章 112: 112. The Jinchūriki’s Burden -1
20+ Advance chapters on:
p@treon.com/Iamxeno
Drop some power stones, if you enjoy the chapter.
---
Naruto was punched by Kushina, and he solemnly explained the truth to her. The summary was essentially this:
What is a Jinchūriki? It's like being a ticking time bomb. Even with numerous sealing techniques applied to them, it doesn't always work.
I've never heard of a bomb being kept in a private home, even with various security measures.
But halfway through, Kushina couldn't continue. "Naruto, we're also Jinchūriki, and we're the strongest ones at that."
To be safe, Kushina decided to return home and check the situation, leaving the cleanup to the Anbu. Naruto sighed, acknowledging that the Anbu were the ultimate utility team.
Whether it was gathering intelligence, dealing with rogue shinobi, battlefield cleanup, or even providing communication, they handled everything with precision.
Their level of practicality was impressive, almost like a well-oiled machine.
---
"Welcome back, Lord Fourth, Lady Kushina, Naruto," Haku greeted them formally.
"Dad, Mom!" Karin jumped directly into Kushina's arms. She always found Gaara terrifying, and the security she felt from her parents could never fully erase that fear.
Among Kushina's children, Kimimaro and Haku were the most formal and respectful, always addressing their parents with the utmost reverence.
Karin, on the other hand, was the most emotionally attached, always affectionately addressing them.
Naruto was the most casual, calling them whatever he liked, but occasionally got into trouble for going too far.
For example, when Tsunade returned a few days ago and discussed recognizing Naruto as her younger brother, Naruto casually suggested to Minato, "Let's drop the formalities. I'll call you Granny, and you call me Bro."
Naturally, "Granny Tsunade" promptly gave him a smack on the head for that.
Oh yes, and then there's Sasuke, who always respectfully calls Minato 'Uncle' but grudgingly refers to Kushina as 'Godmother'...
Given Jiraiya's and Kakashi's personalities, the family dynamic had become quite messy when it came to names.
---
After the greetings, Minato asked, "How's everything at home?"
Haku replied, "Nothing unusual. As soon as I noticed the village was being invaded, I activated the barrier at home, but Karin was really scared."
Kushina patted Karin's head and then knocked on Naruto's. "It's because some people like to bring dangerous guests home."
"Yes, yes," Naruto admitted. When he didn't know where to take Gaara and the village was in chaos, he brought him home.
"It's fine now, the war is over," Kushina reassured Karin. Then, switching to a smug tone, she added, "Your mom's pretty strong, you know. Those grunts didn't stand a chance. Three punches, no, ten…"
"You're amazing, Mom," Karin said, her fear melting away. Her admiration for Kushina was overflowing, and she quickly recovered from her anxiety, excitedly waving her fists and shouting, "I'll be as strong as you someday!"
Gaara, now conscious, observed the happy family—Minato smiling warmly—and suddenly felt a pang in his head.
"Ah…" Gaara clutched his head as a memory flashed. [Someone once smiled at me like that... Who was it? Oh, Yashamaru... Where is Yashamaru now? Ah... I killed him.] Gaara's expression became calm again, but deep inside, he was boiling. I want to destroy them.
"Gaara, right?" Minato asked the boy with the word "love" engraved on his forehead, who was about Naruto's age.
Gaara nodded slightly, expressionless.
"Suna has been defeated, and the Kazekage was killed by Orochimaru a few days ago," Minato calmly stated, summarizing the results of the war. He held no personal grudge against the boy, even though he was a Jinchūriki.
In fact, Gaara hadn't harmed any Konoha citizens and had instead been dragged off and beaten by Naruto. In a way, the boy had suffered greatly.
Gaara's expression remained unchanged. Neither Suna nor the Kazekage meant anything to him.
Minato, frowning slightly, asked, "The Fourth Kazekage was your father, right? Don't you care that he's dead?"
Gaara responded coldly, "Father? If you mean the man who repeatedly sent assassins after me, then no, I don't care at all."
"What? Assassins? What's going on?" Minato was astonished. How could a father send assassins to kill his own child?
Gaara explained indifferently, "To make me the strongest weapon, my father had a technique performed before I was born to bind the spirit of the One-Tail to me—the spirit of an ancient monk from Suna. That made me a monster from birth."
Minato pondered this—an ancient monk's spirit? Gaara didn't seem to fully understand the concept of Tailed Beasts and Jinchūriki, could it be that the Kazekage never told him the truth?
Gaara continued, "As Suna's 'masterpiece,' I've always been treated like a tool. But because my mind was unstable, I became a threat. Since I was six, my father sent assassins after me. To them, I'm just a failed experiment that should be erased."
That doesn't sound right, Minato thought. With the Kazekage's power, if he truly wanted to kill Gaara, it shouldn't have taken so much effort.
There had to be another purpose behind his actions. Minato's thoughts raced.
Then Gaara added, his voice taking on a crazed edge, "I exist to kill everyone but myself, to fight only for myself, to love only myself. I am Shura. That is Gaara."
Minato had a clearer picture now. The Kazekage wasn't trying to kill Gaara—he was testing his potential to become the perfect Jinchūriki or sharpening his abilities.
But this method was cruel. Forcing a mentally unstable child to face death every day, hated and feared by everyone around him with no one to guide him—after such treatment, it wasn't surprising that Gaara had lost his way.
Naruto glanced at Haku and thought of Kimimaro. Why do people like you always think about the meaning of existence? Does learning ninjutsu stunt philosophical thinking?
Haku noticed Naruto's gaze, tilting his head. "Something wrong?"
"Nothing," Naruto replied, avoiding the deeper topic.
Karin, listening to Gaara's story, clung to Kushina's clothes. "He's so terrifying…"
"No," Kushina corrected her. "He's so pitiful."
Kushina thought:
If I hadn't had Granny Mito to guide me, and if I hadn't met Minato, could I have turned out like that?
And what about Naruto? He's also the son of a Hokage and a Jinchūriki. If Minato and I hadn't survived twelve years ago, would Naruto have grown up like Gaara alone, feared, and isolated?
Fortunately, none of that happened, and right now, Kushina felt truly blessed.
---
Read upto 20+ chapters ahead on P@treon.
https://www.p@treon.com/Iamxeno
Drop some PS if you like the fanfic.
Thank you for reading
週次パワーステータス
-- 推薦
ランキング 
-- 推薦
チケット