Naruto Uzumaki was on all fours, enveloped in a savage crimson cloak, a massive fox tail swaying behind him. Temari, Kankuro, and their team froze at the sight — an image that mirrored Gaara perfectly.
Instantly, retreating became the only option.
Behind them, Gaara's upper right side had already finished transforming into Shukaku. A sand raccoon tail, matching the size of Naruto's chakra tail, rose into the air. It was the same terrifying form he'd used when their last battle was interrupted.
"You were interrupted last time," Gaara roared, his voice dripping with malice, "but you won't be so lucky this time! Die, you monster, just like me!"
With a scream, he thrust his right claw forward, launching himself like an arrow.
Naruto showed no fear. His calf muscles bunched, and with a shattering crack of the ground beneath him, he shot forward like a streak of red light.
"The dark circles don't make me a monster!" Naruto shouted. "And neither are you!"
Whoosh!
Slash!
Naruto had used the Nine-Tails' chakra countless times now, and his mastery was refined. In a single exchange, Gaara's right side—the sand-transformed Shukaku body—was sliced open, revealing a bleeding arm. Gaara slammed into a nearby tree, snapping the trunk in half. Naruto landed smoothly, unharmed.
"Ughhhhhh!!!"
The pain of his open wound made Gaara shriek. His gaze grew even more violent and unhinged.
"You actually... you actually hurt me again!"
He clutched his arm, veins bulging.
"Unforgivable! I want more! Give me more!!!"
With a howl, the severed sand of Shukaku's body was instantly covered by an even thicker layer of earth. Inside Gaara's mindscape, Shukaku was going wild with excitement.
"All my power is yours! Kill them! Kill that stinking fox's jinchuriki! Kill everyone!!! Hehehehehe!!!"
Released by Shukaku's chakra, Gaara's left side swelled up, claws extending. His face lost its human shape completely; sharp teeth bared, drool dripping, turning him into a beast.
"Gaara is almost completely turning into that monster," Kankuro stammered. "We need to get further back—now!"
Even Naruto was stunned by the grotesque sight. But what caught his eye was Gaara's expression. It was filled with hatred for the world, but also a crushing, endless loneliness.
Exactly like Naruto himself as a kid.
"Sand Rain!"
Now fully transformed into a half-beast, Gaara swept his massive tail. A barrage of circular sand bullets whistled toward Naruto. Simultaneously, his body surged forward, a blur of motion.
Clang! Clang! Boom!
The bullets were blocked by the crimson tailed beast cloak, but Gaara's charging body slammed into Naruto. Unlike before, Naruto couldn't tear him apart; Shukaku's chakra was too dense, reforming instantly.
"Hahaha... You can't stop it this time!"
Gaara's legs were morphing now, his body swelling further. His voice was distorted, echoing with two voices speaking over one another.
"Stop hiding, Naruto Uzumaki! Let me see your true form, a monster as hateful as me!"
Gaara's sand claws gripped Naruto's hands tight, pinning him. Spikes of sand shot from his expanding body, striking Naruto repeatedly.
"No! We aren't monsters!" Naruto grunted against the pressure. "I've been through what you have! I understand you! Don't let the hate blind you!"
Looking at Gaara, Naruto didn't just see an enemy. He saw another version of himself. He saw Menma—the dark personality who had taken so much, yet also cared for him like a brother.
"Understand me?" Gaara's expression twisted further. "You, trusted by others, dare to say you understand me?! We're both monsters, so why aren't you feared? Why are you loved? Why can you live in the sunlight while I'm buried in the dark?!"
Gaara let out a manic laugh. His diamond-shaped pupils swiveled to the woods on his right.
"Haha... I'll expose your true form. Let your friends see what you really are!"
Three sand claws shot from his side, darting into the forest.
"Aah!"
"Run!"
"Damn it, we're caught!"
Three figures who had crept closer to watch—Kiba, Hinata, and Shino—were snatched instantly, pinned to a tree trunk by the sand.
"Kiba, Hinata, Shino!" Naruto's eyes widened. "Let them go! Come at me!"
"Naruto-kun, don't listen to him!" Hinata cried out, struggling against the grip. "Run! Get Kurenai Yuhi!"
Compared to Gaara, the three had seen Naruto in a berserk state before. They knew that true brutality could wipe out everyone here.
"Stop!" Naruto shouted at Gaara. "Don't make me do this! I don't want him to come out and kill you! Please stop! I can be your friend!"
Naruto knew that using his Two-Tail form would risk killing everyone. He wanted to rely on Menma—the Menma who targeted only enemies. But with Hinata and the others hostage, Menma might just kill them too as "obstacles."
"Friend? Kill me? Hahaha!!!"
Gaara laughed furiously, tightening his sand claws. The sound of cracking bones echoed through the clearing.
"You have no choice! They die unless you show me the truth!"
Naruto closed his eyes. His expression filled with a deep, sorrowful pity.
"Although I really want to be your friend, I can't bear to watch my friends die."
He opened his eyes, his voice firm.
"I'm sorry. I have no choice but to unleash another, monstrous version of myself."
Naruto paused, then bellowed into the air.
"Menma Uzumaki! My brother! Come out!"
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