Assassination Attempt

Looking around the room, Gaara couldn't spot anybody. The room was large enough to fit a small bed and a few basic belongings—barely enough space for anyone to hide.

Worse still, there was only one entrance and exit.

Without much time to react, another dart was fired from a corner of the room. Gaara failed to react quickly enough, and though he summoned a shallow sand barrier, the dart struck him in the shoulder.

That was when panic set in, and all hell broke loose. Despite his strong mental fortitude, all Gaara could think of was to run.

Crash

He collided with a makeshift table, which shattered upon impact as he rushed toward the door. The poison was already taking effect; he felt dizzy, his limbs growing numb.

Bursting through the door, he ran into the main living room where his siblings, Kankuro and Temari, were already wide awake. They were surprised to see Gaara in a panicked state, rushing toward the exit.

Kankuro and Temari immediately went on high alert, but before they could react, they were knocked unconscious.

Gaara, unaware of what had just transpired, kept running. In a short span, he had already put a significant distance between himself and his home.

He kept glancing behind him to see if anyone was chasing him but found no one. After a moment, as he calmed down slightly, he considered his next move. Obviously, the poison would spread faster the more movement he made.

Phew!

Another dart zipped past his neck, and the sand kicked up by his frantic running seemed to act as a parry, deflecting the projectile.

It would have been better if I had run toward the castle. Where am I? Gaara thought to himself, still running and trying to assess his situation. The poison had taken hold, and he was now running purely on reflex.

Soon enough, his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, face-first.

After a moment, an inconspicuous figure clad in a dark cloak from head to toe walked over.

I'm sure he passed through here. Where is he? The poison should have kicked in by now.

The figure thought, scanning the area.

"Did you see where he went?"

A voice echoed from nowhere, though no one was visible.

"He's right below you."

The figure, still shrouded in darkness, looked down.

I see. He shouldn't have been strong enough to make it this far from the information we had, but it seems like we need an update.

The cloaked figure glanced back toward the direction of Gaara's house, surprised by the distance Gaara had covered.

"He ran all the way from almost the center of the village to the edge in such a short time," the figure muttered.

"Indeed. Regroup. The commotion has attracted some unwanted attention."

Swoosh

The figure disappeared in an instant, leaving only dust behind.

Meanwhile, at the Castle, soldiers who had witnessed Gaara running past quickly alerted Lord Kazekage. In turn, he sent out scouts to investigate what was happening.