“Gaara!”
Chizhao sat up from the ground in terror, breathing heavily, her forehead covered in sweat.
After slightly calming her rapid breathing, she looked around and found herself sitting on the grass, in a place somewhat similar to the oasis where she had been with Jiraiya earlier.
Keiko, seeing her from not far away, hurried over and asked with concern, “Chizhao, you’re awake? Is anything uncomfortable?”
Chizhao didn’t answer Keiko directly; her previous memories quickly flashed through her mind.
She remembered that she was originally going to find Gaara, but everything after that became blurry.
“Granny, where are we?”
“We are currently on our way to Konoha Village. I have been ordered to escort you there.”
A Sand Ninja standing nearby provided the answer. Chizhao scoffed inwardly; escort, she thought, was just a polite word for surveillance.
Looking up at the bright moon in the sky, she calculated the time in her mind. She knew that Gaara’s situation must be very unfavorable right now, and she had to find a way to return to Hidden Sand Village.
“Granny, I’m still a bit sleepy. I’ll rest now.”
After saying that, she lay back down. Keiko nodded, gently stroked Chizhao’s hair, looked at her sleeping face, sighed, and then walked to the other side to lie down.
The Sand Ninja jumped onto a tree branch, found a comfortable spot to sit, and squinted, seemingly deep in thought.
The surroundings suddenly became quiet. Chizhao quietly placed her backpack under the blanket, pulling it over her head, and then took out a transparent Membrane Card.
The Sand Ninja looked curiously at where Chizhao was lying. Other than a change in her sleeping posture, there was nothing unusual, so he relaxed and closed his eyes to doze off again.
With a ‘thump,’ Chizhao’s head hit the bed board, making her gasp in pain.
She should have known not to put it under the bed.
Chizhao struggled to crawl out from under the bed. A huge roar from outside the window startled her.
She crawled to the window to look, and sure enough, the One-Tail Shukaku was rampaging out of control in the Village.
She hadn’t expected things to have progressed to this point…
Chizhao was so angry that her back molars ground together. She wished she could just pin Rasa to the ground and rub his face in it!
But what she couldn’t understand was, Yashamaru had clearly said earlier in the day that he wouldn't harm Gaara. So what had caused Gaara’s rampage?
Chizhao thought as she put on her windbreaker and rushed out of her house, heading towards Shukaku.
Looking at the large number of Sand Ninjas gathered on the rooftops, an obvious answer made her tremble all over.
The reason for Gaara’s rampage was very likely related to her.
Rasa’s plan gradually connected into a clear picture in her mind.
Everything from the daytime until now suddenly made sense.
Chizhao was filled with deep self-reproach. She had thought she saved Gaara, but she hadn’t realized she was just another tool in someone else’s hands.
Wait for me, Gaara!
On the other side, the high-ranking officials of Hidden Sand Village stood on the rooftop, their expressions grave as they looked at the rampaging behemoth before them.
A Sand Ninja appeared beside Rasa and respectfully said, “Kazekage-sama, the Transformation Technique plan is complete.”
“Hmm… The result seems to be a failure. Gaara cannot control his emotions, causing Shukaku to lose control. The Village cannot tolerate his existence.” He then turned to Granny Chiyo: “I entrust Shukaku’s sealing to you.”
A huge roar came, and the unconscious Shukaku frantically destroyed everything. On his head, buried halfway, was Gaara, also unconscious.
Chizhao knew that with her current abilities, she couldn't get close at all. Once Rasa discovered her, her life might be in danger.
She took out all her Membrane Cards and toughened films, sat in an inconspicuous corner, and frantically brainstormed countermeasures to help Gaara.
Actually, even if she did nothing, Chiyo would re-seal Shukaku.
But she was unwilling to be manipulated like this, to become a pawn used to harm Gaara.
Just because of a Tailed Beast, Gaara had to suffer such unfair treatment. It’s truly unfair!
Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the Membrane Card: Sandstorm, and a bold idea began to sprout in Chizhao’s heart.
Several Sand Ninjas on the eaves clutched their wounds, panting, and said, “Damn it, we can’t get close at all. Shukaku’s power is too terrifying.”
“Hold him off! Wait for Chiyo-sama to completely seal him!”
Just then, the sky changed dramatically. Dark clouds gathered, and a fierce wind suddenly rose. A massive entity rose from the ground in the Village, sweeping away everything around it, even causing Shukaku to nearly lose his footing.
“A sandstorm? It’s a sandstorm! How could it suddenly appear?”
Rasa and the high-ranking officials were blown by the strong wind, unable to open their eyes, and shouted with all their might, “Quickly evacuate indoors!”
Looking at Shukaku being engulfed by the storm, Granny Chiyo intended to risk going to seal him, but Rasa stopped her: “Granny Chiyo, if Shukaku dies at this time, it might not be a bad thing.”
The storm gradually approached. Chiyo glanced at the roaring Shukaku, then lowered her eyes, and, led by a guard, left the scene.
Chizhao was running wildly on the road. To her surprise, she seemed unaffected by the storm and could even easily control the airflow.
With a light step, she rode the wind and jumped onto the eaves, greatly shortening the distance to Shukaku.
As she got closer and closer to Shukaku, Gaara’s figure appeared in Chizhao’s sight. That bloody character for “love” pierced her heart.
She pulled out a blank Membrane Card and threw it towards the rampaging Shukaku.
Within the embrace of the storm, Shukaku’s figure was slowly absorbed into the Membrane Card until it completely disappeared. Gaara also detached from Shukaku’s head and fell from a great height.
“Gaara!”
Chizhao stepped on the storm’s airflow, rapidly approaching Gaara. Just as he was about to hit the ground, she caught Gaara in her arms and then stopped after rolling a few times on the ground.
At this moment, the two were in the eye of the storm. The swirling storm around them isolated them from the outside world.
Chizhao anxiously laid Gaara flat on the ground and pressed her ear to his chest.
The faint heartbeat she heard seemed as if it would stop any second.
She, of course, hadn't forgotten that a Jinchuriki would die if their Tailed Beast was extracted.
Chizhao reached out and recalled Shukaku’s Membrane Card. Without time to examine it closely, she directly tore open another Membrane Card behind it, which was attached with Shukaku’s Chakra.
Chizhao gritted her teeth, placed Shukaku’s Chakra Membrane Card on Gaara’s chest, pressed down hard, and the Membrane Card slowly entered his body.
Gaara suddenly coughed and gradually opened his eyes.
“Gaara, are you alright… Gaara!”
After a while, the dazed Gaara tilted his head and became unconscious again.
Chizhao nervously stared at Gaara’s chest, as time passed by little by little.
After confirming that the Membrane Card would not pop out like hers had before.
She then leaned over Gaara’s chest again, carefully listening to his heartbeat.
A regular and strong sound pulsed in her ears, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.
That’s great, he’s alright.
By this time, the sky was already faintly breaking dawn. She knew that if she didn’t return soon, once the Sand Ninja discovered her disappearance, Keiko would be in danger.
She glanced at Gaara, who was still unconscious. Although she wasn’t sure what exactly happened to Gaara, no matter what happened in the future, Gaara was temporarily free from his identity as Shukaku’s Jinchuriki.
But in that case, what would the subsequent developments be like?
Thinking of this, Chizhao couldn't help but feel worried again, but since things had come to this, she could only brace herself and move forward.
She retracted the Sandstorm Membrane Card and took out a brand new blank Membrane Card.
She looked reluctantly at Gaara’s quietly sleeping face and gently placed her palm on it.
“Sorry, Gaara, we’ll meet again soon, won’t we?”
As a gust of sand dispersed, Gaara lay alone on the ground. The dawn light shone on his pale little face, and tears shimmering in the corners of his eyes streamed down his face with the wind.