Anthem

"Naruto!"

Sakura's angry roar shook the grassy field twice, and a golden head emerged from it. Sakura stormed over and lifted the figure up.

"Sensei assigned you to compile the natural history, have you made any progress with your notes?" One hand rested on her sword while the other effortlessly lifted the person into the air, their golden figure curling up.

"Sorry, Sakura. I wanted to ask others, but they all told me to find Gaara—" Naruto adjusted his balance, trying to be more stable while being held. After all, his hardness was only 3.5, and a slight knock could cause him to fracture. Facing Sakura, with a hardness of 7, would only end in him being shattered.

"Gaara... he might indeed know something." Hinata peeked out from behind Sakura, rescuing Naruto from the heated situation and gently placing him on the ground. "He's been patrolling by the sea all night, so he probably knows more than us."

"But at night, the Hunter from the Moon won't come, so this job is meaningless." With Hinata's favor, Naruto quickly hid behind her, making a face at Sakura.

"If Gaara hears that, you'll lose more than just a layer of skin." Sakura clenched her fist, and Naruto quickly retreated behind Hinata.

"Just in case... and Naruto-kun," Hinata looked at Naruto's childish demeanor and smiled helplessly, patting his head. "If you're going to find him, be very careful. If you come into contact with his venom, you'll really lose a layer of skin."

"I got it—hey! Isn't that Dog-Brow over there!" Covering the spot Hinata had touched, Naruto's eyes caught sight of another green figure. "Dog-Brow!"

The green figure, which had been moving quickly, paused and set down the two giant rocks it was carrying, then turned and waved. "Good afternoon, Naruto-kun! What can I do for you?"

Dodging the casually thrown rocks nearby, Naruto made a face. Memories of the last time he was accidentally crushed and pinned down resurfaced. "You live next to Gaara, right? Take me to him."

Lee's expression instantly became serious. "Gaara... Naruto-kun wants to see him?"

"Yes, I want him to team up with me!" Naruto pumped his fist. "As long as he's with me, Sensei will let me join battles, and everyone will realize how strong I am. ugh——!!"

Hinata covered Naruto's mouth, smiling at Lee and nodding. Sakura also smiled, quickly lowering her head to whisper to Naruto, "Naruto, don't mention Gaara in front of Lee. Gaara almost caused him..."

"Even though I'm happy to guide you, Gaara isn't in his room." Lee rubbed the back of his head, forcing a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "He's never in his room, so I can't help you, sorry."

Watching Lee walk away, Sakura's fist nearly reached Naruto's head, but Hinata intercepted it just in time, sparing Naruto from the pain of a head punch. "You idiot! Do you forget what Gaara did to Lee?"

"That happened before Naruto-kun joined us, and no one dared to mention it afterward, so it's normal that he doesn't know," Hinata frowned at Sakura, who grumbled about her bias toward Naruto. "Gaara's mental state has always been unstable... the situation was urgent back then, and Lee teamed up with Gaara to repel the Hunters from the Moon. No one knows what happened between them. When the Hunters disappeared, Lee was lying on the grass, covered in... Gaara's venom."

Sakura shook her head forcefully, trying to dispel the horrifying images in her mind. "His legs were the most severely corroded. If it weren't for Tsunade-sama, Lee might not have..."

Closing her fist tightly, she sighed. "Anyway, be careful around Gaara. Don't say anything unnecessary, ask what you need to and then leave. If he doesn't want to answer, just let it go. Don't make him angry."

---

After bidding farewell to Sakura and Hinata, Naruto walked along the coastline alone. As the sun set, the sea shimmered with golden light. A sunspot sign appeared faintly on the horizon, but Naruto didn't notice it.

"Hated by everyone, doing meaningless tasks, worse than useless...," Naruto stretched lazily towards the setting sun, shouting at the sea, "He should just stop doing anything at all!"

"And being a waste of space like you." A deep voice came from behind, devoid of emotion. Naruto turned abruptly, seeing a red figure standing at the edge of the cliff, facing away from him.

"Gaara! I've been looking for you all day!" Naruto cheered, spinning around with his notebook and heading towards Gaara. "And I'm not useless; I just haven't found the right way to fight yet... I'll become the strongest one day!"

"Heh." Gaara chuckled lightly, lifting his head to gaze at the gradually expanding sunspot sign on the horizon. "At least in the eyes of the Hunters, you're quite popular."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up in confusion following Gaara's gaze, and an arrow shot straight towards his face. Instinctively, he raised his hand to dodge, and a figure rushed to stand in front of him, followed by a wave of venom that countered the first arrow, slapping it down to the ground. The previously lush vegetation was now obscured by the venom, leaving no trace.

Jumping from the cliff, Gaara leaped directly above the Hunters from the Moon, flooding the island with mercury, and swiftly ending the battle even faster than it began.

Returning to the ground, all the vegetation had died. Gaara glanced at Naruto, who was sitting on the ground, and let out a mocking smile. "See that? Everywhere I touch, life dies. If you touch my venom, you'll lose more than just a layer of skin." His gaze darkened momentarily as he turned back to face the sea. "So stay away from me and don't come near."

Heard a gasp behind him, Gaara thought he had successfully scared off the fool, closing his eyes to rest. But he sensed someone rapidly approaching. Gaara turned in surprise to see Naruto's eyes shining as he rushed towards him. "Wha—"

"You're amazing—!!" Acting as if he couldn't see the spreading venom, Naruto almost threw himself at Gaara. "Normally, Sakura and the others struggle to deal with this many Hunters, and you alone handled them all! You're amazing! Much stronger than Neji; they say he's the strongest, but I think it's Itachi. He just doesn't participate. But now, I think you might even be stronger than him..."

As Naruto was about to touch Gaara, Gaara couldn't bear it anymore and cut him off. "Are you an idiot? Have you not learned your lesson? Didn't you see what happened to the plants just now? Didn't you hear me warning you about the consequences of touching me?"

Hands firmly wrapped around Gaara, Naruto tilted his head, his face filled with confusion. Gaara couldn't tell if this guy had skillfully avoided his venom or just got lucky, but for now, Naruto seemed unharmed.

When was the last time he was held like this? Gaara couldn't recall. He remembered people seeing Lee covered in mercury, staring at him with a mix of hatred and fear. Before, they avoided him, and afterward, they barely acknowledged him. It didn't matter; Gaara didn't need fake concern. He just hoped the Hunters would take him away someday. Maybe on the moon, he'd find his worth.

Maybe then, someone would love him.

Swallowing his bitterness, Gaara cleared his throat. "Hey, you..."

"Watch out!"

The sharp sound of an arrow cutting through the air came from behind.
Gaara turned around, only to see Naruto standing in front of him. As the arrow struck Naruto, his body shattered instantly, passing through his fragile form, narrowly grazing Gaara's chest and chipping off a shard, mixing it with Naruto's fragments. At some point, another sunspot sign had formed in the sky. On it sat a new batch of Hunters, neatly arranged, bows drawn and ready for the next wave of attacks.

Gaara stared at Naruto's scattered pieces on the ground, unmoving. Many were tainted with Gaara's venom; cleaning them now would be futile. Lost in thought, Gaara covered his eyes, chuckling softly. The sight of Naruto's broken form glaring at him, his features distorted, was almost comical.

"So weak yet so eager to prove yourself, truly a fool." wiping a tear from his eye, Gaara sighed. "Do you know? This place is where many of us are taken by the Hunters. They say it's dangerous here, but I'd rather be taken by them." Extending his hand toward the moon, Gaara manipulated the venom underground, surging toward the approaching the Hunters. "I've been waiting here for so long, but they never come. Today, they came because of you, repelled once but ready to return."

Pausing, Gaara burst into laughter again. The gathered venom, now more potent, carried death's essence, swiftly wiping out life as if it never existed.

"It's nice, isn't it? Even enemies love you. Who will love me?"

The silence returned. Gaara lay on the ground, watching the sky darken, closing his eyes. Faint sounds of shards clashing reached him, and he lifted his head to see Naruto struggling to approach him.

"Being alone, it's painful, isn't it? I understand a bit," Naruto inched closer, more venom staining his body. "I'm not good at anything—medicine, strategy, tailoring, crafting, weapon-making, fighting. I've tried everything, but I can't do any or it. In this world, it seems I have no value, no one needs me." He chuckled, shaking his broken body. "I can't fight; I'm too fragile. But I envy partnerships, trusting your life to someone else. There must be strong bonds in that."

Finally closing the gap, Naruto reached out to Gaara on the ground. "I'll entrust my life to you, give you all my love. Be my partner, Gaara."

Staring at the fragmented body before him, Gaara widened his eyes, almost reaching out to take Naruto's hand. But as the venom dripped onto his face, Gaara snapped back, quickly pulling away. "We can't coexist. Just in that short time earlier, I could have peeled off a layer of your skin. If we stayed together as partners, the venom would only worsen, and you'd vanish."

"There's always a way. We can figure it out together..." Before finishing, Naruto lost control of his body, collapsing on the ground, unable to piece himself back together. Realizing Naruto's predicament, Gaara scanned around and spotted the overlooked Hunter, only half-bodied, clutching Naruto's fragments desperately.

What threat could a half-bodied Hunter pose? Gaara didn't even bother using his venom, intending to finish it off himself. But things changed rapidly; Gaara could only stare as the Hunter, with Naruto's shards, suddenly ignited, the pieces melting together.

"Naruto—!!!"