Sunagakure (Hidden Sand Village),
Numerous Sand Shinobi and civilians spontaneously shouted.
"Well done! Gaara!"
"So cool!"
"Amazing!"
"He truly represents Sunagakure!"
Hearing the praises from the crowd below, Gaara felt as if he were in a different world.
He never expected,
That he would gain the recognition of others through the "Gaara" shown on the screen.
The villagers' eyes were filled with gratitude for him, and their shouts were full of praise.
This... is this the feeling of being acknowledged?
Hmm... it seems much better than being alone.
At the same time, Baki recalled the bold decision he'd made earlier.
The next Kazekage,
He absolutely had to endorse Gaara for the position!
-----------------------
Iwagakure (Hidden Stone Village),
Onoki watched his disciple, Deidara, get brutally beaten by Gaara, even losing an arm in the process.
Logically, he should have felt pleased, considering Deidara was an Akatsuki member.
But in reality,
His heart was filled with nothing but anger.
To see his most prized disciple embarrassed like this on the big screen.
Sigh!
When he went out in the future, how could he even mention Iwagakure? This was humiliating.
Kurotsuchi: "Big Brother Deidara... is really foolish!"
Akatsuchi: "Junior Brother is already quite skilled. If it were me, I wouldn't stand a chance against that Gaara."
------------------
Konoha Village (Hidden Leaf Village),
Rock Lee, whose leg had been healed by Tsunade, clenched his fist and shouted, "That's Gaara's Sand Coffin! I know that technique!"
Tenten shot him a deadpan look. "You should be familiar with it, it's how your leg got broken."
Meanwhile, Neji and the others watched the Gaara on the screen with intense gazes.
Who would have thought, after just two years,
He had grown to such a level, even attaining the position of Kazekage.
Naruto roared inwardly,
He's already become Kazekage, and I'm still just a Genin! Waaaaah!
-------------------
Land of Rain, Akatsuki Base,
Kakuzu and Hidan had completed the capture of the Two-Tails and Seven-Tails, so they had returned to the base for a two-day rest.
Watching the battered Deidara on the screen, they couldn't help but mock him.
"Deidara, with skills like that, maybe you should take off the Akatsuki cloak when you go out next time, hahaha!"
"Although Hidan's words are crude, Deidara's strength does seem a bit lacking!"
Deidara was instantly ready to fight them.
Fortunately, Sasori, who was beside him, held him back and said calmly, "Deidara, instead of wasting your breath arguing with them, you should be thinking about how to capture the One-Tail now that Sunagakure will be prepared!"
"Sasori my man, even if they are prepared, we can just attack directly!" Deidara retorted bitterly.
And Pain, seated at the head, frowned.
The screen had truly begun to work against their organization. Akatsuki needed to capture the Jinchūriki quickly during this time.
------------------
------------------
.
[Image Continues--]
[Despite having a broken arm, Deidara remained composed, quickly analyzing Gaara's abilities in his mind.
"The sand that attacked me instantly just now must be the sand used for his Absolute Defense. Its speed and attack power are far greater than ordinary sand. If I can..."
A sinister smile appeared on Deidara's face. He flew his clay bird higher and higher, molded a C3・Eighteen explosive in his hand, and then dropped it downwards.]
[Gaara, enveloped in his Absolute Defense sand, glared, thinking: If that bird, carrying immense explosive Chakra energy, falls, the entire village could be wiped out.]
["No! Absolutely not! I am the Kazekage, and I will never allow anyone to destroy my village!"]
[In the next second, just as the C3 explosive emitted a dazzling light, threatening to annihilate all of Sunagakure, Gaara controlled a massive amount of sand, forming a giant shield just in time to block the terrifying blast.]
["He blocked it! As expected of Lord Kazekage!" The terrified villagers below, who had been frozen in fear, shouted with excitement.]
[However, only Gaara knew that the previous technique had consumed a vast amount of his Chakra. He could no longer control the sand effectively enough to continue fighting.]
[At this moment, a small clay bird flew directly towards Gaara's face. Deidara grinned triumphantly: "There! In range! Katsu!"]
[Boom! The horrific explosion kicked up a huge cloud of dust and smoke.]
[The Sand Shinobi watched anxiously. When the smoke cleared, they cheered again: "He defended it! Amazing, Lord Kazekage!"]
[Baki also smiled confidently, "How couldGaara's Absolute Defense be broken so easily!"]
[However, the situation took another turn. From the sand Gaara had used to protect himself, small, white clay spiders began to crawl out, startling Gaara and causing a cold sweat to break out.
"Damn it!"]
[Just as he tried to shake the spiders off, it was too late.]
[Deidara yelled: "Art is an Explosion!"]
[After the blast, Gaara's Sand Armor shattered completely, and he was nearly unconscious. Yet, even in his last moments, to prevent the massive sand shield overhead from falling and endangering the village, he used his final ounce of strength to move the sand away.]
[Witnessing this, Deidara couldn't help but offer praise, "Impressive, for a Kazekage. If you had just let that sand fall onto the village, you could have saved yourself."]
[Finally, Gaara managed to move the sand clear of the village, but he succumbed completely and passed out. Deidara easily maneuvered his clay bird, captured Gaara, and flew away.]
The images on the projection screen ended here.
This battle resulted in the capture of the One-Tail Jinchūriki, Gaara, at the cost of Deidara's arm.
Although Gaara lost, his actions earned the unwavering approval of everyone in Sunagakure.
Simultaneously,
The Ninja world was once again abuzz with heated discussions about Gaara.