Chapter 58: The Aftermath
Gamabunta was stunned. At this close range, he could feel the technique's annihilating potential as a physical weight pressing down on him. The chakra density… the control required to hold that shape… Is this the evolution of the Fourth's Rasengan he dreamed of? And his son completes it at this age?
Incredible.
"Naruto! Well done!" Bunta couldn't help but roar his approval. "The rest is on you!"
Naruto grinned, the screaming sphere of wind chakra humming in his grip. "Alright! Let's go!"
Scene Twenty-Six: The Impact
In the next instant, Bunta surged forward. Naruto kicked off from the toad's head, their speeds compounding. He became a golden streak, the Rasenshuriken held before him like a fallen star, aimed straight for Shukaku's heart.
Shukaku's beady eyes widened. He crossed his massive, sandy arms, bellowing, "Shukaku's Shield!"
The sand solidified into a colossal, layered barrier just as Naruto arrived.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The collision wasn't a sound; it was the end of sound, replaced by a sphere of pure, silent white light that swelled to consume the world. Then, the shockwave hit—a detonation of energy that tore the air apart. The light was seen for miles. Every ninja still fighting in Konoha paused, turning their heads toward the distant, silent flare.
"What… was that?" Kakashi muttered, his visible eye narrowing. "That chakra signature… it's Naruto's."
"What's wrong, Kakashi?" Might Guy landed beside him, blocking a blow with a casual forearm.
"Nothing. Stay sharp," Kakashi replied, but his mind was already leagues away, with his student.
When the light and fury finally died, the world was left gasping. A hurricane of released energy had scoured the landscape, flattening trees for hundreds of meters. Sasuke, Temari, and Kankuro had been forced to their knees, shielding their faces from the flying debris.
Silence returned, heavy and ringing.
Shukaku's shield was gone. So was most of Shukaku. The sandy form crumbled, dissolving into a harmless cascade of grit. The malevolent light in its eyes faded, extinguished by shock and unwilling terror.
Gaara stirred, consciousness returning on a tide of agony. He opened his eyes. His pupils constricted to pinpricks.
Before him yawned a crater tens of meters wide. He lay at its very lip. In the center of the devastation, the giant toad sat, puffing calmly on its pipe. And beside it stood Naruto, his back straight, his figure a stark silhouette against the ruined earth.
"Uzumaki Naruto…" Gaara's voice was a raw scrape. "Did I… lose?"
Naruto wasn't looking at him. He was frowning slightly at his own left hand, a wry smile touching his lips. "Does it need saying?"
Gaara's face darkened, acceptance and despair warring in his hollow eyes. "Then kill me. I have nothing left to say."
Naruto shook his head, a sigh escaping him. "Someone with a mind as twisted as yours… I probably should. But I know it's not entirely your doing. This world is full of tragedies. To be honest… I pity you. So I won't."
"I don't want your pity!" Gaara snarled, the old fire flickering. "Pity is for the weak!"
"Fine. Then I don't pity you. But I still won't kill you."
"Why?!" The question was a ragged shout. "WHY WON'T YOU KILL ME?!"
Naruto was quiet for a long moment. He finally looked at Gaara. "My first thought was to say I want to be your friend. But you wouldn't believe that. So I'll say this: I see a formidable talent in you. The ninja world can't afford to lose a strength like yours over a squabble like this."
Gaara fell silent, bewildered.
Naruto wanted to reach him, to change him. The future Kazekage, the leader who would learn to love his people, was buried in this tormented shell. But Naruto wasn't the talkative, emotional boy of the original story. He didn't have those words. He only had observation and blunt truth.
His eyes caught movement. Temari and Kankuro were sprinting toward them from the tree line, faces etched with frantic worry.
"Gaara!" Temari's voice, sharp with fear, carried across the clearing. "Uzumaki Naruto! Don't you dare hurt him!"
"Gaara," Naruto said, his voice dropping. "Your mind is broken. But you need to ask yourself… what is it you're truly searching for?" He gestured toward the approaching siblings. "Look. No matter how much they fear you, they are your family. Your comrades. And seeing you like this, they are terrified—for you. The world isn't all hell. You aren't the only one who's suffered. Look at their faces. Can't you see genuine concern? Isn't that the very thing your heart has been screaming for?"
Gaara's mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Naruto pressed on. "You have people who care. You have immense power. You've lost things, yes. But will you choose to lose even more through mindless killing? Or will you choose to be still… and finally receive what's being offered?"
A faint, knowing smile touched Naruto's lips. He extended his hand. "Get up. The world takes, but it also gives. Will you keep throwing the gifts away? Or will you finally accept them?"
Gaara stared at the outstretched hand, his mind awhirl with the unfamiliar concepts. He looked past Naruto, to Temari and Kankuro, who were now close enough for him to see the pure, unguarded panic in their eyes.
"Stop! Uzumaki Naruto!" Temari shrieked, a kunai flying from her hand in a desperate, poorly-aimed throw.
Naruto didn't even flinch; the blade whistled past his ear. His hand remained extended.
Slowly, as if moving through deep water, Gaara reached out. His hand clasped Naruto's.
Naruto pulled him to his feet.
Temari and Kankuro skidded to a halt, staring, utterly confused.
"What… what's going on?" Temari breathed.
Naruto released Gaara's hand and offered the siblings a small smile. "He's all yours. Bunta," he called over his shoulder. "We're done here. Thanks for the assist."
From the crater, Bunta exhaled a final plume of smoke. "Not a bad workout, kid. Call me anytime." With a resonant BAMF, he vanished in a cloud of white.
In the next instant, before anyone could speak again, Naruto was gone—a flicker of golden light swallowed by the shattered forest.
"Let's go back," Gaara said quietly, his voice oddly subdued. He swayed slightly. "Help me up… please?"
Temari and Kankuro exchanged a look of pure, unadulterated shock. Did he just say… 'please'?
Scene Twenty-Seven: Regroup
Naruto found Sasuke quickly. She was standing where he'd left her, straining to see the distant battlefield, her body trembling with the effort and her injuries. Her anxiety was a palpable thing in the air.
He landed softly beside her. "It's over."