In the clash between two monstrous forces, the valley quickly turned into a wasteland. Even sturdy cliff walls were smashed, leaving entire mountainsides riddled with cracks.
Amid this chaos, Naruto gradually gained the upper hand.
The Nine-Tails, intent on seducing him, was generous with its tailed beast chakra. Naruto, with his prior training, handled beastification with ease.
In contrast, Gaara fought purely on instinct. His will had long been eroded by the One-Tail Shukaku's chakra, leaving his mind in disarray.
Naruto keenly noticed this weakness. In the latter half of the fight, he shifted tactics, no longer clashing head-on with Gaara but instead calling out to him, "Panda Eyes, wake up! You'll be done for if this keeps up!"
By now, Gaara barely resembled a human, looking like a miniature Shukaku. This was the prelude to a full rampage. If the last shred of his consciousness was snuffed out, Shukaku would seize complete control, breaking free of the seal.
"They've reached the limit!" Tsunade shook her head.
Understanding the signal, Yakumo didn't hesitate. She flashed into the valley, with Shizune and a team of ready medical shinobi close behind.
On the battlefield, as the last glint of clarity in Gaara's eyes began to fade, Naruto acted decisively, charging at him.
Boom!
The two monsters collided, crashing into a rock wall and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
In the tumble, Naruto pinned Gaara down and, without thinking, threw a fierce punch. "Wake up already!"
Gaara froze, momentarily dazed, as if his consciousness was wrestling with Shukaku's for control.
But the lapse was brief. Within a breath or two, Gaara snapped back, his eyes now devoid of any human emotion.
"Hahaha, I'm finally free!" A voice, utterly unlike Gaara's, erupted from his mouth.
In Naruto's mind, the Nine-Tails seized the moment, shouting, "Shukaku's going berserk! Quick, tear off my seal, or you and that kid are both dead!"
But Naruto refused to give up, pummeling Gaara with fists while yelling, "Panda Eyes, come back!"
Whoosh!
Yakumo landed beside them. With her Koryugan active, she saw Gaara's chakra completely overwhelmed by Shukaku's. "Naruto, move! Let me suppress him!"
Naruto didn't immediately comply. Gazing at Gaara, now fully lost to himself, Naruto felt a pang of empathy. Gaara's struggles mirrored his own. They bore the same burdens. With his last ounce of strength, he shouted, "Panda Eyes, don't give up so easily!"
Yakumo sighed, exasperated. With the One-Tail on the verge of breaking free, she ignored Naruto and prepared to unleash Wood Release.
Snap!
But just as Yakumo was about to activate Wood Release to subdue Gaara, he suddenly raised a hand, blocking Naruto's incoming fist. Coldly, he said, "Fox Face, stop giving people random nicknames!"
Naruto's face lit up. "You're back?!"
Yakumo froze, stunned. She'd clearly seen Gaara's chakra suppressed by Shukaku's, yet in the blink of an eye, he'd reclaimed control.
Frowning slightly, Yakumo muttered, "No, there's still another chakra in his body…"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The group on the cliff descended to the scene.
Seeing Gaara regain consciousness, Temari and Kankuro rushed to his side.
Chiyo let out a long sigh of relief but then asked Tsunade, puzzled, "What just happened? Gaara's never stopped a rampage on his own before!"
Tsunade replied earnestly, "That's because you never gave him the chance to prove his potential."
Gaara, now free of the possessed state, stood with Temari and Kankuro's support. His usual cold demeanor returned as he fixed his gaze on Naruto. "I'll remember you."
Naruto grinned. "You better! I'm Uzumaki Naruto, the man who'll become Hokage!"
Gaara's lips twitched into a faint smile, but he quickly suppressed it, as if it felt out of place.
Chiyo, witnessing this, turned to Tsunade. "Maybe you're right. We in the Sand were too harsh on him."
Jiraiya interjected, "Akatsuki's targeting the tailed beasts. No matter the cost, we must train our jinchuriki well—for our villages and the entire shinobi world."
Akatsuki's purpose for collecting tailed beasts remained unknown, but amassing such "natural disasters" clearly spelled no small trouble. If they succeeded, it wouldn't just affect one village or nation—the entire shinobi world would suffer.
Recalling the awe-inspiring sight of the complete Susanoo that night, Chiyo nodded.
Over the next few days, Hidden Leaf assisted the Sand Village with more training sessions, helping Gaara acclimate to the possessed state.
Thanks to Wood Release, teams from the other four villages had stayed in Hidden Leaf Village for a month or two. Now, it was time to return.
On this day, at the ninja academy, students training on the field noticed Gaara, Darui, Kurotsuchi, Suigetsu, and other foreign shinobi entering the campus.
After inquiring, they learned these visitors had come to say goodbye.
Gaara, accompanied by Temari and Kankuro, approached Naruto.
Kurotsuchi zeroed in on Yakumo.
Darui and Omoi sought out Kimimaro.
As Shinji quietly chuckled to himself, Suigetsu and Chojuro blocked his path.
Suigetsu declared, "Uchiha Shinji, we'll never forget the guidance you gave us. I hope we get the chance to face you again!"
"Oh," Shinji nodded.
Suigetsu's forehead vein pulsed. "Just 'oh'? Don't you have anything to say to us?"
Shinji pondered. "Like what?"
Suigetsu exploded, "Like, you big-headed ghost! Uchiha Shinji, you better remember this—next time we meet, I won't go easy on you!"
Chojuro hurriedly dragged Suigetsu away.
And so, with warm and friendly farewells, the shinobi from the other four villages parted ways with the students of Hidden Leaf's ninja academy.