—Eye of the Sand!
The eye suspended in mid-air silently observed everything below.
Only when Shukaku noticed that familiar gaze did he finally realize—Gaara had never truly let his guard down.
After years of fighting side by side, that tacit understanding still existed.
Shukaku quickly arrived above the area where Code had been buried.
That human was terrifying in close combat, possessing physical strength capable of matching a Tailed Beast head-on. Out of caution, Shukaku decided to reinforce the seal.
Dark, curse-like patterns crawled out from Shukaku's body, flowing down from his hands like liquid and seeping into the quicksand.
Five hundred meters underground, Code sensed the disturbance.
But under the immense pressure of gravity and compressed earth, his body was completely immobilized.
The power of the white Kāma quietly receded.
He lay buried in the sand, unable to move.
"Jigen… no, Lord Isshiki," Code murmured faintly, "so this is where I fall…"
He felt an unfamiliar sense of helplessness.
He had never imagined that he would face a true life-or-death crisis before even encountering the Moon Organization directly.
"Extinction: Sand Waterfall Burial!"
On the surface, Gaara pressed both hands downward.
The chakra he had just barely recovered was poured entirely into the quicksand.
Boom—
A thunderous sound echoed.
The sand collapsed violently, forming a deep, natural shaft as layers of earth slid downward.
Gaara forcibly compressed the density of the burial zone, and an overwhelming crushing force surged downward toward Code.
Buzz—buzz—buzz!
Deep underground, Code suddenly opened his eyes.
Sand filled the space around him, but none of it could touch his body.
With sheer pressure alone, he forcibly created a small hollow around himself.
Above ground, Gaara stared in disbelief as the sand bulged upward by several meters.
He's still alive.
And his power… is increasing.
Shukaku sensed it too.
Even Magnet Release sealing techniques could no longer suppress him.
"What do we do…?"
"What do we do?!"
For the first time, confusion appeared on both Gaara's and Shukaku's faces.
Gaara's chakra was nearly exhausted.
Shukaku still had chakra to spare—but even so, he couldn't inflict any damage.
Underground, Code seemed intoxicated by the sudden liberation of power.
The long-standing shackles placed upon him were breaking.
Had Naruto already been informed about Kara's appearance in Sunagakure?
"We notified them," came the reply, "but Kirigakure is facing an even greater crisis—possibly total annihilation!"
Gaara's eyes tightened.
"…Shukaku."
"I'm here, old friend," Shukaku laughed loudly, wild and unrestrained. "Looks like it's my turn to say goodbye."
Just like the laughter he once let out when he first regained his freedom.
Boom—!!
Shukaku slammed both hands into the ground, pouring an enormous amount of chakra downward, intending to crush Code completely.
But immediately—
Another force surged up from below like erupting magma.
It shattered Shukaku's suppression before it was even fully formed.
With a series of violent tremors, Code broke free and reappeared above ground.
His gaze had changed.
Cold.
Empty.
Emotionless.
White chakra flames drifted around his body like the robes of the Six Paths—only a fragment of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki's power, yet already overwhelming.
The pressure was suffocating.
The aura of a god.
"Six Paths…?" Gaara whispered.
Without hesitation, Shukaku tossed Gaara onto his shoulder.
"Listen carefully," Shukaku said in a low voice. "His target is me. I'll give you part of my chakra. Take it—and my hope—and escape!"
Code slowly floated upward.
His modified arm extended, finger pointing directly at Shukaku.
A quiet but absolute killing intent spread through the air.
"Kara seems to be in a hurry," Code muttered. "Or maybe… that supreme being sensed I was in danger."
Gaara caught the key detail immediately.
"Kara…? You're not with the Moon?"
Code no longer cared to hide it.
The dead kept secrets well enough.
"I'll ask one last time," Code said calmly. "Where are the other Tailed Beasts?"
His finger shifted—now pointing at Gaara.
Gaara laughed softly.
"Old friend… it seems I'm the one leaving first."
Shukaku understood instantly.
Choosing between comrades and kindred spirits was never easy.
Then, as if recalling something important, Shukaku suddenly spoke:
"The other Tailed Beasts… are near the Land of Water!"
"Shukaku!!" Gaara nearly roared.
Shukaku ignored him, staring straight at Code.
"Will you let this human go?"
Code studied Gaara thoughtfully.
Crushing him would be effortless.
And his objective was already achieved.
"…Fine," Code said coldly. "You'd better be telling the truth."
Shukaku surged chakra into Gaara's body.
Because of their former jinchūriki bond, Gaara absorbed it instantly.
His strength returned to its peak.
Shukaku no longer intended to fight.
He would wait.
Wait for Gaara to return—with his friends.
"…Alright," Gaara said after a brief hesitation.
As long as he lived, there was hope.
Riding the sand, Gaara fled.
Soon, only two black dots remained on the horizon.
Even Shukaku's massive body looked small from that distance.
Powerless, Gaara escaped—tears burning in his eyes like a lonely child running from fate.
Then—
A purple aura approached rapidly from afar.
On the ground, Code lowered his hand and watched Gaara leave without expression.
A weakling escaping didn't matter.
Kara's mission came first.
Code stepped toward Shukaku, intending to leave a claw mark and teleport him away.
But Shukaku didn't resist.
He seemed ready to accept his fate.
Then suddenly—
The ground shifted.
The scenery changed.
"What?" Shukaku froze.
Gaara was standing beside him.
Sand lifted Shukaku's massive body, allowing them to float together.
"My friends have arrived," Gaara said softly. "I don't need to run anymore."
Tears still lingered at the corners of his eyes, but relief filled his expression.
"…Is it?" Shukaku asked slowly.
"Naruto is in the Land of Water," Gaara replied.
Then he spoke the name calmly, with certainty—
"Uchiha Sasuke."
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