Night Attack

"Shukaku, can we leave my feelings out of this? We are here on official business after all," I said to try and get out of this conversation.

"So you admit it then, you do have feelings for her," replied Shukaku eagerly. I facepalmed harder, how I had let that slip? Also, since when did Shukaku care about something like this?

"Why is it such a big deal Shukaku? Remind me again why you are so interested in this," I asked harshly.

"Your the one who said we were in this together, so I thought I'd try and help you out," said Shukaku with a strange tone. Help me out? What in the world was he talking about? Had I hit my head on something? I must be dreaming, there was no way I had just heard that.

"Why would you want to help me in something I presume you know nothing about," I asked with bewilderment. My face was probably redder than a tomato, I couldn't believe I was discussing my feelings with a Tailed Beast.

"That is exactly the reason I'm so interested Gaara. Tailed Beasts don't get feelings such as attraction. I noticed you were acting different and thought I would ask about it" said Shukaku with one of his mental shrugs. This was just too weird for me, I didn't want to discuss my feelings right now. Right now was a critical time with Fu injured and the Hidden Waterfall in danger. Staying focused would be key if I was going to complete my mission here.

"We don't have time to talk about this right now. In glad you are interested in being a team and all that but we need to stay focused," I told him. I turned my troubled gaze back to Fu with uncertainty. What were my feelings toward her? We had just met, should I be feeling this way already?

"Gaara, do you sense that," growled Shukaku. Right as he said that, a dark gloom envelopes my body. All the candles that had been lit in the cabin suddenly went out and darkness consumed me. This was unlike anything I had ever felt before, I felt so weak and depressed. Was this a Jutsu of some kind? If so, I had never heard of anything like it.

"What the hell is that," I muttered weakly, my voice being affected by the gloom as well.

"I don't know any more than you do but it's quite apparent that we are under attack," said Shukaku icily. Kimimaro and his forces must be attacking Takigakure, I needed to get back to help with the defense of the village. Slinging my gourd over my shoulder, I rushed to the door and went to grab the handle. My hand froze right before I could touch it though and I turned around. Fu laid in bed just as unmoving as she had a few moments ago, with no noticeable change in her condition.

"What are you doing? We need to get going," barked Shukaku greedily. His bloodthirsty side was coming out full swing, he was eager to get to the fight. But my conscience was hesitating in leaving Fu alone in her current condition. What if the fighting spilled out to the forest and I wasn't here to protect her? Fu's death would be entirely my fault then, I was the one who had knocked her out through my reckless actions.

"I can't leave her," I finally admitted. Duty and my personal feelings were tearing me apart, both of them telling me to do the opposite of what the other wanted. If my moral compass was an actual compass, it would be spinning in a circle uncontrollably.

"What do you mean you can't leave her? Get over yourself Gaara, you must fulfill your duty as a shinobi. Are you going to throw away your dream of being Kazekage or any other of your goals whenever your feelings get in the way? You can't let your attachments get in the way," roared Shukaku. Annoyance flared through me, it was my decision to make, not Shukaku's.

"I decide my course of action, you just want me to go kill people to quench your bloodlust," I argued back. My head suddenly ached, a spike of pain vibrating through it. What was he trying to pull now?

"Gaara, what are you going to say to the human you came here with? How will you explain that you abandon your duties to tend to an unconscious girl who is far from the danger," asked Shukaku with an edge. I winced, how would I explain this to Baki? Protecting Fu meant I was abandoning the mission on purpose, a massive crime in the world of shinobi. Saying I would be a disgrace would be a huge understatement, my whole reputation would be ruined. My fists clenched and my teeth gritted. A massive crash resounded through the whole room as my right fist punched through the thin cabin wall. My hand throbbed in pain and blood dripped down my knuckles. If I was any good at taijutsu then I wouldn't be bleeding at all.

"Let's go," ordered Shukaku.

"Dammit, I'm going," I said with an exasperated sigh. Decisions like this one were what I hated most, an ultimatum. Opening the thin wood door felt like I was swimming in water, my senses told me not to leave Fu. I had no choice, hopefully the fighting would be contained to Takigakure.

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"You made the right decision," muttered Shukaku. I was currently soaring through the forest, leaping branch to branch as fast as I could. There had been utter silence since I had left the cabin, Shukaku hadn't even growled. That was now over though, I guess he thought he had given me enough time for the reality to sink in. Unfortunately, he was wrong and I wasn't in the mood to talk. I continued onward without giving a single response to Shukaku.

"What exactly is your plan? We don't know how many enemies there are or where they are coming from," pointed out Shukaku.

"I'll meet up with Baki, all I've got to do is find the fighting," I told him coldly. Baki would undoubtedly be leading the defense along with Azumaki, neither of them was the type to sit back and watch. The village had been somewhat visible for a while now, the glow of burning buildings was easy to spot in the darkness of the night. The fighting looked to be in the area that had been burned to the ground in the last attack. From where I was, it was hard to tell but I was pretty sure the enemy forces were quite large. The carnage enveloped a much larger area than the area I had seen when I met Rigawa.

"Might I suggest a better plan," asked Shukaku with a demanding tone. I guess asking still was just complimentary for him.

"Why not since you've got an opinion on everything I do now," I replied bitterly. Shukaku was less annoying back when he napped all the time.

"We are to the north of the village while the attackers are pouring in from the west. The entrance we came in from was to the south, which means they haven't broken through there. Why not flank around through the forest and find where they are coming in from," advised Shukaku while ignoring my previous comment. I grunted, his plan was unfortunately a good one. Finding where these attackers were entering from could solve the whole problem if we could seal it up. The only risk to the plan is that it would just be Shukaku and me on our own, with no backup. On top of that, if I did get into trouble no one would know since I doubted that anyone had the faintest idea of what I would be attempting. Baki and the Hidden Waterfall shinobi would only be concerned about protecting Shibuki and the villagers. If Kimimaro decided to show up with any other of the heavy hitters Orochimaru had then I would be in trouble.

"Just this once I'll humor your plan," I said after several moments of debating. The plan was risky but I was sure I could handle it. The Gaara in the anime had been forced to go head to head with Kimimaro in order to save Rock Lee. Both Gaara and Kimimaro were pushed to their limit and the battle had been too close for comfort. Gaara had only escaped death because Kimimaro's disease had caught up to him, without that factor he could have lost. But thankfully for me, I was undeniably stronger than the Gaara who had fought Kimimaro in the anime. With Shukaku's power and my iron sand I was confident I could beat him.

"Good, I can't wait to pound some humans into a bloody pulp," exclaimed Shukaku eagerly. I grimaced, I really didn't want to have to turn anyone to pulp. Pushing that thought aside, I changed course and began heading southwest, straight to where the enemy was coming from.

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I didn't meet a single soul while heading through the forest, which made me a bit nervous. Why were they funneling all their forces in one direction? Shinobi didn't normally fight head-on like this, stealth and tactics were normally valued over numbers. It could be possible that the shinobi they possessed weren't of good enough quality to pull off a stealth mission to assassinate Shibuki. The next option would of course be strength in numbers, a tactic they seemed to be very dedicated toward. Still, I didn't like it one bit. Maybe it was because I had never been taught to fight like this, to throw your allies at the enemy so carelessly. Orochimaru wasn't exactly known for being caring though, so I guess he didn't care about the losses.

"You seem to be thinking about something, what's in your mind," asked Shukaku. Leave it to him to start a conversation right before a battle.

"It's nothing, we can talk about it after we take down whoever is waiting for us up ahead," I told him. I was starting to see movement up ahead, a sure sign that I was finally at the enemies' position. Dark figures flickered in and out of my vision ahead of me, causing me to halt a dozen yards away.

"What's the game plan then," asked Shukaku seriously. Grunting, I considered my options for my opening attack. Given the fact that they couldn't see me and didn't know I was here, it would be best to keep it that way as long as possible. Using a Jutsu that would cause chaos and confusion would ensure my location stay hidden. Only a few Jutsu came to mind that would be big enough to cause corruption over a large radius. Sand Cyclone, Desert Hands, or maybe even Sand Waterfall Imperial Funeral.

"I know what your thinking Gaara, don't even think about using that Jutsu again. It is far above your current level," growled Shukaku. Was reading my mind suddenly a power of his? I guess he had a point, I did almost die the last time I used that Jutsu. So that left either Desert Hands or Sand Cyclone. Both were very large Jutsu and both had extremely destructive capabilities. There were only two big differences between the two. Desert Hands required much more sand and also wouldn't be able to cover as much area as Sand Cyclone would.

"Sand Cyclone it is then," I muttered under my breath. Both my hands began to weave signs, slowly and methodically so I wouldn't mess up a single one. Sand began to gather in a swirling motion in my palms and I could hear the whipping of the wind. Raising my hands, I had a miniature cyclone in each of them. With a little bit of focus, I managed to get a steady stream of chakra going into each of them. The cyclones got bigger and bigger until sand was whipping everywhere. The trees around me were getting shredded while their branches got battered with wind.

"I think they are big enough," remarked Shukaku. Each of the cyclones was bigger than a bus at this point, any bigger and my location would be revealed.

"Time to cause some damage," I said with a grin. I arched my arms back behind my head and then lobbed the cyclones, one to the right and one to the left. The second they left my hands I increased the chakra flow to them by triple what I had been feeding them. The cyclones exploded in size and destruction, uprooting trees and throwing them into the air. Shouts of alarm could barely be heard over the roaring of the wind as the two cyclones crashed directly into attackers. Screams quickly pierced the air, followed by several masked attackers being flung up into the air by the wind. I could hear various voices over the wind and the trees being uprooted, all of them panicking or telling others to run away.

"Looks like it's working," said Shukaku gleefully as another body was flung into the air.

"Focus, the confusion won't last forever," I said bluntly. Sure enough, I could already see a group of masked attackers beginning to organize just outside the range of the cyclones. If only they realized they should have run away instead of trying to be tough. Sand shot from my gourd until only the iron sand remained inside, a massive cloud of sand hovering above my head. With a single thought, a dozen sand spears formed from the cloud and moved to hover in front of me. A flick of my wrist sent them soaring through the air, through the cyclones, and straight into the crowd of masked attackers. Not a single spear missed its mark, with a dozen attackers falling to the ground in agonizing pain or because they would never rise again. It was quite easy for me to hit my marks since I could change the trajectory of the spears whenever I wanted. A nudge of my finger and instead of missing it went through someone's abdomen.

"Let's go down there and slaughter the rest of them," said Shukaku greedily. All of Shukaku's talk about having a plan seemed to have gone out the window now that the battle had started, he was ready to kill. A quick survey of the area showed only a few survivors, all of them either injured or attempting to run away. Between my cyclones and my sand spear attack, I had easily injured or killed upwards of sixty low-level attackers. Canceling the cyclones, I then collected my sand back into my gourd. Looks like I had been worrying too much, none of these low lives were even close to being able to fight me.

"Fine, I'll let you have a little fun since I doubt any of them could even put a scratch in me," I said with a sigh. Hopefully, Shukaku wouldn't get too out of hand. Four attackers were making a break for it, if I used partial transformation I would easily be able to close the gap between us so I could finish them off. My right side from my leg to my face began to morph and transform, Shukaku's curse mark spiraling across my now sandy right side. I bent my knees and expanded my right arm out to grab a tree nearby. I tighter my grip on the tree before retracting my arm and launching myself into the air. My feet hit the ground hard but I stuck the landing.

Right as I was about to charge at the four attackers, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Whipping my head, I saw a huge figure spending right for me. He was bigger than any man I had ever seen, easily eight feet tall and two feet wide. The man was bald, wearing no mask like his comrades were, and also wore no shirt either. I cocked my right arm back and lashed it at the man. My arm zipped across the gap but something unexpected happened. The man's right arm began to blow up like a balloon, growing until it was triple its already massive size. Then, with breathtaking speed, he delivered the fastest punch I had ever seen. A massive jolt traveled up my arm as his enlarged fist collided with my transformed right arm. The transformation managed to catch the punch but not after sending me skidding backward. My eyes narrowed, my gaze locking with the bizarre bald man who was also staring at me. His aura was something else, he wasn't the least bit rattled, he actually seemed to be devoid of any emotion. He only had one defining feature that I only now noticed. A large snake tattoo curled around his bald head from the base of his neck. The snake ended on his forehead, with an image of a snake head that had its fangs bared.

"Quit playing around Snakeman," ordered a voice from the shadows. Two figures then stepped out, revealing a face that made my blood run cold. Kimimaro, in all of his pale and intimidating glory. Next to him stood what looked like a dead kid walking, a hunched-over boy with messy black hair that hung down past his shoulders. I couldn't see much of his face since his hair covered it but he seemed to be young, maybe early teens.

"Kimimaro, why not just let the brute handle this on his own? We still have our mission to complete," whined the scrawny kid with a raspy voice. I quickly retracted my arm, letting go of Snakeman's huge fist. He followed suit, his arm shrinking back to normal size. Was he using Expansion Jutsu? It certainly looked similar but I couldn't tell if it was the same or not.

"Our master was explicit that we shouldn't take this kid lightly, he is of exceptional strength. Do not underestimate him or question the master's judgement Fujibu," said Kimimaro coldly. This wasn't looking too good for me, Snakeman looked pretty tough and I knew for a fact Kimimaro was not to be taken lightly. Then there was Fujibu, I didn't have any idea what kind of powers he possessed. Too many unknowns for me to be able to fight all three and win.

"I would never question the master's judgment," yelled Fujibu angrily. He proceeded to stomp his feet and pull at his hair, acting like a little kid. Suddenly, a wave of darkness exploded from Fujibu and flew through the clearing. It hit me in the chest but I didn't feel any physical contact or pain. Looking around, all of the colors had been replaced with black and white. The weight of what felt like a mountain fell onto my shoulders and my body felt shaky. Anger flared through my veins only to be replaced with a deep sadness seconds later. What was going on? This was the same feeling I had felt back in Fu's cabin but now it was twice as strong. My head began to ache and my vision warped until I could no longer see.

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I blinked and suddenly I wasn't in the forest anymore, I was in Sunagakure. From where I was standing I could see the Kazelage's office and my house, though I couldn't move my arms or legs. It was night out yet there were spotlights lit up all over the village. What had happened, how was I back in the Hidden Sand? An earth-shattering roar hit my eardrums, prompting me to try and look around only to find I couldn't move. Without warning, my head tilted to look down from the building I was standing on. The sight that met my eyes made my heart stop. The streets below me were completely destroyed, it looked as if a wrecking ball had hit everything in a quarter-mile radius. What could have possibly done so much damage to the village? My father and the Hidden Sand jonin would never have let any enemy get this deep into the village.

"Gaara!"

My head once again swiveled on its own accord and I heard a snarl from somewhere nearby. My eyes locked onto a figure who was standing on top of the building adjacent to mine. My eyes squinted and I recognized the figure as Rasa, my father. Gold sand was swirling around him and raising him into the air. I tried my move my mouth but I couldn't control it either. Rasa didn't say anything, he simply stared at me with his heartless eyes. His posture was stiff and his arms were crossed, everything about him was screaming that something was horribly wrong.

"You're such a disappointment," Rasa said coldly. My heart twisted and my vision shifted to look down at my hands. Except, they weren't my hands at all, they were Shukaku's. My body was almost entirely transformed from what I could see, I was only a step away from turning entirely into Shukaku. My viewpoint also looked irregular, it was so short compared to what I should be. Then there was the crimson red blood that dripped down my hands. Was that mine? I couldn't feel any pain so if it wasn't mine then who's blood was it?

"I had hoped you would be able to control your emotions but you can't even remain calm after one measly death," continued Rasa as more gold sand piled up around him.

My whole body locked up, everything clicking together like a puzzle. This wasn't the present, this was the past, a memory. The roars and snarls I had heard was actually me, the destruction below all caused by me as well. I stared at the blood that coated my arms, my body beginning to tremble. The blood was Yashamaru's, my mother's brother. Tonight was the night he had been sent to try and kill me to see if I could keep Shukaku under control. I was only six years old at this point, Yashamaru dying in my arms only minutes ago. My body abruptly began to change, growing bigger and bigger. Panicking, I tried to stop myself from doing what I was about to do but I couldn't. This was a memory, I couldn't change it. Rasa's golden sand blasted from behind him, slamming into me in an attempt to stop my transformation but it was too late. My body grew until I towered about the surrounding buildings, my whole body was now transformed into Shukaku. Shukaku tackled through my mouth and let out another roar of defiance. My vision began to swirl black just as more golden sand slammed into me. Just as abruptly as the memory had come on it now left, leaving me in darkness.

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I opened my eyes to find myself back in the forest. Kimimaro stood a dozen yard in front of me, standing over Fujibu who was on the ground with blood dripping down his face. It looked like Kimimaro had put an end to the scrawny kid's outburst. There was no sign of the darkness that had enveloped the area, all color had returned to the forest. What had felt like an eternity to me had only been a few seconds in the real world it seemed. Snakeman stood as still as a stone pillar, unfazed by the effects of the darkness. I on the other hand was still shaking, my body and mind still trying to grasp everything I had just seen. The memory I had just witnessed was obviously triggered by Fujibu and his wave of darkness. Yet, I couldn't wrap my head around how his power had brought out a memory that had been locked away inside my mind. I had no recollection of my rampage on the night of Yashamaru's death, at least not until now.

"What the hell did you do to me," I said with a gasp. Fujibu started to laugh, a sick and trusted laugh that made my spine crawl.

"Your one of the lucky ones that get to experience memories because of my Jutsu, aren't you? I can only imagine what you saw, I hear you have a dark past," he giggled from on the ground. My fists clenched and my transformation rapidly spread to both arms and legs, leaving only the left side of my face still human. I lunged forward, moving at an incredibly fast pace. My target was clear, that little creep Fujibu who dared to mess with my memories. I cocked my right arm back and shot it forward in an attempt to grab the kid but Snakeman was too quick. He caught my arm and held it firmly in place, not even fazed by the force he had just absorbed. Both his arms had grown to a sickening size, bigger than a grown man. Snakeman's body began to gurgle and I could hear a snapping and crunching sound coming from his body. Was that his bones breaking? How could his body take the abuse he was putting it through?

"Least that animal is good for something," muttered Fujibu with disgust. My anger flared once again, the freak's raspy voice getting on my nerves. I didn't care about Snakeman, I only wanted to kill Fujibu. I lashed my left arm out, aiming straight for Snakeman's chest. He removed his right arm from its grip on my right hand and lined it up to catch my left. Unfortunately for him, that's exactly what I expected him to do. I shot more power into my right arm, expanding it even further. Snakeman couldn't handle my right arm with just his left, causing him to slide backward and lose his balance. Right before he hit the ground I snatched him up with my left, expanding my hand to grip all the way around him.

Now came the fun part.

I expanded my right arm and grabbed onto Snakeman with it as well so now I held him between both my hands. My arms were extended about fifteen feet from my body, with Snakeman trying to break free from my grip. I smirked, if only he knew that I was going to be releasing him in just a few seconds. Without warning, I lifted Snakeman off the ground and began to spin, gaining speed until I looked like a sand-colored blur. Snake man spinner in the air above me, his head tilted to one side due to the force. As my speed continued to build, it finally came to a tipping point where I could feel my balance beginning to slip. I took that as my signal to show Snakeman the whole point of this move.

"Go to hell, Shukaku's Slingshot," I yelled right as I released my grip on Snakeman. The effect was immediate, the huge man rocketing into the sky far above the treetops. No sound escaped his mouth but I could clearly see the terror in his eyes. It didn't take long for him to disappear from view, a distant crash being faintly heard second later. I turned to face Kimimaro and Fujibu, a wild look on my face.

"One down, two to go," I said menacingly. Kimimaro didn't even flinch at my comment or the fact I had sent his companion flying into the sky. Fujibu on the other hand wasn't taking it nearly as well. He looked about ready to throw another tantrum, his fists clenched while he stomped his feet.

"I told you that idiot was useless Kimimaro, why do you always insist on bringing him? Bringing Jugo would be better than bringing him," whined Fujibu. Could this kid act any more like a brat? Tired of listening to Fujibu, I whipped my right arm and extended it straight for him. Surprisingly, Kimimaro made no move to stop my attack or save Fujibu. Fujibu also wasn't moving, he was simply smiling broadly. What did they know that I didn't? I halted my attack, my arm stopping a few feet from Fujibu. Something was wrong, why weren't they doing anything? I got my answer right as that thought crossed my mind.My vision abruptly blurred and I lost my balance. I stumbled and fell to my knees as my head was assaulted by pain. My vision then turned to absolute darkness.

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Opening my eyes, I found myself back in Sunagakure looking at my father. Carnage coated the landscape around me with bodies everywhere. This was the damage I had caused during my fight with my father all those years ago. My eyes squeezed shut as my gut twisted and turned in guilt. Why was I seeing all of this now? What had that kid done to me? I opened my eyes again but now I was in my house. In my arms was the teddy bear that I had carried around for the majority of my childhood. My vision shifted to show that I was standing in the living room. The room had been turned upside down, and the furniture split into pieces while sand coated the floor. No, not again, I didn't want to look at another one of these memories. Try as I might though I couldn't close my eyes or move a muscle. My body moved on its own accord, going from the living room to the kitchen. The kitchen was jarringly neat compared to the disastrous living room. My small arms raised on their own and sand shot into the room from the living room. I watched in agony as the kitchen was torn to pieces by my sand, cabinets ripped from the wall while silverware clattered onto the floor. What event had caused me to go on this rampage? I didn't haven't the slightest idea why I would do any of this. Was this memory even real? I had no memory of ever doing this but how would Fujibu know so much about my past? My rampage in the kitchen finally came to an end, the entire room trashed.

"Gaara? What are you doing," squeaked a scared voice behind me?

No.

No. No. No.

Stop, please don't do it.

My body turned to look at who was talking to me in defiance of my desperate commands for it not to. I tried so hard to close my eyes and end the nightmare but I couldn't. I could only stare forward, looking at two children who stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Both of them were slightly older than me, one with blonde hair and the other with brown hair.

Temari.

Kankuro.

Temari couldn't be older than ten at this point and Kankuro was probably eight or nine years old. Kankuro stood clutching his older sister's side in terror while Temari tried her because not to look terrified.

They were scared of me.

No, not scared, petrified.

I could see the looks in their eyes, I wasn't a human.

I was a monster.

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My eyes once again opened to find myself back in the forest. Tears stung my eyes and my breath was ragged. A ringing sound was almost all I could hear, as if a bomb had just gone off right next to me. I could faintly hear a raspy laugh but my mind was too scrambled to process it.

My hearing flipped like a switch and I could suddenly hear. I shakily stood up from my position on the ground and looked up. Fujibu was the one who was laughing, Kimimaro still stood there with a bored expression.

"Your such an idiot, did you really think you could touch me? The effects of my Shadow Mind Disruption Jutsu last for several minutes. I own your mind for the next three minutes," gloated Fujibu. A grunt was all that could escape my throat. What was I supposed to do for the next three minutes then? The idea of having to sit through more memories sounded worse than death.

"Gaara," said Shukaku softly. I had completely forgotten about him, I had been so caught up with my memories that I hadn't considered what was happening with Shukaku. Then again, he had done nothing to help me since I had started fighting so maybe it wasn't all my fault.

"What," I responded back.

"Let me handle the little brat," he said coldly.