Chapter 66. Strengthening the Seal

As the sealing runes on the magic circle illuminated, Gaara's eyelids drooped, and he passed out.

In an instant, Natsuki and Rasa's eyes flashed, transporting them to another world.

"Damn it!"

Thunderous roars instantly assaulted their ears.

They found themselves in a vast, gray-black desert.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, and winds carried sand like flying knives, creating an environment steeped in deathly silence.

In this lonely expanse, there were no visible creatures, but a colossal black shadow fifty meters high roared madly in the distance.

The shrill and frenzied voice repeated, "I will go out! I will go out!"

Shukaku seemed to be out of its mind, continuously and relentlessly voicing its desire.

The sound was so deafening that Rasa felt his ears ringing, causing discomfort.

Natsuki scanned the surroundings and spotted Gaara hiding beneath a semicircular mound of dirt in the distance.

Gaara covered his ears tightly, seeking refuge in the earthen fortress. Yashamaru's face could be vaguely seen on the surface.

Rasa's expression soured. "Does Gaara live like this regularly?"

He replied, "Yes, Gaara isolates himself within the defense of gravel. No one can enter, and he can't get out."

There was a hint of sarcasm on Natsuki's lips. "I wonder if you, the Fourth Kazekage, can always remain calm in this environment."

Rasa's face grew even more grim, his fists were clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh.

"What should we do now?" He asked.

Natsuki raised his chin, pointing at Gaara. "Go and comfort your son first. We need to face Shukaku head-on."

Following Natsuki's instructions, Rasa approached. As Gaara saw him coming toward him, hope sparkled in his eyes.

He quickly grabbed him with his small hands.

"Dad, are you here to save me?"

He touched Gaara's head with pity. "It's okay, Gaara. I'm here."

Gaara nodded vacantly, tears welling up in his eyes.

The sand castle behind him gradually expanded, transforming into a massive sand wall, with Rasa's head gradually emerging.

Gaara quickly fell asleep in Rasa's arms.

Rasa gently laid Gaara down, stood up slowly, and cast cold eyes on the distant Shukaku, who continued to roar wildly.

"Mr. Natsuki, do you need to defeat Shukaku next?"

In an unusual turn, this marked the first time he addressed him.

Natsuki waved his hand amusingly. "This is Gaara's spiritual world. It's already bad enough, but you still want to demolish it?"

Rasa, who had been on edge, calmed down.

"Leave the rest to me."

Natsuki stopped his banter and successfully conveyed to Rasa the kind of life Gaara had been enduring.

Putting his hands together, Natsuki declared, "Four Symbols Seal!"

On the sandy ground, numerous ink-colored sealing techniques emerged, forming a massive four-image array when viewed from above.

He altered the hand seals, commanding, "Condensation!"

All the ink-colored spells rapidly contracted and extended from the ground toward Shukaku's body.

"What's this!?" Shukaku panicked, feeling an overwhelming sense of suffocation as the technique swiftly covered its body.

The winds and sand in the sky gradually dissipated, revealing a clear day.

Shukaku, spotting Natsuki casting the spell, exclaimed, "You're from the Uchiha clan! Release me! Otherwise, I'll make you regret it!"

"Try it!" Natsuki retorted.

Shukaku attempted to unleash a deafening roar, expecting the chakra wind ball to shoot from its mouth.

However, to its shock, nothing happened. Shukaku opened its mouth but only expelled a breath.

"What's going on!?" Shukaku was bewildered. Natsuki's sealing technique intensified, layer by layer restraining Shukaku's body.

The colossal body of Shukaku began to shrink, reducing from a height of fifty meters to one-tenth of its size.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The ink seals on the ground transformed into thick walls, constructing a large structure resembling four interlocking Zojoji buildings that enclosed Shukaku entirely within the sandy confines.

Only a washbasin-sized hole remained.

Even as Shikaku collided with it, the structure remained steadfast.

Approaching him, Natsuki gently shook Gaara awake, and Gaara opened his eyes.

Seeing Rasa and Natsuki before him, Gaara felt a sense of ease.

In the distance, Shukaku's irate voice continued to echo.

"Damn Uchiha! Let me out!"

"I'm going to kill you all! Kill them all!"

Natsuki extended a hand, gesturing for Gaara to take it.

"Want to know how to become a qualified Jinchuuriki?"

Gaara glanced back at Rasa, who looked encouraging.

Slightly uneasy, Gaara placed his hand on Natsuki's, and he led him forward, walking until Shukaku drew nearer, its roars growing louder.

Suddenly, Gaara broke away from Natsuki's hand and turned around, rushing back.

Rasa, following behind, gently embraced him. "Don't be afraid, kid. Daddy will always be behind you."

Gradually calming down, Gaara turned around, his eyes growing firmer.

As he stood in front of the box-like structure, he realized that Shukaku was inside.

Despite Shukaku's roaring and the forceful impacts, the entire structure remained unmoved, with only a resounding noise emanating from the small hole.

Natsuki knelt down and addressed Gaara, "Your mother, Gaara, has always loved you deeply. Even in spirit after her death, she continues to protect you with sand."

"Now, try sanding the window."

"Is Mother protecting me?" Gaara gazed at his hands and raised them slightly.

The yellow sand on the ground lifted into the air.

Gaara's eyes brightened. "Really, truly..."

Natsuki pointed to the intentionally left small hole. "As a qualified Jinchuuriki, you need to control the tailed beast."

"This Shukaku talks too much nonsense. If you don't want to listen to him, just seal this hole with sand."

Gaara, with a joyful expression, observed the flying sand and nodded.

Waving his small hand, the flying sand gathered into the small hole, completely blocking it in just a moment.

Inside the sealed Shukaku, panic ensued.

"What are you doing!? Damn it!"

"It's so dark in here! Let me out! Let me out!"

"Hurry up and let me out!"

The once thunderous roar now became faintly audible.

Natsuki gently touched Gaara's head. "See, Shukaku has nothing to be afraid of. If he starts making noise again, just seal the entrance to the cave."

"When he becomes obedient, you can open the hole again. Okay?"

Gaara looked around happily, experiencing the absence of wind and sand, as well as the absence of Shukaku's harsh roars.

With Gaara's laughter echoing, Natsuki and Rasa's eyes gleamed as they returned to the real world.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for greatly changing Gaara's life trajectory.]

Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Desert Layered Imperial Funeral Seal X1

Seemingly useless. Was there any other valuable information to gather in Sand Hidden Village?

Oh, right, Chiyo's place might be worth a try, but now wasn't the appropriate time.

No matter how prolonged the time in the spiritual world, in the real world, only a moment had passed.

Observing both of them opening their eyes, Yashamaru approached nervously and inquired, "Kazekage-sama, Natsuki-sama, how are you?"

They remained silent.

Gaara had already awakened. He shook his head from side to side, saying, "I can't hear it anymore. I really can't hear it anymore."

A mixture of joy, happiness, and fatigue played across his face.

Gaara leaned gently on Rasa's legs and quickly fell asleep as soon as his eyes closed.

Yashamaru and the others felt as if they had faced a formidable foe.

Rasa waved his hand. "It's okay, Yashamaru. Shukaku will no longer affect Gaara in the future."

Yashamaru's face lit up with surprise. "That's great. Gaara can finally have a good sleep."

Rasa looked at Gaara with affection, contemplating how long it had been since he had enjoyed a peaceful sleep...