Hey guys, here is the new chapter hope you will liked and read thru everything.
If we hit 200 PW I post a extra chapter
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Gaara stared at the empty space between his small hands, his eyes wide, holding his breath as the fine dust of earth dispersed into the night breeze.
The silence of the backyard was absolute, broken only by the subtle hum of the steam generators regulating the temperature beneath Sunagakure's great glass dome. His small heart beat rapidly, caught between confusion and awe. He slowly turned his head to look at his uncle, finding a reverent seriousness on Daigo's face that he had never seen before.
The Kazekage, the man who guided the nation's destiny and a truly brilliant mind, looked at him as if contemplating the birth of a miracle.
"Uncle Daigo... what does that mean?" Gaara asked in a tiny voice, rubbing his fingertips, still warm from the flow of his own chakra. "The paper... it just crumbled. It didn't cut like Temari's, nor did it wrinkle like I've heard happens with other elements. Why did it turn to dust?"
Daigo knelt on the loose sand to meet his nephew exactly at eye level. A genuine smile of pride began to form on his lips as he placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"It means, Gaara, that you possess an extremely rare, pure, and powerful elemental affinity," Daigo explained, his tone gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness. "It is not a common affinity with earth, the kind that only lets you raise mud walls or move rocks. It is a connection so massive and dense with the element that it completely disintegrates the conductive paper instead of simply altering it. With an affinity of this level, you have the absolute potential to control and shape the Crystal element, in the exact same way that I do."
Daigo expected to see a spark of excitement, relief, or even pride in the young redhead's large green eyes. After all, discovering you possessed the same affinity as the village leader and war hero was something any child in Suna would celebrate with jumps of joy.
However, to his surprise, Gaara lowered his gaze to his half-finished sandcastle. His small shoulders tensed again, and his lips pressed into a thin line, showing an expression of deep dissatisfaction. He did not look convinced at all; in fact, it seemed as if the news had added a new weight to his young mind.
Daigo blinked, momentarily confused. Thinking the child might not have understood what it meant to possess an advanced element as coveted as Crystal, he prepared to explain in more detail.
"You see, Gaara, the Crystal style, is not something just anyone can learn. It requires a mutation in your chakra, a structural density that you have innately. With my guidance, you could create structures that no enemy could break, you could—"
"It's not that, Uncle Daigo," Gaara interrupted timidly, lifting his large green eyes, misted with a subtle melancholy that squeezed his uncle's chest. "It's not that I don't like your power... Crystal is beautiful, it shines under the sun, and I know you are incredibly strong because of it. But... I want to be like my dad. I want to control Gold Sand, to protect the village from the front lines using the same style he uses. I want to make him proud of me when he sees that I inherited his Sand technique. If I only use Crystal, I'll feel like I failed him."
The revelation hit Daigo straight in the chest. In his mind, he couldn't help but compare this Gaara to the one from the original canon: the child who sought his father's love through terror and isolation.
Here, in this new village he had built, Gaara had a family that loved him, but the internal pressure to earn Rasa's pride still lingered in his tender heart. The boy wasn't looking for the most destructive or flashy power out of simple greed; he wanted his father's approval and a deep connection to his family heritage. Daigo softened his expression, taking in the request with absolute seriousness.
"I understand completely, Gaara," Daigo said, nodding calmly as he patted his nephew's messy hair. "You want to honor Rasa, and that speaks volumes about the great heart you have. And let me tell you something... Perhaps there is a way for you to control sand, but by using your own strength and your unique nature. I'm not entirely sure if it will work, since it's a concept I've never tried to develop myself, but it's worth experimenting with. Tomorrow, I want you to come by my private training ground. Deal?"
Gaara's eyes shone with a renewed, dazzling hope, quickly wiping away any trace of sadness. He nodded energetically, starting to brush the sand off his knees to prepare to go back to his room and rest. However, Daigo beat him to it. Placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, he channeled a fraction of his chakra.
"There's no need for you to walk back in the dark, and besides, the main path gets pretty cold at this hour," Daigo whispered with a knowing wink.
Shunshin!
In an imperceptible flash of sparkling crystals, both materialized directly in the warm foyer of Rasa's family residence. To Daigo's surprise, the light in the adjacent room was on, casting a soft golden glow onto the floor.
Rasa stood by the window, arms crossed, with an expression that mixed the fatherly worry of finding his son's bed empty with immediate relief upon seeing his youngest son arrive safe and sound alongside Daigo. Rasa gave Daigo a look of deep gratitude, understanding that he had been watching over his son in the night. Daigo simply nodded in silence before disappearing in another flash, leaving father and son to have their own space to talk.
The next day, the first rays of the scorching Suna sun began to warm the village's immense glass dome, dispersing the morning mist from the water canals.
In Daigo's private training ground, surrounded by high walls of reinforced rock and sealing barriers to prevent chakra from leaking outside, the atmosphere was already buzzing with intense and exhausting physical activity, though not from Gaara.
Guren, at eleven years old, stood in the center of the sandy ground. She wore her Sunagakure forehead protector tied firmly, a symbol of pride that contrasted with her sweat-covered face and heavy breathing.
Her dark training clothes were dusty, and her muscles trembled visibly from the grueling warm-up and high-density physical exercise routines Daigo had imposed on her since dawn. She had gravity seals activated on her wrists and ankles, making every single movement require triple the effort.
Daigo, standing a few meters away with his arms crossed over his chest, his imposing Kazekage cloak billowing slightly in the morning breeze, watched her with deep satisfaction. He had watched this girl grow, rescued from the clutches of fate, and seeing her become such a disciplined kunoichi was one of his greatest achievements.
"You've improved your endurance remarkably over these past few years, Guren. Your chakra flow no longer destabilizes when your muscles are exhausted," Daigo praised in a clear, resonant voice. "You've become extremely strong, more than you think. So much so, that I believe you are ready for the next big step in your personal training."
Despite the extreme exhaustion threatening to bring her to her knees on the packed sand, Guren snapped her head up. Her dark eyes flashed with a mix of surprise, disbelief, and an overwhelming excitement that wiped away all trace of fatigue.
"Really, Sensei? What is it?!" she asked eagerly, trying to regulate her breathing without appearing too desperate.
"A direct sparring match against me," Daigo replied with a slight half-smile, enjoying the young girl's reaction. "Though not against my real body; you aren't ready for the pressure of my full presence yet. You will face one of my elemental shadow clones, which will limit its strength to your chakra level. If you manage to defeat it, you will earn the right to face the Kazekage himself in real hand-to-hand combat."
The mere idea of fighting her savior, her mentor, and the most powerful figure in the entire village ignited the eleven-year-old's untamable competitive spirit.
Guren took a step back, flexing her legs and gathering a dense amount of chakra in the palms of her hands, causing small particles of pink light to float around her.
"I accept the challenge! I'll show you that I haven't been wasting my time in your training!" she declared with absolute determination.
Daigo performed a single hand seal, remaining calm. With a subtle movement of the earth, a shadow clone identical to him materialized about ten meters in front of Guren, adopting a relaxed combat stance entirely devoid of blind spots.
"Come on, Guren! Show me what you're capable of!" the clone ordered in a voice that perfectly mimicked the original's.
Guren didn't think twice. Lunging forward with impressive speed that defied the heavy weight of the gravity seals on her limbs, she began weaving hand seals at a blistering, near-invisible speed to the untrained eye.
"Crystal Style: Hexagonal Shuriken!" she shouted, extending her arms and unleashing a dense barrage of brilliant pink crystalline projectiles that sliced through the air with a sharp, dangerous whistle.
The Daigo clone moved with superhuman, almost lazy but millimetrically precise fluidity. With barely any physical effort, he swayed his torso from left to right, dodging the path of the crystals, and deflected the remaining projectiles with quick, sharp taps of his forearms, which he had previously reinforced with a subtle but impenetrable layer of earth chakra.
Guren, anticipating her opponent's evasion because she knew that was nothing to her sensei, used her speed to instantly reappear on the clone's left flank, materializing a long, sharp crystal blade directly on her right forearm.
"Take this!" the girl cried, launching a downward slash intended to break the clone's defense.
The clash of pure crystal against the Daigo clone's reinforced defense produced a dull, metallic, and crystalline ring that echoed throughout the training ground.
However, the clone was an exact replica of the Kazekage's experience and reflexes. Capitalizing on the momentum of Guren's downward strike, the clone spun on his axis with amazing grace, dodging the crystal blade by millimeters.
With a swift, precise motion, he swept the girl's supporting foot with a low kick and, before she could fall, placed his left palm inches from her chest, building up a light burst of air and chakra that sent her tumbling backward.
Guren rolled across the training ground dirt, kicking up a small cloud of dust before landing on her back, completely defeated, exhausted, and with her hair a mess. She let out a childish grunt of frustration, punching the ground with a clenched fist.
"That is totally unfair! You're way too fast, and you dodge all my attacks like you can read my movements and thoughts before I even make them!" the girl complained, making a monumental pout as she tried to catch her breath on the ground.
The real Daigo walked over slowly with a firm, steady pace, dispersing the shadow clone with a simple thought and letting it melt back into the earth. He looked down at his young disciple with a serious yet deeply paternal and wise expression.
"Nothing in war is fair, Guren. Least of all a shinobi's life on the battlefield," Daigo declared, offering his large hand to help her up. "Your enemies in the outside world won't give you an advantage, they won't limit their chakra, and they won't complain that your skills are unfair. If you want to defeat an opponent who outmatches you in experience and reflexes, you'll have to train three times as hard, sharpen your wits, and learn to anticipate their counters, not just rely on the raw power of your Crystal."
Guren took her master's hand and stood up with effort, absorbing his words with a determined nod, though she still brushed the dust off her clothes with visible reluctance.
At that exact moment, Daigo turned his gaze toward the heavy entrance gate of the private training ground, detecting a small and familiar presence approaching through the vibrations in the ground.
"Speaking of hard training... it seems our special guest for today has just arrived right on time," Daigo commented in a genial tone that eased the tense combat atmosphere.
Gaara entered the training ground timidly, wearing his sand-colored training gear and looking around the massive place with a mix of curiosity and shyness.
Daigo gestured for him to come closer and placed an affectionate hand on his head to introduce him formally.
"Guren, this is Gaara, Rasa and Karura's youngest son. Gaara, this is Guren, my first disciple and a talented Crystal Style user who will soon become an exceptional jonin. Starting today, you two will share some physical and theoretical training spaces to strengthen your fundamentals."
"Nice to meet you," Gaara murmured shyly, offering a small, respectful bow to the older girl.
Guren sized him up with curiosity, crossing her arms but giving him a friendly and somewhat haughty smile that closely mirrored Pakura's attitude.
"Hey there, little Gaara. If you're really going to train under Sensei, you'd better mentally prepare yourself to sweat a ton and have aching muscles for weeks. He has absolutely no mercy when it comes to routines."
Before Gaara could respond to Guren's friendly challenge, a heavy, uneven step and the characteristic crunch of shifting sand announced the arrival of a third person.
Daigo sighed deeply in amusement and shook his head upon seeing the familiar, casual figure crossing the training ground entrance without even asking the outer guards for permission.
Arata walked forward with his usual slouching, lazy posture, wearing his loose Suna combat robes that looked about two sizes too big, casually holding a ceramic sake bottle in his right hand. He took a relaxed sip before raising his hand in greeting.
The desert heat didn't seem to affect him in the slightest, and his mere presence brought an almost comical air of tranquility.
"Well, well... the Kazekage himself calling for me this early in the morning," Arata said with a lazy grin, scratching his scruffy cheek. "I hope it's something really important, Daigo. I was right in the middle of an excellent nap on my terrace."
"I see these years of peace have changed you, Arata," Daigo remarked, crossing his arms with an arched eyebrow and an amused smile. "Mind telling me how you've been lately? We barely see you around the military district or at the Tower meetings."
Arata let out a long, theatrical sigh, stashing his sake bottle into one of his robe's wide pockets while looking up at the blue sky through the glass dome.
"To be completely honest, my rival... bored. Extremely bored. Ever since the last Great War ended, everything in this village has become too quiet and peaceful. Peace is great for civilians, merchants, and scientists, but the ninjas from other nations have become incredibly boring and cautious. Nobody wants to cross borders, nobody wants to pick a fight with me and Shukaku, and they definitely don't want to cross paths with me in the outer desert. I feel like my skills and my muscles are rusting away at a terrifying pace."
Daigo smiled with a bit of competitive mischief, spotting the perfect opportunity to motivate his comrade-in-arms and get exactly what his nephew needed.
"And what would you say if I offered you a fight to try and beat me? A serious, face-to-face match, without holding back too much, to knock all that accumulated rust off your joints."
Arata's eyes snapped wide, instantly shedding all traces of laziness. The shinobi's slouched posture vanished in a flash, replaced by a coiled physical tension and a gleam of intense warrior excitement that revealed the fearsome killer he used to be in Suna's dark days. He lowered his sake bottle completely and glared at Daigo with a challenging grin.
"Now that sounds fun. Finally giving me another rematch? What's the catch or the condition you're going to slap on me, Daigo?"
"No strange catches, just a fair trade of knowledge," the Kazekage replied calmly, pointing to little Gaara, who was watching the whole interaction with a blend of awe and childish curiosity. "I need you to use your absolute control over ordinary sand to give Gaara a detailed, slow-motion demonstration. I want you to manipulate the sand right in front of his eyes, visually showing him how your chakra flows through each individual grain, how you change its density, and how you respond to air currents."
Arata blinked in surprise, looking down at the little redhead with large green eyes and then back at Daigo, letting out a short, genuine laugh that echoed off the stone walls.
"Just that? Manipulating a little common sand for Rasa's youngest kid in exchange for a real fight with you tonight, where I can unleash all my built-up frustration? Deal. That is the easiest, most lopsided, and most fun bargain I've struck in my entire life in this village."
Without wasting a single second to prevent Daigo from backing out, Arata walked with a firm stride toward the center of the wide training ground.
Stopping atop one of the small sand dunes, he closed his eyes and began channeling his immense chakra in a manner so smooth and controlled it was almost artistic.
The loose sand on the ground immediately answered his call, rising in beautiful, complex, and rhythmic floating streams that swirled in the air like golden rivers of solid water. They responded to the slightest, most subtle flick of his fingers with surgical, millimetric precision that left Gaara completely hypnotized.
Daigo took advantage of the stunning visual display to step closer to little Gaara, kneeling beside him to speak in a tone laced with mystery and gravity, while Guren also crept closer so as not to miss her master's theoretical explanation.
"Listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you, Gaara, and engrave it in your mind," Daigo began in a low voice, making sure the boy didn't lose sight of how Arata was weaving his chakra with the sand particles. "Yesterday, you confessed to me that your greatest wish is to learn to control sand like your father does, but your natural affinity is pure, dense, and massive Earth. I never cared much for manipulating sand in a conventional way during my youth; my style and mind have always been focused on compressing sand under extreme chakra pressure to instantly turn it into solid stone, and then crystal."
Gaara nodded without taking his eyes off the streams of sand that Arata was now molding into a large floating sphere that rhythmically changed in size.
"But you have a unique opportunity that I never explored," Daigo continued, a spark of enthusiasm and pride reflecting in his rose-colored eyes. "Instead of compressing common sand to destroy it or turn it to stone, you can use your super-strong Earth and Crystal affinity to infuse your chakra directly into every single grain of sand you manipulate. If you combine that earth manipulation with your family heritage and the concept of Crystal, you won't be controlling the common sand of the desert... you will be creating, refining, and controlling your very own crystal sand. A sand whose individual particles will be infinitely harder, sharper, brighter, and denser than common sand or even your father's prized gold dust. It will be a style unique to the world—an impenetrable defense and a devastating attack that no one will be able to replicate."
Upon hearing the concept of "crystal sand," Gaara's large eyes lit up with an overwhelming intensity that deeply touched Daigo.
The mere idea of being able to uphold his father's legacy, to manipulate sand to protect his loved ones, but taking it to a completely new, personal level that respected his own natural earth affinity, ignited an indomable flame of determination in his tender heart.
All the sadness, doubt, and insecurity that had tormented him all week vanished in an instant, replaced by ironclad concentration as his eyes devoured every movement, every shift in density, and every flow of chakra Arata executed with the floating sand streams.
After a long, spectacular, and detailed demonstration where Arata showed various advanced ways to mold, harden, disperse, and condense sand in the air to create basic shields and weapons, Daigo stepped forward to conclude the morning's highly productive theoretical session.
"That's enough for now, Arata. You've done an excellent and highly illustrative job," Daigo said, dismissing his old friend with a nod. "I'll see you right here at nightfall, once the sun sets behind the dome, to deliver on our promised battle. Prepare yourself well."
"You'd better not be late or make up office excuses, Daigo. I'm going to warm up my best techniques and clear my head to give you a fight that makes my blood boil again," Arata replied with a wild, confident grin, pocketing his sake bottle once more and leaving the training ground with a much lighter, more agile, and spirited step than when he had arrived.
Daigo turned slowly toward Guren and Gaara, who remained standing firmly in place, eagerly and respectfully waiting for their instructor's next orders.
The Kazekage's expression turned serious once more, adopting the posture of a strict, disciplined, and relentless master who tolerated no laziness in his presence.
"Alright, kids, the theory and visual demonstrations are over for today. Now it's time to prepare and strengthen your bodies for what lies ahead," Daigo declared with a firmness that made both children instantly snap to attention. "To manipulate and create high-density elements like pure Earth and Crystal without draining your reserves, you need a strong body, flawless cardiovascular endurance, and chakra pathways capable of handling the immense physical strain of constant elemental manipulation. You've been doing this for years, Guren, but this is something that must always be maintained. So, we'll start with the absolute basics of physical discipline for Gaara."
Daigo pointed his index finger toward the massive sand track that lined the entire perimeter of the wide, private training ground.
"I want you both to run fifty full laps around the track at a steady, rhythmic pace, without stopping under any circumstances. Guren, you will complete the run keeping your gravity seals active on your wrists and ankles at level three. Gaara, you will run at your own pace since it's your first day, but I don't want to see you stop to rest until you've completed the very last lap. Is today's objective clear?"
"Yes, Sensei!" Guren barked energetically, adjusting the heavy metallic wristbands Daigo had handed her earlier with a resigned sigh but a highly determined look.
"Yes, Uncle Daigo! I'll finish every single lap!" Gaara answered with a determination, willpower, and bright gaze that pleasantly surprised both the Kazekage and Guren, who glanced at him with a new sense of respect.
With the blazing morning sun climbing majestically over Sunagakure's futuristic glass dome, illuminating the metal streets and water canals with golden glints, both children began running side by side along the dirt track.
Guren moved with visible difficulty due to the tremendous physical weight the gravity seals imposed on her young muscles, but she maintained flawless form thanks to her previous training. Beside her, little Gaara kept his mind fixed on the dazzling glow of the future crystal sand he would create and mold with his own hands to make his family proud.
He maintained a steady, firm rhythm, a determined smile gracing his face.
End of Chapter