"Wait! I'm not finished! I might not be like you, but someone else shares your fate—Naruto. There's a monster inside him too, and his past is just like yours."
Gaara hesitated for a second, followed Kano's pointing finger, and saw a dumb yellow-haired kid scratching his head, blushing and giggling like an idiot.
There's no way I'm admitting I'm the same as that fool!
The onslaught turned even wilder.
"Naruto, say something!"
Kano was at her wits' end. She'd dragged Naruto into this—why was Gaara still looking down on him?
"What should I say?" Naruto looked left and right, clueless about what Kano meant. "Kano-chan, you can do it!"
Kano slapped her forehead—she never should've counted on this idiot!
Perched on Shadow Deer's shoulder as it sprinted, Kano racked her brain for the next reform tactic.
From experience, only three things could reach him: first, a comrade—specifically Naruto.
In the original story Naruto had reformed Gaara by bonding over their shared status as Jinchuriki, after which Gaara became Naruto's adoring little brother, always thinking of him.
Unfortunately, that route seemed closed. Kano wasn't a Jinchuriki; she could talk all she wanted without real empathy, so she couldn't sway Gaara. And since Gaara hadn't been beaten by Naruto, he still saw him as a weakling.
The second method was Tailed Beast reconciliation: make peace with the beast and half the problems vanish. Yet with Gaara's current strength, coming to terms with Shukaku was nearly impossible—unless Kano could enter Gaara's inner world and negotiate with Shukaku personally, which might work.
Sadly, she couldn't get in. She still hadn't found a chance to slip into Naruto's psyche and chat with the Nine-Tails, let alone the unfamiliar Gaara.
Only one option remained: someone who loved him—his mother.
Start with a mother's love; that was sure to reach him, just like during the Fourth War when his mother protected him.
"Gaara! Think of the people you love, the ones who love you! They wouldn't want you to become like this!"
"Shut up! If you've got the guts, fight me properly instead of spouting empty words!"
Damn it—if I weren't on a mission, I'd beat Shukaku right out of you, kid!
"I've read your past; your mother adored you. She wanted you to grow up safe and happy, like a normal child, never bullied."
"Shut… up!"
"The sand that's always protected you—that's the love your mother left behind."
"That's just the monster's power! What right do you—someone with both parents—have to judge me? You've never felt what it's like to be unloved!"
Kano was getting annoyed; this quest was absurd. Persuading Gaara without laying a finger on him was basically impossible.
"What can I say? You lost your mother, but you still have me. I can absolutely guide you through life! You could even call me Mom and I wouldn't mind!"
"You—bastard!"
Gaara's aura surged; rage made his Chakra visibly flare.
"Kakashi, are your students always this reckless?"
The green-clad Might Guy, melon-head shining, glanced at his old pal Kakashi's pupils and broke into a cold sweat; Kakashi himself couldn't help perspiring.
"Kano's usually gentle…"—he suddenly recalled her earlier mom-love remarks—"but she really does speak without thinking."
Kano was furious too. She'd tried kind words, yet he kept snarling at her—anyone would explode.
She ordered Shadow Deer Tube to counter just enough to subdue Gaara without hurting him.
"I gave you face—now behave!"
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