Gaara slowly opened his eyes, confusion flickering within them.
Then, he noticed a figure leaning over him.
Fair skin, short, clean-cut hair… sharp brows, deep eyes, thin lips, and a high, straight nose.
That face was flawless.
For a moment, Gaara genuinely thought he was looking at an angel.
In his dazed vision, the red-haired boy seemed to emit a soft glow.
He illuminated the darkness, spreading his wings, showering Gaara with a warm, gentle radiance...
Until Gaara's gaze finally landed on the Konoha forehead protector tied to the boy's head!
(⊙o⊙)
Only then did Gaara snap back to reality.
Oh damn—this was Shinju!
Realizing this, Gaara's face immediately flushed red!
"Uh… h-hello…"
Gaara awkwardly greeted them, his expression somewhat strange, sneaking glances at Shinju as he spoke.
Shinju felt goosebumps rising under Gaara's stare.
This guy always seemed a little off before, but has it gotten worse over the past three years?!
...
Meanwhile, the others stared in shock, stunned that Gaara had actually been revived by exchanging his life with the turtle's.
It sounded ridiculous, but—he'd really pulled it off!
Even Kakashi was dumbfounded.
"This kid's talent… always manages to defy expectations!"
Might Guy smacked Kakashi's shoulder excitedly.
"Kakashi! How much good karma did you rack up in your past life to have this guy as your student?! (´°Δ°`)"
Guy immediately grabbed Kakashi and shook him wildly.
"A reincarnation jutsu that exchanges an animal's life for a human's—do you realize what kind of upheaval this could cause in the shinobi world?!"
Naruto pumped his fist into the air, his voice full of energy.
"Yatta! Mission accomplished!"
At that moment, Chiyo leaned closer to Shinju, lowering her voice.
"Boy… can this jutsu of yours be used… on those who died of natural causes? (￢‸￢)?"
Shinju scratched his cheek, looking troubled.
"It can… technically. But messing with that stuff… it's bad karma. What if one day the Shinigami actually comes after me and drags me away… what then…"
Chiyo let out a quiet sigh.
"So in the end, birth and death… all part of the world's cycle."
...
On the other side, Gaara was still in disbelief after hearing that Shinju had invented an entirely new jutsu just to bring him back.
He originally thought becoming Kazekage would put him on equal footing with this guy, maybe even let him compete a little.
But the gap… it had only grown wider.
Three years apart, and this guy wasn't just alive despite every village hunting him down…
He'd become even more of a genius… and somehow, even more handsome.
"Thank you."
Gaara sincerely extended his hand to Shinju.
Shinju blinked, slightly taken aback by the composed, restrained aura Gaara now gave off.
This was nothing like the Gaara from three years ago, the one who'd only scream "I'll kill you all!"
Gaara noticed Shinju hesitating and smirked slightly.
A tendril of sand floated over, gently lifting Shinju's hand into Gaara's.
And so, after three long years, the two finally shook hands.
...
Just as Shinju was about to use Flying Thunder God to teleport them back to Sunagakure—
A large squad of shinobi wearing sandy-yellow uniforms suddenly appeared ahead!
Shinju scanned them briefly, noting most were Sunagakure's younger generation.
At the front stood Temari and Kankurō!
When Temari spotted Gaara safe and sound, her voice cracked with emotion as she shouted: "Gaara!!!"
In an instant, a horde of Sunagakure shinobi charged toward Shinju's group!
The crowd erupted into chatter.
"Kazekage-sama, are you okay?! We were so worried!"
"Those old fossils told us to stay put, but if something happened to you, of course we were going to find you!"
"Kazekage-sama! You're my hero!"
"Kazekage-sama! That red-haired guy next to you—who is he?! He's so handsome! I really like him!"
"Right, right! He's wearing a Konoha forehead protector… so he's from Konoha, right?"
"Konoha and Sunagakure are allies now… so technically, we could marry them! If that red-haired guy confesses to me, I might consider moving to Konoha! (´◊ω◊｀)"
"Oi! It's daytime! Stop daydreaming!"
Temari noticed where the conversation was heading and immediately barked out: "Enough!!"
The Sunagakure girls instantly froze.
But deep down, many of them couldn't help but wonder:
"Wait… is Temari this angry because she likes that red-haired guy too…?"
...
Staring at the massive crowd—nearly a thousand people—Shinju rubbed his temples.
Was he really supposed to teleport all of them back to Sunagakure with Flying Thunder God?
That many people, over such a distance… he might actually keel over doing it!
...
Just then, on the edge of the group, Neji's Byakugan picked up something unusual.
He quietly walked over to the cave where they'd first fought Sasori and Deidara.
Under the sunlight, something near the cave entrance caught his eye, reflecting faintly.
Digging through the sand, Neji pulled out a ring.
Carved into it was the kanji: "玉"
"An Akatsuki ring?" Neji frowned.
Just then, Tenten called out from behind: "Neji! What're you spacing out for?"
"Hurry up! Shinju's using Flying Thunder God to take everyone back!"
Neji: (°A°`)
Teleporting nearly a thousand people at once… he could already picture the chaos.
But, if it saved him from having to walk all the way back, he wasn't about to complain…
...
At the same time, in Sunagakure.
Inside the Kazekage's office, several Sunagakure elders sat around the table, deep in discussion.
It seemed like they had endless meetings every single day.
"Temari and Kankurō took a squad out of the village," one elder reported.
"Let them. The younger generation adores Gaara as Kazekage."
"Maybe it's us old folks who've been too biased against him."
"I just hope he comes back alive… From what I've heard, Akatsuki's goal is to extract the Tailed Beast from him. If they succeed, Gaara will surely die," another elder muttered grimly.
"He'll make it. Konoha sent backup this time… and that red-haired boy is with them."
"That one's an absolute powerhouse. He could single-handedly take on an entire shinobi village if he wanted to."
"That's… a bit exaggerated, don't you think?" someone countered.
"Not exaggerated enough," the old man shook his head solemnly. "If anything, that's being modest."
...
And then—
FWOOOSH!!!
SPLASH!!!
Out of nowhere, over a thousand people suddenly materialized right in the middle of the Kazekage's office!
The elders, squashed helplessly within the crowd, froze in shock and terror.
"W-what's going on?! Is this… some new weapon developed by another village?!ヽ( ຶ▮ ຶ)ﾉ!!!"
"An invasion—so many enemy shinobi at once… Sunagakure is doomed!! 〒_〒" one elder wailed.
But then, amidst the chaos, the Grand Elder spotted a familiar figure—Gaara!
Soon, the others noticed too, realizing the newcomers were wearing Sunagakure and Konoha forehead protectors…
Meanwhile, Kakashi was completely flattened against the crush of bodies, his forehead protector half-sliding off. With great effort, he pushed it back into place, sighing in exasperation.
"Oi, Shinju! Why the hell did you put the Flying Thunder God seal inside the Kazekage's office?!"
"S-someone… h-help…! S-stop shoving… I-I can't breathe…!!!"