After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 212

Chapter 212: Awaken, Gaara!

Northern border of the Land of Grass, North Secret Base

This was a secret facility carved into solid rock. Just like the South Secret Base, already completely submerged by seawater, besides the surface level, Orochimaru had similarly constructed maze-like deep underground structures. But unlike the South Secret Base, the prisoners and test subjects imprisoned here weren't powerless ordinary people.

Even average genin and chūnin might not match these prisoners. They all shared one common trait: special genes implanted in their bodies. This was also the source from which Orochimaru researched the "Heaven and Earth Curse Marks."

In a certain deep prison cell, orange-haired Jūgo listened somewhat anxiously to the screaming and struggling sounds coming from next door.

"Aaaaaah!"

Jūgo silently counted in his mind. This is already the third day since that person next door was imprisoned. During these three days, the screaming has barely stopped. This is also tormenting my psyche.

Of course, compared to his own lack of sleep, Jūgo was more concerned about the other person's condition. Hard to believe, but this considerate young man was actually the source of curse marks.

Jūgo, a prodigy naturally capable of absorbing natural energy and entering a "pseudo-sage" state. Unlike Naruto, Jiraiya, or even Hashirama Senju, who needed training, once Jūgo was overcome by certain emotions, black patterns would spread across his body, and his entire appearance would transform into a monster resembling a demon.

In that state, Jūgo's personality would also change, becoming extremely aggressive. Precisely because of this, after losing control once and injuring his fellow villagers, he resolved to leave alone. Afterward, he was subdued by Kimimaro, sent by Orochimaru, and voluntarily stayed in the North Secret Base.

At least in a cell, I won't hurt others.

Hearing the sounds next door, Jūgo carefully pressed against the cell door, tentatively asking, "Hey? Are you okay? Do you need me to get the guards?"

This was actually his umpteenth time asking over these three days. But every response was just meaningless screaming. This time was similar. Receiving no response, Jūgo sat back down again.

Ah, if only Lord Orochimaru were here.

So why wasn't Orochimaru, on whom Jūgo pinned his hopes, at the base? This was directly related to that screaming kid next door.

In the neighboring cell, unlike Jūgo's ordinary cell, there was no bed here, only layers upon layers of seals and chains. Within the seals, a red-haired youth with half a horn already grown on the side of his head still struggled there. Besides his head, his other body parts were firmly bound by seals.

This was Gaara, who'd recently been cursed by Orochimaru. Even Orochimaru himself hadn't expected the Heaven Curse Mark to produce such wondrous reactions upon encountering a Jinchūriki.

Not long after planting the curse mark, Gaara completely lost reason, becoming frenzied like a wild beast. Initially, Orochimaru thought the tailed beast had just gone berserk and added several more seal layers. But subsequent events opened his eyes.

The irrational Gaara first uncontrollably manifested a tailed beast cloak. From Shukaku's constituting sand to the universal red chakra of jinchūriki, then rapidly transforming toward another form. The Earth-yellow chakra formed a canopy over Gaara but quickly dispersed due to instability.

At this moment, a hypothesis appeared in Orochimaru's mind. Could there be some connection between the tailed beast chakra and natural energy? This reminds me of a term: "Sage Mode." Could this be Sage Mode's true form? That's not right either. How did Jiraiya learn it then?

With such questions, Orochimaru temporarily left the North Secret Base, heading to Ryūchi Cave seeking answers. While Gaara, abandoned here, fell into a cycle of "frenzied rampage, energy exhaustion, awakening, renewed frenzy."

Therefore, Orochimaru hadn't witnessed Gaara's bodily transformation scenes. The screaming suddenly stopped. Jūgo found this unremarkable. Based on these days' experience, within half an hour, the other party should wake again and resume screaming.

But this time, he guessed wrong.

Where am I?

Gaara raised his head somewhat dazedly, then felt restraining forces around his body. This was a sealing technique Orochimaru specifically researched for tailed beast chakra. Memories in his mind were like fragments. No matter how Gaara shook his head, he couldn't reassemble them.

Who am I?

Gaara could recall some scattered memories. But in those scenes, he was either being coldly watched or huddled alone in shadows. Someone seemed to be calling his name. What was it? Can't remember.

In his memories, clearest was a yellow-haired ninja. That person punched me. He must know who I am. I need to find him.

From somewhere, a voice seemed to be urging Gaara to seek that person in his memories. At this moment, within Gaara's seal, Shukaku had already fallen into slumber, seemingly from excessive power consumption or some other reason.

I must leave here.

Gaara glanced around. Empty, nothing there. He tried breaking free from his restraints, but whenever he exerted force, his internal power would be extracted, then converted into force suppressing him.

Just as Gaara was at his wit's end, several grains of sand somehow drifted through the door crack. Watching those tiny sand particles, Gaara felt some instinct rapidly awakening.

Without hand seals or using chakra, just his mental intention moved, and quickly, more and more sand gathered. The North Secret Base's location had a dry climate. Though the terrain was mostly rock walls, sand wasn't rare either. Perhaps some guard accidentally brought it in.

That sand rapidly gathered together under Gaara's gaze, then transformed into a sand kunai, slowly floating up. The sand kunai easily cut open those outermost wrapping scrolls. Gaara felt the suppression on his body suddenly loosen. Then came the chains and other seals below.

These things were completely inadequate before Gaara, who'd recovered some power. He didn't even use sand; just pure physical strength broke free.

Was my power originally this great?

As chains fell to the ground, Gaara also curiously examined his own body. I always feel I shouldn't have been like this in the first place. Sand and that yellow chakra gathered together, condensing a robe around him. This wasn't Gaara's deliberate creation but more like an instinct.

Gaara narrowed his eyes slightly, sensing that thing hidden beneath the sand. Seems to be some emotion. He could sense these sands contained some will. That seems to be something I've always desired.

Just then, dense footsteps suddenly came from the corridor outside, interrupting Gaara's contemplation. Clearly, this prison had some form of monitoring. The moment he broke the seal chains, the guards immediately discovered it.

The completely transformed Gaara raised his eyelids, looking toward the cell door and walls ahead. Without him doing anything visible, sand transformed into blades invisible to the naked eye. The wall ahead was silently cut open, cuts incredibly smooth and even.

At this moment, those guards also reached the cell entrance, coming face-to-face with Gaara emerging from within. Because the cell door was fully enclosed, Jūgo in the adjacent room didn't know what had happened. He only heard several brief exclamations, then a bloody smell drifted in.

What happened?