Across the Ninja World, the massive projection screens simultaneously flickered to life, displaying moving images.
[On Screen--]
[Amidst a vast desert expanse, two figures wearing black cloaks marked with red clouds and wide kasa hats approached the main entrance of Sunagakure.
A Sunagakure ninja awaited them. Upon seeing the shorter, hunched figure, the guard knelt respectfully.]
["Master Sasori, all preparations are complete!"]
["Yura," the hunched figure replied, its voice raspy, "You've done well." ]
[Following this exchange, Sasori and his companion, Deidara, passed through the entrance into Sunagakure without obstruction. The area behind them was littered with the corpses of the gate guards – clearly Yura's doing. ]
Sunagakure,
Inside the village council chambers, Baki and the other Suna officials watched, their eyes wide with fury. Baki pointed a trembling finger at the real Yura standing among them.
"Seize him! Arrest that traitor immediately!"
Yura himself looked utterly bewildered, shocked by the images on the screen. He had no memory of meeting Sasori or betraying his village.
"Wait!" Yura cried out as guards grabbed him. "I've been framed! I was wronged!"
"Take him to the Intelligence Division for interrogation," Baki ordered coldly.
"Yes, Captain Baki!"
The other Sunagakure shinobi stared in disbelief. Yura, a respected Jōnin and council member, was a spy for Akatsuki?
Unthinkable! Damn him!
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[On Screen--]
[Once inside Sunagakure, Deidara turned to his partner. "Sasori, my man, you can rest here, old timer." He then quickly molded a large bird from clay, hopped onto its back, and gestured proudly. "How about it, Senpai? A true artistic creation isn't it, hm?"]
["Hmph. Just hurry up," Sasori replied coolly from within his Hiruko puppet. "You know I dislike being kept waiting." For Sasori, true art was eternal; he couldn't appreciate Deidara's fleeting, explosive creations. ]
[Later that night, under the cloak of darkness, Deidara initiated his attack. He molded several small, spider-like clay figures and sent them crawling onto the patrolling Sand shinobi below. A cruel grin spread across his face as he whispered the trigger word:
"Art is an explosion... KATSU!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions instantly eliminated the guards. ]
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Iwagakure,
Ōnoki watched Deidara's smug expression on the screen and fumed. That brat, still utterly obsessed with his simplistic clay explosions. Did he really think that flashy nonsense could compare to the power of Dust Release? What an idiot!
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[On Screen--]
[In the next scene, Gaara flew out from the Kazekage tower, manipulating vast amounts of sand to attack Deidara relentlessly. Deidara, mounted on his clay bird, was forced to constantly evade, yet Gaara's sand pursued him like clinging maggots – impossible to shake off completely. An intense aerial chase unfolded above Sunagakure.
Gaara then raised his hands. Sand surged from the ground, coalescing into a gigantic claw reaching for Deidara. Reacting swiftly, Deidara molded several small clay birds, sending them to intercept. The resulting explosions shattered the giant sand arm, allowing Deidara to narrowly evade the attack. ]
[By now, other Sunagakure ninja had been alerted and gathered below, watching the battle unfold high above.
"Look, it's Lord Kazekage!"
"Damn it! He's too high up! We can't provide support!"
"Gaara!" Kankuro yelled, his voice filled with worry. ]
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Sunagakure,
Silence fell among the watching shinobi. The screen confirmed it – the people in the future shown were truly addressing Gaara as 'Lord Kazekage'.
Previously, during the chaotic battle against the reanimated Madara shown on the screen, many had dismissed Ōnoki calling Gaara 'Kazekage' as confusion.
But this was undeniable proof. Somehow, the feared Jinchūriki had earned their village's highest title.
How was this possible?
How could the 'monster' Gaara become their leader?
Kankuro kept glancing at his younger brother sitting stoically nearby. Seeing the raw concern etched on his future self's face on the screen, Kankuro realized it was genuine, heartfelt emotion. Despite his current fear of Gaara, a deep-seated brotherly love still existed within him.
He remembered playing in the sand with Temari and Gaara when they were children. Gaara's innate control over sand had been astonishing even then, shaping castles, toys, and treats with ease, bringing moments of shared joy. But then their father had pulled him and Temari away, isolating Gaara, deepening his loneliness. Had that directly contributed to Gaara's twisted path? Had he, Kankuro, failed as an older brother? Perhaps the Kankuro on the screen, the one desperately worried for Gaara, was who he was truly meant to become.
Gaara himself, the focus of the battle on screen, remained outwardly impassive. But inside, a storm of emotions churned. He watched his future self, addressed with respect, even admiration, by the villagers. A pang of envy struck him. He, too, had once desperately craved acceptance, friendship, love. But his father's coldness, his uncle Yashamaru's devastating betrayal and assassination attempt, and the crushing weight of being Shukaku's vessel – branded a 'Shura who loves only himself' – had forced him to seal off his heart, becoming the cold-blooded monster everyone saw.
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[On Screen--]
[The battle reached its climax. Seizing a moment of Deidara's distraction, Gaara commanded a massive wave of sand. It surged upwards, enveloping Deidara's clay bird in a crushing grip – Sabaku Kyū (Sand Coffin)! The sphere of sand began to contract violently.]
["It's over!" Kankuro cheered from below, as if he'd landed the blow himself.
"Incredible, Lord Kazekage!"
"As long as Lord Kazekage protects us, Suna has nothing to fear!" other shinobi exclaimed excitedly.
"No! It's not over yet!" the future Kankuro suddenly frowned.
True enough, Deidara used an explosive clay clone to escape the sand coffin just before it fully crushed him.
But Gaara reacted instantly. A stream of sand shot out, ensnaring Deidara's left arm. Gaara clenched his fist. "Sabaku Sōsō!" (Sand Burial!)
With a sickening crunch, the sand crushed Deidara's arm. Forced to sacrifice the limb, Deidara detached it and retreated hastily on a smaller clay bird. ]
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