As that uneasy thought surfaced, the crying child seemed to grow even more afraid and suddenly lifted his head. A tear-soaked, childish face appeared under weak sunlight, eyes red from crying with deep dark circles around them. Most striking of all was a mark that could not be ignored.
On one side of the forehead was a red carved character. "Love."
A freezing chill surged up Yamada's spine and rushed into his head, draining the blood from his face. A single name exploded in his mind. Sunagakure of the Land of Wind, the One-Tail jinchuriki. Gaara.
"Fall back!"
The shout tore from his throat as his body reacted faster than his voice, throwing himself backward with all his strength. It was useless.
"Heh... hehehe..."
A low, hoarse laugh filled with malice scraped out of Gaara's throat like sand against metal. The sound drowned out Yamada's warning and froze the air itself. The empty sadness vanished from Gaara's eyes, replaced by savage, inhuman cruelty.
Boom.
Dense, overwhelming killing intent and violent Chakra exploded outward like a tidal wave. Rain, rotting leaves, and stones were blasted into the air. Thick yellow sand surged out and swallowed the three stunned Chunin in an instant.
"No!" "Help..."
They managed only half a scream before their bodies were crushed the moment they touched the sand. No blood had time to spread before it was wiped away, leaving not even bone fragments behind. The shockwave spread visibly, snapping trees and shredding branches.
Bang.
Even Yamada, who retreated at once, was slammed by the unstoppable force from behind. He was hurled like a leaf in a storm, blood spraying as broken bones groaned, and crashed into a muddy swamp tangled with thorns.
"Cough, cough!"
His ears rang violently as he forced himself to lift his head through the pain. What he saw next burned into his life forever, like the end of the world. Endless torrents of sand poured out, gathering and reshaping into a massive form like a growing hill.
True terror arrived. One-Tail Shukaku.
"Roar!"
Huge claws waved wildly as it threw its head back and roared, joy and brutality pouring out after being bound by a Sealing Technique for so long. "Hahaha! I am finally free!"
It greedily absorbed the rain and moisture around it as swirling sand formed its enormous head, cruel light flashing in its eyes. Its voice boomed like a bell. Its spotlight-like eyes locked onto Yamada, lying in the mud with terror on his face.
"Not Sunagakure, but that fox's Konoha? Fine, it does not matter!"
"Stupid humans, welcome my arrival!"
Shukaku opened its mouth wide as invisible waves rippled through the air. Yin and yang Chakra surged from within, pale blue and dark purple particles mixing in a two-to-eight ratio. They compressed into a deep violet sphere before its jagged teeth.
In the next moment, it fired toward the densest gathering of people it sensed. Toward the Konoha outpost at the Land of Fire border.
Boom.
Afternoon sunlight passed through the window at the end of the hall and drew long bands of light across the clean floor. The corridor of Konoha Hospital Special Care Ward was unusually quiet, and the air carried the sharp smell of disinfectant. That calm was soon broken by low voices that tried to stay hushed but could not hide their unease.
"What is going on, what kind of flowers did you all bring?" one person whispered. "Obviously Carnation, there is no other choice," another replied. "The medical staff refused to let us in until the Third Hokage spoke up, so we finally got permission to visit Wang. Do not mess this up."
Soft footsteps stopped outside a ward, and the group quickly fell silent while straightening the baskets and bouquets in their hands. A light knock sounded on the door, followed by a gentle but weak voice from inside telling them to come in. The visitors pushed the door open with care and peered inside.
When they saw the figure in the room, several of them widened their eyes at the same time. For a moment, it felt as if time itself had slowed. The hospital bed stood by a bright window, half open to a clear blue sky where early spring trees swayed in the wind like rolling green waves.
A cool breeze lifted the sheer curtain and brushed into the room, stirring the hair of the young man on the bed. Yunchuan Hyuga sat there quietly, looking out at the view beyond the window. Sunlight poured over his face and body, sharpening his features and turning his long lashes pale as they cast faint shadows.
The light traced a soft golden edge around him, his black hair moving gently while his white eyes reflected a warm glow that felt almost holy. The strong scent of disinfectant, the herbs, and the flowers in the visitors' hands seemed to fade under that window and that figure. Only the movement of light, the path of the wind, and his calm presence remained.
They gazed at him as if they were gazing at the sky outside, high and clear without a single flaw. In the far distance of his line of sight, they could faintly make out Konoha's iconic Hokage Rock, and an unspoken sense of ease spread through them. "This is really nice," someone muttered before thinking.
The quiet broke, and a female ninja snapped back to herself and tapped the speaker on the head. "Nice, my foot," she whispered, "he is hurt that badly and you call it nice?" Only then did the man notice Yunchuan Hyuga's right arm, wrapped from shoulder to fingers in thick bandages and a rigid brace, an IV line dripping slowly beside the bed.
"Good afternoon." Yunchuan Hyuga turned his head toward the door, smiling gently at the slightly stiff visitors. His voice was a little hoarse from injury, yet calm and clear. They all knew what this newly appointed Jonin had done not long ago on the Land of Moon battlefield against Kumogakure.
He had used his own body to guide lightning from the sky, killing countless Kumogakure Ninja and shattering Kumogakure's defenses with terrifying power and resolve. Now, he felt like a piece of jade carefully lifted from a violent current, its sharp edges worn away, leaving only quiet warmth. That contrast made their respect grow even stronger.
"Yunchuan-sama, sorry to disturb you," the leader said, showing no hint of looking down on his youth. He took a breath to steady himself and spoke with clear respect, asking him to rest well and recover soon. Yunchuan Hyuga thanked them with a smile and asked if they had just returned from the front, acknowledging their hard work.
They replied that it was their duty and that thanks to him, the situation at the Land of Moon front had eased greatly, now waiting on a response from Kumogakure. As they spoke, they carefully set down their flowers, joining many others already filling the room, each with a card and well wishes. After a few more polite words, they found an excuse to leave and slipped out quietly, satisfied and a little excited by his gentle manner.
When the door closed softly, the room returned to silence, now filled with fresh flowers and a richer scent. A system chime sounded in Yunchuan Hyuga's mind, announcing the gain of 500 Reality Points and updating his Remaining Reality Points to 20354. Hearing the points rise, his smile became more sincere, pleased to finally pass twenty thousand.