Chapter 52: Shukaku's Past  

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Nara Shikaku secretly planned that after the Chunin Exam, he would help the Third Hokage gradually weaken the power of the Uchiha Clan.

"Now, the Uchiha have become too arrogant!" he thought.

Shikaku felt deeply offended that Uchiha Kento, a mere Uchiha, had insulted him multiple times. This made Shikaku very unhappy.

With the Root organization now merged into the Anbu under the Hokage's control, and the Konoha Police Force led by Uchiha Fugaku, the village's safety was the Uchiha clan's responsibility.

Fugaku had divided the Police Force into several teams. For instance, one team was led by Uchiha Itachi, and another by Uchiha Kento.

Shikaku could never have imagined that the Third Hokage would not survive this Chunin Exam.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Building, the Sand Village ninja team arrived in Konoha with great fanfare.

The Kazekage, Rasa, walked up to the Hokage Building alongside the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen. When Rasa removed his hat, Hiruzen was momentarily stunned.

Rasa smiled and said, "Hehe, what's wrong, Third Hokage?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen paused for a moment and replied, "Nothing, you just look familiar."

Rasa chuckled, "Hehe, Third Hokage, I am the Kazekage. You must have seen my portrait in Konoha."

Indeed, it was common knowledge that every nation had spies in other countries. This was an unspoken truth.

Rasa and Hiruzen agreed that the Chunin Exam would take place in the morning, three days later.

At the same time, on the other side of the village, Gaara walked down the street with a scarf wrapped around his head.

People pointed and whispered as he passed, seemingly mocking him for his lack of eyebrows and dark circles under his eyes.

Gaara gripped the scarf tightly, his anger rising. He wanted to kill these villagers who spoke ill of him, but this was Konoha, not the Sand Village.

Gaara couldn't understand why they harbored such malice towards him when he didn't even know them.

Suddenly, the villagers scattered, as if they had seen something terrifying. Gaara looked over and saw two shinobi wearing vests with the Uchiha clan's fan symbol on their shoulders.

Gaara had seen this symbol before. The villagers, who were so quick to criticize him, now fell silent in the presence of the Uchiha.

Gaara's worldview was shaken. How could these villagers, who despised him, remain silent before the Uchiha, who were so overbearing?

Suddenly, a voice called out behind Gaara, "Hey, you're Gaara, right?"

Gaara turned around and saw Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke's handsome appearance made Gaara feel a pang of inferiority—a result of his father Rasa's harsh upbringing.

"Get lost!" Gaara spat. He didn't trust anyone.

But Sasuke grabbed Gaara's wrist. "Wait, where are you going?"

Sand began to flow out of Gaara's gourd. Behind Sasuke, two members of the Uchiha Police Force shouted, "Protect the young master!"

Sasuke scolded them, "Get out of here! Do you think I need your protection? Who do you think you're looking down on?!"

The guards smiled helplessly. They knew the young master didn't need their protection.

Gaara could feel his sand slowing down. No, it was his own movements that were slowing, even his thoughts.

Because he was so afraid of sleep, Gaara was very sensitive to time. He clearly felt time slowing.

Sasuke smiled at Gaara and said, "We're both Jinchūriki. We could have been friends."

Gaara was stunned. The word "friend" echoed in his mind. It was a word he had never heard before, but it was full of endless attraction.

Gaara looked at Sasuke intently. He took a deep breath and asked, "You're also a Jinchūriki? How can you prove it?"

A black and blue flame appeared on Sasuke's body, and suddenly, the voice of Matatabi, the Two-Tails, echoed in Gaara's mind, "Stinky raccoon, long time no see!"

"Ah? That damned blue cat? What are you doing here?" Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast inside Gaara, responded angrily.

The two-tailed beasts spoke like old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. But Gaara's arm suddenly transformed into a tailed beast's form and lunged at Sasuke.

Sasuke's Susanoo skeleton materialized, blocking the enormous sand claw.

Matatabi snapped at Shukaku, "Stinky raccoon, what do you think you're doing?"

Shukaku smirked, "Blue cat, I just want to kill your Jinchūriki and set you free. Didn't you say you hated humans?"

Matatabi retorted, "Sasuke is different from the others!"

Shukaku shouted, "What's the difference? All shinobi are the same! They covet our power and want to turn us into weapons of war!"

Sasuke touched his nose and said, "Shukaku, don't you think you're underestimating me a little? Don't my eyes scare you?!"

Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes shifted into the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Gaara stared into Sasuke's eyes, and Shukaku, inside him, also saw those eyes. It brought back memories Shukaku would rather forget.

Many years ago, Shukaku had lived contentedly in the sands of the Sand Village until a man who called himself Uchiha Madara found him.

Without a word, Madara beat Shukaku into submission. As Shukaku was about to surrender, Madara sneered, "You're too weak!"

Shukaku shut himself off in humiliation. Later, Shukaku heard that Madara had made a pact with the Nine-Tails.

Shukaku was filled with resentment. "I'm not weaker than the Nine-Tails!" he thought.

After that, another man appeared in the desert, calling himself Senju Hashirama. Abandoned by Madara, Shukaku's hatred for humans grew.

When he saw Hashirama, Shukaku summoned his full strength, manifesting as a colossal sand beast to confront him.

But to Shukaku's shock, Hashirama clapped his hands, and a Buddha statue ten times taller than Shukaku rose from the earth. Hashirama stood atop the Buddha's head, praising Shukaku's strength.

Shukaku was left dumbfounded.

Eventually, Shukaku was sealed in the Sand Village, feeling abandoned once again. His hatred for humans deepened, and he became one of the most unruly tailed beasts.

Whenever he had the chance, he tormented his hosts. Since becoming a Jinchūriki, Gaara had hardly slept. Every time he did, Shukaku tried to seize control of his body.

Back in the present, Shukaku glared at Sasuke with caution. "Could he turn into a giant warrior and beat me up like Madara?" Shukaku wondered.

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