Satisfy his curiosity
"Lord Kazekage, there's a high possibility that the one who replied is the original—or at least formidable. The sensory team is detecting nothing from him," Baki reported.
"Sensei," Gaara said in greeting, his tone calm.
"Gaara," Baki acknowledged, his expression unreadable.
"I don't see Grandma Chiyo around," Gaara observed, his voice neutral.
Rasa's eyes narrowed as Gold sand began to rise behind him. "Surrender while I'm still asking as a father," he said coldly.
"Too early for that," Gaara replied, glancing at his natural energy counterpart. The clone gave a nod of understanding, silently taking charge of the impending fight.
Gaara's reasoning was simple. If the chakra clone sustained unmanageable damage, it would be dispelled, sending the memories and remaining chakra back to the original in the desert. That would cause more problems than solutions.
The natural energy clone removed its cloak, revealing subtle changes in its physique. To the observing shinobi, these minor differences were attributed to natural growth and development.
Rasa struck first, launching a golden sand pike toward Gaara. The clone dodged gracefully, but the attacks came in rapid succession, crashing into the ground where he had been moments before.
Without warning, the fallen gold sand swirled into a trap, forming a basket-like enclosure beneath Gaara, attempting to snap shut.
Before it could fully close, two massive sand palms formed, prying the basket open. The sand construct groaned under pressure before finally breaking apart.
This brief exchange demonstrated the clone's impressive control and strength over sand, enhanced by the infusion of natural energy. And yet, Gaara himself hadn't moved much.
Rasa suddenly leapt into the air without explanation, followed closely by Baki.
Before the others could react, the sand beneath their feet shifted and surged upward, swallowing them whole in an instant.
The dark rings around Rasa's eyes deepened as his intent to go all out became clear.
"That's enough testing for now," Gaara said abruptly. "We're leaving."
In the blink of an eye, Gaara and his clone vanished, reappearing at their respawn point: the highest scouting post on the border.
As soon as they left, the buried shinobi were unearthed by the sand, coughing and disoriented.
"Why'd we retreat?" the clone asked. "We had him for a second there, and I could've backed you up."
"I'm stronger than him now," Gaara admitted. "But that's only if he doesn't go all out. My goal wasn't to defeat him, and his goal was to gauge my improvement. This should satisfy his curiosity for a while."
The two boarded a sand cloud and began their journey away from Sunagakure.
---
Meanwhile, back in Gaara's home, Temari burst in, panting as though she had run all the way there. Her eyes darted around, taking in the mildly injured shinobi and Kankuro, who appeared uncharacteristically energized.
"Where is he? Where is Gaara?" she demanded, her voice sharp.
"He's gone," Kankuro replied without looking up, focused on his tanuki puppet. The puppet seemed more animated than usual, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Gaara had done something to it. "He said hi."
Temari clenched her fists, her anger bubbling. She didn't even know where to begin venting her frustration. Instead, she stormed out, muttering under her breath, "He said hi."
Fueled by anger, she returned to training, throwing herself into intense practice.
---
Back at the scene of the fight, Rasa turned to Baki. Without a word, he gave a slight nod and walked away.
For the briefest moment, a faint smile crossed Baki's lips.