Chapter 527: Normal Konoha Friendship
Was Gaara a normal person?
"Of course he is!"
Naruto answered without even thinking.
Gaara wasn't just his friend—he was also a fellow Jinchūriki, someone just like him. He had even achieved Naruto's dream of becoming a Kage before Naruto had.
Even if he had been a little abnormal in the past, he was definitely a normal person now.
"Oh? So he's a normal person, and you're a normal person. That means the two of you are the same kind of people. Is that fair to say?"
Tokiwa looked as though everything had fallen perfectly into place.
"Yeah."
Naruto didn't notice the trap at all and nodded confidently.
Kakashi, standing nearby, had already realized what Tokiwa was trying to do, but he didn't interrupt or warn Naruto.
After all, Naruto's lack of self-awareness really was one of his biggest flaws.
If this gave him a chance to realize it, that wouldn't be a bad thing.
"So if I prove that he has a problem, that means you have a problem too, right?"
Tokiwa smoothly applied the same logic to Naruto.
Under normal circumstances, that reasoning didn't make much sense.
But Naruto's brain simply wasn't wired to catch that kind of trick.
Instead, hearing her words made his fighting spirit flare up. He slapped his thigh and jumped to his feet.
"That's right! I trust Gaara just like he trusts me! Bring on whatever you've got! Gaara will definitely pass every one of your tests!"
Without Tokiwa needing to guide him any further, Naruto cheerfully jumped straight into the trap himself.
["Naruto, that woman dares to look down on Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki. Shake her hand. I want to say a few words to her."]
Just as Naruto was getting inexplicably fired up, the Nine-Tails' voice echoed in his mind.
"Sure. But don't scare her too much, Kurama."
"Um... Kurama wants to talk to you. Let's shake hands."
Naruto trusted his beloved partner, the Nine-Tails Kurama, without the slightest suspicion. He simply assumed Kurama was acting on sincere feelings as well.
However, the moment Naruto and Tokiwa shook hands, Kurama secretly sent a portion of his chakra, along with a bundle of information, into Tokiwa.
Tokiwa suddenly heard a voice beside her.
She froze for a moment, looked up at Naruto, and then revealed a meaningful smile.
Kurama's method of communicating without Naruto noticing relied on transmitting information through chakra.
In the original story, Kurama had used this same technique when giving chakra to Kakashi, secretly telling him information that led Kakashi to willingly allow himself to be absorbed so he could attack Obito from the inside.
Now, Kurama had used that method ahead of time to secretly propose cooperation to Tokiwa.
One of the key strategies Kurama and the other Tailed Beasts had discussed for resisting the prophecy was to wear down the "joystick's durability."
As long as enough durability was consumed, it wouldn't be used on them.
That meant two things.
First, Naruto had to continue using the shortcut version of Sage Mode that he had created himself.
Second, they had to find even more ways to consume that durability, in case Naruto, as Asura's reincarnation and a member of the Uzumaki clan, recovered too quickly.
Back when they had discussed the plan, Kurama had suggested that Gaara, the One-Tail's Jinchūriki, who already had rather unusual feelings toward Naruto, should also help wear down Naruto's durability.
That had become Shukaku's assignment.
Shukaku had been avoiding it and making excuses ever since.
Granted, the one making the sacrifice wouldn't be Shukaku himself, only his Jinchūriki.
And for Gaara...
It might not even count as a sacrifice.
But Shukaku was the mighty One-Tail.
Didn't he have any pride?
Besides, it had been Kurama's idea.
Everyone knew Kurama and Shukaku got along the worst out of all the Tailed Beasts.
Why should he listen to Kurama?
Now, Kurama has finally found an opportunity.
Right in front of Naruto, he secretly joined forces with Tokiwa, whose goal was different from theirs but whose methods happened to align.
Kurama didn't tell Tokiwa anything about the Tailed Beasts' true situation. She was still just a random kunoichi they had never met before.
He simply told her what he needed her to do and gently guided her in that direction.
As for why...
A Tailed Beast had no obligation to explain itself.
She could figure it out on her own.
That was much more in line with how Tailed Beasts normally interacted with humans.
And Tokiwa didn't find anything strange about it.
Instead, she felt that with a Tailed Beast helping her this time, her chances of success had become even higher.
-------
Several days later...
The three Konoha ninja and Tokiwa arrived at Sunagakure.
Having learned in advance that Naruto was coming, Kazekage Gaara personally came to the village gates to welcome him, giving Naruto the highest level of respect.
Even though his older brother, Kankurō, reminded him that he was now the Kazekage while Naruto was still only a genin, Gaara never wavered.
He told Kankurō that Naruto was the future Hokage he had acknowledged. Naruto was also the Nine-Tails' Jinchūriki.
They were equals.
Gaara even brought Kankurō along to welcome him.
Not just Kankurō.
Temari came as well.
The three siblings greeted Naruto together. Aside from Elder Chiyo not being present, this was already the highest-level reception Sunagakure could offer.
Chiyo wasn't absent because she would have been embarrassed to meet her admirer Kakashi.
She simply hadn't returned from her beach vacation in the Land of Water yet.
Temari hadn't wanted to come in the first place.
If Shiromo had been visiting, she might have shown him some respect.
But Naruto?
Why should she go welcome him?
However, Gaara explained that Naruto wasn't visiting in his personal capacity.
He had come to spread Sage Mode.
Not only that, Gaara also told her that not long ago, after accepting an invitation from Amegakure, he had joined the Tailed Beast and Jinchūriki Alliance.
He had transferred a portion of Shukaku's power away and placed it inside Naruto.
Now, through Shukaku, and Naruto as an intermediary, he could communicate with any Tailed Beast or Jinchūriki.
When Temari heard Gaara mention Shiromo and Sage Mode, she recalled how, back in the Land of the Dragon Veins, Shiromo had helped her temporarily experience "Sage Mode."
She had never forgotten that feeling.
Unfortunately, she couldn't learn it on her own, and she felt too embarrassed to go all the way to Amegakure just to ask Shiromo for help.
Could it be...
That the Konoha group was here to teach the very same Sage Mode she had experienced back then?
It was those reasons that finally convinced Temari to join the welcoming party.
However...
"Gaara! Long time no see!"
When Gaara extended his hand for a handshake, Naruto ignored it completely.
Instead, he gave Gaara a big hug.
While doing so, he discreetly pinched Gaara's butt.
"Gaara, you've gotten chubbier."
"..."
Such frivolous words.
Such a shocking action.
Of course, this wasn't something Naruto had decided to do on his own.
It was the first part of Tokiwa's "bet."
Before they reached Sunagakure, Tokiwa had first described this style of greeting to Naruto and gotten him to agree that this was simply a perfectly normal way for close friends to greet each other.
At most, it was just a little playful.
There was absolutely no way Gaara would develop any strange thoughts because of something like this.
So Naruto did exactly as she suggested.
Standing where she was, Temari had a perfect view of Naruto pinching Gaara.
The sight completely stunned her.
Could it be that Gaara had insisted she and Kankurō come for some deeper reason?
Was he actually using this occasion to publicly announce his relationship with Naruto in front of the two of them?
(End of this chapter)