Reinforcing the Seal

As the runes on the formation lit up, Gaara's eyelids drooped, and he fell unconscious.

Summerwood and Rasa experienced a brief moment of dizziness and then found themselves in another world.

"Damn it!"...

A series of roars instantly filled Summerwood and Rasa's ears.

They stood in a grey-black desert.

The sky was filled with dark clouds, and sandstorms flew wildly like blades.

The entire world seemed lifeless and desolate.

There were no creatures in the desert, but a fifty-meter-tall shadow roared madly in the distance.

The voice was sharp and frantic.

"I will get out! I will get out!"

Shukaku kept repeating these few words, clearly not in his right mind.

But he never stopped, continuously roaring, his voice making Rasa's ears ring painfully.

Summerwood searched around and finally saw Gaara hiding under a half-dome sand mound, tightly covering his ears.

The mound, shaped like a fortress, enveloped Gaara, with the faint visage of Yashamaru's face visible on its surface.

Rasa's face darkened. "Is this what Gaara endures every day?"

Summerwood replied, "Yes, Gaara traps himself in a fortress of sand, where no one can enter, and he cannot escape."

Summerwood's tone had a hint of mockery. "I wonder if you, as the Fourth Kazekage, can remain calm in such an environment."

Rasa's face grew grimmer, his fists clenched tightly, nails digging into his flesh.

"What do we do now?" Rasa asked.

Summerwood gestured towards Gaara. "Go comfort your son first. We need to face Shukaku head-on."

Rasa walked over as instructed. Gaara saw him approaching, his eyes filled with hope.

Gaara quickly grabbed Rasa with his tiny hands.

"Dad, did you come to save me?"

Rasa gently patted Gaara's head. "It's okay now, son. I'm here."

Gaara nodded, tears filling his eyes.

The sand fortress behind Gaara grew larger, forming a massive sand wall.

Rasa's face gradually appeared on the wall.

Gaara quickly fell asleep in Rasa's arms.

Rasa gently laid Gaara down, stood up, and looked at the frenzied Shukaku in the distance, his eyes filled with cold determination.

"Mr. Summerwood, do we need to defeat Shukaku now?"

Hey, this was the first time Rasa had addressed Summerwood formally.

Summerwood, amused, waved his hand. "This is Gaara's inner world. It's already bad enough. Do you want to destroy it further?"

Rasa, who had been eager to act, calmed down.

"Leave the rest to me."

Summerwood wasted no more time. Letting Rasa see Gaara's torment was enough.

Summerwood brought his hands together.

"Four Symbols Seal! Activate!"

The ground, covered in yellow sand, erupted with countless black runes.

From a bird's-eye view, the entire formation formed a massive Four Symbols Array.

Summerwood's hands moved swiftly.

"Condense!"

All the black runes shrank rapidly.

They extended from the ground, climbing up Shukaku's body.

"What is this!?"

Shukaku roared in panic.

The runes quickly covered Shukaku's body.

Shukaku felt an overwhelming sense of suffocation.

The wind and sand in the sky began to dissipate, gradually turning into a clear, bright day.

Shukaku saw Summerwood casting the seal. "You're from the Uchiha clan! Let me out, or you'll regret it!"

"Wind Bullet!" Shukaku opened his mouth, producing a deafening roar.

But the expected chakra bullet didn't appear.

Shukaku only exhaled a puff of air.

"What's going on!?" Shukaku was horrified. Why couldn't he use his Wind Bullet?

Summerwood intensified the seal, and the black runes grew, binding Shukaku layer by layer.

Shukaku's body began shrinking from fifty meters tall to about five meters. He shrank tenfold.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The black runes on the ground transformed into thick walls,

forming a large Four Symbols Seal structure, enclosing Shukaku completely.

Only a tiny, basin-sized hole was left.

Despite Shukaku's violent collisions, the structure remained unmoved.

Summerwood approached Rasa.

He shook Gaara gently, and Gaara opened his eyes.

Seeing Rasa and Summerwood in front of him, Gaara felt slightly reassured.

In the distance, Shukaku's frantic voice could still be heard.

"Damn Uchiha! Let me out!"

"I'll kill you all! Kill you all!"

Summerwood reached out to Gaara. "Do you want to know how to be a qualified Jinchuriki?"

Gaara looked back at Rasa, who gave him an encouraging look.

Gaara, though uneasy, placed his hand in Summerwood's. Summerwood led Gaara forward, closer and closer to Shukaku.

Shukaku's roars grew louder.

Suddenly, Gaara released Summerwood's hand and turned to run back.

Rasa gently hugged him. "Don't be afraid, son. Dad will always be behind you."

Gaara gradually calmed down, turning back with a determined look.

When Gaara approached the box-like structure, he saw Shukaku inside.

No matter how loudly Shukaku roared or how violently he struck, the structure remained unmoved.

Only faint echoes of his voice came through the small hole.

Summerwood crouched down and said to Gaara, "Your mother, Karura, has always loved you. After her death, she became a spirit and has been protecting you with sand."

"You can try using sand to block this hole."

"Sand is my mother's protection?" Gaara looked at his hands, then raised them slightly.

The yellow sand on the ground began to rise.

Gaara's eyes lit up. "Really, it really is..."

Summerwood pointed to the deliberately left small hole. "To be a qualified Jinchuriki, you need to control the Tailed Beast."

"If Shukaku talks too much, use sand to block the hole."

Gaara happily watched the flying sand, then nodded.

With a wave of his tiny hand, the flying sand gathered towards the small hole. In no time, the hole was completely sealed.

Trapped inside, Shukaku panicked.

"What are you doing! Damn it!"

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

"Say something! Let me out!"

The once thunderous roar now became faint and distant.

Summerwood patted Gaara's head. "See, there's nothing to fear about Shukaku. If he yells again, just keep the hole blocked."

"When he behaves, open the hole. How does that sound?"

Gaara looked around joyfully. There was no more wind and sand, no more piercing roars.

Summerwood and Rasa blinked as Gaara smiled and returned to the real world.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, on significantly altering Gaara's life path.]

Congratulations, host, on obtaining the Desert Layer Burial Seal (one-time use).

It isn't beneficial. Is there more wool to be gathered from Sunagakure?

I can try it at Chiyo's place, but now isn't the time.

No matter how long it felt in the inner world, only a moment had passed in reality.

Seeing the two of them open their eyes,

Yashamaru nervously approached. "Kazekage-sama, Lord Summerwood, how did it go?"

Summerwood and Rasa didn't speak.

Gaara had already woken up, shaking his head from side to side. "I can't hear it. I really can't hear it anymore."

His face lit up with joy, happiness, and fatigue.

Gaara leaned gently against Rasa's leg and fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

Yashamaru and the others were on high alert.

Rasa waved his hand. "It's okay, Yashamaru. Shukaku won't trouble Gaara anymore."

Yashamaru beamed with joy. "That's great. Gaara can finally get a good night's sleep."

Rasa looked at Gaara with tender affection. How long had it been since Gaara last slept...