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Outside the Hidden Sand Village
On a cliff overlooking the vast desert, Naruto and Gaara stood side by side.
Naruto took a deep breath, gazing at the endless dunes below. "I haven't breathed in air this dry in a long time."
Gaara glanced at him with a small smile. "What's wrong? Last time you came here, it didn't seem like you enjoyed yourself enough. So how long are you staying with me this time?"
Naruto smiled, tilted his head, and replied, "Gaara, you don't seem too concerned about what happened to me. In fact, it feels like you're acting as if nothing's changed."
He paused for a moment, a hint of doubt surfacing in his expression. "Aren't you… afraid of me?"
At first, Gaara chuckled softly, but then he looked at Naruto and burst into laughter. He nearly doubled over, holding his stomach.
Naruto stared at him, baffled but amused. "Are you sick or something? Why the hell are you laughing like that?!"
Gaara took several deep breaths, exhaling slowly as he rubbed his aching cheeks. He looked at Naruto warmly and said, "When I was the Jinchūriki of Shukaku, killing people indiscriminately, soaked in blood and hatred, you were never afraid of me. You never turned your back on me. Not even once.
"And now, all that's changed is that you've got a different pair of eyes. Sure, they look a little colder, but those are the eyes of an immortal. I get that."
Naruto felt a warmth bloom in his chest. Gaara was right. No matter what he had become, Gaara still trusted him. He was one of his truest friends.
"Right," Gaara said, more seriously now, "can you tell me—everything you've done up to this point… was it all to prepare for something?"
Naruto smirked knowingly, slinging his arm around Gaara's shoulders. "So, you noticed too?"
Gaara sighed. "I can't figure out exactly what it is, but knowing your character… if it wasn't something bigger than the village, you wouldn't have chosen to defect. Based on the intel I've gathered so far, my analysis tells me it's probably related to that masked man."
Naruto withdrew his arm, clasping his hands behind his back as he stared out at the horizon. "There's a connection, but not a major one. The masked man is only a small piece of the puzzle.
"Even the Eye of the Moon Plan… that's just a stepping stone."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"Once you cross that threshold, that's when the real enemy appears."
Gaara frowned. "The real enemy? You're saying the masked man isn't the true threat?"
Naruto nodded. "That's right. The real enemy is…"
He pointed toward the sky.
Gaara followed his gaze, eyes narrowing. "...Aliens?"
Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's basically what they are."
"Can you stop being so cryptic and just say it already?" Gaara groaned. "Come on, we've been through too much for you to be holding back."
Naruto's expression turned serious as he said, "By the way, you should still have some of Shukaku's chakra left in your body."
Gaara crossed his arms, a bit wary. "Yeah, I do. Why?"
"Look into my eyes," Naruto said as he prepared his chakra. "If Shukaku's chakra is still there, you should be able to see it."
Though confused, Gaara complied, locking eyes with Naruto's Rinnegan.
"Alright, what now?" he asked.
Naruto formed a hand seal and closed his eyes. "Here he comes…"
A low hum buzzed in the air as Naruto's Rinnegan glowed and projected directly into Gaara's gaze. Instantly, a surge of memories exploded into Gaara's mind. Shukaku's remaining chakra began to resonate with the chakra Naruto emitted, triggering an involuntary rewind of memory fragments.
Countless images flooded Gaara's mind, flickering past like a fast-moving reel of film.
He saw the Fourth Great Ninja War—himself and Shukaku fighting side-by-side against Uchiha Madara.
He saw the implementation of the Eye of the Moon Plan, then the fall of the world into an eternal dream.
That illusion… was disturbingly beautiful.
He saw Naruto as the Hokage, and himself attending a Five Kage meeting alongside him.
He attended his sister Temari's wedding—his brother-in-law was… Shikamaru?!!
The images changed again. An all-out war.
The Ōtsutsuki clan descended from the sky and launched a brutal assault on the ninja world. The new generation of Five Kage fought back together—but it wasn't enough.
Explosions. Screams. Corpses.
He saw Temari's lifeless body. Kankurō's shattered puppets strewn across the battlefield. His allies fallen all around him.
His hands were drenched in blood. His knees hit the ground. His soul screamed in agony.
"What is this… what IS THIS!!!"
It was like he had been dragged into a living hell.
Outside, Naruto noticed the panic and released the technique in time.
Gaara collapsed instantly, knees buckling beneath him. He dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. His pupils were dilated, his face pale and covered in cold sweat. He looked utterly devastated.
Naruto, also breathing heavily, stabilized his own chakra.
The technique—Chrono Reflection—used to show glimpses of the future, consumed immense chakra and ocular power. Even with the Rinnegan, going halfway through the timeline exhausted a massive portion of Naruto's reserves.
Inside the mental plane, within the Nine Tails' seal, Kurama observed his chakra continuously draining into Naruto.
"What the hell is this brat up to all the time?" Kurama muttered. "He's burning through my chakra like it's candy."
Despite the complaint, Kurama had fully accepted Naruto. And now, he even took the initiative to condense and transfer chakra silently—afraid Naruto might need it at any moment.
Back outside, after steadying himself, Naruto helped Gaara up.
"You okay?" Naruto asked softly.
Gaara swallowed thickly and looked at Naruto, stunned. "Was that… Genjutsu?"
Naruto shook his head. "No. That was the future."
Gaara's eyes narrowed. "Future…?"
Naruto nodded again. "Yeah."
"Those people from the sky… who are they?"
Naruto's expression hardened. "The Ōtsutsuki clan. Descendants of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki—the being Sasuke and I fought during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Technically, the Eye of the Moon Plan was just a step to resurrect her.
"All of this—everything happening now—it's her will. Black Zetsu's manipulations. The masked man, Uchiha Madara, even Obito… they were all just pawns."
He looked down at the earth. "To Kaguya, this land is her feeding ground. She is the progenitor of chakra, and her goal… is to transform all humans into White Zetsu—soldiers she can control."
Gaara's entire worldview trembled.
This truth was more terrifying than anything the masked man had revealed at the Five Kage Summit.
In the span of mere seconds, Gaara felt his understanding of the world shatter and rebuild on an entirely different scale.
He took a step forward, eyes sharp with realization. "Then… how do you know all this?"
Naruto lowered his eyes. "I came back from the future. The Sage of Six Paths sent me."
Gaara's breath caught. "So… all those scenes I just witnessed—you've actually lived through them?"
Naruto gave a solemn nod.
Silence fell between them.
Gaara finally asked, "Did we win?"
Naruto raised his head slowly, met Gaara's gaze—and shook his head.
Gaara exhaled sharply. "I understand."
After another few seconds of quiet, Gaara looked at Naruto with unwavering resolve. "What do you need me to do?"
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