After Sailing with the Pirate King, I Returned to Konoha - 187

Chapter 187: The Praying Mantis Catches the Cicada

Are they all fighting to protect me?

No. They're only fighting because of the power inside me.

Ever since Naruto's return from the pirate world, Gaara's uncontrolled rampages had ceased. Shukaku was no docile beast, but under normal circumstances, it rarely interfered with Gaara's consciousness anymore.

With his control restored and armed with intelligence from Konoha, the village accepted Granny Chiyo's proposal: bring the jinchūriki back into Hidden Sand, but maintain the Shukaku Shrine as bait. They would ambush any Akatsuki members who came for Gaara.

Unfortunately, Sasori's mole had leaked the entire plan.

However, to draw away most of the forces, the Artistic Duo still chose to split up. Their plan was proving successful.

On Deidara's side, though he faced most of Hidden Sand's forces, his flight advantage let him harass them mercilessly. Neither side could decisively win—he lacked the firepower to destroy such numbers, while they couldn't reach him. Yet they couldn't retreat either. The moment they turned toward the village, Deidara would swoop lower and unleash another barrage, forcing them to scatter and regroup.

Some ranged attackers managed to hit him, but their strikes were like raindrops against stone—individually harmless. Only a concentrated volley posed real danger, and Deidara's counterattacks kept them constantly dispersing. Any ninja capable of threatening him found themselves targeted immediately, neutralizing the village's most dangerous weapons.

The principle was brutally simple: he who controls the high ground controls the battle. From above, Deidara could pick them off at will.

As for Gaara, he carried no seals restraining him on his body and could attack at any moment. Yet he hesitated.

Previously, he'd obeyed orders because his hated father—the Fourth Kazekage Rasa—was still alive, even though that same father had repeatedly tried to kill him. Gaara had been instilled from childhood with two beliefs: "You exist as a killing weapon," and "Only by killing for the village can you prove your value."

Despite his violent exterior, Gaara deeply craved familial love and clung to this purpose. More than recognition from the village, he wanted his father's acknowledgment. Presence, acceptance—these basic needs were everything to an unloved child like Gaara, even if he never admitted it.

But now that his father was dead, did he still need to fight for the village?

Having not experienced Naruto's talk-no-jutsu of the original timeline, he still held no expectations for the ninjas around him—including his siblings. They fought so hard for the jinchūriki's power, not for Gaara the person.

In fact, when Gaara had been sealed away, Temari and Kankurō had tried to visit him at the Shukaku Shrine. The village elders turned them away. If anyone still truly cared for Gaara, it was those two. Despite their lingering fear of his power, they refused to abandon their brother.

Words, though—words were fragile things. What couldn't be said was easily misunderstood.

Kankurō crashed through a wall, hurled by a red-robed puppet. He slammed into the floor beside Gaara in an explosion of debris. His Black Ant puppet had taken the worst of the impact, saving his life, but he still gasped in pain.

He wanted to tell Gaara to run. His lips moved, but no sound came out.

Then the red-robed puppet charged in.

Through this puppet, Sasori saw his mission target. "Good."

Sasori's real body smiled and began moving toward that floor. Granny Chiyo noticed and gave it her all, wielding both arms with blinding speed. The Chikamatsu Ten Puppets arrived again, delaying Sasori. Kankurō controlled three puppets to jointly assault the red-robed puppet, drawing it away.

Through the broken wall, Gaara could see injured ninja sprawled across the ground while others fought desperately on.

"Well, looks like I haven't come too late."

A sinister voice echoed through the room.

Gaara's sand lashed out instinctively. The intruder twisted aside with serpentine grace, and before Gaara could react, chakra-laden fingers struck his abdomen.

"Five Elements Seal!"

Pain exploded through Gaara's core. Shukaku—dormant until now—suddenly thrashed against its cage. Sand erupted around Gaara, whipping violently in every direction. Unfortunately, Gaara's chakra seemed interfered with, making it difficult for him to launch attacks.

The figure lowered his head and opened his mouth wide, seemingly about to bite Gaara's neck.

At that moment, sand from the gourd on Gaara's back autonomously blocked the approaching sharp teeth. Not only that, the sand formed spikes, forcing the intruder's figure back.

Moonlight poured through the shattered wall, illuminating the attacker's face.

Orochimaru. Konoha's rogue ninja. Akatsuki's traitor. A madman obsessed with forbidden knowledge.

Orochimaru’s forked tongue flickered out, curling across his lips. “Hehehe... interesting.” He barely seemed bothered by his failed attempt to mark Gaara with his curse seal. That sand concealed a power he couldn’t quite decipher—even for Orochimaru, it was something unknown.

Gaara had seen Orochimaru once before during the Chūnin Exams, but at that time Orochimaru had merely shown his face and fled, so Gaara hadn't remembered. He just felt the person seemed somewhat familiar.

But the Five Elements Seal had done its work. The seal disrupted the balance between Gaara's chakra and Shukaku's, sending the One-Tail's power surging out of control. Instead of being able to manipulate it, Gaara found himself fighting against it—even casting simple ninjutsu became nearly impossible.

What happened inside the room remained hidden from those outside. By the time Granny Chiyo and Sasori realized someone had infiltrated the floor where Gaara was kept, they saw Orochimaru binding the unconscious jinchūriki with layers of sealing scrolls.

"Orochimaru!"

"Orochimaru—"

Both recognized him and were shocked that while they fought so fiercely, he'd taken advantage of the situation.

In an instant, the white and red puppets ceased fighting each other and attacked Orochimaru in unison.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

A colossal serpent—Manda—appeared in a cloud of smoke. Blades and ninjutsu struck its massive scales immediately, but the wounds only enraged the beast. Manda raised its enormous head, glaring down at the insects that dared attack it. Its tail swept across the battlefield with casual brutality, smashing aside puppets and Hidden Sand ninja alike.

"Long time no see, Sasori."

Orochimaru and Sasori had once been partners in Akatsuki. But they'd shared little common ground even then, and after Orochimaru's defection, what little connection remained had vanished entirely.

"Then I'll take the jinchūriki."

Orochimaru vanished into the moonlight like a phantom, carrying Gaara as he fled Hidden Sand Village.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Sasori abandoned the other ninja without hesitation and gave chase. Meanwhile, Granny Chiyo stood frozen, surveying the chaotic battlefield before turning toward where the two had disappeared.

"Kankurō, you're in charge of cleanup," she ordered, then gestured to several nearby jōnin. "You're with me. We're going after Gaara."