SHINOBI EXAM

Naruto blinked in confusion, unable to grasp why Temari and Kankuro were staring at him in disbelief.

Meanwhile, Gaara was even more stunned.

His absolute defense...

It had failed?

The Genin from Kirigakure nearby overheard their conversation.

These three Mist Shinobi, older and more experienced than Naruto and the others, had retained their Genin status but looked anything but novice. When they learned that Gaara's vaunted absolute defense had failed, they acted without hesitation.

One of them hurled a giant umbrella into the air, shouting, "Bad luck for you, kid! Ninja Technique: Like Rain and Dew Senbon!"

The umbrella opened mid-flight, releasing a torrent of thousands of Senbon needles. They rained down like a relentless spring shower, targeting Gaara and his group from all directions.

Gaara froze. He had never faced the consequences of his absolute defense failing before.

"Sand binding..." he muttered, trying to react, but it was too late.

The sand, usually his unyielding shield, could not match the speed or angles of the incoming Senbon. His sand-bound coffin technique couldn't destroy so many projectiles in time. He realized only his absolute defense could have stopped this attack.

As the needles closed in, Gaara experienced something unfamiliar—a surge of fear for others.

"I don't want my friends to get hurt..."

A voice echoed in his mind. It was his future self, the Kazekage, speaking in a memory: "I want to protect them. The friends I want to protect."

The words stirred something deep within him.

"I want to protect... my friends," Gaara whispered.

At that moment, a miracle occurred.

A massive wave of sand erupted from Gaara's gourd, pulling additional particles from the surrounding ground. The sand moved with astonishing speed, forming a protective dome around all six of them.

"Absolute defense!" Kankuro exclaimed, his voice a mix of awe and relief.

Temari, clutching her chest, let out a breath. "So, you haven't lost it. But why didn't your defense activate when Naruto grabbed your neck earlier?" She furrowed her brow in thought. "Could it be that your absolute defense... trusts Naruto?"

The idea seemed absurd—how could a mere technique possess independent thoughts?

Inside the sand barrier, their vision was completely blocked. All they could hear were muffled exclamations and gasps from the people outside.

"Let the sand down, Gaara," Naruto said, squinting. "It's too dark to see anything."

Gaara nodded, dispersing the sand and allowing light to flood in again.

The image in front of the central tower continued to unfold.

The three Mist Shinobi who had attacked them were incapacitated, having fallen victim to Kankuro's 'Sand Shinobi Secret Technique: Puppet Technique.' The poison from his puppets had already turned their skin a dark shade of purple.

"Luckily, we got the Earth Scroll," Kankuro said, retrieving it from one of his puppets.

---

The scene shifted to the ongoing narrative in the image above the tower.

Granny Chiyo's voice could be heard:

"In the end, I finally did something right. I entrusted the future to you."

She looked at Gaara and Naruto. Her gaze lingered on them, as if these two boys symbolized the hope for both Sunagakure and Konoha.

"If it's the two of you, I believe this ninja world will have a future different from ours..."

The younger Naruto, watching the scene from outside the image, looked utterly shocked.

"Gaara!" he shouted suddenly. "Your sand—it's turned into a person!"

Gaara blinked in confusion. "What?"

Temari and Kankuro stepped out of the protective sand dome, their jaws dropping at what they saw.

The sand had formed into the shape of a colossal woman.

"Is that...?" Temari's voice wavered as tears welled up in her eyes.

Kankuro stood frozen, unable to process the sight before him.

Nearby, curious Genin from other villages murmured amongst themselves.

"Is that... a woman?" one of them whispered.

"Why does it look like she's protecting him?"

Gaara's light-blue eyes widened in disbelief. The gravelly figure towering above them was familiar—it resembled the woman he had seen in an old photograph.

It was his mother.

The enormous sand construct, as tall as Sunagakure's tallest building, cradled the six of them in its arms. Thousands of Senbon were embedded in her body, but none had managed to harm Gaara or his friends.

"What's happening?!" Gaara's voice cracked, his pupils trembling. "Why are you protecting me?! You... you hated me!"

Tears streamed down his face, his voice thick with emotion.

---

Meanwhile, the image above continued to play.

Gaara, now older and the Fifth Kazekage, spoke to his father's reincarnated form:

"You tried to kill me six times, Father. My fear and hatred of you only grew with each attempt."

The world fell silent at these words.

Naruto, standing outside the image, clenched his fists. "Assassinated by his own father...?"

His face twisted in anger. How could a parent do such a thing? Naruto wanted to storm into the image and confront Gaara's father himself.

In Sunagakure, many began to reflect on their treatment of Gaara. The revelation that he had a friend—Naruto—moved them deeply.

In other villages, reactions were mixed:

Tsuchikage Onoki sighed. "Such is the burden of a Jinchūriki."

Terumi Mei frowned. "The Fourth Mizukage himself was a Jinchūriki... Perhaps his vulnerability allowed evil to manipulate him."

Raikage A slammed his fist on the table. "A father trying to kill his son?! What kind of monster does that?!"

Among civilians, the sentiment was clear.

"Thank goodness we're not ninjas," one murmured.

"Being a tool for others is too cruel," another added.

---

Back in the image, Gaara's father stared at his son, stunned.

The older Gaara continued: "But now, I no longer hate you."

The audience was shocked. Forgive such a father? How could anyone do that?

Gaara's next words silenced even the most skeptical onlookers.

---

Granny Chiyo's sacrifice and the camaraderie between Naruto and Gaara left an indelible mark on those watching.

As the light of hope flickered within Gaara's heart, the colossal sand figure—the embodiment of his mother's love—stood as a testament to his newfound strength and determination to protect those he cared about.

For the first time, Gaara truly understood the meaning of being a shield, not just for himself but for others.

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