172 Therapist Daiki - 3

"You are the one…who threatened my existence before, after boasting of how you could defeat all the trash alongside me." Gaara's gaze and bloodlust sharpened noticeably.

"That I am," Daiki nodded, "Sorry about that, I was in a bit of a bad mood you see. A friend of mine, the guy you fought. crippled himself just to try and beat a weakling like you, so it pissed me off a bit."

If possible, the bloodlust in the air spiked, anger filling it and within all the time it took to blink, a large spear of sand shot through the air towards him, erupting from Gaara's back.

It didn't even make contact, the sand falling to the ground harmlessly as his armour sucked the chakra out of it.

"Having performance issues?" Daiki taunted with a smirk.

"Hmph, absorbing chakra, how quaint," Gaara scoffed, yet despite his words, his bloodlust did not lesson, "I will kill you regardless of your little tricks."

"Tricks are for kids," Daiki snorted, "And it's impossible for you to kill me. You're just a failure of a Jinchuuriki after all, not like me. I'm better than you in every single way."

Gaara's gaze tightened, "Do not speak, as if you know me, just because you know what I am," he bit out, lifting his hands, "You are just a mere human, I am the demon of the sand!"

He raised both hands up, his chakra spiking and sand erupted from the gourd on his back, swelling up into the air above them.

But, with how blatant is bloodlust was, it was easy to predict such an action. Especially with Gaara's prior track record.

That was why, the split moments his chakra spiked, lightning sparked into existence around Daiki's body and he moved.

Gaara's sand jumped to his defence.

It was not fast enough.

With the lightning chakra mode, his speed was well a match for Rock Lee when he was using the gates.

If not faster.

Gaara only had time for his eyes to widen in shock, before Daiki's palm smashed into his face and bodily lifted him up into the air, before slamming him back down onto the rooftop.

Only then did the sand reach him, switching from defense to offense, tens of dozens of sand spikes aiming to impale him from every angle.

But just like before, the second they got within the vicinity of his body, they shrivelled away as the chakra was absorbed from them.

Gaara's eyes were wide with horror…and fear.

"NO!" the boy snarled around the palm in his face and clenched his fists, the sand that had been scattered, filling with chakra once more and leaping to his aid.

"Stop, or I'll kill you." Daiki said simply, and it halted. It was not a threat in his voice, it was a promise.

And Gaara froze.

That was Gaara's biggest problem really. At this point in time, without relying on the strength of the One Tail, he was powerless. And against someone that knew his weaknesses like him and could exploit them, he was a sitting duck.

The turtle shaped pauldron atop his shoulder, had been specifically created to counter Gaara. And that was not taking into account his armour, the seal on his palm that could absorb chakra and the jutsu he'd stolen for himself that let him absorb chakra.

He literally had four different methods of absorbing chakra and rendering Gaara's greatest weapon and defence, useless before him.

Quite simply, Daiki was Gaara's worst possible match up. And unless he unleashed Shukaku, there was nothing he could do against him.

"Just as I told your sister, you really are a failure of a Jinchuuriki," Daiki shook his head, "It's sad really, the second I invalidate your sand, you're literally nothing. Without your sand, your average genin could kick your ass around."

"You…" Gaara trailed off, just staring up at him, "…I…I will not let you steal my existence."

"I don't want it, I wouldn't even be bothering with you if you weren't obsessing over killing a friend of mine," Daiki replied with a snort, "All you are, is a failure of a jinchuuriki that's too lonely and hurt to pull yourself out of your self pity."

This, was a bit of a delicate situation.

As such he handled it with all the grace of a bull in a china shop.

As he always did.

"I'm not lonely!" Gaara all but snarled, the emotionless facade he liked to portray nowhere in sight, "You know nothing!"

"I know everything," Daiki countered with a smirk, allowing the lightning armour to fade from around his body, and he felt a great relief as he did, the damage it had done to his body already beginning to heal "After all, unlike you, I'm perfect." he boasted and reached deep within and pulled.

Sizzling red chakra exploded into existence around his form in place of the lightning armour, three tails lazily swinging in the air behind him.

"You…!" Gaara's eyes widened in shock, "You're just like me? You're a demon as well!?"

"No, I'm a Jinchuuriki, we're Jinchuuriki," Daiki corrected, then shook his head, "What the hell is up with everyone thinking the Bijuu are demons? Demons are pussy ass weaklings compared to them, why the hell would you boast about being a weakling like that? Say it with me Gaara, we're Jinchuuriki, we're way scarier than any pansy ass demon."

Honestly, it was getting almost insulting at this point.

"…A different name changes nothing, I am treated as a demon, thus I am," Gaara replied, "We are demons to the world, a world that will shun us and try to steal our very lives. I will not let my existence be snuffed!"

Daiki rolled his eyes, letting go of Gaara's face and stepping back, "You're dad really did you dirty huh?" he shook his head, "About as expected, the man is a complete clown after all, as I already told your sister."

Gaara stared up into the sky, confused, "…Why did you let me go?" he asked, instead of commenting on what he said about Rasa the Clownkage.

"Why not? Like I told you, you're no threat to me," Daiki replied, then sighed, "Honestly, at most I'm disappointed in how weak you are. We Jinchuuriki are superior to normal ninja, but you've done it wrong. You can't control Shukaku at all and rely on its power over using it to bolster your own. You might have the weakest of the Bijuu, but that doesn't mean you should be a weakling."

Gaara winced at his words, clutching at his head and grimaced noticeably.

"Guess he didn't like my words huh?" Daiki smirked, then held up a single hand, chakra glowing along his fingertips, "Shut the hell up Shukaku or I'll seal you off entirely, we're having a conversation here." he threatened.

Gaara winced again, before his expression eased up. For all Shukaku played up the insane act, it was just that, an act.

And it knew better than to risk its influence over its host.

"You…you made mother quiet?" Gaara gave him a gobsmacked look.

"I could make Shukaku quiet forever if you want," Daiki offered, despite himself. Even with his disappointment in Gaara's strength, it didn't change the guy was done fucking dirty and couldn't even sleep because of Shukaku. That was bound to give anyone a few screws loose, "And Shukaku's not your mother. Your mother is dead, she died bringing you into this world, so don't disrespect her like that."

Gaara….looked as if Daiki just slapped him.

Which technically, he kinda did not long just, just with his full palm.

Daiki sighed, "Look, I get it. Your life sucks and has sucked for a long time. Your mom died giving birth to you, your dad stuck a bijuu in you that you never wanted, he forced your siblings not to interact with you, tried to have you killed a bunch of times and everyone avoided you thinking you were a demon," he rattled off and actually found himself wincing as he spoke it aloud, pity for the other boy welling up in him, "It must have been lonely and hard."

"….What…How do you..?" Gaara's voice came out in a whisper.

"Everyone in your village knows what happened to you basically, so anyone outside the village can get the information easily from their loose lips," Daiki responded, then crouched down to be eye level with the boy who had been too caught in the discussion to stand back up, "But see, despite your shitty dad, you're not actually alone, you still have siblings who love you, for all that they're absolutely terrified of you at the same time."

"Lies, those weaklings hate me." Gaara responded instantly.

"No, they don't," Daiki flatly replied, "At the very least, Temari doesn't hate you. If she hated you, she wouldn't have turned up at my room to scope me out and make threats after the first second round of the exams."

Well, he was embellishing a little. but he did know for a fact Temari loved her little brother and would give her life for him even now.

"…A weaking like Temari…threatened you?" Gaara's head tilted to the side, and he asked in a small voice, "But…you're so strong and powerful. You defeated me with ease and my sister is a gnat compared to me."

"Like I said, just because she's scared of you because you always threaten to kill her, doesn't mean she doesn't love you," Daiki replied, and leaned forward, laying his hand on the boys shoulder, "I mean, think back. Has there even been a time where your siblings treated you badly even before you went psycho murderer? Or was it all your father forcing them?"

Gaara looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

"For what it's worth, there's nothing wrong with hating the people who made your life hell," Daiki said in consolation, "But, blaming those who didn't, is just doing the same thing others did to you. And you clearly don't like it. Honestly, while I can't understand things from your view, since I willingly became a Jinchuuriki, I sympathize with you. And really, if you want to talk to someone about it, you should go find Naruto, because he was treated a lot like you growing up."

"The…blonde boy?" Gaara's non-existent eyebrows furrowed, "The one who said he has a demon…a bijuu as well?"

Hmm, so that did happen.

"Yup, and he's a whiny mess over it just like you," Daiki snorted, "I'll tell you the same thing I told him when I was teaching him how to use his power not long ago. Be proud of who and what you are. You should be, being a Jinchuuriki makes you inherently superior to normal ninja from the get go. And if you are proud of it and wear like an armour, it can never be used to hurt you. Don't brandish it like a sword."

Gaara did not reply, but a storm of emotion swirled in his teal eyes.

"Go home Gaara, spend some time with your siblings while you're a way from your father and for once in your life, make your own decisions." Daiki finished, standing back up.

As he did, Gaara slowly did so as well, "…I need to think." he said, before bringing his hands up into a single hand seal and disappearing in a swirl of sand.

As he left, Daiki rubbed his head and sighed in annoyance, "What the hell am I? The Jinchuuriki Therapist?" he groaned.

He could only hope Gaara did take his words to heart.

Because Naruto was far stronger than he was in the other timeline right now and could freely use the one tailed cloak thanks to him. Gaara might just die if they fought this time around.

…And even if they didn't, Daiki wouldn't be able to pull his punches the next time around.

Because he'd be slaughtering his way through every single invader that he saw during the invasion.