Kimimaro quickly realized that the man before him was even harder to deal with than the Fourth Kazekage from earlier. More importantly, this opponent seemed to know his techniques and abilities inside and out.
What he couldn't possibly know at this moment was that the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, had already fought him once when he was twelve years old.
Back then, during that battle, Gaara had already grasped the fundamentals of Kimimaro's fighting style and abilities.
Through his battles with Naruto Uzumaki and with Kimimaro, Gaara came to understand that his suffering was not unique in the ninja world. What truly gave life meaning was seizing chances to connect with others.
The Gaara who had nearly been killed by Kimimaro did not simply let it go.
After returning to the village at twelve, replaying and analyzing that battle over and over became something he often did.
Because of this, Kimimaro now felt an overwhelming sense of unease. Facing this Kazekage who had appeared out of nowhere, it felt as though all of his information had been completely exposed. His opponent already understood him thoroughly, with a counter prepared for every move and technique.
That realization made Kimimaro increasingly restless.
Forcing out even greater power only worsened his Kekkei Genkai disease.
The bone spikes of the Dance of the Clematis were among Kimimaro's strongest finishing techniques. Yet this time, the attack failed to strike Gaara. Instead, Kimimaro collapsed to his knees before his enemy, coughing up blood.
"Stop," Gaara said quietly. "Don't make your illness any worse."
Facing this former enemy, Gaara felt pity.
Kimimaro was no different from the Gaara he used to be before meeting Naruto. He simply couldn't find a real reason to keep living in this world.
"You understand nothing," Kimimaro replied coldly. "I must fulfill Orochimaru-sama's dream. That is my only reason for living."
Throughout the fight, Gaara dodged and defended far more than he attacked.
"Someone who truly understands you would never use your life to fulfill their own dream."
The words shook Kimimaro, yet he still believed that the only person in this world who truly understood him was Orochimaru.
A lonely childhood. A cold iron cage. Violent clansmen. Endless enemies.
If Kimimaro were asked what was truly pure in this world, he would answer without hesitation: snow-white flowers, and the man dressed in white.
[Life itself has no meaning.]
[But if you keep living, you might meet someone interesting, or experience something meaningful. Just like you met that flower, and I met you.]
Meeting you in this world, like encountering flowers in the rain.
That single sentence became Kimimaro's lifelong salvation.
"If Orochimaru-sama needs my life, or even my body, it doesn't matter. At least… he needs me."
"..."
The Fifth Kazekage fell silent. He finally realized that back then, he had focused too much on Kimimaro's strength and underestimated just how deeply Orochimaru had manipulated him.
And precisely because of that, Gaara wanted to save him even more, just as Naruto had saved him time and time again.
"I know someone," Gaara said suddenly. "She also has bone-related abilities. Her strength surpasses yours by tens of thousands of times, and she doesn't suffer from any Kekkei Genkai disease."
The sudden change of topic stunned Kimimaro.
Aside from himself, he had never seen another bearer of the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai.
"She?"
"A woman… probably," Gaara replied. "Make Orochimaru stop. There's still time."
"What are you trying to say…?" Kimimaro asked.
Gaara let out a quiet sigh and gave up on continuing the conversation. Instead, he created sand clones to interrupt the battle between his father and the Third Kazekage, then turned his gaze toward Orochimaru.
"Orochimaru, I know your objective this time," Gaara said. "You planned to impersonate the Fourth Kazekage, sabotage the alliance between Sunagakure and Konohagakure, then join forces with Otogakure to carry out your Konoha Crush plan."
Orochimaru's dangerous golden eyes narrowed, and he immediately halted the Third Kazekage's attack under his control.
Gaara didn't say this only for Kimimaro.
What he cared about even more was Naruto.
If this truly was twenty years in the past, then stopping Sasuke Uchiha from defecting and preventing Jiraiya's death would mean Naruto wouldn't have to shed so many tears.
"You want to force the Third Hokage to step down and take the position yourself?" Gaara continued, then shook his head. "No, you're not interested in becoming Hokage. You want to force Jiraiya or Tsunade to return and assume the role instead."
Orochimaru sneered. "How amusing. What gave you that idea?"
Gaara didn't bother arguing. "Kimimaro's body is already on the verge of collapse. He can't defeat me, and I won't allow you to attack Konoha. Leave. If you find Tsunade, there's a chance she can treat his Kekkei Genkai disease. When that time comes, I might also be able to provide some information about the Shikotsumyaku Kekkei Genkai."
Orochimaru was startled yet again. Even he was helpless against Kimimaro's illness, yet this young man knew both the Shikotsumyaku and Kimimaro's condition so well.
For Orochimaru, who intended to take Kimimaro's body through Living Corpse Reincarnation, this was far more tempting than making Konoha's windmill spin again.
The Konoha Crush plan could wait for another opportunity, but Kimimaro's body could not. And a child as special as Kimimaro might never appear again.
With a verbal agreement reached, Orochimaru released the Third Kazekage from Edo Tensei.
The Third Kazekage looked at the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, and in his final moments praised him as someone who might surpass both himself and the Fourth Kazekage.
"The village… I'll leave it to you…"
His voice dispersed into the air. The Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, and the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, saw the faint smile on his face.
This scene reminded Gaara of the Fourth Shinobi World War, when he and Naruto had met their father through Edo Tensei. Many long-standing knots in his heart had unraveled at that moment.
Later, some people claimed Edo Tensei was a technique that should never have been developed. But Gaara believed that ninjutsu, like ninja tools, depended on how it was used. At the very least, it had allowed him and Naruto to erase a massive regret and learn the truth.
Orochimaru left a message about meeting again in Konoha, then departed with Kimimaro and the others.
Perhaps his hairstyle, stiffened with hair gel, had been messed up during his fight with Kimimaro. Gaara casually ran his fingers through his hair and swept it back. Stray strands naturally fell over his forehead. The once rigid, bookish hairstyle instantly turned wild and sharp, and the "Love" tattoo on his forehead suddenly fit him perfectly.
Rasa had countless questions he wanted to ask Gaara.
Gaara considered going to Konoha first to find Naruto and confirm whether he had also crossed into this era, so he set off toward Konoha together with the Fourth Kazekage.
As for Rasa's questions, Gaara only gave brief answers. He didn't go into detail about the Fourth Shinobi World War, Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, the Sage of Six Paths, or the Moon Ōtsutsuki.
Even so, just hearing that Gaara had made friends, had once died after Shukaku was extracted from him, and was later revived by Granny Chiyo's One's Own Life Reincarnation was enough to leave Rasa so shocked his mouth hung open.
"Karura…"
"I already know about Mother," Gaara said bluntly. "Compared to her, you were a pretty terrible parent, Father."
"..." Rasa felt a wave of loss and quietly said, "I'm sorry."
"But now I've also become Kazekage," Gaara continued. "So I understand the helplessness of being in that position. I once hated you, but I've already let that go."
"!!!"
"Gaara…" The Fourth Kazekage looked at the young man before him. Aside from their similar faces, it was hard to connect him with the cold, hate-filled, violent son he once knew. In that moment, emotion surged within him: relief, gratitude, and pride.
This was perhaps the most unbelievable journey the Kazekage father and son could have shared, talking so calmly, exchanging thoughts, discussing the village's future and its development. Because their ages weren't that far apart, the two felt more like brothers than father and son.
"That child named Naruto…"
Whenever Gaara mentioned that name, his expression would subtly change, and the name came up far too often.
So, out of concern for his future son—
"That child named Naruto… is he someone you like?"
"Mm…"
Gaara answered with a soft sound, then a moment later realized something was very wrong.
"Father… when you say 'like,' what kind of like are you talking about?"
Rasa, rarely showing the playful side he had before becoming Kazekage, gave his future son a knowing sideways glance.
"What do you mean, what kind? Is there more than one? Are you married yet? When I was your age, I was already—"
"Wait! Father, you've completely misunderstood!"
"What, not married yet?" Rasa sighed, clearly worried his son didn't know how romance worked. "When it comes to things like this, you have to take the initiative. You can't always wait for girls to come to you."
The Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, felt his soul leave his body.
They had been walking toward Konoha side by side.
But after Rasa finished his long-winded lecture, he suddenly realized his future son was nowhere near him anymore, standing far behind, frozen in place.
With no choice, he leapt back over and asked, "What's wrong? Don't tell me the other person is already married. If that's the case, then you—"
"STOP—!!!" Gaara shouted.
Thinking he had hit a sore spot, Rasa immediately shut his mouth. He silently sighed, feeling once again that communicating with his son was an art form far beyond his grasp.
"First!" Gaara seized the moment of silence. "Naruto Uzumaki is a man!!!"
The Fourth Kazekage sucked in a sharp breath.
"Second! He's already married!!!"
The Fourth Kazekage sucked in several more sharp breaths.
"Lastly! He is the Seventh Hokage of Konoha!!!"
The Fourth Kazekage nearly failed to catch his breath and almost passed out on the spot.
...
For more chapters, feel free to follow me on [email protected]/PinkSnake (100 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.