Naruto was completely dumbfounded!
He had no idea what this guy in front of him was even saying anymore.
"Even if you say that—" Naruto looked at the genin Gaara, who had almost completely transformed into a miniature version of Shukaku, and sighed, "How am I supposed to save him?"
"Defeat him," Gaara, the Kazekage, said firmly. "Defeat this version of me."
"Don't be ridiculous!" Sasuke interjected, stepping in to stop him. He turned to Naruto and continued, "To defeat that guy, you'd have to... use the same power as him!!"
Naruto watched the genin Gaara, now completely unhinged, and couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion inside him.
Gaara's state was just like when the Nine-Tails had consumed his sanity.
Fierce, brutal, indiscriminate. Honestly, seeing Gaara like this made Naruto feel a small sense of relief. At least he had Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, his dad, and Iruka with him. He wasn't alone.
Just then, Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake arrived, having sensed the disturbance.
Minato had already met the Fifth Kazekage Gaara in the Hokage Tower. It was a bit like how he had crossed time and space to meet Naruto; in the same way, the future Gaara had crossed time to meet the younger Fourth Kazekage.
Desperate to save Gaara, Naruto shouted directly at Minato: "Dad! Gaara's in a weird state, dattebayo!"
The word "Dad" startled Gaara, the Kazekage. He looked at the blond ANBU who had arrived with Kakashi, his eyes full of confusion.
"Anything else can wait," Minato said. "First, let's help restrain that Gaara."
"No, please don't intervene."
The Fifth Kazekage Gaara's words caught both Minato and Kakashi off guard.
"Though it's sudden, I hope you'll leave the task of stopping this version of me to Naruto."
'You?'
Minato immediately realized that the young man in front of him—who the Third Hokage had mentioned as the future Fifth Kazekage—must have recognized him. Naruto's cry of "Dad" had made it clear that he knew Minato was the Fourth Hokage.
What confused Minato was that his past self had died many years ago—how could the future Fifth Kazekage know him?
But this wasn't the time to discuss such matters.
Minato nodded solemnly at Gaara, the Kazekage.
Sasuke, clearly frustrated, said, "Hey!! Are you trying to make Naruto—"
Minato placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, as if to speak to both him and the Fourth Kazekage beside them.
"As a father, or as a friend… the most important thing is to trust him."
Sasuke and Sakura, though anxious, understood and accepted Minato's words. Meanwhile, the Fourth Kazekage, Rasa, began to reflect deeply on Minato's statement.
On the way to Konoha, the future Gaara had revealed to him that he now understood the truth. He knew about the love Yashamaru and his mother had for him, and how they would protect him even after death.
Lost in thought, he lifted his gaze, only to find that the boy, Naruto Uzumaki, had already engaged in battle with the berserk Gaara...
Because they had completed a C-rank mission together, and because Gaara shared the same Jinchūriki status, Naruto, despite clearly being outmatched, still found a moment to ask about Gaara's condition during their fight.
But up until now, Gaara still looked down on Naruto, knocking him aside and continuing his attack on Sasuke.
Gaara's relentless assault on Sasuke infuriated Naruto! In a fit of rage, he unleashed the Nine-Tails' power and delivered a punch to Gaara's face—now almost completely unrecognizable!
The fist, surrounded by crimson chakra, now had claws and knuckles that had taken on a beast-like appearance!
The Fourth Kazekage sensed something was wrong!
He turned to the blond man beside him, dressed in Konoha ANBU gear. "Who the hell is that kid?!! Why does his chakra resemble Shukaku's?!!"
"Greetings, Fourth Kazekage," Minato said, this time using his own voice.
He believed that, since this parallel world's Konoha and Suna were allied nations, his counterpart in this world and the Fourth Kazekage should at least be acquainted.
Sure enough!
Even though he hadn't heard that voice in over a decade, the Fourth Kazekage recognized the Fourth Hokage's voice immediately.
"You...!!"
"YOU are...!!" Rasa's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the 'Fourth Hokage' disguised as an ANBU!
"You're still alive?!! What is Konoha planning?"
Minato: "It's a long story. Let's focus on Gaara and Naruto's battle first."
Naruto...
Rasa recalled that the blond kid had just called Minato Namikaze 'Dad.' That meant, like Gaara, he was also a child of a Kage?
As Kages, both Rasa and Minato understood a silent rule known only to the upper echelons of the ninja villages...
That Jinchūriki and Kage must be able to counterbalance each other!
Wife, child, brother.
...
Because Naruto had unleashed the Nine-Tails' chakra as well, Gaara no longer had the luxury of paying attention to Sasuke Uchiha. With the savage fangs of Shukaku's distorted face bared, he kept screaming that he would tear Naruto apart!
Boom!
Once again, Gaara sent Naruto flying more than ten meters away. But Naruto's Shadow Clones had already been lying in wait. Empowered by the Nine-Tails' chakra, each clone possessed frightening strength. Seven or eight of them crashed down from above, smashing Gaara from the treetops straight into the ground!
Even with his sand defense, the earth was blasted open, leaving behind a clearly visible crater!!
On Naruto Uzumaki's side, the frequent use of the Nine-Tails' chakra had begun to bring out fox-like traits. Wrapped in crimson chakra, he dropped to all fours like a beast the moment Gaara slammed into the ground, letting out a low, rumbling growl. It was a beast's instinctive provocation toward its enemy!!
The Fifth Kazekage watched Naruto's half-bestial form. It was somewhat different from the way he had once fought him years ago, but he believed that as long as it was Naruto, there would be no problem.
Sasuke and Sakura, unaware of what the future held, grew increasingly anxious.
The battle had already drawn the attention of other teams, Konoha's ANBU, and the examiners!
Temari and Kankurō were no exception. When they arrived, they immediately noticed that their father was already there.
The moment Temari saw the young man standing beside Rasa, she recognized him as her and Kankurō's younger brother at a glance. But this man, who kept a cold expression yet showed no killing intent and even carried himself with a calm elegance, how could he possibly be Gaara?!!
And the real Gaara was turning into Shukaku and fighting…
…fighting that Naruto Uzumaki who had originally looked anything but strong?!!!
Gaara had only transformed his upper body into Shukaku's form. He hadn't grown into the massive body of the One-Tails. Naruto on the other side was the same, only faintly drawing on tailed beast chakra. His eyes had turned into deep crimson beast pupils, and the way his hands and feet moved had become distinctly feral.
The sight left the other observing teams completely stunned!
Just two days ago, they had heard from a strange man named Kawaki that Naruto would become the future Seventh Hokage. And now, today…
They were actually seeing him fighting head-on with that bloodthirsty, Asura-like Gaara that no one dared approach?!
And the two even seemed evenly matched?!
"Hey, hey, you're kidding, right?! That's Naruto?!" Kiba stared in disbelief, Akamaru perched on his head as his small fang-like teeth hung open.
Hinata clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest, worry written all over her face.
"Naruto-kun…"
Shikamaru quickly swept his gaze over everyone nearby. Countless pieces of information fused and crossed in his mind, forming a conclusion that was frighteningly close to the truth.
But when Ino and Chōji asked him about it, all he gave them was a single response.
"What a pain."
"He actually ignored that Sasuke Uchiha?!"
Neji Hyūga's Byakugan gave him a crystal-clear view of the battlefield, including the strange chakra pathways inside both Gaara and Naruto.
He couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "That Naruto Uzumaki… just how many layers of identity does he have?!"
At that moment, Gaara, whose upper body had transformed into Shukaku's form, also realized something.
The Naruto Uzumaki he was fighting…was a monster just like him!!
"Kill you… I have to kill you!!"
His muttering was slurred. Between his Shukaku-like transformation and a seizure setting in, saliva dripped from the corners of his mouth. Paired with those jagged fangs, he looked even more terrifying.
Seeing that Minato Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake showed no intention of intervening, Sasuke and Sakura remained on edge, ready at any moment to summon Manda and Katsuyu again!!
Compared to Gaara, Naruto still retained far more of his own consciousness.
"Gaara…"
His eyes were deep and steady as he stared at the Suna ninja who had completely lost his reason and taken on Shukaku's form.
The memory of eating ramen together just days ago was still vivid in his mind. He especially remembered Gaara's slightly at-a-loss expression when he noticed that two extra slices of chashu had been added to his bowl.
No wonder Dad had told him to spend more time with Gaara.
So Dad had known from the very beginning that Gaara and he shared the same twisted, painful fate.
And precisely because of that…
Naruto clenched his fist hard, his sharpened nails biting into his palm.
Precisely because of that, seeing Gaara like this!!!
He felt unbearable pain in his heart.
He pitied Gaara.
And yet, at the same time…he felt a trace of relief for himself.
Look at the people around them. Those who were afraid of Gaara's current appearance.
Those eyes…
They were exactly the same as the ones looking at him right now.
One by one, all the same kind of gaze…
Except for Dad. Except for Kakashi-sensei. Except for Sasuke and Sakura.
But as Naruto continued counting, he realized that even that troublesome Shikamaru, even timid and barely noticeable Hinata, even Chōji who only thought about eating…
Even those classmates from the Ninja Academy who were neither especially close nor distant from him never looked at him the way they looked at Gaara.
So he was luckier than Gaara. He had found companions and family sooner.
That was why he felt fortunate for himself.
And that was why he pitied Gaara.
That faint trace of pity from Naruto, whether carried through his gaze or through his chakra, was somehow sensed by the crazed Gaara across from him.
Lost in a delusional agony, Gaara believed that Naruto Uzumaki was denying him, denying the only meaning behind his existence!!
"What the hell are you?! What do you even know?!"
With that final roar, Gaara completely released the fully manifested One-Tails sealed within him!!
"Run!!!" Shikamaru grabbed Ino and Chōji by the backs of their collars and yanked them away.
Shino used his insects to block the branches flying toward Hinata and Kiba.
Neji, Lee, and Tenten each turned and rapidly withdrew from the battlefield!!
Only after retreating several hundred meters did they turn back to stare at the enormous monster.
"This is already… no! This went way beyond a genin match a long time ago, didn't it?!"
"Why aren't the proctors stepping in to stop this?!"
"What's going on?! Why is there a monster in the exam grounds?!"
Temari stared at the fully formed Shukaku, so frightened that she collapsed to her knees on a tree branch.
"This isn't something the proctors can deal with anymore…"
Kankurō leapt to the side of the Fourth Kazekage.
"Dad! Gaara's gone completely out of control!!"
Wait—
Both he and Temari suddenly realized something. Standing beside their father was… the future Gaara?!
Temari didn't know what the future Gaara was like as a person. She wanted to beg him and her father to stop her younger brother, but she didn't dare speak up at a moment like this, afraid that one wrong move might cause two Shukaku to rampage at the same time.
"Don't be afraid," the future Kazekage Gaara said calmly. "Shukaku is no longer inside me."
"What?!" Kankurō blurted out. "Then where did Shukaku go?!"
They didn't know that when a tailed beast leaves its jinchūriki, the jinchūriki is supposed to die.
Sasuke and Sakura, who had lived through the Nine-Tails incident and seen Naruto's mom nearly die, looked at the future Kazekage Gaara with complicated expressions.
Kazekage Gaara thought to himself.
How was he supposed to answer that? Was he supposed to say it was being fed and taken care of outside the village?
"Never mind. That's not important," he said. "Don't worry. Naruto will definitely defeat the other me."
"?!?!!"
They were shocked yet again.
That Naruto Uzumaki, who had just been dismissed by Gaara not long ago as "too weak" and "not worth my interest"?
He would receive such high praise in the future?!
What in the world had happened in the future?!
"Naruto Uzumaki…" Gaara, now fully transformed into Shukaku, still retained his own consciousness. "I will kill you! Only by killing you can I prove my existence!!! Only by killing someone stronger… will I stop feeling alone!"
Naruto was blasted dozens of meters away by Gaara's transformation. If Sasuke and Sakura hadn't grabbed him in time, he wouldn't have been able to get back on his feet at all.
Staring at Gaara like this, Naruto was reminded of the complete Nine-Tails he had once seen.
For some reason, fragments of memory flashed through his mind.
He remembered learning that tailed beasts, back when Konoha was first founded, had been captured and sealed inside jinchūriki against their will.
He remembered the night of the Nine-Tails' rampage, when his mom used Adamantine Sealing Chains to bind the Nine-Tails tightly to the ground.
The Nine-Tails trapped in its cage, those eyes filled with hatred toward humans and the entire ninja world…
Naruto Uzumaki braced his hands on his knees and steadied himself. In truth, he hadn't gained even the slightest advantage in his fight against Gaara.
He refused the Katsuyu that Sakura had summoned to heal him.
Naruto fixed his gaze on Gaara.
"Once, someone asked me something…"
That sudden change in tone made Gaara, now in Shukaku's form, pause.
"He asked me if there was someone most important to me."
"?"
Naruto's expression softened slightly, yet within it was a firmness and resolve that felt completely unbreakable.