Genya stood up and gave Gaara a solemn farewell before turning and heading towards Uchiha Shin.
Only a lonely figure remained behind!
Gaara also stood up, watching Genya's figure slowly disappear. He felt so lonely and desolate.
On the opposite side, atop a pavilion, someone stood.
This was the Kazekage Tower, the place where the Fourth Kazekage worked. However, at this moment, a person stood on the pavilion!
This person had a cold expression, watching the lonely Gaara from afar.
If one looked closely, this person's appearance bore a striking resemblance to Gaara!
He was the Fourth Kazekage of Sunagakure, Rasa! Gaara's father.
"Yashamaru, who is that little kid?" Rasa asked curiously, watching Genya's figure slowly fade into the distance.
"He's a kid from the Uchiha clan. He was probably traveling with the Uchiha merchant caravan and happened to run into Gaara," Yashamaru quickly replied.
Yashamaru, the yellow-haired ninja, was Gaara's uncle.
"Did that kid talk to Gaara for a long time?" Rasa asked again, staring at Yashamaru.
"Yes, it seems they got along really well!" Yashamaru replied, clearly pleased. Then he added, "It looks like Gaara has made a friend!"
As Gaara's uncle, Yashamaru truly hoped that Gaara could have friends. Over the years, Gaara had been so lonely, and he needed someone to talk to. That Uchiha boy seemed perfect for him!
"Foolish!" Rasa's expression darkened as he looked at Yashamaru and coldly said, "As a jinchuriki, he doesn't need friends, especially not friends from other villages. He's a weapon of war, the last defense of Sunagakure!"
In Rasa's eyes, Gaara couldn't afford to have feelings. If he did, he would have weaknesses!
"I understand. I'll be more careful next time," Yashamaru quickly responded, nodding.
"There will be no next time!" Rasa shook his head. "Monitor Gaara's every move. He cannot interact with outsiders again!"
"Yes!" Yashamaru nodded, then looked towards the lonely figure standing in the street. "I'll take Gaara home now."
Even though Yashamaru pitied Gaara, he knew it was not the time to show such feelings in front of Rasa.
"No need to go home. Lock him up for three days in solitary confinement and make him think about why he's being punished!" After saying this, Rasa didn't say anything further and turned to return to his office.
"But Gaara..." Yashamaru began, wanting to plead for Gaara, but when he saw the resolute look in the Kazekage's eyes, he realized that Gaara's punishment was inevitable.
If he begged for Gaara, it might make the punishment even worse.
Sighing, Yashamaru went to talk to Gaara.
However, Gaara merely nodded coldly and turned, walking slowly toward a small house made of sand and stone.
The door made of sand slowly closed behind him as he entered, leaving only a faint light coming from the crack between the door and the ground. When he made mistakes in the past, he would be locked in there. Now, he had gotten used to it.
He curled up in the corner, silent, not sure what he was thinking.
After an unknown amount of time, Gaara's eyes grew heavy. In the pitch-black room, he was extremely tired, so tired, so sleepy!
"Can I really sleep?" Gaara thought, remembering the words Genya had said when leaving. Genya had made an agreement with the beast, that he could sleep for three days?
For some reason, Genya's words seemed to echo in his ears like some kind of magic.
His eyelids grew heavy, and gradually, his breathing became steady.
The moon was faint, and Genya's caravan was moving across the desert. It seemed they had left Sunagakure a bit late and hadn't found an oasis to stop at. They planned to keep traveling through the night and rest when the sun rose.
This way, they could save energy and avoid the harsh desert heat.
This was also one of the reasons why Uchiha Shin planned to leave Sunagakure in the evening.
"Uncle Shin, there are people setting an ambush about one and a half kilometers ahead!" In the caravan, Genya warned Uchiha Shin.
In an instant, Uchiha Shin became alert. He looked down at the ground and asked, "Genya-kun, are you sure?"
"Yes, Uncle Shin. Haven't you forgotten? Even without activating the Sharingan, my Dual Pupils have abilities similar to those of the Byakugan!" Genya nodded seriously. He could clearly see more than a dozen dots of light hiding under the sand dunes ahead.
They seemed to have buried themselves with sand, but under his Dual Pupils, they were completely exposed.
"Could it be that the ninjas from Sunagakure are trying to attack us?" Uchiha Shin frowned, unable to control the anger rising within him.
"It's not Sunagakure ninjas. These ninjas have been following us since we left Konoha. It seems like they've been tailing us this whole time!" Genya explained briefly.
He had actually noticed these people a long time ago, but they only lingered behind, so Genya didn't pay much attention to them.
It seemed they were finally making their move.
"Who followed us from Konoha? Who wants to make a move on us?" Uchiha Shin frowned, trying to recall who the Uchiha clan's enemies might be.
"If you want to know, why not just capture a few and ask them?" Genya grinned, eager for action.
He had come out looking for a few strong opponents to test his skills, hoping that they wouldn't disappoint him and would be formidable ninjas.
While Genya was excited, Uchiha Shin became more cautious. He spoke to the people behind him: "Everyone, stay alert. There's an ambush about one kilometer ahead!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone became on guard.
The group didn't stop advancing but remained vigilant, scanning their surroundings closely.
Just as they stepped into the encirclement, several shuriken flew toward them, locking onto Genya and Uchiha Shin.
"Watch out!" Genya was about to react when Uchiha Shin used a kunai to knock the shuriken away.
The Uchiha merchant team quickly gathered around the center, on high alert.
"Heh... I didn't expect your vigilance to be so high. Our surprise attack didn't injure a single one of you. You really are Uchiha ninjas!" At that moment, a man dressed in black, wearing a mask, stepped forward.
Behind him were a dozen or so ninjas. From the chakra signatures they emitted, it was clear that they were all jonin.
Uchiha Shin knew that if Genya hadn't warned them, some of their group might have been hurt. The merchant convoy's Chunin ninjas would have lost at least half of their members.
Genya had warned them!
Uchiha Shin focused on the leader of the group, his voice heavy with suspicion: "You are... Sarutobi Natsu?"
He sensed a familiar presence coming from the leader of the group.
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