, slightly exasperated. "And for the record, I just saved your life."
Gekko Hayate blinked, still struggling to process it. Just days ago, he'd been the examiner — and Menma, a participant. Now it was the other way around.
He finally realized the truth — Menma was actually part of the Anbu.
"But… how old are you?" Hayate muttered in disbelief.
"Doesn't matter," Menma replied casually.
Then Hayate asked, "You said Lady Hokage already knows about this?"
"Of course she does. I'm her little intelligence expert," Menma said proudly. "Everything's already in motion. But for now, you'll have to lay low. Here — take this."
He handed Hayate a mask.
"You'll be working undercover for the next month. That's Lady Tsunade's order!"
(Tsunade: Where did I say that!?)
"Understood," Hayate replied instantly. If it was the Hokage's command, he had no reason to refuse.
Menma nodded, satisfied. "Good. Then let's get started."
(End of Chapter)
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