"There's no way I can handle those monsters with just my power… unless I use Shukaku's."
That was Gaara's thought.
He then pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket.
It was a gift from Doraemon.
Gaara had always struggled with Shukaku's control over him.
So he asked Doraemon if there was any way to fix it.
Back then, Temari had managed to tame Shukaku using Momotaro Dango.
But once the effect wore off, it lost all effect.
Given Shukaku's violent and unruly nature, there was no way he'd acknowledge that period of taming as anything valid.
So Doraemon gave Gaara some "Best Friends Chocolate."
Gaara was to eat half himself and feed the other half to Shukaku.
That way, the two might become friends and avoid a loss of control.
Whether their friendship would last after the effect ended… would depend on luck.
"Let's give it a try."
Gaara decided to take the gamble. He immediately ate half the chocolate, then called out to Temari.
"Temari! When I turn into Shukaku, give the other half of this chocolate to him!"
After saying that, Gaara tossed the remaining chocolate to Temari.
"Ah!"
Temari, startled, hurried to catch the chocolate.
When she looked back at Gaara, she saw he had already closed his eyes and fallen asleep.
He was already sleep-deprived, so it didn't take much for him to doze off.
"Everyone! Get back! Gaara's turning into Shukaku!"
Seeing this, Temari's face turned pale, and she quickly shouted a warning to everyone nearby.
The others were shocked and quickly scattered in panic.
In the next moment, Gaara's body began to change.
Sand erupted from him, and his body bloated and grew larger.
In the end, he transformed into the massive One-Tail Shukaku, standing tens of meters tall!
"Hehehe… I don't know what's going on, but I'm finally free!!"
Shukaku shouted in wild excitement.
Seeing the real Shukaku appear, the people of Sunagakure were utterly terrified.
They were already struggling with the invading monsters—and now Shukaku too?
Was the Sand Village doomed?
"Shukaku!"
At that moment, Temari shouted and used her fan to send the remaining half of the Best Friends Chocolate flying toward Shukaku.
"Hm?"
Shukaku heard someone call him and turned his massive head in confusion.
He caught sight of a tiny object flying toward him.
Before he could react…
The half piece of chocolate flew straight into Shukaku's mouth.
Shukaku didn't even know what he just ate, but suddenly, his mood shifted.
His vicious expression softened into something… adorably dazed.
"Where's Gaara?"
Shukaku looked around, dazed, searching for Gaara.
"I'm inside you," Gaara's voice echoed in his mind.
Upon hearing this, Shukaku closed his eyes.
Inside the mental space, Shukaku met Gaara.
Normally, when Shukaku took control, Gaara's consciousness would vanish completely.
But now, thanks to the Best Friends Chocolate shifting Shukaku's mood, Gaara's awareness had returned—at least partially.
"Can I ask you for a favor? My village is under attack by monsters. Could you help me fight them off?"
Gaara nervously asked Shukaku.
He was afraid the chocolate might not work as intended.
Shukaku tilted his head at Gaara.
The silence made Gaara gulp in tension.
"Of course!"
Suddenly, Shukaku nodded vigorously and even smiled.
It was a totally different expression than usual—such a massive shift in behavior that Gaara was stunned.
"We're best friends, right? Friends help each other! Leave it to me!"
This Shukaku didn't seem like the monstrous beast of legend at all.
He was more like a loyal companion—almost cute.
"O-okay. I'm counting on you…"
Gaara couldn't believe it—this friendship chocolate actually worked.
It really changed Shukaku's way of thinking.
But seeing Shukaku like this… he wasn't used to it.
In the real world...
Granny Chiyo was lying on the ground, coughing up blood after being knocked down by a Super Beast.
"Sigh… I really am getting old. Is this the end for me?"
She looked up helplessly at the monstrous beast before her.
She had fought long and hard, only managing to kill two of them.
But the rest weren't done. They advanced toward her for the finishing blow.
"Raaahhhhhh!!"
Just then, Shukaku's roar echoed across the battlefield.
He charged at the beasts, and while they were distracted, used his bulk to ram several of them flying. Then he followed up with a sweeping tail strike, smashing even more.
He bellowed again at the monsters:
"Don't you dare destroy my friend's village!!"
"Huh? Shukaku… What did he just say?"
Granny Chiyo was dumbfounded.
Why would Shukaku be protecting Sunagakure?
The other shinobi were equally shocked.
If not for the fact that the C-Virus monsters were still around, they might've frozen in disbelief.
Only Temari and Kankuro knew the reason. Seeing their plan succeed, they finally relaxed their tense nerves.
"But what if the chocolate's effect wears off?" Kankuro asked nervously.
"We just have to hope Gaara and Shukaku form a real bond during this time."
Temari could only pin her hopes on this slim possibility.
"Well done, Shukaku! That's the way!"
"You did great! As expected from my best friend!"
Inside the mental space, Gaara kept showering Shukaku with praise.
This was the method taught to him by Gian, Suneo, and Shizuka at the IKEA store—that when a friend does something good, you praise them like crazy!
For Gaara, who had never said so many compliments in his life, each word was mentally exhausting.
He had to come up with new praise every time, making sure not to repeat anything—he was desperate not to break the effect.
It was absolutely draining for him.
But Shukaku, hearing all the praise from his best friend Gaara, became even more motivated.
He fought harder and harder, putting all his strength into tearing apart the Super Beasts before him!
Kirigakure
The Hidden Mist Village was also under attack from C-Virus monsters and Super Beasts, but there was one major difference:
The zombies and beasts were all crawling out of the ocean.
Because the Land of Water is surrounded by sea and only accessible by ship, it was impossible to smuggle C-Virus monsters into the village like the others.
So the attackers got creative.
They directly dumped the C-Virus into the surrounding sea to infect marine life.
To ensure the virus spread far enough, they even sent swimming-capable Super Beasts deep into the ocean to accelerate the infection.
Then, using their strength, these beasts hurled the zombified sea creatures onto land!
(End of Chapter)
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