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Columns of sand swirled in a whirlwind, and an uneasy silence reigned in the night, broken only by the rustle of grains of sand. They rose up like living beings, striving to fulfill their duty — to protect the one who controls them. Behind the curtain of dust, it was simply impossible to see anything except the flickering shadows of figures. Only the owner of the byakugan, who was not in the vicinity at all, with his gift of seeing through obstacles, could understand what was happening. Only rare glimpses of a red, glowing fishing rod stand out, deftly repelling the angry attacks of the sand.
Gaara landed on a sandy platform, flying away from Ootsutsuki, trying to keep his distance. Sabaku no, of course, knew that he would come for Shukaku again after the last unsuccessful attempt, but he did not think that so soon. After he sent Kankuro, Shinki, and Boruto to Konoha to take one-tail to a place where he would receive proper protection, Gaara decided to return to the battlefield so that if Urashiki returned here, he could detain him.
— "I was hoping for a friendlier welcome." — Urashiki grinned as he dodged another attack. When he didn't get an answer, he threw the fishing rod in the direction of the red-haired man. Gaara frowned, he remembered his previous experience perfectly, and there was no desire to repeat it, he would not be able to block the blow, he just had to dodge. The speed of the fishing rod was high, but it did not exceed Gaara's reaction, he abruptly turned sideways to the opponent, letting the line fly past him. Sabaku no increased the distance again. It was unknown how long Urashiki's weapon could extend, perhaps there was no limit to this, but due to the greater distance, the fishing rod reached the target much later. The sand around the Kazekage began to sway, ready to obey his will again.
— "You can't win," — Gaara said in a calm voice, accumulating chakra. — "Shukaku is safe, and I won't let you take him away.
A grin only appeared on Ootsutsuki's face, he jerked closer and once again threw the fishing rod, which darted towards Gaara, intending to catch the prey. Gaara formed a Shukaku spear in his hand, deflecting Urashiki's attack to the left. I had to try not to drop it from my hand, who would have thought that a fishing rod could become such a dangerous weapon... Seeing this, Urashiki pursed his lips, his gaze became more serious. Playing with people was fun, but when they constantly repel absolutely all attacks, it starts to get boring. Gaara was well aware that this wasn't just a battle for Shukaku, it was a battle for the future, and he wasn't going to back down.
The Kazekage took out several kunai, to which paper bombs are attached, and threw them at the enemy at the same time heading behind his back. As soon as the kunai reached the target, an explosion occurred. A cloud of smoke enveloped the battlefield, hiding the opponents from each other. However, the Kazekage wasn't going to let his guard down. He slid through the dense curtain of smoke, his spear soaring high like lightning, ready to strike. Urashiki remained completely unharmed after the explosion. Bending like a snake, he abruptly dodged as the spear blade passed within millimeters of his neck. His gaze fixed on the Kazekage, and there was no longer any desire to laugh in him — only anticipation of a fight.
— "I hate to admit it, but you're not as bad as I thought," — Ootsutsuki drawled reluctantly, — "you're going to have to get a little more serious."
Sand burst out of his red vessel hanging on his hip, which was blocked by the same rock. A whole series of attacks with techniques stolen from other Shinobi began. It was extremely difficult to dodge, so all that remained was to block the attacks.
— "Tired already?" — Urashiki said enough, seeing Gaara's rapid breathing.
Sabaku no, having regrouped, felt his strength dwindle. The sand around him weakened, unable to fend off all the attacks methodically slicing through his defenses. Urashiki, enjoying the moment, grinned, thrusting his hand into the vessel for another wave of attacks. Gaara concentrated on his mental techniques. The ordinary sand began to disappear, and instead, iron sand began to gather around the Kazekage, ready to respond. He didn't want to use it, realizing how much chakra it was taking away from him, but it was simply impossible to defeat Ootsutsuki without it.
— "Don't think I'm going to give up!" — He shouted, and grains of sand rushed towards his body, forming a deadly vortex. Urashiki froze, not expecting such a change. All of his smug smile disappeared, replaced by genuine interest.
A moment later, the iron sand was circling around him, accelerating more by the second. He scratched the white skin, tore the clothes, turning them into rags. Urashiki bared his teeth, and his eyes flashed red.
After a minute, the sand stopped, settling onto the sandy terrain. Gaara knelt down, lowering himself down on the platform. After catching his breath, he looked up, where he did not see Ootsutsuki. Sabaku no became alert, scanning his surroundings. Silence enveloped the place, but a hurricane of emotions was raging in Gaara's heart. He felt like every moment of silence increased his anxiety. The feeling that the enemy could appear at any moment did not leave him. But what was worse, Urashiki could slip away in order to catch up with the group and pick up the tailed one. Taking a deep breath for the last time, he got up on trembling legs, there was catastrophically little chakra left, but who was he to give up because of this?
There was a strangled groan. A sharp burning sensation in Gaara's chest caused him to fall to his knees again. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to control the pain.
— "Gotcha." — Urashiki almost sang as he landed next to him.
Gaara gritted his teeth, silently cursing his own vulnerability. Urashiki had won, and his composure was bursting at the seams. My lungs were getting heavier, and every attempt to breathe was like a punishment. He tried to focus on his feelings, finding some kind of balance in them. But as soon as he felt the surge of energy, a new wave of pain grew.
— "I'm not done yet," — Sabaku no croaked, gradually straightening up. But he was stopped by a new wave of pain when Urashiki pulled the fishing rod towards himself.
— "It's no use, I didn't even fight to the fullest, and you're already defeated." — The satisfaction in his voice infuriated Gaara.
The force with which he clenched his jaw made his teeth grind, and he reached behind his back, grabbing the fishing line, which, thanks to the sandy protection, could not burn him. His breathing became even faster, and with one jerk he was off the hook. The oxygen entering his lungs made him cough. Without giving himself a break, he jumped to his feet, turning to face his opponent, whose eyes were wide open.
— "Wow, wow, you're the first one to get off my hook." — There was more interest in his eyes.
Gaara stretched out his hand to the sand, intending to continue the battle, but he did not react. All attempts were in vain, they only made it clear how exhausted his chakra was, his eyes were darkening, and his legs seemed to refuse to hold him.
— "Damn..." — the only thing he managed to say before his legs gave out, he was already ready to meet the sand, which did not happen. Strong arms wrapped around his waist, preventing him from falling, holding him upright. His head fell limply onto Ootsutsuki's chest, his fingers clutching at his torn clothes like a lifeline.
He seemed too exhausted even to be surprised. His brain was having a hard time working, losing touch with reality, but he couldn't afford to switch off. His arms tightened around him, and only this saved him from sinking into the realm of Morpheus. Anxiety seeped through his fatigue, reminding him that he was currently in the arms of the enemy. As if waking up, he tried to pull away.
— "Stop it, if you continue your pathetic attempts to fight in this state, you will die." — There was no sneer in the voice, just some kind of incomprehensible concern.
— "I won't let you get to Shukaku." — His voice was low, and he had to try to hear what Kage was saying, but fortunately Urashiki had excellent hearing.
— "Tsk, I'm not going to go after your pet, at least not today," — Gaara opened his eyes in shock, did he hear correctly?
— "Then why did you come here?" — The words are hard to come by, but he needed to know the reason.
— "I wanted to have fun, you're really a lot of fun."
— "Have fun?" — Gaara repeated in surprise, his voice becoming sharper.
— "You're too fixated on your duties as a kage. Sometimes it's worth taking a break, enjoying the moment, isn't it?" — The Kazekage's annoyed look spoke for itself. Grinning, Urashiki hooked Gaara's chin with his fingers, lifting his head up, meeting his gaze. He felt the faint breath of the sandstone as he leaned closer.
— "What are you...?" — the red-haired man froze, looking into the eyes opposite in confusion, as if trying to find an answer in them.
He expected anything, that Ootsutsuki would plunge a kunai into him between his shoulder blades, wring his neck, let go, but not a kiss. Urashiki seemed to have violated all the boundaries that Gaara had so carefully built around himself. The moment Ootsutsuki's lips touched his in a careful, even gentle kiss, the world around him seemed to blur. Gaara felt the tension in his body begin to fade, replaced by an unknown excitement. He couldn't get used to tactile intimacy, which went against his usual world of loneliness and harshness. Urashiki slowly pulled back, smiling. Gaara opened his mouth in surprise, which was immediately taken advantage of by the owner of the byakugan, clinging to the soft lips again. The tongue invaded the enemy's mouth, scrutinizing it. The surprised groan did not escape Ootsutsuki's ears, pleased with this reaction, he let his hands walk on Gaara's back, still holding him in place, not letting him pull away.
Gaara didn't know how to react to this intrusion, as if the world around him had split into a thousand pieces, and he was mesmerized, watching everything he knew about himself fade into the shadows. His mind tried to find support in the usual metaphors, comparisons, but all this became meaningless under the pressure of new sensations. Every touch seemed to take him further away from reality.
Urashiki continued to explore, his kisses became more insistent, and Gaara eventually began to react. He found unexpected impulses in himself, loudly asking for more, allowing himself to indulge in this strange feeling. His heart was pounding in unison with the steps that brought him to the edge where fear and attraction intertwined in an incessant dance. But there's still a battle inside him. He was looking for an opportunity to escape from this tender captivity, realizing that he was facing an enemy who could destroy his home, kill friends and relatives. His duty is to break free and fight back, his desire is to drown in these unfamiliar sensations. Maybe exhaustion was affecting him, he hoped for it, feverishly searched for an excuse that he was responding to the kiss, that he didn't want it to stop, but he couldn't find an answer. He felt bad, but Urashiki increasingly replaced this feeling, replacing it with bliss. Each new kiss deepened his doubts. Gaara could feel the walls he had built around himself slowly starting to crumble. Urashiki, ruthless and attractive, seemed to know about his inner struggle and ruthlessly played on this contradiction. Gaara closed his eyes to escape from worldly worries, as if it could help him find an answer in the dark. But the growing desire burst out, filling every cell of his body. - "That can't be true." - he thought, listening to the beating of his heart. But somewhere deep inside him, he realized that maybe this is what real vulnerability looks like. Gaara tried to think about his friends, about Kage, about those for whom he had to fight. They would not have approved of his weakness, they would not have found an excuse for such betrayal. And yet, the thought of Urashiki's bright, playful gaze made him tremble with excitement.
The absence of almost all the chakra made itself felt, the darkness began to consume him, crying out for him to finally give up and plunge into the saving darkness. Ootsutsuki reluctantly broke the kiss, studying the man carefully using the byakugan.
— "You really amused me," — Urashiki's lips stretched into a smile, — "but I have some unfinished business, don't you dare die until I get back."
The Kazekage had never felt such a hopeless sense of helplessness before. He was glad to get rid of everything, to sink into sleep and disappear into silence, even for a few short hours. The knowledge matured in his soul: upon awakening, he would be overtaken by an inescapable wave of guilt, deeper and heavier than the depths of the ocean, ready to swallow him whole. The horror of confusion filled his heart, and he knew he would feel such shame that neither time nor distance would erase it. He waited, with a sinking heart, for the return of his enemy.