When the smoke finally cleared from the clash of their Tailed Beast Bombs, the entire forest had been flattened. From above, the destruction looked like a vast crater carved into the middle of the woods.
"Damn stinky fox!" Shukaku grumbled angrily. He was furious that his combined Drilling Air Bullet + Tailed Beast Bomb attack had only managed to match a single Tailed Beast Bomb from Kyuubi.
Then suddenly, a smaller orange fox appeared beside Kyuubi—identical in every way.
Shukaku blinked. "Wait… what's this?!" His pupils shrank. "Don't tell me—you split yourself in half, Nine Tails?"
"Shut up!" Kyuubi and his clone both snapped at the same time.
This was a sore subject for Kyuubi. The incident had already happened, so there was no point dwelling on it—but it was still embarrassing. At least now he had company, and reading novels together made for a decent life.
Shukaku burst into laughter, clutching his stomach. "Hahahahahaha! The mighty Nine Tails split into two halves! Hilarious!"
"Shut it, you dead civet cat!" Kyuubi snarled. "Even divided, either of us could still beat you—you're only a One-Tail!"
"Yeah, the weakest of the bunch," added the smaller Kyuubi with a grin.
Shukaku's veins popped. "You two…!"
Furious, he began spitting out Drilling Air Bullets one after another, forcing the two foxes to dodge in every direction.
The battlefield turned chaotic—a storm of explosions and shockwaves shaking the entire forest.
Finally, the two Kyuubi glanced at each other, their eyes narrowing in unison. Without a word, both darted toward Shukaku.
Before the raccoon could react, the larger Kyuubi grew to full size, his nine massive tails wrapping tightly around Shukaku. The smaller one followed suit, and within seconds, Shukaku was completely restrained—eighteen tails binding him from every direction.
"Let me go, damn it!" Shukaku roared, thrashing wildly, but it was useless.
Neither Kyuubi replied. Instead, they clenched their massive paws into fists and started pounding on him relentlessly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
From a distance, Menma winced at the sight. The poor raccoon was getting pummeled into the dirt. He almost wanted to take a picture of the moment—such a rare, glorious scene!
"It hurts! It hurts!" Shukaku yelped miserably, completely overpowered.
"What's the point of two-on-one? Fight me one-on-one if you dare!" he shouted desperately.
Menma nearly fell over laughing, clutching his stomach as the pitiful tailed beast tried to reason his way out of the beating.
To his surprise, both Kyuubi paused mid-swing.
"You're right," said the smaller Kyuubi seriously. "We should make this fair."
"Agreed," said the other. "So, who's going first—me or you?"
"Rock-paper-scissors," said the larger one immediately.
"Deal."
And right there, in front of a beaten Shukaku, the two massive foxes started playing rock-paper-scissors.
Shukaku froze. "Are you kidding me?!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" he yelled, furious. "You think I'm beneath you?! I'll take you both on!"
The two foxes exchanged a glance. "Nope," they said in unison, wrapping him up again with all eighteen tails.
"Wait, I said I don't want to play anymore!" Shukaku wailed as another round of tail-smashing began. "This isn't fair! I just got out here!"
Meanwhile, near the unconscious Gaara, a hand appeared and gently slapped his face.
Slap!
Gaara's eyes fluttered open. The moment he woke, both Kyuubi turned their attention toward him. Shukaku's consciousness had retreated.
"The stinky cat ran away?"
"Hahahahahahaha!" Both foxes burst into laughter.
"I'm heading out," said one of them, shrinking down. "Haven't finished my novel yet." With that, he trotted off toward the village.
The other yawned. "I want to read too."
"Menma, you still need me?" he called out.
Menma shook his head, smiling slightly. "No need. Thanks for your help, Kyuubi."
"Don't mention it. Just remember my reward," Kyuubi said, grinning as he dissolved into Menma's body.
Menma sighed. "I don't even know how many novels he's going to demand this time…"
The shadow clones inside him silently groaned. (We're doomed…)
Meanwhile, Gaara lay on the ground, staring up at the sky. He'd lost—completely. Even Shukaku couldn't protect him.
Suddenly, a red-haired figure appeared in his blurred vision.
"You won," Gaara muttered weakly.
"Of course," Menma said, smiling as he sat cross-legged beside him. Then his tone softened. "Once upon a time, there was a woman named Karura. She had short sandy hair and gentle indigo eyes. She was kind, always smiling.
"She married the man she loved and gave birth to three children. But… her happiness didn't last long. She died giving birth to her third child. Even so, she loved that child deeply—and her spirit has watched over him ever since."
Menma's voice carried softly through the wind. Gaara's eyes trembled as tears welled up and fell freely. Mother…
Menma continued quietly, "Karura had a brother named Yashamaru. He loved his sister dearly. But when she died giving birth, he blamed her child. Later, under the Fourth Kazekage's orders, he tried to kill that boy. The cruel words he said before dying… were orders. None of it was true."
"So… he didn't really want to kill him?" Gaara asked through his tears.
Menma paused, then said, "No. He loved you too. He just couldn't escape his pain."
Standing up, Menma dusted himself off. "Come on. You've got the strength to stand."
Gaara pushed himself up shakily, meeting Menma's gaze. For the first time, there was light in his eyes. "…Brother."
Menma froze. "What did you just say?"
"I said it's fine if you didn't hear it," Gaara muttered, turning away, his voice soft but certain.
Menma grinned. "I heard it! You called me brother! Then it's settled—you're my little brother now!"
Gaara: "…"
And for the first time, a faint smile appeared on Gaara's face.
(End of Chapter)
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