Naruto: The Information Broker from the Uchiha Clan.

Chapter 279 Gaara Who Was Changed

A fierce gale, filled with wind-attribute chakra, swept towards the Preta Path with tiny wind blades.

However, the hungry ghosts, facing such an attack, calmly raised their hands.

Sealing Technique Absorption Seal!

The massive gale was completely absorbed by its single hand.

At the same time, several rockets were fired from behind it.

"Boom boom boom..."

As the explosion rang out, Aiba, a Jonin from Sunagakure, instantly dodged to the side.

But what had just happened sent chills down his spine.

The fact that a Wind Release technique could be absorbed by the opponent is simply unheard of.

"Who are you?! What is your purpose in invading Sunagakure?"

He finished speaking, but received no response.

The arm of the Shura Path, which had just arrived, was severed, and the rocket, accompanied by flames, was launched again.

"laugh!"

With a disdainful smile, Aiba, a Jonin from Sunagakure, once again dodged the rocket with his Body Flicker Technique.

However, the next second, he turned around in horror to find that the rocket that he had just dodged was now turning around and heading straight for him again.

For a moment, Aiba had to dodge quickly, but he still couldn't get rid of the entanglement.

"asshole……"

After letting out a low shout, Aiba's gaze fell upon the two figures not far away. The black and red cloud-patterned clothing—was it Akatsuki?

The enemy will surely defend themselves if you attack. The fact that the opponent didn't engage in close combat at the beginning might be an opportunity.

With that thought, he instantly flew towards the Hungry Ghost Realm.

"Bang!"

A robotic arm blocked it, and then another one aimed at it.

"boom!"

Driven by the flames on his back, the impact sent him flying.

The rocket that had been tracking Aiba then headed toward him, who was still in mid-air. If it hit, Aiba would be blasted into dust.

"boom!!!"

With a deafening roar, it was as if fireworks were going off in mid-air.

However, the Hungry Ghost Realm and the Asura Realm were keeping a close eye on the point of the explosion. The scattered sand and gravel proved that the attack had just been blocked.

As the dust settled, a sphere made of compressed sand and gravel now protected Aiba within it.

Below the sand sphere, Gaara, carrying the large gourd on his back, was looking over with a cold expression.

Aiba, who had narrowly escaped death, was quite surprised. He stared intently at Gaara and said, "I can't believe I was saved by a monster like you! But don't think I'll be grateful, you monster!"

Gaara was not surprised by these words: "I don't need your gratitude. I'm just doing what I should do."

Aiba snorted coldly at the equally emotionless reply, then slowly lowered the sand ball, and after thinking for a moment, stood next to Gaara.

"The fat guy can absorb my Wind Release ninjutsu, while the rough one can launch those tracking missiles."

As he spoke, Aiba looked at Shura Path's wrist, which had already been pressed back down: "And the opponent's limbs seem to be able to be launched at any time, used as weapons to attack unexpectedly."

After a pause, Gaara spoke up: "What about the other four?"

The other four?!

Aiba looked around in horror and saw a sand eye floating high in the sky.

The next moment, four figures landed beside the Hungry Ghost Path and the Asura Path.

Apart from Chiyo, Ebizo, and Aiba in front of them, all the targets have been eliminated.

Tendo slightly raised his head to look at Gaara, while Nagato behind him clearly recognized this One-Tailed Jinchuriki.

As an important part of Sunagakure's future plans, this Jinchūriki in front of us is someone who can promote ultimate peace.

and……

Uchiha Kumo, the true form of Uzumaki Sora, had planted a seed within him. Under these circumstances, Sunagakure might be the first of the Five Great Shinobi Villages to respond.

After a moment of contemplation, Nagato was interrupted by Pain, who said, "From birth, Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, was sealed within you. Because of your young age, you couldn't control this power and it went berserk. Over time, the carnage caused by Shukaku was ultimately attributed to you."

"He was hated by the villagers and rejected by his own father. He was even filled with fear of his own brother and sister."

"Under these circumstances, you have no reason to save this person. Your heart should be filled with pain and hatred towards this world."

Gaara remained silent for a moment in response to these words.

Scenes from my memory flashed through my mind: Shukaku's rampage, Yashamaru's death, but more than anything else... was the love of that mother I had never met.

As I gently ran my palm across my face, grains of sand flowed past me like water.

This power doesn't belong to Shoukaku; it's the power her mother left her. Her mother's wish was for her to live happily.

And happiness...

These emotions reminded Gaara of a scene from his memory...

After a long pause, Gaara spoke, "Only by giving love can you receive love. The power my mother left me is the power to protect. Now, I want to protect this village."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gaara suddenly waved his hands.

In an instant, sand rose up like flowing water, and the Sand Hand Sword shot towards the Heavenly Path.

Pain shook his head slightly and pointed his hand at Gaara.

Shinra Tensei!

The immense repulsive force sent the sand and gravel flying back. Furthermore, the tremendous power ripped up the street surface, sweeping towards the two of them.

"Whoosh!!"

Countless grains of sand gathered at this moment, were scattered, and then gathered again to form a semi-circular sand shield that protected the two of them.

"Whoosh!"

A puppet descended from the sky, its four arms instantly detaching, and attacked Pain.

"Bang!"

Shura Dao appeared instantly, grabbed him with one hand, and blasted the severed arm into dust with a rocket.

Then, the clothing on his shoulder tore open, and after a flash of red light, Kankuro's crow puppet was destroyed.

"Too...too powerful."

Kankuro, who was suddenly called in to provide support, was dumbfounded. His prized puppet was now unable to withstand even a single blow from the opponent.

At the same time, a figure appeared behind him in an instant.

"Is it because he's young that this puppeteer is so fearless?"

The voice of the Human Path rang out, and then his palm pressed down on Kankuro's head.

"Stop!!"

Amid Gaara's furious shouts, quicksand gathered and swept towards the human realm.

However, the next moment, the Animal Path appeared between the two, pressing its hands to the ground: Summoning Technique!

A giant stone panda statue suddenly appeared, but the impact of the quicksand had no effect on it.

But at that very moment, massive wind blades swept in, engulfing both Human Path and Kankuro.

Wind Release: Great Scythe Itachi!

"Whoosh!"

Once again, the Hungry Ghost Realm, which had been poised to strike, appeared and reached out to block all the wind blades in front of it.

Sealing Technique Absorption Seal!

Beneath the light barrier, like a funnel, the wind-attribute chakra was completely absorbed, and the wind blades also dissipated.

At that moment, a crisp sound of someone falling to the ground rang out.

Kankuro lay sprawled on the ground, motionless.

In an instant, Gaara and Temari were both stunned.

Having never experienced war before, this was the first time the two had witnessed a loved one die before their eyes. Anger filled their hearts.

"asshole!!!"

Temari roared, and a large amount of wind-style chakra surged into the giant folding fan in her hand.

Wind Release: Wind Killing Formation!

The hurricane formed a tornado, sucking in all the surrounding trees and pulverizing them into dust.

However, even a Wind Release technique that exceeds its limits is merely a source of chakra nourishment under the sealing and absorption techniques of the Preta Path.

At that moment, Aiba rushed over and grabbed Temari, who was about to continue attacking: "No matter how strong the ninjutsu is, it will be absorbed by the opponent. Such impulsiveness will only make you die from chakra depletion and will not do you any good."

At this moment, Pain, the Deva Path, nodded: "He's right. No ninjutsu is meaningful against the Six Paths of Pain. Besides, that wind-style power just now has probably exhausted your chakra, hasn't it?"

Temari, supporting herself with her folding fan, gasped for breath and glared angrily at Tendo: "You killed Kankuro, I will not let you get away with this."

The Heavenly Dao shook its head expressionlessly: "Too many people have already tried to kill me, but I have sent them all to the world of death."

Then, Pain looked at Gaara, who had his head bowed, and said, "You're angry too, aren't you? That inexperienced puppeteer who rushed out to help you was probably one of only two brothers who had acknowledged you, right?"

"The seeds of hatred have already been sown in your heart, and you wish you could kill me immediately for revenge, right? Under the rule of the Five Great Ninja Villages, through years of war, do you know how many people are filled with hatred like you are now?"

Gaara kept his head down, but his hands were clenched tightly.

The other party was right. At this moment, all he wanted was to crush the enemy in front of him into dust in the sand and avenge Kankuro.

Having already witnessed the power of this world's top experts, Gaara knew very well that he was no match for the six opponents.

With a variety of abilities, each one can be a challenge for ordinary ninjas.

"Sister...you go first!"

The sound rang out, and Temari, who was standing to the side, was taken aback.

This is the first time Gaara has called her "older sister," but leaving? Kankuro was killed, so of course she has to avenge him!

Seeing that he didn't move, Gaara shouted, "Leave!!"

The next moment, a grain of sand suddenly appeared, binding Temari, who was already weakened, and sending her away from Sunagakure.

While doing all this, Gaara kept his eyes fixed on the other side for a moment, but fortunately, perhaps because of his arrogance, the other side did not make a move and watched him act.

Only after Temari left did Gaara look at Aiba behind him and say, "You should leave too. In the upcoming battle, even if you are already a Jonin, you will only be a hindrance."

Aiba smirked and said, "I know exactly what you're up to, you monster. You want to trade your life for the future of Sunagakure?"

"If even a monster like you can do this, why can't I? It's just a matter of being killed. I survived the Third Shinobi World War, so it's even less likely I'll die now!"

Gaara nodded upon hearing this: "Then from now on, we'll both be risking our lives!"

Just as the two were about to make their move, Pain raised his hand to stop them.

After a moment's thought, he spoke: "Under this new and immense fear, perhaps those who should have been eliminated will change. Keeping you might have some insignificant effect."

Pain then looked at Gaara and said, "The three Jinchuriki of the One-Tailed Beast, the ones involved in the Infinite Tsukuyomi plan, have already defected from Akatsuki. And you are their target, not ours."

"We've already acquired the locations of the other two targets, so there's no point in continuing this game with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pain instantly disappeared from the scene.

With a wave of his hand, Gaara sent a shower of sand down, but no one was left behind.

"call……"

Aiba breathed a sigh of relief and looked into the distance, then said gravely, "Their target... their direction is towards Granny Chiyo and Lord Ebizo!"

Gaara's gaze sharpened, and he immediately gave chase.

After his death, Aiba thought for a moment, then frowned and followed.

……

Meanwhile, outside Sunagakure Village.

"Hasn't the commotion been big enough? With so many corpses, the Anbu of Sunagakure is probably all wiped out."

Deidara then detonated another giant clay bird, collecting the last drop of blood.

On the other side, Hidan looked down at his own filthy intestines dragging on the floor; they were incredibly dirty. And so much of it was starting to affect his performance.

So he had no choice but to swallow his pride again and ask Upper Corner to stitch him up.

Sasori glanced at Sunagakure below: "If there's no follow-up support, they won't send any more squads to their deaths until they come up with a plan to target us all."

"The leader should be finishing up soon too."

Kakuzu glanced at Sasori, chuckled, and said, "Although there aren't many geniuses among the younger generation of Sunagakure for various reasons, even so, the older generation like Chiyo and Ebizo, whom we're targeting, are not like these guys."

Kakuzu chuckled as he spoke: "Sasori, are you starting to feel nostalgic? After all, it was your old village, so it's understandable."

"Whoosh!"

Scorpion's tail lashed out in an instant, only stopping abruptly when it appeared right in front of Kakuzu.

"Once is acceptable, twice is acceptable, but three times is not. Besides, if the leader were here, I would fight you anyway."

Kakuzu glanced at the scorpion's tail in front of him, then smiled and nodded.

Although he can be a bit foul-mouthed at times, he knows exactly what to do in these situations.

Hehehe!

Deidara's voice dispelled the heavy atmosphere between the two.

Then he spoke up, "Seriously, are we just going to sit here and wait? Can't we go in and set off some fireworks or something? I can't wait!"

Kakuzu coldly replied, "The order is to regroup here and retreat. If you think you are strong enough to defy the leader and Uzumaki Sora, then you are welcome to try."

The mere mention of Sora's name silenced Deidara.

Not only him, but Hidan, who had just had his stitches done, also stopped trying to continue.

At that very moment, giant crossbows from Sunagakure were also aimed at this spot, ready to fire.

……

(End of this chapter)